In the Sargasso Sea Read online

  Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Michael Lockey and PGDistributed Proofreaders

  IN THE SARGASSO SEA

  A Novel

  BY

  THOMAS A. JANVIER

  AUTHOR OF"THE UNCLE OF AN ANGEL""THE AZTEC TREASURE-HOUSE""STORIES OF OLD NEW SPAIN" ETC.

  * * * * *

  1898

  TO

  C.A.J.

  CONTENTS

  I. I PAY FOR MY PASSAGE TO LOANGO II. HOW I BOARDED THE BRIG _GOLDEN HIND_ III. I HAVE A SCARE, AND GET OVER IT IV. CAPTAIN LUKE MAKES ME AN OFFER V. I GIVE CAPTAIN LUKE MY ANSWER VI. I TIE UP MY BROKEN HEAD, AND TRY TO ATTRACT ATTENTION VII. I ENCOUNTER A GOOD DOCTOR AND A VIOLENT GALE VIII. THE _HURST CASTLE_ IS DONE FOR IX. ON THE EDGE OF THE SARGASSO SEA X. I TAKE A CHEERFUL VIEW OF A BAD SITUATION XI. MY GOOD SPIRITS ARE WRUNG OUT OF ME XII. I HAVE A FEVER AND SEE VISIONS XIII. I HEAR A STRANGE CRY IN THE NIGHT XIV. OF MY MEETING WITH A MURDERED MAN XV. I HAVE SOME TALK WITH A MURDERER XVI. I RID MYSELF OF TWO DEAD MEN XVII. HOW I WALKED MYSELF INTO A MAZE XVIII. I FIND THE KEY TO A SEA MYSTERY XIX. OF A GOOD PLAN THAT WENT WRONG WITH ME XX. HOW I SPENT A NIGHT WEARILY XXI. MY THIRST IS QUENCHED, AND I FIND A COMPASS XXII. I GET SOME FOOD IN ME, AND FORM A CRAZY PLAN XXIII. HOW I STARTED ON A JOURNEY DUE NORTH XXIV. OF WHAT I FOUND ABOARD A SPANISH GALLEON XXV. I AM THE MASTER OF A GREAT TREASURE XXVI. OF A STRANGE SIGHT THAT I SAW IN THE NIGHT-TIME XXVII. I SET MYSELF TO A HEAVY TASK XXVIII. HOW I RUBBED SHOULDERS WITH DESPAIR XXIX. I GET INTO A SEA CHARNEL-HOUSE XXX. I COME TO THE WALL OF MY SEA-PRISON XXXI. HOW HOPE DIED OUT OF MY HEART XXXII. I FALL IN WITH A FELLOW-PRISONER XXXIII. I MAKE A GLAD DISCOVERY XXXIV. I END A GOOD JOB WELL, AND GET A SET-BACK XXXV. I AM READY FOR A FRESH HAZARD OF FORTUNE XXXVI. HOW MY CAT PROMISED ME GOOD LUCK XXXVII. HOW MY CAT STILL FURTHER CHEERED ME XXXVIII. HOW I FOUGHT MY WAY THROUGH THE SARGASSO WEED XXXIX. WHY MY CAT CALLED OUT TO ME

  IN THE SARGASSO SEA

  I

  I PAY FOR MY PASSAGE TO LOANGO

  Captain Luke Chilton counted over the five-dollar notes with a greatercare than I thought was necessary, considering that there were onlyten of them; and cautiously examined each separate one, as though hefeared that I might be trying to pay for my passage in bad money. Hisshow of distrust set my back up, and I came near to damning him rightout for his impudence--until I reflected that a West Coast trader mustpretty well divide his time between cheating people and seeing to itthat he isn't cheated, and so held my tongue.

  Having satisfied himself that the tale was correct and that the noteswere genuine, he brought out from the inside pocket of his long-tailedshore-going coat a big canvas pocket-book, into which he stowed themlengthwise; and from the glimpse I had of it I fancied that until mymoney got there it was about bare. As he put away the pocket-book, hesaid, and pleasantly enough:

  "You see, Mr. Stetworth, it's this way: fifty dollars is dirt cheapfor a cast across from New York to the Coast, and that's a fact; butyou say that it's an object with you to get your passage low, and Isay that even at that price I can make money out of you. The _GoldenHind_ has got to call at Loango, anyhow; there's a spare room in hercabin that'll be empty if you don't fill it; and while you're a bigman and look to be rather extra hearty, I reckon you won't eat more'nabout twenty dollars' worth of victuals--counting 'em at cost--on thewhole run. But the main thing is that I want all the spot cash I canget a-holt of before I start. Fifty dollars' worth of trade laid innow means five hundred dollars for me when I get back here in New Yorkwith what I've turned it over for on the Coast. So, you see, if you'resuited, I'm suited too. Shake! And now we'll have another drink. Thistime it's on me."

  We shook, and Captain Luke gave me an honest enough grip, just as hehad spoken in an honest enough tone. I knew, of course, that in ageneral way he must be a good deal of a rascal--he couldn't well be aWest Coast trader and be anything else; but then his rascality ingeneral didn't matter much so long as his dealings with me weresquare. He called the waiter and ordered arrack again--it was themost wholesome drink in the world, he said--and we touched glasses,and so brought our deal to an end.

  That a cheap passage to Loango was an object to me, as Captain Lukehad said, was quite true. It was a very important object. After I gotacross, of course, and my pay from the palm-oil people began, I wouldbe all right; but until I could touch my salary I had to sail mightyclose to the wind. For pretty much all of my capital consisted of myheadful of knowledge of the theory and practice of mechanicalengineering which had brought me out first of my class at the StevensInstitute--and in that way had got me the offer from the palm-oilpeople--and because of which I thought that there wasn't anybody quitemy equal anywhere as a mechanical engineer. And that was only natural,I suppose, since my passing first had swelled my head a bit, and I wasonly three-and-twenty, and more or less of a promiscuously greenyoung fool.

  As I looked over Captain Luke's shoulder, while we supped our arracktogether--out through the window across the rush and bustle of SouthStreet--and saw a trim steamer of the Maracaibo line lying at herdock, I could not but be sorry that my voyage to Africa would be madeunder sails. But, on the other hand, I comforted myself by thinkingthat if the _Golden Hind_ were half the clipper her captain made herout to be I should not lose much time--taking into account theroundabout way I should have to go if I went under steam. And Icomforted myself still more by thinking what a lot of money I hadsaved by coming on this chance for a cheap cast across; and I blessedmy lucky stars for putting into my head the notion of cruising alongSouth Street that October morning and asking every sailor-like man Imet if he knew of a craft bound for the West Coast--and especially forhaving run me up against Captain Luke Chilton before my cruise hadlasted an hour.

  The captain looked at his glass so sorrowfully when it was empty thatI begged him to have it filled again, and he did. But he took down hisarrack this time at a single gulp, and then got up briskly and saidthat he must be off.

  "We don't sail till to-morrow afternoon, on the half flood, Mr.Stetworth," he said, "so you'll have lots of time to get your trapsaboard if you'll take a boat off from the Battery about noon. Iwouldn't come earlier than that, if I were you. Things are bound to bein a mess aboard the brig to-morrow, and the less you have of it thebetter. We lie well down the anchorage, you know, only a little thisside of Robbin's Reef. Your boatmen will know the place, and they'llfind the brig for you if you'll tell 'em where to look for her andthat she's painted green. Well, so long." And then Captain Luke shookhands with me again, and so was off into the South Street crowd.

  I hurried away too. My general outfit was bought and packed; but thethings lying around my lodgings had to be got together, and I had tobuy a few articles in the way of sea-stock for my voyage in a sailingvessel that I should not have needed had I gone by the regular steamlines. So I got some lunch inside of me, and after that I took acab--a bit of extravagance that my hurry justified--and bustled aboutfrom shop to shop and got what I needed inside of an hour; and then Itold the man to drive me to my lodgings up-town.

  It was while I was driving up Broadway--the first quiet moment forthinking that had come to me since I had met Captain Luke on SouthStreet, and we had gone into the saloon together to settle about thepassage he had offered me--that all of a sudden the thought struck methat perhaps I had made the biggest kind of a fool of myself; and itstruck so hard that for a minute or two I fairly was dizzy and faint.

  What earthly proof had I, beyond Captain Luke's bare word for it, thatthere was such a brig as the _Golden Hind_? What proof had Ieven--beyond the general look of him and his canvas pocket-book--thatCaptain Luke was a sailor? And what proof had I, suppo
sing that therewas such a brig and that he was a sailor, that the two had anythingto do with each other? I simply had accepted for truth all that hetold me, and on the strength of his mere assertion that he was aship-master and was about to sail for the West African coast I hadpaid him my fifty dollars--and had taken by way of receipt for it nomore than a clinking of our glasses and a shake of his hand. I saidjust now that I was only twenty-three years old, and more or less of apromiscuously green young fool. I suppose that I might as well haveleft that out. There are some things that tell themselves.

  For three or four blocks, as I drove along, I was in such a rage withmyself that I could not think clearly. Then I began to cool a little,and to hope that I had gone off the handle too suddenly and too far.After all, there were some chances in my favor the other way. CaptainChilton, I remembered, had told me that he was about to sail for WestCoast ports before I asked him for a passage; and had mentioned, also,whereabouts on the anchorage the _Golden Hind_ was lying. Had he madethese statements after he knew what I wanted there would have beensome reason for doubting them; but being made on general principles,without knowledge of what I was after, it seemed to me that they verywell might be true. And if they were true, why then there was no greatcause for my sudden fit of alarm. However, I was so rattled by myfright, and still so uncertain as to how things were coming out forme, that the thought of waiting until the next afternoon to knowcertainly whether I had or had not been cheated was more than I couldbear. The only way that I could see to settle the matter was to goright away down to the anchorage, and so satisfy myself that the_Golden Hind_ was a real brig and really was lying there; and itoccurred to me that I might kill two birds with one stone, and alsohave a reason to give for a visit which otherwise might seemunreasonable, if I were to take down my luggage and put it aboard thatvery afternoon.