SPOILED BROTH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10066, 6 February 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

SPOILED BROTH.

(By John Barton Oxford.)

A creaking baggage-wagon, drawn by a sliambling old white horse, came rattling down the elm-lined roadway, which was Stoneport's main thoroughfare. The freckled-faced youth who drove the clumsy equipage brought it to a halt before the general store; and Captain Eli Whitney climbed: stiffly down from the board seat, with as much grace as his seventy years and 'his Tlieumatic joints would permit. "Got them things ready that I ordered this mornin'?" he inquired of Gene Nea], the storekeeper, as the latter roused himself from the after-dinner nap he was taking on the top of a cracker-box. "All. Teady, Cap'n Eli. Goin' to take 'em ,with you?" "Yep. There's suthin else I want, though. I clean forgot the tobaecer; put in two pound of that dark smokin'. An' then you reckon up what I owe ye, an' I'll pay it." 2seal wrapped' np the tobacco and tossed it on the pile of parcels that formed Captain Whitney's other purchases. He pulled a pencil from his pocket, drew forward a sheet of -wrapping-paper, and, sliding the packages one at a time along the worn, counter, began laboriously to figure out the grand total. "Eighteen seventy-eight," he announced at length. "Call it eighteen seventy." Captain Eli rummaged an inner pocket, found -a worn leather wallet and counted out the amount. The storekeeper scribbled a receipt. "I suppose it ain't any of my business," he suggested tentatively, "but ain't yon . buyin' Kinder heavy all to once, Cap'n Eli ? What in time are you goin' to do with all this stuff ?" Captain. Whitney grinned. "I'm buyin' this stuff,- Gene, for provisions for a cruise. He an' Cap'n; Dunn an' Cap'n Sam Perkins is goin'. mackerelin'." . "Goin' mackerelin'!" Neal repeated - in surprise. "Then it's you three that's been havin' the old ATary Bell ; fixed up,' is.it?" .' "That's what," Whitney declared. "We've bought her, an' a good dory an' a set of seines." "Shof said -.Seal. He rubbed his chin reflectively, then, "Sho!" he reiterated. "That gets me ! What in thunder are you three old fossils, -with all the. money; you've got between ye, goin' mackerelin' for?" Again Captain Whitney grinned. "Well, there ain't none of; us millionaires, as I know of," he explained depiecatingly. "A little money wouldn't come-in no ways unhandy. _ Besides, we're. sick to death of harigin'• round-doin'nothin', all three of us." Theyire gettin'. any quantity of mackerel off ■ Sandy ■ Shoals. , Struck, in last week, they did'. Only yesterday-Ed Barrows come in with most eighty barrels,

.an' they're fetohin' amaziri -good prices, too. Me-an? Ben an' Sam might jest as well be makin' a little suthin' as anybody .else." .•' •" He gathered up his numerous packages, - and with -Seal's help carried them out to the wagon and stowed them beneath the seat; after which-he climbed aboard; and the wagon went bumping complaimngly through the mottled shadows beneath the elms, turned into the narrow cart-track that led down to the bay, and stopped finally at. the straggling old - wharf, the sole remaining reminder of - Stoneport s brief Jay of commercial activity, now long since pas't. / Moored to the rotting stanchions lay the Marv Bell, a broad-beamed, tubby little, schooner,, resplendent in a recent coat of shiny black paint. ■■■ Perched on her rail, the while he pulled stolidly at a short, black pipe, sat a hugeframed old man with stooping shoulders and thick, iron-gray hair. Another grayheaded- man, somewhat smaller of stature than the one :on the rail, was sluicing down the deck with buckets of water drawn from overside. As the wagon creaked up to the end ot the wharf, Captain Eli jovially hailed the pair oil the schooner's deck. "Come on, you Sam, an' Ben, he called ; "here's the provisions. Git 'em aboard. The two crawled over the schooners rail to the wharf, and while Captain Jill paid the freckled youth, they carried the packages aboard and stowed them away in the galley. "Sow then," said Whitney, as he gained the schooner's deck with a ponderous jump, "everythin's all ready, am t "It 'pears to be," said Captain Dunn. "Tide's runnin' out strong. Might as well git under way at once." -Hey?" said Captin Perkins, whose hearing was somewhat defective. "Tide's right, an' we're goin' out right off," Whitney shouted. "Cast off them moorin's, Sam." Captain Perkins threw off the lines from 1 the bow and stern, and in the grip of the tide, the Mary Bell drifted rapidly away from the wharf.. Captain Dunn, with all the air ol a ■ man bom to command, walked to the wheel. ■ "Up with your jib, there, he bawled. "Look alive, now !" : Whitney, with an alacrity that seemed impossible in so portly a frame, sprang ! forward; but even as he grasped the sheet f a disquieting thought seemed to take pos- > session of him. A dull angry red crept • into his weather-beaten cheeks. His gray eyes shot out flames. He let go the slieet , and spun about on his heel. i "What in tunket ails ye?" Dunn roared. : "H'ist yer jib—d'yer hear?" Whitney doubled his fist and shook it i vindictively at the man hy the wheel. I "Who d'yer think you're talkin' to—one i' of the fo'mast hands ?" he said in a voice 3 choked with wrath. i Dunn ripped out an oath. "Look - ahere," he cried, "who's master of this : craft?" "You ain't, that's certain," said: Whitl ney. "I've been master of too many ves- - se!s to begin takin' orders now." "Hey?" said Perkins, craning forward, ■' his hand behind his ear. "What's goin' on?" , "He's got an idee he's master of this schooner," Whitney bellowed' in explanation. "Grvhi' of us his orders as if we - was fo'mast hands." , "Why shouldn't I be master here?" 3 Dunn demanded. "You two ain't neither 3 of ye never commanded nothin' but coastiif i vessels. Couldn't either of ye take a

' reckonin' to save your souls.'' Perkins granted scornfully. "Thunder of a lot of navigation it takes to get out to Sandy Shoals an' back, don't it';" he said with spirit. "I was goin' outthere before you was out of petticoats,, I'd give more for a man. that knew the soundin's round here than for all the navigation that was ever learnt." "That's right," Whitney hastened to confirm. "Navigation don't count for much goin' out to the Shoa'ls. I guess it' any one's goin' to give orders, it had better be me." "I ain't so sure of that,'neither," Perkins croaked. ''l'd jest as soon take orders from Ben as from you. Don't either of ye know enough of the Shoals to last ye over, night. When it comes, to decidin' on a. skipper—•" A crunching beneath the keel, a grinding shock that all but threw them from their feet, interrupted him. Absorbed in their altercation they had failed to notice whither the tidte was taking them. Too late they beheld the Bluff Point buoy just over the starboard bow. "Sufferin' Moses !" Dunn fairly howled. ''Look where we be, will ye? Hard aground on Bluff P'int bar, an' all through your cussed foolishness. For mighty's sake, git up that jib, can't ye? Maybe wo can git her off now." Whitney stuffed his hands obstinately into his trousers-pockets. "I'm dumbed if I care," said he. "Wo might jest as well be here as anywhere till"-we git this tiling settled up. There ain't no good gettin' up sail now, not with this tide runnin'. You won't git off until after it turns—long about ten to-night'or so."' "Let's go down into the cabin an' take a ballot for cap'n," Perkins suggested. "Majority rules—that's, fair, ain't it?" They went below, and five successive ballots were taken; but as each man voted for himself, and, moreover, refused to listen to all arguments tending to show him the error of his way, it was a deadlock pure and simple. It was after the fifth ballot that Captain Whitney had his inspiration. "We can't go on in this way," he observed flatly. "There ain't but one reasonable way out of it, accordin' to my idees."

"Well, what's your idees?" "So long's we can't decide which one of us shall be ca-p'n, and so long's we can't all be cap'n, it strikes me the only sensible thing to do is to git one somewhere outside. We can be crew all right. There's nothin' to hinder that. We'll all be served alike, then." To this the other two agreed. "But who ye goin' to git?" Dunn asked anxiously. "There's Kate Handover here on Bluff P'int," Perkins suggested. "He'd be a good one for us. He knows them Shoals like a book. What say? Want me to take the dory an' go over an' see him?" So it was finally agreed that Captain Hall was the man for them, I'rovided they could .get him. The dory was hoisted over the side and Sam Perkins pulled shoreward toward the little white cottage on the end of Bluff PointShortly before dusk he was back again, and with him in the dory was a stout, middle-aged man. His eyes twinkled as he stepped to the schooner's deck. "Never heard the beat, of it!" he chuckled delightedly. ~ "Three - old relies like you 6tartin'. out mackerelin', an' gittin' to squabb'lin' an' landin' up on the bar! Sam, here, says you want me to go master for you. Now, . I'll tell ■ you what'l'll do. I'll go for a quarter lay." "Quarter lay!" Whitney- gasped. "Not by a dumb sight. You ain't put no money into this thing. We'll give ye an eighth." "A quarter or nothin'," said Hall flatty. "It's wuth.. it all; right, considerin' the crew I'm goin'. to have." Long and heatedly the matter was argued. It was finally settled by offering the new skipper .a lay of one-sixth the prospective catch, which he accepted with great outward ■ reluctance but with many inward ehucklings. It was' shortly after .ten that night, when the Mary Bell' drifted; off the bar with the flood tide, and, with her new skipper at ■ the helm and . her three owners., ensconed in the forecastle, went; bumping across the bay toward Sandy Shoals. By noon of the. following day they had reached -the .fishing-grounds; but, -here, much.to their dismay,'not a sail was in sight. It was a. crushing blow, for- an absence of ■ sail argued all too plainly an .absence of ■ fish. "Must be over to the east'ard edge," the skipper .. hazarded, and -; shaped the schooner's course in that direction. But the eastern edge of ;' the ; Shoals prived to he quite as barren. .Not'a sign of a sail nor the mackerel school did they discern. "Humph!" Sam Perhins grunted. "Don't- it" beat all. Gone to the nor'ard, most. probably. Up ■ found Horseshoe Shoal, ■l'll bet my hat." -■■- "That's where they, are if they're anywheres' roundj" Whitney agreed. "Either there, or further along to Short Oove," Dunn surmised. "What's Hall

ddinl now? I vmn if lie ain't headin' her to .the south'ard.'r' .''That won't do," snapped. "We'll never find 'em that --way." ~ He Jiobbied stiffly aft. "See here, skipper,"- he said, "you're makin' a mistake ain't ver?" , , "Guess, not," was the good-natured reply. '• , . ."Where, you headin' for?' Perkins persisted. "Where you cal'latih' en strikiu them fish?" .. . : "l>oun round -..Sunk.-Ledge is where you'll find 'em," said: the skipper. .'•Sunk. Ledge nothin'!" Dunn snapped. "We want to ,go up to the Horseshoe." - "Say, look ahere," Hall said, glowering savagely. ."I want the mackerel jest, as bad as you do, don't I? I'm on a lay, ain't I? If you was payin' me wages that would be one thing; but you ain't. If I'm. goin': to get anythin' out of tins we got to get fish." "Then, go up to the Horshoe," Whitney interjected. "That's where be." •'You're goin' jest where I say," the skipper : snarled. "I'm master of this craft." • ~-,>,•■ "Hey? What's he say.' Perkins inquired of Whitney. . ■ , "He says we're goin' where he's a mind to take us," Whitney shouted. "Says he's master of this schooner." "Well, we're the owners," Perkins declared defiantly. "You ain't nothin' but the crew, as fuv as I'm concerned," the skipper maintained. "What's that he says?" shouted Perkins, . turning to. Dunn. , ; "Says we ain't nothin' but the crew, Dunn roared. Perkins glared savagely at the grinning skipper. ".Nothin' but the crew, eh?" he growled. "Well, the crew wants to go up to Horseshoe Shoals. What say? Are vou goin' '!" "I ain't used to takin' orders from my crews," the skipper bellowed. "Git for'ard, all of ye. Them mackerel is down round Sun Ledge, an' that's where I'm goin'.". Sam' Perkins drew himself up. There was a flash of fire in his keen old eyes. .'•lf that's the case!" he shoutd-at the ! top of his voice, "the crew's goin' to mutiny. Come.on, fellers." Be made a rush at the skipper. With a yell of anger and defiance the latter [ dropped the wheel. The schooner, with ■ slatting sails, came into the wind. ' -It was a royal struggle, but jS T at Hall, ' younger and more vigorous though he was, '' was no match for the three. In the twin- ' k'ling of an eye they had him down, and 1 while Pen Dunn and Sam Perkins sat on him, Eli Whitney securely bound lus • wrists and ankles with a bit of rope. Then, swearing eternal vengeance, he was b carried below, dumped unceremoniously into a bunk of a stateroom, and locked in. 3 Outside the locked door, from behind which came gurgles of wrath shot through c by articulate words tended to curl the hair 5 of the offenders, the three entered into council. "Looks like we'd got to be skippers, " after all," said Ben Dunn. "Best way out of it, seems to me, is to have each one oj ,' us take it in turn; eight-hour watches apiece."

The suggestion was hailed with approval. Then Sam Perkins scratched his head doubtfully. '•Who's goin' to be skipper first?" he inquired. "Draw lots," said Whitney. "Put three pieces of paper in a hat. Longest is skipper first, next longest gets next chance." The lots were drawn and fate installed Sam Perkins <as skipper for the first watch. hi this way. turn and turn about, they niade their way northward to Horseshoe Shoal; but here again there was no signs of fish. All day they cruised about, grumbling, disheartened, roundly berating their luck. It was just at dusk that Sam Perkins ' took the wheel lor his. watch -as skipper. Forward by the rail Ben JJimn and Eli Whitney were in earnest conversation. "We'd oughter to go up Short Cove," Dunn was sayin'. ■ "I'm willin', but Sam's 'bout give out." Whitney returned. "Said when it come his turn to be skipper he was goin' to head her for home; that he'd had enough mackerelin' to last him the rest of his natural days. Look, there he puts her about. He's hoadin' her sou'west." "Say, I'm ashamed to go home with nary a. fish," Dunn declared. "\"ou ain't a mite more so'n I be," Whitney returned. Dunn meditated! deeply for a moment "Tell you what we'll do," he suggested at length". "We'll let him run her sou'west his watch. It's mine next, I'll set her no'theast for Short Cove, an' . in your watch you can keep the same course. If Sam wants to put her back to sou'west in his watch, we don't say nothin'.. It'll be two to one; an' we'll git to Short Cove sometime." "I'll go ye," said Whitney fervently. "I ain't stuck on facing the folks at Stoneport without ary a Ssh." Therefore, in the small hours of the mo:.ling, when Dunn relieved Perkins at the wheel, he put the schooner about and headed her north-east for Short Cove. It was a cloudy night. The wind began to freshen, and presently there came a deluge of rain. Momentarily the sea roughened and when, just before daybreak, Eli Whitney came on deck: to stand his watch as ski >per, the Mary Bell was jumping and splashing and groaning like a thing alive. * Dunr. went below and turned in. It was ne; ring noon when he again came on deck. The sea was still rough and the ■wind half a. gale, although the rain had ceased, and through the Tagged drift of clouds the sun made gallant efforts to put in an appearance. Dunn took a suspicious glance at the sails and , then peered into the binnacle. The schooner was headed south-west. He turned to Whitnev with darkening brows. "What's the meanin' of this? Thought you was goin' to stick by me an' try to git a smell of fish up to Short Cove," he said accusingly. Whitney shook his head lugubriously. 'T should .'a' liked to first rate, Ben," he said, mournfully, but it wa'n't to be. This old tub wa'nt never meant to he out in no such weather as this. She's opened up and leaian' like a sieve. If you don't believe it, take a look into the galley. It's all awash. Then go help Sam at the pump." Dunn shuffled forward and peered into the galley. WTiat he saw there sent him to the pump at a shambling run. As he was relieved, Sam staggered back and leaned weakly against the rail, puffing and far spent with recent labors. "Cussed fools!" he panted'. "W 7 e might 'a' been back to_ Stoneport long ago but for you an' Eli bein' so sot on tryin' Short Cove!' ' - Dunn said nothing. He bent his weight to the pump, and worked away with might and main. "Be lucky if we git in at all, leakin' as she is now," he said gloomily. Dunn set his teeth. "Go down an' let Nate out of that stateroom," he directed. 'Tell •• him- if- lie- wants ,to see 'Stoneport again,, he'd better come up here an' work this pump with me.". Late that afternoon the Mary Bell, her rail well down to the water, came limping into the bay, and made her waterlogged way towards the wharf. • Captain Sam Perkins was at the wheel; at the-pump the other three worked away doggedly. Presently Eli Whitney straightened up -with a sigh of relief. "That'll do I callate," said he. _ "Guess ' she won't sink on us before we git to the wharf." .-Captain Ben Dunn gingerly rubbed his stiffened back. ■ - "I never believed a sight of shore would look so food to me," he observed sententiously. Nate Hall wipe the perspiration from his forehead. "Well, maybe it won't look so good to ve when you git to it," he said meaningly. •■•■•-... "What do you mean?" Dunn inquired. •,. :"Say," said Hall, with a most unpleasant grin, "you- three old imbeciles don't ■think •■you're going to git out of this scot-free, do ye?":.. ■ ■ Dunn and W 7 hitney looked at him in blank bewilderment. ''■ ."You don't s'pose. I'm goin' out with ■;vou on a- lay— goin' out: as master," mind. ye—and: then have.yom mutiny, on me, -an' ;notsay a word about it, -dp ye? I'm ?oing -, to: make it hot for all■ three'of ye when I "it ashore, ; dumbed if I ain't. There's law in this land, an' mutiny is a serious offence." - /

"Oh, came on, Nate.'' said Kli Wlu.nv soothingly, "we didn't expect ye lo pn;: up with it for nothing'! We're willin lo make it wuth your while." "You can't make it up to me," said Hall severely, "exceptin' in one way. ' "How's that?" Dunn inquired. "If you've a mind to' fell me this schooner, sear an' .all, at a reasonable fiffger, I'll keep my mouth shut aliout the mutiny." , ~ ~,,.. "What'll you offer lor her .' said \\ mta few moments of vigorous bickering between the three, but at last a price was agreed- upon that was satisfactory to both parties. Then Dumi and Whitney went aft to get Sam Perkms sanction. . .. , ••Sav'" Whitney yelled, his In* <-lob<to Sam's -ear. "Nate wants to buy the schooner an' the -ear. He'* offered four hundred an' Lily lessn what we her; but he'll keep his mouth sluU about the mutinyin'. Mean' Ben s wilhn to do it. What do you say.' '-Sell her!" roared the man at the when with no indecision whatever. For fullv a week Stoneport saw nothi g of f'-uitain Kli Whitne" or (.-apt ain Hen jLm'oi a S,p ta in Sam Perkins. Then one gloomy day when the ran. 101 l u ,leefe and the wind howled dolefully about the eaves, the three foregathered shamefacedly at Gene- Neil s store. Huddled about the stove m which II - first fire of the season was. crackling, tlit> bore with stoic fortitude the, many gibe, which fell inevitably to their ]<*• •■Well, 'twa'n't so bad," Sam I'ovMns, observed at length. "We had a purt ; fair time of it. an'- got put of it ,01 sulhin'like a hundred an' iiit-y apiece "You lost more than that, I reckon a man sprawled on a nail-keg laughed. "How so?" said Perkins. "Well Nate Hall come m yesterday with seventy-eight barrels ol as prime, mackere 1 as I've seen in a good while. 'j he three looked at each other sheepishly "Got 'em off Sunk Ledge. ' For a moment there was dead silence. Then Whitney arose stiffly. "Even so, I guess we got our money s wuth," he said with due convnetion It s learnt us to stay ashore where sue h old numbskulls as wo are belongs t,e,ie. let's have a quarter's wuth of them iivocent; cigars."