CAPTAIN BULLY HAYES COMES ON BOARD
The boat drew alongside, and the tall bearded man climbed up the rope
ladder hung on the side amidships, and then jumped lightly on the deck,
where he was met just inside the gangway by Captain Hawkins, who had
descended from the poop.
'How do you do, captain?' said the stranger, affably, extending his
hand. 'My name is Hayes;' and then, as his bright blue eye took in the
surroundings, and he saw the brig's crew standing by the guns, and a
group of armed men on the poop deck, he gave a loud hearty laugh, so
genuine and spontaneous that old Sam stared at him in astonishment.
'I asked you not to hurt me, and of course you won't. So you, too,
think that poor Bully Hayes is a bloodthirsty pirate! Come, shake
hands, my red-faced little fighting-cock. I like you all the better for
your pluck. There, that's right;' and seizing the skipper's unwilling
hand in his own, he shook it with tremendous vigour; 'but please make
your men put away those rifles and cutlasses. I'm such a nervous man,
and the sight of any one with a gun in his hand makes me both mad and
frightened, so that I can't help knocking him down, just to protect
myself.'
'What is it you want on board my ship, Captain Hayes?' said old Sam,
pointedly.
'My dear sir, do not look at me in that distant manner,' and he clapped
his sun-browned hand on the captain's shoulder, 'it pains me. You've
rolling topsails, I see. How do you find them answer? Bonnets trouble
you? Mine are perfection. You must come on board and see my ship.
Come, now, my dear sir, _don't_ look so angry. I'm not at all a bad
fellow, I can assure you, nothing so black as I am painted.'
'Well, you mustn't blame me,' said old Sam, more graciously, 'you've got
the name anyway; but I must say you don't look like----'
'Like a cut-throat, Captain----' He paused.
'Hawkins, if you please.'
'Captain Hawkins, I'm glad to meet you. Now, can you sell me a few bags
of rice and some casks of molasses for my native passengers? I've a
hundred and twenty blackbirds on board, bound for Samoa, and I'm afraid
I'll run short of rice.'
'I can do that,' said Hawkins, delighted to find that his visitor had no
evil intentions.
'Thank you very much.' Then, going to the side, he hailed his boat's
crew and told them to pass up a bag of dollars; and when old Sam asked
him below to have a glass of wine, he again laughed in his boyish and
apparently unaffected manner. 'Certainly, captain, with pleasure. You
have passengers, I see,' he added, indicating Mr. de Caen and Tom, but
politely ignoring the pile of rifles lying on top of the skylight.
'Yes,' said the skipper, 'Mr. de Cann, of the French Navy lieutenant of
the Cyclope and Mr. Tom Wallis--Captain Hayes.'
The moment the visitor heard the words 'French Navy,' a swift gleam of
light passed over his handsome face; but he bowed courteously to the
officer, and together the three men went below and seated themselves at
the table, whilst the steward placed refreshments before them. In less
than ten minutes, so engaging was Hayes's outspoken yet polite manner,
that both Hawkins and De Caen were laughing and talking with him as if
they had known him for months.
'Where are you bound to, sir?' asked Captain Hawkins, again filling his
visitor's glass; 'you have a lot of natives on board. Where are they
from?'
'I am bound to Samoa. The natives are from various islands to the
northward. I recruited them for the German planters in Samoa. They are
a very savage lot, and'--here he smiled--'although I hate to have armed
men about a ship's deck, we have to keep our weather eye lifting, or we
might lose the ship some day. Now, tell me,' he added pleasantly,
'where are you bound to, Captain Hawkins?'
'To the Solomons and Noo Britain, captain;' and then, with an air of
pride which he tried hard to conceal, 'We're under charter to the
Governor of Noo Caledonia to make a search for relicks human or
otherwise of a French transport loaded with exigencies for the garrison
and convicts at Noumea.'
'Ah,' said Hayes, quickly, 'so you're looking for the Marengo?'
De Caen and Hawkins sprang to their feet. 'Yes. Do you know anything
about her?'
'Yes, I do,' he answered curtly, with a harsh inflexion in his hitherto
modulated tones. 'I can tell you all about her, and where to find the
ship's company--on a certain condition.'
'What is it?' said De Caen, with a contemptuous shrug of his shoulder;
'is it a question of money?'
An angry flash came from Hayes's blue eyes. 'Be careful how you speak,
or you'll get no information from me. I don't want money for putting
you on the right course to rescue your countrymen--though I have little
cause to love them--your admiral at Tahiti sent a rotten old gunboat to
the Paumotus to chase and harry me from one island to another, when I
was a legitimate trader. I could have captured that gunboat on two
separate occasions, had I desired it, and made a bonfire of her for her
confounded meddling. And now that I have said so much, I might as well
tell you both, that if I had wanted to do this old hooker of a brig any
harm, and had acted up to the reputation I have of being a pirate, I
could have knocked you to pieces in half an hour, although you do carry
four carronades--I've something better than those.' Then he added, with
a hard laugh, 'Perhaps you would like me to show you.'
There was a brief silence, then De Caen said smoothly--
'I am sorry for my remark, Captain Hayes. I did not wish to offend you.
But surely no seaman would try to take advantage of shipwrecked people?'
'I do not wish to do _them_ any harm, but I want to do myself a
considerable lot of good; and it rests with you entirely whether I tell
you where to find them, or let you go and look for them--and a pretty
search you will have, I can assure you.'
De Caen thought a moment. 'Anything that it is in my power to do I will
do; but surely you will tell me this first, are the survivors in
danger?'
Hayes laughed. 'Ah, that's a clever question, and I should not answer
it until you have heard my condition, and have given me your answer.
But I shall. They are not in danger, and, furthermore, not a single
life was lost when the ship was wrecked. This,' he added slowly, and
watching old Sam's and De Caen's faces, 'was told me by Commander
Goigoux himself when he boarded my vessel a few weeks ago.'
De Caen's face flushed with pleasure. 'I am pleased indeed. Now, sir,
tell me what it is you wish me to do.'
'Steady there, if you please, Mr. de Cann,' interrupted Hawkins, 'before
you go making any promises. Now look here Captain Hayes without wishing
to cast inflections on your mere verbose statement I would like you to
show us some proof that you are not playing us a trick, and that you did
see Captain Gee--go. I've heard that you are very fond of a joke,
and----'
'That is all right, my little bantam. I----'
'Bantam!--you overgrown turkey-cock!' began the old man furiously, when
the French officer placed his hand on his arm, and then looked
appealingly at Hayes, who was regarding Hawkins with an amused smile.
'For goodness' sake, Captain Hawkins, do not let us quarrel. Captain
Hayes, I am sure, would not act so heartlessly.'
'No, indeed I would not. And there, Captain Hawkins, I meant nothing
offensive to you. You're a white man to your backbone. I've heard all
about you and this fine vessel of yours years ago, from Captain
Bannister, who sailed with you as mate when you were in the blackbirding
trade--as I am now.'
The fat little man was mollified in an instant. 'Joe Bannister is a good
friend of mine but I was never a "blackbirder"--I got my natives honest
square and fair--and if you withdraw "bantam" I regret "turkey" both of
which are good birds alive or dead;' and he laughed at his own wit as he
held out his hand.
Hayes smiled good-naturedly as he grasped it, and then resumed--
'Now the captain, officers, and crew of the transport would be aboard my
ship this moment but for three things. In the first place, I had on
board two hundred and twenty natives, which are worth nearly two
thousand pounds to me delivered in Samoa; and Captain Goigoux would not
guarantee me more than fifteen thousand francs for taking him and his
men to Noumea; therefore, as a business matter, I could not accept his
offer. In the second place, the Governor of New Caledonia might seize me
and my ship for some little differences I had with the admiral at
Tahiti. To be perfectly plain, I would have brought the shipwrecked
people away, but did not want to risk losing both my ship and my liberty
for six hundred pounds. But I told Captain Goigoux that I would try to
send him assistance; and if you will give me your promise that you will
endeavour to get the Governor of New Caledonia to have the orders for my
arrest issued by the Governor of Tahiti cancelled, I will tell you where
you can find Captain Goigoux and his ship's company. Have I made myself
clear to you? I told him then what I tell you now.'
'I will certainly do all in my power for you with the Governor,' said De
Caen; 'for such a service as you propose to render me he will be
grateful.'
'I hope so,' said Hayes, quietly. 'I have been hunted from one end of
the Pacific to the other for five years. I bought land in the Gambier
Group, settled down, and would be a rich man by now if the Governor of
Tahiti had not driven me out of the Paumotus, and then outlawed me for
acts I was driven to commit through the interference of the greedy
priests and the persecution of his deputy-governor. Now, about the
Marengo. She went ashore in the straits between New Britain and New
Ireland, and broke up very quickly. All the boats but two were smashed
in the surf, but the crew all got to shore safely, and a number of
stores were saved. From the spot where the ship was lost they made
their way to Mioko Harbour, in the Duke of York Island, where you will
find them. Half of them are down with fever at one time or another, but
otherwise they are safe. They built a cutter from the wreck to carry
them to Noumea, but she was accidentally burnt, and when I left they
were beginning another; but sickness hinders the work, and the natives
have twice attacked them.'
He stopped, and then with a twinkle in his eye, as he looked at old Sam,
took a letter from his pyjama jacket and went on.
'And here is a letter addressed to the commander of any French ship of
war, the naval officer in charge at Noumea, or the French Consul at
Sydney or Melbourne. It was written by Captain Goigoux. No doubt you
will open it, Mr. de Caen.'
De Caen took the letter from his hand with an eager exclamation, and at
once read it.
'I thank you very much, Captain Hayes. You have made our task easy for
us. And the Governor will not forget that Captain Goigoux here writes
that you gave him many very necessary articles to aid him in building
and fitting out the second vessel he is constructing, and would not
accept any payment. For myself I thank you very sincerely.'
'And so do I,' said old Sam; 'and believing in the old axleiom that one
good turn deserves another I won't charge you for the rice and molasses
no one ever said I don't know how to recipercate in the same way a good
or bad action, under any circumstances so put up those dollars captain
and your good health.'
They drank together, and then Hayes rose to leave, with the remark that
he must not delay, as two of his officers and a dozen of his men were
suffering from fever, and that with so many dangerous natives on board
he had to exercise great care, only letting fifty on deck at a time, and
these were carefully watched.
'I have never been caught napping yet,' he added, 'but I'll be honestly
glad when I'm rid of my cargo this time; for they are all recruited from
the north end of New Ireland, and are as savage a lot of beggars as ever
ate roast man. If they came from various islands they would be safe
enough, I could play one lot against the other, if any party of them
plotted to take the ship; but all coming from one place, I have had an
anxious time, with so many of my men sick.'
'Have you plenty of arms, Captain Hayes?' said the master of the Lady
Alicia. 'I can spare you ten or a dozen rifles.'
'Thank you, I have plenty; more than we could use--if we have to use
them. My brig, as you may have seen, is flush-decked, which is another
disadvantage; but I have a white line painted across the after part, and
another just above the fore hatch. Whenever one of them steps over
either of these lines, he gets a crack on the head from a belaying pin,
to make him remember. So far, we have had no serious trouble. I treat
them kindly, and none of my officers or men hit a man unless he is
obliged to do so for our common safety.'
Old Sam nodded. 'Ay, ay, once let 'em think you're frightened it's a
case of bloodshed and murder. But you'll have to be careful, captain.'
Just as they were leaving the cabin, the mate entered.
'The rice and two casks of molasses are in Captain Hayes's boat, sir;
but I don't think it safe to lower the other barrels--she won't stand it
in such a lumpy sea. She's too deep as she is.'
The two captains went on deck and looked over the side.
'Drop our own whaleboat into the water, Mr. Collier,' said Hawkins, 'and
put the two casks into her. Then take a couple of hands with you and
get back as quick as you can.'
Hayes thanked him for his good nature. 'I'm sorry to cause you so much
trouble. I would have brought another boat as well, but could not spare
the hands. Now, won't you come aboard yourself, and have a look at my
cargo?'
Old Sam shook his head, and made his usual remark, about not being able
to leave his ship when on Government service.
'Can't I go with Mr. Collier, sir?' put in Tom, quickly; 'I'd give
anything to go.'
'Would you, my cockerel? Well, I don't know. What do you think, Captain
Hayes?'
Hayes laughed. 'Yes, let him come, captain. He'll see what a
"blackbirder" looks like. Come with me in my boat.'
Tom was delighted, and presently slid down the boat falls and waited.
Then Hayes, after giving Hawkins some important particulars about the
entrance to Mioko Harbour, bade him and De Caen farewell, with wishes
for a speedy voyage, got over the side into his own boat, which shoved
off, and followed that of the mate.
'You'll get wet before you get alongside, Captain Hayes!' cried Hawkins,
pointing to a rain-squall which was approaching.
The big captain made some jesting reply, and then Hawkins went below to
discuss the important news they had learnt with the French officer,
leaving Mr. Todd to attend to the ship.