A Man to His Mate Read online

  CHAPTER VI

  SANDY SPEAKS

  The next morning Rainey, going on deck to relieve Hansen at eight bells,in the commencement of the forenoon watch, found Lund in the bows as hewalked forward, waiting for the bell to be struck. The giant leaned bythe bowsprit, his spectacled eyes seeming to gaze ahead into the gray ofthe northern sky, and it seemed to Rainey as if he were smelling thewind. The sun shone brightly enough, but it lacked heat-power, and thesea had gone down, though it still ran high in great billows of dullgreen. There was a bite to the air, and Rainey, fresh from the warmcabin, wished he had brought up his sweater.

  Lightly as he trod, the giant heard him and instantly recognized him.

  "How'd ye make out with the hunters last night?" he queried. "I turnedin early."

  "We had quite a session," said Rainey. "They got me in the game, allright."

  "Enny objections 'bout yore stakin' yore share in the gold?"

  "Not a bit. I fancy they thought it a bit of a joke. More of one afterwe'd finished the game. I lost two thousand seven hundred dollars," headded with a laugh. "No chips under a dollar. Sky limit. And Deming hadall the luck, and a majority of the skill, I fancy."

  "Don't seem to worry you none."

  "Well, it was sort of ghost money," laughed Rainey.

  "You've seen the color of it," retorted Lund. "Hear ennything special?"

  "No." Rainey spoke thoughtfully. "I had a notion I was being treated asan outsider, though they were friendly enough. But, somehow I fancy theyreserved their usual line of talk."

  "Shouldn't wonder," grunted Lund. "Seen Sandy yet?"

  "I haven't had a chance. I imagined it would be best not to be seentalking to him."

  "Right. Matey, things are comin' to a head. There's ice in the air. Ican smell it. Feel the difference in temperature? Ice, all right. An'that means two things. We're nigh one of the Aleutians, an' BeringStrait is full of ice. Early, a bit, but there's nothin' reg'lar 'boutthe way ice forms. I've got a strong hunch something'll break before wemake the Strait.

  "There's one thing in our favor. Yore savin' Sandy has set you solidwith the hunters. They won't be so keen to maroon you. An' they'll thinktwice about puttin' me ashore blind. I used to git along fine with thehunters. All said an' done, they're men at bottom. Got their heartsgold-plated right now. But--"

  He seemed obsessed with the idea that the crew, with Carlsen as primeinstigator, had determined to leave them stranded on some volcanic,lonely barren islet. Rainey wondered what actual foundations he had forthat theory.

  "The sailors--" he started.

  "Don't amount to a bunch of dried herrin'. A pore lot. Swing either way,like a patent gate. I ain't worryin' about them. I'm goin' to git mycoffee. I was up afore dawn, tryin' to figger things out. You git toSandy soon's you can, matey." And Lund went below.

  Rainey saw nothing more of him until noon, at the midday meal. And hefound no chance to talk with Sandy. He noticed the boy looking at himonce or twice, wistfully, he thought, and yet furtively. A thickeningatmosphere of something unusual afoot seemed present. And the actualweather grew distinctly colder. He had got his sweater, and he neededit. The sailors had put on their thickest clothes. Carlsen did notappear during the morning, neither did the hunters. Nor the girl.

  At noon Carlsen came up to take his observation. He said nothing toRainey, but the latter noticed the doctor's face seemed more sardonicthan usual as he tucked his sextant under his arm.

  With Hansen on deck they all assembled at the table with the exceptionof the captain. Tamada served perfectly and silently. The doctorconversed with the girl in a low voice. Once or twice she smiled acrossthe table at Rainey in friendly fashion.

  "Skipper enny better?" asked Lund, at the end of the meal.

  Carlsen ignored him, but the girl answered:

  "I am afraid not." It was not often she spoke to Lund at all, and Raineywondered if she had experienced any change of feeling toward the giantas well as himself.

  Carlsen got up, announcing his intention of going forward. Lund noddedsignificantly at Rainey as if to suggest that the doctor was going toforegather with the hunters, and that this might be an opportunity totalk with Sandy.

  "Goin' to turn in," he said. "Eyes hurt me. It's the ice in the wind."

  "Is there ice?" Peggy Simms asked Rainey as Lund disappeared. Carlsenhad already vanished.

  "None in sight," he answered. "But Lund says he can smell it, and Ithink I know what he means. It's cold on deck."

  The girl went to the door of her own room and then hesitated and cameback to the table where Rainey still sat. He had four hours off, and hemeant to make an opportunity of talking to the roustabout.

  "Mr. Carlsen told me he expects to sight land by to-morrow morning," shesaid. "Unalaska or Unimak, most likely. How is the boy you saved?"

  She seemed so inclined to friendliness, her eyes were so frank, thatRainey resolved to talk to her. He held a notion that she was lonely,and worried about her father. There were pale blue shadows under hereyes, and he fancied her face looked drawn.

  "May I ask you a question?" he asked.

  "Surely."

  "Just why did you beg my pardon? And, I may be wrong, but you seemed tomake a point of doing so rather publicly."

  She flushed slowly, but did not avoid his gaze, coming over to the tableand standing across from him, her fingers resting lightly on thepolished wood.

  "It was because I thought I had misunderstood you," she said. "And Ihave thought it over since. I do not think that any man who would riskhis life to save that lad could have joined the ship with such motivesas you did. I--I hope I am not mistaken."

  Rainey stared at her in astonishment.

  "What motives?" he asked. "Surely you know I did not intend to go onthis voyage of my own free will?"

  The changing light in her eyes reminded Rainey of the look of herfather's when he was at his best in some time of stress for theschooner. They were steady, and the pupils had dilated while the irisesheld the color of steel. There was something more than ordinary femininesoftness to her, he decided. She sat down, challenging his gaze.

  "Do you mean to tell me," she asked, "that you did not use yourknowledge of this treasure to gain a share in it, under a covert threatof disclosing it to the newspaper you worked for?"

  It was Rainey's turn to flush. His indignation flooded his eyes, and thegirl's faltered a little. His wrath mastered his judgment. He did notintend to spare her feelings. What did she mean by such a charge? Shemust have known about the drugging. If not--she soon would.

  "Your fiance, Mr. Carlsen, told you that, I fancy," he said, "if you didnot evolve it from your own imagination." Now her face fairly flamed.

  "My fiance?" she gasped. "Who told you that?"

  "The gentleman himself," answered Rainey.

  "Oh!" she cried, closing her eyes, her face paling.

  "The same gentleman," went on Rainey vindictively, "who put chloral inmy drink and deliberately shanghaied me aboard the _Karluk_, so that Ionly came to at sea, with no chance of return. He, too, was afraid Imight give the snap away to my paper, though I would have given him myword not to. He told me it was a matter of business, that he hadkidnapped me for my own good," he went on bitterly, recalling the talkwith Carlsen when he had come out of the influence of the drug. "Youdon't have to believe me, of course," he broke off.

  "I don't think you are quite fair, Mr. Rainey," the girl answered. "Tome, I mean. I will give you _my_ word that I knew nothing of this. I--"She suddenly widened her eyes and stared at him. "Then--my father--he?"

  Rainey felt a twinge of compassion.

  "He was there when it happened," he said. "But I don't know that he hadanything to do with it. Mr. Carlsen may have convinced him it was theonly thing to do. He seems to have considerable influence with yourfather."

  "The same gentleman who put chloral in my drink"]

  "He has. He--Mr. Rainey, I have begged your pardon once; I do so again.Won't you accept it? Perhap
s, later, we can talk this matter out. I amupset. But--you'll accept the apology, and believe me?"

  She put out her hand across the table and Rainey gripped it.

  "We'll be friends?" she asked. "I need a friend aboard the _Karluk_, Mr.Rainey."

  He experienced a revulsion of feeling toward her. She was undoubtedlyplucky, he thought; she would stand up to her guns, but she suddenlylooked very tired, a pathetic figure that summoned his chivalry.

  "Why, surely," he said.

  They relinquished hands slowly, and again Rainey felt something morethan her mere grasp lingering, a slight tingling that warmed him tosmile at her in a manner that brought a little color back to her cheeks.

  "Thank you," she said.

  He watched her close the door of her cabin behind her before heremembered that she had not denied that she was to marry Carlsen. But heshrugged his shoulders as he started to smoke. At any rate, he toldhimself, she knows what kind of a chap he is--in what he calls business.

  Presently he thought he heard her softly sobbing in her room, and he gotup and paced the cabin, not entirely pleased with himself.

  "I was a bit of a cad the way I went at her," he thought, "but that chapCarlsen sticks in my gorge. How any decent girl could think of mating upwith him is beyond me--unless--by gad, I'll bet he's working through herfather to pull it off! For the gold! If he's in love with her he's got adamned queer way of not showing it."

  The door from the galley corridor opened, and a head was poked incautiously. Then Sandy came into the cabin.

  "Beg pardon, Mister Rainey, sir," said the roustabout, "I was throughwith the dishes. I wanted to have a talk with yer." His pop-eyes roamedabout the cabin doubtfully.

  "Come in here," said Rainey, and ushered Sandy into his own quarters.

  "Now, then," he said, established on the bunk, while Sandy stood by thepartition, slouching, irresolute, his slack jaw working as if he waschewing something, "what is it, my lad?"

  "They'd kick the stuffin' out of me if they knew this," said Sandy."I've bin warned to hold my tongue. Deming said he'd cut it out if Ichattered. An' he would. But--"

  "But what? Sit down, Sandy; I won't give you away."

  "You went overboard after me, sir. None of them would. I've heard whatMr. Carlsen said, that I didn't ermount to nothin'. Mebbe I don't, butI've got my own reasons for hangin' on. Me, of course I don't ermount tomuch. Why would I? If I ever had mother an' father, I never laid eyes on'em. I've made my own livin' sence I was eight. I've never 'ad enoughgrub in my belly till I worked for Tamada. The Jap slips me primefillin'. He's only a Jap, but he's got more heart than the rest o' thatbloody bunch put tergether."

  Rainey nodded.

  "Tell me what you know, quickly. You may be wanted any minute."

  The words seemed to stick in the lad's dry throat, and then they camewith a gush.

  "It's the doc! It's Carlsen who's turned 'em into a lot of bloodybolsheviks, sir. Told 'em they ought to have an ekal share in the gold.Ekal all round, all except Tamada--an' me. I don't count. An' Tamada's aJap. The men is sore at Mr. Lund becoz he sez the skipper left himbe'ind on the ice. Carlsen's worked that up, too. Said Lund made 'em allout to be cowards. 'Cept Hansen, that is. He don't dare say too much, orthey'd jump him, but Hansen sort of hints that Cap'n Simms ought to havegone back after Lund, could have gone back, is the way Hansen put it. Sothey're all goin' to strike."

  Rainey's mind reacted swiftly to Sandy's talk. It seemed inconceivablethat Carlsen would be willing to share alike with the hunters and thecrew. Sandy's imagination had been running wild, or the men had beenmaking a fool of him. The girl's share would be thrown into the commonlot. And then flashed over him the trick by which Carlsen had disposedof all the ammunition in the hunters' possession. He had a deeper schemethan the one he fed to the hunters, and which he merely offered to servesome present purpose. Rainey's jaw muscles bunched.

  "Go on, Sandy," he said tersely.

  "There ain't much more, sir. They're goin' to put it up to Lund. Firstthey figgered some on settin' him ashore with you an' the Jap. That'swhat Carlsen put up to 'em. But they warn't in favor of that. Said Lundfound the gold, an' ought to have an ekal share with the rest. An'they're feelin' diff'runt about you, sir, since you saved me. Not becozit was me, but becoz it was what Deming calls a damn plucky thing todo."

  "How did you learn all this?" demanded Rainey.

  "Scraps, sir. Here an' there. The sailors gams about it nights whenthey thinks I'm asleep in the fo'c's'le. An' I keeps my ears open when Iwaits on the hunters. But they ain't goin' to give you no share becozyou warn't in on the original deal. But they ain't goin' to maroon you,neither, unless Lund bucks an' you stand back of him."

  "How about Captain Simms?"

  "Carlsen sez he'll answer for him, sir. He boasts how he's goin' tomarry the gal. That'll giv' him three shares--countin' the skipper's.The men don't see that, but I did. He's a bloody fox, is Carlsen."

  "When's this coming off?" asked Rainey.

  "Quick! They're goin' to sight land ter-morrer, they say. I heard thatthis mornin'. I hid in my bunk. It heads ag'inst the wall of thehunters' mess an', if it's quiet, you can hear what they say.

  "They ain't goin' in to Bering Strait through Unimak Pass. They're goin'in through Amukat or Seguam Pass. An' they'll put it up to Lund an' theskipper somewheres close by there. An' that's where you two'll get putoff, if you don't fall in line."

  "All right, Sandy. You're smarter than I thought you were. Sure of allthis?"

  "I ain't much to look at, sir, but I ain't had to buck my own waywithout gittin' on ter myself. You won't give me away, though? They'dkeelhaul me."

  "I won't. You cut along. And if we happen to come out on top, Sandy,I'll see that you get a share out of it."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "I'll come out with you," said Rainey. "If any one comes in before youget clear, I'll give you an order. I sent for you, understand."

  But Sandy got back into the galley without any trouble. Rainey began topace the cabin again, and then went back into his own room to line thething up. Lund was asleep, but he would waken him, he decided, filledwith admiration at the blind man's sagacity and the way he had foreseenthe general situation.

  There was not much time to lose. He did not see what they could doagainst the proposition. He was sure that Lund would not consent to it.And he might have some plan. He had hinted that he had cards up hissleeve.

  What Carlsen's ultimate plans were Rainey did not bother himself with.That it meant the fooling of the whole crew he did not doubt. Heintended eventually to gather all the gold. And the girl--she would bein his power. But perhaps she wanted to be? Rainey got out of his blindalley of thought and started into the main cabin to give Lund the news.

  The girl was coming out of her father's room.

  "Any better?" asked Rainey.

  "No. I can't understand it. He seems hardly to know me. Doctor Carlsencame along because of father's sciatica, but--there's somethingelse--and the doctor can't help it any. I can't quite understand--"

  She stopped abruptly.

  "Have you known the doctor long?" asked Rainey.

  "For a year. He lives in Mill Valley, close to my uncle. I live with myfather's brother when father is at sea. But this time I wanted to benear him. And the doctor--"

  Again she seemed to be deliberately checking herself from a revelationthat wanted to come out.

  "Did he practise in Mill Valley? Or San Francisco?" asked Rainey,remembering Lund's outburst against Carlsen's professional powers.

  "No, he hasn't practised for some years. That was how it happened he wasable to go along. Of course, father promised him a certain share in theventure. And he was a friend."

  She trailed off in her speech, looking uncertainly at Rainey. The lattercame to a decision.

  "Miss Simms," he said, "are you going to marry Doctor Carlsen?"

  Suddenly Rainey was aware that some one had come into the cabin. It wasCarlsen, now swiftly adva
ncing toward him, his face livid, his mouthsnarling, and his black eyes devilish with mischief.

  "I'll attend to this end of it," he said. "Peggy, you had better go into your father. I'll be in there in a minute. He's a pretty sick man,"he added.

  His snarl had changed to a smile, and he seemed to have swiftlycontrolled himself. The girl looked at both of them and slowly went intothe captain's room. Carlsen wheeled on Rainey, his face once more a maskof hate.

  "I'll put you where you belong, you damned interloper," he said. "Whatin hell do you mean by asking her that question?"

  "That is my business."

  "I'll make it mine. And I'll settle yours very shortly, once and forall. I suppose you're soft on the girl yourself," he sneered. "Thinkyourself a hero! Do you think she'd look at you, a beggarly news-monger?Why, she--"

  "You can leave her out of it," said Rainey, quietly. "As for you, Ithink you're a dirty blackguard."

  Carlsen's hand shot back to his hip pocket as Rainey's fist flashedthrough the opening and caught him high on the jaw, sending himstaggering back, crashing against the partition and down into thecushioned seat that ran around the place.

  But his gun was out. As he raised it Rainey grappled with him. Carlsenpulled trigger, and the bullet smashed through the skylight above them,while Rainey forced up his arm, twisting it fiercely with both handsuntil the gun fell on the seat.

  Simultaneously the girl and Lund appeared.

  "Gun-play?" rumbled the giant. "That'll be you, Carlsen! You're too fondof shooting off that gat of yores."

  Rainey had stepped back at the girl's exclamation. Carlsen recovered hisgun and put it away, while Peggy Simms advanced with blazing eyes.

  "You coward!" she said. "If I had thought--oh!"

  She made a gesture of utter loathing, at which Carlsen sneered.

  "I'll show you whether I'm a coward or not, my lady," he said, "before Iget through with all of you. And I'll tell you one thing: The captain'slife is in my hands. And he and I are the only navigators aboard thisvessel, except a fool of a blind man," he added, as he strode to thedoor of Simms' cabin, turned to look at them, laughed deliberately intheir faces, and shut the door on them.