CHAPTER V
THE TOMATO FINCA
Three weeks had passed since his interview with Austin before Jeffersonwas ready to sail, and he spent most of the time in strenuous activity.He had cabled to England for a big centrifugal pump and a second-handlocomotive-type boiler, while, when they arrived, Macallister said thatfive hundred pounds would not tempt him to raise full steam on thelatter. He also purchased a broken-down launch, and, though she wascheap, the cost of her and the pump, with other necessaries, made aconsiderable hole in his remaining AL2,000. It was for this reason heundertook to make the needful repairs himself, with the help of asteamer's donkey-man who had somehow got left behind, while Austin andMacallister spent most of the week during which the _Estremedura_ lay atLas Palmas in the workshop he had extemporised. He appeared to know alittle about machinery, and could, at least, handle hack-saw and file ina fashion which moved Macallister to approbation, while Austin noticedthat the latter's sardonic smile became less frequent as he and theAmerican worked together.
Jefferson was grimly in earnest, and it was evident that histhoroughness, which overlooked nothing, compelled the engineer'sadmiration. It also occurred to Austin that, while there are many waysin which a lover may prove his devotion, few other men would probablyhave cared for the one Jefferson had undertaken. He was not a veryknightly figure when he emerged, smeared with rust and scale, from thesecond-hand boiler, or crawled about the launch's engines with blackenedface and hands; but Austin, who remembered it was for Muriel Gascoyne hehad staked all his little capital in that desperate venture, forebore tosmile. He knew rather better than Jefferson did that it was a veryforlorn hope indeed the latter was venturing on. One cannot heave astranded steamer off without strenuous physical exertion, and the whiteman who attempts the latter in a good many parts of Western Africaincontinently dies.
At last all was ready, and one night Jefferson steamed off to theAfrican liner from Las Palmas mole, taking with him the steamboatdonkey-man and another English seafarer, who were at the timedisgracefully drunk, as well as six Spaniards from the coastingschooners. He said that when he reached the _Cumbria_ he would hireniggers, who would be quite as reliable, and considerably cheaper. As ithappened, the _Estremedura_ was going to sea that night, bound for theeastern islands, and Mrs. Hatherly, who was never seasick, and had heardthat the climate of one of them where it scarcely ever rained was goodfor rheumatic affections, had determined to visit it in her. Jacinta,for no very apparent reason, decided to go with her, and it accordinglycame about that most of her few acquaintances were with Muriel Gascoynewhen she said good-bye to Jefferson at the head of the mole. She kissedhim unblushingly, and then, when the launch panted away across theharbour, turned, a little pale in face, but with a firm step, towardsthe _Estremedura_, and an hour later stood with Jacinta on the saloondeck, watching the liner's black hull slide down the harbour. Then asthe steamer lurched out past the mole, with a blast of her whistlethrobbing across the dusky heave, Muriel shivered a little.
"I don't know whether we shall ever meet here again, but I think I couldbear that now, and it really couldn't be so very hard, after all," shesaid. "It would have been horrible if he had gone and had not told me."
Jacinta looked thoughtful, as in fact she was. She was of a morecomplex, and, in some respects, more refined nature than her companion,while her knowledge of the world was almost startlingly extensive; butwisdom carries one no further than simplicity when one approaches thebarriers that divide man's little life from the hereafter. Indeed, thereis warrant for believing that when at last they are rolled away, it isnot the wise who will see with clearest vision.
"I am not--quite--sure I understand," she said.
There was a trace of moisture on Muriel Gascoyne's cheek, but she heldherself erect, and she was tall and large of frame, as well as areposeful young woman. Though she probably did not know it, there was asuggestion of steadfast unchangeableness in her unconscious pose.
"Now," she said, very simply, "he belongs to me and I to him. If he diesout there--and I know that is possible--it can only be a question ofwaiting."
Jacinta was a little astonished. She felt that there had been a greatand almost incomprehensible change in Muriel Gascoyne since she fellvery simply and naturally in love with Jefferson. It was also veryevident that she was not consoling herself with empty phrases, orrepeating commendable sentiments just because they appealed to herfancy, as some women will. She seemed to be stating what she felt andknew.
"Ah!" said Jacinta, "you knew he might die there, and you could let himgo?"
Muriel smiled. "My dear, I could not have stopped him, and now he isgone I think I am in one way glad that it was so. I do not want money--Ihave always had very little--but, feeling as he did, it was best that heshould go. He would not have blamed me afterwards--of that I amcertain--but I think I know what he would have felt if hardship came,and I wanted to spare it him." Then, with a faint smile, which seemed toshow that she recognised the anti-climax, she became prosaic again. "Onehas to think of such things. Eight thousand pounds will not go so veryfar, you know."
Jacinta left her presently, and, as it happened, came upon Austin soonafter the _Estremedura_ steamed out to sea. He was leaning on theforward rails while the little, yacht-like vessel--she was only some 600tons or so--swung over the long, smooth-backed undulations with slantedspars and funnel. There was an azure vault above them, strewn with thelights of heaven, and a sea of deeper blue which heaved oilily below,for, that night, at least, the trade breeze was almost still.
"The liner will be clear of the land by now," she said. "I suppose youare glad you did not go with Jefferson? You never told me that he hadasked you to!"
Austin, who ignored the last remark, laughed in a somewhat curiousfashion.
"Well," he said, reflectively, "in one respect Jefferson is, perhaps, tobe envied. He is, at least, attempting a big thing, and if he gets wipedout over it, which I think is quite likely, he will be beyond furthertrouble, and Miss Gascoyne will be proud of him. In fact, it is she Ishould be sorry for. She seems really fond of him."
"Is that, under the circumstances, very astonishing?"
"Jefferson is really a very good fellow," said Austin, with a smile. "Infact, whatever it may be worth, he has my sincere approbation."
Jacinta made a little gesture of impatience. "Pshaw!" she said. "Youknow exactly what I mean. I wonder if there is one among all the men Ihave ever met who would--under any circumstances--do as much for me?"
She glanced at him for a moment in a fashion which sent a thrill throughhim; but Austin seldom forgot that he was the _Estremedura_'s purser. Hehad also a horror of cheap protestations, and he avoided the question.
"You could scarcely expect--me--to know," he said. "Suppose there wassuch a man, what would you do for him?"
There was just a trace of heightened colour in Jacinta's face. "I think,if it was necessary, and he could make me believe in him as Murielbelieves in Jefferson, I would die for him."
Austin said nothing for a space, and looked eastwards towards Africa,across the long, smooth heave of sea, while he listened to the throbbingof the screw and the swash of the water beneath the steamer's side. Hewas quite aware that while Jacinta, on rare occasions, favoured her moreintimate masculine friends with a glimpse of her inner nature, she neverpermitted them to presume upon the fact. He had, he felt, made somelittle progress in her confidence and favour, but it was quite clearthat it would be inadvisable to venture further without a sign from her.Jacinta was able to make her servants and admirers understand exactlywhat line of conduct it was convenient they should assume. If theyfailed to do so, she got rid of them.
"Whatever is Mrs. Hatherly going to Fuerteventura for?" he asked.
"Dry weather," said Jacinta, with a little smile.
Austin laughed. "One would fancy that Las Palmas was dry and dustyenough for most people. I suppose you told her there is nowhere she canstay? They haven't a hotel of any kind in the island."
> "That," said Jacinta, sweetly, "will be your business. You are a friendof Don Fernando, and he has really a comfortable house. Still, I expectthree days of it will be quite enough for Mrs. Hatherly. You can pick usup, you know, when you come back from Lanzarote."
Austin made a little whimsical gesture of resignation. "There is,presumably, no use in my saying anything. After all, she will be companyfor Confidencia."
"Who is, by the way, a friend of yours, too."
"I have artistic tastes, as you know. Confidencia is--barring one ortwo--the prettiest girl in these islands."
He moved away, but he turned at the top of the ladder, and Jacintasmiled.
"It is almost a pity a taste of that kind does not invariably accompanyan artistic talent," she said.
Austin went down to his little room, which was almost as hot as an oven,and strove to occupy himself with his papers. The attempt, however, wasnot a success, for his thoughts would follow Jefferson, who was on hisway to Africa with a big centrifugal pump, a ricketty steam launch, anda second-hand boiler of the locomotive type. In view of his ulteriorpurpose, there was, it seemed to Austin, something ludicrouslyincongruous about this equipment, though he realised that the gauntAmerican possessed in full degree the useful practical point of view inwhich he himself fell short. Jefferson was, in some respects, primitive,but that was, after all, probably fortunate for him. He knew what hedesired, and set about the obtaining of it by the first means available.Then he dismissed the subject, and climbing into his bunk went to sleep.
Next morning he took Jacinta, Mrs. Hatherly, and Muriel Gascoyneashore, and afterwards went on with the _Estremedura_ to the adjoiningisland. It was three days later, and the steamer had come back again,when he and her captain rode with the three ladies towards the coast,after a visit to the black volcanic hills. Mrs. Hatherly and Muriel satin a crate-like affair upon the back of a camel, with distress in theirfaces, for there is probably no more unpleasant form of locomotion toanyone not used to it than camel-riding. The beast possesses a gaitpeculiarly its own, and at every lurch of its shoulders the two womenjolted violently in the crate. The camel, however, proceededunconcerned, with long neck moving backwards and forwards like apiston-rod. The rest rode horses, and a gun and several ensanguinedrabbits lay across the Captain's saddle. He rode like a Castilian, andnot a sailor, and Jacinta had noticed already that Austin was equally athome in the saddle. The fact had, naturally, its significance for her.
It was then about two o'clock in the afternoon, and very hot, though thefresh trade breeze blew long wisps of dust away from under the horses'feet. Nobody could have called that part of Fuerteventura a beautifulcountry, but it had its interest to two of the party, who had never seenanything quite like it before. Behind them rose low hills, black withstreams of lava, red with calcined rock, and every stone on them wasoutlined in harsh colouring in that crystalline atmosphere. In front laya desolation of ashes and scoriA|, with tracts of yellow sand, blownthere presumably from Africa, which swirled in little spirals before thebreeze. It was chequered with clumps of euphorbia and thorn, but they,too, matched the prevailing tones of grey and brown and chrome, andthere was not in all the waste a speck of green. Further still in frontof them the sea flamed like a mirror, and a vault of dazzling blue hungover all.
They wound down into a hollow, through which, as one could see by thetortuous belt of stones, a little water now and then flowed, anddismounted in the scanty shadow of a ruined wall. It had been built highand solid of blocks of lava centuries ago, perhaps by the first of theSpanish, or by dusky invaders from Morocco. As it was not quite so hotthere, Austin and the Captain made preparations for a meal when abare-legged peon led the beasts away. Then the Captain frowned darkly atthe prospect.
"Ah, mala gente. Que el infierno los come!" he said, with blazing eyes,and swung a brown hand up, as though appealing to stones and sky beforehe indulged in another burst of eloquence.
"What is he saying?" asked Muriel Gascoyne. "He seems very angry."
Austin smiled. "I scarcely think it would be altogether advisable toenquire, but it is not very astonishing if he is angry," he said. "DonErminio is not, as a rule, a success as a business man, and this is afarm he once invested all his savings in. I am particularly sorry to saythat I did much the same."
Miss Gascoyne appeared astonished, which was, perhaps, not altogetherunnatural, as she gazed at the wilderness in front of her. There were,she could now see, signs that somebody had made a desultory attempt atbuilding a wall which was nearly buried again. A few odd heaps of lavablocks had also been piled up here and there, but the hollow was strewnwith dust and ashes, and looked as though nothing had ever grown theresince that island was hurled, incandescent, out of the sea. It was verydifficult to discover the least evidence of fertility.
"Ah!" said Jacinta, "so this is the famous Finca de La EmprezaFinancial?"
Oliviera overheard her, and once more made a gesture with arms flungwide.
"Mira!" he said. "The cemetery where I bury the hopes of me. O muchtomate, mucho profit. I buy more finca and the cow for me. Aha! There isalso other time I make the commercial venture. I buy two mulo. Very goodmulo. I charge mucho dollar for the steamboat cargo cart. Comes thelocomotura weet the concrete block down Las Palmas mole. The mole isnarrow, the block is big, the man drives the locomotura behind it, henot can look. Vaya, my two mulo, and the cart, she is in the sea. Thatis also ruin me. I say, 'Vaya. In fifty year she is oll the same,' butwhen I see the Finca de tomate I have the temper. Alors, weetpermission, me vais chasser the conejo."
"The unfortunate man!" said Jacinta, when he strode away in search of arabbit. "Still, the last of it wasn't quite unexceptional Castilian."
Austin laughed. "Don Erminio speaks French almost as well as he doesEnglish. In fact, he's a linguist in his way. Still, I'm not sorry hedidn't insist upon me going shooting with him. It's risky, and I wouldsooner he'd borrowed somebody else's gun."
They made a tolerable lunch, for the _Estremedura_'s cook knew hisbusiness, and, though it very seldom rains there, some of the finestgrapes to be found anywhere grow in the neighbouring island ofLanzarote. Then Mrs. Hatherly apparently went to sleep with her backagainst the wall, while Muriel sat silent in the shadow, close besideher. Perhaps the camel ride had shaken her, and perhaps she was thinkingof Jefferson, for she was gazing east towards Africa, across the flamingsea. Jacinta, as usual, appeared delightfully fresh and cool, as shesat with her long white dress tucked about her on a block of lava, whileAustin lay, contented, not far from her feet.
"You never told me you had a share in the Finca," she said.
"Well," said Austin, "I certainly had. I also made a speech at theinaugural dinner, and Don Erminio almost wept with pride while I did it.I had, though he did not mention it, a share in his mule cart, too, andonce or twice bought a schooner load of onions to ship to Havana at hissuggestion. You see, I had then a notion that it was my duty to make alittle money. Somehow, the onions never got to Cuba, and our otherventures ended--like the Finca."
"Then you have given up all idea of making money now?"
"It really didn't seem much use continuing, and, after all, a littlemoney wouldn't be very much good to me. A chance of making twentythousand pounds might, perhaps, rouse me to temporary activity."
"Ah," said Jacinta, looking at him with thoughtful eyes, "you want toomuch, my friend. You are not likely to make it by painting littlepictures on board the _Estremedura_."
A faint trace of darker colour showed through the bronze in Austin'scheek. "Yes," he said, "that is exactly what is the matter with me.Still, as I shall never get it, I am tolerably content with what I have.Fortunately, I am fond of it--I mean the sea."
"Of course," said Jacinta, with a curious little sparkle in her eyes,"contentment is commendable, though there is something that appeals toone's fancy in the thought of a man struggling against everything toacquire the unattainable."
"So long as it is unattainable, what would be the good? Besides
, I amalmost afraid I am not that kind of man."
Jacinta said nothing further, and half an hour slipped by, until a trailof smoke with a smear of something beneath it, crept up out of theglittering sea.
"The _Andalusia_," said Austin. "She takes up our western run here underthe new time-table. I hope she's bringing no English folks from LasPalmas to worry us."
As it happened, there was a man on board the _Andalusia_ who was tobring one of the party increased anxiety and distress of mind, but theydid not know that then, and in the meanwhile the peon with the horsesand Don Erminio came back again. He brought no rabbits, but he hadsucceeded in badly scratching one of the Damascene barrels of Austin'sgun.
"The conejo he no can eat the stone, and here there is nothing else," heexplained. "Otra vez--the other time, comes here a seA+-or Engleesman, andwe have the gun, but there is no conejo. Me I say, 'Mira. Conejo intohis hole he go!' Bueno! The Engleesman he put the white rat into thathole, and wait, oh, he wait mucho tiempo. Me, away I go. I come back,the Engleesman has bag the Captain of puerto."
Then he turned with a dramatic gesture to the camel, which stretched outits little head towards his leg. "Bur-r-r. Hijo de diablo. Aughr-r-r.Focha camello! Me, I also spick the Avar-r-ack. The condemn camello hecomprehend."
The long-necked beast at least knelt down as though it did, and Mrs.Hatherly climbed into the crate with a somewhat apprehensive glance atthe gallant captain.