CHAPTER XI
_What was Caught_
The man at the oars rowed steadily and in silence with an easy swingof his broad shoulders. He wormed his way in and out of the shippingfilling the harbor with the same instinct with which a pedestrianworks through a crowd. He slid before ferry boats, gilded under thesterns of schooners, and missed busy launches by a yard, never pausingin his stroke, never looking over his shoulder, never speaking. Theyproceeded in this way some three miles until they were out of theharbor proper and opposite a small, sandy island. Here the oarsmanpaused and waited for further orders. Stubbs glanced at his big silverwatch and thought a moment. It was still a good three hours beforedark. Beyond the island a fair-sized yacht lay at anchor. Stubbs tookfrom his bag a pair of field glasses and leveled them upon this ship.Wilson followed his gaze and detected a fluttering of tiny flagsmoving zigzag upon the deck. After watching these a moment Stubbs,with feigned indifference, turned his glasses to the right and thenswung them in a semicircle about the harbor, and finally towards thewharf they had left. He then carefully replaced the glasses in theircase, tucked them away in the black bag, and, after relighting hispipe, said,
"What's the use er fishin'?" He added gloomily, "Never catchnothin'."
He glanced at the water, then at the sky, then at the sandy beachwhich lay just to port.
"Let's go ashore and think it over," he suggested.
The oarsman swung into action again as silently and evenly as thoughStubbs had pressed an electric button.
In a few minutes the bow scraped upon the sand, and in another Stubbshad leaped out with his bag. Wilson clambered after. Then to hisamazement, the latter saw the oarsman calmly shove off and turn theboat's prow back to the wharf. He shot a glance at Stubbs and saw thatthe latter had seen the move, and had said nothing. For the first timehe began to wonder in earnest just what sort of a mission they wereon.
Stubbs stamped his cramped legs, gave a hitch to his belt, and filledhis clay pipe, taking a long time to scrape out the bowl, whittle offa palmful of tobacco, roll it, and stuff it into the bowl with a carewhich did not spill a speck of it. When it was fairly burning, heswept the island with his keen eyes and suggested that they take awalk.
The two made a circle of the barren acres which made up the island andreturned to their starting point with scarcely a word having beenspoken. Stubbs picked out a bit of log facing the ship and sat down.He waved his hand towards the yacht.
"That," he said, "is the craft that'll take us there--if it don't godown."
"Why don't we go aboard, then?" ventured Wilson.
"'Cause why? 'Cause we're goneter wait fer the other fishermen."
"I hope they have found as comfortable a fishing-ground as we have."
He studied Stubbs a moment and then asked abruptly,
"What's the meaning of this fishing story?"
Stubbs turned upon him with a face as blank as the cloudless skyabove.
"If I was goneter give a bright young man advice 'bout this verytrip," he answered slowly, "it would be not to ask any questions."
"I don't consider it very inquisitive to want to know what I'mshipping on," he returned with some heat.
"Ye said ye wanted t' git somewhere near Carlina, didn't ye?"
"Yes."
"An' ye said ye didn't care how you gut there so long's ye gutthere."
"Yes," admitted Wilson.
"Well--ye're on yer way to Carlina now. An' if we ain't blown t' hell,as likely 'nuff we will be, an' if we don't all git our bloomin'throats cut like I dreamed 'bout, er if the ship ain't scuttled aswe'll have a precious crew who 'u'd do it in a second, we'll gitthere."
He paused as though expecting some reply, but already Wilson had lostinterest in his query before other speculations of warmer interest.
"In the meanwhile," ran on Stubbs, "'tain't bad right here. Shouldn'twonder though but what we gut an old hellion of a thunder shower 'forelong."
"How do you figure that out without a cloud in the sky?"
"Don't figure it out. Don't ever figure nothin' out, 'cause nothin'ever comes out right. Only sech things is jus' my luck."
He puffed a moment at his pipe, and then, removing it, turned to theyoung man beside him with a renewed interest which seemed to be theresult of his meditation.
"See here, m' boy, I'm thinkin' that if you and I c'uld sorter pulltogether on this trip it 'u'd be a good thing fer us both. I reckonI'll need a man or two at my side what I can depend upon, and maybeyou'll find one come in handy, too. Ye'll find me square, but damnedunlucky. As fer you, it's clear to see you're square 'nuff. I like aman at the start or I don't like him ever. I like _you_, an' if it'sagreeable we can strike articles of 'greement to pull together, as_you_ might say."
Wilson listened in some surprise at this unexpected turn in theattitude of his friend, but he could not doubt the man's sincerity.He extended his hand at once, responding heartily,
"I'm with you. We ought to be able to help."
"You've gotter work a little longer in the dark, m' boy, 'cause itisn't for me to tell another man's business. But I've looked interthis and so far's I can see it is all right and above board. It'sonusual an' I'm not bankin' much on how it'll come out, but we don'thave to worry none over that. Ye'll have a captain whose got moreheart than head maybe, which is diff'rent from most captains whouseter sail down here."
"I'm willing to take what comes."
"It's the only way. Wrastle it out each day and, win er lose, forgitit in yer sleep. We all reaches the same port in the end."
The sun beat down warmly on the two men, the blue waves danced merrilybefore their eyes, and just beyond the good ship rode at anchor,rising and falling rhythmically. Already the city seemed hundreds ofmiles behind to Wilson, although he had only to turn his head to seeit. Whether it was the salt, sea air or the smack of many lands whichclung to the man at his side, he felt himself in another world, aworld of broader, looser laws.
"In about an hour," drawled Stubbs, "the others will be here. There'llbe all kinds, I expect; some of 'em sober, some of 'em drunk; some of'em cool, some of 'em scared; some of 'em willing, some of 'em balky.But all of 'em has gotter git aboard that vessel. An' you and me hasgotter do it."
"How many?"
"Maybe fifty; maybe more."
"Pretty good handful."
"It would be if we didn't start first. So it's jus' as well--not thatwe're lookin' fer trouble or even expectin' it, as you may say, butjus' to nip trouble in the bud, as the sayin' is,--to look at ourweapins."
He drew out his own heavy Colt's revolver, removed the cartridges,tested the hammer, and refilled the chambers. Out of the corner of hiseye he watched Wilson to see that he was equally careful. The lattercould not help but smile a little. He felt more as though he were onthe stage than in real life. To be preparing for as much trouble asthough in some uncivilized country, while still within sight of theoffice buildings of a modern city, seemed an absurdity. Yet here hewas, in his sober senses, and at his side sat Stubbs, and, behind, thebig chimneys belched smoke, while he thrust one cartridge afteranother into the bright cylinder of his weapon. But when he lookedagain at the ocean which lay before him an unbroken plain extending tothe shores of other continents, his act and his situation seemed morenatural. He was preparing for the things before him, not the lifebehind. The waters breaking at their feet were brothers to those manythousands of miles distant.
The sun sank lower and lower towards the blue horizon line, finallyspattering the sky with color as it sank into the sea as though it hadsplashed into a pot of molten gold. Behind them the whistles screamedthat work might cease. In front, where there were no roads or paths tocut the blue, the only surface whereon man has not been able to leavehis mark since the first created day, a deep peace came down. Theworld became almost a dream world, so hushed and vague it grew. Theyacht which still rocked at anchor grew as dim as a ghost ship. Thepurple of the sky deepened and the stars came out.
"Look at her now,"
drawled Stubbs, with a sweep of his hand towardsthe waters, "like an infant in arms, but afore mornin' reachin' foryer throat, maybe. Next to wimen I don't s'pose there's anythin' souncertain and contrary, as you may say."
He raised his field glasses and studied the ship again which laywithout lights, like a derelict. He rose lazily and stretchedhimself.
The light glow in the west disappeared and left the earth but scantilylighted by a new moon. The surface of the water was dark, so that fromthe shore a rowboat could not be seen for a distance of more thanfifty yards. Stubbs strolled towards the place where they had landedand took from his black bag a small lantern which he lighted and,after some searching, placed upon a small, flat rock which hediscovered.
"Guess that will fetch 'em 'fore long," he said.
But it was all of half an hour before the first boat came stealing outof the dark like a floating log. At sight of it Stubbs became adifferent man. He rose to his feet with the quick movement of a boy.His eyes took in every detail of the contents of the boat before ittouched the shore. He was as alert as a watchdog. He turned to Wilsonbefore he started towards this first cargo.
"'Member," he warned,--"jus' one thing to do,--git 'em aboard the shipyonder. If they git scared and balky, tell 'em they gut ter go now.Hol' yerself steady and talk sharp."
The boat, a large fishing dory, scraped the sand. It appeared loadedto the gunwales with the men and their kits. It had scarcely groundedbefore there was a scramble among the occupants and a fight to getashore.
But once they had secured their traps, they gathered into a surlygroup and swore their discontent at the whole expedition. Into themidst of this Stubbs stamped and under pretence of gruff greeting tothis one and that, together with much elbowing, broke the circle upinto three parts. A dozen questions were shot at him, but he answeredthem with an assumption of authority that had a wholesome effect. Inanother minute he had picked out three of the most aggressive men andstationed them at different points on the island to look out for theother boats.
They came rapidly, and within half an hour the list was complete.
Wilson found that he was in about as tough a company as ever steppedout of a pirate story. They had evidently all been chosen with aregard for their physique, for they were all powerfully built men,ranging in age from twenty to forty. Most of them were only loafersabout the wharves. There was not a seafaring man among them, forreasons which later were obvious enough to Wilson. It was clear thatfew of them were pleased with the first stage of their expedition, butthey were forced to take it out in swearing. They swore at the dark,at the cold sea air, at the sand, at their luck, and, below theirbreath, at Stubbs, who had got them here. Two of them were drunk andsang maudlin songs in each other's arms. But out of the grumblingbabel of voices one question predominated.
"Wha' th' hell does this mean?"
Stubbs with a paper in his hand checked off the contents of each boatas it arrived, strode into the heart of every group as it got toonoisy, turned aside all questions with an oath or a laugh, and in tenminutes had convinced every man that for the present they were underthe whip hand of a master. They quieted down after this and, slouchinginto the sand, lighted their pipes and waited. Wilson was stationed tooverlook the empty boats and see that no one but the oarsmen departedin them.
He took his post with a nonchalance that surprised himself. It was asthough he had been accustomed to such incidents all his life. When oneof the bullies swaggered down and said with an oath that he'd bedamned if he'd have any more of it and lifted one foot into a boat,Wilson touched him lightly upon the shoulder and ordered him back.
The man turned and squared his shoulders for a blow. But the handupon his shoulder remained, and even in the dusk he saw that the eyescontinued unflinchingly upon him.
"Get back," said Wilson, quietly.
The man turned, and without a word slunk to his place among hisfellows. Wilson watched him as curiously as though he had been merelya bystander. And yet when he realized that the man had done hisbidding, had done it because he feared to do otherwise, he felt atingling sense of some new power. It was a feeling of physicalindividuality--a consciousness of manhood in the arms and legs andback. To him man had until now been purely a creature of the intellectgauged by his brain capacity. Here where the arm counted he foundhimself taking possession of some fresh nature within him.
"Take the lantern," shouted Stubbs; "go to where we sat and wave itthree times, slow like, back and forth."
Wilson obeyed. Almost instantly he saw a launch steal from the ship'sside and make directly for the island.
"Now, men," commanded Stubbs, "take your kits, get into fours andmarch to the left."
With a shove here, a warning there, he moulded the scattered groupsinto a fairly orderly line. Then he directed them by twos into thesmall boat from the launch, which had come as far inshore as possible.Wilson stood opposite and kept the line intact. There was no trouble.The launch made two trips, and on the last Stubbs and Wilsonclambered in, leaving the island as deserted as the ocean in theirwake. Stubbs wiped his forehead with a red bandanna handkerchief andlighted up his short clay pipe with a sigh of relief.
"So far, so good," he said. "The only thing you can bank on is what'sover with. There's several of them gents I should hate to meet on adark night, an' the same will bear steady watchin' on this trip."
He squatted in the stern, calmly facing the clouded faces with the airof a laborer who has completed a good day's work. As they camealongside the ship he instructed each man how to mount the swayingrope ladder and watched them solicitously until they clambered overthe side.
Most of them took this as an added insult and swore roundly at it asan imposition.
Wilson himself found it no easy task to reach the deck, but Stubbscame up the ladder as nimbly as a cat. The ship was unlighted from bowto stern, so that the men aboard her moved about like shadows. Wilsonwas rescued from the hold by Stubbs, who drew him back just as he wasbeing shoved towards the hatch by one of the sailors. The next secondhe found himself facing a well-built shadow, who greeted Stubbs withmarked satisfaction.
"By the Lord," exclaimed the man, "you've done well, Stubbs. How manydid you get in all?"
"Fifty--to a man."
"They looked husky in the dark."
"Yes, they've gut beef 'nuff--but that ain't all that makes a man.Howsomever, they're as good as I expected."
Wilson gasped; the master of this strange craft was no other thanDanbury!
The Web of the Golden Spider Page 12
