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One day in the early winter, a coal gauger being off duty, Duncan volunteered to go up to the bend in his stead, and measure the coal in a great fleet of barges that had just arrived. He found the barges unsafely bestowed, and suggested to the captain of the Hallam yard tug boat that he should tow them into a securer anchorage.
She was a sight to be proud of, when, rigged once more, she swung at her anchorage. That evening, as Roger and Mr. Cledd, the new second mate, and I were sitting in the cabin and talking of our plans and prospects, we heard a step on the companionway. "Who's that?" Mr. Cledd asked in an undertone. "I thought steward had gone for the night." Roger motioned him to remain silent. We all turned.
Stetworth," he said, "so you'll have lots of time to get your traps aboard if you'll take a boat off from the Battery about noon. I wouldn't come earlier than that, if I were you. Things are bound to be in a mess aboard the brig to-morrow, and the less you have of it the better. We lie well down the anchorage, you know, only a little this side of Robbin's Reef.
Slowly the big cutter made for the anchorage, for the wind, busy elsewhere, could spare only a few idle puffs for her business. "That's a dago, I bet," said Bill. "And I know who it is! Why, it's that humbug, Black Charley!" "We'll have to be pretty spry, or he'll have some of this patch. We'll head him off, and ship what we've got to-morrow."
When the movement grew suspicious, we had our means of frightening this Mr. Ludlow from his enterprise, without recourse to violence." "I had not thought him one to be scared from following up a business like this." "You judged him rightly I may say we judged him rightly. But when his boats sought us at our anchorage, the bird had flown."
He's a merchant in every line that comes handy, from slaves and palm fibre to horses and dates; he runs most of those pearling dhows that we saw sweltering about at the anchorage; and he's got a little army of his own with which he raids the other coast towns and the caravans up-country when he hears they've got any truck worth looting. I say, this is scaring.
Most of the buildings are up to date. The banks of the river are lined for a long distance with mammoth warehouses and the anchorage is crowded with steamers from all parts of the world. There is a regular line between Calcutta and New York, which, I was told, is doing a good business.
The morning packet breasting the current hove in sight a short time after they cut loose from their night's anchorage, and it was always a pleasure for them to wave to those aboard these boats never did the pilot aloft in his little house wfeere he handled the wheel fail to respond to the waving of a handkerchief it was the custom of the river, and one would be lacking in common politeness if he refused to answer such a friendly greeting.
But while in the fleet of Saunders all was uproar and ostentatious menace, the danger was ten miles away, where the squadron of Holmes lay tranquil and silent at its anchorage off Cap-Rouge. It was less tranquil than it seemed. All on board knew that a blow would be struck that night, though only a few high officers knew where.
He was out with the dawn, to a gray rushing morning full of the sounds of sea and wind. He drew a canful of water from the well, and had such a wash as no soap and a handkerchief would permit of. Then he drew another canful and left it outside the door of the ladies' room, and strode off to Belême to see if the boats had got back to their anchorage.
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