The Treasure of Pearls: A Romance of Adventures in California

by Gustave Aimard

  CHAPTER VIII.

  THE "LITTLE JOKER."

  There rode a charming little sailing vessel in Guaymas Port. It flewthe Chilian flag, was about a hundred and twenty tons register, and wasnamed _La Burlonilla_, or "Little Joker," which might be interpretedinnocently, or as a tacit allusion to the pea used in "thimblerig."She was so coquettish, so fine of run, so light and buoyant, andyet carried a good spread of sail, that the experienced Gladsdenreckoned she would do her twelve knots an hour without shipping enoughwater to drown the purser's cat. But there seemed to be some mysteryattending the ownership. The shipkeeper allowed no one to inspect herclosely, far less to board her, even threatening our Englishman witha blunderbuss. He heard at the Heaven-and-Liberty Tavern that shewas consigned to don Stefano Garcia, kinsman of the general Garcia,mixed up with the intrigues of Santa Anna, a rich merchant-banker, andhide dealer. It was easy to make his acquaintance by constituting himhis banker, for a remittance of a goodly amount which came on, _via_New York and Mexico, just when he most wanted funds to enable him toascertain what truth dwelt in Pepillo's story.

  Besides, as an old resident of Sonora, he was just the man to help himto find the relict of the _bandolero_ of captain Matasiete, though thereason for this search he took care not to impart to senor Garcia.

  With an affability which was even noticeably extreme, don Stefanoaccepted the double trust, and begged his new client to come out to hisvilla soon and dine with him--a pleasant habitude with bankers all theworld over.

  Gladsden accepted the invitation. During the dinner--not bad for theplace--the guest learnt that the goleta commanded a fancy price, say,twenty thousand dollars, and then would only be sold--not hired--if theowner, a capricious Chilian, rejoicing in the numerous and sonorousappellatives of don Anibal Cristobal de Luna y Almagro de Cortes, hadnot changed his intention of living upland on an estate which wouldshortly become his through a marital alliance.

  After the repast, five or six friends of the host came in, and amongthem the bearer of the long titles, just taxing our pen again.

  In token of pretensions to be regarded as an unofficial, but all themore important representative of Chili, this dignitary wore a richcostume trimmed with gold, an immense cocked hat, after the styleborne by Nelson's enemies who were admirals at Trafalgar, bullionepaulettes that covered his upper arms, high boots coming up overthe knee, not to mention a colossal sabre. Under this accoutrement,nevertheless, Gladsden thought no stranger was displayed; and, infact, before he spoke, he recognised the individual who had grinnedat him, like Quasimodo at Claude Frollo, dangling from the cathedralturret, out of the gaplike window of the Indian tower. The master ofthe _Little Joker_, the Chilian agent, was the captain of the UpperSonora ravagers--Matasiete himself. The crease across his nose was anadditional token.

  Spite of his emotion, the Englishman hoped he had not betrayed theact of quick identification, all the more as don Anibal, etc., makingno sign of recognition, turned to chatting with the others withoutpaying the foreigner any more heed. From a glance which he interceptedbetween the banker and the pretended Chilian, Gladsden was soon ofthe impression that there was a complete understanding there. He evenjumped to the conclusion that the stranger in the Heaven-and-LibertyTavern had been instructed to volunteer the hint that had caused ourever imprudent Briton to form acquaintance with the robber's banker.

  "They are a deeper set than I imagined," thought he. "The rogue is apirate on land and sea. When there is no revolution in Mexico, and theauthorities attend a little to police matters, our salteador takes asummersault aboard his dainty craft, and goes slaving, pirating, or, atthe least, pearl fishing. If these guests are out of the same cask, byGeorge! I am going to pass a pleasant evening!"

  But there arose no question of the sale of the _Burlonilla_, or ofanything connected with business. That was put off till the morrow,after the Spanish-American custom.

  But there did come up a topic of general interest--gaming. TheAmerican-Hispanics are inveterate gamblers; it is their dominantpassion. After having chatted and drank, amid the consumption ofinnumerable cigars, someone proposed a _monte_, a suggestion thrown outonly to be caught at a bound with enthusiasm.

  Other friends of don Stefano had dropped in, so that the Englishmanfound more than a corporal's guard arrayed against him. The collectionnow was composed of upwards of a score.

  A table happened to have the orthodox green cloth upon it, where thesocial "tiger" is prone to roam: new cards, sealed, of course, werebrought in, and the sport began.

  Without being positively a player, Mr. Gladsden had the blood in hisveins of his grandfather, who was a noted card player, a contemporaryof Fox and Selwyn. Besides, he understood that he might offend if hestood aloof.

  The stakes were, at the outset, moderate, but gradually swelling, theysoon attained staggering proportions, some of the points running upto a hundred and even a hundred and fifty ounces. The consequence wasthat in less than a couple of hours almost all the tilters were cleanedout, and had to become mere lookers-on. At midnight chance--if it werechance--arranged it that only two players were facing each other: donAnibal of the Cortes Family, as he called himself at present, and Mr.Gladsden. The gallery, as the surrounding bystanders of a game arestyled, cooped the pair in so that the European could not easily havewithdrawn. All the time the master of the goleta had been a loser, andthe Englishman having been luck favoured, was on the contrary suppliedwith considerable funds, which elicited many a covetous glance.

  "Why!" ejaculated the pretended Chilian, with admirably feignedsurprise, "We two are left facing one another."

  "So we are!" returned Mr. Gladsden, thinking, with all the possiblemischances, he was more agreeably placed here _vis-a-vis_ with thegentleman of the night, than clinging on a bar outside the top of atower fifty feet high.

  "Shall we two go it alone, Captain?"

  "I was just going to ask the favour, Captain."

  The other "captain" nodded and grinned under his long hook nose, to thebanker and others at hand, as much as to say, "Now I have my gentlemanprecisely in the corner I have been driving him to."

  It was the Englishman's turn to cut.

  "How's the play?" he inquired.

  "Will you venture all?" the highwayman leader returned in a mocking way.

  "Why should I not? You have so far afforded me so much heartyentertainment that I am entirely at your disposal."

  Don Anibal made a grimace not unlike that when the marvellous shot hadallowed the last speaker to drop out of the swing of his _navaja_.

  "Even in case I risk the whole heap?" resumed Matasiete, laying hislong fingers out on the pillar of gold coin before him.

  "As your lordship desires, though it is a mistake."

  "How so?"

  "Because I am in luck's way lately," returned Mr. Gladsden,significantly. "You always lose pitted against me."

  "Do you really think that run will last?"

  "I am willing to wager on it," was the reply, in the determined tone ofan Englishman to whom, indeed, a bet is the _ultima ratio_.

  "_iCaray!_" exclaimed the arch-bandit, piqued, "Your remark decides me,all goes on the _dos de espadas_, two of spades. Is it a go?"

  The Spanish-Americans are fine players, they lose or gain ever so largesums without wincing. As the spectators uttered a cry of admiration forhim who was more or less their lion, Gladsden resolved to prove that hecould gamble as well as the best of them.

  "Senor Don Anibal, you'll excuse the rest," he said, impudently, like aman who pretty well knew that he had not a friend in the crowd, as hepresented his adversary, in all senses of the word, with the cards; "doyou mind shuffling them yourself?"

  "What for, Senor?" holding his hands away.

  "Oh, it is not merely because I believe you _good at shuffling_, butbecause things are getting serious, and it is important after all thathas taken place between us that you should be convinced that I playfair, and that nothing but my better fortune thwarts you."

 
Don Stefano turned pale; several of the guests whispered to oneanother, probably seeing that twenty to one on a ground of theirown choosing was rather contrary to the character of a blue-bloodedcaballero. One of them even lifted up his voice, saying:

  "He acts like a perfect gentleman."

  Gladsden bowed to him, though he fully believed he recognised in himthe suggester on a memorable occasion that the author of the death ofthe late Pepillo Santa Maria should be roasted alive.

  Captain de Luna also bowed, but to his opponent, took the cards,shuffled them, and presented them with grace. Gladsden laid the cardson the board, and turning to no one in particular, said:

  "Do me the honour to cut them, Senor."

  Someone obeyed the request, and the English player began to deal. Adeathlike stillness reigned at once as by enchantment in the drawingroom so well peopled. Spite of their villainy, the spectators of thecoolness of the Englishman alone in the tiger's lair were impressed byit in his favour, and, though the most of them, such as appertaineddirectly to Matasiete's band, at least, would have fallen on himwithout reluctance on the road back to Guaymas, here they registereda vow to let him have a good show of fun for his money withoutinterference.

  Don Anibal had staked on the two of spades; the other sought to producethe five of clubs (_cinco de Bastos_) to win; in other words, that cardought to come out of the pack to him before his adversary received theone he called to appear. But after quite twenty of the parallelogramsof pasteboard had been thrown on the table one after another, neitherof the two cards designated had appeared; but everyone felt they wereon the nick.

  At the moment when Gladsden was about to show the face of a cardbetween his fingers, the captain of banditti, and of the so-calledChilian cutter, checked his action, saying--

  "Stay half a minute, please."

  "What's your pleasure?"

  "Perhaps to give you one. Did not I hear don Stefano say somethingabout your looking out to buy a pleasure vessel?"

  "I even thought that I might make a yacht of--"

  "Of the goleta in the port, of the _Burlonilla_--of my vessel?"

  "There is no other worth a biscuit, certainly! Why the question now?"inquired the European with some surprise.

  "I tell you what; if you will consent, I will add the _Little Joker_,all standing, to my pile, against twenty-five thousand dollars. What doyou say to that proposition?"