Secret of the Reef

Harold Bindloss

Description

Sailor Jimmy Farquhar has enjoyed a period of relative calm in his life, serving on a series of problem-free cargo runs and striking up a burgeoning relationship with a beautiful passenger on one trip. But when a colleague proposes a salvage job that would entail traveling into icy, treacherous northern waters, Jimmy decides to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot.

Sujets

• Adventure (Guyana)
• Adventure

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776537198
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE SECRET OF THE REEF
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HAROLD BINDLOSS
 
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The Secret of the Reef First published in 1914 Epub ISBN 978-1-77653-719-8 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77653-720-4 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter I - Dismissed Chapter II - A New Venture Chapter III - The Fury of the Sea Chapter IV - The Island Chapter V - An Interruption Chapter VI - Blown Off Chapter VII - Grubstaked Chapter VIII - Puzzling Questions Chapter IX - The Mine at Snowy Creek Chapter X - The Wreck of the Kanawha Chapter XI - Father and Son Chapter XII - Ready for the Fray Chapter XIII - The Repulse Chapter XIV - Fighting for a Life Chapter XV - Illumination Chapter XVI - A Ghost of the Past Chapter XVII - The Strong-Room Chapter XVIII - Bogus Gold Chapter XIX - A Dangerous Secret Chapter XX - Hounded Chapter XXI - Jimmy's Embarrassment Chapter XXII - A Warning Chapter XXIII - The First Attack Chapter XXIV - The Girl in the Boat Chapter XXV - Paying a Debt Chapter XXVI - An Unexpected Delay Chapter XXVII - On the Beach Chapter XXVIII - A Truce Chapter XXIX - The Hidden Gold Chapter XXX - The Last of the Wreck Chapter XXXI - A Gift from the Dead Chapter XXXII - The Barriers Go Down
Chapter I - Dismissed
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The big liner's smoke streamed straight astern, staining the soft blueof the sky, as, throbbing gently to her engines' stroke, she clove herway through the smooth heave of the North Pacific. Foam blazed withphosphorescent flame beneath her lofty bows and, streaking with greenand gold scintillations the long line of hull that gleamed ivory-whitein the light of a half moon, boiled up again in fiery splendor in thewake of the twin screws. Mastheads and tall yellow funnels raked acrossthe sky with a measured swing, the long deck slanted gently, itsspotless whiteness darkened by the dew, and the draught the boat madestruck faint harmonies like the tinkle of elfin harps from wire shroudand guy. Now they rose clearly; now they were lost in the roar of theparted swell.
A glow of electric light streamed out from the saloon-companion and thesmoking-room; the skylights of the saloon were open, and when the notesof a piano drifted aft with a girl's voice, Jimmy Farquhar, second mate,standing dressed in trim white uniform beneath a swung-up boat, smiledat the refrain of the old love song. He was in an unusuallyimpressionable mood; and he felt that there was some danger of hislosing his head as his eyes rested admiringly on his companion, forthere was a seductive glamour in the blue and silver splendor of thenight.
Ruth Osborne leaned on the steamer's rail, looking forward, with themoonlight on her face. She was young and delicately pretty, with aslender figure, and the warm coloring that often indicates anenthusiastic temperament. In the daylight her hair had ruddy gleams inits warm brown, and her eyes a curious golden scintillation; but now itarched in a dusky mass above the pallid oval of her face, and her lookwas thoughtful.
She had fallen into the habit of meeting Jimmy when he was not on watch;and the mate felt flattered by her frank preference for his society, forhe suspected that several of the passengers envied him, and that MissOsborne was a lady of importance at home. It was understood that she wasthe only daughter of the American merchant who had taken the two bestdeck rooms, which perhaps accounted for the somewhat imperious way shehad. Miss Osborne did what she liked, and made it seem right; and it wasobvious that she liked to talk to Jimmy.
"It has been a delightful trip," she said.
"Yes," agreed Jimmy; "the finest I recollect. I wanted you to have asmooth-water voyage, and I am glad you enjoyed it."
"That was nice of you," she smiled. "I could hardly help enjoying it.She's a comfortable boat, and everybody has been pleasant. I supposewe'll see Vancouver Island late to-morrow?"
"It will be dark when we pick up the lights, but we'll be in Victoriaearly the next morning. I think you leave us there?"
The girl was silent for a few moments, and in her expression there was ahint of regret that stirred Jimmy's blood. They had seen a good deal ofeach other during the voyage; and it was painful to the man to realizethat in all probability their acquaintance must soon come to an end; buthe ventured to think that his companion shared his feelings to someextent.
"In a way, I'm sorry we're so nearly home," Ruth said frankly; andadded, smiling, "I'm beginning to find out that I love the sea."
Jimmy noted the explanation. He was a handsome young Englishman ofunassuming disposition, and by no means a fortune-hunter, but he hadbeen bantered by the other mates, and he knew that it was not analtogether unusual thing for a wealthy young lady to fall in love with asteamboat officer during a long, fine-weather run. Miss Osborne,however, had shown only a friendly liking for him; and, as he would seeno more of her after the next day, he must not make a fool of himself atthe last moment.
"The sea's not always like this," he replied. "It can be very cruel; andall ships aren't mailboats."
"I suppose not. You mean that life is harder in the others?"
Jimmy laughed. He had been a Conway boy, but soon after he finishedhis schooling on the famous old vessel the death of a guardian deprivedhim of the help and influence he had been brought up to expect. As aresult of this, he had been apprenticed to a firm of parsimoniousowners, and began his career in a badly found and undermanned ironsailing ship. On board her he had borne hunger and wet and cold, and wasoften worked to the point of exhaustion. Pride kept him from deserting,and he had come out of the four years' struggle very hard and lean, tobegin almost as stern a fight in steam cargo-tramps. Then, by a strokeof unexpected luck, he met an invalid merchant on one of the vessels,and the man recommended him to the directors of a mail company. Afterthis, things became easier for Jimmy. He made progress, and, after whathe had borne, he found his present circumstances almost luxuriouslyeasy.
"Steam is improving matters," he said; "but there are still trades inwhich mates and seamen are called upon to stand all that flesh and bloodcan endure."
"And you have known something of this?"
"All I want to know."
"Do tell me about it," Ruth urged. "I am curious."
Jimmy laughed.
"Well, on my first trip round Cape Horn we left the Mersey undermannedand lost three of our crew before we were abreast of the Falkland Isles;two of them were hurled from the royal yard through the breaking ofrotten gear. That made a big difference, and we had vile weather: galesdead ahead, snow, and bitter cold. The galley fire was washed out halfthe time, the deckhouse we lived in was flooded continually; for weekswe hadn't a rag of dry clothes, and very seldom a plateful of warm food.It was a merciful relief when the gale freshened, and she lay hove to,with the icy seas bursting over her weather bow while we slept like logsin our soaking bunks; but that wasn't often. With each shift or fall ofwind we crawled out on the yards, wet and frozen to the bone, to shakethe hard canvas loose, and, as it generally happened, were sent aloft inan hour to furl it tight again. Each time it was a short-handed fightfor life to master the thrashing sail. Our hands cracked open, and thecuts would not heal; stores were spoiled by the water that washed overeverything, and some days we starved on a wet biscuit or two; but thedemand for brutal effort never slackened. We were worn very thin when wesquared away for the north with the first fair wind."
"Ah!" exclaimed Ruth. "It must have been a grim experience. Didn't itdaunt you, and make you hate the sea?"
"I hated the ship, her skipper, and her owners, and most of all thesmart managing clerk who had worked out to the last penny how cheaplyshe could be run; but that was a different thing. The sea has a spellthat grips you, and never lets go again."
"Yes," said Ruth; "I have felt that, though I have seen it only in fineweather and from a liner's saloon deck." She mused for a few momentsbefore she went on. "It will be a long time before I forget this voyage,steaming home over the sunlit water, with the wind behind us and thesmoke going straight up, the decks warm, everything bright andglittering, and the glimmer of the moon and the sea-fire about the hullat night."
There was an opening here for an assurance that the voyage would liveeven longer in his memory; but Jimmy let it pass. He feared that hemight say too much if he gave the rein to sentiment.
"Were you not charmed with Japan?" he asked.
Ruth acquiesced in the change of topic, and her eyes sparkledenthusiastically.
"Oh, yes! It was the time of the cherry-blossom, and the country seemeda fairyland, quainter, stranger, and prettier than anything I had everdreamed of!"
"Still, you must have seen many interesting places."
"No," she said with a trace of graveness. "I don't even know very muchabout my own country."
"All the Americans I have met seemed fond of traveling."
"The richer ones are," she answered frankly. "But until quite lately Ithink we were poor. It was during the Klondyke rush that my father firstbecame prosperous, and for a number of years I never saw him. When mymother died I was sent to a small, old-fashioned, New England town,where some elderly relatives took care of me. They were good people, butvery narrow, and all I heard and saw was commonplace and pro