AN INTERRUPTION TO SIGHT-SEEING
Two days later the _Chester_ slipped into the fine harbor at Kingston
and dropped anchor. It was cloudy, but by noon the sun broke
forth and the boys had a chance to look at the shipping, which is
fairly extensive. As usual in West Indian ports, the flags of many
nationalities were flying, and the scene was full of interest.
Since the boys had stood up so bravely in defense of January Jones they
had seen but little of Captain Sudlip, he evidently making it a point
to avoid them. And they also saw but little of January Jones, for the
negro was assigned to other work and a strange hand placed to wait on
the table and care for their rooms. The service all around was fairly
good, but, as Darry expressed it, “nothing to brag about.”
“Are we going to get a chance to stretch our legs on shore?” questioned
Sam, as he gazed over the rail at the narrow and crowded streets of the
town.
“The professor has got to find that out,” said Frank, who had just been
speaking to Amos Strong. “He says he paid our passage right through to
Havana, so we can’t bid good-bye to Captain Sudlip just yet.”
A little later Professor Strong joined them with the information that
the _Chester_ would remain in Kingston harbor until the following day
until three o’clock.
“Then we can take quite a look around,” said Mark. “Are there any
points of interest to visit?”
“A few only. You see, England has tried hard to make something of the
island, but as yet there are too many negroes here to suit Americans.
But we will take it in for what it is worth.”
It was decided that they should put up at the Queen’s Hotel over night
and they so notified Captain Sudlip.
“All right, do as you please,” he growled. “But it won’t take anything
off your passage money.”
“I did not expect it would,” replied Professor Strong, coldly.
They were soon ashore and walking up the narrow and dirty street
leading from the quay. On either side were big warehouses with here
and there a low drinking resort, around which hung sailors of many
nationalities and crowds of negroes.
“This is not very inviting,” was Sam’s comment. “It smells almost as
bad as at La Guayra.”
“It is not so bad further away from the docks.”
They soon reached the hotel, a comfortable resort with large shade
trees in the courtyard and a fountain, and here Professor Strong
secured accommodations for all.
“Kingston contains about fifty thousand inhabitants,” said the
professor, after they had secured a large carriage in which to drive
around. “It was established about two hundred years ago, after the
neighboring town of Port Royal had been destroyed by earthquake. Now
Port Royal has been rebuilt. It lies on the other side of the harbor,
but Kingston is the main city, and nearly all the foreign commerce
passes through this port.”
“Have they any railroads?”
“When I was here last they had a railroad about ten miles long, running
from here to Spanish Town, in the interior. The lay of the land is not
favorable to railroads.”
“I knew some sick folks who came to Jamaica for their health,” said
Hockley. “A man and his son. Both had consumption.”
“Yes, invalids come here in plenty, and there are several hotels up in
the hills built especially for their benefit.”
They were soon at the principal square of the city, called the Parade.
Here were numerous shops, as well as a barracks for the soldiers, a
church, theater, and other public buildings. The Parade was well kept,
quite in contrast to the streets through which they had been passing.
It was a relief, when they returned to the hotel, to find a first-class
meal awaiting them, something that “topped clean over old Sudlip’s
lobscouse,” as Darry put it, borrowing a favorite sailor’s expression.
It was decided to take a run up to Spanish Town the next morning.
They could get a train about ten o’clock, and that would give them
ample time to look around and get back before three, the time when the
_Chester_ would set sail.
All of the boys were up bright and early on the following morning with
the exception of Hockley, who snored away until Professor Strong called
him.
“I don’t want to get up,” he grumbled. “Nothing to see in this dead
hole.” Yet when dressed he joined the others in a trip to several
public buildings, where an English official kindly showed them around.
Ten o’clock found them at the depot, waiting for the train which was to
take them to Spanish Town, and here they discovered that the time table
had been changed and the train would not leave until half an hour later.
“But we can get back before three even so,” announced Amos Strong,
after studying the schedule. “I fancy none of you want to return to the
_Chester_ until it’s necessary.”
They waited around and at last the little locomotive, with its three
coaches rolled in. As it came to a stop they heard a yell, and looking
around, saw January Jones coming toward them on a dead run.
“Hello! what does he want?” exclaimed Mark. “Something is up, that’s
certain.”
“Stop! stop!” called out the negro, as soon as he was within speaking
distance. “Doan yo’ go fo’ to take dat train, less yo’ want to lose de
ship!”
“Lose the ship?” queried Professor Strong. “What do you mean? We
expect to be back before three o’clock.”
“De ship am gwine to sail at one o’clock, sah.”
“One o’clock!” came from all of the others. And then the boys looked at
the professor inquiringly.
“Captain Sudlip told me he would sail at three o’clock,” said Professor
Strong. “I asked him twice to make sure.”
“I ’spect he did, sah, but I heard him tell de mate dat dey must sail
promptly at one o’clock, sah--dat he wouldn’t wait fo’ nobody, sah.”
“It’s a trick to leave us behind!” burst out Mark. “He has our money
and that is all he cares.”
“But he told me three o’clock,” persisted the professor. “Although I
have no witness to that fact!” he added, suddenly, a light breaking in
on him.
“Then that is where he has us foul!” came from Frank. “It’s a good
thing January told us this,” he continued, and gave the negro a
grateful look.
“Tole yo’ I would do sumt’ing if I got de chance,” said the negro, with
a grin.
“All aboard!” called the train porter.
“We are not going,” answered Professor Strong; and a minute later the
train was off.
“Yo’ see it was dis way,” continued January Jones, as they walked away
from the station. “I heard one ob yo’ young gen’men tell de udder ’bout
gitting back befo’ three o’clock. Den when I heard what Cap’n Sudlip
said to de mate I knowed sumt’ing was wrong. So I made up my mind to
dun tole yo’. I went to de hotel fust an’ dey tole me to come heah.”
“We’ll not forget your kindness,” said Professor Strong. “It was
certainly a mean trick on Captain Sudlip’s part and I shall tell him
so. Of course if we had been left I could not have brought suit against
him for damages, since I have no witness to prove that he said he would
sail at three o’clock.”
“Tell yo’, sah, I’se mighty sick ob workin’ fo’ dat man, sah,” observed
January, with a shake of his woolly head. “I’d leave de ship heah, only
dis ain’t much ob a place.”
“No, I would advise you to remain until you reach Havana,” answered
Professor Strong. “I have a number of friends in that city and perhaps
I can get you something to do there.”
This pleased January Jones greatly, and he promised to do what he could
for them so long as they were together.
As there was nothing much to do at present, they walked back to the
hotel, where they procured dinner. In the meantime the negro, who had
been sent ashore on an errand, hurried back to the steamer with all
speed.
At quarter to one o’clock Captain Sudlip came on deck and looked around
him anxiously. He was all ready to sail and so far had seen nothing of
his five passengers. He gazed ashore but not one of them was in sight.
“I’ve won the game this time,” he muttered to himself. “And they can’t
prove anything either. It was as slick as any Yankee move. They’ll
be mad enough when they realize how I have outwitted them. And I’ve
got the passage money safe in the cabin. Let me see, by dropping them
behind I clear just about twenty pounds. I can tell the owners that
they paid their way only as far as Kingston and they will never know
differently.”
As the minutes went by he looked at his watch nervously. Ten minutes to
one and no one in sight--five minutes. He called to the first mate.
“All ready to sail?”
“Aye, aye, sir,” was the answer. “But I haven’t seen anything of those
Americans.”
“Well, it’s their own fault if they don’t come aboard in time. I shall
not wait for them.”
“Didn’t think you would, sir,” answered the mate, but in such a low
voice that Captain Sudlip did not hear him.
At one minute to one the lines were cast off and as a distant bell
tolled the hour the _Chester_ began to move from the harbor. Standing
near the pilot house Captain Sudlip continued to gaze ashore. But those
he was fearful of seeing did not show themselves and presently he
heaved a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Half an hour later Kingston
Harbor and Jamaica itself were left behind and the _Chester_ stood
boldly out into the Caribbean Sea.
“Dumped ’em!” said the captain to himself, with a smile of intense
satisfaction. “That will teach ’em a lesson. They can’t ride over me!”
And then he added, after a pause, “Now I’ve got that nigger to myself,
won’t I just teach him a lesson? He won’t be able to stand when I get
through with him!”