Читать книгу Short Stories Volume 3 - John Arthur Barry - Страница 7

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As Chinese Jimmie, one of the bedroom stewards of the mail steamer Alaska, concisely put it, there was "melly hell play up topside this boat." She was crowded with passengers, all, to again quote Jimmie, "first chop 'cep' one fellow—no gammon": and all bound for "Home" viâ Australia and New Zealand. To mention only a few of the distinguished tourists in charge of Captain Roberts on this especial trip, there were the Duke and Duchess of Plinlimmon (née Chitter of Chicago), Lord John Wardour, an elderly aristocrat on his travels; the Grenfell H. Joneses (oil); the Stoep van Boers (New York Six Hundred); the Pullman J. Boggses (railways); together with the whole of the celebrated Crystal Palace Opera Company.

Try and imagine the commotion, then, amongst these fine people when, a couple of days after leaving Honolulu, it was discovered that all, or, at any rate, the best portion, of their jewellery was missing!

As usual on each trip, the Alaska's passengers had been directed to place their valuables in the ship's strong room, otherwise her owners would accept no responsibility. So the Plinlimmon family diamonds, the celebrated Grenfell H. Joneses pearls, the priceless Boggses emeralds and rubies, the historic opal necklace of the Van Boers, in addition to many other less celebrated gems, including those owned by the ladies of the opera company, were given over to the care of the purser for safe keeping.

Contrary to the usual custom in most British mail-boats, the captain of the American-Colonial Alaska held the only key to the strong room. Nor was there any duplicate. And every Saturday afternoon it was his custom to visit the big steel chamber with the purser, and see that all was secure. On the very first occasion of carrying out this duty after leaving Honolulu it was discovered that the shelves were swept as bare as a tooth of every article except a garnet necklace belonging to Madame Francesca Perdita (soprano), which the thief had apparently declined to accept at its owner's description of "ruby."

Poor Captain Roberts nearly had an apoplectic fit when he realized the terrible thing that had happened to him. And there was nobody with whom to share the responsibility. Nor, if any purpose could have been served by so doing, was there any possibility of keeping the matter secret, as some of the passengers had made application for their jewels to appear with at a fancy ball that very night. So that, presently, the scene in the Alaska's saloon fully justified Chinese Jimmie's archaic criticism.

As for the men, they took refuge in the smoke-room whilst the captain was being baited below. And the only soul to take his part was the young and pretty newly-made duchess—also one of the heaviest losers.

"Oh," said she, to the clamouring crowd, "give the man a rest, can't you? What's the use of your all making such a song about the things? That won't bring 'em back, will it? Let up awhile, and try get the hang of the contract before you drive the Cap. clean off his chump. Here, Duke,'' she cried to her husband, who was in their state-room, "you go with the captain and get that old Wardour and a couple of others and try and thrash out who's the smarty. You can bet there's some swell snide amongst us; and we'll have to fix him. Take it from me, I ain't going to lose those stones if I can help; but it's no use raising a bobbery and doing nothing, only break the skipper up worse'n he is already."

The Duke, a pale, anæmic-looking, young-old man, to whom the Chitter millions had come just in the nick of time to keep him out of the Bankruptcy Court, obediently stepped forward, and taking the captain's arm led him away from the raging babel of reproachings, sobbings, and wailings of which he had formed the objective centre.

At the council presently held in the chartroom Lord Wardour was the first to propose offering a reward, putting his name down at once for fifty pounds. As he very truly observed, it was of little use attempting more radical methods until all others had failed. A search, for instance, amongst some four hundred people would pretty surely be futile; might also only have the effect of frightening the thief into dropping his booty overboard. The reward, he thought, should be offered unconditionally. Probably the thief would be found amongst the stewards or other saloon servants; and he would be but too glad to get rid of the plunder for a round sum.

Pullman J. Boggs, on the contrary, was all for drastic measures—threats and a thorough searching—first of all the three classes, then the quarters of the crew and firemen. But, after a lot of talk, the majority came round to Lord Wardour's views, and it was determined to offer a reward of £500, which was subscribed on the spot—the Duke giving half the sum. Then the key of the strong room was handed round for inspection, the captain explaining that, to the best of his belief, it had never been out of his possession—at least, he had not missed it. And as those gentlemen present were aware—having often seen him doing so when they honoured his state-room with their presence o' nights for a quiet game of euchre—it was his invariable custom to take the key out of his desk and place it beneath his pillow, always locking it up again in the morning.

"That," remarked Lord Wardour, amidst laughter, "seems to me to narrow down the inquiry somewhat."

His lordship was a man apparently well past middle age, whose thick brown hair looked as if it had been sprinkled with flour, some of which had stuck on in patches; his heavy moustache, too, was much greyer on one side than the other, whilst out of a yellow, bilious face a pair of dark eyes peered through gold-rimmed spectacles. He walked with a slight limp, and it was rumoured that, although in sole possession of a deck cabin, he was comparatively a poor man. Also that he had passed much of his time in the East, which fact was held to be accountable for the way in which he treated his bedroom steward, Chinese Jimmie, whom he swore at incessantly, and had once or twice even struck for some alleged carelessness. Naturally, Jimmie resented this sort of thing and complained to the purser. But as the "darned Chow" was only working his passage he got no redress. And to someone who had, out of mere curiosity, inquired the reason for his lordship's harsh treatment of the "boy," he explained succinctly and satisfactorily, "Because I do hate a dam Chinky!" Which statement, voicing that of all the Americans on board, met with especial approval as emanating from a member of the effete and prejudiced British aristocracy.

But, of course, all those minor incidents that bulk so big in daily shipboard life completely lost their interest in face of this last disaster, and people spoke of nothing else whatever during their waking moments. Even the firemen, coming off duty, wet and grimy, mockingly flourished their sweat-rags, and with much grimacing roared hoarsely to each other:—

"Hi, Bill, what did yer do with them jools?" "Now, Tom, fork out them dimons I seen yer tryin' on t'other night!"

The seamen, too, especially the quartermasters, whose duty called them amongst the passengers, grew excited over the business, and could be heard discussing it at every opportunity. Then when the notice of the reward appeared the excitement became intensified, and to each man's mind, fore and aft, it seemed as though his neighbour watched him.

"You can bet all you're worth, Duke," remarked his little wife, shrewdly, "that this is a put-up job, and that the smarty who worked at it ain't such a wonderful ways off rubbin' elbows against us every time we sit down to feed. Who used to go to the captain's room card-playin' o' nights 'sides yourself?"

"Well," replied the Duke, rather maliciously, "pretty well half-a-dozen of us, I think, and amongst them certainly all the gilt-edged American crowd."

"And your aristocratic friend, Lord Wardour, I reckon," added his wife, sharply. "I can't size up that chap nohow. Only I fancy that anyone who took him on face value'd get most almightily left."

"Pooh, Mattie," said the Duke, kissing her—he had not married altogether for the bacon-curing dollars—"Wardour's all right. There's a whole clan of 'em in Shropshire where he come's from. Besides, my dear, if this is the work of a practised hand, as you seem to think, might he not be found amongst the officers as likely as amongst the passengers? You must remember they all more or less have access to the captain's room through the night."

"Well," replied the Duchess, "I'm game to stake heavy that the joker, if he ever turns up, will be one of your especial clique."