Old Gold Part 14

Brace stopped short in blank astonishment, for the nearest lanthorn turned round a little as the brig heeled over, and there, faintly seen, and looking strangely transparent, the seated figure of the inquisitive American seemed to loom out of the shadow.

But the startled fancy that it might be anything supernatural pa.s.sed away in an instant, and he felt ready to laugh at the superst.i.tious sailor, as he saw a glowing spot of light about on a level with the figure's lips, and directly after smelt the peculiar odour of tobacco as it was wafted to him by the warm night air.

"Come away," whispered the mate, gripping Brace's arm with painful force.

"Nonsense," said Brace firmly. "That's how your hat came on board."

"Ugh!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the mate, and he sent the straw hat he held whirring away from him with all his might.

He meant to have sent it overboard, but straw hats have boomerang-like ways of behaving peculiar to themselves, as most wearers know to their cost; and the one in question, instead of rising and skimming like a swallow over the bulwark and dropping into the sea, performed a peculiar evolution, turned in the direction of the group under the awning, dived down, rose again, just touching Sir Humphrey's ear, missing the first mate, and striking the captain with its saw-like revolving edge just below the chin.

"Here, hullo!" roared the latter gentleman; "what are you about?"

"Guess it warn't a bad throw, though, in the dark," said a familiar voice, which made the captain spring to his feet with a cry of astonishment; and the next moment the group from beneath the awning were gathered about the imperturbable smoker seated in the folding-chair.

"That you?" shouted the captain, and the personage addressed took his cigar slowly from his lips and emitted a great puff of vapour.

"Yes, skipper," he said coolly; "it's me," and he replaced his cigar.

"What in the name of all that's wonderful are you doing here?"

"Doing, skipper?" said the American quietly. "Smoking. Precious hot, ain't it?"

"Hot, sir?" roared the captain; "it's nothing to what it's going to be.

How dare you? Why, you're a stowaway!"

"Am I, skipper? Well, do you know," said the American, in the most imperturbable way, "I thought I was a lump of human fat melting slowly away and running out on to your deck."

"How did you get here?"

"How did I get here? Why, two of your men brought me aboard last night in your boat."

"Well, of all the impudence!"

"Now, now, now, skipper, don't get in a wax. Just act like a man, and order me a drink, half water, half lime-juice, for my throat feels as if it had been sanded with hot sand."

"I'll order you over the side, and set you ash.o.r.e at the nearest point of land."

"Not you, skipper. It would be like committing murder, and raise up international difficulties."

"I don't care, sir; I'll do it. You've got the wrong man to deal with if you think you're going to play any of your Yankee tricks with David Banes. Here, Dellow, heave-to and man the big boat."

"Good ten miles to the sh.o.r.e," said the first mate in a low remonstrant tone of voice.

"I don't care if it's twenty. I said I wouldn't take him as a pa.s.senger, and I won't."

"Ten miles for your chaps to pull in the dark, and ten miles back," said the American coolly: "that's twenty, and say another ten miles as allowance for currents, which run strong, I've heard say. That's thirty miles. Say, skipper, hadn't you better take it coolly and make the best of it?"

"No, sir, I had not."

"But I have made up my mind to sail with you, skipper, for I reckon I shall like this trip."

"And I reckon you will not," said the captain grimly. "You're very sharp, sir, but you've cut yourself this time, and you're going to be rowed ash.o.r.e as soon as it's light."

"Hah, that's better, skipper. Your lads couldn't do it in the dark, and they'd never find the brig again."

"That's right," said the captain. "I'm not going to run any risks, for the sake of my men; but ash.o.r.e you go as soon as it's light."

"And what about for the sake of me? I have heard that some of the natives about here are the old Caribs."

"Yes, sir, regular old-fas.h.i.+oned savages; and you won't find any hotels, nor captains to worry with questions."

"I've heard too that they're cannibals, skipper. S'pose they eat me?"

"So much the better for them and the worse for you. But that's your look-out, not mine."

"Well, you are a hard nut, skipper," said the American, leaning back and smoking away.

"I am, sir: too hard for you to crack. You're not the first loafing, cheating stowaway I've had to deal with."

"Cheating, eh?" said the American, turning his face to Sir Humphrey and Brace in turn. "Hark at him! I don't want to cheat. I'll pay my share of all expenses."

"No, you won't, sir, for I won't have your money. This brig's let to these two gentlemen for as long as they like. You've played me a dirty trick after being told that I was engaged, and you've got to go ash.o.r.e.

I see through your tricks now. You inveigled my second mate ash.o.r.e to dinner with you."

"Asked him, and treated him like a gentleman," said the American.

"You stole his straw hat."

"Nay, nay, only borrowed it, skipper."

"Stole his hat, sir."

"Say took, and I won't argue, skipper: I was obliged to."

"Left him asleep, and stole aboard in the s.h.i.+p's boat."

"Yes, that's right," said the American. "I thought you were going to say I stole the boat. That's right. The men wouldn't have rowed me aboard if it hadn't been for the mate's hat."

"And for aught you cared I might have sailed and left that poor fellow behind--eh, Lynton?"

"That seems about the size of it," said the second mate.

"Gammon!" cried the American good-humouredly. "You're too good a seaman, Captain Banes, to go off and leave one of your officers ash.o.r.e."

"That's oil," said the captain sharply; "but I'm not going to be greased, sir. You're going ash.o.r.e: if only for playing me and my second officer such a dirty trick."

"Say smart, not dirty, skipper."