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Old Gold; or, The Cruise of the "Jason" Brig, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 5. Luggage Aboard |
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_ CHAPTER FIVE. LUGGAGE ABOARD Inquisitive ways indeed, for as the evening drew near there was the American still smoking as he sat in a deck chair watching the crew of the "Jason" busily getting the packages belonging to the brothers on board. Brace had made up his mind to see the luggage and stores placed on board the brig, which had now been warped alongside one of the wharves; but, on going out from the hotel and catching sight of the American, he went back and joined his brother, who was having a long final chat with Captain Banes. Consequently, so to speak, the American had a clear course, and he sat in the deck chair he had borrowed, smoking cigar after cigar, as if, like a steamer, he could not get on with the simplest thing without sending up vapour into the hot air. But he did not sit in silence, for his tongue ran on, and he found something to say to the second mate, who was superintending the getting on board of what he called the passengers' "traps," and something else to every man of the busy crew, who, in consequence of a hint given by Captain Banes to his first officer, carefully took everything on board themselves, without invoking any of the black or coolie labour to be obtained upon the wharf. "He's a rum one, my lads," said the second mate to the men. "Let him talk: it pleases him, and it don't do you any harm." "All right, sir," said one of the sailors: "I don't mind. He's pretty free with the terbacker." "What?" said the mate, putting his hand in his pocket and fingering one of half a dozen cigars lying loose therein: "has he given you some?" "Yes, sir, a lot: says it's real Virginny." "Humph!" ejaculated the mate. "Must be pretty well off.--Mind those chests, my lad. Those are ammunition." The men went on unloading a rough truck piled up with chests, portmanteaux, and cases of various kinds, before attacking a second truck-load, while the American sat lolling back in his chair, smoking away, his eyes twinkling as he scanned each package in turn and watched for every opportunity to have a word with the busy mate, never letting a chance go by. "Why, lufftenant," he said, "why don't you smoke and make your miserable life happy?" "Because I'm at work," said the mate bluffly. "My skipper don't stand smoking when we're busy." "Don't he now? Bit of a tyrant, I suppose," said the American. "Humph!" ejaculated the mate gruffly. "I like him, though," said the American: "seems to know the ropes." "Oh, yes, he knows the ropes," said the mate. "Easy there with that chest." "Easy it is, sir." "Now, I wonder what's in that case," said the American. "It's marked with two X's and a cross and SpG and OG. Now, what would that be, lufftenant?" "Dunno," replied the mate. "Rareohs for meddlers, I should say, sir." "Should you now?" said the American drily. "I shouldn't. Yes, I like your skipper, and I should have liked to have a voyage with him." "Pity you didn't, sir," said the mate. "Yes, that's jest how I feel; but I was too late. They're taking a deal of luggage with 'em, ain't they?" "Yes," said the mate, as the men had the empty truck wheeled out of the way and attacked the next. "A pretty tidy lot, and it's heavy too." "Seems to be," said the American. "Fine lot o' gun tackle, ammunition, and suchlike. Wish I'd been going too." "Wish you had, sir," said the mate, fingering the presentation cigars, and then to himself: "What a whopping fib! I wouldn't sail in the same craft with such a nuisance." "I'd tell my men not to let that case of cartridges down if I was you, lufftenant," said the American, as the men raised a heavy chest. "What case of cartridges?" said the mate, turning sharply. "Humph I didn't know that was ammunition." "Looks like it," said the would-be passenger drily. "'Tarn't branded," said the mate. "Oh, yes, it is. But what fool marked it there at the bottom instead of the top?" "I reckon that is the top," said the American, taking his cigar from his lips to send forth a great puff of smoke. The loading and unloading went on, the heavy packages being swung on board by means of a crane, the lighter being carried over a gangway on the sailors' backs; and as fast as they reached the brig's decks they were lowered through an open hatch. As the packages were taken off the truck, the American's eyes twinkled, and he had something to say about each. "Strange deal of baggage," he said, when nearly all was on board. "Must say it's a big lot for two passengers." "More than you've got, sir?" said the mate. "Twice as much, lufftenant. But hullo, what have you got there--barrel o' brandy?" "No," said the mate roughly; "it isn't juicy: it's dry." "That's queer, lufftenant, but so it is: there's holes in the top. What do they mean?" "I haven't been inside, sir," said the mate roughly. "Ain't you though? Well, I s'pose not. Ain't anything alive, though, is it?" "Alive? Pooh! Ventilation holes to keep the things from fermenting. I dessay it's something in the eating line." "Be nice too, I dessay," said the American. "Wish I was going. I should like to have had some of that. Anyhow, mister, I think I'd be careful with that hogshead in case your men might let it go down. It'd be a pity to spoil it by letting it slip 'twixt the wharf and the ship." "We'll take care of that, sir," said the mate, as the chains were hitched to the barrel and it rose slowly from the stones of the wharf, swinging slowly in a half-circle, and was lowered through the deck of the brig. "There we are," said the mate, with a laugh, as he turned to the American. "Yes, there you are, lufftenant. Bit heavy, wasn't it?" "Oh, no, nothing much.--Now, my lads, look alive!" There was a chorus of: "Ay, ay, sir!" and a few minutes later the contents of the last truck were reposing in the partitioned-off space in the brig's hold. Then, and then only, the second mate turned to the American, and, taking out one of the cigars presented to him, bit off the end. "Now," he said, "work done, play begins. I'll trouble you for a light." "A light? Oh, certainly, lufftenant," replied the American, handing his match-box. "You'll like those cigars. They're good ones." "I'm sure of that," said the mate. "Stop ashore, and have a bit of dinner with me up at the hotel." "You're very good," said the mate; "but I must get back on board. There's a lot to do. I expect we shall drop down the river to-night." "Eh? Soon as that?" "Yes. The skipper is off to sea." "Oh, but you might find time for that. A man must eat. Ask the boss to give you leave." "Humph! I hardly like to ask him, as the time for sailing is so near; but well, there, I will." "That's right. Come and dine at the hotel just for a pleasant chat. Wish I'd been coming with you on your voyage." "I begin to wish you were," said the mate, smiling. "You'd have found me handy when you wanted to ask questions." The American looked at the speaker keenly, and then smiled. "I understand," he said. "So you think I ask a lot?" "Well, yes," said the mate, laughing. "You are pretty good at it." "I suppose so. Way I've got. Pick up knowledge that how. Seems to me the way to learn. Hullo! What are they doing with your ship?" "Warping her out again so as to be ready for dropping down when we start." "Is that better than going off from the wharf?" "Yes, a dear; but excuse me: there's the skipper yonder. I'll go and tell him I want to be off for a few hours." "You do," said the American, "and you'll find me here when you come back." "If the skipper knows where I want to go," thought the mate, "he'll say no directly, for he hates that Yankee, so I won't say anything about him. Not a bad sort of fellow when you come to know him; but of all the inquisitive Paul Prys I ever met he's about the worst. Never mind: he has asked me to dinner, and I'll go." The next minute the mate was face to face with Captain Banes. "Ah, Lynton," cried the skipper, "there you are, then. Got the gentlemen's tackle and things on board?" "Yes, sir, all on board." "That's right. We shall drop down the river about one; so see that all's right." "All is right, sir, and I want you to spare me for three or four hours." "Spare you to-night?" "Yes. I want to dine with a friend." The skipper raised his eyebrows and stared. "Want to dine with a friend? Why--oh, well, I'm not going to imitate that Yankee and ask questions about what doesn't concern me. I was going to ask you to join us in the cabin, to meet the gentlemen; but that will do another time. Yes, of course, Lynton, and I wish you a pleasant evening; but no nonsense: I sail at the time I told you." "And if I'm not back you'll sail without me?" "That's right." "No fear, sir," said the mate. "I know there isn't, my lad, or I should have said no. I'll tell Dellow to send a boat ashore for you at ten." The skipper walked off leaving the mate looking after him and frowning. "He needn't have been so nasty about it. But he wouldn't sail without me if I were not back." The mate did not stir till he had seen Captain Banes on board. Then and then only he went in search of the American, but did not find him, and after a certain amount of search and enquiry he was walking along with overcast brow, thinking that there was some cause for the skipper's dislike to his host in prospective, and that the American was a bit of an impostor, when he came suddenly upon Sir Humphrey and his brother, followed by one of the men from the hotel carrying a portmanteau, and on their way to the brig. "Wonder whether they'll know me again?" thought the mate; but the next moment he ceased to wonder, for he received a friendly nod from both as he passed them and went on to the hotel to enquire whether anything was known about the American gentleman there. "Mr Franklyn Briscoe?" was the answer. "Oh, yes, he's coming in here to stay now those two gentlemen are gone. He has ordered a dinner for himself and a friend." "Oh, here you are then," came from behind him the next moment. "I've been looking for you everywhere." "So have I for you," said Lynton, rather surlily. "Oh, I see. I am sorry. You see, I had to find a place where they would give us some dinner. Here, come into my room. This is the place. It won't be a New York nor a London dinner, but it's the best I can do here, and it won't spoil our chat." "Of course not," replied Lynton, "and I came for that more than for the eating and drinking." "That's right," said the American bluffly. "There, come on: this is my room now those Englishmen are gone." The mate followed his host, and after a certain amount of patient waiting the dinner was brought in, and he found the American friendly in the extreme, so that the time passed quickly, and the hour of departure was close at hand with the guest wishing that he had asked the captain to make the hour eleven instead of ten for the boat to be sent ashore from the brig, which was once more swinging from the buoy in mid-stream. _ |
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