Gold Part 10

"If I run across any of those fellows in town I'll break their necks!"

said I.

"What makes me mad----" continued Johnny.

"Oh, for heaven's sake shut up!" cried Talbot.

If he had been a little less cold and miserable we probably would have quarrelled. As it was, we merely humped over, and motioned the astonished Manuel to return to the sh.o.r.e. Our boat's head turned, we dropped down under the bow of the ship. In order to avoid the sweep of the seas Manuel held us as closely as possible under the bowsprit. We heard a hail above us. Looking up we saw Yank bending over the rail.

We stared at him, our mouths open, so astonished that for a moment we did not even think to check the boat. Then we came back in a clumsy circle. Yank yelled at us; and we yelled back at him; but so great was the crash of waters and the whistling of wind that we could make out nothing. Then Yank motioning us to remain where we were, disappeared, to return after a short interval, with a speaking trumpet.

"Have you got your baggage with you?" he roared.

We shook our heads and waved our arms.

"Go get it!" he ordered.

We screamed something back at him.

"Go get it!" he repeated; and withdrew his head entirely.

We rowed back to town; it was no longer necessary to return to the exposed beach where we had waited to sight the ships. Johnny and I indulged in much excited speculation, but Talbot refused to show curiosity.

"He's there, and he's evidently engaged us pa.s.sage; and he wants us aboard to claim it," said he, "and that's all we can know now; and that's enough for me."

On our way we met a whole fleet of boats racing their belated way from town. We grinned sardonically over the plight of these worthies. A half-hour sufficed us to change our clothes, collect our effects, and return to the water front. On the return journey we crossed the same fleet of boats inward bound. Their occupants looked generally very depressed.

Yank met us at the top of the gangway, and a.s.sisted us in getting our baggage aboard. Johnny and I peppered him with questions, to which he vouchsafed no answer. When we had paid off the boatman, he led the way down a hatch into a very dark hole near the bows. A dim lantern swayed to and fro, through the murk we could make out a dozen bunks.

"They call this the fo'cas'le," said Yank placidly. "Crew sleeps here.

This is our happy home. Everything else full up. We four," said he, with a little flash of triumph, "are just about the only galoots of the whole b'iling at Panama that gets pa.s.sage. She's loaded to the muzzle with men that's come away around the Horn in her; and the only reason she stopped in here at all is to get a new thing-um-a-jig of some sort that she had lost or busted or something."

"Well, I don't like my happy home while she wobbles so," said Johnny.

"I'm going to be seasick, as usual. But for heaven's sake, Yank, tell us where you came from, and all about it. And make it brief, for I'm going to be seasick pretty soon."

He lay down in one of the bunks and closed his eyes.

"You'd much better come up on deck into the fresh air," said Talbot.

"Fire ahead, Yank! Please!" begged Johnny.

"Well," said Yank, "when I drew that steamer ticket, it struck me that somebody might want it a lot more than I did, especially as you fellows drew blank. So I hunted up a man who was in a hurry, and sold it to him for five hundred dollars. Then I hired one of these sail-rigged fishing boats and laid in grub for a week and went cruising out to sea five or six miles."

Johnny opened one eye.

"Why?" he demanded feebly.

"I was figgerin' on meeting any old ship that came along a little before the crowd got at her," said Yank. "And judgin' by the gang's remarks that just left, I should think I'd figgered just right."

"You bet you did," put in Talbot emphatically.

"It must have been mighty uncomfortable cruising out there in that little boat so long," said I. "I wonder the men would stick."

"I paid them and they had to," said Yank grimly.

"Why didn't you let us in on it?" I asked.

"What for? It was only a one-man job. So then I struck this ship, and got aboard her after a little trouble persuading her to stop. There wasn't no way of making that captain believe we'd sleep anywheres we could except cash; so I had to pay him a good deal."

"How much?" demanded Talbot.

"It came to two hundred apiece. I'm sorry."

"Glory be!" shouted Talbot, "we're ahead of the game. Yank, you long-headed old pirate, let me shake you by the hand!"

"I wish you fellows would go away," begged Johnny.

We went on deck. The dusk was falling, and the wind with it; and to westward an untold wealth of gold was piling up. Our ship rolled at her anchor, awaiting the return of those of her people who had gone ash.o.r.e.

On the beach tiny spots of lights twinkled where some one had built fires. A warmth was stealing out from the sh.o.r.e over the troubled waters. Talbot leaned on the rail by my side. Suddenly he chuckled explosively.

"I was just thinking," said he in explanation, "of us damfools roosting on that beach in the rain."

Thus at last we escaped from the Isthmus. At the end of twenty-four hours we had left the island of Tobago astern, and were reaching to the north.

PART II

THE GOLDEN CITY

CHAPTER X

THE GOLDEN CITY

We stood in between the hills that guarded the bay of San Francisco about ten o'clock of an early spring day. A fresh cold wind pursued us; and the sky above us was bluer than I had ever seen it before, even on the Isthmus. To our right some great rocks were covered with seals and sea lions, and back of them were hills of yellow sand. A beautiful great mountain rose green to our left, and the water beneath us swirled and eddied in numerous whirlpools made by the tide.

Everybody was on deck and close to the rail. We strained our eyes ahead; and saw two islands, and beyond a sh.o.r.e of green hills. None of us knew where San Francisco was located, nor could we find out. The ship's company were much too busy to pay attention to our questions. The great opening out of the bay beyond the long narrows was therefore a surprise to us; it seemed as vast as an inland sea. We hauled to the wind, turning sharp to the south, glided past the bold point of rocks.

Then we saw the city concealed in a bend of the cove. It was mainly of canvas; hundreds, perhaps thousands of tents and canvas houses scattered about the sides of hills. The flat was covered with them, too, and they extended for some distance along the sh.o.r.e of the cove. A great dust, borne by the wind that had brought us in, swept across the city like a cloud of smoke. Hundreds and hundreds of vessels lay at anchor in the harbour, a vast fleet.

We were immediately surrounded by small boats, and our decks filled with men. We had our first sight of the genuine miners. They proved to be as various as the points of the compa.s.s. Big men, little men, clean men, dirty men, s.h.a.ggy men, shaven men, but all instinct with an eager life and energy I have never seen equalled. Most wore the regulation dress--a red shirt, pantaloons tucked into the tops of boots, broad belts with sometimes silver buckles, silk Chinese sashes of vivid raw colours, a revolver, a bowie knife, a floppy old hat. Occasionally one, more dignified than the rest, sported a shiny top hat; but always with the red shirt. These were merchants, and men permanently established in the town.

They addressed us eagerly, asking a thousand questions concerning the news of the outside world. We could hardly answer them in our desire to question in return. Were the gold stories really true? Were the diggings very far away? Were the diggings holding out? What were the chances for newcomers? And so on without end; and the burden always of gold! gold!

gold!