The Ocean Cat's Paw Part 90

"Yes; I don't know anybody else whom Captain Chubb looks upon as a monkey."

"Nay-y-y! I mean that there French Count."

"Stop!" cried the doctor sternly. "Mind what you are saying, Captain Chubb. Count Des Saix is my friend--a gentleman, a n.o.bleman."

"I dessay he may be at home," said the skipper, meeting Rodd's indignant eyes, "but he aren't a gentleman, or he wouldn't be making such a tool of you. Now, don't you put yourself in a fury, doctor, or you'll be saying words you'll be sorry for arter. A gentleman like you as thinks, and is scientific too, has no business to go in a pa.s.sion. That's all very well for a skipper as has got to manage a lot of awkward sailor chaps; if he didn't use words sometimes there'd be no getting a s.h.i.+p along. But you have got to take it cool like a Ann Eliza, and hear it right through, and then set yourself down and judge according."

"But look here, Captain Chubb," said the doctor angrily, "I cannot be silent and let you malign my friend."

"He aren't your friend, sir; he's only a Frenchman, and though I've done my duty by him right through, I allers felt as if I couldn't trust him."

"Why not?" said the doctor hotly.

"Because he being a natural born enemy of an Englishman, it didn't seem right that he should pretend to be such a friend of yourn."

"Why not, sir?" cried the doctor warmly.

"Now, none of that, doctor. I did warn you about not getting put out.

Don't you call me, _sir_, 'cause I don't like it."

"Look here, Captain Chubb," cried the doctor, "I am sure you mean well."

"Thankye, sir; I do."

"Then why have you taken this prejudice against the Count?"

"That's a straight question, sir. Now let me ask you one. What's he doing here?"

"Upon some kind of research."

"Not him, sir! That's what he's told you, and it aren't honest. He's carrying on a game of his own behind you; and the boy's as bad as the old man."

"How dare you!" flashed out Rodd.

"Silence, Rodney!"

"I can't be silent, uncle. I won't stand here and listen to such an outrageous charge against those two gentlemen. I don't know what has come to Captain Chubb, but he ought to be made to apologise before he leaves this place."

"Well, he aren't going to be made to, young pepper-caster," growled the captain. "Honest men don't apologise for telling the truth, even if it don't taste nice."

"Look here, Chubb," said the doctor, "we are having too many words.

Let's have a clear understanding about what you think."

"Right, sir. Let's get to the bottom of it at once. You want an explanation. It's this now. I have been very suspicious from the first. What about this 'ere Count and his son? First you knowed of 'em was as they was prisoners at Dartmoor. Well, it sounds bad for a man to be a prisoner, but as he was took in war that don't count for much, so we'll let that go. Next thing is, you runs agen 'em at Havre, cutting their cable and running for it when Government gives orders for them to stop. Next thing is, they boards our schooner like a set of pirates, only we seem too many for them; and then they cackles up a c.o.c.k-and-bull story about wanting help, when they see they couldn't seize the schooner."

"Look here, Captain Chubb--" began the doctor.

"Give me my chance, sir, and let me finish, and then have your say.

Help they had, and plenty on it, and I will say that a nicer, more gentlemanly-tongued chap than the Count I never met, nor had to do with a pleasanter nor nicer young fellow than his son."

"Thank you," said Rodd sarcastically.

"Now, don't you sneer, youngster," growled the captain, "for it aren't clever, nor it aren't nice. Well, now, doctor, we all went through a deal all along of these Frenchies, for I don't see how it could have happened if it hadn't been for them."

"Why, you took us up the river, captain," cried Rodd indignantly.

"That's true, sir, but it was to do the best for their leaky brig, and I made her as good a craft as ever she was; so you needn't chuck that in my teeth."

"Be silent, Rodney, and let the captain speak."

Rodd gave himself a s.n.a.t.c.h and clenched his fists.

"Well, sir, to make a long story short, the Count gammoned you into keeping company with him, and brought you here--here, of all places in the world--here, to Saint Helena," and he thumped the chart just where the island was marked.

"Yes," said the doctor thoughtfully--"here, to the neighbourhood of Saint Helena; upon a scientific research."

"Scientific research!" growled the skipper scornfully. "Look here, sir, don't you be so innocent. You make me wild. What's this 'ere Count? A Frenchman, aren't he?"

"Well, plenty of clever Frenchmen have followed science," said the doctor indignantly.

"Chinese too, sir, though they can't dress like Christians," cried the skipper. "But just you tell me this 'ere, sir; who lives at Saint Helena? Don't old Bony? Him as we shut up like the warlike lunatic he is, to keep him out of mischief?"

"Well, yes," said the doctor, much more suavely; "there is something in that."

"I should think there is, sir! Haven't I heard you carry on dozens of times about what a bad 'un he's been to the whole world?"

"Yes, yes, Chubb; I certainly do entertain strong feelings against that tyrant and usurper."

"You do, sir. I've heard you say things at times as have sounded red-hot."

"And I'm not ashamed of them, Captain Chubb," cried the doctor warmly.

"'Shamed on 'em! Not you, sir! They're a honour to you as an English gentleman. Not much of the innocent in you about that."

"Thank you, Captain Chubb; thank you," said the doctor.

"Oh, uncle!" cried Rodd, between his teeth.

"You let your uncle alone, youngster; I aren't done with him yet. Now then, doctor, your eyes aren't quite open now, but you are beginning to peep. Now, just have the goodness to tell me what you are a-doing here at Saint Helena--a place that a gentleman with your sentiments ought to have kept clear of like pison."

"Well," cried the doctor, warming up again, "you know I have accompanied my friend the Count upon his scientific expedition."

"Your friend the Count, sir! His scientific expedition!" snarled the skipper. "Do you call old Bony a scientific expedition?"

"I don't understand you, captain."

"Then here you have it, sir, plain. Your friend the Count is a Bony party, and as the French Government knew what game he was on and tried to stop him from running out of Havre, when he come upon us and found out what we were doing, 'Here's my man,' he says; 'I will just creep under his cloak and carry on my little game to carry off Bony. No one will suspect me if I am in good company, and on what he calls scientific research.' Consekens, here's you, sir, off the island of Saint Helena in co and company with this 'ere Bony party come to carry off and set free the man of all others you hate most in the world. Now you understand what you have come to do."