Part 1 (1/2)

A Master of Fortune.

by Cutcliffe Hyne.

Dedication

TO CAPTAIN OWEN KETTLE

My dear Kettle,--

With some considerable trepidation, I venture to offer you here the dedication of your unauthorized biography. You will read these memoirs, I know, and it is my pious hope that you do not fit the cap on yourself as their hero. Of course I have sent you along your cruises under the decent disguise of a purser's name, and I trust that if you do recognize yourself, you will appreciate this nice feeling on my part. Believe me, it was not entirely caused by personal fear of that practical form which I am sure your displeasure would take if you caught any one putting you into print. Even a working novelist has his humane moments; and besides if I made you more recognizable, there might be a more dangerous broth stirred up, with an ugly international flavor. Would it be indiscreet to bring one sweltering day in Bahia to your memory, where you made play with a German (or was he a Scandinavian?) and a hundredweight drum of good white lead? or might one hint at that little affair which made Odessa bad for your health, and indeed compelled you to keep away from Black Sea ports entirely for several years? I trust, then, that if you do detect my sin in making myself without leave or license your personal historian, you will be induced for the sake of your present respectability to give no sign of a ruffled temper, but recognize me as part of the cross you are appointed to bear, and incidentally remember my forbearance in keeping so much really splendid material (from my point of view) in snug retirement up my sleeve.

Finally, let me remind you that I made no promises not to publish, and that you did. Not only were you going to endow the world with a book of poems, but I was to have a free copy. This has not yet come; and if, for an excuse, you have published no secular verse, I am quite willing to commute for a copy of the Book of Hymns, provided it is suitably inscribed.

C.J.C.H.

OAK VALE, BRADFORD, June 27, 1899.

CHAPTER I

IN QUARANTINE

”The pay is small enough,” said Captain Kettle, staring at the blue paper. ”It's a bit hard for a man of my age and experience to come down to a job like piloting, on eight pound a month and my grub.”

”All right, Capt'n,” replied the agent. ”You needn't tell me what I know already. The pay's miserable, the climate's vile, and the bosses are beasts. And yet we have more applicants for these berths on the Congo than there are vacancies for. And f'why is it, Capt'n? Because there's no questions asked. The Congo people want men who can handle steamers.

Their own bloomin' Belgians aren't worth a cent for that, and so they have to get Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, English, Eytalians, or any one else that's capable. They prefer to give small pay, and are willing to take the men that for various reasons can't get better jobs elsewhere.

Guess you'll know the crowd I mean?”

”Thoroughly, sir,” said Kettle, with a sigh. ”There are a very large number of us. But we're not all unfortunate through our own fault.”

”No, I know,” said the agent. ”Rascally owners, unsympathetic Board of Trade, master's certificate suspended quite unjustly, and all that--”

The agent looked at his watch. ”Well, Capt'n, now, about this berth? Are you going to take it?”

”I've no other choice.”

”Right,” said the agent, and pulled a printed form on to the desk before him, and made a couple of entries. ”Let's see--er--is there a Mrs. Kettle?”

”Married,” said the little sailor; ”three children.”

The agent filled these details on to the form. ”Just as well to put it down,” he commented as he wrote. ”I'm told the Congo Free State has some fancy new pension scheme on foot for widdys and kids, though I expect it'll come to nothing, as usual. They're a pretty unsatisfactory lot all round out there. Still you may as well have your chance of what plums are going. Yer age, Capt'n?”

”Thirty-eight.”

”And--er--previous employment? Well, I suppose we had better leave that blank as usual. They never really expect it to be filled in, or they wouldn't offer such wretchedly small pay and commission. You've got your master's ticket to show, and that's about all they want.”

”There's my wife's address, sir. I'd like my half-pay sent to her.”

”She shall have it direct from Brussels, skipper, so long as you are alive--I mean, so long as you remain in the Congo Service.”