Part 11 (2/2)
”Just let Scraggsy an' The Squarehead come aboard an' put the s.h.i.+p's towin' cable aboard the _Maggie_. The _Maggie'll_ just about be able to hold her while us four up with the anchor--_an'
c.o.c.kbill_ it agin!”
”They got the skiff overside,” McGuffey warned.
”Throw over the Jacob's ladder and help 'em aboard, Mac. Nothin'
like bein' neighbourly. This here's a delicate situation, what with the old man declinin' our services in favour of a tow by the _Maggie_, an' it occurs to me if we oppose him our standin' in court will be impaired. I see I got to use my imagination agin.”
When Captain Scraggs came aboard, Mr. Gibney escorted him around to the master's cabin, introduced him, and stood by while they bargained. The sick skipper glowered at Mr. Gibney when Scraggs, with a wealth of detail, explained their presence, but, for all his predicament, he was a shrewd man and instantly decided to use Gibney and McGuffey as a fulcrum wherewith to pry a very low price out of Captain Scraggs. Mr. Gibney could not forebear a grin as he saw the captain's plan, and instantly he resolved to further it, if for no other reason than to humiliate and infuriate Scraggs.
”The tow will cost you five thousand, Captain,” Scraggs began pompously.
”Me an' McGuffey'll sail you in for four,” Gibney declared.
”Three thousand,” snarled Scraggs.
”Sailin's cheap as dirt at two thousand. As a matter of fact, Scraggsy, me an' Mac'll sail her in for nothin' just to skin you out o' the salvage.”
”Two thousand dollars is my lowest figure,” Scraggs declared.
”Take it or leave it, Captain. Under the circ.u.mstances, bargaining is useless. Two thousand is my last bid.”
The figure Scraggs named was probably one fifth of what the master of the _Chesapeake_ knew a court would award; nevertheless he shook his head.
”It's a straight towing job, Captain, and not a salvage proposition at all. A tug would tow me in for two hundred and fifty, but I'll give you five hundred.”
Remembering the vegetables he had jettisoned, Scraggs knew he could not afford to accept that price. ”I'm through,” he bluffed--and his bluff worked.
”Taken, Captain Scraggs. Write out an agreement and I'll sign it.”
With the agreement in his pocket, Scraggs, followed by Gibney, left the cabin. ”One hundred each to you an' Mac if you'll stay aboard the _Chesapeake_, steer her, an' help the _Maggie_ out with what sail you can get on her,” Scraggs promised.
”Take a long, runnin' jump at yourself, Scraggsy, old sorrowful.
The best me an' Mac'll do is to help you c.o.c.kbill the anchor, an'
that'll cost you ten bucks for each of us--in advance.” The artful fellow realized that Scraggs knew nothing whatever about a sailing s.h.i.+p and would have to depend upon The Squarehead for the information he required.
”All right. Here's your money,” Scraggs replied and handed Mr.
Gibney twenty dollars. He and Neils Halvorsen then went forward, got out the steel towing cable, and fastened a light rope to the end of it. The skiff floated off the s.h.i.+p at the end of the painter, so The Squarehead hauled it in, climbed down into the skiff, and made the light rope fast to a thwart; then, with Captain Scraggs paying out the hawser, Neils bent manfully to the oars and started to tow the steel cable back to the _Maggie_.
Half way there, the weight of the cable dragging behind slowed The Squarehead up and eventually stopped him. Exerting all his strength he pulled and pulled, but the sole result of his efforts was to wear himself out, seeing which the _Maggie's_ navigating officer set the little steamer in toward the perspiring Neils, while Captain Scraggs, Gibney, and McGuffey cheered l.u.s.tily.
Suddenly an oar snapped. Instantly Neils uns.h.i.+pped the remaining oar, sprang to the stern, and attempted, by sculling, to keep the skiff's head up to the waves. But the weight of the cable whirled the little craft around, a wave rolled in over her counter, and half-filled her; the succeeding wave completed the job and rolled the skiff over and The Squarehead was forced to swim back to the _Chesapeake_. He climbed up the Jacob's ladder to face a storm of abuse from Captain Scraggs.
The cable was hauled back aboard with difficulty, owing to the submerged skiff at the end of it. Captain Scraggs and The Squarehead leaned over the _Chesapeake's_ rail and tugged furiously, when the wreck came alongside, but all of their strength was unequal to the task of righting the little craft by hauling up on the light rope attached to her thwart.
”For ten dollars more each me an' Mac'll tail on to that rope an'
do our best to right the skiff. After she's righted, I'll bail her out, borrow new oars from this here bark, an' help Neils row back to the _Maggie_ with the cable,” Mr. Gibney volunteered.
”Cash in advance, as per usual.”
”You're a pair of highway robbers, but I'll take you,” Scraggs almost wailed, and paid out the money; whereupon Gibney and McGuffey ”tailed” on to the rope and with raucous cries hauled away. As a result of their efforts, the thwart came away with the rope and the quartet sat down with exceeding abruptness on the hard pine deck of the _Chesapeake_.
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