CHAPTER II
THE WRECK
The night was calm, but now and then a faint, hot wind blew from theshadowy coast, and rippling the water, brought a strange, sour smell.Lister did not know the smell; Brown knew and frowned, for he had beenbroken by the malaria that haunts West African river mouths. Heavy dewdripped from the awnings on _Terrier's_ bridge and in places trickledthrough the material, since canvas burns in the African sun. Brownsearched the dark coast with his glasses, trying to find the marks hehad noted on the chart. Lister leaned against the rails and mused aboutthe voyage.
They had ridden out a winter's gale in the Bay of Biscay and for a nighthad lost the hulk and the men on board. Then they went into Vigo, whereLister's firemen wrecked a wine shop and it cost him much in bribes tosave them from jail. He had another taste of their quality at LasPalmas, where they made trouble with the port guards and Brown brawledin the cheap wine shops behind the cathedral. In fact, it was somerelief when the captain fell off the steam tram that runs between townand port, and a cut on his head stopped his adventures.
Then they steamed for fourteen-hundred miles before the NortheastTrades, with a misty blue sky overhead and long, white-topped seasrolling up astern. The Trade breeze was cool and bracing, but they lostit near the coast, and now the air was hot and strangely heavy. One feltlanguid and cheerfulness cost an effort. The men had begun to grumbleand Lister was glad the voyage was nearly over and it was time to get towork.
Lightning flickered on the sea, touching the back of the smooth swell,and then for a few moments left all very dark. The moon was new, the skywas cloudy, and the swell ran high, for it rolled, unbroken andgathering momentum, from the Antarctic ice. When the lightning wasbright, one saw a low cloud that looked like steam, with a white streakbeneath that marked the impact of the big rollers on the sandy coast.The crash of breakers came out of the dark, like the rattle of a goodstrain crossing an iron bridge.
"Four fathoms at spring tides, and a shifting channel!" Brown remarked,quoting from a pilot-book. "The depth, however, varies with the wind,and a stranger must use caution when entering the lagoon." He stopped,and laughed as he resumed: "If this was a sober undertaking I'd steamoff and wait for daylight."
"I reckon it would be prudent," said Lister dryly.
"We have nothing to do with prudence," Brown rejoined. "Our job's towork in a sun that knocks a white man down, and stew in the hot malariadamp the land breeze brings off at night. Cartwright's orders are tolose no time and I want to finish before the fever finishes me. Verywell! When the moon is new, high-water's at twelve o'clock, and alongthis coast sunset's about six hours later. If we wait fornoon-to-morrow, it will be four or five o'clock before we get on boardthe wreck--I understand the tide doesn't leave her until about fourhours' ebb. If we push across the bar to-night, we'll see her atdaybreak and can make our plans for getting to work."
Lister agreed. Expenses were heavy and it was important they should notlose a day. Moreover, Cartwright had hinted that he expected them to runrisks, and Lister had promised Barbara to help him out. If Brown touchedbottom steaming in, tug and barge would soon break up; but Lister wasnot going to be daunted.
"I'll go down and raise some extra steam," he said. "You'll need fullpressure to shove her through the surf."
He was occupied for some time, but when a plume of steam blew from theescape-pipe he came up to the door and looked about. _Terrier's_ languidroll was getting sharper; mast and funnel swung into a wide sweep.Sometimes the dark hull lurched up high above the tug's stern, andsometimes sank in a hollow. The rollers had angry white tops, and a beltof filmy vapor that looked luminous closed the view ahead. Lister knewthe vapor was phosphorescent spray, flung up by the turmoil on the bar,through which they must go. If the tug struck and stopped, the whiteseas would beat her down into the sand. In the meantime, she was usingfull steam, because, since tide and surf carried her on, one must havespeed to steer.
The spray cloud got thick, and wavered with luminous tremblings when thelong rollers broke. They came up, spangled with green and gold flashes,from astern, shook their fiery crests about the tug, and vanished ahead,but one heard them crash. Lister thought the tug throbbed to the savageconcussion. He could not hear his engines; one heard nothing but thedaunting uproar.
By and by he felt a shock; not a violent shock, but as if the boat hadtouched, and was pushing through, something soft. She slowed and Listersaw the black hulk swing up and ride forward on a giant roller's top. Itlooked as if she were coming on board the tug, and Lister jumped throughand slammed the iron door. Brown would need him now.
He heard the roar of water on deck, there was a crash of broken glass,and a shower fell on his head. A cloud of steam and a loud hissing camefrom the stokehold, and he knew the sea that swept the tug had coveredthe gratings. If she stuck, the next sea would swamp her and drown thefires, but she had not altogether stopped. The propeller was beatinghard and he opened the throttle wide. He felt her move and tremble, asif she struggled in the grip of the sand, and then lift buoyantly. Thewater that pressed her down had rolled off the deck and the oncomingcomber had picked her up and was carrying her along.
Her progress was obvious. One felt the headlong rush, and Lister thoughtabout a toboggan speeding down an icy slope. The roller would bear heron until it broke, but if she struck the sand she might not lift again.She did not strike; there was another wild leap forward, a savageplunge, and a comber crashed astern. It looked as if she had crossed theshoal and Lister let go the wheel and got his breath. He had used noeffort, but he gasped and his hand shook.
The gong signaled _half-speed_, and when he slowed his engines the roarof escaping steam pierced the turmoil of the surf. This was significant,because he could not have heard the steam a few minutes earlier._Terrier_ rolled, but the rolling was not violent and began to get easy.The gong signaled _stand by, stop_; he shut the valve and presentlyheard the anchor plunge and the rattle of running chain. Then _Terrier_swung languidly and all was quiet but for the monotonous rumble in thebackground. Lister gave some orders and went to his room.
In the morning, he put a greasy jacket over his pajamas and went ondeck. The land breeze had dropped and it was very calm. Vague treesloomed in the fog that hid the beach; there was a belt of dull, heavingwater, and then the spray cloud closed the view. The air was heavy, themen on deck moved slackly, and Lister's skin was wet by sweat. He feltdull and shrank from effort, but when he saw Brown in a boat alongsidehe jumped on board.
The light was getting brighter and the wreck lay about a hundred yardsoff. The stump of her broken funnel, a bare iron mast, a smasheddeckhouse, and a strip of slanted side rose from the languid swell. Therows of plates were red with rust and encrusted by shells. When thesmooth undulations sank, long weed swung about in the sandy water.Lister thought the story of the wreck was, on the surface, plain.Steaming out with a heavy load, _Arcturus_ had struck the bar. The surfhad beaten in her hatches, broken some plates, and afterwards washed herback across the sand. Then, while the captain tried to reach the beach,she had sunk in deeper water. The story was plausible, but, ifCartwright had found the proper clew, it did not account for all.
They rowed round _Arcturus_. She lay with a sharp list and her otherside was under water. The tide was beginning to rise and when it creptup her slanted deck they pulled back to the tug.
"We'll moor the hulk alongside and rig the diving pumps. I think that'sall to-day," Brown remarked. "When the sun is low I'll go to the factoryup the creek and try to hire some native boys. On this coast, a whiteman who does heavy work soon gets fever."
In the afternoon they took two men and rowed up a muddy creek thatflowed into the lagoon, but the factory was farther than they thoughtand when they landed dusk was falling. The white-washed wooden housestood near the bank, with a stockaded compound between it and the water.It was built on piles and at the top of the outside stairs a veranda ranalong the front. The compound was tunneled by land-crabs' holes, andlight mist crept a
bout the giant cotton woods behind. There was nomovement of air, a sickly smell rose from the creek, and all was verydamp.
Lister and Brown went up the stairs and were received by a white man ina big damp room. A lamp hung from a beam and the light touched thepatches of mildew on the discolored walls. There was not much furniture;a few canvas chairs, a desk and a table. Flies crawled about the tableand hovered in a black swarm round the lamp. The room smelt of palm oiland river mud. The white man was young, but his face was haggard and helooked worn. His rather long hair was wet and his duck jacket was dirty.It was obvious that he did not bother about his clothes.
"Good of you to look me up! I expect you know I'm Montgomery; the houseis Montgomery and Raeburn," he said. "However, to begin with, you hadbetter have a drink. I'll call my boy."
A negro came in and got a bottle and some glasses. He was astrongly-built fellow with a blue stripe on his forehead, and musculararms and chest, but his legs, which stuck out from short cottontrousers, were ridiculously thin. He beat up some frothy liquor in a jugand when he filled the big glasses Lister felt disturbed, for he knewBrown and had noted the quantity of gin the negro used. The captain,however, was cautious and they began to talk. Lister asked Montgomery ifhe carried on the factory alone.
"I'm doing so for a time. My clerk died two or three weeks since and Ihaven't got another yet."
"Fever?" said Brown.
"Common malaria. Perhaps this spot is worse than others, because,although we're beginning to kill mosquitos and poison the drains, wecan't keep English boys. The last two didn't hold out six months."
Lister got thoughtful. He knew the African coast was unhealthy, but hadnot imagined it was as bad as this. He said nothing and Montgomeryresumed: "I have been forced to lie up and am shaky yet. Malaria gets usall, but as a rule it gets strangers, particularly the young, soonest.Looks as if the microbe liked fresh blood."
"If I was an African merchant, I'd let an agent run my factories," Brownremarked.
Montgomery smiled. "Sometimes it's necessary for me to come out. Thisfactory is perhaps our best, and when Nevis, our agent, died, I startedby the first boat. Montgomery's is an old house, but since the big mencombined and the Amalgamation built a factory on the next creek, we havehad some trouble to pull along. Our capital is small and we can't useup-to-date methods. In fact, I imagine our situation is much likeCartwright's. When he bought the wreck he no doubt felt some strain. Butwon't you take another drink?"
Brown indicated his glass, which still held some liquor, and Listerrefused politely. He noted that Montgomery knew their object and wassurprised, since he thought Cartwright had not talked much about theundertaking. Then, although Montgomery was obviously ill, one felt hetried to paint the coast in the darkest colors.
"What do you think about our job?" Brown asked.
"I think it a rash experiment and imagine Cartwright agrees. All thesame, the old fellow's a bold gambler and is perhaps willing tospeculate on the chance of getting out of his embarrassments. However,this is his business and you'll, no doubt, get your wages, although youwon't float the wreck."
"What do you reckon the obstacles?"
"Fever," said Montgomery dryly. "The salvage people lost some men. Surfwill wash the sand about her, if the wind comes fresh from thesouth-east. Then the sharks may give you some trouble. They're nearly asnumerous as they are at Lagos Roads." He paused and added carelessly: "Iexpect you know my father loaded _Arcturus_?"
"I heard something about it," Brown replied. "All the same, Cartwrightsent us to lift her and we have got to try. Will you let me hire some ofyour factory boys?"
"Sorry, but they're Liberian Kroos, engaged on a twelve-months' contractto work in my compound, and I'm accountable for them to the Liberiangovernment."
"Then what about boys from the bush?"
Montgomery smiled. "I can't recommend the bushmen. They're a turbulentlot, but you might send a present to the headman at the native town upriver, and it's possible he'll let you go to see him. For all that, somecaution's indicated. The fellow's a cunning old rascal."
Brown looked thoughtful, but began to talk about something else and byand by got up. Montgomery went with him and Lister to the steps and whenthey reached the compound they found the sailors bemused with gin underthe veranda. Brown had some trouble to get the men on board, and whenthey awkwardly pulled away Lister was conscious of relief.
"I agree with the fellow. Caution _is_ indicated," Brown observed.