A Man to His Mate Read online

  CHAPTER VIII

  TAMADA TALKS

  Tamada's galley was as orderly and efficient as the operating-room of afirst-class hospital. And Tamada at his work had all the deftness andsome of the dignity of a surgeon. There was no wasted move, there was nolitter of preparation, every article was returned to its specified placeas soon as used, and every implement and utensil was shining andspotless.

  It was an hour from the third meal of the day. Tamada was juggling thefood for three messes, and he was doing it with the calm precision ofone who has every detail well mapped out and is moving on schedule. Theboy Sandy was not there, probably engaged in laying the table for thehunters' mess, Rainey imagined.

  Tamada regarded him with eyes that did not lack a certain luster, as asloeberry might hold it, but which, beneath their hooded lids, revealedneither interest, nor curiosity, nor friendliness. They belonged in hisunwrinkled face, they were altogether neutral. Yet they seemed covertlyto suggest to Rainey that they might, on occasion, flame with wrath orhatred, or show the burning light of high intelligence. Seldom, hethought, while their gaze rested on him impassively, would they soften.

  "Tamada," he queried, "you think I am your friend, that I would ratherhelp you than otherwise?"

  "I think that--yes?" answered the Japanese without hesitation andwithout servility. And his eyes slowly searched Rainey's face withappraising pertinacity for a second or two. His English, save for theoddness of his idioms and a burr that made _r's_ of most his _l's_, andsometimes reversed the process, was almost perfect. His vocabularyshowed study. "You are not hating me because you are Californian and IJapanese," he said. "I know that."

  There was little time to spare, and there was likelihood ofinterruption, so Rainey plunged into his subject without introduction.

  "They promised you a share of this treasure, Tamada?" he asked.

  "They promised me that, yes."

  "They do not intend to give it to you." There was a tiny, dancingflicker in the dark eyes that died like a spark in the night air. Raineyrecalled Lund's opinion that little went on that Tamada did not know."You may have guessed this," he hurried on, "but I am sure of it. I,too, am promised some of the gold, but they do not intend to give it tome. They will offer Mr. Lund only a small portion of what was originallyarranged, the same amount as the rest of them are to get. He will refusethat to-morrow, when a meeting is to be called. Then there will betrouble. I shall stand with Mr. Lund. If we win you will get your share,whether you help us or not. If you help us I can promise you at leasttwice the amount you were to get."

  "How can I help you? If this is to be talked over at a meeting I shallnot be allowed to be present. If trouble starts it will do soimmediately. Mr. Lund"--he called it Rund--"is not patient man. What canI do? How can I help you?"

  Rainey was nonplused. He had seized the first opportunityof sounding the Japanese, and he had nothing outlined.

  "I do not know," he said. "I must talk that over with Mr. Lund. I wantedto know if you would be on our side."

  "Mr. Lund will not want me to help you. He does not like color of myskin, he does not like Japanese because he thinks they make too goodliving in California, and making more money than some of his countrymen.I do not think it help you for me to join. I do not see how you can win.If you can show some way out I will do what I can. But I like to see wayout."

  He mollified the bald acknowledgment of his neutrality with a little bowand a hissing-in breath. Back of it all was a will that was inflexible,thought Rainey.

  "If we lose, you lose," he went on lamely. He had come on a fool'serrand, he decided.

  "I think I shall get my money," said Tamada, and something looked out ofhis eyes that betrayed a purpose already gained, Rainey fancied, as achess player might gain assurance of victory by the looking ahead to allconceivable moves against him, and providing a counter-play that wouldachieve the game. It was borne in upon him that Tamada had resources hecould not fathom. The Oriental gave a swift smile, that held no mirth,no friendship, rather, a sardonic appreciation of the situation, withoutrancor.

  "They are very foolish," he said. "They make me cook, they eat what Iserve. They say Tamada is very good cook. But he is Jap, damn him.Suppose I put something in that food, that they would not taste? I couldsend them all to sleep. I could kill them. I could do it so they neversuspect, but would go to their beds--and never get up from them. Itwould be very easy. Yet they trust me."

  The statement was so matter-of-fact that Rainey felt his horror gatherslowly as he stared at the impassive Oriental.

  "You would do that? What good would it do you? You would have to killthem all, or the rest would tear you apart. And if you murdered thewhole ship where would you be? You talk as if you were a little mad.Suppose I told Carlsen of this?"

  Tamada was smiling again. He seemed to know that Rainey was in noposition to betray him--if he wished to do so.

  "I did not say I would do it. And, except under certain circumstances,it do me little good. I do not expect to do it. But it would be easy.Yet, as you say, it would not help you to kill only few, those who willbe at the meeting, for example, even if I wish to do. No, I do not seeway out. If, at any time there should seem way out and I can help you, Iwill."

  He turned abruptly to a simmering pot and rattled the lid. The hunter,Deming, stuck his head in at the door.

  "Smells good," he said. "Evening, Mr. Rainey."

  He seemed disposed to linger, and Rainey, not to excite suspicion towardhimself or Tamada, went back on deck. What did Tamada mean by "exceptunder certain circumstances"? he asked himself. For one thing he feltsure that Tamada had some basis for his expression that he expected toget his money. _He knew something_. Was it merely the Oriental method of_jiu-jitsu_, practised mentally as well as physically, the belief in aseemingly passive resistance against circumstances, waiting for somemove that, by its own aggressiveness, would give him an opening for atrick that would secure him the advantage? What could one Japanese hopeto do against the crowd?

  A thought suddenly flashed over Rainey. Was Tamada in league withCarlsen? Had he mistaken his man? Did Carlsen plan to have Tamadaundertake a wholesale poisoning to secure the gold himself, providingthe drugs? Was it a friendly hint from the Japanese?

  Still mulling over it he went down to supper. The girl was not present.Carlsen appeared in an unusual mood.

  "I was a bit hasty, Rainey," he said, with all appearance of sincerity."I've been worried a bit over the skipper. He's in a bad way.

  "Forget what happened, if you can. I apologize. Though I still thinkyour interference in my private affairs unwarranted. I'll call itsquare, if you will."

  He nodded across the table at Rainey, saving the latter a reply which hewas rather at a loss how to word. Amenities from Carlsen were likely aGreek gift. And Carlsen rattled on during the meal in high good spirits,rallying Rainey about his poker game with the hunters, joking Lund abouthis shooting, talking of the landfall they expected the next day.

  To Rainey's surprise Lund picked up the talk. There was a subtle,sardonic flavor to it on both sides and, once in a while, as Tamada,like an animated sphinx, went about his duties, Rainey saw the eyes ofCarlsen turned questioningly upon the giant as if a bit puzzledconcerning the exact spirit of his sallies.

  Rainey admired while he marveled at the sheer skill of Lund in this sortof a fencing bout. He never went far enough to arouse Carlsen'ssuspicions, yet he showed a keen sense of humorous appreciation ofCarlsen's half-satirical sallies that, in the light of Sandy'srevelation, showed the doctor considered himself the master of thesituation, the winner of a game whose pieces were already on the board,though the players had not yet taken their places. Yet Rainey fanciedthat Carlsen qualified his dismissal of Lund as a "blind fool" beforethey rose from the table, without disturbing his own equanimity as thecraftier of the two.

  Later, when his watch was ended and he was closeted with Lund in thelatter's cabin, the giant promptly quashed all discussion of Tamada'sattitude.

/>   "I'll put no trust in any slant-eyed, yellow-skinned rice-eater," heannounced emphatically. "They're against us, race an' religion. Theywant California, or rather, the Pacific coast, an' they think they'regoin' to git it. They're no more akin to us than a snake is a cousin toan eel. They're not of our breed, an' you can't mix the two. I'll haveno deal with Tamada, beyond gettin' dope out of him. If he helped us it'ud be only to further his own ends. Not that he can do much--unless--"

  He lowered his voice to a husky whisper.

  "There's one thing may slip in our gold-gettin', matey," he said--"theJapanese. I doubt if this island is set down on American or Britishcharts. But I'll bet it is on the Japanese. I don't know as any nationhas openly claimed it, but it's a sure thing the Japs know of itsexistence. They don't know of the gold, or it wouldn't be there.Rightly, the island may belong to Russia, but, since the war, Russia'sin a bad way, an' ennything loose from the mainland'll be gobbled byJapan.

  "What the Japs grab they don't let go of. On general principles theypatrol the west side of Bering Strait. If one of their patrols sees uswe'll be inside the sealin' limit, an' they'll have right of search.They'd take it, ennyway, if they sighted us. They go by _power_ ofsearch, not right. They won't find enny pelts on us, we've got huntersaboard, we're pelagic sealers, they won't be able to hang up ennyclubbin' of herds on us.

  "But, if they should suspicion us of gittin' gold off enny island theyc'ud trump up to call theirs, if they found gold on us at all, it 'ud beall off with us an' the _Karluk_. We'd be dumped inside of some Japprison an' the schooner confiscated.

  "An', if things go right with us, an' we ever sight the smoke of a Japgunboat comin' our way, the first thing I'll be apt to do will be toscrag Tamada or he'll blow the whole proposition, whether we've got thegold aboard or not. Even if he didn't want to tell becoz of his ownshare, they'd git it out of him what we was after."

  Did this, wondered Rainey, explain Tamada's "certain circumstances"? Washe calculating on the arrival of a Japanese patrol? Had he alreadytipped off to his consul in San Francisco the purpose of the expedition,sure of a reward equal to what his share would have been? If so, Raineyhad made a muddle of his attempt to sound Tamada. He felt guilty, gladthat Lund could not see his face, and he dropped the subject abruptly.

  Lund seemed to know that something was amiss.

  "Nervous, Rainey?" he asked. "That's becoz you've not bin livin' a man'slife. All yore experience has bin second-hand, an' you've never goneinto a rough-an'-tumble, I take it. You'll make out all right if itcomes to that at all. Yo're well put up, an' you've got solid of late.Now yo're goin' to git a taste of life in the raw. Not story-book stuff.It's strong meat sometimes, an' liable to turn some people's stomachs.I've got an appetite for it, an' so'll you have, after a bit.

  "Ever play much at cards?" he went on. "Play for yore last red when youdon't know where to turn for another, an' have all the crowd thinkin'yo're goin' broke as they watch the play? An' then you slap down a cardthey've all overlooked an' larf in the other chap's face?

  "That's what I'm goin' to do with Carlsen. I've got that kind of a card,matey, an' I ain't goin' to spoil my fun by tellin' even you what it is,though yo're my partner in this gamble. It's a trump, an' Carlsen'soverlooked it. He figgers he's stacked the deck an' fixed it so's hedeals himself all the winnin' cards. But there's one he don't know isthere becoz he's more of a blind fool than I am, is Doctor Carlsen."

  Lund chuckled hugely as he mixed himself some whisky and water. Raineyrefused a drink. Lund was right, he was nervous, bothering over what theoutcome might be, and how he might handle himself. He was not at allsure of his own grit.

  Lund had hit the nail on the head. All his experience had lain inlistening to the stories of others and writing them down. He did notknow whether he would act in a manner that would satisfy himself. Therewas a nasty doubt as to his own prowess and his own courage that keptcropping up. And that state of mind is not a pleasant one.

  "All be over this time ter-morrer," put in Lund, "so far as our bisnesswith Carlsen is concerned. You git all the sleep you can ter-night,Rainey. An' don't you worry none about that gal. She's a damn' sightmore capable of lookin' after herself than you imagine. You ain'tcounted her in as bein' more than a clingin' vine proposition. Not thatshe could buck it on her own, but she's no fool, an' I bet she's game.

  "Soft on her?" he challenged unexpectedly.

  "I haven't thought of her in that way," Rainey answered, a bit shortly.

  "Ah!" the giant ejaculated softly. "You haven't? Wal, mebbe it's jest aswell."

  Rainey took that last remark up on deck and pondered over it in themiddle watch, but he could make nothing out of it. Yet he was sure thatLund had meant something by it.

  In the middle of the night the cold seemed to concentrate. Rainey hadfound mittens in the schooner's slop-chest, and he was glad of them atthe wheel. The sailors, with but little to do, huddled forward. One manacted as lookout for ice. The smell of this was now unmistakable even toRainey's inexperience. On certain slants of wind a sharper edge wouldcome that bit through ordinary clothes. It was, he thought, as if someone had suddenly opened in the dark the doors of an enormousrefrigerator. He knew what that felt like, and this was much the same.

  The weather was still clearing. In the sky of indigo the stars wereglittering points, not of gold, but steel, hard and cold. Ahead, thenorthern lights were projected above the horizon in a low arch ofquivering rose. And, out of the north, before the wind, the sea advancedin the long, smooth folds of a weighty swell over which the _Karluk_wore her way into the breeze, clawing steadily on to the Aleutians and apassage through to Bering Strait.

  At two bells the hunters began to come on deck for a breath or so offresh air after the closeness of their quarters, as they invariably didfollowing a poker session. They did not come aft or give any greeting toRainey, but walked briskly about in couples, discussing something thatRainey did not doubt was the next day's meeting. Doubtless, in theconfidence of their numbers, they considered it a mere formality. Lundwould take what they offered--or nothing. And Carlsen had guaranteed theskipper's signature to an agreement.

  They got their lungs recharged with good air, and then the cold drovethem below, and Rainey, with the length of the schooner between him andthe watch, was practically alone. He went over and over the situationas a squirrel might race around the bars of his revolving cylinder, andcame to only one conclusion, the inevitable one, to let the matterdevelop itself. Lund's winning card he had bothered about until hisbrain was tired. The only thing he got out of all his fussing was theone new thought that seemed to fly out at a tangent and mock him.

  If Carlsen was deposed, and the skipper continued ill--to face the worstbut still plausible--if Carlsen, being deposed, refused to act, and theskipper was too sick to leave his room--who was going to navigate theschooner? Not a blind man. And Rainey couldn't learn navigation in aday. There was more to it in these perilous seas than mere reckoning.Ice was ahead.

  What could Lund make of that? Supposing that card of his did win, howcould they handle the schooner? He, in his capacity of eyes for Lund,would be about as competent as a poodle trying to lead a blind pedlerout of a maze.

  The lookout broke in on his mulling over with a sudden shout.

  "_Ice! Ice!_ Close on the starboard bow!"

  Rainey put the helm over, throwing the _Karluk_ on the opposite tack.

  The berg slipped by them, not as he had imagined it, a thing ofsparkling minarets and pinnacles, but a hill of snow that materializedin the soft darkness and floated off again to dissolution like the ghostof an island, leaving behind the bitter chill of death, rising andfalling until, in a moment, it was gone, with its threat of shipwreckhad the night been less clear.

  Five times before eight bells the cry came from forward, and the heapsof shining whiteness would take form, gather a certain sharpness ofoutline, and go past the beam with the seas surging about them andbreaking with a hollow boom upon their cavernous sides. And
this was inthe open sea. Lund had suggested that the strait would be full of ice.Rainey felt his sailing experience, that he came to be rather proud of,pitifully limited and inadequate in the face of coming conditions.

  When he turned in at last, despite his determination to follow Lund'sadmonition concerning sleep, it would not come to him. Hansen had takenover the deck stolidly enough, with no show of misgivings as to hisability to handle things, but his words had not been cheering to Rainey.

  "Plenty ice from now on, Mr. Rainey. Now we bane goin' to have one hardyob on our hands, by yiminy, you an' me!"