| Show IE i iNNER cTHE GRIP Q JJY A W wA LD Capt Alexander Mather of the steam coaster Grip was hurrying along Cardiff rireet dockward to his vessel which had just completed loading for Southampton Southamp-ton when he was accosted byn young iMi I man smartly attired in yachting costume nnd wearing on his cap the gilt badge of a famous south coast club Papl Mather the stranger queried t Thats me the sailor retorted gruffly gruf-fly enough having all the dislike oC his class toward the average amateur seaman sea-man Thats mehut Im In a hurry So I heard retorted the other coolly cool-ly You were pointed out to me ns master of a boat just leaving for Southampton South-ampton 1 want to go there at once olsoThe The hint was obvious enough but Slather did not choose to follow it upTake up-Take the train then he replied pns fengers aint in my line So I wouldlhc young man appeared t ap-peared disposed to be persistent but I have a lot of heavy baggage here and Irish I-rish it to accompany me to my yacht which Js lying off Cowes If youll take It and me Ill make it well worth your while The captain hesitated The Grip post a tcfsed pos-t small accommodation for outsiders outsid-ers but a job like this meant something In the skippers pocket I Well he said surveying the t granger over again since you have i been told who 1 am I reckon youve a notion what my ship is she aint a liner you know but Just a coasting tramp covered this blessed minute with coal I much that wont come oil her till she starts washln herself outside Lundy I Ills new acquaintance seemed in no i way dismayed < l al this description That will be all right captain he returned f re-turned come in here a minute and let us talk It over I r The place thus indicated was an adjacent adja-cent bar where over suitable drinks the k L yachtsman continued negotiations s I There are about a dozen large wooden wood-en cases he went on with furnishings II furnish-ings and my own outfit for a long West Indian cruise I should have sent them pa ahead of me but for some stupid delay de-lay and now if I lose sight oC them leaven I knows how long I may be kept waiting for them in the Solent Yhuts your yachts name dc hiandeil lather not quite liking this explanation The stranger took our his cardcase You are a bit auspicious he said pleasantly enough and I dont blame jou but well have everything fair and square That is my name He handed over a card as he spoke < and on it the sailor read R V Rentore S Y Sea Swift 11 Z Y C The first name was unknown to Mather but that of the vessel l happened to be familiar to him while the last four cryptic letters he was aware repre fcntcd the title of one of the most exclusive exclu-sive clubs in the kingdom Then sir he said with an obvious change of manner 1C you want me to take your things it will have to he arranged ar-ranged quickly Ill be hauling out for tea in a couple of hours If they are nol too heavy and you have them along fide within that time I might manage Nut for yourself the speaker hesitated again our only spare cabin is poor enough The other laughed rye roughed it before he answered and wont qunr td with the best you can give me My man shall have the cases down within the time you say they are not heavy and your own crane will eosly swing r them on board And as to terms will f0 suits yoU f The sailor gasped He had not ext ex-t ftcted nearly so much If youll throw In the price of a new bal for myself sir he responded quickly quick-ly well call it a deal Good Rentore produced < his purse Heres half of it 1 now and a couple of sovereigns for yourself There will he cs much more at Southampton for you and your crew if nothing is broken Thus the bargain was sealed and Thither much elated at his good fortune for such windfalls do not come every f day in the coasting trade made his way down to the Grip lying close lo one of the chutes lie had not been r J long there when a wagon appeared bear i Ing the cases escorted by a man oft of-t Valet type r t Thereo the stuff the latter glum bled to the skipper and what the Uovnor f wanted traveling with Jt in a coal barge for I dont know Alf a mind to give him notice I ave Is your hip safe captain Mather surveyed him scornfully Shell carry you my son he retorted arcasllcally supposln you dont put on that much side you make her top heavy The servant scowled I ape HO he replied with meaning anyway youd test see the goods are safely put away or the govnorMl give you what for Sere they are kept right side upIIWYl I all marked for that The skipper was too busy preparing for sea to discuss > this further He passed the Instructions on to his mate and went about his business Piosently I Hcntoie himself clambered on board Ah he remarked smiling in the I Pleasant way he had J J Pee you hll many fIn I I f-In dunnage captain Arc you going to tarry all the cases on deck Yes < sir answered Mather ul the leather is fine and theyll be safe lashed These two small ones he huli I led two boxes as ho spoke well put Moil 1 1 wouldnt do that his passenger l laughed l back One is a cusc of chain TaII1 e 1 hope youll help me to put i J on the way joiind the other is a dozen of whisky which youll allow me to give to your hands Mather looked grave Ill see sir no said tentatively when we get < out l HI take cm to my own room for safe t Ctl Is everything aboard now C Everything the other answered 11 and l the dock gates Just then opening f Hie captain took his post on the bridge while the passenger went below to see to his accommodation f Nor did Mather wet eyes on him again Inllllhe Grip had opened out the Chan 1 rotl and in the growing tusk the light j q rn Platholmc was beginning to trinkh u fa tt astern Then he met the I skipper a s g I latter vas descending from the urtslc 1 ° 1 toiHij along captain he nald Ive fi 1 1 Iutne thEn = the liberty ° r making myself at t got my man to overlook youi q rook and have n bit of dinner ready far ° u now the ships clcnr of the land Mine down and join me t rn response to this tar 1 Invitation the sal T pasted below J to encounter a scene illlCh is the dingy saloon f1 ° o of the tramp 0e hmi l 4 tl not seem since I her long plut t trllli Ir then The table was set with tai on spoll 8B linen r g01rrm silver and torn gnrnlbhcd It anl the swinging tray aoovu j sparkled with bottles full of clone ouch wiius as the captain had gel i COIl111el m seen nearer than across a bar Jl told 1 you Id make myself com i or table Kciiloro laughed at the others oth-ers amazement The hotel people put some 01 this up for me but your crok did the rest so sit down and 1 do him Justice Perkins he turned to his servant ser-vant tell them to serve dinner Oapt Mather was suMlclent of a philosopher phil-osopher to accept the gifts the gods thus sent he sat down aa requested and if his handling of his knife and fork left something to be desired his appreciation of the meal was none the less patent Moreover his hostor his guest for the passenger was both saw to It that his glass was frequently < replenished re-plenished BO that as the cheese came on the table the skipper went under it Perkins ordered Bentore then get he steward to help you to take Capt Mnther 1 to his room ho does notseem well AIH1ahyou might have words word-s nt to the bridge 111 be glad If the mate will Join me here the nights fine and I expect the boatswain can take the ship past Lundy without sinking the Island The passenger appeared to the stew atl1lio was present to be also slight l y touched with an after dinner manner man-ner The mate when he came had the same Impression but nevertheless that officer also collapsed ns his superior had done leaving Tlentore still quite composed com-posed The chief engineer who had olned the feast at the request of the river of it along with the mate was simultaneously overcome host extraordinary remarked Benton Ben-ton never saw men so easily upset Im going on deck Perkins you might see the steward gets out that case of whisky for the men forward and the stokers On deck the passenger lit a cigar noun led to the bridge and joined the boatswain who had charge of It Ive sent a bottle or two of hard tuff forward he said to him affably l You might go down and have your share Im sailor enough to watch her If you leave me the course Thank ee kindly sir answered the seaman who like the rest of the crew was blessing his stars for having given the Grlp the carrying of such a hone factor Keep her sou west by west and shell lake no harm for the minute min-ute Ill be gone When the boatswains cap had van Ished down the ladder Rentore turned to the hand at the wheel You shouldnt be out of this my man he said Off you go and drink my health I can keep her head straigh tHe t-He gripped the wheel and the sailor saw the compass card kept 1 steady to the course Then he too disappeared and silence reigned fore and aft along the decks of tho Grip This lasted for perhaps half an hour then Perkins appeared upon the bridge Theyre gone under at lost he said in tones very different from any he had previously used Shall I let our lads loose Yen answered I Renlore Tell some of them to see quickly to the 11151 can feel the old tubs speed slackening and send a hand here to relieve me Perkins descended to where the cases were ranged and tapped a peculiar I LIon LI-on each They opened as he did so and dim figures from them darted swiftly to his bidding The Grip had got afresh a-fresh crew Next morning just before daylight a small coasting steamer crept Into the anchorage of St Marys Scilly and wrought up close alongside the palatial yacht Bocconcra belonging to a multimillionaire multi-millionaire of American extraction which had been lying there for some days while its owner explored the Islands Isl-ands In accordance with intentions 1 previously announced somewhat widely In the public prints Descriptions afterward af-terward given of the little j coaster in no way corresponded with that of Capt Mathers command The height and colorblind of her funnel were different and Mathers vessel was squarerigged on the foremast which the other was not Besides those who inspected the latter through glasses before she left again declared the name on her bows to be Jane not Grip These points were material because in the darkness before dawn the Moc cnnern was visited I by a boatful of armed men from the new arrival the anchor watch on her deck overpowered the remainder of her crew battened down and the millionaire robbed under threat of violence of every portable article ar-ticle of value he had with him including Includ-ing a large sum In gold and his wifes jewels reputedly of fabulous worth The day was not two hours old when word of this daring robbery reached the shore but by that time the stranger who had got under way again immediately imme-diately his boat returned was hull down to the westward and had utterly vanished van-ished beyond sight from the Islands ere any action could be taken on the telegrams tele-grams which were immediately dispatched dis-patched to the authorities During the night of the day following the Grip reached Southampton and was berthed ready to begin discharge next morning There was nothing to connect her with the robbery and not even the police on duty noticed that her crew all slipped ashore one by one during the darkness It was the lumpers coining down to begIn work on the cargo who first observed anything wrong there be ing no sign of life about the vessel Every place was vacant the stolel hole was cold and empty and no cases were on leek The men explored the forecas LIe last and from below came a muflled knocking Raising the hatch loading into the forepeak there emerged from that literally black hole a string of disconsolate dis-consolate figures Capt Mather bring ing up the car i crestfallen fashion Here he demanded rubbing his eyes where In blazew are we Southampton In course he was old didnt you bring the ship in here hereNo No he retorted In lurid language it we were hocusscd some way a few hours out and found ourselves where you got us when we came to Where the ships been he added brokenly lOr know no more than a babby Id beat see the police If theyll catch me that yachtsman Ill hang him for them my self Curse the smile of him and his dinner A sentiment In which the mullimll lolnalru when it was repealed lo him fully concurred The Sphere |
