At first glance Jack saw that the main cabin of the _Centurion_ was
fitted up with a luxuriousness not common to mere trading schooners. A
silver hanging lamp of elaborate design, silk curtains at the stern
ports, book-cases filled with handsomely bound volumes and the thick
carpets on the floor, clearly indicated that whoever had occupied it had
been above the class of the rough and ready South Sea trader.
In one corner stood a desk as handsome in its appointments as the rest
of the furniture. But it had been roughly dealt with. The front had been
smashed in, drawers pulled out and papers and documents scattered about
all over the cabin floor. The door to a sleeping cabin leading off the
main apartment was open. Within was the same disorder. Even mattresses
had been ripped open in a hunt for something, the nature of which the
boys could not guess.
Mr. Jukes hastily rummaged through the contents of the desk, selecting
some papers, casting aside others as worthless, and gathered up on his
hands and knees those on the floor. Then every cabin was searched and in
each the millionaire took a few papers, but the look of anxiety on his
face did not change, and the boys judged he had not found what he was in
search of.
“Not a solitary clue,” he exclaimed with a heavy sigh as, dust-covered
and perspiring from his exertions, he sank down at the long dining table
in the main cabin. For a time he appeared lost in thought and the others
stood about silently. To Jack it was almost awe-inspiring, to see this
over-mastering man of affairs, who bullied whole corporations into his
way of thinking, sitting there in the cabin of the derelict schooner
utterly at a loss, and apparently defeated. At length Mr. Jukes spoke.
His first words were a surprise:
“I suppose you all have heard of my brother, Jerushah Jukes?” he asked.
“The traveler and explorer?” asked Captain Sparhawk. “I guess every one
in America knows of him, Mr. Jukes.”
Paying no attention to the captain’s reply, the millionaire went on.
“The papers reported some months ago that he had set out for Central
Africa.”
“I read the account,” said Jack, “but——”
Mr. Jukes waved his hand. The boy fell into an abashed silence; in a
second the millionaire had changed once more from a crushed, defeated
human being into Jacob Jukes, millionaire and king of commerce.
“He did not go to Africa,” he said. “Instead, his destination was the
South Pacific. He chartered this schooner, the _Centurion_, and the last
I heard of him was when he set sail from San Francisco. If no news of
him was received within a certain time I promised him to come in search
of him. You see,” he added with a simplicity new from him, “he was my
younger brother and I promised my mother on her death-bed always to look
after him.”
There was a pause. In the silence of the long-deserted cabin they could
hear the dismal creak of the neglected rudder and the bang-banging of
the swinging spars above.
“We were poor then, miserably poor, and my mother never lived to see the
rise of our fortunes, for as I advanced in business I helped my brother
up, too. But his bent was not for finance. He had a streak of the
adventurous in him. But I put it to paying purpose. I seldom lose on any
venture.” Unconsciously as it seemed, the hard vein in Jacob Jukes had
cropped out again. “I decided to put my brother on a paying basis. The
results were good. Concessions in South America, gold mines in Alaska,
and certain South African enterprises were put through, largely through
his instrumentality.
“And now, to get down to the present time. The _Centurion_ was chartered
to obtain for Mrs. Jukes, who has a craze for expensive and rare
jewelry, the ‘Tear of the Sea,’ the most famous pearl of the South Seas.
I had obtained information of its whereabouts in the Pomoutou
Archipelago through means which are not important to relate here. I
thought that an expedition to purchase the ‘Tear of the Sea’ and,
incidentally, other pearls, would be a good investment and keep my
brother, who was getting restless, in occupation.
“In the meantime, however, a dishonest employee managed to get wind of
what was about to take place and furnished the information to a firm of
European jewelers with agents in New York and all over the world. From
that moment, I rushed through the _Centurion’s_ expedition with all
possible speed, for I knew the conditions of competition in the Pacific.
There is little more law among pearl traders than there is north of
fifty-three. My brother knew this as well as I did and realised the
necessity for haste. Moreover, we knew that the European firm was
anxious to obtain, for a royal customer, the very pearl that I was
after. In addition, this firm was known as one of the most unscrupulous
in gaining its ends, and maintained, in the South Pacific, a system of
spies and bullies which brought most of the pearl hunters’ prizes into
their hands. Ugly stories have been told of their methods of gaining
their ends—and—and I am afraid the fate of the _Centurion_ will have
to be added to the black list.”
“There is nothing in the papers to show what happened to your brother,
sir?” asked Captain Sparhawk presently.
“Nothing. They are merely formal documents, ship’s papers, clearance
bills and so forth. There is no memorandum relating to the pearl in any
way.”
Captain Sparhawk knitted his brows. For a minute he appeared lost in
deep thought.
“Do you mind telling us the name of that firm, sir?” he asked at last.
“There is nothing we can prove against them,” said the millionaire.
“They work without their hands showing in any of their ugly
transactions. Their name, however, is F—— & Freres.”
“Of Amsterdam?” queried the captain.
“The same. They have practically a monopoly of the pearl trade of
Europe.”
“I know that, sir,” said the captain, clenching his hands. “They tried
to work their tricks on a ship-mate of mine who went a-pearl trading.
But, sir, to change the subject, did you ever hear of ‘Bully’ Broom?”
The millionaire shook his head.
“I have; and have good cause to remember him,” said the captain. “But
none of that at this time. Sir,” he continued earnestly, “your brother
may be as safe and sound as we are. He may have the pearl. But if
neither of these things have happened, Bully Broom is the man to look
for if we have to hunt him all over the Pacific. I’ve sailed these seas
and know that ‘Bully’ Broom did F—— & Co.’s dirty work for them. He
calls himself a trader, but, like lots of others doing business under
that name in these waters, ‘Pirate’ would be a sight better name for
him.”
“And you think that this man ‘Bully’ Broom, as you call him, has
something to do with this mysterious disappearance of my brother?” asked
Mr. Jukes, who had listened with deep attention, willing to hear of any
clue, however slight.
“I ain’t dead sure,” said the captain, “but it’s my impression that if
the firm you spoke of was after this ‘Tear of the Sea,’ then ‘Bully’
Broom knows where Jerushah Jukes is,” and he brought his lean, gnarled
fist down with a thump on the table.
The old ginger came back into Mr. Jukes’ eyes, the wonted crisp
authority into his voice as he snapped out:
“That being the case, we’ll find ‘Bully’ Broom.”
“No matter where we have to go?” asked Captain Sparhawk, raising his
eyebrows.
“We’ll scour the whole Pacific if necessary. But nobody of the _Sea
Gypsy’s_ crew need accompany her against his will. All I ask is that
they remain till we can touch at some civilised port, such as Papeiti or
Honolulu and ship a man in his place. Do you boys wish to stick?”
“To the finish,” came from Jack, and Raynor, standing beside him, nodded
his assent.
As for Captain Sparhawk, he simply reached out one of his brown hands
toward the millionaire, who clasped it, and said:
“I’m with you till the bottom drops out of the ship.”
“Thank you, Sparhawk. It’s what I expected of you all,” said Mr. Jukes
quietly, but his voice shook.
Thus, in the desolated cabin of the derelict _Centurion_, there was
ratified a bargain that was to lead the boys into strange seas and
stranger adventures.