LAND AND WATER 
February lo, iqi6. 
CHAYA. 
A Romance of the South Seas. 
By H. de Vere Stacpoole. 
[Synopsis : MacquaH, who describes himself as lucky 
with adventuring, hut unlucky as Satan when speculating, finds 
himself in Sydney down on his luck. He has a wonderful 
story of gold hidden up a river in New Guinea and a chance 
acquaintance, a sporting man about town, Tillman, offers to 
introduce him to an apparently sporting and really wealthy 
wool-broker , Citrlewis, with a view to financing his scheme. 
The night before the interview Macqitart, sleeping in a park, 
not having the price of a bed on him, makes the acquaintance 
of Houghton, a well-educated Englishman, also out of a job. 
Tillman, Macqtiart and Houghton go to Cnrlewis' office, and 
Macquart tells his story : Screed the partner of Curtewis, is 
also present, but takes no part in the conversation, going on 
steadily with his work. They resent his presence, and when 
Curlewis turns down their proposition, they feel it is due in an 
uncanny way to Screed's antagonism. Macquart's story of 
how the gold came to be lidaen and deserted is most thrilling 
but conveys the impression tlat he himself took an active paH 
in the work, though he talks of a dead man named Smith. 
Macquart walks out of the office le/ith a bold air, telling Curleieis 
that it needs a great man like Rhodes, not " a sane business 
man," to grasp the proposition. Soon after the three have left 
Screed leaves the office telling his partner he wilt not be long.] 
CHAPTER III. 
Screed. 
BUT out in the street, Tillman was the first to speak. 
" Well," said he, " I never thought Curlewis 
would have drawn blank hke that. I though it 
was a dead certain thing ; he was the last man I'd 
have expected'to put forward all those objections. I thought he 
was a sportsman. 'Pears I was wrong. Seems to me you 
never know what's really back of a man till it comes to the 
pinch. Well, we'll have to do without him and find someone 
else. I tell you, I'm not going to be done on this thing. 
It has got into my blood." 
" The worst thing about it, for me, is that I can't wait," 
said Houghton. "I'm broke. I simply must get some 
money, if only to pay my landlady." 
" How much do you owe her ? " asked Tillman. 
" Oh, it's not much, less than two pounds ; but there 
you are, two pounds wants a lot of getting when you're on 
your beam ends and haven't a trade." 
Tillman laughed. 
He had only known Houghton for a few hours, but m 
Sydney a few hours in certain circles is equal as far as 
acquaintanceship goes, to many days in England. 
The Expedition also had woven its bonds between them, 
and then Houghton was a man to get on with at sight. ^ 
" You don't worry about that," said Tillman. " I'll 
see you through if I have to borrow the money. The thing 
we want now is a drink ; let's get back to Lampert's. Who 
knows but we may get someone there to help." 
It was now a httle after twelve o'clock. The day was 
blazing hot, and they got on a passing tram, Tillman paying 
for the tickets. , ■ j • 
Lampert's bar, the favourite place of' its kind in 
Sidney, was crowded. Men from up-country, tanned and 
fresh from the sun-swept desolation of vast spaces ; men 
from the sea, from western ports or the hazy heat-ndden har- 
bours of the China coast or Dutch Settlements ; clerks from 
business houses ; newspaper men ; racing men ; men on the 
look-out for something to turn up; Yankees, Colonials 
English, Irish, Scotch, a German or two ; all in a haze of blue 
cigar smoke, laughing, drinking, chattering, or dumb, and on 
the watch. . 
Tillman, releasing himself from his numerous triends, 
herded his fellow adventurers in a corner by the bar and stood 
drinks. , . ^, . , „ 
" There's not a bit of good in being down in the mouth, 
said he " We'll all go and have luncheon presently, and 
I'll see about that money for you, Houghton. There's a man 
called Drake I'm expecting to see in here ; he s richer than 
Curlewis. I wish I'd thought of him first; anyhow, its 
better late than never." , . , , j 
Macquart, standing with his dnnk in his hand, seemed 
for the first time to have lost something of his enthusiasm 
" You don't expect me to tell that yarn twice in one day, 
do you ? " he asked. " It's not as if it was a made-up yarn 
then one might sling it as often as you want. Being what 
it is, it takes it out of one." , .., c u 
" You'll be able to sUng it all right after a bottle of cham- 
pagne," said Tillman. " You'll be— hello 1 " He stopped 
short. 
The door had just opened, and a man who had entered 
was pushing his way through the crowd towards the bar. 
It was Screed. 
He had sighted Tillman and his friends, and was making 
towards them. 
Now Screed was rarely seen about town, very rarely seen 
in bars. This dry-as-dust individual was ungiven to con- 
viviality. 
Men looked on Screed somewhat as we look on the un- 
pleasant necessities of hfe ; he was considered to be the 
buckram at the back of Curlewis. the thing that gave stiffen- 
ing and solidity to the business. Curlewis fostered this idea. 
It suited him to pose as the butterfly, the ornamental partner, 
the easy-going, irresponsible, kindly, clap-you-on-the-shoulder 
unbusiness man, with a testy, level-headed partner. As a 
matter of fact, Arthur Curlewis was the genius of the firm, 
the keenest business man in Sydney. 
Requests for loans, time extension and so forth, were 
always granted by Curlewis and negatived by Screed. 
Curlewis had never, or scarcely ever, shown his hand so 
openly as he did to Bobby Tillman that morning. With 
most other men he would have referred the proposition to 
Screed with secret instructions to refuse it. But he had a 
great contempt for Tillman, and, besides that, he wished to 
set Tillman down. : 
Bobby had been a bit too familiar of late, and Curlewis 
was not over-pleased at the confidence with which Mr. Tillman 
had brought forward his wild-cat scheme as though he, 
Curlewis, were a fair mark for the first adventurer to shoot at. 
" Why, it's Mr. Screed," said Tillman, and it will be 
noticed that whilst Curlewis was Curlewis to him, Screed 
had the honour of the prefix. " Why, this is quite a surprise. 
Won't you join us in a drink ? " 
" No, thanks," said Screed. " I never drink between 
meals. I came down here thinking.it was likely I might meet 
you. I want to have a word with you." 
He led Tillman to the door. 
" Bring those two men to my rooms this evening at 
seven," said he. " No, not seven, eight. I want to have a 
talk with the three of you." 
" A talk with us ? " 
" About that business you brought to Curlewis. I may 
be able to do something." 
" You?" 
" Yes. Me. And don't you say a word on this matter 
to anyone. Not even to Curlewis." 
" Well, I'm d d," said Bobby. 
" That's maybe likely," said Screed ; " but all the same, 
bring your men along, and don't enter into any negotiations 
over°the business with any other party. I'm interested." 
" Oh, I say, this is good, this is ripping ! You of all 
people ! Say, won't you have a drink ? " 
" No, thank you ; and don't go drinking yourself if you 
want me to do business." 
" I," said the other, " I haven't touched anything this 
morning, only soft drinks. Think I'm such a fool ? No, sir, 
when I have business on hand, I'm a Quaker. Eight o'clock ? " 
" Eight o'clock at my rooms ; lo. Bury Street." 
Screed open the door and shpped out hurriedly, as 
though ashamed of his visit to the place ; and Tillman re- 
turned to the others radiant. 
" We're safe," said he. " It's a sure thing. Screed is 
going to take it up." He told of the conversation with Screed. 
Macquart listened attentively, then he said : 
" That fixes it. I noticed that all the time he was 
writing, he had one ear on my story ; he's harpooned. Well, 
he's a clever man, a much cleverer man than his partner ; 
and he has the money, you say ? " 
" Oh, he's full of money," said the enthusiastic Tillman. 
" He's always making it and he never spends anything." 
" You can never tell what a man spends," replied 
Macquart, " or how he spends it." 
CHAPTER IV. 
The Chart. 
Sydney, taking it all together, is one of the most 
delightful cities in the world. It breathes the air of the 
Pacific, and the poetry of the Islands mixes with the roar 
and rumble of trade. No other maritime citv has such a 
