by Max Brand
CHAPTER 29
He slipped onto his bunk and lay with his hands folded under his head,thinking; for between the danger from the leader of the mutiny and thedanger from McTee and Henshaw, he was utterly confused. He made out thevoices of the two gamblers, Hall and Cochrane.
"Three deuces to beat," said Hall.
"I'd beat three fives to get Van Roos," answered Cochrane.
Jan Van Roos was the second mate, a genial Dutchman with rosy cheeksand a hearty laugh for all occasions; but he was an excellent sailorand a strict disciplinarian. Therefore he had won the hatred of thecrew. The entire group of mutineers had shaken dice to have thedisposing of the mate in case he was captured alive. Now the dicerattled and clicked on the deck as Cochrane made his cast.
"Forty-three!" called Cochrane. "Now watch the fours."
He swept up the other three dice and made his second cast. Another fourrolled upon the deck. He had won Van Roos, to dispose of him as he sawfit. Harrigan heard the rumble of Sam Hall's cursing.
"Easy, lad," said Cochrane soothingly. "We'll work on Van Roostogether, and if we don't sweat every ounce of blubber out of his fatcarcass, my name is not Garry."
There was a sharp knock at the door of the forecastle, and a momentlater Shida, the other Japanese cabin boy, entered and came directly tothe bunk of Harrigan.
He whispered in the ear of the Irishman: "Meester Harrigan, get up.Cap'n McTee, he want."
"Where is he?" growled Harrigan.
"I show."
Harrigan slipped on his shoes and followed Shida aft, wondering. Thelittle, quick-footed Jap brought him back of the wheelhouse and thendisappeared. Leaning against the rail was McTee, unaware of theircoming and peering out at the wake of the ship.
As the Heron's stern dipped to a trough of a wave that towered blacklyinto the night, the outlines of McTee's form were blurred, but the nextmoment he was tossed up against the very heart of the starry sky. Withthat peculiar mixture of fear and thrilling exultation which he alwaysfelt when he came into the presence of the captain, Harrigan drewclose. Perhaps the sailor had chosen this heaving afterdeck as theplace for their final death struggle, ending when one of them washurled into the black ocean.
It was this thought which gave the ring to his voice when he called,"I've come, McTee!"
The captain whirled, bracing himself against the rail with both hands,as though prepared to meet an attempt to thrust him overboard. Then--and Harrigan thought his ears deceived him as he listened--McTee saidwith a great, outgoing breath: "Thank God!"
He explained: "Come closer; talk soft! Harrigan, guard yourselftonight. There'll be an attempt at your life!"
"Another?" queried Harrigan.
"They've tackled you already?"
Harrigan took out the knife and waved it in the faint starlight.
"They did," he said jauntily, "and they left this behind them as atoken."
"Listen," said McTee; "it's not for nothing that men call me Black, butall evening I've been remembering the time when we took hands in thetrough of the sea. I've thought of that, Harrigan, and it made me weakinside--"
He paused, but Harrigan would not speak.
"Because I planned your death tonight, Dan."
"Angus, the steel ain't been sharpened that can kill me."
"Don't be too confident. Get every word I say. I'm washing my soul outfor you. It's Hovey and the little Jap, Kamasura, that you'll have toguard against."
"I know 'em both."
"D'you mean to say--"
"No, I didn't make 'em confess, but I saw 'em lookin' at each other.What made you hitch up with swine like them? Was it because of--her?"
"Yes."
"Then I forgive you for it. Angus, I got a sort of a desire to shakehands with you. There's nothin' but swine an' snakes aboard the Heron.I'd like to feel the grip of a man's hand."
They fumbled in the dark and then their hands met. They retained thatgrasp till the ship sank twice to the deep shadow of the trough andswung up again to the crest.
"There's no peace between us till she's out of the way," mutteredHarrigan at last. "What d'you say, Angus?"
"Harrigan, there are times when you're a poet. Strip!"
The Irishman was tearing off his shirt, when three crashing, rattlingexplosions sent a shudder through the Heron, and his arms droppednervelessly.
"Where was it?" gasped Harrigan.
"Forward," answered McTee.
"Kate!" they cried in the same breath, and rushed for the main cabin.