amos hooker went ashore taking with him several bottles of spirits with which to propitiate the pearl fishers. the men were down on the beach to meet him, and the sight of the bottles put them in a good humour; it was not long before they emptied two or three, and then commenced to talk freely.
"spent a jolly night on board, amos?" asked one man.
"yes, they are real good fellows, two new chums, and you can take my word for it they'll do us no harm with their fishing."
"we made up our minds last night there's to be no pearling here, or there'll be a row."
"tom case, you are a fool," replied amos. "let 'em try their luck, and it's long odds they find nothing. while they are messing about here we shall have a plentiful supply of liquor, food stuff, and tobacco from the schooners. they are well provisioned, and that will be a change, you'll allow."
"there's sense in that," said one of the men, "and as amos says, it's long odds they pick up nothing. i say, leave 'em alone; what's your opinion, mates?"
"if we give them a free hand it will mean that others will come and expect the same treatment," said case. "i vote we stop their little game as soon as they commence."
tom case was jealous of the position held by amos hooker, and this was his reason for holding out. he saw, however, that the prospect of fresh supplies was too great a temptation for them, and finally it was decided to permit the newcomers to try their luck without any interference. this news amos hooker conveyed to the "heron," and jack handed him over ten pounds as a reward.
"we require some more divers," said jack, "can you procure them for us?"
"how many do you want?"
"six or seven; we have some of our own on board."
"i can get you them, but they are not very reliable. still, if you treat them well i think they will be all right."
"we will deal liberally with them," said jack, "providing they work well."
amos hooker saw a chance here. he had two black fellows who would do anything for him, and they were expert divers.
"do you wish to take any of them with you when you go north, if they turn out well?" he asked.
"yes," replied jack, readily, "and they can be put in here on our return."
"then i'll try and fix it up for you," said amos.
the arrangements for sending out the boats with divers were soon completed, and while amos was ashore they were at work in different parts of the bay.
amos hooker's two blacks were half civilised, and had been employed as divers for a long time. they were wonderfully clever, and could remain under water for a very long time. through these men, amos hooker had secured many a good pearl that ought not to have fallen to his share. he had no scruples in robbing his mates by means of these divers who had been with him on the "mary hatchett" when he stole the schooner and made several voyages on his own account. he had treated them well, and although they were a couple of scoundrels they were afraid of him, and at the same time curiously attached to him. he seemed to exercise great influence over them, and they evidently understood one another. they were tall strong men, and capable of great endurance. when amos hooker seized the "mary hatchett" they stood by him, and had it not been for their support his plan for taking the schooner would have failed. there were ugly tales afloat about the "mary hatchett," and kylis and miah, the two blacks, could have told a terrible story had they chosen. the schooner was lost a few months after amos hooker secured her, and it was probably as well for him that such was the case.
he approached the men cautiously, and in a few words explained what was required of them. they spoke fairly good pigeon english, and it will be more understandable if properly translated.
"we are to go to sea in the schooners?" said kylis, a curious name, which in some parts takes the place of boomerang.
"yes, and you will have a good trip. there is plenty to eat and drink on board, and you will be well paid."
"we go as divers?" asked miah.
"that is so; you are both clever at it."
"are you going?" asked kylis.
"no, of course not."
"i thought perhaps you might be in want of another schooner," grinned the black.
amos cursed him, and bade him keep a guard on his tongue.
"we are to do something for you?" asked miah, who knew very well "the boss" had some game of his own to play.
"you can help me and yourselves as well," he said. "these schooners are going north to some bay jacob rank discovered, and where he says there are many shells. this may be true, or it may not; in any case it matters very little to you, for you will be paid. if they find much shell there will be good pearls, and good pearls are rare, kylis. i like good pearls."
the black showed his teeth in a broad grin; then he opened his mouth wide, showing a huge cavity. he closed it with a snap, made a show of swallowing something, and then rubbed his stomach.
"quite so," said amos. "you have swallowed pearls before, and can do it again, but on this trip you will have to adopt some other method of hiding them."
miah grunted curiously, and then said—
"we can hide pearls, you can be sure of that."
"if they find you out you will have a bad time, so you had better be careful," said amos. "anyway, i suppose you will go?"
they both assented, and he said—
"if you find good pearls and bring them to me, i can get a price for them. you cannot do so, therefore it will be to your interests to hand them over to me."
they nodded, and understood perfectly well what he required of them. there were many ways of hiding pearls on a schooner, and expert divers had but little difficulty in concealing them.
the pearl fishing in shark's bay proved so unsatisfactory that phil danks strongly advised a move to the north-west.
"hooker was about right," he said. "the place is worked out; we shall have no luck here, and it is a waste of time."
it was eventually decided, after a consultation, to clear out of shark's bay and make tracks for jacob rank's bay, where they hoped to find him, and many pearls as well.
this decision was communicated to amos hooker, who made it an excuse for not getting more than two divers to go with them.
"they are splendid fellows," he said, "you'll not find two better anywhere. of course, they require watching, most of them do, but they work well, and are on the whole honest."
he brought kylis and miah on board the "heron," and phil danks liked the look of them, but was curious as to how they came to be at shark's bay with hooker. he knew very well they were natives, who had seen a good deal of travelling, and was surprised at their knowledge of english.
amos, in answer to his inquiries, gave a plausible account of how he came to find them, but did not state they were on the "mary hatchett" with him.
terms were fixed, and the two men sailed on the "heron." amos hooker, as he watched the schooners leave the bay, wondered what would be the result of the trip. if there was a rich haul he had no doubt he would come in for a share.
the position of rank's bay, as phil danks named it, was unknown to them, but they were determined to find it, and when such men as these skippers make up their minds to do a thing they generally succeed.
a week after leaving shark's bay they came across the entrance to what looked like a good sized harbour. on either side trees were growing, and it was an inviting place, providing the passage was safe. phil danks sent out a boat to take soundings, and on their return the man in charge reported there was plenty of water, but that the bottom was rocky and covered with coral. his opinion was that a big coral reef existed all along the coast, which at low tide would be dangerous.
phil danks agreed with him, and thought it would be the best plan to anchor outside the heads, and explore the bay in small boats.
accordingly, the two skippers, with jack and harry, and half a dozen men, rowed towards the opening.
the sea was as clear as crystal, and at the bottom jack redland saw a sight that astonished him. the boat seemed to be gliding over the jagged tops of some great mountain range. they were rowing over a coral reef, and the splendour of the huge masses of grotesque shapes was dazzling. the movement of the water caused the most beautiful reflections, and almost every shade of rainbow hues was to be seen. gorgeously coloured sea anemones clustered on the white coral, and strangely coloured fish darted in and out of their hiding places.
"what a wonderful sight!" said jack.
"yes, it's not a bad entrance, and there seems to be plenty of vegetation," said phil.
"i was alluding to the coral bed," replied jack.
phil danks smiled as he replied—
"it is new to you, of course. i am not partial to coral reefs. i see the danger in them—not the beauty. if you were dashed on to one in a gale you would have a different opinion of them."
"i suppose they are dangerous," replied jack.
"yes, and treacherous. they tear the bottom out of a boat before you know where you are."
they passed safely through the narrow opening, and there burst upon them a strange sight. they were in a small bay, and round it were large trees sweeping down almost to the edge of the water. there was no sign of life, and yet the place seemed so home-like they could hardly believe it to be desolate.
"i have been up this coast a few times," said hake moss, "and never struck this place before. have you, phil?"
"never," answered danks, "and it's worth exploring. i vote we land over yonder and see what sort of a country it is."
he pointed across the bay to where the white beach shimmered in the blazing sunlight, and the trees drooped in graceful folds over it.
"there may be natives here," said moss. "we must be cautious; they are treacherous beggars, especially when they have not seen much of white men."
they had their guns with them, and phil, pointing to them, said, "we can easily frighten them off with a few shots."
"we must all keep together, at any rate," replied moss. "the danger arises when there is any separation. i'll never forget in one of the south sea islands when i strolled away into the bush by myself. i had not been half an hour alone before i was surrounded by yelling savages. i made a bolt for it, but it was more by good luck than anything else i got back to the boat with nothing worse than a couple of spear wounds."
"this is different to the south seas," said phil; "but as you say, it is well to be cautious, for there is no telling what may happen. this cannot be rank's bay; there's no pearl shell in here."
"i wonder if we shall find the place," said jack.
"we will find it if it is to be found," answered phil, as the boat grated on the sand, and he sprang out, gun in hand. the others followed, and leaving a man in charge with instructions to keep a sharp look out, they walked up the sloping bank under the trees.
"there's a path here," said moss, "and that's a sure sign natives hang about the place."
jack redland was looking across the bay, thinking what a glorious sight it was, when the sand on the opposite side seemed to be alive with a moving mass of living creatures. he gave an exclamation of surprise, and the others turned round to ascertain the cause.
"look!" said jack, pointing across. "what are those black masses moving about on the beach?"
"by jove, they are turtles!" exclaimed moss. "we must get hold of some of them before we go back to the schooner. they are splendid eating and no doubt we shall find any amount of eggs."
jack had tried turtle soup, and seen an occasional one in a london shop, but here was a swarm that fairly astonished him.
"shall we follow the path or try for the turtle?" asked moss.
"turtle, by all means," laughed jack.
"i'm rather curious about that path," was the reply.
"hang the path! i agree with mr. redland. let us go for the turtle," said phil, as he walked towards the boat.
they followed him, and were sauntering leisurely down when a strange whirring, hissing sound was heard, and a shower of spears fell all round them. this was followed by loud cries, and savage yells, and a crashing in the bush behind them.
"run for it!" yelled moss, and they raced down the beach for the boat.
该作者的其它作品
《a lad of mettle》
