The After House - Page 66/108

I find, from my journal, that the next seven days passed without

marked incident. Several times during that period we sighted vessels,

all outward bound, and once we were within communicating distance of

a steam cargo boat on her way to Venezuela. She lay to and sent her

first mate over to see what could be done.

He was a slim little man with dark eyes and a small mustache above

a cheerful mouth. He listened in silence to my story, and shuddered

when I showed him the jolly-boat. But we were only a few days out

by that time, and, after all, what could they do? He offered to

spare us a hand, if it could be arranged; but, Adams having recovered

by that time, we decided to get along as we were. A strange sight

we must have presented to the tidy little officer in his uniform and

black tie: a haggard, unshaven lot of men, none too clean, all

suffering from strain and lack of sleep, with nerves ready to snap;

a white yacht, motionless, her sails drooping,--for not a breath of

air moved,--with unpolished brasses and dirty decks; in charge of

all, a tall youth, unshaven like the rest, and gaunt from sickness,

who hardly knew a nautical phrase, who shook the little officer's

hand with a ferocity of welcome that made him change color, and whose

uniform consisted of a pair of dirty khaki trousers and a khaki shirt,

open at the neck; and behind us, wallowing in the trough of the sea

as the Ella lay to, the jolly-boat, so miscalled, with its sinister

cargo.

The Buenos Aires went on, leaving us a bit cheered, perhaps, but

none the better off, except that she verified our bearings. The

after house had taken no notice of the incident. None of the women

had appeared, nor did they make any inquiry of the cook when he

carried down their dinner that night. As entirely as possible,

during the week that had passed, they had kept to themselves. Turner

was better, I imagined; but, the few times when Elsa Lee appeared at

the companion for a breath of air, I was off duty and missed her. I

thought it was by design, and I was desperate for a sight of her.

Mrs. Johns came on deck once or twice while I was there, but she

chose to ignore me. The stewardess, however, was not so partisan,

and, the day before we met the Buenos Aires, she spent a little time

on deck, leaning against the rail and watching me with alert black

eyes.

"What are you going to do when you get to land, Mr. Captain Leslie?"

she asked. "Are you going to put us all in prison?"

"That's as may be," I evaded. She was a pretty little woman, plump

and dark, and she slid her hand along the rail until it touched mine.

Whereon, I did the thing she was expecting, and put my fingers over

hers. She flushed a little, and dimpled.