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The Major gazed round at us with his wild, bright eyes, with a face a-work with the conflict of twenty mad passions and sensations. Then bursting into a loud, insane laugh, he caught the harbour-master by the arm, and in a low voice and a sickening, transforming leer of cunning, said: "Come, let's go and look at it." We went below. We were six, including two Custom House officers.
'Nix on the war! Here is the whole fate of mankind at stake, and America's contribution is a little grumbling when the Germans sank the Lusitania, and no end of grumbling when we hold up a ship or two and some fool of a harbour-master makes an overcharge. Otherwise 'Nix on the war!... "Well, let it be Nix on the war! Don't come here and talk to me!
Gangways were drawn up, ropes were let go, the captain called to the shore from the bridge, and the blustering harbour-master called to the bridge from the shore. "Go and stand on the end of the pier, Phil just aback of the lighthouse and I'll put myself at the stern. I want a friend's face to be the last thing I see when I'm going away from the old home."? Philip could bear no more.
All I want is that ye ensure my safe departure from Port Royal. And, if ye're reasonable, I'll not even trouble you to swim for it this time. Ye've given certain orders to your Harbour-Master, and others to the Commandant of your plaguey fort.
Remembering Sir Henry Whynne's injunctions, we went, after breakfast, to the guard-room; and, through the harbour-master, held a long conversation with the officer in command of the objectionable gates; and, after a while, our names were written in a large book, and we received permission to go and come as we pleased.
His old Icelandic origin was never more apparent than in that wild hour. He took a rope, and shouted in the ear of the harbour-master: 'I shall go down on the rock over the seal cave. The tide is running up, and someone may drift in there! 'Keep back, man! came the answer. 'Are you mad?
We had to pack into one of those cockhat boats, as the quay was separated from the village by half a mile of water. When we got to the steamer, the captain leaned over the side and shouted "Where are the mattresses?" "What mattresses?" said the harbour-master. "When are you going to start?" demanded we, clambering on board. "When I get the mattresses," said the captain.
I told them at once that I wished to see all the performers, one company at a time. The two rival managers gave me then a very comic scene, each manager wanting the other to bring his troupe first. The harbour-master told me that the only way to settle the matter was to say myself which of the two companies I would see first: one was from Naples, the other from Sicily.
Only the other day he had been harbour-master down at Martine, but was accused of smuggling and turned out of that berth; he then took a café and sold drinks in Tetuan, when suddenly the Sultan's pleasure took the shape of making him a full-blown colonel in his troops. As in the days of Joseph, the chief butler is sent for out of prison and made much of: the baker is sent for and hanged.
His remarks were much applauded, and two brother-captains listened with grave respect to a disquisition on the wrongs of shipmasters ensuing on the fancied rights of sailor men, the only discordant note being struck by the harbour-master, a man whose ideas had probably been insidiously sapped by a long residence ashore.
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