PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 58, 9 March 1936, Page 15

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

(SHORT STORY.)

(By STANLEY CLARK.)

There was a good, deal of amusement in the North Queensland port of Townsville when Tony Leader, young remittance man from England, put up tlie money for Jacob Wells to buy old John Milton's wrecked cutter. For one thing, Jacob Wells was just about the biggest knave in Townsville, and for another, argued the knowing people of the sun-baked town, what earthly use to anyone was a cutter wrecked on a far-away coral reef? It was agreed by all that the Mataee, Milton's boat, had a good deal of pearl shell aboard, hut there was no saying that there were any pearls. Jacob Wells was convinced that there were pearls as well as shell aboard. And, anyway, "What was £50 in a gamble?" he asked Tony Leader. And Tony, who was always ready for any gamble, had agreed that £50 was but a drop in a bucket. But that was not what had really amused the people of Townsville. They were not concerned about Tony's £50 nor did they worry over the fact that Wells would inevitably swindle his partner out of any rewards the venture might bring. » » » * t The funny part of the whole business was that Tony had announced his intention of sailing with Wells, in his small cutter, to recdver whatever there was of value on the Mataee. As people said, it would be the first job of work Tony had done since his arrival in Townsville three years before. It was more like him to prop up» a public-house bar until his money was gone and then assist in propping up the huge bulk of Castle Hill, that towers above the town, until his next remittance arrived from England.

But Tony confounded his : critics. Despite bets freely given but not so freely, taken that he would back out bef6re the day of sailing, he was aboard Wells' boat to time and even tailed on to;the halyards as they hoisted sail and took over-the jib sheet as they tacked out past Magnetic Island into the open sea. They had but the sketchiest idea as to where the Mataee lay. For many clays they roamed in and out of reefguarded passages, landed on white sandy beaches that fringed lagoons and tramped gaspingly to the peak of islands to gaze with binoculars out over the sea for a sign of the wrecked cutter. But at last they found her, sprawled on her beam ends on a jagged sjiit of coral. They anchored their boat safely out in the fairway and rowed over to the Mataee in their dinghy. Jacob Wells was trembling with 'excitement as tliey tied the painter to a cleat in the stern of the Mataee, and he scrambled aboard well in advance of Tony. The latter, following more leisurely, also showed traces of excitement. . ,■ ... . , . Then began a hurried search of the cutter's cabin. Wells threw clothes hastily out of drawers, wrenched open cupboards and flung their contents in all directions. Tony lounged by the door, a smile of amused contempt on his face. Wells suddenly gave a howl of delight and came to his feet waving a washleather bag. Tony pressed forward as his partner turned to the cabin table. Jac6b Wells' hands were trembling as he untied the string that bound the mouth' of the bag. He gave a shout of triumph as a stream of small pearls poured out on to the table top. "There, I told you so," he almost screamed. "I said there'd be pearls aboard. Look at 'em. Aren't they little beauties ?" "Bit small, aren't they?" Tony said critically. "Small," repeated Wells with great contempt. "What did you expect—hens' eggs?" Tony shrugged. "Well, what arc they worth?" "Every penny of £1000," Wells told him gleefully. Tony brightened up a little. "Ah! well," he declared,'"five hundred will be better than a slap in the face." "I'll say it will," Wells agreed. "Now, what's the procedure?" asked Tony, who was already keen for the delights of Townsville again. » * Jacob .Wells glanced out of the open port. "It's getting on for dusk now," he said. "I guess we'll sleep here tonight and get the pearl shell over in,the morning. Then it's tracks for Townsville." , V--v . - - . v ; Tony. agreed with a shrugs The Mataee's cabin was no more uncomfortable than their own save that the bunks lay at a crazy angle through the boat's list. He sat down on one and lighted a cigarette whilst his' partner went forward to the liitle hold to examine the pearl shell. "There's a good bit of shell there, Tony," announced Wells when he turned, "but I guess it won't bring much. Prices for nacre are rock bottom at the' moment." "What" have' you done '.with the pearls?" asked Tony. Wells put his hand in bis poe'eet and ■pulled outr tfae' wash-leather hag. "Here

you are," he said, throwing them across to Tony, "you being the senior partner had better take care of 'em." Tony undid the string again and poured the pearls into his cupped palm. For a time he held them there, admiring the play of light on them. Then he replaced them in their bag and tied the mouth. "0.K.," said Tony. "I'll put them in this pocket of my coat." He slipped the bag into the breast pocket of his white cotton jacket. A few minutes later he went on dtck for a breather before turning in. Two hundred yards distant lay the island on the starboard arm of whose coral reef the Mataee now lay. Tony sniffed the air curiously. A puzzled look came over his face for a moment, to be replaced with a smile of understanding. A few minutes later lie turned and went below. "I say, Jacob," he called as he entered the cabin, "did you get that smell —?" He stopped as lie saw that Wells had already turned into his bunk and was asleep. Taking off his coat and unfastening his belt, he lowered himself on to his own bunk.

An hour passed and Tony's breathing had become deep and regular. Wells still lay motionless and silent. And then carefully lie swung first one leg and then the other over the side of his bunk. Slowly he moved across the cabin. His hand came out and felt silently for Tony's coat where it hung at the head of the bunk. His fingers found the pocket and closed over the wash-leather bag. He thrust it into his trouser pocket and passed silently out of the cabin.

Tony did not wake until the sun was streaming through the port on to his face. And then, when lie siiw that the other bunk was unoccupied, he merely yawned luxuriously.

As he swung his legs over the side of his bunk he called, "Hi! Jacob. Why didn't you give me a call?"

A puzzled look came over his face when there was no answer. He went out of the cabin at a run, buckling his belt as he went. And then he saw that their own boat had gone.

He stood for a moment silent at the rail. Rage blazed in his eyes and a little of'fear too. And then he shrugged resignedly and went below again for something to eat.

Ten days he remained on the wrecked Mataee. And long before that he knew what hunger and thirst meant. Every day he lit. a fire on dfeck and made signals in the smoke. And as each day passed without any answering signal he gave up more and more to despair.

; On the tenth day his signals were seen and a boat from one of the steamers running between Australia and New Guinea came over and took him off.

Tony was so weak with hunger and so dispirited that lie did not mention the pearl shell in the Mataee's hold.

But it was the old Tony who landed in Townsville. Tlie few passengers on the rescuing steamer had made a great fuss of him, and there had been plenty of iced beer.

The news of his rescue had been wirelessed to the port, and a few of the leading citizens of his 6et were down on the wharf to greet him.

"Well, Tony," said one, "we warned you about Jacob. Cleared out and left you in the lurch, I hear." Tony nodded. "And the fool did all that for a few miserable pearls, when if he'd stopped I could have put him on to something worth far more than a thousand pounds."

"What do you mean?" asked the other.

"As soon as we got to the island I noticed how many sea birds there were on it. And then I got the smell in the air. Took me a little time, I admit. Anyway, there's anything up to 50,000 tons of guano on that place, and you know what that's worth."

"Guano, eh!" queried the other. "You've been lucky. Still, that don't alter the fact that you've had a raw deal by Jacob taking the pearls."

"Oh! he didn't get them after all," Tony replied coolly. "I've got them here with me. You see, I thought he might try something like that, so I took them on deck and hid them and then put some little stones I found in the dinghy in their place. All Jacob got -was the bag."