West Wind Drift | Page 7

job with me
up in the hills a few months ago. He is also an American, a chap from
Providence, Rhode Island. Connected with the consular service now.
He was with a small party of Americans,--am I boring you?"
"No, no,--get on with it," urged Captain Trigger.
"Several of them were sailing on this ship, and they were having a little
farewell party. That, however, has nothing to do with the case. I left
them at midnight and went up to my room. Now comes the part you
will not believe. During the night,--I sleep very soundly,--some one
entered my room, rifled my pockets, and got away with everything I
possessed, except my clothes and the five-dollar gold piece I have
carried ever since I left home,--as a lucky coin, you know. He--"
"How did he happen to overlook your lucky coin?" inquired the
Captain sarcastically.
"Because it couldn't be a lucky coin if I carried it in my purse. No coin
is ever lucky that gets into my purse, Captain. I always kept it tightly
sewed up in the band of my trousers, safe from the influence of evil
companions. I did not discover the loss until morning. It was then too
late to do anything, as you were sailing at eight. My Providence friend
was not available. I knew no one else. But I was determined to sail on
the Doraine. That's the story, sir, in brief. I leave it to you if I wasn't
justified in doing the best I could under the circumstances."
Captain Trigger was not as fierce as he looked. He could not keep the
twinkle out of his eye.
"We will see about that," he managed to say with commendable
gruffness. "Assuming that your story is true, why are you in such a
tremendous hurry to reach the United States? Skipping out for some

reason, eh?"
"Well," said the young man slowly, "you see, news is a long time
getting out into the wilderness where I've been located for a couple of
years. We knew, of course, that there was a war on, but we didn't know
how it was progressing. Down here in this part of the world we have a
war every two or three months, and we've got so used to having 'em
over within a week or two that we just naturally don't pay much
attention to them. We don't even care who wins. But a couple of
months ago we got word up there that the United States had finally got
into it with everybody under the sun, and that the Germans were bound
to win if we didn't get a couple of million men across in pretty short
order. I am thirty years old, Captain, strong and healthy, and I'm a good
American. That's why I want to get home. I've told you the truth about
being robbed. I don't mind losing the money,--only a couple of
thousand pesos, you know,--but if you chuck me off at the next port of
call, Captain Trigger, I'll curse you to my dying day. I'm willing to
work, I'm willing to be put in irons, I'm willing to get along on bread
and water, but you've just got to land me in the United States. You are
an Englishman. I suppose you've got relatives over in France fighting
the Germans. Maybe you've had some one killed who is dear to you."
"My youngest son was killed in Flanders," said the Captain simply.
"I am sorry, sir. Well, for every Englishman and every Frenchman who
has died over there, my country ought to supply some one to take his
place. I expect to be one of those men, Captain. I have no other excuse
for coming aboard your ship as a stowaway."
The Captain still eyed him narrowly.
"I believe you are honest, young man. If I am deceived in you I shall
never trust the eyes of another man as long as I live. Sit down, Mr.
Percival. I shall put you to work, never fear, but in the meantime I am
very much interested in what you were doing up in the hills. You will
oblige me by going as fully as possible into all the details. I shall not
pass judgment on you until I've heard all of your story."

CHAPTER II

Algernon Adonis Percival, civil and mining engineer, Cornell, had
gone through certain rather harsh stages of development in the mines of
Montana and later in the perilous districts of Northern Mexico. A year
or two prior to the breaking out of the great World War, he was sent to
South America to replace the general superintendent of a new
copper-mining enterprise in a remote section of the Andes, on the
Bolivian side of the mountains. Here he