CHAPTER XIII
TOIL
A faint light was creeping into the skipper's room when Austin awakened,and, seeing his comrade's berth unoccupied, went out on deck. The swampswere wrapped in woolly vapour, and a column of dingy smoke went upstraight and unwavering from the funnel of the locomotive boiler. Thehot land breeze had died away, and it would be some time yet before thatfrom the sea set in. In the meanwhile it was almost cool, and verystill; so still, in fact, that Austin was startled when a flock ofparrots, invisible in the mist, swept past, screaming, overhead.
Then the sounds of man's activity suddenly commenced, for there was aclatter forward where the Spaniards flung the loose covers from thehatch, and a harsh rattle of chain mingled with the soft patter of theirnaked feet. In another few moments a sharp, musical clinking broke out,and Austin saw Tom, who had served as a steamer's donkey-man, straightenhis bent back when a rush of white vapour whirled with a stridenthissing about the locomotive boiler, which now drove the winch. Hegrinned at Austin, and glanced at the misty creek, far down which afaint screaming was dying away.
"Those parrots must be ---- silly things," he said. "What d' they wantto live here for when they can fly?"
Austin, who decided that there was some reason in the query, strolledround the house, and came upon Jefferson sitting with his back to itand the box of dynamite on the deck in front of him. He looked gaunterand more haggard than ever in the daylight, but he was busy pinchingdown a copper cap upon a strip of snaky fuse, which he proceeded tocarefully embed in a roll of semi-plastic material that looked very likea candle made of yellow wax.
"What are you doing?" asked Austin.
"Nipping on a couple of detonators," said Jefferson. "Stand clear of theone on the deck. They're lined with mercury fulminate, and you want totake your shoes off when you come near that. Giant powder's innocent bycomparison. I mean to try a stick or two of this consignment."
"What are you going to try it on?" asked Austin, who stepped back a paceor two expeditiously.
Jefferson looked up with a little grim smile. "On the house of theheadman of the village where Funnel-paint lives," he said. "If we canget in a good morning's work, we'll go up and remonstrate with him thisafternoon. You might take that stick of powder and fuse and wrap it upin something."
Austin picked up the yellow roll, and then held it as far as heconveniently could from him, while Jefferson laughed.
"I guess you needn't worry. You could pound it with a hammer, or put itin the fire, and it wouldn't show fight--that is, ninety-nine times outof the hundred," he said. "Still, there might be considerable trouble onthe other one. The sure way to stir it up is to pat a shred of it with apiece of wood, though the man who tries it is scarcely likely to seewhat it does."
Austin got rid of the dynamite as speedily as he could, and when he cameback one of the Spaniards was laying out breakfast on the deck. It wasnot a sumptuous meal, consisting, as it did, of coffee, a can of meatthat Austin fancied was tainted, ship's bread, which is biscuit, and apale fluid that had presumably been butter; but he did not feel hungry,and Jefferson ate little. In the meanwhile a blaze of light beat throughthe mists which melted under it, and flaming yellow creek and dingymangroves sprang suddenly into being as by the unrolling of atransformation scene. Their pale stems dripped slime, and just theretheir foliage was blotched and spotted as with smears of flour. It gavethem a diseased appearance, and Austin, who felt he loathed the sight ofthem already, remembered that where the mangrove grows the white man notinfrequently dies. He was almost glad when breakfast was over andJefferson rose.
"I want to be quite clear," he said. "You're going to see this thing outwith me on a quarter share?"
"I am," said Austin. "Anyway, I'll do what I can, though I'm afraid Ihaven't given the question of the share much consideration."
Jefferson looked at him intently. "Well," he said, "I've worried a gooddeal about my three-quarters. That's what I came for, and if we floather off you'll get yours, just as sure as you'll earn it--hard. It's abig thing you're going into, and you'll find it calling on all the gritthat's in you. We're on results here, and, now you understand that,we'll start in."
He went to the forward winch, and Austin, obeying his directions,descended to the hold with a vague recognition of the fact that therewas a change in Jefferson. As coaling clerk in Grand Canary, Austin hadfound him a quiet and somewhat reserved man, who conducted himself ineverything, at least, as conventionally as most of his English friendsin that island. Now it was as though he had sloughed off the veneer sothat the primitive man beneath it appeared, which is a thing that notinfrequently happens in such places as the swamps he was toiling in. Hisvoice, even, was different. It was harsh, with a suggestion of command;and the fierce, resolute nature of the man became revealed in it and thepenetrating glance of his steady eyes.
Austin, however, discovered that he had very little time to think ofJefferson. The Spaniards were on results, too, and when the chain slingcame rattling down the strenuous toil began. The hold was dim andshadowy, as well as insufferably hot, and filled with nauseating smells.The tiers of barrels slanted so that one could scarcely stand on them,but when somebody gave Austin a handspike he took his place with therest, and set about prizing loose the puncheons so that they could get asling round them or the hoisting-crabs on the stave-ends. Now and thenthe crabs slipped, or tore through the oil-soaked wood when the greatbarrel swung up into the sunlight, and it came crashing down; while eachtime they made an opening, the rest slipped down, grinding upon eachother, and squeezed it up again. Those on the lower side werewater-borne, but the others were only held in place by those beneaththem on the incline, and the men could not keep the untouched tiersintact as they would have done had the _Cumbria_ been floating level.
For the first half hour, Austin, who had never undertaken manual toilbefore, felt that his task was beyond the strength of such a man as he.One can no more acquire facility in labour without some training than hecan in an art or craft, and again and again his untaught muscles failedto obey the prompting of his will. Then the heavy puncheon generallyrolled back and bruised him, or the slipping handspike left its markupon his skin. It was probably fortunate that the Canarios werecheerful, deft-handed sailormen, courteous, too, and considerate intheir own fashion, for that half hour was, in some respects, a bitterone. During it the man of taste and leisure had his comparativeuselessness impressed upon him, for, while he gasped, and the dew ofeffort dripped from him, it was not alone the slackness of his softmuscles that became apparent, but his inferiority in quickness, and theintrepidity which on occasion risks crushed foot and hand or a brokenlimb. The men who surpassed him were also benighted aliens, but heremembered afterwards that there was not one among them who flung a jibeat him.
Then it became a trifle easier. His nerves steadied, and the fits ofgasping became less frequent as he warmed to the work. It was, asJefferson had mentioned, a big thing they had undertaken, a thing worthdoing, even apart from what they might gain by it, and it occurred tohim that somebody must toil brutally before anything of that kind inbrought to its accomplishment. By and by the strain and stress of it,the swift flitting of half-naked figures, the upward lurch of thedripping puncheons, and the clanging of the winch commenced to fire hisblood. There was, after all, a good deal of the primitive in him, and hehad the capacity for finding delight in bodily toil which still lurkshere and there in a cultured Englishman, and presently he flung hisoil-stained jacket away. Then, in a momentary pause, his shirt wasdiscarded, too, and he knotted his suspenders about his waist. When hefell in between the grinding puncheons one of them removed most of thelight singlet from him, and he clambered out with a Berserker fit uponhim. He had found his manhood, and vaguely recognised that the curselaid on man in Eden might be a privilege. Something had awakened in himhe had not felt before, though he had run the _Estremedura_'s lanchathrough the spouting surf, and had never been accounted a laggard inthe strenuous English games.
The
chain slings came down faster and faster, while the hammerings ofthe winch rang insistently through their rattle. At any cost to the menbelow it must not be kept waiting. The blaze of brightness beneath thehatch became dazzling, and Austin felt his shoulders scorched as hepassed through it. The iron deck above them shed down an intolerableheat, and still the olive-faced Canarios swayed, and splashed, andheaved amidst the barrels. Now and then a man said "Car-rai!" or inincongruous juxtaposition, "Ave Maria!" ejaculating it in gasps, butthere was a puncheon ready when the sling came clashing down, andJefferson's voice rang encouragingly through the din.
"Oh, hump yourselves! Send her up!" he said. "Vamos! Adelante! Dern yourskins! More bareel!"
Bill grinned at Austin in one momentary stoppage. "The boss is himselfagain," he said. "He's shoving her along. We've got to make the time forour little trip this afternoon. Oh, howling--is that how you slew apuncheon? You'll manslaughter one of us next time. Cut her as sherolls."
Austin gasped with astonishment as well as relief when the winch stoppedat last. The first half hour had appeared interminable, the other hourshad fled, for he saw by the distance the glare of light had moved acrossthe hold that the sun was overhead. Then he essayed to straightenhimself, and when he had with some difficulty accomplished it went upthe ladder with the rest. When he went out on deck Jefferson was sittingupon the drum of the winch, and smiled curiously as he scrutinised him.Austin, whose torn singlet fell away from him clitted with yellow oil,was almost naked to the waist, as well as very wet from the kneesdownwards. One of his canvas shoes had burst, and his hands werebleeding. He stood still, dazzled by the change of light, and blinked athis comrade.
"Well," said Jefferson, reflectively, "I have seen men who lookedsmarter, but I guess you'll do. In fact, I'm beginning to feel sure ofyou."
"Thanks!" said Austin. "I suppose in one respect that's a compliment.Still, I almost think, or, at least, I did when I first went down there,that if I'd known what was in front of me I'd have stayed in GrandCanary."
Jefferson nodded with a curious little smile. "I wonder," he said,reflectively, "if you ever felt like that before?"
Austin considered a moment.
"I'm not going to make any admissions. You probably have?" he said.
"Quite often," and Jefferson laughed. "It's a thing that happens to mostof us now and then. There are times when the contract looks very big andthe man feels very small. In fact, it's sometimes hard to look straightat it and not back down. Still, in the case of this one, it has to bedone."
"I suppose so!" said Austin, and then turned round. "Well, what is it,Bill?"
"Here's your shirt an' jacket," said the man. "If you don't want yourskin to come off, you'd better put them on."
Austin, who thanked him, did so, and then fumbled in the pocket for acigarette. The one he found was torn and crushed, but he contrived tolight it, and flung himself down in the shadow of the rail. Jefferson,who watched him, grinned.
"You're getting your grip," he said. "Not long ago you'd have slung thatthing into the creek. The man left the sir out, too. Perhaps you noticedit?"
"I did. Still, no doubt, after watching my efforts in the hold, he felthimself warranted. I didn't expect to find things quite the same here asthey are at the Catalina."
Jefferson laughed softly. "They're not. This is a blame riskyco-operative venture, and when I made it so I put down a big stake onhuman nature. We're all on results, and partners in the thing. There'sno respect in this ship. I don't want it. Why should any man touch hishat to me? Oh, I know we use the fist and handspike on Americanships--when it's necessary--and I skipped round the _Sachem_'sdeck-house once with the cold steel an inch or two behind me; but that'snot the point at all. I want a hundred cents' worth for my dollar fromevery man, and I'm going to get it, but I'm boss because I can drive awinch and break out cargo better than any of the rest of them. At least,that's one big reason."
Austin would have grinned at this not very long ago. Jefferson expressedhimself crudely, but Austin was disposed to be less critical after thatmorning's labour, and was commencing to realise that his comrade had, infact, placed a heavy stake upon the reliability of seafaring humanity. Ataint of suspicious distrust or petty treachery would, he felt, besufficient to ruin the venture, for there was one pistol in the ship toenforce authority, and a dozen men, who might defy it, with wickedknives. It was also evident that the full dollars' worth would bedemanded from every one of them. Still, Austin smiled.
"I scarcely think that's the American skipper's usual point of view,though, of course, it's a commendable one," he said. "After all, one hasto admit that there is, perhaps, some foundation for the equality notionin a democratic country, but from what I know of yours, while you seemwilling to act upon it in regard to Scandinavians, Teutons, Poles, andEnglishmen, you make Indians and niggers an exception."
"Exactly! They were made different, and they stop outside. I wascrowding her a little this morning to save time, because I mean toremonstrate with one of them this afternoon. This ship's mine; I boughther with good money, and there may be a balance out that's to be settledwith blood as well. Am I to sit down while the black scum take her fromme?"
"I really think that the longer one looks at this contract the bigger itgets," said Austin, reflectively.
Jefferson glanced at the dingy forest, flaming creek, and the_Cumbria_'s slanted deck with a little glow in his eyes.
"Well," he said, "that's what gets hold of me. To worry a big contractthrough, is--life--to some kinds of men."
"Perhaps it is, but it was easier painting little pictures. Still, yousee, when you marry Miss Gascoyne you'll have to go round with yourshirt, and, perhaps, a frock coat on, and let up on this kind of thing.In fact, what you are doing isn't at all what the folks she isacquainted with would expect from a man with AL20,000 in England."
Jefferson laughed, though there was a certain grimness in his face."Well," he said, "there is a good deal to be done everywhere, anddifferent ways of playing the game. A frock coat wouldn't stop a manmaking a show at one of them, although at first he mightn't find itcomfortable. Life's much the same thing everywhere when you mean to takepart in it and hustle. Any way, I've talked enough, and Wall-eye'scoming along with the comida."
They ate the meal in silence. Austin was glad to rest, and sittingdrowsily content in the shadow, he began to realise the boundlessoptimism and something of the adaptability of his companion. Jeffersonhad made an excellent coaling clerk at Las Palmas, though he knewnothing about the business, which demands a good deal of discretion,when he came there. He had also passed muster with Mrs. Hatherly andMuriel Gascoyne as what they no doubt called a gentleman, which was amanifestly harder thing, and here in Africa he was a ragged andfever-worn leader of primitive men, but clearly a successful one. Itseemed to Austin that if he eventually aspired to become a localinfluence in any part of sheltered England he would also in allprobability show up equally well.