II ~ A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
A few hours later Mr. de Vere was on very friendly terms with Mr. andMrs. Deighton, who had carried him off to the mission house, after theboat returned to the schooner. Before he accompanied them, however, hetold Messrs. Burrowes and Schwartzkoff, as he shook hands, that he wouldnot fail to visit them later on in the day at their respective houses.And both Peter, and the American, who on any other occasion would havebeen justly indignant at any white visitor not a missionary himselfforegoing, even for a short time, the pleasure of their society for thatof a "blarsted missionary," shook hands with him most vigorously, andsaid they would be proud to see him. Then they hurried off homewards.
Peter's house and trading station lay midway between that of CharlieBlount and the American's, but instead of making for his own place,Peter, to the surprise of Blount, who was now standing at his doorwatching them, went inside Burrowes' house.
"That's d----d curious, now," said Blount, in English, to one of hishalf-caste daughters, a girl of eighteen; "those two fellows hate eachother like poison. I've never known the Dutchman go into the Yankee'shouse, or the Yankee go into his, for the past two years, and here theyare now as thick as thieves! I wonder what infernal roguery they are upto?"
Charlie Blount's amazement was perfectly natural, The German andAmerican did dislike each other most intensely. Neither of them hadlived so long on Mayou as Blount, but each was trying hard to work theother man off the island by accusing him to the natives of cheatingthem. As a matter of fact they were both scoundrels, but Banderah, thechief of Mayou, who was fond of white men, managed to keep a hollowpeace between them. _He_ was perfectly well aware that both of themcheated himself and his people, but as long as their cheating waspractised moderately he did not mind. In Blount, however, he had thefullest confidence, and this good feeling was shared with him by everynative on the island.
* * * * *
Perhaps, had Blount been a witness of what occurred when the boatlanded, his suspicion of his fellow-traders' honesty would have beenconsiderably augmented. For while the missionary and Mr. de Vere werebandying compliments, the German and American were exchanging signs withthe officer who was in charge of the boat, and whom De Vere addressedas "Captain Sykes." The American, indeed, had started down the beach tospeak to him, when Mr. de Vere called out to him to return to the ship,and Captain Sykes, with a gesture signifying that he would see Burroweslater on, swung round the boat's head and gave the word to his Kanakacrew to give way. As if quite satisfied with this dumb promise, theAmerican returned to the group he had just left, and then the momentthe missionary, Mrs. Deighton, and De Vere had gone, he and the Germanstarted off together.
The moment they entered the American's house, Burrowes sat down on thetable and the German on a gin case.
"Wal, Dutchy," said Burrowes, looking keenly at his companion, "I reckonyou know who the almighty swell in the brass-bound suit is, hey?"
"Yaw," replied Schwartzkoff, "it is Bilker, und I thought he was inbrison for ten years mit."
"Wal, that's true enough that he did get ten years. But that's six yearsago, an' I reckon they've let him out. Public feelin' in Australia aginnigger catchin' ain't very strong; an' I reckon he's got out after doin'five or six years."
"Dot is so," asserted the German; and then he leaned forward, "but vatvas he doing here in dis fine, swell schooner mit?"
"That's jest what you and me is goin' to find out, Dutchy. An' I guessthat you an' me _can_ find out darned easy. Bilker ain't going to fool_me_; if he's on to anything good, I guess I'm going to have a cut in."
"Veil, ve see by und by, ven he comes ashore. Von ding, I dells you,mine friend. Dot fine shentleman don't know vat you und me knows aboutCaptain Bilker."
The American gave an affirmative wink, and then going to a rude cupboardhe took out a bottle of gin and a couple of tin mugs.
"Look hyar, Peter, I guess you and me's goin' to do some businesstogether over this schooner, so let's make friends."
"I vas agreeable," said the German with alacrity, rising from his seatand accepting the peace-offering. He nodded to Burrowes and tossed itoff.
*****
By lunch-time Mr. Morcombe-Lycett had been brought ashore and hadaccepted Mr. Deighton's invitation to remain for the night He was awell-dressed, good-looking man of about thirty-five, and was, so Mr.Deighton sympathisingly announced to his wife, suffering from a touch ofmalarial fever, which a little quinine and nursing would soon put rightMr. Deighton himself, by the way, was suffering from the same complaint.
At noon, as Charlie Blount was walking past Burrowes' house, he wassurprised to see that the German was still there. He was about to passon--for although on fairly friendly terms with the two men, he did notcare for either of them sufficiently well to enter their houses often,although they did his--when the American came to the door and asked himto come in and take a nip.
"Are you going to board the schooner?" asked Burrowes, as Blount came inand sat down.
"No, I'm going down to Lak-a-lak. I've got some natives cutting timberfor me there, and thought I would just walk along the beach and see howthey are getting on. Besides that, my little girl Nellie is there withher uncle."
"Why," said Burrowes, with genuine surprise, "won't you go aboard andsee if they have any provisions to sell? I heard you say the other daythat you had quite run out of tinned meats and nearly out of coffee."
"So I have; but I don't care about going on board for all that" Thenlooking the two men straight in the face, he drank off the gin, set themug down on the table, and resumed, "I saw by my glass that that damned,cut-throat blackbirder, Bilker, is her skipper. That's enough for me. Iheard that the infernal scoundrel got ten years in gaol. Sorry he wasn'thanged."
"Vy," said the German, whose face was considerably flushed by the liquorhe had been drinking, "you vas in der plackpird drade yourselves vondime."
"So I was, Peter," said Blount quietly, "but _we_ did the thinghonestly, fairly and squarely. I, and those with me, when I was in thelabour trade, never stole a nigger, nor killed one. This fellow Bilkerwas a disgrace to every white man in the trade. He is a notorious,cold-blooded murderer."
The conversation fell a bit flat after this, for Mr. Burrowes and Mr.Schwartzkoff began to feel uncomfortable. Six or seven years before,although then unknown to each other and living on different islands,they each had had business relations with Captain Bilker in the matterof supplying him with "cargo" during his cruises for "blackbirds,"and each of them had so carried on the trade that both were ultimatelycompelled to leave the scene of their operations with great haste, andtake up their residence elsewhere, particularly as the commander of thecruiser which arrested Captain Bilker expressed a strong desire to maketheir acquaintance and let them keep him company to the gallows.
"Wal," resumed the American, "I guess every man hez got his own opinionson such things. I hev mine---- Why, here's Mr. de Vere. Walk right in,sir, an' set down; and Mister Deighton, too. Howdy do, parson? I'm realglad to see you."
The moment the visitors entered Blount rose to go, but the missionary,with good-natured, blundering persistency, pressed him back, holding hishand the while.
"Mr. de Vere, this is Mr. Blount, a most excellent man, I do assureyou."
"How do you do?" said Blount, taking the smiling Englishman's hand inhis, but quickly dropping it. There was something in De Vere's set smileand cold, watery-blue eyes that he positively resented, although he knewnot why.
However, as the somewhat dull-minded Deighton seemed very anxiousfor him to stay and engage in "doing the polite" to his guest, Blountresumed his seat, but did so with restraint and impatience showingstrongly in his sun-burnt, resolute face. For some ten minutes or sohe remained, speaking only when he was spoken to; and then he rose,and nodding a cool "good-day" to the handsome Mr. de Vere and the twotraders, he strode to the door and walked out.
Before he was half-way from Burrowes' house to the mission station, hewas overtaken by the Rev.
Mr. Deighton.
"Mr. de Vere has gone on board again," he said in his slow, solemn way,"gone on board to get me some English papers. A most estimable and kindgentleman, Mr. Blount, an aristocrat to the backbone, but a gentleman,Mr. Blount, a gentleman above all. His visit has given me the mostunalloyed----"
"He may be very kind," said Blount, "but my judgment has gone very muchastray if he is what he represents himself to be."
"Mr. Blount!" and the missionary looked genuinely shocked. "You are veryunjust, as well as very much in error. Mr. de Vere is a scion of one ofthe noblest of our many noble English families. He told me so himself."
"Ah, did he! That just confirms me in my opinion of him. Now, lookhere, Mr. Deighton," and his tone became slightly irritated, "I'm notsurprised that this Mr. de Vere--who, whatever he is, is _not_ a scionof any noble English family--should impose upon men like Burrowes andthe German, but that he should impose on you does rather surprise me.And yet I don't know. It is always the way, or nearly always the way,that those whose education and intelligence should be a safeguard tothem against imposture, are as often imposed upon as the ignorant anduncultured."
"Imposture, Mr. Blount! Do you mean to say----"
"I mean to say that this man De Vere with his flashy get-up and imposingname is _not_ an English gentleman. He may deceive you and the men wehave just left, but he doesn't deceive me. I once lived in England along time ago, Mr. Deighton," here Blount turned his face away, and thenadded dreamily, "a long time, a very long time ago, and met some fairlydecent people. And I no more believe that Mr. de Vere comes from a goodfamily than I do that Nathaniel Burrowes, a low, broken-down New Orleanswharf-loafer, comes from one of the 'first families in Virginia' thatAmerican newspapers are always blathering about" "What is wrong withhim, Mr. Blount?" "Nothing from your point of view--everything frommine. And, so far as I am concerned, I don't mean to have anything to dowith these two English gentlemen and the yacht _Starlight_. Well, herewe are at the mission. Good-day, Mr. Deighton; I'm going to Lak-a-lakto see how my timber-getters are doing." And with a kindly nod at thetroubled missionary, the big, dark-faced trader strode along the beachalone.