The Beach of Dreams: A Romance

  CHAPTER XXXIV

  THE CARCASSONNE

  Raft had found other things than arms and ammunition in the cabin, hehad found a box containing nearly three thousand five hundred dollars,partly in American money and partly in English gold coin. Chang hadstowed it in his chest, a big cedar-wood affair containing all sorts ofoddments, including a can of blue label Canton opium, cigars, a coupleof suits of fine silk and a woman's gold bracelet.

  Chang had evidently been well-to-do in his way and a man of refinement.His bunk bedding was of the finest quality and on a shelf near the bunklay piled new-washed sheets and pillow cases. The girl took his cabinand slept in his bunk. Long ago, in the world that was slowly comingback to her, the idea of sleeping in the bunk of a Chinaman she had seenkilled would have revolted her, now, it did not trouble her at all. Sheonly knew that a mattress and clean sheets were heaven, even if she hadto sleep with a revolver under her pillow. Then in a day or two she onlyput the revolver there as a matter of routine. The "Chinks" gaveevidence that so far from making trouble they were extremely anxious topropitiate and please, and the man who had evidently served Changappeared in the cabin tidying things and laying out the food, whilst theman who had evidently been mate worked the ship in his own weird wayseeming scarcely ever to sleep. He had laid the course almost due north,taking the sun with a back-stick that might have come out of the Ark,working out his calculations in the fo'c'sle in his own head. Raft didnot know, he knew nothing of navigation as a science, nor did he care,they were going north and day by day drawing into the track of ships,that was enough for him.

  One day the girl said to him: "Suppose these men make trouble over thatman you killed--and those others."

  "Let them," said Raft, "I'll tell my yarn--it's plain enough--I'm notgoing to tell no lies. The chap tried to drive us off, and we lost andnear done for, and he hit me a welt on top of all. He got his gruel."

  She had played with the idea of making up a story for the sake of Raft;she felt ashamed of the idea when she heard his words.

  "I'm thinking of that money down below," said he, "it belonged by rightsto that big chap. If a ship takes us off we'd better hand it over to themate or just leave it there for him to take."

  "Yes, we don't want the money," she replied, "I have plenty."

  "You! Where have you got it?" asked he, looking her over.

  "In France," she replied. Then she laughed. It was the first time shehad laughed since that day when the sea-bulls had driven the penguinsoff, and Raft, as though her mirth were infectious, laughed also.

  It seemed a joke to him, somehow, the idea of her having money inFrance.

  The idea of her being one of the Rich People had never worked its wayinto his head. She was just herself, different it is true in someindefinable way from anyone he had ever met, speaking differently,acting differently, but made used to his mind by struggle and adversity.He scarcely thought of her as a woman, yet he was hugely fond of her, afondness that had begun in pity and had been strengthened and made togrow by her pluck. He liked to have her near him and when she was out ofsight he felt a bit astray. He never bothered about the future, so theidea of parting with her had not come to him.

  And she? When Raft was out of her sight she felt astray. Her mind hadspun between them a tie, of a new sort in a world grown cynical and oldand cold; an affection permanent as the hills, warm as summer.Everything good in her loved Raft, it was the affection of a mother fora child, of a child for a mother.

  He had nursed her back to life, he had brought her life, and never oncesince that day had he chilled her with a littleness or broken a threadof what was spinning in her heart. He was illiterate, he was rough, buthe was Raft. He was the great beach of Kerguelen and the sea-bulls andthe distant islands, he was the hand that had destroyed Loneliness anddriven away Death, the child who had listened to Jack and the BeanStalk, the Lion that had destroyed Chang, the companion in a lonelinessringed with despair.

  One morning beyond the 40th parallel, and some two hundred miles to thenor'west of St. Paul, the Chinese mate plucked Raft by the sleeve andpointed into the west.

  The day was clear with a wind just enough to fill the sails of thebarque and a long blue leisurely swell running from the south. Away inthe east was a trace of smoke as though a grimy finger had stained thesky just above the sea-line.

  "Ship," said the mate.

  It was the one word of English that he knew. Raft was about to shout andrun to the cabin hatch to call the girl. Then he held himself back. Itmight be a false hope. Yet if he had thought he might have known that aship in the east meant a ship right across their course, here, wherethere were no trade tracks north and south.

  Then above the sea-line and clear of smoke he saw her hull.

  He pointed to the halyards and the mate understood. The mate wasevidently desperately anxious to be quit for good of his self-invitedpassengers, for when Raft came on deck again with the girl they foundthe barque under bare poles rolling to the swell and a Chinese flaghalf-masted flicking in the wind.

  Also, away across the sea, sheering towards them and making to crosstheir bows a mile away a two funnelled steamer whose funnels closed toone as she shifted her helm to get within speaking distance of them.

  She was the _Carcassonne_, a seven thousand ton freighter carryingpassengers, a French boat, bound from Sydney to Cape Town andMarseilles.

  Raft, the day before, had taken the Chinese mate down to the cabin andshewed him Chang's money and had presented it to him and the crew inpantomime.

  It was honesty. It was also a good stroke. There was no trouble when the_Carcassonne_, her huge bulk rolling gently to the swell, dropped aboat, though indeed had the companions of Chang wished to raise troublethey would have found themselves seriously handicapped, dumb as theywere in every language but their own.

  Chang had been their linguist as well as their leader. They hadliterally lost their tongue.