Davey Jones’ Loot by Albert Richard Wetjen Read online

  unmoved, his face expressionless, his eyes

  The Stinger stretched his legs under

  mild and blue, that he was watching with each the table, leaned back in his chair and slid his sling-load that dumped into the sea the first right hand under his left armpit.

  fortune he had ever gained being flung away.

  “What can we do, Brockwell? We

  must wait. How far off is she?”

  THE wind continued to freshen sooner than

  “’Way over the horizon yet, sir. But

  the Stinger had expected it, and the schooner her smoke’s plain against the sky.”

  raced away to the east under a full press of

  “She wasn’t due for two days yet, canvas. The warship lay dead astern of her, according to the secret schedule Cassidy gave overhauling her slowly and grimly, until at me,” said the Stinger aloud. “I wonder how

  last, toward evening, there was a spurt of

  she knew?” He appeared lost in thought for a orange flame from her forward gun and a shot moment, then smiled his little wintry smile.

  splashed into the sea far ahead. Seave signed

  “Have all hands stand by, Brockwell. Get the with his hand and the schooner hove to.

  hatches off. Get all sail on her and wet the

  “I was blown out of my course,” said

  canvas down. I wish I knew these waters

  the Stinger mildly to the Jap lieutentant of the better.”

  boarding party. “What is it you want?”

  Brockwell darted back up the

  The little yellow man smiled

  companion and after a few minutes of calm

  vindictively.

  enjoyment of his cigar the Stinger followed

  “Pearls. You have been stripping the

  suit. He stared a while at the working men, all bed at Laviata.”

  of them casting scared glances at the horizon;

  “Nothing of the sort,” Seave replied

  then he, too, contemplated the smoke smudge gently. “I was blown out of my course, I say, against the sky, and after that he commenced a and becalmed.”

  slow and unhurried pacing up and down, his

  “So I have heard from another man,”

  arms folded and the tips of his fingers said the Jap. “Have you by any chance buried caressing the butt of his gun.

  some dead men and got holes in your boats?”

  Two hours later the spars of the

  “Ah,” said Seave softly. “So that was

  warship were plain, but as if they had been why you came back? You met Captain

  pushing it before them the wind freshened and Morgan.”

  the schooner was able to stand away from the The Jap did not reply but turned to fire

  east at the rate of three or four knots. Seave orders at his men. The Stinger looked on

  went below for a look at the glass.

  without emotion, save that his eyes had turned Then he came back on deck, wetted his

  icy again and he fondled many times the butt finger, held it to the wind, scanned the sky for of his gun. When the Jap lieutenant returned to a long time and slowly shook his head. The

  him on the poop after an hour or more the

  wind would freshen, but not for many hours.

  Stinger had not moved.

  With a slight shrug of regret he walked to the

  “I shall arrest you,” choked the Jap

  for’ard taffrail and called to Brockwell.

  with suppressed fury. “You have jettisoned

  “All right. Get it overside.”

  them.”

  Brockwell and the men who had been

  Seave looked cautiously round. There

  standing near the hatches in frightened was no witness to hear.

  impatience, heaved sighs of relief and sprang

  “Yes, I dumped them,” he admitted

  Davey Jones’ Loot

  7

  calmly. “And I washed my hands clean. May I suppressed oath, called to his men and ushered ask what course Captain Morgan had set?”

  them into the cutter waiting below. Seave

  “You will come with me,” insisted the

  stood motionless until the warship had started Jap. “You have admitted you stripped for Laviata, and then said to Brockwell in a Laviata.”

  voice that made the mate jump, “Head due

  “Your mistake,” said the Stinger south. Call me when you sight a sail.”

  coolly. “What proof have you? Have you been He turned then and went below. He sat

  to Laviata? Did I mention the place first?”

  at his table in the main cabin, a bottle of gin

  “I must arrest you,” said the Jap beside him and a glass in his hand. Brockwell determinedly. “My commander can decide declares he sat that way and did not move, what must be done.”

  save to call the steward to bring a fresh bottle, The Stinger smiled and the Jap’s face

  right up until the time Morgan’s brig was

  went ashen for some reason he could not

  sighted. The chances are that, for all his

  determine. He fell back a pace.

  coldness, Seave was angry and disturbed. He

  “I shall kill at least five men before

  had had a fortune in his grasp, had dared

  you take me,” said Seave crisply. “You have greatly to loot one of the treasured lagoons of held me up on the high seas. I am flying the the world, and he had lost it because a free-British flag. You have no proof I am a trading captain he had fairly beaten had poacher, no proof I have even been to Laviata.

  betrayed him.

  If you capture me by force it will be piracy and I have friends at Apia and Suva.”

  IT was three days before Morgan’s brig was

  “Well,” choked the Jap. No one could

  sighted, quicker than Seave or Brockwell had blame him for his fury. As a loyal man it

  expected. But the wind had freshened to

  naturally roused him to wrath to know that

  almost hurricane force and Seave had given no this adventurer, this alien, had looted a part of orders to shorten down. Brockwell carried on his country’s treasure, then flung it beyond as long as he dared and the afternoon of the recovery into the sea. There was not a shell on second day had given orders himself to

  board. Even the oyster slime was washed from shorten down.

  the holds and they reeked of lime disinfectant.

  The schooner labored a great deal less

  If it was possible to capture the little captain as they got canvas off her, and Brockwell was and his ship without the use of force, much just about to order all hands below when the might be made of a case in Japan. But if the steward came up from the main cabin with the little man insisted on fighting, and it was cryptic message that Captain Seave would like likely he would, grave international to speak to Mr. Brockwell. The mate went complications might ensue. Still choking, the below with some misgivings.

  Jap turned away.

  “Who told you to take off sail,

  “One moment,” said Seave gently. mister?” the Stinger said gently. His eyes were

  “Will you drink with me? I wish to know what mild enough, but there were great circles

  course Captain Morgan took?”

  under them and his jaw was hard. The mate

  The Jap swung back.

  licked his lips and shifted from one foot to the

  “I will not drink with you, Captain.

  other.

  Your ... er friend ... was heading due south

  “Why, no one, sir. I was in charge of

  when we overhauled him. I understand he was the deck at the time and I considered....”

  heading for the Marshalls.”

  “I do all the considering here, sir.

  Seave nodded. The Jap left him with a

  Make all sail again immediately
and keep the

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  8

  course.”

  hand moved. There was an explosion. The

  “You’ll drive her under, sir.”

  spokesman looked shocked, swayed a bit and

  “That will be all.”

  cried out, “You’ve killed me!”

  Brockwell went away shaking his

  “Just your hand,” said the Stinger

  head. Six hours later, after the schooner had contemptuously. “Don’t draw a knife on me

  been twice pooped and once badly battered in again. Get out, all of you! The first man who the trough, all hands came aft in a body. The cuts I’ll kill!”

  Stinger had not with him at this particular time They nearly ran out of the main cabin

  that bunch of hard cases he was later to gather after that, the American holding his wounded, and who feared neither God nor the devil and dripping hand, and the schooner went madly

  very little else save the Stinger. This present on as before, two men at her wheel and her

  crew was good enough, husky, able men with

  masts and cordage creaking with the awful

  a normal amount of courage. But the terrific strain. And so, on the third day, playing right driving of the schooner before the wind had in luck, she lifted the spars of the brig away to terrified them. She was beginning to strain starboard. Morgan was shortened down, as

  open and they had already had a spell at the any decent ship should have been in that

  pumps. Unless she carried something aloft,

  weather, and he was electrified when his mate, every moment threatened to see her sailed

  Boris, called him from below with the

  clean under.

  information that Seave’s schooner was forging

  “Well?” said the Stinger coldly, when

  up under his counter.

  they were all gathered before him. They were Fear took possession of Buck Morgan

  afraid enough to be desperate and bold.

  of Levuka. In an instant he was transformed

  “You’ll have to take sail off her,” said

  from a swaggering, ruthless bully to a

  the spokesman, a lean, hatchet-faced frightened, somewhat fat man. In the first American. “You’ll kill us all.”

  place he already secretly feared the Stinger’s

  “Get for’ard,” said Seave quietly. “I

  shooting. And in the second place he knew

  know what I’m doing, and know this ship

  that by giving the Japs information on a free-better than you.”

  trader he had violated all the Island ethics.

  “Unless you take in sail we’ll cut her

  Morgan clapped on all the sail he

  free,” the man threatened. He dropped a hand dared, clapped on until Boris protested and the casually to his sheath-knife. The rest muttered men began to mutter.

  sullen approval. The Stinger sighed.

  Seave was on the poop by this time,

  “You know me well enough to know I

  walking up and down and staggering to the

  keep my word, men,” he commenced at last.

  press of the wind. His eyes were set on the

  “The first man who cuts I’ll kill. Now get

  brig and his hand constantly wandered to his for’ard and stay below if you’re afraid.”

  left armpit. His crew, huddled in the lee of the

  “You’ll have to take in sail,” insisted

  midship house, watched him with fearful eyes the spokesman thickly. “We’re not leaving

  and knew he was mad, temporarily at least.

  here until you agree.”

  No one, not even Brockwell, had the courage to speak to him.

  HE went so far as half to draw his knife,

  The hurricane began to abate

  perhaps only in bluff. The Stinger neither something of its fury. Had it been a real knew nor cared about that. He was in a cold hurricane, of course, Seave could never have fury still because of the pearls, because of lack carried on, but it had never developed quite to of sleep and a steady round of drinking. His that, though at times it had verged perilously

  Davey Jones’ Loot

  9

  close. Now the wind began to drop and the sea had her on her course again and had sent men to run smoother and longer.

  aloft to take off some sail until he could see The schooner was running dead abeam

  what the damage was, he found the poop filled of the brig, and even slowly forging ahead.

  with grim-looking, somewhat dazed men with

  The abating wind, however, gave the the frail figure of Stinger Seave at their head.

  advantage to the brig, which sailed best in

  “Where is Captain Morgan?” the

  medium weather, and she drew on until both

  Stinger was saying crisply.

  vessels were dead level. They ran like this for The astonished Boris looked up and

  several hours, the wind dropping all the time, down the frail figure, then at the other wet and the sea growing smoother. Night approached.

  dripping figures behind him.

  Seave began to frown.

  “You’re a crazy man,” he managed to

  Then Brockwell came on the poop gasp. “You might have sunk us. There’s a hole with the low-voiced information that there in the side now you could put a door in.”

  was a foot of water in the forehold and it was

  “Get your carpenter to work,” said

  rising. The schooner had strained herself badly Seave unperturbed. “Where’s Captain

  and opened her seams. Almost at that moment Morgan?”

  there came an ominous crackling from the

  “Below,” gasped Boris. “Good

  foretop and a port backstay snapped with a

  heavens....”

  vicious twang. Seave stood stock still, his

  “Hold the poop,” Seave snapped to

  glance running rapidly from point to point.

  Brockwell, who was right behind him. “Let

  Then he smiled his wintry little smile, only this man come and go. Keep the rest on coughed, blinked once or twice and said to the the main deck until I get back.”

  helmsman in a very quiet voice, “Hard a-port

  “All right,” said Brockwell wearily.

  and stand by to jump!”

  “Nothing can kill me after this.”

  “My gosh!” choked Brockwell. “Are

  The Stinger strode to the scuttle of the

  you mad, sir?”

  main cabin, wrenched it savagely back and

  Seave did not answer. Brockwell, after one

  went down the companion. He found Buck

  look at his coldly smiling face, dived for the Morgan of Levuka seated at the table, half

  main deck to get all the crew standing by. The drunk, and with a look of utter terror in his schooner swung round, lunged across the eyes. He screamed when Seave appeared, water and crashed into the brig.

  dripping at every step, blood running down his face where a splinter had struck him, his eyes THERE were five minutes of unutterable icy and bitter.

  confusion, spars crashing down, ropes giving,

  “It wasn’t me, Seave!” shouted

  wood splintering; then, as the night swept in, Morgan thickly. “It wasn’t me who told the

  the schooner fell back half-foundering and a Japs.”

  total wreck and the men who had composed

  “Liar!” said the Stinger

  her crew were clambering frantically over the contemptuously. “I ought to kill you, but I’m brig’s rails.

  taking your ship instead. You’ve cost me mine The brig had gone into the trough at

  one way and another, and you’ve lost me the the impact and was being swept by light seas pearls. I need a larger vessel, anyway, so I’m that d
id not do much damage but made a

  taking yours.”

  foothold hard to keep. Boris, the brig’s mate,

  “You can’t do that,” said Morgan

  after one awful oath, gave all his time to

  miserably. “Seave, I’ve got some rights and it straightening the ship out and, by the time he wasn’t me who told the Japs.”

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  10

  “I’m taking your ship,” said the The appearance of the Stinger drew all eyes.

  Stinger slowly, “and if you cause any trouble

  “I’m master here now,” said the

  about it I’ll kill you. Understand?”

  Stinger coldly. “Has anyone anything to say?”

  Morgan gave one look into the

  His icy eyes could not be seen in the

  Stinger’s eyes and whimpered. Seave strode

  darkness, but there was that in his voice that across the cabin toward a desk where he knew was sufficient. Presently one of the men on the he would find a pen and ink. He had made

  main deck laughed a bit and said, “Makes no only half the distance when, in a spasm of

  difference t’ me s’ long as I get me pay, sir.

  sudden rage and hoping to catch the little man Are you taking us on? I’ve seen you shoot and unaware, Buck Morgan snatched with his I ain’t exactly charging.”

  unwounded left hand at the gun he had slung A few others laughed heartily at that

  now on that side.

  and the heavy tension was broken.

  The Stinger, as a matter of fact, was

  “Your pay goes on,” said the Stinger

  not expecting any fight from Morgan after

  more gently. “Get for’ard now and I’ll talk to seeing how afraid the man was, and the action you again in the morning.... Mr. Brockwell!