JARROW DOES AND SAYS QUEER THINGS
Mr. Peth was slinking about the bar like a leopard on a still hunt
when Captain Jarrow returned from his conference which resulted in
a tentative charter of the _Nuestra Senora del Rosario_, with
himself as master and Peth as mate.
Jarrow was in a state bordering between exhaltation at his success
and collapse over the narrow margin by which he had put through a
deal which at one time appeared as elusive as a chimera.
"Give me a Picon, and make it strong," said Jarrow to the bar-boy,
disregarding Peth, while he scrubbed his face with a handkerchief.
"Hook up?" asked Peth, edging along the bar until he had an elbow
against Jarrow's side.
"Mighty Nelson!" whispered Jarrow. "It was a lee shore, and no
mistake. Looney lied."
"Lied!" whispered Peth.
"They never told him they wanted us," continued Jarrow, with due
caution, glancing about the deserted bar. "But I put it through.
They're swells and no mistake."
"Then it's a go, skipper?"
"We get out in the morning. It's to be quiet. We clear for Vigan
with passengers. Take rock ballast this afternoon, and git stores
aboard. Locke give me free rein for everything needed, and I'm to
draw on him at the Hong Kong-Shanghai bank. We ought to clean up.
Pipe down, here's the dude clerk."
"You saw Mr. Locke?" asked Wilkins, with a genial air, as he came
in from the office, consumed with curiosity.
"Oh, yes," said Jarrow. "He's a nice man."
"Raw-ther," said Wilkins.
"I hear he's rich," said Jarrow.
Wilkins smiled knowingly. "Millions," he said.
Peth looked at Jarrow quickly, and whistled faintly through his
teeth.
"I guess you know me," said Jarrow. "I been up here a few times now
and then on business."
"You're a Manila man, aren't you?" asked Wilkins. "I don't place
your name but your face is familiar."
"I'm Captain Jarrow, head of the Inter-Island Wreckin' Company. I
got a big business, in a way. Everybody knows me in my line. I'm
the man who done the divin' for the gover'ment."
"Oh, yes," said Wilkins.
"I'd like for you to say a good word for me, if it falls your way,
to this Mr. Locke--and Trask."
"Sure," said Wilkins.
"Who does this Mr. Trask happen to be?" asked Jarrow.
"Mining man," said Wilkins.
"Oh."
"Yes, he was talking with Looney Dinshaw. Seems he came out here
from China to look after the island. I knew him down in Colombo,
when I managed a hotel."
"Lookin' for the island!" exclaimed Jarrow. "That's news to me."
"I thought maybe that's why you called," said Wilkins.
"Well, maybe I didn't and maybe I did. I have to keep a closed
mouth. But if you'll say a word for me to these people--reliable
and all that--I may put somethin' your way sometime."
"I'll have a gin," said Peth.
"Glad to do what I can, sir," said Wilkins. "Support home industry,
that's always been my motto. If I'm asked, I'll say the right sort
of thing."
"Good for you," said Jarrow. "This is Mr. Peth, my mate. We got to
slide," and waving his hand at Wilkins, Jarrow walked toward the
veranda while Peth gulped his gin and trailed after him with
alacrity.
The mate overtook the captain as the latter headed across the
Luneta toward Malecon Drive, where the great king palms offered
shade from the blinding sunlight.
Jarrow marched along, with head down, staring at the gravel. He
gave no heed to Peth, who overtook him and fell in beside him.
"Millions," said Peth, presently.
"You ain't got the brains of a goose, Peth."
"What's the row?" demanded Peth.
"Can't you hear millions spoke of without actin' like a blasted
whistlin' buoy?" demanded Jarrow, savagely.
"I was took aback," said Peth.
"Took aback! This ain't no business for a man who's got to blow off
steam in public the minute he sniffs somethin' good! Things like
that might bust up the whole business--and sixty a day in it!"
"I don't see what I done, skipper," whined Peth.
"You done enough. Couldn't you see what I was drivin' at? You ain't
got half an eye. That dude clerk, he can fix us solid with them
people. What if he got an idea we was out to make money off 'em?
This Locke'll go askin' that feller, so I had to prime him. Lucky
he didn't notice your fidgets when he spoke of millions."
"You go make a mountain out of it," said Peth, as they turned into
the Malecon and proceeded toward the river.
"Peth, you better not cross the bows of these people till we're
ready for sea."
Peth turned his sharp face toward the captain and looked down on
him with searching eyes, a trifle startled. He turned away and spat
viciously. "I won't bite 'em," he growled.
"They might bite you. We can't reckon on what these swells'll
cotton to in a deal like this."
"Aint I big enough dude?"
"You ain't got no diplomacy."
Peth gritted his teeth gently. "Don't ye want me for mate?" he
demanded, with a poor attempt to conceal his wrath.
"What's the matter of you?" asked Jarrow, looking at him in
surprise.
"You that's sayin' it. You talk like I'm a horned toad or
somethin', to set folks on the run the minute they clap eyes on
me."
"Have sense," cautioned Jarrow. "We got a lot to do come sundown.
Have sense. I'm the brain's, ain't I?"
"So you say, cap'n."
"I got my own meanin's. What if this Trask and the girl come down
aboard this evenin' to look things over, and they don't like your
looks first off?"
"What's my looks got to do with it? Ain't I dressed up?"
"Yes, good enough for me, but maybe not for them. They'll put a
hole in our copper plates, charter or no charter, if they take a
dislike to you. We can't take no chances."
"Might as well see me first as last."
"Oh, no. Plenty of reasons for 'em comin' about on the whole
business and leavin' us high and dry, except for the advance. They
hop aboard a liner--what then?"
"Got to see me some time."
"Sure! Once to sea, they'll take things as they find 'em. But it's
touch and go with us until we clear the bay, and don't forget that
for a minute."
"What they want? Sody water gents for a crew?"
"Whatever they want, they'll have it, them swells."
"Then I ain't gallant enough for the likes o' you and this charter
party, I take it," said Peth, his anger rising.
"I ain't findin' no fault with you myself, Peth. All I'm gallied
about is what the others'll think. You're goin' mate, of
course----"
"Thanks," said Peth, curtly. "You talk like I was ship's boy, not
owner of an eighth of the _Nuestra_. Who helped you salve her? Who
like to broke his back doin' of it? Peth did, that's who. Now he
ain't good enough, once ye make fast to a millionaire."
"You talk like an old mitten with the thumb brailed up," said
Jarrow.
"Where was this millionaire feller when ye wanted a man to stand by
and raise the _Nuestra_, I'd like----?"
"Belay that!" said Jarrow. "I'm talkin' for yer own good. There's
money in this cruise for both of us. I got my own reasons, and
that's enough. I'd look smart cuttin' you out of things, wouldn't
I?"
"Well, all I can say, cap'n, ye don't need to take me mate if ye
don't want to."
"Steady as she goes," said Jarrow, taking him by his arm. "You're
mate, and I never had it my mind ye wouldn't go mate."
"All right, all right," growled Peth, shaking himself free. "I
ain't goin' to fuss none. I don't want to be gammin' around with
swells, no ways. But if I thought ye wanted to beach me----"
"Oh, git that out of yer head. You've got to git the crew together
and I got to see Prayerful Jones afore Dinshaw gits back. Then I'll
git the old man aboard and keep his jaw close to the wind. We got
to run this thing on some basis. You'll find Doc Bird cookin' in a
civilian mess out Malate way. We got to have him."
"Will Doc cut loose from a shore berth for what looks like a v'yage
to Vigan?"
"He'll cut loose from anything if he knows I want him," said
Jarrow, in a tone significant of no doubts about the matter. "He's
to be aboard in the mornin'--to-night would be better. When we git
our ballast we'll lay out in the stream again. It's safer from
talk."
"How safer?"
"From folks nosin' around. We can't have none of the crew hangin'
'longshore, ginnin' up. I'll fix the clearance myself, and see the
commissioner."
"But I'm to have who I want for'ard," said Peth.
"That's it. You know who we want."
They hailed a _banca_ and were rowed across the river, making a
landing over a tier of _cascos_.
"I'll go over to the Cuartel and pass the word for the men and do a
little lookin' myself," said Peth.
"Keep Dinshaw there half an hour," suggested Jarrow.
Peth looked at him suspiciously.
"What's the game?"
"Never mind me or the game."
"I seem to be kind o' out on the aidge o' things," growled the
mate.
"You keep Dinshaw from shootin' off his face, that's all you got to
do, and don't let Van know how things swung at the Bay View. I'm
goin' to keep this business under gratin's."
"You don't need to fret," said Peth. "I ain't fixin' to break
nothin' out," and he tracked away to the Cuartel, weaving in and
out among the litter of goods on the Mole.
Jarrow stood and watched him disappear into the Cuartel. "I ain't
never had no luck with him," he remarked. "I hope he breaks his
fool neck, that's what I hope. He'll mess things up for me yit."