Captain Chap; or, The Rolling Stones

by Frank R. Stockton

The countess was a woman of action. As soon as Chap had left her, she had run along the shore, until she was opposite the Winkyminky, and shouted for some one to come over for her. If the Giles should consent to stop for her, she wanted to take her maid and some of her baggage with her, and there was no time to be lost. There was another boat on the Winkyminky, and it had been sent for her, and it was now about to take her and her maid around the upper end of the island to the Giles, whose whistle gave sufficient signal that she was there, and waiting.

“Upon my word!” ejaculated Chap, as he gazed upon this scene. “Aristocrats and countesses, indeed! Give me a republican form of government!”

And he dashed through the mud, and into the boat.

“Never mind the water-barrel,” he cried. “Row after that boat. Another dollar if you catch it.”

The negroes’ arms already ached from the violent rowing they had done, and Chap’s throat was sore from his continuous shouting; but the men bent again to their oars, and Chap’s former yells were nothing to what he uttered now. He felt sure that if the countess’s boat reached the Giles before he did, that steamboat would start off without him, and his sister, whose appearance on board was such an astounding mystery, would be carried away from him. The captain would not wait for anybody after the countess was on board. His soul was fired with rage at that treacherous woman, for whom he had taken so much trouble to return, and for whom he had probably lost his chance of joining his dear sister. If he could catch up with her, he would tell her a thing or two.

“Tug at her! tug at her!” he shouted to the oarsmen. “Crack your backs! Break your bones! Give way, boys, give way! Why don’t you pull? Jerk her out, boys! jerk her out!”

And the two negroes, with bare heads, perspiration rolling down their cheeks, and their eyes and teeth glistening, as they rose in their seats with every wild pull at the oars, did almost jerk the boat out of the water in their frantic efforts to earn the money Chap had promised them.

There was no rudder to the boat; but Chap sat in the stern, and by gestures and commands directed the oarsmen. He did not row toward the Winkyminky, but kept directly after the boat containing the countess.

There was nearly half a mile distance between them when they started, and the upper point of the island was certainly less than a quarter of a mile above the foremost boat. So Chap had great odds against him as far as regards distance, and there seemed much reason to fear that the countess’s boat would round the point and reach the Humphrey Giles before Chap could be seen or heard; but the odds in other respects were somewhat in Chap’s favor.

His men were now so thoroughly warmed up to their work that they forgot their arms had ached a little while before, and they pulled like tireless machines.