Dave Porter in the South Seas; or, The Strange Cruise of the Stormy Petrel

by Edward Stratemeyer

  CHAPTER XXII

  ABOUT SOME MISSING MEN

  The hotel proved to be a one-story building of Spanish architecture,with numerous small windows and a rather low door. It was presided overby a round-faced Englishman, who stared at Billy Dill curiously when theold tar presented himself.

  "Do you remember me, Mr. Chadsey?" asked the sailor.

  "I do," was the answer. "You were here some years ago. But I cannotrecall your name."

  "Billy Dill."

  "Oh, yes, yes; you were with Mr. Porter and Mr. Lemington," returned thehotel-keeper.

  "That's it. I am looking for Mr. Porter now."

  "Sorry, but he isn't here."

  "Isn't here?" cried Dave, and his heart sank. "Isn't he in town at all?"

  "No, he left the island a couple of months ago."

  "And where did he go to?"

  "I don't know. He said something about going to Sobago Island andsomething about going to Australia, but where he really did go to, Ihave not learned."

  "This young man is very much interested in meeting Mr. Porter,"explained Billy Dill. "His name is Porter, too, and I reckon they arerelated. Have you any idea where we can find out where Dunston Porterwent?"

  "Might find out at the shipping offices."

  "Why, of course!" exclaimed Dave. "Let us go to the different offices atonce."

  Billy Dill was willing, and without loss of time led the way to thestreet upon which the majority of the shipping of Cavasa Island wasbooked. The offices were mostly small and rather dirty, and around themhung sailors and other men, of various nationalities, and some of themfar from prepossessing in their general appearance.

  They visited two offices without success, and then came to a placelocated on a corner, with doors on both streets.

  "Hello!" cried Roger. "There is Mr. Van Blott just ahead of us! Is thisthe shipping firm with which Mr. Lawrence does business?"

  "I don't think it is," answered Billy Dill.

  "Then what is he doing here?"

  "Must have a little business of his own," said Dave. "But I don't care.Come along." Just then he was thinking only of his personal affairs.

  They entered the office, which reeked of tobacco smoke and the smell ofrum. In the rear was another office, and they were just in time to seethe supercargo go into this, shutting a partition door behind him.

  Looking around, Dave saw a clerk at a corner desk looking over somepapers with an elderly German.

  "I will be at liberty in a few minutes," said the clerk, in brokenEnglish. "Please to take seats," and he pointed to a couple of lowbenches set against the wall and the partition.

  Billy Dill sat down on the bench along the wall and Dave and Roger uponthat next to the partition, which was not over seven feet in height.Save for the rattling of the papers at the corner desk the office wasvery quiet, and the boys readily heard the talk going on behind thepartition.

  "So you really have some goots on board?" came in a somewhat Germanvoice. "I vos afraid you vould not bring any."

  "Didn't I say I'd bring them, Baumann?" returned Jasper Van Blott. "I'vegot them, and the only question is, how am I to get them here, and whenare you going to pay me?"

  "I pay so soon as de goots is here," said the German shipping agent. "Inot pay a dollar before."

  "But you will send your men down to the dock?"

  "Oh, yes, I do dot. Vot dime you vonts dem, hey?"

  "To-morrow morning at eight o'clock, sharp. Tell them to watch me, andwhen I wave my handkerchief they can come forward and get the goods."

  "How many poxes vos dere?"

  "Sixteen, all told. You want to be careful and caution your men. I don'twant Captain Marshall to learn what I am----"

  The boys heard no more, for at this juncture the clerk came forward,having finished his work at the corner desk.

  "What can I do for you?" he asked, blandly.

  "I am looking for a man who is supposed to have left Cavasa Island bysteamer, or sailboat, about two months ago," said Dave. "His name isDunston Porter. Can you tell me if he shipped from here?"

  The clerk looked over a book he drew from a desk.

  "I see nothing of the name," he said, after a pause.

  "You would have the name, if he had taken passage from here?" questionedRoger.

  The clerk nodded. Then, when he found that he could do nothing more forthem, he dropped into an easy chair, lit a black-looking cigar and tookup a newspaper.

  "There is one more shipping office," said Billy Dill, as he led the wayto the street. "We'll go there."

  "Dave, did you hear that talk in the back room?" questioned thesenator's son, as they were hurrying down the street.

  "I did."

  "What do you think of it?"

  "I think the supercargo is up to some game, and we must tell Phil andCaptain Marshall."

  "That's just my idea, too, Dave. Let me see, the name of the firm wasBaumann & Feltmuller, wasn't it?"

  "Yes."

  They were soon at the last of the shipping offices. Here the clerk couldscarcely talk English, and they had to call in the services of agentleman who chanced to be present and who could speak the nativetongue. A booking list was consulted, and it was announced that DunstonPorter had taken passage for Nanpi, on Sobago Island, just six weeksbefore.

  "Six weeks!" cried Dave. "I hope he is there still. Now, how can Icommunicate with him, Roger?"

  "You can send him a letter," answered Roger. "But you must remember thatthe _Stormy Petrel_ is going to Nanpi as soon as her cargo for this townis unloaded."

  From the shipping clerk they learned that Dunston Porter had gone toSobago alone--that is, without his partner, Mr. Lemington. A furthersearching into the shipping lists revealed the fact that the partner hadsailed for Australia seven weeks past.

  "I reckon they dissolved partnership," observed Billy Dill, "an' onewent his way, an' tudder the other way. An' I likewise guess they didn'tgit thet treasure."

  There was now nothing to do but to return to the bark, and this they didwithout delay. The boys found that Captain Marshall had gone ashore onbusiness, and so called Phil aside and related to him what had beenheard in the office of Baumann & Feltmuller.

  "You are right--there is something in the wind," said the shipowner'sson. "I wish the captain was here, so I could consult with him."

  "He'll be back soon, won't he?" questioned Roger.

  "He said he might not be back until late this evening."

  Phil was interested in what Dave had to tell about Dunston Porter, andsaid he would urge the captain of the _Stormy Petrel_ to set sail forNanpi at the earliest possible moment.

  It was not until ten o'clock that Jasper Van Blott came back to thebark. He immediately walked up to the first mate and the pair engaged inconversation for some time. Then the supercargo went to bed, and Rogerand Dave did the same. Phil sat up, reading and awaiting the captain'sreturn.

  It was almost seven o'clock when the country boy sprang up and awakenedthe senator's son. Both hurried into their clothes and then into thecabin, where they met Phil, whose face was full of worry.

  "What's the matter?" asked both.

  "Captain Marshall hasn't come back yet."

  "Hasn't come back?" ejaculated Dave. "Do you mean to say he stayed awayall night?"

  "Exactly; and I don't know what to make of it."

  "Did he say he might remain away?" came from Roger.

  "No."

  "Where did he go?"

  "I don't know, and neither does Mr. Shepley."

  "What will you do about----" began Dave, and cut himself short, asJasper Van Blott came into the cabin.

  "Mr. Van Blott, do you know anything about the captain?" questionedPhil.

  "I do not," was the short reply.

  "It is queer that he should stay away all night."

  "Oh, captains like to have good times occasionally," continued thesupercargo, with a sickly grin.

  "If you mean by that, that Captain Marshall went off to hav
e a goodtime, as you put it, I do not think so," returned Phil, coldly. "He isnot that sort."

  "Perhaps you know him better than I do," flared up the supercargo.

  "I know that he is a man who sticks to his duty, Mr. Van Blott.Something has gone wrong, or he would be back."

  "As you please." The supercargo paused. "Well, it doesn't matter much,"he continued. "I know what to do, and I am going ahead without waitingfor him."

  "You mean about unloading?"

  "Yes."

  "Would it not be better to wait until Captain Marshall returns?"

  "No, it would only be a waste of time."

  No more was said just then, and a few minutes later breakfast wasannounced. As soon as it was over, Phil called his chums aside.

  "I wish you'd do me a favor," he whispered. "Go ashore and try to huntup the captain. He must be around somewhere. I will try to hold thesupercargo back as much as I can."

  Dave and the senator's son were willing, and in less than ten minuteswere on the dock and moving for the streets beyond.

  "Where are those boys going?" asked Jasper Van Blott, coming up to Phil.

  "They are going to look for Captain Marshall."

  "Humph!" muttered the supercargo, and said no more.

  "I think we had better wait until the captain returns," went on Phil.

  "I am not going to wait," snapped Van Blott. "I am going to get thatcargo ashore as quickly as it can be done."

  And fifteen minutes later the hatches were opened and the work ofgetting out the boxes, barrels, and casks began.