“Stump,” he called. He glanced about the deck. There was no one there. He picked up his mate’s hat from the spot where the man had fallen under the blow from Captain Scott’s fist. He turned toward several natives who were on the point of going below, their work finished.
“Find Mr. Stump,” he ordered anxiously. “Look for him at once.” He himself hurried about the ship, seeking him in every dark corner; but Stump could not be found.
“The ungrateful dog!” he cried in a fearful rage. Captain “Bully” Scott now showed his true colors. He raved and stormed. The natives cowered away from him. The steel bar in his hand was waved above his head menacingly.
“If I ever get him on board here again I’ll smash him into an unrecognizable blot on the deck,” he raved. “He’s gone! He brought the ‘Talofa’ into Ukula with this bar of steel! He’s probably boasting at this minute how he did it.” He shook his fist at the war-ship, whose lights blazed brightly several hundred yards away. “It’s a race with ‘Bully’ Scott,” he exclaimed. “You think you have me cornered. To-morrow, or even to-night, you will have the story from my sneaking mate. Then you will search and discover the arms; but I’ll fool you yet.”
A swiftly propelled boat swung up alongside the schooner. A tall man swung himself with no apparent muscular effort over the rail and stood in the darkness seeking some one on the schooner.
Captain Scott, still beside himself with rage, spied the newcomer. His rage subsided. Again the benevolent expression returned to his face while a native quickly brought forward the lantern and revealed the face of Count Rosen.
“Has the American officer gone?” the count asked hastily, glancing covertly around.
Captain Scott nodded. “Asked if I had contraband and seemed satisfied when I told him if I had I should hardly have brought them into Ukula when there were other ports in the island free and open.”
The count’s face showed perplexity. Was this American merchant captain deceiving him and Klinger? “Why did you come into Ukula?” he asked.
Captain Scott chuckled. “A little stratagem, count. You see, Klinger wrote to go to Saluafata, but the ‘Talofa’ preferred Ukula. We have until daylight to land our cargo. The war-ship will not think we can do anything before morning. I told Klinger to send over his barges quietly at once.”