When he recovered consciousness the smell of tar and whiskey wasstrong about him. To his dazed senses, for his brain had notcompletely cleared of a stunned sensation in his head, this smell wasincomprehensible, and suddenly becoming startled, he cried out, halfaloud: "For the love of God, where am I?" And then a recollection ofthe apparent "holdup" dawned on his mind.
He lay still for a moment trying to trace his actions following theblow he had received, but in vain; all was a blank. It was very darkwhere he was lying, and he fancied he heard the swish of waters. Heput out his right hand and felt the wooden side of a berth. He put outhis left hand and felt a wooden wall. Then he tried to sit up, but thepain in his head soon compelled him to desist.
He lay quiet again and distinctly heard a sound of straining, creakingtimbers. He at once concluded he was on a ship. "Why! Wherefore! GoodGod, have I been shanghaied?" were the thoughts that leaped to hismind, and notwithstanding the pain in his head, he attempted to situp, but his head bumped violently against some boards just above him,and he fell back again, stunned. He had struck the wooden part of theupper berth. He, however, soon recovered and commenced to thinklucidly again. He knew how prevalent the practice of forcibly takingmen to fill an ocean ship's crew had become in Portland and otherCoast cities by seamen's boarding house hirelings, and he feltsatisfied that he was one of their victims.
He put his hand in his pocket for a match; there was none; and hisclothes felt damp, then a fresh whiskey odor entered his nostrils."Have I been intoxicated?" The question startled him, but he could notremember taking any liquor. "No; I am sure of that, but why this odor;perhaps this berth has been occupied by some 'drunk'."
A feeling of disgust urged him to get out of it at once, and he threwhis leg over the side of the berth and stood upright.
The pain in the back of his head throbbed so fiercely that he clappedhis hand over it, which afforded only temporary relief. He thenthought of his handkerchief, which he found in his pocket, and thoughsmelling of whiskey, he bound it about his head.
Being now in full possession of his faculties, and feeling strong onhis legs, he determined to investigate his quarters. "Oh, for alight!"
Again he felt in his pockets for a match and found none, but hediscovered that his watch was gone, and a further search revealed thatevery cent of his money was gone.
At this time, in addition to occasional indistinct sounds of the swishof waters against the bow, he heard some tramping about overhead, asby barefooted men, acting seemingly under orders from a hoarse voicefarther away.
His first impulse was to shout to apprise them of his presence, but onsecond thought decided to remain silent for a time, or until he coulddetermine their character.
So he proceeded to grope around, first extending his foot in differentdirections, and then his hands. He found three berths, one above theother, and then, fearful of bumping his head against some projectingbeam or other obstacle, put out his left hand as a feeler before him,and slowly worked along by the side of the berths.
Soon his foot struck something hard, unlike wood, for it appeared togive a little, and putting down his hand, felt it to be a coil ofrope. It was in an open space at the end of the berths. A littlefurther his foot struck some wood, and feeling about with his hand,found it was a partition wall. On rounding the partition a very thinray of light issued from a crevice in front, and then he discoveredsteps.
He crawled up to a door, opened it, and peered out on a pile oflumber. Above it masts towered up into the darkness, with sailshoisted, but unset and flapping lazily to and fro in the wake of thebreeze.
It was near the dawn, light clouds almost transparent and partlyobscuring the moon, drifted along in the sky, while here and there,through openings of deepest blue, glittered countless stars.
The air was fresh, too, a little raw and chill, but good to inhaleafter the dead rank odor from which he had just escaped.
An open space in the lumber pile just in front of the forecastle door,and left to facilitate ingress and egress, gave him room to stretch.The light that glimmered faintly through a chink in the door was froma lantern that hung on the fore mast, a few feet above the deck-loadof lumber.
By the aid of this light he looked over and along the surface of thelumber aft to where some men were dimly silhouetted against the aftsail, then swinging abeam, by a lantern on the poop.
Without hesitation he mounted the lumber and was immediately accostedby a gruff voice from behind: "Where away now shipmate?"
"That's something I should like to know," replied Corway, turningaround and facing the questioner.
Then he saw that the ship was being towed down the Columbia River, ofwhich he was certain by its width, by a steamer, and the man who hadaddressed him was leaning on the boom that swung over the forecastle.
"You'll know soon enough when your 'watch' comes," said the man with agrunt that may have been meant for a laugh.
"I say, friend," went on Corway, pleadingly, "I am not a sailor, andas there must be some mistake about me being on this ship, may I askwhat means were used to get me aboard?"
"Well, that's a rummie," said the fellow, leering at Corway, and aftera moment of seeming reflection, he continued: "Well, I reckon it's nota mate's place to give out information, but bein' you've a sore topan' wearin' city clothes, I will say this much: you had stowed awaysuch a bally lot of booze that you come to the ship like a gentleman,sir. Yes, sir. And nothing short of a hack with a pair of blacks todraw it, would do for you, sir."
"In a hack, you say!" exclaimed Corway, alertly.
"Yes, sir; in a hack, just as we cast off from the sawmill wharf atPortland."
"Strange! The hack I saw yesterday afternoon, and again at the depotlast night, was drawn by black horses," muttered Corway to himself,and after a moment of deep reflection, went on: "Looks like aconspiracy to get me out of the way. I say, my good fellow, do youremember the time I was brought on board and how many were in theparty?"
"That's none o' my business," replied the mate, turning away.
"Oh, come now," said Corway, pleadingly, for he believed this mancould tell more about the affair than he cared to.
"Well, all I seen was three swabs that said they was from the Sailorboardin' house, chuck you aboard about two bells," replied the mate,indifferently, as he straightened himself up.
Corway then noted the huge proportions of the fellow and thought:"What a terrorizing bully he could be to the poor sailors that chancedto anger him at sea."
"But I never was in a sailor boarding house in my life."
"Oh, tryin' to crawfish from your bargain, eh?" laughed the bigfellow. "It won't go; ship's bally well short-handed, long vige, too,and the capt'n had to do it!"
"Do what?" Corway sharply snapped.
"Why, he pays over the money afore they'd h'ist ye over the rail.Better talk to the capt'n. He's comin' for'ard now," and the matestepped over and leaned on the bulwark.
Corway at once turned and moved toward the captain, who wasapproaching with his first officer, from amidships, smoking a cigar.
"Yes, I am the captain. What do you want?"
"To be put ashore!" Corway demanded. "I've been sandbagged and robbed,and evidently sold to you for a sailor, which I am not."
"Not a sailor, eh," the captain said, taking the cigar from his mouthand looking sharply at Corway. "What did you sign the articles for?"
"I never signed any articles." By this time Corway was fully alive tohis position and spoke with rising heat and ill-suppressedindignation.
"Oh, yes you did!" sneered the first officer, "but you were too drunkto remember it."
"Repeat that, and I'll choke the words back down your throat," andCorway stepped menacingly toward him.
The captain held up his hand warningly and looked at Corway as if hewas daffy, then said slowly and meaningly: "Be careful, young man;that is insubordination; a repetition will land you in irons. Theboarding-house master swore that he saw you sign the articles, and hehad other wi
tnesses to your signature to satisfy me before I paid himyour wages for six months in advance on your order."
"I signed no articles, and I know nothing about it," fumed Corway."And I again demand, as an American citizen, that you put me ashore,or I shall libel this ship for abduction."
"Ah, ah, ah," sneered the first officer, who was unable to conceal hisill-will to Corway since the latter's threat to choke him. "Give thedandy a lady's handkerchief, and he'll believe the ship's a jolly goodwine cask."
Corway struck him square on the mouth. "Take that for your insolence,you contemptible puppy," and following him up with clenched fists, asthe officer stumbled back, said wrathfully: "If you speak to me thatway again, I'll break in your anatomy."
"Here, Judd," called the captain to the mate on the forecastle. "Takethis fellow to the strong room and keep him there on 'hardtack' forthree days."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied Judd.
Hearing the captain's orders, and seeing the commotion he had created,Corway saw that his only chance for escape was to go overboard, andwithout further hesitation sprang toward the side of the ship for aplunge, but his toe caught on the edge of a warped board and down hewent sprawling.
The big mate jumped on him, and though he fought desperately, he wasoverpowered, and the last he remembered was being dragged by thecollar over the lumber toward the forecastle.
When he next got on deck the ship was far out to sea and bowling alongin a stiff breeze.
It is said that it is an ill wind that doesn't blow somebody good.
So with Mr. Corway, for though the boarding-house toughs had nearlygiven him his quietus and sent him on a long journey, they hadconveniently done him the effective service of quashing an encounterwith John Thorpe.
An Oregon Girl: A Tale of American Life in the New West Page 11
