CHAPTER VIII--LOST IN KINGSTON
Directly after breakfast the next morning, Mr. Dalken and his guests,having first agreed to meet on the yacht that evening at seven fordinner, made ready to start on a tour of inspection.
The girls in light summer dresses, had donned their wide-brimmed hats,and taken sun-shades for protection from the sun; and the men haddressed in white flannels and Panama hats, in order to keep as cool aspossible.
"One last word," advised Mr. Dalken, as Jack stood ready to lead hisparty to the wharf. "Don't let those rascally hackmen get your money.Better walk about, while the air is cool and fresh. Later we shall haveto remain on the verandah of the Spring Hotel to sip lemonade and fanourselves."
The friends laughed gayly and started off. The younger contingent of thetouring party went first, the elders following in a leisurely mannerwhile conversing with their host. Jack and Ray led the way across thedock to the entrance which, to their chagrin, was blocked completely bythe hacks which they had been so recently warned against.
Jack looked in every direction for an opening. There were none. "Well,girls, it's a case of taking the bull by the horns. I'll grab one ofthese old nags by the head and lead him out; then you can follow throughthe gap and land on the other side of this mob which is after ourmoney--that's what it is!"
No sooner said than done; hence Ray, not caring to be considered alaggard in such a good work, followed suit and caught hold of the headof a horse next the one taken by Jack. But the men who owned theseanimals felt that they had a right in the matter. At the very momentthat Jack caught hold of the bit of the horse, the black driver lashedthe flank of his beast unmercifully, causing the horse to start and tearacross the open square in front of the quay. Naturally this unexpectedmove dragged Jack from his feet, and in constant danger of beingtrampled or kicked, he found it unwise to let go his hold.
The girls stood and screamed, but Ray let go his hold on the other horseand dashed madly after his friend. He thought the horse was runningaway, with Jack hanging to his head. By the time Polly collected herwits enough to act, Jack was out of sight around the corner, and Ray wassprinting after the equipage which had been lost in a cloud of yellowdust.
"Here! Jump in and let's go after them!" ordered Eleanor, as she spied ahack with a good looking horse in its shafts.
Polly sprang in and Eleanor followed, but before Ruth or Nancy could getin, the driver slammed the door and off he went, in a whirl of dust.Ruth and Nancy stood dumb and watched them go.
By this time Mr. Dalken and his friends came up. He looked around insurprise. "Why! Where is Jack and the others?"
"Oh, Dalky!" cried Ruth, "Jack's been run away with and the two girlshave been kidnapped!"
"Impossible! In broad daylight?" exclaimed many voices.
Nancy tried to explain all that had happened in so short a time, thenMr. Dalken laughed. "Exactly what I advised you against. If we hadlanded last night every one would have been whipped into a separatevehicle and carried off to a different hotel. These drivers are paid todrag visitors to the various houses willy-nilly, and once the touristsarrive, they are so frightened at their experience, they usually remainwhere they have been left. But where did the man take Polly andEleanor?"
While he spoke, such a clamor and wrangling of drivers at the elbows ofeach one in the group, drove Mr. Dalken distracted. Finally he turnedand held up a hand for silence. Little cared these black men for NewYork authority or prestige. They all wanted a fare, and that was all.
"There's but one thing to do--each one of us get in a separate hack andtell the man to drive you to the Spring Hotel. When you arrive theretell him to wait for me--that I carry the purse. That will cool theirblood and have them ready for me when I arrive."
Mr. Fabian laughed, but it was the only solution to rid themselves ofbeing pulled to tatters by the myriad of besieging men. Quickly then Mr.and Mrs. Fabian got in one cab, Mr. and Mrs. Ashby in another, Nancy andRuth with Mr. Dalken got in a third, and all started off.
As far as weather went, the day was beautiful and calm. But the oldrackety hacks went seesawing over the yellow road whence one could seethe blue edge of the sea far out beyond the coral reefs. White bits ofsail on distant little vessels made bright spots on the blue glassyhorizon. Finally, after a drive of not more than ten blocks, but a tripwhich the wily drivers had stretched out into twenty blocks by goinground about the town, the first load of shaken-up passengers reached thehotel verandah. The driver brought his horse to a sudden stop with awild hurrah and a flourish of the limp whip. Then he sprang to theground and demanded his money.
"You'll have to wait for the last man to arrive. He has the money,"explained Mr. Fabian, as instructed.
Such a volley of expletives then poured from the man's mouth that Mrs.Fabian covered her ears and ran for the hotel porch. But a diversionoccurred in having the second hack arrive and crash into the first one.The Ashbys stepped out with shaking nerves and white faces.
"Oh, such a drive!" gasped Mrs. Ashby, but the driver interrupted her bydemanding his money.
He received the same reply as that given to the first driver. The secondman could curse even more fluently than the one who had sent Mrs. Fabianscurrying away. But Mr. Ashby quietly took one step forward and caughtthe whip from the darky's hand. Instantly he cowered and bobbed as if inapology.
Then came Mr. Dalken's equipage, with Ruth and Nancy in mortal dread ofbeing killed before the man would stop his horse.
"Where is Jack and the other girls?" asked Mr. Dalken, looking around inwonderment. He had fully expected to find them all there.
Before any one could reply, the wrangling over the fares began again.Each driver claimed four times the usual fee, but Mr. Dalken understoodthem, and when at last he had settled for the regular price of a dollara trip, they smiled politely and drove away.
"You see, in these isles, one must never pay the price demanded. Thenative holds the highest regard and esteem for those who know the ropesand stick to one price--generally it is four to five times less than thatasked. Remember this when you go shopping, ladies," said Mr. Dalken.
"But what will you do about Polly and Nolla--and the two lost boys?"asked Ruth, anxiously.
"We will go over on the verandah and order long cool drinks of orangeadeand wait for them. They will come, all right, when the driver hears thatthey wish to stop at this hotel," said Mr. Dalken.
"Aren't you a little worried?" asked Mrs. Courtney.
"No, not in Kingston. It would have been different in Havana or Hayti.Here, every one is as honest as the drinks--and they are temperance andpure. No synthetic orangeade for your money." The laughing tone andreassuring manner of their host made his friends feel confident thatsoon the lost members of their party would arrive with varied tales ofadventures.
Meanwhile young Baxter had managed to cause such a drag on the horse, towhich he clung like grim death, that the animal stopped on a side lanewhere the blinding dust measured at least ten inches in depth. NattyJack, in his once immaculate white flannels and silk shirt, looked forall the world as if he had been purposely caked with Jamaica dust aninch thick. Even his hair and eyebrows stuck out in yellow thickness. Asthe horse stopped Jack let go and sat down upon the ground with a heavysigh.
"Aigh, you-all pays me free dollahs!" demanded the driver.
The owner of the animal now stood over Jack and scowled fiercely. "Mebbedat hoss goin' to git heaves f'on all dis hawd wu'k. Mebbe you'se got'tapay foh my hoss, too!"
This was too much for poor Jack! He sprang up and there, in theisolation of that Jamaica lane shadowed by over-hanging palms, hestarted a regular fight with the driver. The astonished man, neverthinking of striking back, went flat upon his back in the same dustwhere his victim had been seated a moment before.
Jack jumped into the front seat of the hack, whipped up the nag with thesame whip the driver had brandished over him just a minute previously,and before the amazed fellow could think, his vehicle had passed out ofsight arou
nd a corner of the lane.
While this went on, Ray sprinted as swiftly as if he was running aMarathon, but he was no match for the whipped horse which carried hisfriend to only goodness knows where. But Ray could not keep up the paceoverlong, so he quietly subsided in front of a fruit stall and paid fora reviving drink of green cocoanut milk, thereby earning himself a stoolupon which to sit and rest from the frightful strain in a tropicaltemperature.
While he sat there slowly sipping the cooling beverage, the carriagewith Polly and Eleanor seated within drove past the fruit vendor'sbooth. Ray was too exhausted to jump up and follow, but he decided thatthe girls were on their way to the Spring Hotel. Hence he turned hisattention again to the drink.
The driver of the surrey in which the two girls had climbed, had nointention of taking his fares to the well-known Spring Hotel, because hewas paid extra for every guest he could deposit at a small andpractically new boarding house of third-rate class. Naturally thislandlady found great difficulty in securing guests, and she found itnecessary to pay the hack drivers a commission for their collaboration.
Polly and Eleanor saw themselves whisked along mean streets lined onboth sides with a bungalow type of houses; these dwellings apparentlywere filled to overflowing with people of varied shades of black andbrown, down to a pale yellow. Every now and then the driver of thevehicle had to swerve out of the way for a tramcar track at streetcrossings. At such crossings the girls saw the business street, downwhich the cars had their tracks, busy with tourists and shop keepers whocalled from their emporiums to attract attention to their wares on sale.
"For all the world like the East Side in New York, isn't it?" askedEleanor, as both girls gazed with interest at all they saw.
After driving his "fares" in and out of many byways, the hack manbrought his horse up before a shabby house of somewhat larger dimensionsthan any bungalow the girls had yet seen. Here he opened thebroken-hinged door of his surrey and bowed to let them know they were tostep out and pay their bill.
Several indolent guests, who plainly showed their plane of life, satupon the rickety chairs on the narrow verandah which _hung_ desperatelyto the front of the "Hotel." The landlady, a great bulk of light yellowtint, came out to greet her new guests.
Polly glanced over the place in amazement, and Eleanor felt inclined todouble up in laughter. She had to cover her mouth with her hand in orderto choke back the wild shout of amusement that _would_ demand a vent.
"Why, what do you call this place?" demanded Polly of the driver,frowning upon him in stern anger.
"Dis am de ho-tel you wants to come to," replied he.
"I told you to drive us to the Spring Hotel, and this never is _it_!"
"No'm, you'se says foh me to drive you-all affer dat man what cotchedhoi' of dat hoss's head. Well, dat hoss and man done runned awaysomewhere, so I jus' brings you to the fust-class place I knows of,"explained the driver.
Eleanor now screamed with laughter at the funny experience, and wasunable to help Polly in her cross-examination of the man.
"You get back in that seat and take us to the Spring Hotel, or I willhand you over to the police!" threatened Polly, but she could not helpwondering if Kingston ever had a police force!
"Ef I has to take you-all another trip, it's goin' to cost more money,"bargained the fellow, not knowing the nature of the girl he thought hehad at a disadvantage.
Polly leaned out from the door of the hack. "You get in that seat indouble-quick time or you'll find out where I came from! Did you everhear of Colorado people who know how to shoot a fly from a swingingstreet lamp forty feet away? Well, that's me!" Polly's tone was that ofa hangman's, her expression similar to that of an Empress who is judginga criminal, her sudden wave of the hand that of a western hold-up man.The driver, never having had such a "fare" with which to deal, obeyedlike a whipped puppy. He climbed back into his seat and drove away midstthe jeers and hoots of the loafers on the hang-too verandah. Even thelandlady of the house jeered at him.
By this time Eleanor found herself able to gasp forth a cheer for Polly.But Polly turned blazing eyes upon her friend and said: "A fineassistant you will make in time of need!"
"Oh, Polly, what could you expect of me in such a ridiculouspredicament? You looked too surprised and shocked for anything!"
But Polly was really offended this time, and she would not reply toEleanor's attempts at making up. Not until the meek driver turned intothe beautiful avenue that brought them up in front of the Spring Hotel,where all but Jack and Ray lounged in great comfortable wicker chairsand sipped orangeade, did she forgive Eleanor.
Polly gave one glance at her friends and stiffened up. "Well! Is thatthe way you-all trouble over the safety of Nolla and me? We might havebeen offered up on the altar of the voodoo worshippers for all youcared!"
"We knew you would be perfectly safe in this town--no such menace asvoodooism here," laughed Mr. Dalken, coming down the three steps towelcome his charges.
"Two sov'ren's, please," now demanded the driver.
"Two what?" shouted Mr. Ashby, who had joined his friend.
With not so much bravado the hackman said: "I druv dese ladies all overKingston tryin' to keep up wid dere young man. Now I got'ta be paid fohall dat trouble."
"Dalky, he never did! He took us way off to a dump of a house where hetried to make us believe you would come to board. I actually had tothreaten to shoot him, as we do out west, before he would condescend tobring us here," explained Polly, her color rising ominously as sheglared at the man.
"I'll pay you exactly what all fares are from the wharf to thishotel--here's a dollar a fare, and that makes two dollars. Now begonebefore this young sixshooter gets out a gun and wings your ear!" Mr.Dalken tossed the man two dollars and waved him away.
The driver caught the money with one hand, caught hold of the iron railof the front seat with his other hand and swung himself up. In anothermoment he was whipping his horse and whizzing off out of range of thatgun. He had never in his life delivered a fare who had such spirit asthat western girl expressed, and he began to ponder whether the life ofa hackman was the most delightful one now that women in the States hadsuffrage and could carry guns!
A coal-black waiter brought more cooling drinks to the parched guests,and when Polly had emptied a long thin glass filled with iced orangeade,she felt better. Then she explained.
The interested audience laughed, but when she demanded: "What did you dowith Jack and Ray?" no one could reply.
"I'm here to answer for myself," came a weak, quavering voice from theroad. Every one jumped up and ran to the steps, and there stood poorJack, still coated with heavy dust and painfully clambering out of theone-sided carriage.
Such a ludicrous picture did dandy Jack present to his friends that theycould not restrain a shout of laughter. He looked hurt but shook hishead hopelessly. "I knew what sort of friends I had!" he muttered as helimped up the steps and dropped into a chair. As he fell into itscushioned depths a choking cloud of dust rose from his form and floatedover the group that now surrounded him.
Before Jack had concluded his narrative Ray came up to the steps of thehotel and joined his friends. With his appearance the others called foran explanation of his clean-looking summer garb, his cool-looking face,and the smile that told he had not had such disturbing experiences asthe other three wanderers in an unknown town.
"I saw a driver whisking Polly and Eleanor past my resting place, butthey went too fast for my speed." Ray laughed as he remembered again theperplexed girls in that hack.
"Well, now that we are reunited, children, let us celebrate with anotherflagon of orangeade," laughed Mr. Fabian, calling the waiter to take theorder.
As they all sipped another gallon of cooling drink, they planned what tosee after they had recovered from the strenuous trip from the quay tothe Hotel.
"You know, we won't be able to visit every point of interest in Jamaica,but at least we shall see those which are most worth while," explainedMr. Dalken. Then tur
ning to Jack, he said, "You've been here before,Jack--where do you advise us to take the party?"
"Well, every one ought to see the natives dive for coins--that's one ofthe amusements offered here; but that can be done as we come from theyacht to-morrow morning," said Jack. At this suggestion, Pollyinterpolated:
"I hope to goodness you don't expect us to run the gauntlet of thosebuggy drivers again, do you?"
And Eleanor said: "Why not camp out at this hotel as long as we arehere. I find it delightfully cool and restful here."
"At least we might stay here to-night, Dalky," added Ray.
"I'm willing. The Captain will understand if we do not return by teno'clock to-night."
It was therefore decided that the entire party would remain at theSpring Hotel that night and, should they find the evening entertainmentalluring enough, they might remain another night.
"That means we ladies must get out and shop for requisites we will needovernight," ventured Mrs. Fabian.
"I was wondering if it would not be wise to do some shopping thisafternoon," added Mrs. Ashby.
"We may as well do all the shopping we plan to do, as long as we are atit," suggested Mrs. Courtney.
"Well, if you ladies are going to shop, what do you expect the malemembers of the party to do to kill time?" asked Ray.
"Why, go along and pay the bills, to be sure!" laughed Mr. Ashby.
"What else do you think a married man can do?" added Mr. Fabian.
About this time the gong boy came out on the verandah and made such adeafening din with the hammer and copper drum he carried that JohnBaxter beckoned him over.
"What's the game now, Bo?" asked Jack.
"Lunsh'on, sah!" answered the young boy, pounding with might and mainthat all should hear the call to midday luncheon. But he looked at thedusty young man who questioned him, then showed his mighty disdain atthe awful clothes covered with Jamaica real estate, by curling hisnostrils and walking away from Jack.
Midst a merry peal of laughter at his expense, Jack got up and limpedinto the hotel in order to secure a room with bath where he mightrelieve his person of the undesirable weight of earth.
He had not been gone a minute ere a dusty, angry driver stumbled up thesteps and gazed wildly at the group where his "fare" had been seated.Not seeing a man answering to the description, the man soughteverywhere--inside and outside, for the man who had taken the license ofusing his horse and hack without permission, and left _him_, the owner,to walk all the way to the Spring Hotel to recover his business assets.
During the time the furious driver sought him, Jack reclined in aluxurious bath and managed to relieve himself and his hair of all theclinging dust he had accumulated in that mad race through knee-deep duston the side-streets of Jamaica.
Mourning the loss of collecting the damages he had expected to claimfrom the New Yorker, the hack driver had to leave in his recoveredsurrey. But he made up his weak mind to find that young man when heshould reappear on the quay some day to leave the town.