by John Blaine
“More pearls?” Rick guessed.
“There were little boxes,” Scotty said. “They might have contained pearls. There was money, too.A big wad of American dollars. But that wasn’t what interested me. In the bottom of the box therewas practically a handful of shark’s teeth.”
Rick whistled. “So that’s how he matched his collection!”
Barby looked from one to the other. “But . . . but if that story Mr. Kenwood told you was right, that means Mr. Jerrold . . .”
“That’s exactly what it means,” Scotty said. “I’ll bet my last franc on it. Jerrold has been dealing with the Phantom Shark!”
CHAPTER V
The Shark Strikes
Out inNoumea harbor, a small launch raced to meet the incoming Tai pon . Scotty identified it as the quarantine boat, and pointed out that the trawler was flying the yellow quarantine flag, a matter of routine on entering a strange port.
There was activity on the pier. Two trucks filled with crates arrived and parked near the empty space where the Tarpon would dock, then a huge Diesel truck arrived and took up its position.
“Is all this for the Tarpon?” Barby asked. “It must be. I don’t see any other ships coming in.”
A clerk who had come with the trucks overheard. He bowed.“ Oui, ma’mselle .It ees for ze Tarpon.”
Rick guessed from the color of the clerk’s skin and his wiry hair that he was probably a half-caste.
“How was it ordered?” he asked.
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“By post, m’sieu .FromHonolulu.”
The three turned at a hail from down the pier and saw Van der Klaffens coming toward them. The rotund little Dutchman was perspiring and mopping his face with a large handkerchief.
“My young friends,” he greeted them. “Yonder is your boat, I think.”
“That’s the Tarpon,” Scotty agreed. “What brings you to the dock, sir?”
“Business.”The Dutchman winked. “We Nether- landersare a nation of businessmen, and it happens that my business is with your ship. I returned fromSuva to find that a local firm in which I have an interest has been engaged to supply your craft with foodstuffs and Diesel oil.”
“Is that interesting Mr. Kenwood still here?” Barby asked.
“No, Miss Barbara.At least I do not see his schooner. Did he not say he was sailing with the dawn tide?
As you say, he is very interesting. But, also, I am afraid he is a skeptic. I have learned in my years in the Pacific that strange tales must be given some credence. But my Australian friend-he believes nothing.
That is why I had no answer yesterday to your question of the Phantom Shark.”
Rick and Scotty exchanged glances, remembering that Kenwood had said much the same thing about Van der Klaffens.
“Do you mean you know something about the Phantom Shark?” Barby asked eagerly.
Van der Klaffens shrugged. “Not much. A few whispers.”
“Please tell us,” Barby pleaded.
“Very well, but as I say, I do not guarantee the truth of what I have heard.However. I first heard of this creature atBatavia . You knowBatavia is the center of much pearl traffic? Ja , it is. In my youth, I dealt in pearls to some extent.” He smiled. “I am afraid I was a smuggler, of sorts. I thought it most romantic and daring to get pearls past the customs men. And it was from the men with whom I dealt that I heard of your Phantom Shark.Nothing definite.Whispers only. They feared to speak the name above a whisper. I have heard tales of pearls worth a rajah’s ransom, and I have heard tales of dead men.”
“Ever hear what the Phantom Shark looks like?” Rick asked.
“Never.I doubt that anyone knows. Always at night he comes, his face hidden. Only his pearls speak for him-his pearls and one other thing, a shark’s tooth held in the palm of his hand. From what I have heard, only men of wealth meet the Phantom Shark in safety. He sells them pearls. The poor-well, there are tales. Even inNoumea the poor know of this man. He is not a pleasant fellow. Men known to be expert pearl divers have been found floating in the bay, the mark of the shark on them.”
Rick looked out to where the Tarpon was dropping a pilot ladder for the quarantine men and immigration officers. “Did you ever hear any reason why the Phantom Shark hangs out at Nanatiki and Indispensable?”
Van der Klaffens looked at Barby and shrugged. “I have no wish to frighten you with my old wives’
tales.”
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“I’m not frightened,” Barby said stoutly. “Please go on.”
“Well, it is a thing I do not like to repeat, because who knows if it is true? But I have heard of no less than three pearlers sunk in those waters. It is said that divers have been recovered, dead, still in their diving suits. And always, there was the mark of the shark.”
“But couldn’t real sharks have gotten the divers?” Scotty asked.
“No, I am afraid not. A shark is a coward, do you know that? One probably would not attack a diver in a suit. The diver has only to shoot air bubbles from his cuff at the shark and the beast runs away. So, I believe that the Phantom Shark was the one who left the marks of his teeth in those unfortunate divers.”
Van der Klaffens smiled apologetically. “You will refrain from repeating what I have told you? At least, do not mention my name. Who knows? There may indeed be a Phantom Shark, and I would not like him to resent my tales.”
“We won’t say a word,” Barby promised.
“Your friends are waving,” Van der Klaffens said.
The three turned, to see the Tarpon coming closer. The quarantine boat had pulled away. In front of the pilothouse was a group of figures. Puck instantly recognized the small, brown boy, the tall man, and the slender woman. Chahda, Dr. and Mrs. Warren! He waved excitedly, and they waved back.
In a few moments the trawler was swinging smoothly into the dock. Kanaka longshoremen grabbed the lines and made them fast. But before the gangplank was even down, Rick and Scotty had jumped to the deck, held out their hands for Barby, and lifted her aboard.
A small brown tornado descended on them, pounded them unmercifully,then bowed with exquisite grace to Barby.
“Salaam, Memsahib Barbara,” Chahda said.“Is in ‘ Merica, 65,607,683 females. So says my Worrold Alm-in-ack . And of all, sister of my friend Rick is most nice.”
Barby shook hands with the Hindu boy, smiling her delight. “I’m glad someone appreciates me,” she said.
Barby blushed and ran to greet Paul and Helen Warren. Dr. Warren was a tall, slender man with a neat brown beard. Mrs. Warren was a slim, attractive woman with graying hair and a keen sense of humor.
She kissed Barby and shook hands with Rick and Scotty.
When the customs men had finished inspecting passports, they went ashore. Dr. Warren introduced the three to the other members of the expedition. There were Bill Duncan, the marine biologist, a young, scholarly looking fellow with thick glasses and straw-colored hair bleached almost white by the sun and sea; Carl Ackerman, the elderly chemist, whose principal characteristic was a prominent nose that suffered from the sun; and big Tom Bishop, a hearty, weather-beaten commercial fisherman from Boston who was also master of the Tarpon.
The crew was Hawaiian, and they seemed a friendly, happy lot. Rick was relieved. The last crew of the Tarpon, under Captain Turk Mallane , had mutinied off Kwangara . The new mate of the vessel was Page 24
Jack Pualani, a full-blooded Hawaiian. Although Jack was past middle age, he had the powerful physique of a young man. Rick later learned that he had been a famous Olympic swimmer. He had spent most of his life on American ships, and he had gone to school in the States.
Van der Klaffens came aboard and was introduced all around. After a brief consultation with Tom Bishop, he signaled to the dock. Instantly the ship swarmed with Kanaka longshoremen, each carrying a box of rations. Jack Pualani ran from place to place, trying to be sure the stuff was stowed in the proper holds.
The ship became a bedlam. Rick, trying to talk
with Chahda, had difficulty making himself heard.
Dr. Warren joined the two boys. “Rick, I suppose all your baggage is at your hotel?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“We’ll have to get it at once. We’ve planned to get fuel and supplies aboard and leave right away. Two or three hours should do it.”
“Won’t you have a chance to seeNoumea , sir?”
“We’ll all go ashore with you. A brief glimpse will have to do for now, although we hope to put back in before our job is finished.”
“I’ll round up the others,” Rick said.
Rounding up the others wasn’t so easy. They were scattered all over the ship. But finally, Rick, Scotty, Barby, Chahda, theWarrens , and the three other members of the expedition made their way through the crowd of longshoremen to the dock. Then Barby and Mrs. Warren had to be helped over the mass of hose that was pumping Diesel oil into the trawler’s tanks. Jack Pualani had been left behind to supervise loading. Van der Klaffens remained, too, checking off the supply orders with Jack. Before they left, however, he said, “We should be finished in an hour. And then, I beg of you, be my guests for luncheon?
At Le Bagnard .”
As they left the pier and walked into the park, Chahda looked around appreciatively. “Nice place, this.
Capital ofNew Caledonia . Big island, has 8,548 square mile, also has 53,245 peoples.Eleven thousand inNoumea. That is what says the Worrold Alm-in-ack .”
Rick and Scotty laughed. It was like old times to hear Chahda quoting from The World Almanac.
ABombay beggar boy, he had educated himself with only the Almanac for his textbook, and he had laboriously memorized everything in it. Because of their deep liking for him, and his loyalty, as proved during theTibet radar expedition, the Spindrift scientists had taken him toAmerica on their return. He had studied inNew England for a time, and had taken part in the Submobile expedition, remaining inHawaii with theWarrens when the expedition returned to Spindrift. The boys had missed his quick wit.
The party hired Henri’s taxi and a less dilapidated second taxi and took a rapid tour of the city. They picked up their baggage and checked out of the hotel, then stopped at Jerrold’s hotel to get the purchases they had left. Barby, acting as scribe for the trio, wrote a brief note to Spindrift, while Dr.
Warren sent a cable notifying the Brants that the two parties had met on schedule.
Then they repaired to Le Bagnard and found Van der Klaffens waiting, with lunch already ordered.
“Your ship is fully stocked and ready to sail,” he informed them. “You will want to eat quickly, yes? It is Page 25
best if you are out of these waters before dark. There are treacherous reefs.”
Byone o’clock , the party was headed back to the ship. The dock was clear now, and the Tarpons decks were clean again. Jack Pualani, evidently an efficient mate, had things well under control.
The boys and Barby took their luggage to the proper cabins and deposited it. Rick and Scotty shared their old cabin with Chahda. Barby had a small cabin of her own. Then they hurried out on deck again.
The gangplank was already aboard. Longshoremen were standing by to cast off. In a moment the Tarpon would back out andNoumea would be left behind.
Rick and Scotty went to the pilothouse where Tom Bishop and Jack Pualani were standing. Jack went in and took the wheel, while Tom waited on deck to give orders. The ship was shivering a little with the pounding of the big Diesel engines. Up on the bow, a Hawaiian sailor stood by the small winch, ready to reel in the heavy bow hawser.
Van der Klaffens waved from the dock and called, “Bon voyage!”
“Good-by,” Rick called. “And thank you!”
Tom Bishop cupped hands to his mouth. “Slack off”
Rick saw the bow winch turn andhawser run out, giving the longshoremen slack enough to lift the big loop from the dock pilings when the time came.
“Slow astern.”
Jack Pualani repeated the order and rang the engine-room telegraph. The Tarpon shuddered and water swirled from under the stern.
“Cast off the stern line.”
The ship was moving now.
“Port your helm!”
“Port helm,” Jack repeated from inside the wheel-house. Suddenly he yelled. “She doesn’t answer!”
Rick jumped to the rail and looked astern. The Tarpon had way on now, and was swinging into the dock! As he looked, a steel shore boat slowly drifted under the stern, two natives poling frantically to get out of the way!
Scotty had hurried to the rail with Rick. Now, the fast-thinking ex-Marine made a frantic leap for the bow winch. He jerked the control handle far down, just as the longshoremen on the pier were getting ready to cast off the bowline. The motor whined, the hawser tightened.
There was the groaning of the piles as the full weight of the ship tugged at them, but the Tarpon shuddered to a stop. The steel shore boat swung out of the way.
Then Tom Bishop and Jack had control once more. In a moment the stern line was out to the pier again, the engines were dead, and the trawler was being hauled back into the dock. Jack Pualani came out of Page 26
the pilothouse, his brown face gray. “I had no rudder control,” he said. “I thought we were going to smash!”
Tom Bishop clapped a heavy hand on Scotty’s shoulder. “But for this boy, we would have. Son, I never saw anyone move so fast or think so quickly.”
If Scotty had not stopped the Tarpon by pulling in the bow hawser at high speed, they would have run right over the shore boat, and they would have smashed into the pier, splintering the rudder and probably smashing the bronze screws against the steel boat.
Rick patted his friend on the shoulder. “You always come through in the pinch, Scotty.”
“I just happened to be in the right place,” Scotty said with a grin.
Tom Bishop and Jack Pualani were already heading down the ladder to the engine room. Rick and Scotty followed.
“This way,” Tom said. He led them back through the engine room, past the big Diesels, to where the ship’s wheel connected to the rudder.
Rick tried to recall how the ship steered. The wheel in the pilothouse, if he remembered correctly, was connected to a series of shafts by worm gears. Down in the bilge, far aft, the final shaft ended in a crossbar to which heavy steel cables were attached. The cables ran through stuffing boxes out to either side of the rudder.
“Here we are,” Tom Bishop said. He lifted an emergency electric torch from its receptacle and shot the beam down. It was the point where the shaft ended in a crossbar. Cables should have been attached to each end of the bar. One was. The other was curled on the deck.
“Broken,” Jack Pualani said.“No wonder the helm didn’t answer!”
Tom Bishop picked up the end of the cable and rubbed it. “Broken nothing!” he exclaimed. “This has been cut!”
A shiver ran down Rick’s back. Sure enough, the cable had every appearance of having been sheared with a heavy instrument, like a cable cutter. There were a few torn strands in the center. Evidently it hadn’t been cut completely through. But the first pressure had made it give way.
“Look at the other one,” Scotty said. “Maybe that one was cut, too.”
Tom Bishop knelt and ran his finger along the cable. It was black with grease. Suddenly the big fisherman let out an exclamation. “Look!”
The boys and Jack bent low over the cable. Like the other one, it had been cut almost through, then the cuts had been filled with grease. If Jack had thrown the helm the other way, this cable would have given as easily as its mate.
Rick caught a glimpse of something white in the quarter inch of bilge water under the cable. He bent and picked it up, and the breath clogged in his throat. He knew now who had cut their cable. The serrated, triangular object in his hand was proof enough.
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A shark’s tooth!
CHAPTER VI
Barby Asks Some Questions
The
members of the expedition held a council of war in theWarrens ’ cabin.
Except for Barby, Scotty, and Rick, only Jack Pualani had heard of the Phantom Shark.
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Jack said. “It’s only a story, and it won’t solve this problem.”
Dr. Warren agreed. “I’m not at all certain that finding the tooth means anything. Why should this Phantom Shark, if he exists, want to cripple the ship?”
“To keep us from going to Nanatiki Atoll,” Rick guessed.
Tom Bishop brushed the thought aside. “Damage to the ship wouldn’t keep us from going there. It would have been only a matter of time before the damage was repaired. The question, it seems to me, is who had an opportunity to cut the cables?”
“And what are we going to do about it?” Scotty asked.
“We’ll replace the cables,” Bishop said. “Thanks to Scotty’s quick action, it isn’t serious. We shouldn’t be laid up more than two days, provided we can get cable here.”
Dr. Warren took over.“All right. Now, all of you think. Who had the opportunity to cut the cables?”
Rick remembered the turmoil on deck. The ship had been crowded with longshoremen. “Any of the stevedores could have slipped below,” he pointed out.
Carl Ackerman shook his head. “No Kanaka boy thought up that trick. A Kanaka might have cut the cable, but it probably wouldn’t have occurred to him to cut it only to the breaking point and then fill the cuts with grease in case itwere inspected.”
“Unless he had instructions,” Bill Duncan said.
Jack Pualani spoke up. “That Dutchman was here all the time. He didn’t leave until the last of the longshoremen got off the ship.”
“But he’s nice,” Barby objected.
Tom Bishop smiled without humor. “Most pleasant and interesting man I ever knew was a burglar. Jack, I think maybe you have something there. Let’s call that Dutchman in and ask him to account for himself.
