Read Online 02 South Sea Adventure by Willard Price - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Willard Price
Ads: Link
Catalina.
From the town of Ponape which nestled on a point of the mainland a launch put out. It came alongside and a smart young naval officer climbed on board. He made himself known as Commander Tom Brady, Deputy Military Governor of Ponape. ‘You evidently got a taste of the hurricane.’ he said. ‘More than a taste,’ admitted Captain Ike. ‘Did you feel it here?’
‘Luckily it slid by to the north of us. But one of our supply ships was in its path.’ ‘What happened?’
‘It went down - all five thousand tons of it. It’s a miracle that this little eggshell came through on top.’
Captain Ike proudly surveyed his battered schooner. ‘Pretty stout little ship! Is there a place here where we can get her repaired?’ ‘Right around in the shipyard.’
‘You’ll want to see her papers,’ said Captain Ike, producing them. ‘And how about port charges?’
Commander Tom Brady laughed. ‘Don’t worry about that. We don’t have enough visitors to have to levy port charges. You’re the first, outside of Navy, in six months. How long do you stay?’
‘That’s for Mr Hunt to say. He’s the master of this expedition.’
‘Not long,’ Hal said. ‘While the captain is having the ship repaired I’d like to hire a motor-boat and make a little side trip - out to some of the small islands.’
There was a moment’s silence. Brady seemed to be waiting for more details. But Hal had no intention of disclosing the nature of his errand to Pearl Lagoon, especially in the presence of witnesses. ‘Fine,’ said Brady, accepting the situation, ‘We’ll get you a boat. But just now I know you’d all like to get ashore. Pile into the launch.’
The captain, Roger, and Omo boarded the launch. Hal was about to follow them when the captain said, ‘Where’s Crab?’
‘I’ll find him,’ said Hal, and went forward. Crab was not in the forecastle. Hal returned aft and went down to look in the storeroom. Crab was not there. A rustling attracted his attention and he opened the door to his and Roger’s cabin.
There was Crab, rummaging through Hal’s notebooks and papers.
‘What are you doing here?’ Hal asked sharply.
‘Nothing. Nothing at all,’ Crab sullenly answered, and pushed past Hal out of the door and up the companionway. Hal followed him and they both dropped aboard the launch without another word.
But Hal was thinking hard. Crab must have been looking for information about the pearl island. Evidently he was in with the plotters who had searched Professor Stuyvesant’s papers and threatened his life. They had put him aboard the Lively Lady to get the information that they had failed to get.
There was no use making a scene over it. But Hal knew that whoever went with him to Pearl Lagoon, it would not be Crab, and when the Lively Lady sailed again Crab would not be a member of the crew.
The town of Ponape consisted mainly of Japanese stores and houses built by the Japanese during the thirty years they had held the island. In the outskirts were the thatch homes of native brown Ponapeans.
Brady led the way to a Japanese house on the edge of a bluff with a magnificent view across the harbour to the towering Rock of Chokach.
‘This is yours for as long as you want it,’ he said. ‘Make yourselves at home.’
It was pleasant to lie at full length on the clean golden-yellow mats and look out over the blue lagoon dotted with green islets and the white sails of fishing boats, to the big rock backed by mountains thousands of feet high from whose cliffs tumbled silvery waterfalls.
‘It’s a sort of paradise,’ said Hal.
But a worm of anxiety crept into his pleasure when he noticed that his party was one man short. Crab had again disappeared. What was that rascal up to now?
Chapter 10
The pearl trader
There was only one business street in the town and Crab had no difficulty in finding the Post Exchange.
He went in and looked about as if he had an appointment to meet someone here. A big man
From the town of Ponape which nestled on a point of the mainland a launch put out. It came alongside and a smart young naval officer climbed on board. He made himself known as Commander Tom Brady, Deputy Military Governor of Ponape. ‘You evidently got a taste of the hurricane.’ he said. ‘More than a taste,’ admitted Captain Ike. ‘Did you feel it here?’
‘Luckily it slid by to the north of us. But one of our supply ships was in its path.’ ‘What happened?’
‘It went down - all five thousand tons of it. It’s a miracle that this little eggshell came through on top.’
Captain Ike proudly surveyed his battered schooner. ‘Pretty stout little ship! Is there a place here where we can get her repaired?’ ‘Right around in the shipyard.’
‘You’ll want to see her papers,’ said Captain Ike, producing them. ‘And how about port charges?’
Commander Tom Brady laughed. ‘Don’t worry about that. We don’t have enough visitors to have to levy port charges. You’re the first, outside of Navy, in six months. How long do you stay?’
‘That’s for Mr Hunt to say. He’s the master of this expedition.’
‘Not long,’ Hal said. ‘While the captain is having the ship repaired I’d like to hire a motor-boat and make a little side trip - out to some of the small islands.’
There was a moment’s silence. Brady seemed to be waiting for more details. But Hal had no intention of disclosing the nature of his errand to Pearl Lagoon, especially in the presence of witnesses. ‘Fine,’ said Brady, accepting the situation, ‘We’ll get you a boat. But just now I know you’d all like to get ashore. Pile into the launch.’
The captain, Roger, and Omo boarded the launch. Hal was about to follow them when the captain said, ‘Where’s Crab?’
‘I’ll find him,’ said Hal, and went forward. Crab was not in the forecastle. Hal returned aft and went down to look in the storeroom. Crab was not there. A rustling attracted his attention and he opened the door to his and Roger’s cabin.
There was Crab, rummaging through Hal’s notebooks and papers.
‘What are you doing here?’ Hal asked sharply.
‘Nothing. Nothing at all,’ Crab sullenly answered, and pushed past Hal out of the door and up the companionway. Hal followed him and they both dropped aboard the launch without another word.
But Hal was thinking hard. Crab must have been looking for information about the pearl island. Evidently he was in with the plotters who had searched Professor Stuyvesant’s papers and threatened his life. They had put him aboard the Lively Lady to get the information that they had failed to get.
There was no use making a scene over it. But Hal knew that whoever went with him to Pearl Lagoon, it would not be Crab, and when the Lively Lady sailed again Crab would not be a member of the crew.
The town of Ponape consisted mainly of Japanese stores and houses built by the Japanese during the thirty years they had held the island. In the outskirts were the thatch homes of native brown Ponapeans.
Brady led the way to a Japanese house on the edge of a bluff with a magnificent view across the harbour to the towering Rock of Chokach.
‘This is yours for as long as you want it,’ he said. ‘Make yourselves at home.’
It was pleasant to lie at full length on the clean golden-yellow mats and look out over the blue lagoon dotted with green islets and the white sails of fishing boats, to the big rock backed by mountains thousands of feet high from whose cliffs tumbled silvery waterfalls.
‘It’s a sort of paradise,’ said Hal.
But a worm of anxiety crept into his pleasure when he noticed that his party was one man short. Crab had again disappeared. What was that rascal up to now?
Chapter 10
The pearl trader
There was only one business street in the town and Crab had no difficulty in finding the Post Exchange.
He went in and looked about as if he had an appointment to meet someone here. A big man
Similar Books
