"Not a word more, Charley. I have an idea or two left, but it is not prudent to say a word about it here," replied the lieutenant cautiously.
"You know the cut of my jib in my present rig, and I want you to keep an eye on me, for we must separate now. When you see me take off this old soft hat with my left hand, and scratch my head with my right, moving off a minute later, you will follow me. By that time I shall know what we are to do."
"All right, Christy; I will follow the direction to the letter," added Graines.
"While you go off to the left of that pile of rubbish yonder, I will go to the right of it. If you speak to any of our men, do so with the utmost caution."
"They have been down there some time, and they have full information in regard to what is going on in this locality," suggested Graines.
"Use your own judgment, Charley, only be careful not to give us away,"
replied the lieutenant, as he moved towards the pile of rubbish.
A walk of a few minutes brought him to the group on the sh.o.r.e, which consisted of not more than a dozen persons, and half of them belonged to the Bellevite. Christy halted before he reached the a.s.semblage, in order to listen to the eloquence of the captain of the West Wind. He talked very glibly; and it did not take his outside auditor long to perceive that he had been drinking somewhat freely, though he was not what non-temperance men would have called intoxicated.
"I use my men well, and give "em enough to eat and drink, and what"s good enough," the nautical orator declaimed with a double-handed gesture. "Why, my friends, I gave each of the villains that deserted the schooner a bottle of apple-jack. I don"t drink it myself, but it is good enough for n.i.g.g.e.rs and sailors; in fact, my men liked it better"n whiskey, because it"s stronger. They served me a mighty mean trick, and I"ll give ten dollars apiece to have "em fetched back to me. That"s a good chance for some on you to make some money tonight."
His audience listened to him as they would have done to a preacher with whom they had no sympathy, and no one was tempted by the reward to go in search of the deserters. Christy moved up nearer to the speaker. In his disguise, with his face smooched with some of the color he had received as a present from Mr. Gilfleur, the French detective, with whom he had been a.s.sociated on his cruise some months before, he did not appear at all different from most of those who listened to Captain Sullendine.
He had laid aside his gentlemanly gait and bearing, and acted as though he had lately joined the "awkward squad."
"How d"e?" called the orator to him, as he saw him join the group of listeners. "I see you come from the other side of the p"int."
"Well, is that agin the laws o" war?" demanded Christy.
"Not a bit on"t," replied the captain pleasantly, as though his potations of whiskey were still in full effect upon him. "If you come from that way, have you seen anything of my four men that deserted the schooner?"
"I wasn"t lookin" for "em; didn"t know ye"d lost some men," replied Christy, staring with his mouth half open at the orator. "Was one on "em the mate?"
"Yes!" exclaimed the captain eagerly.
"Well, I hain"t seen nothin" on em," added Christy in a mumbling tone.
"I"ll bet you have!" protested the skipper of the West Wind. "How"d you know one on "em was the mate if you didn"t see "em?"
"I didn"t know one on "em was the mate; I only axed yer so"s ter know."
"I reckon you know sunthin about my men," persisted the captain; and by this time the attention of all the party had been directed to him.
"I don"t know nothin" about yer men, and I hain"t been interduced to "em. If you want to ship a new crew, I"m ready to jine with yer."
"One man ain"t enough," added the skipper.
"Some o" these men"ll jine too, I reckon," suggested Christy, who had proceeded in this manner in order to attract the attention of the disconsolate master of the West Wind.
"I don"t reckon they can ship, "cause most on "em belongs to the Tallahatchie, and they can"t leave."
"That"s so," shouted several of the group, including some of the crew of the Bellevite.
"What"s the Talla-what-you-call-her?" demanded Christy.
"She"s the steamer you can see when the fog lifts," answered Captain Sullendine. "The Tallahatchie is her name. Are you a sailor, my lively lad?"
"I reckon I know the bobstay from the mainmast."
"You know sumthin about my mate and men, my jolly tar, and I"ll give you five dollars apiece for any news on "em that will help me to ketch "em; and I"ll ship you into the bargain, for I want more hands," the captain proceeded in a more business-like manner, though at the expense of his oratory.
Just at this moment three short and sharp whistles sounded from off the sh.o.r.e, and about half of the skipper"s audience turned upon their heels and walked down to the water, where they embarked in a boat. They were evidently members of the ship"s company of the Tallahatchie, on sh.o.r.e on leave, and the whistles were the signal for their return. The remainder of the group, with two or three exceptions, were the seamen of the blockader.
"Where"d you come from, my hearty?" demanded the captain of the schooner, turning to Christy again.
"I was tooken in a blockader, eight on us. We done stole a whaleboat and comed ash.o.r.e," replied Christy, enlarging upon the story he had told the bivouackers.
"Eight on you!" exclaimed the master of the schooner. "Where"s the rest on ye?"
"They"re all about here somewhar, and I reckon I kin find em. They"re lookin for sunthin t"eat. They all want to ship, and the mate of the Rattler"s one on "em," continued Christy, guiding himself by the circ.u.mstances as they were developed to him.
"What"s your name, my man?"
"My name"s Jerry Sandman; and I ain"t ashamed on"t."
"Are your men all sailors, Jerry?"
"Every one on "em."
"I want eight good men, Jerry, the mate bein" one on "em."
"Then we kin fix you like a "possum in a hole."
"I"ve got two boats on the sh.o.r.e; the deserters stole one on "em, and I come ash.o.r.e in t"other arter "em. I reckon I"ll get a steamer in Na.s.sau, and I want all the good men I can find to man her. I"ll ship the whole on you. Find your men, Jerry, and fetch "em down to the boats. I"ll give "em all sumthin t"eat. Now be lively about it," said Captain Sullendine, as he walked away towards the sh.o.r.e.
"I"ll find "em in no time," replied Christy, as he removed his soft hat with his left hand, and scratched his head with the other.
The rest of the party scattered, and Graines joined the lieutenant.
CHAPTER VII
A POWERFUL ALLY OF THE BELLEVITERS
The seamen of the Bellevite had listened with intense interest to the conversation between the commander of the West Wind and the lieutenant; and there was not a single one of them who did not comprehend the purpose of the chief of the expedition. They were greatly amused at the manner in which Christy conducted himself, and especially at the mongrel dialect he had used. It was a little difficult for them to realize that the awkward fellow who was in conversation with the skipper of the schooner was the gentlemanly, well-spoken officer they had been accustomed to see on the quarter-deck of the Bellevite.
They separated as they had been instructed to do; but they were careful not to go to any great distance from the spot, for they understood that they should be wanted in a few minutes. Graines had not spoken a word on this occasion, though he had done most of the talking at the bivouac.
He was ready to do his part; but the skipper had addressed his companion first, introducing the subject, and he had no opportunity to get in a single word.
"I suppose you understand it all, Charley," said Christy as soon as they were alone.
"I could not very well have helped doing so if I had tried. The only thing that bothered me was when you appeared to be betraying yourself by alluding to the mate," replied Graines.