Isle o' Dreams Part 19

Trask went to his room at once, and stripping off his wet pajamas, dressed hurriedly. His discovery that Jarrow was missing seemed to verify his suspicions that the captain was not playing fair. His absence from his room was the most alarming thing which had happened yet aboard the _Nuestra_, and, as Trask saw it, the fact pointed to a betrayal of trust.

But the young man decided he would withhold any decision regarding the captain until the latter had a chance to explain why the crew should put off in a boat in the night, and why Jarrow was not in his cabin. There might be a reason for it all which would be perfectly plausible, if not convincing of the captain's good intentions.

Doc came to the door of his room, and whispered: "Yo' all want the lamp goin', Mr. Trask?"

"No," said Trask. "You go to bed and keep still." He felt that the steward was inordinately curious about the visit to the captain's room and why Trask was walking about outside.

"Cap'n Jarrow, he's gone for'ard," offered Doc, still standing in the frame of the door, barely perceptible.

"Forward!" whispered Trask, surprised. This news meant one of two explanations for what he had seen--the business was legitimate, and under the direction of Jarrow, or Jarrow was involved with the crew in whatever treachery was afoot.

"Ya.s.sir," continued Doc. "He's got all hands messin' 'round at somethin'. I reckon the old man he looks for it to come on to blow."

"I see," said Trask. "Well, I'm going out. Maybe I can be of some help. Keep quiet, or you'll wake everybody up."

Doc withdrew from the door, and Trask heard him shuffling to his own room, expressing some opinion in a whisper which Trask could not make out, except that it was to the effect that he hadn't started this "walkin' round like ha'nts in the middle of the night."

Trask went on deck and moved forward boldly. The squall which had pa.s.sed left the air fresh and cool, and the sky was not so black, although the schooner was still in gloom. But her bulwarks were more clearly defined against the water, and Trask could see a figure on the starboard bow which looked like a man standing and peering in the direction of the island.

"Who's that?" came Jarrow's voice as Trask drew near. His voice was low and cautious.

"Mr. Trask."

"Oh."

"Can't sleep," said Trask. "What's going on?"

"Storm wake ye up?"

"Not exactly. I've been wakeful since I went to my room."

"Guess we woke ye up."

"Well, I've heard considerable movement, and it made me curious."

"How long ye been out?"

"I was out when it first rained."

"Oh, then it was you!"

"I? I don't understand."

"Loafin' along the rail."

"Yes, I stood there for awhile."

"Thought you was one of the men soldierin' on the job."

"I saw a boat put off."

"Yes," said Jarrow, as if neither the boat nor the fact that Trask had seen it was of any interest to him.

"What's up?" asked Trask.

Jarrow made no reply, but stepped off the forecastle head with a noise of wet, swishing oilskins, and fumbled for a minute. Then the lantern in the forestay bobbed down and up, and he came back to where Trask stood.

Presently the captain struck a match, and twisted his head to one side to light a cigar, his eyes peering at him over the flame.

"Didn't do much good to keep quiet so you could sleep," said Jarrow, grinning into the flame. Then he puffed hard at the cigar.

"Naturally, I'm filled with expectation about the island," said Trask. He knew Jarrow was none too cordial, and seemed bent on showing disapproval of Trask's being abroad.

"You better git some sleep," said Jarrow.

"Do you look for bad weather?" asked Trask.

"Yes," said Jarrow, with sudden heartiness. "I look for anything in these lat.i.tudes at this season. At ten o'clock the barometer showed a disturbance of the diurnal range. It's below maximum."

"Typhoon?"

"Maybe. But I'm takin' no chances. I've got the crew out with a kedge anchor, up in that channel behind the reef, to haul in there if things look bad. Lie snug as a bug in a rug. That reef's a natural breakwater."

"Then the boat took out a kedge?"

"Yes."

"Did Mr. Peth go, too?"

"Why, yes, Mr. Peth he's out there. He's got an anchor laid out in the boat, to buoy it. He's sounding along inside the reef. We'll take a hawser out in the mornin', but if the weather falls, we can make fast right away. He'll run a heavin' line from the buoy so we can find it in the dark. I take it you're satisfied, Mr. Trask?"

"Satisfied? Certainly." Trask was surprised at the sharpness and obvious animus in Jarrow's question. His tone, despite the fact that he spoke scarcely above a whisper, carried a sneer. Trask was on the point of asking Jarrow if he had ever questioned his methods of navigation or seamanship, but he held his tongue for it was no time to precipitate a quarrel.

Trask suspected that Jarrow had overheard him in some remark about the delay of the schooner getting up to the island, or had caught disapproval in his manner that afternoon. It was natural enough for a sailing master to resent the slightest implication that he was not efficient, and Trask was not so much concerned with Jarrow's hidden meaning on that score as with his covert acknowledgment that he had been watchful of Trask's att.i.tude. It was something to know that Jarrow was keen enough to divine the fact that Trask was secretly critical.

"I guess you thought we was slow in makin' anchorage," suggested Jarrow.

This abruptness in reaching the very subject which Trask was considering made him wary of the captain. It was plainly a bid for an expression of Trask's ideas. Jarrow was angling for Trask's opinion to learn whether he might be easily misled, or perhaps ascertain if Trask's coming out to investigate now was part of his general feeling that Jarrow was not to be trusted.

"Well, naturally," said Trask, after a moment's hesitation, "we were anxious to get here as soon as possible, yet we realized that you had to take precautions."

"Can't take no chances with this kind of a bottom," said Jarrow.

"Might be easy to git in through them coral patches, but I've got to know how to git out, and how to git out under the worst conditions. Some of them patches probably break with the least little sea on. If I had to beat out against a head wind in the dark, I don't want to pile up on breakers with----"

Jarrow stopped to listen. The sound of oars came to their ears off toward the black shape of the island.

"You better git some sleep," said Jarrow.