When I had a chance to slip back into the forward house, Chips had
already "cast loose" and was in full swing.
"There ain't no use of tellin' everything one sees aboard ship," he was
saying, "for you know whin things happen on deep water th' world ain't
much th' wiser fer hearing about them. There ain't no telegraphs, an'
th' only witnesses is the men concerned--or the wimmen. The men may or
mayn't say a thing or two after getting the run av th' beach, but as
th' critters have to wait half a year afore getting there, the news av
th' occurrence wears off an' regard for the effects on th' teller takes
place. It's just as often as not th' men keep mum. You know that as
well as I do.
"This same Andrews as is forrads in irons was running the _Starbuck_ with
Jameson as mate, an' old Garnett as second under him. Ye all know that
old pirit. But this time he didn't have any hand in Andrews's game.
Andrews wanted to marry the girl Jameson had, an' whin he found he had
lost her he played his devil's trick.
"Jameson hadn't been married a week afore Andrews took him around b' th'
foot av Powell Street in 'Frisco an' set up some drinks. That's the last
any one sees av Jameson fer a year or more on th' West Coast, fer whin he
comes to, he was at sea on that old tank, th' _Baldwin_, an' old man
Jacobs would as soon have landed him on th'moon as put him ashore."
"A purty bloomin' mean trick," interrupted the bos'n.
"Th' poor divil did have a hard time av it, fer he wasn't a very fierce
sort o' chap. He ware a gentil spoken, kind-hearted feller, an' ye know
well enough how a man what isn't made of iron wud git along wid Jacobs or
his mates. They hazed him terrible; an', as they ware one hundred an'
seventy days an' nights to Liverpool, he took the scurvy. Ye can reckon
what was left av him afterwards. Whin he left th' hospital, he was glad
enough to ship on a Chilean liner to get even as far to the West Coast as
Valparaiso.
"He ware aboard this Dago, puttin' in, whin he saw th' _Starbuck_
standin' out o' th' harbor. His wife ware on th' quarter-deck--"
"That's the way with most women," snarled the bos'n, interrupting.
"I don't know about that," continued Chips. "You see, after he had been
gone a few months, an' Andrews had been hangin' around all th' time
gettin' in his pisonous work, she began to have a little faith in th'
villain. It wasn't long afore he convinced her Jameson had deserted, fer
he proved fair enough he had shipped aboard th' _Baldwin_, without so
much as saying good-by. There ware plenty of men to back him on that,
includin' th' boatman what rowed them aboard. Finally, partly by
blandanderin' an' a-feelin' around, fer th' poor gal ware now alone in
th' world, he got her to step aboard th' bleedin' hooker _Starbuck_ the
day he ware ready for sea. Thin he jest stood out--an'--an'--well, after
they'd been out six months th' matter ended as far as Jameson ware
concerned.
"Jameson took the news hard whin he got th' run av th' beach, but he was
that kindly disposed chap an' went along th' best he could until th' war
broke out. He ware still waitin' at Valparaiso whin they drafted him
into the Dago army, an' he was lucky enough to be on th' side what got
licked. Then there ware no use waitin' there fer th' _Starbuck_ to come
in again, so he made a slant for Peru as they niver took no pris'ners.
Two weeks afterwards Andrews came in again fer nitrates wid Garnett an'
O'Toole fer mates--"
"Lucky fer Andrews he wasn't there," said the bos'n; "he'd have had his
ornery hide shot full of holes."
"What's th' use av ye talking like a fool?" said Chips. "Is shootin' up a
feller a-goin' to undo a wrong like that? Th' shootin' was all done on
th' other side, an' Andrews is sound yet an' aboard this here ship. Some
men think av other things besides revenge. Especially kind-hearted
fellers like Jameson what niver cud hurt no one. As soon as some av
Jameson's friends who knew of th' affair told his wife, she wint right
into th' cabin where Andrews was, an' afore he knew what she ware up to,
she had shot herself. Andrews paid her funeral expenses, an' buried her
in th' little Dago cemetery out forninst th' city gate. An' thin Garnett,
who didn't know av his skipper's diviltry, sware vengeance on th' husband
who deserted her, fer she ware gentil and kind wid th' men forrads."
Here Chips paused and gave me a sidelong look as he refilled his pipe.
Then he lit it and smiled hopefully.
"They ware a quare pair, them mates, Garnett an' O'Toole," he said. "What
one wasn't th' other was, and _wice wersa_. They lay there two months
loadin' on account o' th' war having blocked th' nitrate beds.
"Wan day O'Toole saw an old woman come limpin' along th' dock where th'
_Starbuck_ lay. She hobbled on to th' gang-plank an' started aboard, an'
O'Toole began to chaff Garnett. He waren't half bad as a joker.
"''Pon me whurd, Garnett,' sez he, 'I do belave your own mother is comin'
aboard to visit ye--but no, maybe it's yer swateheart, fer ye have an
uncommon quare taste, ye know. B' th' saints, ye ware always a bold one
fer th' ladies.'
"We ware lying in th' next berth, not twenty feet away, an' from where I
sat on th' rail I cud hear thim talk an' see what was a-goin' on.
"'Stave me,' says old Garnett, solemn like, 'that's true enough. Sink her
fer a fool, though, to be a-comin' down here to win back an old
windjammer like me--What? ye mean that old hag driftin' along the deck?
Blast you for a red-headed shell-back, d'ye s'pose I'd take up wid wimmen
av your choice? No, I never makes a superior officer jealous;' an' wid
that he takes out his rag an' mops th' dent in th' top av his head where
there's no hair nor nothin' but grease, an' he draws out his little
pestiverous vial av peppermint salts an' sniffs.
"'Faith, an' ye'll need to clear yer old head, ye owld raskil, ye've been
too gay fer onct,' says O'Toole.
"She ware a tough-lookin' old gal, an' her hat brim flopped over her
face. O'Toole met her an' pointed to Garnett.
"'If it's th' leddy-killer av th' fleet ye're afther, there he Stan's.'
"Th' old woman looked an' stopped.
"'No,' says she, in a sort o' jangled tone, 'eets my little gal I looks
fer--she's aboard here wid th' capt'in,'
"'Ye can't see her,' says Garnett, 'an' ye better get ashore afore I
calls one av thim Dago soldiers to carry ye off an' marry ye.'
"I cud jest get th' glint av th' old woman's eyes, then she bent her
head lower.
"'E--eets my leetle gal I must see,' an' there was somethin' in her voice
that made one pay attention, 'twas so deep an' solemn like. I ware
listening an' a few soldiers av th' army what was camped in th' town came
up an' stopped an' looked on.
"'She ware a good leetle gal--an' I cared for her--Yes, by God, she ware
a good gal,' said th' old one, hoarsely.
"I cud see O'Toole turn away his head an' Garnett sniff hard at his vial.
'Twas good, he used to say, fer things in th' head. Thin he turned to th'
old woman.
"'Ye better get ashore, old gal, she ain't aboard here. We don't take
thim kind on deep water.'
"'I must see her afore I goes,' says th' old woman, an' her voice ware a
whisper that died away, but ware so full av force O'Toole turned to her.
"'Was it Mrs. Jameson ye wished to see?' he asked.
"The old woman nodded.
"'Well--er--faith, an' she--er,' an' thin he stopped to look at Garnett.
"'She had an accident, by yer lave, 'bout a month ago. How was it ye
niver hearn tell? Waren't ye here whin th' old man brought her ashore?'
"'I come from 'Frisco,' says she.
"'Well, I s'pose ye might as well know now as niver,' O'Toole blurted
out; 'she's dead, owld woman. Been dead a month gone. Th' old man buried
her dacent like, fer, as ye say, she ware a rale good gal, 'pon me whurd,
fer a fact, she ware that. 'Tis hard to tell ye, but it's th' truth, th'
whole truth, an' divil a bit besides.'
"While he talked th' old woman's head went lower, and whin he finished,
she gave a hard gasp. Thin she stood huddled forninst th' deck-house, an'
Garnett started forward to th' men at work stevin' th' last av th' cargo.
"All av a sudden like I saw her raise her face an' spit a button from her
mouth. Her eyes ware starin' an' lookin' at th' hill away off t' th'
eastward av th' town an' beyant to th' great southern mountings av th'
Andes range. Thin she slowly straightened up an' walked wid a firm step
along th' deck an' th' gang-plank.
"Th' soldier men made way for her on th' dock, but she looked straight
beyant her nose an' held her way firm an' strong until she went out av
sight, lavin' O'Toole starin' after her.
"''Pon me whurd, Garnett,' he called, ''tis a most wonderful
thing, look!'
"''Tis a mother's love, ye haythen; 'pon me whurd, there's nothin' else
like it. See how th' news affected th' poor old crayther. It puts me in
mind av the time whin I had an old leddy t' look after me. 'Tis a rale
jewil av a thing, an' a man only has it th' onct.'
"'More's th' pity,' says Garnett. 'Sink ye, but ye sure are a tough one
to tell th' old gal on so short notice. But ye niver did have no
feelin's, ye bloomin' heathen.'
"''Pon me sowl, what cud I do else?'
"'O' course, 'tain't likely a rough feller like you could do any better,
but whin any wimmen folks come aboard agin, come to a man as is used to
thim. A man as can talk an' act in a way they likes. A man wid some ways
to him. A man--' Here he stooped an' picked up th' button th' old gal
had dropped.
"'Where did this come from?' he asked.
"'She had it in her mouth,' says O'Toole.
"'Well, it's one av th' buttons off a uniform that ain't healthy to be
wearin' around these parts just now.' An' then they both looked hard at
th' little thing.
"'D'ye s'pose it cud have been?' asked O'Toole.
"'Been what?' says Garnett.
"'Jameson, ye blatherin' ijiot. Jameson, th' same as left his wife,
a-comin' here huntin' for her. 'Twas so, fer a fact. He had it in his
mouth to kape us from knowin' his voice, an' by th' same tokin, I calls
to mind th' chokin' in his throat, the scand'lous owld woman he was.'
"'Stave me, but ye might have been right for onct in yer life, so bear a
hand an' let's stand away after him an' ketch th' old leddy an' see,'
says Garnett.
"They started off without listenin' to my hail, so I climbed down to th'
dock an' follows. It was evenin' now, an' th' street was crowded, but
they pushed along ahead av me.
"Ye see it ware Jameson, sure enough, an whin he heard his wife ware
dead, he wint up that street like a man in a dream. He forgot all about
his dress, an' his face ware hard set like a man thinkin' over th' past.
He had some five minutes' start av th' mates, an' whin a poor beggar
woman spoke to him he scared her half to death with his voice when he
asked her th' way to th' cemetery. Thin he remembered his disguise,
stepped into a doorway, pulled off th' dress an' hat an' flung thim to
th' old beggar woman, an' went his way.
"Garnett an' O'Toole came along a few minutes later an' saw th' beggar.
"'There he is. That's him,' sung out the old sailor, pintin' to th' old
gal walkin' along wid her rags tied in a bundle tucked under her arm, fer
she had made shift to change thim fer Jameson's slops.
"''Pon me whurd, ye're right fer onct agin,' says O'Toole.
"'Well, don't go a-spoilin' th' thing this time. Let me sail inter him,
an' if I wants yer, I'll sing out, an' ye can bear a hand an' help.'
Garnett swung across th' street to overhaul th' old woman, an' came up
behind her.
"'Evenin', old lady, I wants to have a talk wid ye;' an' he lays his hand
on her shoulder wid a grip to take a piece av flesh out. She stopped an'
turned quick.
"'_Caramba_!' she yells; 'I teach ye to insult a dacent old lady, you
Yankee dog. Help! Murder! ye bloody raskil! Help, help!' Thin she ware
upon him like a wild cat, a clawin' an' bitin', screechin' and yellin'.
"'Sink you for a bloody scoundrel, Jameson, I knows ye,' roared Garnett.
'Larry, there, bear a hand. I have him.'
"'Hold him thin, ye brave man,' sings out O'Toole, comin' up. 'Go it,
owld gal, give it to him. 'Tis a leddy-killer he is fer sure, 'pon me
whurd, fer a fact. Claw him, bite him, even though he's as tough as
nails. Yell him deaf, owld leddy. Do it fer his mether's sake, th'
scand'lous owld rake he is. Get his year in yer teeth an' hold on, fer
'tis a leddy-killer ye have in yer hands at last. Whang his hide off!
Whang him! Whang him!' An' I thought th' old raskil would die av laffin'.
"We ware crowdin' around thim to see th' fun, an' th' way that old gal
whanged an' lammed, an' lammed an' whanged, wud have brung tears to yer
eyes. 'Twas too much fer human natur' to stan', an' so away goes Garnett
down th' street as fast as his bow-legs can git him over th' beach, wid
his sheets slacked off a-runnin' free, an' likewise, b' th' same tokin,
away squares th' old leddy wid her skysails set an' everythin' drawin'
'cept her skirts, which she holds b' th' clews an' bunts.
"'After him! Catch th' blackguard!' bawls O'Toole, rolling on th'
pavement, laffin' an' bawlin'.
"That old beggar was clipper built, fer sure, for wid her skirts clewed
up she ware bearin' down fast on th' old mate an' kept his bow-legs
a-lurchin' afore th' crowd a-comin' along in th' wake a-yellin' an'
hootin' like mad. A man jumped out to stop him, but I knowed Garnett
would niver stop this side o' th' gangway av his ship, an' sure 'nuff,
out flashes his hand an? th' Dago rolls over an' over. They yelled harder
than ever, an' Garnett had to shake out another reef afore he could make
th' gang-plank, an' get aboard. He managed to get below jest as some
soldiers rushed up. Th' noise brought Andrews on deck in time to get men
to keep th' crowd off his ship, an' thin O'Toole comes up.
"'What's th' row?' he bawls to th' mate, but O'Toole ware laffin' so he
couldn't spake a whurd. Finally he got it out.
"'Faith, 'tis th' leddy-killer av th' fleet, Garnett, at his owld game,'
sez he. ''Pon me whurd, 'tis a hangin' matter this time, fer th' damage
he's done th' sex. He ware--' but he bruk down afore he could finish.
"'Twas five minits afore he could tell what had happened, th' old gal
cussin' an' swearin' an' th' crowd a-hootin' an' jeerin', but finally th'
skipper got some soldiers to carry th' old gal away. Thin out comes
Garnett on th' main deck a-smellin' av his little vial, but avoidin' av
th' skipper's eye.
"'What th' devil did ye mean?' asked Andrews; 'did ye take her to be
Jameson in disguise?'
"''Pon me whurd,' says O'Toole, 'th' first wan that comes aboard was no
other--an' this one looked enough like him from a stern view. 'Tis a bad
trade, though, this killin' av leddies.' An' he leered so at Garnett he
swore horrible an' went forrads.
"I ware standin' close enough to catch th' glint in Andrews' eye whin
this ware said, but he took no notice an' went ashore, an' as I followed
after him he was thinkin' hard."
Here Chips spat quietly into the corner, fingered his pipe, and rammed
the ash down. Then he looked up at the light, and a different
expression came upon him. The bos'n's smile died away, and all sat
listening for the finish. Far forward sounded the cries of men dressing
down the head sheets.
"I hadn't much to do," continued Chips, softly, "so I walked on an' saw
him stop at a flower stand an' buy a bunch av roses. I wint across to th'
cemetery where th' trees are good to look at an' th' grass is green as
th' sea nigh th' States. I hadn't gone far whin I sees a man standin'
nigh a grave wid another man lyin' on it. I couldn't tell who th' men
ware till I came close, fer 'twas now gettin' dark. Thin when Andrews
stooped an' lifted th' head av th' one lyin' down, I saw them both plain
enough. Jameson's head made me feel sick wid th' horror av it. Whin I
spoke, Andrews let th' poor fellow sink back again, an' as I stood
alongside I saw th' flowers th' skipper had bought lyin' on th' grave
nigh th' hand av poor Jameson, which still held his pistil. Th' old man
said nothin', but there ware a hard look in his eyes as I saw him lookin'
at th' tops av th' big Chilean mountings where th' sunken sun made them a
bloody red. He ware thinkin' hard, an' seemed to be watchin' a flock av
vultures a-comin' over th' range, stringin' out in a long line av black
specks. Thin all av a sudden he stooped an' picked up the flowers an'
placed thim gentle like on th' head av the grave--'twas the only gentil
thing I iver knew him to do--an' thin walked away without a word. That's
th' last I saw av him until I shipped aboard here, for he cleared from
Valparaiso th' next day."
"An' this is the beggar we're taking back to the States to be skipper of
some American ship, maybe this same one, if he gets clear of the killing
of his quartermaster off Melbourne," said the bos'n.
"An' that's the reason, by your leave, Mr. Rolling," said Jim, "I say
it's best to go back again and deliver this man up to the proper
authorities."
"As far as I'm concerned," I answered, "I would just as soon see him safe
where the wind won't annoy him; but I'm not the skipper, and if you want
to get any satisfaction you'll have to go aft."
"We did," said the bos'n; "we asked the old man, but he wouldn't hear of
it, and Trunnell is with him."
"Trunnell is with him because he thinks it right," said Jim, with a
shrewd look at me; "but if you were to try to persuade him, I believe he
would come around all right."
"Why fo' not put him abo'ad the English ship, sah," put in the "doctor."
"I votes we ax the ole man to put 'im abo'ad her."
All were agreeable to this proposition and decided to go aft the first
thing in the morning watch. Jim stuck out for going back.
"If you were to go with us, Mr. Rolling, we might persuade
Trunnell," said he.
"It's no use, he never would--" Before we could continue the discussion
further the bells struck out loudly, and the bos'n and I went on deck for
our watch.
It was a fine, clear night, and I was glad to get the course from the
mate and walk fore and aft on the weather side of the poop to enjoy it.
X
The morning dawned calm and beautiful. The heavy, oily swell, which still
ran from the effects of the blow, moved in long, smooth humps upon the
sea. Far to the eastward the light of the rising sun tinted the cirrus
clouds above with a rosy hue.
I was quite tired from the effects of the gale, and the morning watch is
always a cheerless one. The steward had coffee ready, however, and after
a good drink I felt better, and got out the glass to see if I could make
out the _Sovereign_. We had been drifting all night, so that in the
mid-watch Trunnell wore ship and stood up for her to keep in sight. There
she lay, about three miles away off our port beam. Her topsail was the
only canvas she had set, and she was so low in the water that I could not
see her deck amidships at that distance. All except a little of her high
poop appeared to be under, or so low that it was invisible. I wondered
why her captain had not put off sooner, and I knew that as soon as
Thompson came on deck he would be in a fury at his having waited so long.
There was not a breath of air now, so we were certain to be in company
for several hours at least.
While I looked over the expanse of heaving ocean I saw a black spot
between the ships. In a moment I made out a boat rising and falling,
propelled by four oars, and headed for us. Sometimes she would disappear
behind a high lump of sea and then she would be on top, and I made out
she was coming along right handily.
As she drew nearer I made her out to be full of men. She came up under
our mizzen channels and hailed. Half the watch was bending over the side
looking at her, and one man threw a line. This was seized, and the next
moment her crew came clambering over the rail.
Jenks, the old sailor who had come over in the boat with me the day
before, was on deck to receive his shipmates. The old fellow's face
wrinkled with amusement at the sight of his worn-out countrymen until it
looked like the slack of a bellows. There was an unholy twinkle in his
eye as he greeted them.
On the boarding of the officer of the boat, a tall Englishman who was the
ship's mate, the man Jenks stopped his pleasantry at the tired crew's
expense, but it was too late. He was ordered into the boat, with three
other men who were fresh, to be sent away for the remaining men on the
ship. Then the officer mounted the poop just as Captain Thompson emerged
from below.
The officer bowed and touched his hat deferentially, but the skipper
stood looking at him out of his glinting eyes, while his nose worked
and twitched.
"Don't seem to be in much of a hurry, hey?" said our captain, with
his drawl.
"We've been working steadily all night at the pumps, sir, hopin' to
keep her afloat, sir. The old man--I beg pardon, Captain Sackett,--says
as he'll not abandon her while she swims. The rest of us have
permission to go, sir."
"Is her cargo of any particular value, then?"
"Yes, sir. It's palm oil and valuable woods. There's eight hundred
barrels of palm oil in her, and the captain's got his all--every cent he
has in the world. He won't leave her."
"Do you know what you resemble, hey?" said our skipper, dryly.
"I do not, sir."
"Well, I don't want to hurt the feelings of a poor, shipwrecked sailor,
nor insinuate nothing sech as no gentleman ought. No, sirree. You are my
guest aboard here, and damned welcome to you. At the same time, if I ware
telling anybody as to what kind of a fellow you was, I should
say,--yessir, after thinking the matter over carefully, and taking all
points into consideration,--I might say that I thought ye an all-around
white-livered, cowardly cuss, an' that's a fact."
The English mate turned red. He started to say something, and then
checked himself. Finally he blurted out:--
"I've heard tell of some Yankee skippers who've given a bad name to your
infernal shipping, an' I reckon I've run up against one. But no fear! I
recognize you as our saviour, an' won't say a word, sir. The retort
courteous, as the saying is, would be a crack on the jaw of such a
fellow, but I don't say as I'll do it, sir. There's some fellows as needs
rippin' up the back, but you bein' captain of this here ship, I won't say
who they is, sir. No, sir, I won't say who they is, or nothin'. I just
ask that I be sent back aboard the _Sovereign_. The boat ain't gone yet,
and, by the Lord, I'll drown before I get into a ship like this."
"Well, by hookey, you won't, then," snarled the captain; "you'll stay
aboard this boat. A man that's born to be hung mustn't be drowned. Hey,
there, Rolling," he bawled, looking forward to where I stood, "get out
the boat and go with those fellows. Get all the rest afeard to stay
aboard, and come back. We won't stay here all day waiting for a lot of
fellows too afeard to know what they want."
The noise of the talking brought a female figure to the combings of the
companionway, and as the skipper finished, Miss Sackett stood on deck.
The mate of the _Sovereign_ greeted her, and told of her father's
determination to stay aboard his ship with three men who desired the
chance to make heavy salvage. He didn't suppose any of the crew of
the _Pirate_ cared to take chances, but if they did, he would let
them. He said he could work the wreck into some port, probably Cape
Town, and save her.
"But he will surely be lost," cried Miss Sackett. "I shall go to him
myself and persuade him not to do this foolish thing. You will let me go
in one of the boats, won't you, Captain Thompson?" she cried, turning to
our skipper.
Thompson was sour, but he admired nerve. The fact of the Englishman
staying alone aboard his wrecked ship appealed to him where nothing
else would.
"My dear madam," said he, with his drawl, "you shall certainly do jest
what you want to while I'm captain of this boat. But I wouldn't persuade
your father to do anything against his will. How could a sensible fellow
refuse you anything, hey?"
The young girl overlooked his insolence, and smiled her satisfaction. She
came forward to where the first boat was getting ready to shove off. The
men in her were sullen and ugly, for they had not had their breakfast,
and the row would be a long one. The old sailor, Jenks, with his pop
eyes, and face like the slack of a bellows, scowled sourly. At this
moment our third officer came on deck and to the lady's side. I was just
about to ask her to wait and go in my boat when I heard the shrill tones
of our Mr. Bell.
"Clear that boat, and stand by to pass this lady aboard," said he, with
some show of authority, and a clever nautical style. "Allow me?" he
continued, as he offered her his arm at the ladder.
His shrill voice caused a smile of wonder and amusement among the
strangers, but as they knew their own skipper's daughter, they said
nothing besides a few remarks among themselves.
"Won't you wait and have breakfast before you go," he asked her, as she
reached the top of the rail; but she refused, and decided that her
father's strange whim to stay aboard his sinking ship deserved first
consideration.
"In that case I shall have to go along also, for you may be very much
exhausted before getting back."
Just what good he could do in such a case he did not stop to explain, but
climbed over the side, and after lowering her aboard, took his place
beside her in the stern sheets. Then he gave orders to get clear, and the
boat shot away, while I made shift to get my men something to eat before
taking the long pull.
In fifteen minutes we were ready to start. Chips wanted to go along to
see if anything could be done to help stop the leak in case Captain
Sackett still insisted staying aboard. Johnson, the little sailor with
the thin legs set wide apart, showing daylight between clear to his
waist, Hans, the heavy-shouldered Swede, and Phillippi, a squat Dago,
made up the rest of the boat's crew. Trunnell had come on deck while we
were eating from the mess-kids, and met the skipper on the poop, where he
stopped to talk over some important matter. This importance appeared to
increase in a moment, for the skipper swore harshly and pointed forward
just as my men were coming aft to go over the side.
"Rolling," he cried, "hold on with that boat a minute, and lay aft here,"
I came to the edge of the poop.
"Get that ruffian Andrews ready and put him aboard the _Sovereign_. The
men here are tired of his ways, and fair exchange is no robbery. We'll
take their men, they'll take one of ours, hey? Do you rise to that?"
I understood. The men had made it apparent they did not wish to have the
fellow aboard since he persisted in his murderous ways. The skipper had
been importuned by Jim to turn back and put him ashore. This he would not
think of doing, but to propitiate them he had struck upon this new method
of getting rid of his charge.
I called Jim, the young landsman, to lend a hand getting the fellow
ready. Andrews cursed us all around and demanded to know what we were
going to do with him. No attention was paid to him, however, and he was
bundled into the boat, handcuffed, with his legs free.
"Tell Captain Sackett I say he's welcome to him," drawled out Thompson,
over the poop rail. "Good luck to you, Andrews," he continued; "you'll
have a pleasant voyage with no enemies to rip and cut. So long!"
This drew forth a volley of oaths from Andrews, but the skipper smiled,
and we were soon out of earshot.
"What do you make of the weather, sir?" asked Jim, who pulled stroke oar.
I looked over the smooth, heaving surface of the quiet ocean, and there
was not the first sign of a breeze anywhere. The sun was partly obscured
in a thick haze which seemed to come from everywhere and fill the entire
atmosphere. The first boat was almost aboard the wreck, and we could see
her looking like a black speck in the distance.
"It looks as though it might come on thick," I answered Jim, "but
there's no danger of our parting company with the _Pirate_ yet. There
isn't enough wind to move her a knot an hour."
It was a long, hard pull to the _Sovereign_ and when we arrived her
captain was on deck with his daughter. She had finished trying to
persuade him to leave his fortune, and stood near our third officer,
who was ready to start back with the remainder of the crew. All but
four men had insisted on leaving. These were the steward, two
quartermasters, and a sailor.
"If there is any valuable stuff in the way of currency or spices, you can
turn them over to me, and our captain will give you his receipt for
them," I said, as I came over the side.
The little Englishman looked slowly up and down my six feet and more of
length as I stood on the rail, and I fancied he smiled slightly. He was
a florid-faced, bearded man, with clear blue eyes which had no sign of
fear in them.
"I reckon we'll risk taking in what we have," said he; "at the same time
I want to thank your captain for standing by and taking the men he has
already. You don't think he could spare a few volunteers to help me in,
do you? I'll give a hundred pounds to every man who'll stand by and run
the risk."
"Well," I stammered, "I'm second mate myself, and therefore can't very
well leave; but he's sent you one extra hand. The fellow is a good enough
sailor, but he's in irons for fighting. He wants you to take him in
exchange for the men you've sent."
The florid face of the English captain grew redder. His blue eyes
seemed to draw to small points that pricked my inner consciousness. I
suppose I showed some of my embarrassment, for he spoke in a gentler
tone than I expected.
"Sir. I keep no one in peril against his wish. Neither do I run a
convict ship. You may take your desperado back to your captain with
the compliments of Captain Sackett, once of Her Majesty's Naval
Reserve, and tell him the laws of his country are sufficient to deal
with all persons."
"If I did," I answered, "you would have your men forced back into your
wrecked vessel." And I pointed to the main deck, upon which the sea
rolled and swashed in little foamy waves through the side ports, which
were now below the heave of the swell. She was clear under amidships, and
only the topgallant forecastle and poop were out of water, which was now
nearly level with the floor in the after cabin. Everything showed wreck
and ruin, from the splintered spars and tangled rigging to the
yellow-white gaps in her bulwarks where the masts had crashed through.
"The will of the Lord is not to be set aside," he went on, with solemn
and pious cheerfulness. "I would not risk so many lives for a man in
irons. If, however, he will recognize the laws of the Almighty, I shall
turn him adrift and trust that my mercy will not meet with ingratitude.
You had better get my men ready, and if you can, take the trunks and
cabin fixings in a boat. They might come to wrong here. My daughter will
show where the things are I should like saved. As for myself, I shall
stay where duty calls me, and will take this ship into some port and save
her cargo, or go down in her. If I lose her, I lose my all, and with a
wife and family I had better be gone with it. The Lord will temper the
wind to the shorn lambs."
I called to Hans and Johnson to pass up the prisoner, and he soon stood
on the _Sovereign's_ poop, where he glared around him and made some
inaudible remarks. The third mate, who stood near by, was about to speak
to him when Captain Sackett stepped forward.
"My man," said he, "your captain has asked me to keep you here and help
me work this ship in. You've been a master yourself, they tell me, so
you will appreciate my difficulty. The Lord, however, always helps
those who help themselves, and with his help we will land this vessel
safe in port."
Andrews looked at the stout skipper sourly for a moment. Then he gave a
deep snort and spat vulgarly upon the deck at his host's feet.
"What kind o' damn fool have I run up ag'in now, hey?" he mused in a low
tone, as though speaking to himself, while he looked the skipper over.
"Am I dreamin', or do I eternally run up ag'in nautical loonatic asylums?
That's the question."
"My dear fellow, you don't seem to relish the fact that you must serve
aboard here," said Sackett. "There's nothing irrational in trying to save
a vessel when it's your plain duty to do so. The Lord sometimes dismasts
us to try us. We must not give up our duty because we have hardships to
encounter. Your captain cannot take care of so many people, probably, and
wishes you to stay here with me. If you will pass your word to do your
share of the work, as I believe you will, I shall cast off those irons
this instant and put you second in command. There will then be five of
us, all able-bodied men, to get her in to the Cape."
"Of all the slumgullion I ever had stick in my craw, this beats me,"
observed the prisoner, in his even tone, without taking his eyes off
Sackett. "I pass my word, an' you turn me loose to do my duty. Well--say,
old man, can you tell me of a miracle you reads out o' your Bible? I
wants to make a comparison." Here he gave a loud snort and grinned.
"There's an old sayin' that any port is good in a storm," he went on,
"an' likewise any ship in a calm. I rise to it, old man. I'll be your
mate; for, if things ain't all gone wrong, I'll sail straight inter
Heaven with ye. Cast me loose."
"It shall be done at once," said Sackett. "I shall request, sir," said
he, turning to me, "that the irons be stricken off your man."
I told Chips to go ahead and cut them, and then followed Miss Sackett and
the third mate below, to get what belongings they wanted sent aboard the
_Pirate_ to be kept clear of water.
"It's a pity papa will do this absurd thing," said Miss Sackett,
impetuously, as she landed upon the cabin deck. I was following close
behind her on the companion and hastened to cheer her.
"There's not much danger," I said; "for the vessel can't possibly sink
with all the oil and wood in her. He will probably bring her in all right
and save many thousands of dollars. Maybe the carpenter can find the leak
and plug it. In that case she'll be as sound as a dollar and safe as a
house, when they get her pumped."
"I don't know about it," she answered; "I feel that papa is going to his
death, and I know that if mamma finds out he won't leave, she'll come
back aboard. Here is one trunk. That chest under the berth is to go also.
I'll get what clothes I can gather up, and bring them along in a bundle.
Goodness! hear the water slapping about under the deck; it is perfectly
dreadful to think of any one staying aboard a ship half sunk like this."
The steward, a very clever-looking young man with a brown mustache,
helped us get the things on deck, where they were taken in charge by the
rest of the men, seven in number, who were going with us.
While we were below, Chips, after cutting Andrews adrift, tried to find
out where the leak was located. The vessel's hold was so full of water,
however, that he gave up the search. Only a survey of her bilge outside
would help clear up matters, and allow work upon it.
Captain Sackett had taken an observation and had figured himself out to
be within six hundred miles of Cape Town. He was very thankful for our
kindness and stood near by, wishing us all kinds of good luck, while the
things were being lowered over the ship's low side. In a few minutes all
hands were called to get into the _Pirate's_ boat, the one of the
_Sovereign_ being left for the safety of those on board. Miss Sackett
took a tearful farewell of her father, and was placed aft. Then we shoved
off, and were soon leaving the half-sunken ship astern.
"Cap'n," said Jenks, who sat aft near me, "what d'ye make o' that?"
He pointed to a white bank of vapor which had rolled up from the
southward, and suddenly enveloped the _Sovereign_ while we were still two
cable lengths distant. I looked and saw the white mist, which we had not
noticed before to be so dense, rolling in long white clouds upon the calm
surface of the ocean. In a moment it had enveloped us, and all around us
was a white wall, the _Pirate_ disappearing ahead. The swell also
appeared to be getting a cross roll to it, and a light air now blew in
our faces.
I made no answer to the leather-faced sailor, but tried to keep the
boat's head before a heavier roll of the sea, and the wake as much like a
straight line as possible. There was no compass in the craft, and it
would take some nice guesswork to find a ship three miles away.