Gold Part 53

At the land end of the wharf we ran into the most extraordinary collection of vehicles apparently in an inextricable tangle, that was further complicated by the fact that most of the horses were only half broken. They kicked and reared, their drivers lashed and swore, the wagons clashed together. There seemed no possible way out of the mess; and yet somehow the wagons seemed to get loaded and to draw out into the clear. Occasionally the drivers were inclined to abandon their craft and do battle with the loaded ends of their whips; but always a peacemaker descended upon them in the person of a large voluble individual in whom I recognized my former friend and employer, John McGlynn. Evidently John had no longer a monopoly of the teaming business; but, as evidently, what he said went with this wild bunch.

Most of the wagons were loading goods brought from the interiors of storehouses alongside the approach to the wharf. In these storehouses we recognized the hulls of ships, but so sh.o.r.ed up, dismantled, and cut into by doors and stories that of their original appearance only their general shapes remained. There was a great number of these storehouses along the sh.o.r.e, some of them being quite built about by piles and platforms, while two were actually inland several hundred feet. I read the name _Niantic_ on the stern of one of them; and found it to have acquired in the landward side a square false front. It was at that time used as a hotel.

"Looks as if they'd taken hold of Talbot's idea hard," observed Yank.

"Say!" cried Johnny, "will one of you drinking men kindly take a look and inform me if I've gone wrong?"

This remark was called forth by the discovery, as we neared the sh.o.r.e, of hordes of rats. They were large, fat, saucy rats; and they strolled about in broad daylight as if they owned the place. They sat upright on sacks of grain; they scampered across the sidewalks; they scuttled from behind boxes; they rustled and squeaked and fought and played in countless droves. The ground seemed alive with them. It was a most astonishing sight.

"And will you look at that dog!" cried Yank disgustedly.

Across an open doorway, blinking in the sun, lay a good-looking fox terrier. His nose was laid between his paws, and within two yards of that nose a large brown rat disported itself with a crust of bread.

"My Lord!" cried Johnny, his sporting blood aboil. "Here, pup, sic 'em!

sic 'em!" He indicated the game urgently. The fox terrier rolled up one eye, wagged his stub tail--but did not even raise his nose.

"No use," observed the dog's owner, who had appeared in the doorway.

"What's the matter with him?" demanded Johnny indignantly; "is he sick?"

"No, he ain't sick," replied the owner sadly; "but he ain't got no use for rats. I bought him for d.a.m.n near his weight in gold dust when the _Panama_ came in last month. He was the best ratter you ever see. I reckon he must've killed a million rats the first week. But, Lord! he got sick of rats. I reckon a rat could go right up and pull his whiskers now, and he'd never mind."

We condoled with the _blase_ dog, and moved on.

"Same old mud," observed Yank.

The place was full of new buildings, some of them quite elaborate two-story structures of brick; and elevated plank sidewalks had taken the place of the old makeshifts. Although the Plaza was still the centre of town, the streets immediately off it had gained considerable dignity and importance. There were many clothing stores, nearly all kept by Jews, and a number of new saloons and gambling houses. As we were picking our way along we ran into an old acquaintance in the person of the captain of the _Panama_. He recognized us at once, and we drew up for a chat. After we had exchanged first news Johnny asked him if he knew of a place where a fair price could be raised on the diamond.

"Why, the jewellery store is your ticket, of course," replied the captain.

"So there's a jewellery store, too!" cried Johnny.

"And a good one," supplemented the captain. "Come along; I'll take you to it."

It _was_ a good one, and carried a large stock of rings, chains, pins, clocks, watches, and speaking trumpets. The latter two items were the most prominent, for there were hundreds of watches, and apparently thousands of speaking trumpets. They stood in rows on the shelves, and depended in ranks from hooks and nails. Most of them were of silver or of silver gilt; and they were plain, chased, engraved, hammered, or repoussed, with always an ample s.p.a.ce for inscription. After Johnny had concluded a satisfactory arrangement for his diamond, I remarked on the preponderance of speaking trumpets. The man grinned rather maliciously at our captain.

"They are a very favourite article for presentation by grateful pa.s.sengers after a successful sea trip," he said smoothly.

At this our captain exploded.

"Are they?" he boomed. "I should think they were! I've got a dozen of the confounded things; and as I've just got in from a trip, I'm expecting another any minute. Good Lord!" he cried as a group of men turned in at the door. "Here come some of my pa.s.sengers now. Come along, let's get out of this!"

He dragged us out a back door into a very muddy back alley, whence we floundered to dry land with some difficulty.

"That was a narrow escape!" he cried, wiping his brow. "Let's go get a drink. I know the best place."

He led us to a very ornate saloon whose chief attraction was the fact that its ceiling was supported on gla.s.s pillars! We duly admired this marvel; and then wandered over to the polished mahogany bar, where we were joined by the half dozen loafers who had been lounging around the place. These men did not exactly join us, but they stood expectantly near. Nor were they disappointed.

"Come, let's all take a drink, boys!" cried the captain heartily.

They named and tossed off their liquor, and then without a word of farewell or thanks shambled back to their roosting places.

"What's the matter, Billy?" demanded the captain, looking about curiously. "Where's your usual crowd?"

"They're all down at the Verandah," replied the barkeeper, pa.s.sing a cloth over the satiny wood of the bar. "Dorgan's got a girl tending bar.

Pays her some unG.o.dly wages; and he's getting all the crowd. He'd better make the most of it while it lasts. She won't stay a week."

"Why not?" I asked curiously.

"Married; sure," replied the barkeeper briefly.

"And the gla.s.s pillars will always be here; eh, Billy?" suggested the captain. "Nevertheless I believe we'll just wander down and look her over."

"Sure," said Billy indifferently; "that's where all the rest are."

The Verandah, situated on the Plaza, was crowded to the doors. Behind the bar slaved a half dozen busy drink-mixers. The girl, and a very pretty girl she was, pa.s.sed the drinks over the counter, and took in the dust.

"She's straight," observed the captain sagaciously, after inspection; "if she wasn't there wouldn't be such a gang. The other sort is plenty enough."

We did not try to get near the bar, but after a few moments regained the street. The captain said farewell; and we hunted up, by his direction, the New York Tonsorial Emporium. There we had five dollars' worth of various things done to us; after which we bought new clothes. The old ones we threw out into the street along with a vast collection of others contributed by our predecessors.

"Now," said Johnny, "I feel like a new man. And before we go any farther I have a little duty to perform."

"Which is?"

"Another drink at the sign of the Gla.s.s Pillars, or whatever they call the place."

"We don't want anything more to drink just now," I protested.

"Oblige me in this one treat," said Johnny in his best manner.

We entered the Arcade, as the bar was called. At once the loafers moved forward. Johnny turned to them with an engaging air of friendliness.

"Come on, boys, let's all take a drink!" he cried.

The gla.s.ses were poured. Johnny raised his. The others followed suit.

Then all drained them simultaneously and set down the empty gla.s.ses.

"And now," went on Johnny in the same cheerful, friendly tone, "let's all pay for them!"

The loafers stared at him a moment. One growled menacingly, but fell silent under his clear glance. One or two others forced a laugh. Under Johnny's compelling eye they all paid. Billy, behind the bar, watched with sardonic amus.e.m.e.nt. When Johnny proffered his dust, the barkeeper thrust it back.

"My treat here," said he briefly.

"But----?" objected Johnny.

"It's a privilege."

"If you put it that way, I thank you, sir," said Johnny in his grandest manner; and we walked out. "Those b.u.ms made me tired," was his only comment to us. "Now let's go hunt up Talbot. I'll bet my extinct toothbrush that he's a well-known citizen around here."