Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea

Chapter XVII

The “Flipper” made good time, and sighted the Oregon coast on the morning of the fifth day. From there she followed the dim outlines of the distant land down to the Golden Gate, and cast anchor safely and without event in the bay of San Francisco.

The Major had been sullen and ill–tempered during the entire voyage, but although he made repeated efforts to see Captain Gay privately and renew his request for the location of the golden island, that officer positively refused to hold any further communication with him.

Therefore the Major was helpless. After all, the Captain might be speaking the entire truth; and if so all argument was useless. Threats do not affect a man of his temperament, and beyond threats the Major did not care to go, even to secure the information he wished. Bribery, in such a case, was absurd. Therefore nothing could be done but bear the disappointment with a good grace. The Major’s fortune was, for the present, ample, and I wondered why he should ever care to visit the island again.

As soon as the anchors were dropped the miners clamored to be set ashore, and by night they had all quitted the ship and established themselves in lodgings in the town, from whence they at once flocked to the bankers and began to turn their golden grains into cash.

Uncle Naboth and I remained on board another day. There were settlements to be made with the sailors and various other details that needed attention at the close of the voyage; so that I was kept busy with my books of accounts and Uncle Naboth stood constantly at my elbow to give me the necessary instructions.

We both longed to be on shore again, however; so as soon as the last formalities were completed, we put our heavy sacks of gold into a boat and carried them to the docks, from whence an escort of our trusty sailors accompanied us to the bank wherein Mr. Perkins was accustomed to keep his deposits.

So many ships had lately returned from Alaska bearing gold from the mines that Mr. Perkins’ heavy deposit aroused no wonder except as to its extent, and the banker warmly congratulated him upon his good fortune in making so successful a voyage.

Both Uncle Naboth and I remained at the bank until every sack of gold had been carefully weighed and sealed, and the proper receipt given. Then, breathing freely for the first time since the gold had been in our possession, we repaired to my Uncle’s former lodging house, where Mr. Perkins was warmly welcomed.

“We’ll have the best dinner tonight the establishment can set up, Sam, my boy,” said the old man, rubbing his hands gleefully together; “for we’ve got to celebrate the success of the new partnership. You must ’a brought the firm luck, my lad, for this here is the biggest haul I’ve heard of since I’ve been in the business. We’re rich, nevvy—rich as punkins!”

“How much do you suppose we’re worth, Uncle?” I enquired, rather curiously.

“I can’t tell exactly, o’ course, till after we’ve got the quality of our gold properly graded, and put it on the market; but my opinion is, we’re at least fifty thousand dollars to the good.”

“As much as that!” I exclaimed, greatly elated.

“Full as much, I judge.”

“Then,” said I, drawing a sigh of relief, “I can pay Mrs. Ranck that four hundred dollars I owe her for my board.”

Uncle Naboth made a wry face.

“It’s a shame to throw good money away on that old termagan’,” he remarked, “and I’ve no doubt she’s been overpaid already, by stealin’ the contents o’ Cap’n Steele’s chest. But if it’d make you feel easier in your mind, Sam, I’ll fix it so you can send her the money as soon as you like.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” I replied, gratefully, “I’ll never be happy until the debt is off my shoulders. Whether she’s entitled to the money or not, I promised Mrs. Ranck I’d pay the debt, and I want to keep my word.”

“An’ so you shall,” said Uncle Naboth, with an approving nod.

We feasted royally at dinner, and afterward Uncle Naboth took me to the theatre, where we sat in the top gallery among the crowd of laborers and sailors, but enjoyed the play very much indeed.

“Some folks who had just banked fifty thousand,” remarked my Uncle, reflectively, “would want to sit down there among them nabobs, in a seat that costs a dollar apiece—or perhaps two dollars, for all I know. But what’s the use, Sam? Do they hear or see any better than we do up here?”

“Probably not,” I answered, with a smile.

“Then we’re getting as much fun for our quarter as they get for a dollar,” declared Uncle Naboth, chuckling, “an’ tomorrow mornin’ we’ll be so much richer, an’ nothin’ lost by it. Sam, the secret o’ spendin’ money ain’t in puttin’ on airs; it’s in gettin’ all the pleasure out of a nickel that the nickel will buy. ‘Live high,’ is my motto; but do it economical. That’s the true philosophy o’ life.”

Next morning, as we were sitting in Uncle Naboth’s little room, we were surprised by the entrance of Captain Gay. He was accompanied by two of the sailors from the “Flipper,” bearing in their arms the easily recognized canvas sacks of gold from the island.

The Captain motioned his men to place the sacks upon the rickety table, (which nearly collapsed beneath the weight), and then ordered them to leave the room. When they were gone he carefully closed the door and turning to my Uncle said, abruptly:

“There, sir, is every grain of gold I got in that accursed island. The most of it was given me for turning the bed of the mountain stream, as you will remember.”

“No more than you deserved, sir,” said Uncle Naboth, puffing his pipe vigorously.

“It ought to be worth a good deal of money,” continued the Captain, his voice faltering slightly.

“Twenty thousand at least, in my judgment,” said Uncle Naboth, eyeing the sacks.

“Well, sir,” announced Captain Gay, with decision, “I want to exchange this gold for a bill of sale of the ship.”

“What! The ‘Flipper?’”

“Yes, sir.”

Uncle Naboth winked at me gravely, as if to convey the suggestion that the man had gone crazy.

“Cap’n,” said he, after a pause, “I don’t mean to say as Sam and I won’t sell the ship, if you’d like to buy her; but the tub is old, and has seen her best days. She’s worth about six thousand dollars, all told, and not a penny more.”

“You must take all that gold or nothing, sir.”

“What do you mean?” asked my Uncle, in amazement.

Captain Gay sat down and looked thoughtfully out of the window.

“Perhaps I must take you into my confidence,” he remarked, in his slow, quiet tones, “although at first I had thought this action would be unnecessary. I’ve an idea I’d like to own a ship myself, and to trade in a small way between here and Portland.”

“And the golden island, occasionally; eh, Cap’n?” returned Uncle Naboth, shrewdly. “I’ve heard from Sam here how you lost the paper containing your observations; but, I suppose you could find the place again, if you wanted to.”

Captain Gay flushed a deep red.

“Sir,” he answered, “you wrong me with your suspicions. I shall never revisit that island under any circumstances. Nor do I wish anyone else to do so. That is the true explanation of why I lost that paper.”

“Did you lose it?”

“I threw it overboard.”

Uncle Naboth whistled.

“I’m free to confess, sir, that I’m all at sea,” he said.

The Captain arose and paced the room with unusual agitation.

“Mr. Perkins,” said he, “I once had an older brother, who, when a boy, robbed my father and ran away from home. I never saw him again until we reached that island, where I recognized my erring brother in the man who called himself Daggett.”

Uncle Naboth scratched a match, and relit his pipe.

“I marked the resemblance between you,” he observed, “but I thought nothing of it.”

“To my grief I saw that he had not altered his course for the better,” resumed the Captain. “Of his final theft of the gold and the awful judgment that overtook him and his fellows you are well aware. I shall never forget the horror of those days, sir. It seems to me that that isolated unknown island is my brother’s tomb, where he must lie until the call of the last judgment. I do not wish anyone ever to visit the spot again, if I can help it.”

“That’s nonsense,” declared Uncle Naboth, coldly.

“Perhaps so; but it’s the way I feel. That’s why I don’t wish to touch the gold. I’ll take the ship in exchange for it, but I won’t use the stuff in any other way, or have anything more to do with it.”

“You’re foolish,” said Uncle Naboth, with a sternness quite foreign to his nature. “But if you really want to give away a matter of twenty thousand for an old hulk that’s worth about six, I’ll let you have your way.”

“That’s my desire, sir,” announced our visitor, meekly.

“Well, then, we’ll go to a lawyer and draw up the papers. Sam, you stay here and look after the gold, till I get back.”

“Very well, sir,” I replied, full of wonder at this queer business transaction.

Together they left the room, and it was an hour before Mr. Perkins returned.

“I signed for both of us, partner,” he said, briskly, “an’ the ‘Flipper’s’ now the sole property of Cap’n Gay. With the money this gold will bring, we can buy a ship twice as good as the old one, in which, with good luck to back us, we ought to make many a prosperous voyage.”

“Why do you think he did it, sir,” I enquired musingly.

“It’s just one of two things,” replied Mr. Perkins. “Either the man’s a bit cracked, as I’ve sometimes suspected, and really feels sentimental about his brother’s death, or else he’s got a sly scheme to make trips to the island in an old ship that won’t attract attention, and bring away many cargoes of gold. That ain’t so unlikely, Sam. No one will remark on Cap’n Gay’s owning the old ship he’s commanded for years; but if he bought a new one, and started out for the island, he might be watched and his true business suspected. Either the feller’s mighty deep, or mighty innocent; but it ain’t our business to decide which. We’ve got the money, and now we’ll look for a newer and finer ship.”

“New England’s the best place to buy a good ship, sir. I’ve often heard my father say so,” I suggested.

“Then let’s go to New England,” returned Uncle Naboth, promptly. “We’ll travel together, and you can run up to Batteraft and pay the old hag that money.”

“I’d like to do that,” said I, greatly pleased. “It would do me good to see her surprise when she finds I’ve earned so much money already.”

“Then it’s all settled,” declared Uncle Naboth. “I’ll go up to the village with you, and see fair play. ’Twould be a fine chance to give that cankered Venus a piece of my mind, just as a parting shot.”

“Would you dare, sir,” I asked, recollecting his former experience with Mrs. Ranck.

“Would I dare? Do you take me for a coward, then?” demanded the old man, indignantly.

“No, sir, but I remember——”

“Never mind that, Sam. I was worried about other things that day, and wasn’t quite myself. But now—well, just wait till I get the old serpent face to face. That’s all!”

“All right, Uncle. When shall we go?”

“Just as soon as we’ve paid all the bills and settled our accounts for the last voyage. A week’ll do that, I reckon. An’ now, partner, just run out and hire a closed carriage, and we’ll get Cap’n Gay’s gold to the bank as soon as possible. Sam, my boy, if this streak o’ luck holds good we’ll be the envy of Rockyfeller in a few years!”