Theodore Goodridge Roberts

“ Marlow was absolutely sure of the loyalty of his six canoemen after his daring rescue of Poppy from the river. Every man of them showed it in his manner, his looks and his works—in everything except his speech. They operated again in a place of flashing movement and resounding clamor, in a mist of flying spray, between rocky banks overhung by twisted jungle. Marlow had lost one third of his outfit in the accident in which he had come so near to losing his headman, but he neither drooped nor wavered on that account. ”

“ The zest of life in this island lies in the drinks. A swizzle, my friend—of the green variety.”
Marlow signaled a waiter and gave an order.
“Excitement is a thing I adore,” continued Laval. “But I do not seek it here. Ah, no! For I have been here before. I travel for rest, for soothing change. I stop off here and there at my sweet whim, perhaps for no more than a swizzle or two, perhaps for a week, perhaps for a month. I look on at life as at pictures in a book. I travel to turn the pages.”
“You are lucky,” said Marlow. ”

“ He lived in a world of unreflective, uncontrolled mental activities into which the anxious and vaguely recognized visage of the faithful Poppy swam at intervals. Here were neither doubts nor fears. He delved light-heartedly in golden sands, dived and played in pools of amber water without effort, and ran through endless jungles without fatigue in the pursuit of a face forever appearing and forever vanishing. Once when he was in the borderland, hazily conscious of the hammock and the mosquito bar and the canvas roof, he saw the face above him, gazing down at him. ”

“ Poppy carried his master back to camp.
Fever, a touch of sun and a broken head, constitute a combination of physical distresses not to be ignored by even the most robust of adventurers. Marlow made no attempt to ignore or combat the fate which had overthrown him. For the space of several days and nights he failed even to realize it. He lay in his hammock, only dimly conscious. ”

“ But as the weeks passed the picture of the Queen of the Orisquibo took on startling colors and lines in his mind, and his distaste for her sharpened and darkened to hate.
He coasted southward in a native fishing boat. That was a voyage to kill the zest for tropical adventure in a less heroic breast than Marlow's. The stench and motion of the boat and the glare of the sun were sickening. They played havoc with Marlow's stomach, but they left his heart and nerve undismayed. He went ashore every night with his outfit and all his stores. ”

“ There is no other trader on the river. There is no town even at the river's mouth. All the boats and skilled boatmen of the Orisquibo are hers. More than this, all the people are under her thumb—the hunters and fishermen of the lower river, who are Indians and blacks and breeds, the coolies and negroes and Indians on her ranch, the rubber hunters, the jungle folk and hillmen of the upper river—all honor and obey every wish of that lady. She is the Queen of the Orisquibo. ”

“ Marlow looked at a map with which he had furnished himself in the town. In drawing the map from his pocket he had drawn something else with it, concealed in its untidy folds. From the map he looked at the boatmen, one at a time, then all together.
“We are not at the mouth of the Orisquibo,” he said. “We have still more than thirty miles to go. When there, you shall be paid as arranged—fifty American dollars.”
“Seexty dollar!” cried the skipper of the boat. “You pay heem now, damnation!”
“Damnation is right,” returned the adventurer calmly. ”

“ He found his pan as he had left it, overturned on the sand. He rested for ten minutes, then knelt above the overturned pan and lifted it—and there, in the sand that had spilled from it the night before, was gold!
Marlow stared at the color, then he set to work at washing the stuff with feverish haste. Yes, it was here! In this panful, at least. He thrilled with the greedy joy and wonder of it; and then, suddenly, he felt that other thrill. He raised his head and looked up. ”

“ Marlow inhaled the brisk, salty breeze and gazed at the singing surf, planning that he would soon get to his feet and go southward thereon along the sand to the little village of fishermen marked on his map and there hire canoes and canoemen for the ascent of the Orisquibo.
It was all very simple. Should the canoemen show any signs of dishonesty then he would teach them better. A firm hand and a watchful eye were required and both were his, already proved. He would pass the house on the hill without so much as “by your leave.” ”

“ One soon died by her own hand, one fled into shameful oblivion with a lover, and the third retired from the world, took the veil, when her husband was slain in a mad revel by one of her own brothers. Both brothers came to violent deaths. The wrath of Heaven had descended upon the proud and heartless race of DeSalberry. Then came young O'Malley to the Orisquibo country, in search of gold. ”

“ Poppy's face lightened with intelligence. He nodded his head, eyed the half dollar intently for a second, pointed at the sun, then at the eastern horizon and then, sweeping a wide arc with his hand, leveled it at the western hills showing low and blue above sultry jungle. All this clearly indicated a day. Marlow nodded. Poppy pointed at the coin, then raised both his hands with all the fingers extended.
“Ten,” said Marlow. “Ten half dollars. Five dollars a day for six men and three canoes; and I had to pay those blackguardly fishermen fifty dollars! ”

“ She is a friend of mine, this madame, and charming—though no longer in any stage of youth. She is a grandmamma. And she holds the key to the Orisquibo country. She is the warder at the gate. He who would dig for gold in the sands of the upper reaches of that river must first pass madame.”
“Well, why not? One has to pass somebody to get anywhere.”
“True. But the gold seeker who seeks on the Orisquibo must have Madame DeSalberry's approval.” ”

“ When the adventurer pleases madame, then it is her pleasure to outfit him at a cost far below the charges of any trader on the coast or on any other river.”
“You have had dealings with her yourself, I take it?”
“Yes—but, like my father, I am not a consistent worker. To live by the sweat of my face is against my nature and beyond my physical ability. However, I am as you see me, neither rich nor poor, looking comfortably on at life.”
“Do you know anything about the other Johnnies who have gone up the Orisquibo with madame's permission?” ”

“ I warned her that you suspected her of profiteering, perhaps even of robbery under arms, but that your adventurous spirit defied her to keep you from the gold of the Orisquibo. She is as clever as she is good, my mother. So she sent Poppy and his men down to the coast, with artful instructions. ”

“ When you are strong enough you may take Poppy and the others and return to your work among the waterfalls, or you may go down to the coast. The river and the labor of the river are at your disposal, for you have passed the tests of the river. Your gold and outfit are safe. You are your own master, my dear Marlow ”

“ My mother vowed that no daughter of hers should ever risk such miseries as her sisters had known. She vowed that no daughter of hers should leave home until love had found her on this river. Fate brought Maltby into the country. You have met Lady Maltby. ”

“ The same to you. You're sharp, Mr. Laval. I'm not yet a business man. I know nothing of the game.”
“Ah! Now I understand.”
They dined together a few hours later. They became very good friends. They rode and bathed together next day; and after their sport in the surf, while they lay on their backs in the warm sand and smoked cigarettes, Marlow told Laval all about his commercial aspirations.
W. L. B. Marlow had gone to a good school and distinguished himself as an athlete. ”

“ By his reckoning, he was within five or six miles of the mouth of the Orisquibo; and he congratulated himself on having come so far without accident, realizing that he would already have lost his money, and doubtless his life into the bargain, had he weakened for a moment before the impudent demand of the boatmen. He thought of Laval's warning against the fishermen of the coast and against all the people of the country except those supplied by Madame DeSalberry.
“The little man was right,” he said, lighting a green cigar. “He knows these people and he wishes me well ”

“ He had still enough to go on with for three weeks or more. His tent and the canoe had been salvaged. The loss of the medicine chest was the thing that hit him hardest, for there was all his blessed quinine. ”