CHAPTER IV.
BUNCOED.
"DO you mean to say that Mr. Murphy does not own the machine, thecontract, and all the equipment?" Charley asked.
"Oh, I guess he owns the stuff out there, all right," said the agent."The point is, that in a year's time he has only completed ten milesof the road, and, if you have read the contract over carefully, youwill have noticed that it calls for the completion of the road in twoyears, or the contractor is liable to forfeit the machine itself.There remains thirty miles to do within a year. And that thirty milesis far harder to do than the ground Murphy has gone over. He has lostthousands of dollars upon the work he has done. I hardly blame him fortrying to catch a sucker."
"But," Charley protested, "we saw the machine work. It digs over acubic yard of earth a minute, and, at 17-1/2 cents a yard, that ought topay big money."
"It looks all right on paper," answered the agent wearily, "butit doesn't figure out that way in fact. You have got to allow forbreakdowns, and a host of troubles you don't expect. The farther outyou get the more troubles you are going to have. I cannot tell you allthat may happen to you, for I do not know exactly, and, if I did, itwould be against the rules of the telegraph company for me to repeatanything I have learned from messages that have come over the wire.That is a rule an agent is honor-bound to obey. But I may, however,give you a hint to be on your guard all the time. There are powerfulpeople and influences at work to stop that road-building."
"But why should anyone wish to stop it?" asked Charley, whose facebegan to wear an anxious expression.
"That I do not know," answered the agent. "All I know is that you willnot be allowed to build that road in peace. How far its enemies will goto stop it, and what their motive is, I cannot say. But, if I were you,I'd be on the watchout for trouble right from the start."
"Cheerful news," commented Charley grimly.
"It isn't very joyful tidings, I admit," said the agent. "I wouldhate to tackle the job under such circumstances. The work itself isuncertain enough to keep any man worrying, without any trouble fromoutside. Now you have all the warning I am permitted to give you, and,if I may, I would like to ask you what are you going to do about it?"
"Do?" echoed Charley, throwing back his shoulders. "I coaxed mycompanions into this deal, and it's up to me, with their help, to pullout clear."
"Go to it," said Captain Westfield, approvingly. "We have still got$2,000, and we'll back you up to the last cent. If we go broke, it willnot be the first time we've been that way."
"You've voiced my sentiments," agreed Walter, quickly.
"Dis nigger's sho' got to go wid you white chillens," Chris joined in."Don't know what you'd do widout dis nigger to look out for you-alls."
The agent observed this demonstration of loyalty with increasedinterest. "If you all stick by each other like that, you will do betterthan Murphy has, at any rate," he observed. "I'll help you all I can,but I'm afraid that will not be very much, but, perhaps, I can dropa hint now and then that will be of help to you. Well, there goes mytelegraph call. Guess it is an answer to your telegram to the bank."
In a few minutes he reappeared with the written message:
"Your message too late; check cashed a few minutes after eight."
"BANK OF WEST PALM BEACH."
"I gossiped a little with the agent at Palm Beach," he said. "Murphyleft there on the southbound a few minutes ago. He bought a ticketto Havana. Sorry, boys, I did my best for you, but it was too late.Well, I hope you will have better luck than Murphy did. Drop in on mewhenever you feel like it. I have got to get some waybills ready forthe morning freight, now, so will have to get busy."
The little party thanked him for his kindness and, strolling down tothe dock, sat down to discuss the new turn of affairs.
"What a chump I am!" exclaimed Charley bitterly. "Here I've gone anddragged you fellows into a hopeless proposition, when common senseshould have led me to investigate carefully. It was too good a bargainnot to have some string fastened to it. One can't get something fornothing in this world."
"Maybe you were a mite hasty, lad," admitted the Captain; "but shucks,we all make our little mistakes. Maybe we can do better than Murphy didwith that big land turtle. It appeared to me that Murphy wasn't justthe kind of a man to handle a lot of negroes, especially Saws. I couldsee there was a pile of dissatisfaction in that camp, and, when there'strouble in the forecastle, the ship is never worked right."
"Golly, I don't blame them niggers for looking sullen and working noaccount when dey has to eat grub de way dat cook fixes it up. I reckonI could fix up some dishes dat would sho' make them open their eyes."
"I believe there are several things that could be done to that machinewhich would make her work a lot better," Walter remarked thoughtfully."I would like to work on the machine firing, if necessary, until Ilearned how to run her. That's the way we will fix it. Chris canbe cook, I'll be engineer, the Captain overseer, and you, Charley,business manager."
Charley forced a grin. "I'm afraid my ability as business manageris at a discount now, but, if you fellows care to trust me again, Ibelieve I will profit from the lesson I've just learned, and, with yourhelp, will pull our hot chestnuts out of the fire. I believe it can bedone. The first thing now is to get back to our white elephant. Do yousuppose you can run that truck back to camp?"
"I believe so," said his chum doubtfully. "I used to run a car a littleat home, but it was a different make."
"Well, go ahead, and see about it," Charley said. "The Captain andChris will help you get our stuff aboard. I am going to make a roundof the stores and see whether Murphy owes all of them. It is likely wewill have to lay in supplies every week."
Charley found his surmise correct. Every merchant he met was clamorousto collect overdue bills on Mr. Murphy's camp. It was here thatCharley's steady, if slow and interrupted, study of the law stood himin good stead. "You can't collect from us, and there's no use you'regetting mad over it," he said coolly to each infuriated merchant. "Youtook a chance on Murphy, and got stung, the same as we have, and you'vegot to stand it the same as we have. If you get any of your money backit will have to be from Murphy. If we had been notified beforehandabout your claims against Mr. Murphy, then we would have seen to itthat the bills were settled before we paid over the purchase price. Wehave not benefited in the slightest by the things Mr. Murphy bought ofyou, and you cannot expect us to pay his debts."
It was a frank, manly, straightforward statement, but the merchantsreceived it with wrath, sore over the losses they had sustained, andtreated the lad with many threats and charges of underhandedness, evengoing so far as to accuse him of being in collusion with Murphy in anattempt to defraud them. By the time the last merchant was visitedthe lad was convinced that he could expect no credit or sympathy inJupiter. The knowledge did one good thing for him, however. It stirredup every bit of his fighting spirit, and, when he rejoined his friendsat the truck, it was with the determination to make good on hisunfortunate venture, if it were possible for a human being to do so.
Walter looked up at him with beaming face. "I can run it all right,"he declared, "and it's in pretty good shape, too, though it's beenfrightfully misused."
"Good," said his chum cheerfully, as he climbed aboard. "Run me down tothe station first. I've got to send a telegram, and then we will go outto camp."
"I've come back to ask some more questions," he grinned to thefriendly agent. "What's the name of a good wholesale grocery housein Jacksonville? I want one that does not deal much with the localmerchants here."
"James K. Riley & Co. are the best I know of," said the agent promptly."Their prices are very low, but they demand spot cash, so retailmerchants do not trade with them much."
Charley wrote a few lines on a telegram blank and shoved it over tohim. "Will you rush that through for me?" he asked.
The agent grinned as he read the telegram:
"JAMES K. RILEY, Jacksonville, Fla.
<
br /> Please send at once your price list of staple groceries.
WEST, HAZARD, WESTFIELD & CO."
"Merchants here didn't exactly fold you to their bosoms, when theylearned that you were Murphy's successor?" he asked.
"Not so you could notice it," Charley admitted, with a smile. "Onecan't blame them much for being sore, but, of course, we have got tolook out for ourselves."
"Sure," assented the agent, "you're making a wise move at that, kid.It's a 250-mile haul from Jacksonville here, and the freights will behigh, but, even so, you'll get your stuff 20 per cent, cheaper than themerchants here would charge you. The charge on this message will be aquarter."
Charley paid over the twenty-five cents and hurried out to the truck,where his companions were impatiently awaiting him. As they whirled outon the dirt road leading to the camp he explained to them what he hadbeen doing.
"You did just right," approved the Captain. "There can't be more thanone captain to a ship, and I reckon you have got to be captain of thisone until she sails into port or is wrecked on the rocks. You have gotmore business sense than the rest of us. I don't reckon because youmade one slip that you are going to keep on making them. We will backyou up with the last dollar we've got in the bank, won't we, lads?"
"Sure," said Walter heartily.
"Sho'," Chris agreed solemnly.
"Thanks," said Charley simply. "I'll do my best. Now, Walt, I wish youwould show me how to run this truck. I've got a hunch that I'm goingto have to use it a whole lot the next few months, and now's as good atime as any to learn."
Fortunately the truck mechanism was very simple. And in half an hourCharley had so far mastered the principles of the different levers thathe felt sure that he could run it if necessity demanded.
"There's one thing more to do before we reach camp," Charley said, whenhis lesson was finished. "We ought to unpack our pistols and have themhandy in our pockets. I don't expect trouble, but it is just as well tobe ready for it. I guess there are some pretty tough characters in thatbunch. I noticed, big man as he is, Murphy had a couple of big pistolsstrapped on him when he was in camp."
The pistols were gotten out of the pack and carefully oiled andreloaded. They were late purchases and looked as small and harmless astoy pistols, but their appearance was deceiving. In reality they wereautomatics of the latest make, deadly accurate, and each, when loaded,carried 11 steel-jacketed bullets, that could be discharged in as manyseconds. When slipped into a coat pocket they made only a slight bulge.
By the time they had all pocketed their weapons they came in full sightof the camp. Charley stood up and viewed it with a puzzled frown on hisface.
"Something's gone wrong," he announced.