The After House
Page 9The men were violently opposed types Turner, tall, heavy-shouldered,
morose by habit, with a prominent nose and rapidly thinning hair, and
with strong, pale blue eyes, congested from hard drinking; Vail,
shorter by three inches, dark, good-looking, with that dusky flush
under the skin which shows good red blood, and as temperate as Turner
was dissipated.
Vail was strong, too. After I had held Williams over the rail I
turned to find him looking on, amused. And when the frightened darky
had taken himself, muttering threats, to the galley, Vail came over
to me and ran his hand down my arm.
"Oh, I've always had some muscle," I said. "I'm in bad shape now;
just getting over fever."
"Fever, eh? I thought it was jail. Look here."
He threw out his biceps for me to feel. It was a ball of iron under
my fingers. The man was as strong as an ox. He smiled at my
surprise, and, after looking to see that no one was in sight, offered
to mix me a highball from a decanter and siphon on a table.
I refused.
It was his turn to be surprised.
myself. "I find I don't miss it."
He eyed me with some curiosity over his glass, and, sauntering away,
left me to my work of folding rugs. But when I had finished, and
was chalking the deck for shuffle-board, he joined me again, dropping
his voice, for the women had come up by that time and were
breakfasting on the lee side of the after house.
"Have you any idea, Leslie, how much whiskey there is on board?"
"Williams has considerable, I believe. I don't think there is any
in the forward house. The captain is a teetotaler."
"Yes. He locks them away."
He dropped his voice still lower.
"Empty them, Leslie," he said. "Do you understand? Throw what is
left overboard. And, if you get a chance at Williams's key, pitch
a dozen or two quarts overboard."
"And be put in irons!"
"Not necessarily. I think you understand me. I don't trust Williams.
In a week we could have this boat fairly dry."
"There is a great deal of wine."