THE DEPARTURE
As Mate Storms said, he had but little more communication to make with
the negro.
"You may now swim back to your friends and say that we will be ready
to negotiate to-morrow morning. If they will come down to the shore,
we will have a talk and arrange the whole business. Now, perhaps, you
had better go back."
Pomp Cooper was quick-witted enough to understand that this utterance
was in the nature of a hint for him to depart, and he stood not on the
order of his going.
"Good-by, sah," he called out. "Much obleege fo' your kindness, dat I
shall remember a good while."
Mate Storms stood motionless, watching him until he was perhaps a
hundred feet from the craft, when he said, just loud enough to be
heard:
"Sharks are mighty plenty hereabout, and I saw a big one yesterday.
Shouldn't wonder if he has a leg bit off before he gets back."
Pomp heard the words, and they "disturbed" him, to put it mildly.
Evidently he had forgotten the peril to which all persons are exposed
in tropical waters, and, as the truth was impressed upon him with such
suddenness, he uttered a "whiff" like a porpoise and began swimming
with fierce energy toward the shore. In fact, he never put forth so
much effort in all his life. The expectation of feeling a huge
man-eating monster gliding beneath you when in the water is enough to
shake the nerves of the strongest swimmer. He kept diving and swimming
as far as he could below the surface, and then came up and continued
his desperate efforts until he reached the land, where he joined his
companions.
Abe Storms stood looking and listening, his face expanded in a broad
smile, when he heard a light laugh at his elbow. Turning his head, he
found the captain there.
"I heard your summons to him," said the captain, by way of explanation,
"and I came up to hear what it meant. I must admit, you managed the
case well."
"It might have been worse. My only fear is that the imps won't believe
we honestly intend to hold the conference with them, and offer a
compromise."
"They will find it out at daylight, and meanwhile they can't help
themselves. It is useless for me to stay below, Abe," added the
nervous captain. "There's too much on my mind to sleep."
Therefore, the two remained on watch until the sun rose, at which time
there was nothing to be seen of the mutineers.
"They're suspicious," concluded the mate, who called out, in a loud
voice that reached every portion of the island:
"Hello, men! come and show yourselves. We want to have a talk with
you!"
A few minutes later Hyde Brazzier appeared on the shore and answered
back again. It was deemed best to give the mutineers a proof of their
sincerity, and instead, therefore, of holding the conversation from
the deck of the schooner, the small boat was lowered, and both the
captain and mate entered it and rowed ashore, where all three awaited
them, as may be supposed, with some degree of astonishment.
Storms and Captain Bergen were not without some misgivings, and they
did not venture unprepared into the lion's den. Both carried a loaded
revolver at command, and in case of an attack the business would have
been lively. But it was unreasonable to suppose that our friends would
be assailed under the peculiar circumstances. Furthermore, as the
parties understood each other, there was no time wasted in reproaches
or recriminations, but Captain Bergen came directly to the point.
"This state of things can't last," said he; "we are deadly enemies,
and we would kill each other on the slightest pretext. The island is
too small to contain us all. Either you three or we two must leave
before the sun reaches meridian, or we shall go to fighting like caged
tigers. Neither can we go away together, for I would not trust any of
you again, nor would you trust either of us; therefore, one party must
go, and the other must stay--which shall it be? We were prepared to
leave, when we reflected that if we should be caught in some of the
storms which sweep over this region, the mate and I would hardly be
able to manage the schooner, and we are anxious to take care of the
little girl, to whom we are greatly attached. There are three of you,
all able-bodied seamen, and in case of a tempest you would be able to
navigate the _Coral_. It would be safer, therefore, for you to take
the vessel and go to some of the ports, secure assistance and send
them after us. We make, therefore, this proposition: We will turn over
the schooner to you, on condition that you leave with us such stores
as we may choose to take, and that you proceed at once to the nearest
of the inhabited Paumotu Islands and send assistance to us.
Furthermore, as you know all about the pearl-oysters, we will agree
to divide with you. You can take up half of what are on the bed out
yonder, and you may carry them away with you, leaving a moiety to us.
You are to sail just as soon as the oysters are placed on board.
That's our proposition--what do you say?"
There could be no doubt that the mutineers were astonished by the
generosity of the offer, coming, as it did, from those who were in
reality masters of the situation.
Had they been a little more cunning, they might have suspected there
was something behind it all, which was kept carefully out of sight;
but the terms were so good that Brazzier answered, the instant the
question was put to him:
"We'll do it, and carry out our part fair and square."
"Very well; there's no need of delay. We'll bring the schooner inshore
and take out what we want, and then turn the craft over to you."
This amazing programme was carried out to the letter. Captain and
mate, accompanied by Pomp, rowed back in the small boat, and the
schooner was carefully worked toward the shore.
Abe Storms and Captain Bergen saw that among the possibilities of the
future was a long stay on the lonely island, and they therefore
prepared for such a contingency, having an eye mainly to securing
that which little Inez would be likely to need. Pomp informed the
officers that there was a small cabin a short distance away, which had
no doubt been put up by the sailors of whom Grebbens had told the
captain. It was made of planking that had come ashore from the wreck,
and the fact that it had stood so long proved that it must have been
built with much skill as well as strength.
It was found just as represented by Pomp--there being two compartments,
each a dozen feet or so square, and one of these was so well put
together that it seemed to be waterproof. Our friends were greatly
surprised and pleased over the discovery, for Grebbens had never said
anything about the structure.
The goods from the _Coral_ were carried to this building and deposited
in the rear room, which was so tight that one would have almost
suffocated had he remained in it during the tropical weather which
prevails among the Paumotu Islands most of the time.
The goods stowed there were of a varied assortment, including the
three breech-loading rifles, ammunition, tool-chest and contents, a
portion of the medicine-chest, some biscuits, cooking utensils, and a
trunk of calicoes, linens and materials such as are used in the making
of feminine costumes. It was a singular coincidence that Abe Storms
had provided a considerable quantity of this before leaving San
Francisco, knowing as he did the fondness of savages for such finery,
and having a suspicion that it might be turned to good account in the
way of barter in some of the South Sea islands. Little did he suspect
the use to which it would be put, and thankful indeed was he that it
was at his command, when it was so likely to be needed for Inez
Hawthorne.
There was a goodly amount of stock, which was transferred to the
cabin, the mutineers assisting with the rest, for all felt there was
no time to lose. There was mistrust at first, each party seeming to be
suspicious of the other, but it soon wore off, and any one looking
upon them could not have been made to believe they were deadly
enemies.
When the transfer was completed, it was evident that the current was
close upon its turn, and unless they should leave the island soon,
they would be compelled to wait perhaps twelve or twenty-four hours
longer.
Since the sea was very calm, Hyde Brazzier proposed that the schooner
should be taken outside and anchored directly over the pearl-oyster
bed, so that sail could be hoisted as soon as they were ready. There
was a slight risk in the action, but it was done, and after some
careful maneuvering the _Coral_ was secured in position.
It looked very magnanimous and somewhat stupid for Abe Storms to
volunteer to go down in his coat of armor and scoop the oysters into a
huge basket, for the very parties who had tried so hard to drown him
when similarly engaged the day before. Nothing, it would seem, could
be more absurd, and yet the reader is requested to suspend judgment
until he shall have read the following chapter.
All this was done, and in the course of the succeeding two hours fully
three-fourths of the oysters scattered over that particular bed were
dumped upon the deck of the _Coral_, and Abe Storms, pretty well
exhausted, was pulled to the surface. The captain and mate, with the
armor, rowed themselves the short distance ashore in the small boat.
The _Coral_ hoisted sail, and, heading out to sea, rapidly sped away
over the Pacific.
And all this time the three mutineers felicitated themselves upon the
manner in which they had gotten the best of the bargain. And yet,
never in all their lives had they been so completely outwitted as they
were by Abe Storms and Captain Jack Bergen, as we shall now proceed to
show.