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mines
this time, Smoke. But Ill tell you what--Ill lay odds of five to
one its the Macedonia."
No one accepted his offer, and he went on: "In which event, Ill
lay ten to one theres trouble breezing up."
"No, thank you," Latimer spoke up. "I dont object to losing my
money, but I like to get a run for it anyway. There never was a
time when there wasnt trouble when you and that brother of yours
got together, and Ill lay twenty to one on that."
A general smile followed, in which Wolf Larsen joined, and the
dinner went on smoothly, thanks to me, for he treated me abominably
the rest of the meal, sneering at me and patronizing me till I was
all a-tremble with suppressed rage. Yet I knew I must control
myself for Maud Brewsters sake, and I received my reward when her
eyes caught mine for a fleeting second, and they said, as
distinctly as if she spoke, "Be brave, be brave."
We left the table to go on deck, for a steamer was a welcome break
in the monotony of the sea on which we floated, while the
conviction that it was Death Larsen and the Macedonia added to the
excitement. The stiff breeze and heavy sea which had sprung up the
previous afternoon had been moderating all morning, so that it was
now possible to lower the boats for an afternoons hunt. The
hunting promised to be profitable. We had sailed since daylight
across a sea barren of seals, and were now running into the herd.
The smoke was still miles astern, but overhauling us rapidly, when
we lowered our boats. They spread out and struck a northerly
course across the ocean. Now and again we saw a sail lower, heard
the reports of the shot-guns, and saw the sail go up again. The
seals were thick, the wind was dying away; everything favoured a
big catch. As we ran off to get our leeward position of the last
lee boat, we found the ocean fairly carpeted with sleeping seals.
They were all about us, thicker than I had ever seen them before,
in twos and threes and bunches, stretched full length on the
surface and sleeping for all the world like so many lazy young
dogs.
Under the approaching smoke the hull and upper-works of a steamer
were growing larger. It was the Macedonia. I read her name
through the glasses as she passed by scarcely a mile to starboard.
Wolf Larsen looked savagely at the vessel, while Maud Brewster was
curious.
"Where is the trouble you were so sure was breezing up, Captain
Larsen?" she asked gaily.
He glanced at her, a moments amusement softening his features.
"What did you expect? That theyd come aboard and cut our
throats?"
"Something like that," she confessed. "You understand, seal-
hunters are so new and strange to me that I am quite ready to
expect anything."
He nodded his head. "Quite right, quite right. Your error is that
you failed to expect the worst."
"Why, what can be worse than cutting our throats?" she asked, with
pretty naive surprise.
"Cutting our purses," he answered. "Man is so made these days that
his capacity for living is determined by the money he possesses."
"Who steals my purse steals trash," she quoted.
"Who steals my purse steals my right to live," was the reply, "old
saws to the contrary. For he steals my bread and meat and bed, and
in so doing imperils my life. There are not enough soup-kitchens
and bread-lines to go around, you know, and when men have nothing
in their purses they usually die, and die miserably--unless they
are able to fill their purses pretty speedily."
"But I fail to see that this steamer has any designs on your
purse."
"Wait and you will see," he answered grimly.
We did not have long to wait. Having passed several miles beyond
our line of boats, the Macedonia proceeded to lower her own. We
knew she carried fourteen boats to our five (we were one short
through the desertion of Wainwright), and she began dropping them
far to leeward of our last boat, continued dropping them athwart
our course, and finished dropping them far to windward of our first
weather boat. The hunting, for us, was spoiled. There were no
seals behind us, and ahead of us the line of fourteen boats, like a
huge broom, swept the herd before The Sea Wolf page 86 The Sea Wolf page 88 |