Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss

Author:Darin Strauss [Strauss, Darin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

Captain Coffin had us ushered off the Sachem under a blanket. When the cover was lifted, Chang and I found ourselves beside the Captain on a darkened stretch of dock, beside stacks of crates and bales, out of the sight of any passers-by From out of the shadows, a man came toward us.

“Well?” Coffin asked the gentleman when the latter reached us. “Was I not telling the truth about our boys?” There were four of us now standing in the shadow of the ship’s hull, which was a deeper shade of darkness against the sable night.

The Captain lit a match and held it near our connecting ligament. Mr. Hunter screwed up his eyes, touched the ligament, smiled. “Yes, people will come in droves.” He was a tall, lean middle-aged man who wore a neck cloth and gaiters.

I could feel Chang growing antsy. We stroked each other’s shoulders. In, our pet duck, was inside a basket at our feet and starting to quack. I looked around at all the shadows; how would we escape?

“Quiet that duck.” Coffin looked back and forth, making sure no one could see us, and he shook his match until its flame died.

“Hello, mister,” my brother blurted out, his l’s bending under his heavy accent.

“I am Eng,” I said, “and this is Chang.”

The man answered, “Hello, double-boy. I am Robert Hunter.”

Coffin started to belly-laugh. “Hello, my golden egg.”

Both men cackled. Perhaps we could stow away on one of these ships?

“Hello, life of velvet and clover,” Hunter said to my brother and me, once he caught his breath.

“And how do you do, you fluke of my good fortune?” The Captain was giggling now. As well as bouncing a bit.

And now it was Hunter’s turn: “Hello, millions in the bank!”

And the Captain: “Salutations, my heavy purses of Fortunatus!”

“And good morrow, answer to my prayers of cash and coin!”

“Pleased to meet you, loaves and fishes fallen into our laps like manna! ”

“Good evening, argent fait le jeu!”

“Come and relax your bonnet on my chair, you happy combination of fortuitous circumstances!”

“Greetings, you good bet on ice!”

“Why, hello there, my twin pot of gold!”

“Welcome to New York, my coupled wellspring of boundless booty!”

Both men laughed and laughed, until Hunter recovered command of himself, looked at his pocket watch and said: “All right, literally enough of this.”

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