CHAPTER TEN.
CAPTAIN JOHNSON EXPLAINS HIMSELF.
The cabin of the _Albatross_ was a much larger apartment than one wouldhave expected to find in a craft of her size. It was about twenty feetlong and eighteen feet broad, occupying the entire width of the ship;the state-rooms--of which there were two only--being outside the cabin,at the foot of the companion staircase. The apartment was well lightedand very airy, light and air being admitted not only through theskylight, but also through the stern-ports and dead-lights fitted intothe sides of the ship. The fittings were extremely rich, thoughsomewhat out of harmony with each other, conveying to Captain Staunton'seducated eye the idea that they had been collected at odd times from anumber of other ships. The rudder-case, for example, was inclosed in apiece of elaborate carved and gilded work representing the trunk andbranches of a palm-tree; but it had apparently been found too large, andthe sections had accordingly been cut down to make them fit, the resultbeing that the carving did not match at the junctions. The trunk of thetree had also been cut off rather clumsily at the base and fitted badlyto the cabin floor, while the branches had been cut through in placeswhere the beams crossed the ceiling, and had been nailed on again insuch a way as to make them look as though they had grown through thebeams. Then again the cushions to the lockers were of different sizes,colours, and materials, some being of velvet and others of horsehair,and every one of them from one to three sizes too large. The sides ofthe cabin were divided into panels by carved and gilded pilasters, whichexhibited in a very marked degree the same incongruity, the eightpilasters in the cabin exhibiting no less than three different patterns.Some half a dozen pictures, one or two of which were really valuablepaintings, were securely hung in the panels; and the stern-windows werefitted with handsome lace curtains, much too large for the positionwhich they occupied. Two very handsome swinging lamps, of differentdesigns, were suspended from the beams; a tell-tale compass and a ship'sbarometer occupied respectively the fore and after ends of the skylight;and the bulkhead which formed the fore end of the cabin was fitted abovethe sideboard with racks in which reposed six repeating rifles; thepanels which were unoccupied by pictures being filled in with trophiesof stars and other fanciful devices formed with pistols, daggers, andcutlasses.
Such was the apartment to which our adventurers found themselveswelcomed; but if the truth must be told, their eyes--notwithstandingtheir recent meal on board the launch--were chiefly attracted to thecabin table whereon was spread--on a not over clean table-cloth--anabundant display of plate and a substantial yet appetising meal to whichtheir host urged them to do full justice, himself setting a goodexample.
For a short time, and while host and guests were taking the keen edgeoff their appetites, _very_ little was said. At length, however,Captain Johnson looked up, and addressing Captain Staunton, said--
"Waal, stranger, as I said before, I'm real glad to see you all; yoursare the first friendly faces I've looked upon for many a long day; but Iguess I'm considerable troubled what to do with you all. You see ouraccommodation is sorter limited. There's plenty of room for your men inthe fo'ks'le; but here's no less than ten of you, reckonin' thepiccaninny--bless her dear purty little face! I wish she'd give me akiss. Four years ago I left just such another on the wharf at New York,kissin' her hand to me and wavin' me good-bye as we cast off ourmoorin's, and I guess I'll never see her sweet face ag'in."
At her mother's suggestion, little May slid down off the locker on whichshe was perched, and, somewhat reluctantly, went to the man's chair andheld up her little mouth for a kiss.
Johnson at once bent down, and taking her on his knee, gazed long andeagerly into the bright young face uplifted to his own in childishcuriosity. Then he kissed her eagerly three or four times, stroked hercurly head tenderly with his great brown hand, and finally burst out--
"See here, my purty little dearie--If e'er a one of them great rough menon deck there says a bad word to you, or dares to as much as _look_unkind at you, you tell me, and curse me if--I beg your pardon,strangers, I guess I didn't know just then what I was talking about.Run along, little 'un, and get your breakfast."
The child at once slid down from his knee, and with some little hastereturned to her former place by her mother's side, Johnson's gazefollowing her abstractedly.
"You were speaking about the inconvenience to which our appearance seemslikely to put you," at length suggested Captain Staunton.
"I guess not, stranger," he retorted, pulling himself together as itwere with a jerk. "I was simply p'inting out that our accommodation forpassengers is kinder limited; and I'm puzzled to know where I can stowyou all away. The inconvenience 'll be yourn, stranger, not mine.There's reasons, you see, why I should keep possession of my own cabin;and there's reasons, too, why the mate should keep possession of his'n.I reckon the best plan 'll be to clear away a place for you down in theafter-hold, where you must try and make yourselves as comfortable as youcan for the few days you'll be on board. And as for you ladies, I'dsorter advise you to stay below all you can. If you _must_ go on deckat all let it be at night-time, when there ain't so much chance of yourbein' seen."
"Where are you bound, captain?" inquired the skipper.
"Waal, we are bound now to an island which, as it's not shown on thechart, I've christened `Albatross Island,' arter the brig. We're goin'there to refit," was the reply.
"Then I presume you have established a sort of depot there?"interrogated Captain Staunton.
"That's just it; you've hit it exactly, stranger," answered the Yankee.
"And how long will it take you to refit?" was the next question.
"Maybe a week; maybe a month. It just depends upon whether the handsare in a working humour or no."
Captain Staunton raised his eyebrows somewhat at this singular answer.After a moment or two of silence he said--
"I presume you would find no difficulty in running us across to--say--Valparaiso, if you were well paid for the service?"
"Cash down?"
Captain Staunton was about to say "Yes," having saved from the burningship a bag of specie sufficient in amount to convey the entire partyhome in perfect comfort; but an idea struck him that it would perhaps bebetter to promise payment _after_ rather than before the performance ofthe service, so he said--
"Well, no, I could not promise that. But I would draw on my owners forthe amount of our passage-money, and pay you immediately on our arrivalat Valparaiso."
"Waal, I guess I'll have to think it over," remarked Johnson. "I mustgo on deck now, but you kin remain here as long as you like; in fact Ireckon you'd better stay here altogether until I can get a placearranged for you below." Saying which, he abruptly rose from the tableand went on deck.
"Rather an unique specimen of the genus _Yankee_," observed Rex, as soonas their host had fairly disappeared. "I hope, captain, you willsucceed in persuading him to take us over to the mainland."
The skipper was apparently plunged deep in thought, for he made noreply.
"Does it not strike you, Bowles, that there is something ratherpeculiar about the craft, and her crew?" remarked Lance.
"These Yankees are generally a queer lot," answered the matenonchalantly; but immediately afterwards he made a sudden and stealthymovement of his fingers to his lips, while the ladies were looking inanother direction, throwing at the same time an expression of so muchcaution and mystery into his glance that Lance made no attempt tocontinue the conversation.
Shortly afterwards Captain Staunton rose from his seat at the table,and, touching his chief mate lightly on the shoulder, said--
"Come, Bowles, let us go on deck and see if we can make terms with thisCaptain Johnson. The rest of you had perhaps better follow thatgentleman's advice in the meantime and remain here, since he evidentlyhas some motive for expressing the wish."
As the two were ascending the companion-ladder the skipper turned andwhispered hurriedly to his mate--
"What is your opinion of things
in general Bowles?"
"Can't say yet," answered that individual. "Looks mighty queer though.She ain't a man-o'-war, that's certain."
On reaching the deck they found the after-hatch off, and their host insomewhat hot discussion with the ship's carpenter.
"That is quite sufficient," they heard him say, without a trace of theYankee twang in his speech, "you have your orders, and see that they areexecuted forthwith. In this matter I intend to have my own way."
The man muttered something in a sullen undertone, and then turned to goforward, saying he would get his tools and set about the job at once.
Johnson turned impatiently away from him with an ugly frown upon hisbrow, which however vanished in an instant upon his finding our twofriends at his elbow.
"See here, stranger," he said, passing his arm within that of CaptainStaunton, and drawing him toward the hatchway, "I want to show you whatI'm going to do. See them beams? Waal, I'm going to send some handsdown below to trim a few of them bales you see there up level with thetops of the beams; then we'll lay a couple of thicknesses of plankingover all, which 'll make a tol'able floor; and then I'm going to have asail nailed fore and aft to the deck-beams, dividing the space into two,one for the women-folks and one for the men; and another sail hungathwart-ships 'll make all sorter snug and private; and I guess you'llhave to make yourselves as comfortable as you can down there. You seethe brig's small, and your party's a large one, and--I guess that's thebest I can do for you."
"Thank you," said Captain Staunton. "As far as we men are concerned, wecan manage perfectly well down there; but I'm afraid it will be rather acomfortless berth for the ladies. And yet I do not see very well whatelse can be done--unless indeed we could come to some arrangement bywhich you and your chief mate could be induced to surrender the cabinaltogether for their use--"
"Which we can't," Johnson broke in sharply. "I tell you, stranger, itain't to be done. I reckon I was a fool to let you come aboard here atall. It was seein' that little girl of yours that did it," he added,his voice at once softening again, "but I guess there's going to betrouble about it yet, before all's done."
"Oh, no, I hope not," returned the skipper. "Why should there betrouble, or with whom? Certainly not with _us_."
"Waal, I hope not," said Johnson. "But I reckon you'll have to do justexactly as I say, strangers, or I tell you I'll not answer for theconsequences."
"Assuredly we will," observed Captain Staunton. "And as for theinconvenience, we must put up with it as best we can, and I only hope weshall not be compelled to intrude upon your hospitality for any greatlength of time. Indeed you might rid yourself of our presence in afortnight by running us across to Valparaiso; and I think I could makeit worth your while to do so."
Johnson turned away and walked thoughtfully fore and aft, with his chinsunk upon his breast, evidently in painful thought, for some tenminutes; then he rejoined the pair he had left standing at the hatchway,and said--
"See here, strangers; I reckon it's no use to mince matters and gobeating about the bush; the thing's got to come out sooner or later, soyou may as well know the worst at once. You must give up all notion ofgoing to Valparaiso, because the thing ain't to be done. We're a crewof free-traders, rovers--_pirates_, if that term 'll serve to makematters more clear to you; and although we've only been cruising inthese waters about six months, I guess we've made things too hot herefor us to venture into any port but the one we're bound to. Thereyou'll be put ashore, and I calculate you'll have to make yourselvesuseful at the depot. There's plenty of work to be done there, and nottoo many to do it, so you'll be valuable there. I won't keep you onboard here, because I can see you'd never work with me or be anythingelse but an anxiety to me; but _there_ you can't do me any harm. And,take my advice, stranger, don't cut up rough--go slow and sing smallwhen you get there, because my chief mate--who is a Greek, and is incharge there--is a powerful short-tempered man, and apt to make thingsdownright uncomfortable for them that don't please him."
Captain Staunton and Bowles looked each other in the face for a fullminute, too much overcome by consternation and dismay to utter a singleword. Then the skipper, recovering himself, turned to Johnson, whostood by intently watching them, and said:
"I thank you, sir, for having come to the point and put our positionthus explicitly before us with so little waste of time. Happily theevil is not yet irreparable. We can never be anything but a source ofanxiety and disquietude to you, as you have already admitted; thereforeI trust you will allow us to return to our boat as we came; by which actwe shall relieve you of a very great embarrassment, and at the same timegive ourselves a chance--a very slight one, it is true--of arriving atthe place we are so anxious to reach."
"Too late, stranger," replied Johnson. "Here you are, and here you mustnow stay. Look over the side and you will see that your boat is nolonger there. She was stove and cast adrift half an hour ago. And evenif she had still been alongside, do you think my men would let you gonow that you have been aboard of us and seen our strength? I tell you,stranger, that before you could get ten yards from the brig they wouldbring her broadside to bear upon you and send you all to the bottom,riddled with grape, and I couldn't stop 'em. No; you're here, and Ireckon you'll have to stay and make the best of it. You'll find yourtraps down below there; the lads wanted to overhaul them, but I guess Ishamed them out of _that_," drawing half out of his pockets a pair ofrevolvers as he spoke.
"Are we to consider ourselves as prisoners then, and to look upon thehold there as our jail?" inquired Captain Staunton.
"That's as _you_ please," retorted Johnson. "So long as you keep quietand don't attempt any tricks you can come on deck as often as you like--only don't let the women-folks show themselves, or they'll get intotrouble, and I--nor you--won't be able to help 'em. Tell 'em to stay inthe cabin until it's dark to-night, and then when all's quiet, the watchbelow in their hammocks and the watch on deck `caulking' between theguns, just you muffle 'em up and get 'em down there as quick as ever youcan."
"And what about the rest of my people--those of them who were sentforward to the forecastle?" inquired Captain Staunton.
"Waal," replied Johnson, "I felt myself sorter obliged to clap 'em inirons down in the fore-hold. You see you muster a pretty strong party,and though you could never take the brig from us, I didn't know what youmight be tempted to _try_, when you found out the truth; and so, just toprevent accidents, I had the irons slipped on to 'em. They'll be welltreated, though; and if any of 'em likes to jine us, so much thebetter--we're uncommon short-handed, one way and another. If they don'tlike to jine, they'll just be put ashore with you to work at the depot.And, see here, stranger, don't you go for to try on any tricks, eitherhere or ashore, or it'll be awful bad for you. This is a _friendly_warning, mind; I'd like to make friends with you folks, for, to tell youthe solid petrified truth, I ain't got one single friend among allhands. The mate hates me, and would be glad to put me out of the wayand step into my shoes, and he's made the men distrust me."
"Why not retire from them altogether, then?" inquired Captain Staunton.
"Because I can't," answered Johnson. "I'm an outlaw, and dare not showmy face anywhere in the whole civilised world for fear of beingrecognised and hanged as a pirate."
"A decidedly unpleasant position to be in," remarked the skipper."However, if there is any way in which we can _lawfully_ help you, wewill do so; in return for which we shall of course expect to be treatedwell by you. Now, Bowles," he continued, turning to his chief mate,"let us talk this matter over, and discuss the manner in which this badnews can best be broken to the others."
Saying which, with a somewhat cold and formal bow to the pirate, CaptainStaunton linked his arm in that of his chief mate, and walked away.
The two promenaded the deck for nearly an hour, "overhauling the concernin all its bearings," as Bowles afterwards described it, and theyfinally came to the conclusion that it would be only fair to let theircompanions in m
isfortune know the worst at once, then all could takecounsel together, and as "in a multitude of counsellors there iswisdom," some one might possibly hit upon a happy idea whereby theymight be enabled to escape from this new strait.
They accordingly descended to the cabin, where their reappearance hadbeen anxiously looked for.
"Well, captain," exclaimed Dale upon their entrance, "what news have youfor us? Have you made arrangements for our conveyance to Valparaiso? Ihope we are not going to be kept cooped up very long in this wretchedlittle vessel."
"We are to leave her sooner than I anticipated," replied CaptainStaunton, "but I regret to say that I have been quite unable to make anyarrangements of a satisfactory character. And, as to news, I must askyou to prepare yourselves for the worst--or almost the worst--that youcould possibly hear. We are on board _a pirate_, and in the hands of asunscrupulous a set of rascals as one could well encounter."
The skipper then proceeded to describe _in extenso_ his interview withthe pirate captain, throwing out such ideas as presented themselves tohim in the course of his narrative, and winding up by pointing out tothem that though the situation was serious enough it was not altogetherdesperate, the pirate leader being evidently anxious to escape from hispresent position, and as evidently disposed to look with friendly eyesupon all who might seem to have it in their power to assist him, eitherdirectly or indirectly, in the attainment of his purpose.
"Our first endeavour," he said in conclusion, "must be to impress uponthis man that, though we are his prisoners, we are still a power, byreason of our numbers as well as of our superior intelligence andknowledge of the world, and that we can certainly help him if we havethe opportunity; and this idea once firmly established in his mind, hewill listen to and very possibly fall in with some of our suggestions,all of which, I suppose I need hardly say, must be made with a singleeye to our own ultimate escape. Our future is beset by difficulties,very few of which we can even anticipate as yet; but I think if each onewill only take a hopeful view of the situation, it will be singularindeed if one or another of us does not hit upon a means of escape."
By the time that he had finished speaking the brains of his hearers wereliterally teeming with ideas, all, that is to say, except Mr Dale, who,with elbows on the table, his head buried in his hands, and his hair allrumpled, abandoned himself to despair and to loud bewailings of theunfortunate combination of circumstances which led to his venturing uponthe treacherous ocean. The others, however, knew him thoroughly by thistime; and none troubled themselves to take the slightest notice of himexcept Rex Fortescue, who exclaimed--
"_Do_ shut up, Dale, and cease making a fool of yourself. I wonder thatyou are not ashamed to behave in this unmanly way, especially beforeladies, too. If you _can't_ keep quiet, you know, we shall have to putyou on deck, where I fancy you would get something worth howling about."
This threat had the desired effect; Mr Dale subsided into silence, andthe rest of the party at once, in low cautious tones, began aninterchange of ideas which lasted a long time but brought forth no verysatisfactory result; the council finding itself at the close of thediscussion pretty much where it was at the commencement.
At one o'clock a thoroughly substantial dinner was served to them,followed by tea at six in the evening, at both of which meals the piratecaptain did the honours with a manifest desire to evince a friendlydisposition toward his guests, and about nine p.m. a quiet andunobtrusive removal from the cabin to their new quarters in the after-hold was effected; after which most of the party disposed themselvescomfortably upon the bedding which they found had been provided forthem, and enjoyed a night of thoroughly sound repose, such as they hadbeen strangers to ever since the destruction of the _Galatea_.
When our friends awoke on the following morning they became aware, bythe motion of the ship and the sound of the water gurgling along hersides, that a breeze had sprung up. Most of the gentlemen--all of them,in fact, except Dale--went on deck, and, finding the watch busy washingdecks, borrowed of them a few buckets with which they gave each other amost hearty and refreshing salt water douche, much to the amusement ofthe crew.
As soon as breakfast was over, Lance, with that cool _insouciance_characteristic of the man who has so often found himself environed byperils that he ceases to think of them, went again on deck, with theintention of mingling freely with the pirate crew, and, if possible,placing himself upon such easy terms with them as would give him anopportunity of acquiring whatever information it might be in their powerto give. The first individual he saw on emerging from the hatchway wasJohnson, the pirate captain, who was leaning moodily over the lee railabaft the main-rigging, smoking a well-seasoned pipe.
"Good morning, captain," exclaimed Lance genially, as he sauntered up tothe man. "What a delightful morning--and how good your tobacco smells!I have not enjoyed the luxury of a pipe for the last fortnight; have youany tobacco to spare?"
"Help yourself, stranger," answered Johnson rather surlily, as hetendered his tobacco-pouch.
"Thanks," said Lance, returning the pouch after he had filled andlighted his pipe. "Ah! how good this is," as he took the first whiff ortwo. "You have a fine breeze after yesterday's calm; and the brig seemsquite a traveller in her small way."
"In her small way!" exclaimed Johnson indignantly; "why, she's a_flyer_, stranger, that's what she is. I reckon you don't know muchabout ships, or you wouldn't talk like that. I guess you ain't asailor, are you?"
"I am a soldier by profession," answered Lance, "but for all that I amnot exactly an unmitigated land-lubber; on the contrary I am quite anenthusiastic yachtsman, and I flatter myself that I know a good modelwhen I see one."
"And yet you don't take much account of the brig, stranger?"
"She seems a good enough little craft of her kind," admitted Lance, "andas a mere trader I have no doubt she would answer well enough. But itstrikes me that, to gentlemen of your profession, a really fast andpowerful vessel is an absolute necessity if you would insure your ownsafety. In weather like this I daresay you would manage tolerably well;but if a frigate were by any chance to fall in with you in a freshbreeze, or, worse still, in heavy weather, I fear you would findyourselves in a `tight place;' she would have you under her guns in lessthan an hour."
"That's so, stranger; yes, I reckon that's so," conceded Johnson withevident reluctance. "There _are_ ships as can outsail us, I know, forwe've fallen in with some half a dozen clippers, and we couldn't donothing with 'em; they just walked away from us. And though I don'tcalculate that there's ever a frigate afloat as could get alongside themtea-ships if the tea-ships didn't want 'em to, yet I guess there'sfrigates as _could_ overhaul us in heavy weather. And so you're ayachtsman, eh? Then I reckon you know something about quick sailing.How fast, now, do you calculate a yacht would sail in this breeze?"
"That depends entirely upon the build and model of the craft. If shewere a racing schooner of, say the tonnage of this brig, I daresay herspeed under such circumstances as these would be thirteen or perhapsfourteen knots; if, however, she were merely a cruising yacht, such asmy own, I do not imagine she would average more than eleven."
"Eleven knots! Jeosh--I say, stranger, how many knots do you reckon weare making just now?" exclaimed Johnson.
Lance looked over the side for a moment, marked a piece of weed floatingpast, and then answered--
"About eight, I should think; certainly not more."
"I guess you're wrong, stranger," returned the pirate skipper withanimation, "she's going ten if she's going an inch."
"You can easily test it by heaving the log," suggested Lance.
"Aft here, two of you, and heave the log," shouted Johnson.
Two men came sauntering aft, at the call; the line and glass wereprepared; and Johnson himself made ready to test the speed of the brig.
"Turn!" he cried to the man who held the glass, as the last of the"stray" passed out over the taffrail.
The glass was smartly turned; the reel spun rap
idly round; the marksflew through Johnson's fingers, and his countenance brightened withexultation.
"Stop!"
The sand had all run out; and Johnson grasped the line just before theeighth knot reached his hand.
"Tarnation! you're right, stranger," he angrily exclaimed. "Waal, Iswan I made sure she was going ten at the very least."
"You skippers very often make that kind of mistake," remarked Lance."Or rather, it is not so much a mistake as a self-deception; you wouldlike your ship to have a speed of ten knots in such weather as this, and`the wish is father to the thought.' Besides which, having formed anattachment for your ship, you are naturally anxious to give strangersalso a favourable impression of her."
"That's so, stranger, sure as you're standin' there; you've exactly hitit I knew the craft wan't doin' over eight at the outside; but the wayyou talked about that yacht of yours sorter put my back up, and I 'lowedI wan't goin' to let you have all the big talk to yourself. About thisyacht of yours, colonel; where is she now?"
"Where I left her, no doubt," answered Lance with a smile; "safe andsound on the mud of Haslar creek, inside Portsmouth harbour."
"I suppose, as she's such a flyer, that one of the crack Englishbuilders put her together?" inquired Johnson.
"No, indeed," said Lance. "She was built at Weymouth by an ordinaryshipbuilder, who, for aught I know, had never in his life built a yachtbefore. I was stationed there at the time, and I designed her myself,and of course superintended her construction."
"You don't say. Waal, I knew that the soldiers did most everything; butI didn't 'low that they designed yachts!" exclaimed Johnson.
"Neither do we, professionally," admitted Lance; "but some of us, ofwhom I happen to be one, take up the study of naval architecture as anamusement; and those who, like myself, belong to the Engineer corps, areto some extent qualified by our technical education to achieveexcellence in the art. I can assure you that some of the officers in mycorps have turned out exceedingly creditable craft."
"Waal now, that beats ah," exclaimed Johnson. "So you're an Engineer,and can design yachts into the bargain! Stranger,"--laying his handimpressively on Lance's arm--"I'm real glad I took you all aboard.About this schooner of yours--she _is_ a schooner, I reckon!"
Lance nodded an affirmative.
"Waal, about this schooner of yours, is she a pretty sea-boat?"
"She is as comfortable a vessel as I would ever wish to have under myfeet," answered Lance with just a slight touch of enthusiasm. "She willface any weather a frigate would dare to look at; and in a gale of wind,such as once caught us in the Bay of Biscay, is a great deal drier andmore comfortable than many frigates would be."
"Waal now, I call this real interesting," exclaimed Johnson withsparkling eyes. "And I s'pose she was tol'able weatherly?"
"About the same as other vessels of her class. _All_ yachts, you know,if they are the least worthy the name, go to windward well; it is one oftheir strong points."
"Do you think now, colonel, you could recollect enough to design anotheryacht just like your own schooner?" asked Johnson eagerly.
"Well," said Lance, slowly, as he first began to perceive the directionin which Johnson's thoughts were tending. "I am by no means sure that Icould. However," as a brilliant idea dawned upon him, "I am certainthat, with the experience I have gained since I designed the_Fleetwing_, I could build one which should excel her in all respects."
"Waal now, this is what I call a real pleasant conversation," exclaimedJohnson, with enthusiasm. "Now, see here, colonel, I guess I'll get youto draw out that design right away."
"I am sure I shall be very pleased," said Lance. "But why do you wishfor such a thing? You will surely not venture, after what you havealready told us, to visit a civilised port and order a vessel to bebuilt?"
"I guess not, stranger. I've three prizes lyin' in harbour not far off,which I kept, thinkin' they might come in useful some day; and we'llbreak 'em up to build this new craft. You shall superintend the work;and, as you're an engineer, I reckon I'll get you to fortify the harbouralso, so's to make things secure in case one of them frigates you wastalking about should come along and take a fancy to look inside."
"Very well," said Lance; "I will do what I can, both in the matter offortifying the harbour and building the new craft, upon the expresscondition, however, you must understand, that we are all treated well aslong as we remain with you; and that you will make an early opportunityto free us as soon as the work is done."
"Don't you be afraid, stranger," returned Johnson. "You do the best youcan for me, and I guess I'll do the right thing by you. That's abargain."
"There is just one point which occurs to me," remarked Lance. "It isthis. To do what you propose we shall require a great deal ofassistance. Now where are we to find it?"
"If it's men you mean, I reckon you'll find plenty of 'em at AlbatrossIsland. Men ain't always to be picked up at sea just when they'rewanted," said Johnson, "so I've took to keepin' my prisoners alive andlanding 'em there, so's I can draw upon 'em when I want to; and I'vefound that if they won't cut in and take a hand with us exactly to oncetthey _gen'lly_ will a little later on, just to escape bein' worked todeath ashore."
"And what about materials?" persisted Lance. "To construct a battery,and to make it serviceable, you know, stone, lime, iron and wood inconsiderable quantities are required; to say nothing of guns, powder andshot with which to arm the battery when it is finished."
"We've got it _all_," exclaimed Johnson; "all, that is, exceptin' iron,and that we're very short of. There's stone in the island, and I guessyou can make lime from the coral, can't you? And as to the guns andammunition, why it's only three months ago that we helped ourselves to awhole battery-full belonging to the Spaniards away there on themainland."
"Well," said Lance, "I cannot of course decide exactly how to use yourresources to the best advantage until I have seen them and the place.As far, however, as the design of the new ship is concerned, I can setabout it at once. I must ask you, however, to release the carpenter andBob, the apprentice, and to allow them to join us aft. The carpenter isa practical man, whose advice and assistance will be most valuable tome; and as for Bob, he has been brought up in a district famous foryacht-building, and will be sure to prove helpful to us."
"Very well, colonel, I reckon you can have 'em," said Johnson. "Onlydon't you be persuaded to try any tricks on account of having two extrahands, because if you do, I calculate you'll find us always ready."
"All right," laughed Lance, "I'll keep your warning and advice in mind.By the by, before I go below, let me suggest that as a few of us are,like myself, smokers, a pound or so of tobacco now and then would beregarded as a delicate attention on your part."
"Right you are, colonel," answered Johnson cordially, "you shall havethe terbacker and some cigars too if you like 'em; I guess we've gotplenty of both on board."
So saying Johnson turned upon his heel and dived below for his sextant.