St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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THE DERELICT 23 the galleys-of Palermo! They say he was pardoned-bahl they always say these things. How often must he have cursed those whiskers that sent him there-whiskers that I wore to fasten my deeds on him and get revenge! Let him eat his heart outf, The eyes of the Italian glistened. He is there for life. I need not worry. The seene in his mind had changed and brought him back to his reception on the Lady Louise, but his eyes still kept their fire. Dago , he mut- tered, Dago. So they call us when they rob us. VVe are fine people, nice -people, when we toil and slave and put our money in their banks-and when they tieece us-Dagos. But he knows we are on his track. Hiseyes were fixed in- tently on the distant sail. The Italian had proved himself an excellent seaman. Quiet, prompt, respectful, he was possessed of a strength and endurance that seemed out of all proportion to his frame. He was a favorite with the mate and with the crew. No one dared impose upon him. He troubled no one. Fine Seaman, that , said the mate, as he noticed the gaze of the captain intently fixed upon the quiet figure by the rail. Been a great help to me. I 'in glad you took him. 'flt was the mistake of my lifem, said the captain slowly. But we are all fools sometimes. It is the last voyage for o11e or the other or both.'7 '4Tut, tut, Cap 'n',, said the mate. HI fear that you al- low your dark fancies to get the better of you. I can 't for the life of me see why you dislike himf' i'If your life were forfeitedn, said the captain, for- feited innocently g-butpyou may as well hear the story. Per- haps you ean help me. There is an incident in my history of which I have never hitherto spoken. I was at one time the president of an Italian bank in New York. You will think it strange. So it was from many points of view, but not from one. That was my undoing. When the offer was made me, I laughed at the idea. I knew nothing of banking. So I

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22 THE IGNATIAN Italia Then you are a Dago, you speak the lingo. The face of the seaman clouded. It was plain that he felt the insult, yet he answered respectfully, Parents, Italia, me Greek Islands. Have you ever been in Calcutta? lVIe? The seaman's eyes opened in astonishment and candor. Mc, Calcutta? Hong-Kong, Yokohama, sig Cal- cutta? he shook his head. P'raps , he said after a mo- ment 's pause, Hplraps my cousin. Him mucha like me, only got plenty whisk', and his nimble hands were up all over and around his face. You could almost see the whiskers growing. Ver' bad man. Ver' bad man. He lowered his voice and looked around in evident fear. '4P'raps , he said, Carbonaro. A load seemed lifted from the captain 's mind. Greek or no Greek this man had no sympathy with the Carbonari. He turned to the shipping master and said, All rightg I take the crew. The roll was soon called, the shipping master took his leaveg the Lady Louise was heading for the ocean. II. The day was ideal and cheering to the sailor 's heart, as under full sail the Lady Louise coquetted with the frolic- some swells of the ocean. Graeefully she rose and fell, seem- ing to enjoy her freedom as much as the jack-tars who were gathered here and there upon the deck. Captain and mate stood apart conversing. The Italian, too, was apart, in ap- pearance, watching a sail on the distant horizon, i11 reality, conversing with himself in the recesses of his heart. I-Ie was smiling, though his smile was not good to see. He was speak- ing in his native tongue. 'fBah!' he was saying, Chow easily with my whiskered cousin I fooled the captain-my cousin safe and far away in

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24 THE IGNATIAN told them. They laughed in return. 'Just the man we want', they said. 'We want an American merely for ap- pearance' sake, We'll do the business. You sign papers and draw your salaryf They did the business and me in the bargain, They ruined the bank and pocketed the profits. Hundreds of poor Dagos lost their all. The revolutionary funds of the Carbonari vanished into air. Imagine a hornet's nest. One of the directors called on me. 'You better skeep', he said, 'tonight' 'I'll stay', I replied. 'Yes', he said with a broad smile, 'if the Carbonari catch, you stay.' You know now why I would never ship a Dagof' The mate looked grave. Have they ever made an at- tempt? he asked. More than once , the captain replied, the last time in Calcutta. One of the assailants was of the very build of that Dago yonder, but his beard was thick and bushy. If that fellow had a beard, I'd say he was the same. Beards can be shaved. The distant sail no longer interested the Italian. The workings of his heart were no longer reflected in his face. He rose, stretched himself, turned and quietly went his way, re- spectfully saluting captain and mate as he passed them, the model seaman of the Lady Louise. III. It was a gray, stormy afternoon of late December. The Callao-bound bark, Lady Louise, with decks awash, was labor- ing in the throes of a cold Antarctic storm. NVith every spar bending, and the rigging shrieking in the gale, the little craft struggled on, now poised atop of a green mountain of water, now scudding down long, sullen slopes that seemed half a mile in length, to disappear seemingly lost in the valley be- neath. Captain Bellnay and the mate scanned the horizon with anxious eyes. Suddenly the sharp voice of the captain was heard above the storm. IIow's the course, helm?