Part 20 (2/2)

Scarce had he departed before the watchful eye of Captain Scraggs observed Mr. Gibney and McGuffey in the offing, a block away.

When they came aboard they found Captain Scraggs on top of the house, seated on an upturned fire bucket, smoking pensively and gazing across the bay with an a.s.sumption of lamblike innocence on his fox face.

At the suggestion of Scraggs, Gibney and McGuffey nailed up the box of ”Oriental Goods,” set both boxes out on the main deck, aft, and covered them with a tarpaulin. For about an hour thereafter all three sat around the little cabin table, talking, and presently it became evident, to Mr. Gibney's practiced eye, that Captain Scraggs had something on his mind. Mr. Gibney, suspecting that it could be nothing honest, was surprised, to say the least, when Captain Scraggs made a clean breast of his proposition.

”Gib--an' you, too, McGuffey. I been thinkin' this thing over, an' as master o' this s.h.i.+p an' the one who does the biddin' in o'

these two c.h.i.n.ks at th' sale, it's up to me t' try an' bring you both out with a profit, an' I think th' sellin' should be left to me. I won't hide nothin' from you boys. I'm a-willin' to take a chance that I can sell them two cadavers to some horsepital f'r dissection purposes, an' get more outer th' deal than, you can, Gib, by pa.s.sin' 'em off as floaters. I'm a-willin' to give you an' McGuffey a five-dollar profit over an' above your investment, an' take over th' property myself, just f'r a flyer, an' to sorter add a sportin' interest to an otherwise humdrum life. How about it, lads?”

”You can have my fraction,” said McGuffey promptly; whereupon Captain Scraggs produced the requisite amount of cash and immediately became the owner of a two-thirds' interest.

Mr. Gibney was a trifle mystified. He knew Scraggs well enough to know that the skipper never made a move until he had everything planned ahead to a nicety. The mate was not above making five dollars on the day's work, but some sixth sense told him that Captain Scraggs was framing up a deal designed to cheat him and McGuffey out of a large and legitimate profit. Sooner than sell to Captain Scraggs, therefore, and enable him to unload at an unknown profit, Mr. Gibney resolved to retain his one-third interest, even if he had to go to jail for it. So he informed Captain Scraggs that he thought he'd hold on to his share for a day or two.

”But, Gib, my _dear_ boy,” explained Scraggs, ”you ain't got a word to say about this deal no more. Don't you realize that I hold a controllin' interest an' that you must bow to th' vote o'

th' majority?”

”Don't I, though,” bl.u.s.tered Mr. Gibney. ”Well, just let me catch you luggin' off my property without my consent--in writin'--an'

we'll see who does all th' bowin', Scraggsy. I'll cut your greedy little heart out, that's what I'll do.”

”Well, then,” said Scraggs, ”you get your blasted property off'n my s.h.i.+p, an' get yourself off an' don't never come back.”

”F'r th' love o' common sense,” bawled Mr. Gibney, ”what do you think I am? A butcher? How am I to get away with a third o' two dead Chinamen? Ain't you got no reason to you at all, Scraggs?”

”Very well, then,” replied the triumphant Scraggs, ”if you won't sell, then buy out my interest an' rid my s.h.i.+p o' this contaminatin'

enc.u.mbrance.”

”I won't buy an' I won't sell--leastways until I've had time to consider,” replied Mr. Gibney. ”I smell a rat somewheres, Scraggs, an' I don't intend to be beat outer my rights. Moreover, I question McGuffey's right to dispose o' his one-third without asking my advice an' consent, as th' promoter o' this deal, f'r th' reason that by his act he aids an' abets th' formation o' a trust, creates a monopoly, an' blocks th' wheels o' free trade; all of which is agin public policy an' don't go in no court o'

law. McGuffey, give Scraggs back his money an' keep your interest. When any o' th' parties hereto can rig up a sale o'

these two Celestials, it's his duty to let his s.h.i.+pmates in on th' same. He may exact a five per cent. commission for his effort, if he wants t' be rotten mean, an' th' company has t' pay it t' him, but otherwise we all whacks up, share an' share alike, on profits an' losses.”

”Right you are, Gib, my hearty,” responded McGuffey. ”Scraggs, we'll just call that sale off, f'r th' sake o' harmony. Here's your money. I ain't chokin' off Gibney's steam at no time, not if I know it.”

”You infernal river rats,” snarled Scraggs, ”I'll--I'll----”

”Stow it,” Mr. Gibney commanded. ”I never did see the like o'

you, Scraggs. You're all right an' good comp'ny right up until somebody declines to let you have your own way--an' then, right off, you fly in a rage an' git abusive. I'm gittin' weary o'

bein' ordered off your dirty little scow an' then bein' invited back agin. One o' these bright days, when you start pulling for the fiftieth time the modern parable o' the Prodigal Son an' the Fatted Calf, I'm goin' to walk out o' the cast for keeps. Now, if I was you an' valued the services of a good navigatin' officer an' a good engineer, I'd just take a little run along the waterfront an' cool off. Somethin' tells me that if you stick around here argyin' with me you'll come to grief--which same is no idle fancy, you snipe.”

Captain Scraggs hastened to take advantage of this invitation, for it stood him in hand to do so. His plans, due to Mr. Gibney's inexplicable obstinacy, had failed to mature and he was fearful that Gin Seng, after consulting with his tong, might return to the _Maggie_ at any moment and ruin the deal by exposing it to Gibney and McGuffey; therefore Scraggs resolved to run up to 714 Dupont Street and warn Gin Seng to let the matter lie in abeyance for a couple of days, alleging as an excuse that he was being subjected, for some unknown reason, to police surveillance.

Scraggs decided that after three days the presence of the two dead Chinamen aboard the _Maggie_ would commence to wear on the Gibney nerves and the deadlock over the final disposition of their gruesome purchase would result in Gibney and McGuffey harkening to reason and accepting a profitable compromise. If it should cost him a leg, Captain Scraggs was resolved to make those two corpses pay for the repairs in the _Maggie's_ engine room.

Following his departure, Messrs. Gibney and McGuffey sat on deck smoking and striving to fathom the hidden design back of Scraggs's offer to buy them out. ”He's got his lines fast somewhere--you can bank on that,” was Mr. Gibney's comment, for he knew that Scraggs never made a move that meant parting with money until he was certain he saw that money, somewhat augmented, returning to him. ”While we was away he rigged up some kind of a deal, Bart. It stands to reason it was a mighty profitable deal, too, otherwise old Scraggsy wouldn't have flew into such a rage when I blocked him. My imagination may be a bit off the course at times, Bart, but in general, if there's a dead whale floatin'

around the s.h.i.+p I can smell it.”

”What do you make out o' that fat Chinaman cruisin' down the bulkhead in an express wagon an' another Chinaman settin' up on the bridge with him?” McGuffey demanded. ”Seems to me they're comin', bows on, for the _Maggie_.”

”They tell me to deduct somethin', Bart. Wait a minute till we see if they're comin' aboard. If they are----”

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