TREACHERY EXPOSED
"He didn't say," replied the watchman. "He left this letter."
Proffering an envelope to Jack the watchman passed on to his duties.
Apparently he had lost all interest in the missive.
Jack looked blankly at his comrades. He held the letter in his hand
unopened, while the others crowded closer.
"Open it up, Captain," urged Tom. "Let's get at this mystery at once.
We're usually shrouded in so much mystery you could cut it with a knife.
What's the good news? Is the treasure discovered?"
"Quit your joking, Tom. This may be more serious than we think. Wyckoff
is not writing letters for the fun of it. He means business."
"I can testify to that," declared Frank. "He surely does mean business.
This treasure stuff is actually real to Wyckoff."
"And that's what makes him so dangerous," Jack mused. "He's really
deluded himself into thinking there is a treasure and that it should
rightfully belong to him. Therefore he gets desperate when he imagines
anyone is trying to take it from him. He's bad medicine."
"Well, let's get at the letter," cried Tom impatiently.
"Yes, open it up, Jack, and let's hear what he has to say."
"Well, here it is," Jack replied unfolding the paper. "He says: 'For the
last time, go back. Your pals are put out of the way and you are next.
The treasure belongs to me and I'm going to have it.'"
"That's a pretty 'howdedo,'" declared Tom as Jack's voice ceased. "I
suppose he thinks a Boy Scout will up and go right home."
"Evidently he doesn't believe any such thing, but just to be on what he
calls the safe side, he's sent this warning."
"What did he sign it? Does he leave any address for an answer?"
"Not an address," declared Jack. "It's a pretty poor thing to scare a
lot of Boy Scouts with, but I suppose it was the best he could do. It
wasn't quite up to his standard of boring holes in boats, though. This
is rather mild for Wyckoff."
"That reminds me," announced Tom. "We'd better have them drop the
Fortuna into the water as quickly as we can, for she won't improve any
where she is and we may want to make a quick getaway."
"Bright boy," Jack responded. "We'll do that same and then go uptown for
some more supplies. I wonder where we can get some gasolene. We ought to
have a wagon load of the stuff."
"Yes, we surely need it and if we get any more of that Madero lad on
board we'll need to have a wagon go along with us."
"Wonder where he is now," Frank mused. "He certainly was a great lad. He
didn't look so bad at heart. He looked to me as if he had gotten into
bad company and didn't know the way out."
"He's a bright fellow, surely," agreed Jack. "Now let's get to work.
Where is the foreman? We'll need him first."
In due course the necessary steps were taken and the Fortuna was again
in the water. Not even an expert could have discovered the place where
Wyckoff had bored the hole that so nearly cost the lives of the lads
aboard the trim craft. She was again seaworthy.
A trip to the business part of town was made to select necessary
supplies and order a stock of fuel. This occupied the better part of the
day, for the lads were careful in their buying. They were well posted as
to value and refused to allow the local merchants to overcharge them for
any goods.
At length the supplies were all aboard and stowed in their places. The
gasolene wagon had driven away and the boys felt more confident with
full lockers and gasolene tanks.
"We're ready for a night's rest and a long cruise," declared Tom, as the
boys sat down to a supper of fried fish, sweet potatoes and coffee. A
bone from the nearby butcher shop had been provided for Rowdy who lay
upon a newspaper spread in a corner of the cabin, munching in peace. His
manner recently had been quite composed. Everything about the Fortuna
seemed to speak of peace.
How little the boys knew what a few more hours held in store for them.
How unfortunate, indeed, were they that the knowledge of future events
was withheld. They might not have enjoyed the supper so much had they
been aware of all that was to transpire.
Discussing the events of the past few hours, speculating upon the
possible location of their chums, making plans for the future, the boys
sat late about the table. Rowdy fell asleep over his bone. At last Tom
jumped up, declaring he would wash the dishes if the others would sweep
and put the cabin to rights.
Busily the boys went at their tasks and soon the Fortuna was once more
"Ship shape and Bristol Fashion," as Jack loved to say.
"What do you suppose Wyckoff meant when he said our pals are out of the
way and we are next?" questioned Frank, a trifle uneasily, as his mind
traveled back to the last time he had seen Charley and his launch the
"Spray." "Do you suppose he meant--"
"Nothing of the sort," interrupted Jack. "Unless it was an accident, I
can't believe that those villains would make away with the boy as you
mean. I think he is alive and well, but being detained by Wyckoff and
his gang until they have a chance to make another effort for this
mythical treasure. Then the lads will be free."
"Oh, I hope so," fervently declared Frank. "If anything should happen to
Charley, I could never forgive myself for bringing him down here with
me. His parents would be prostrated with grief."
"I believe you'll find it to be as I say," Jack continued.
"Sure thing," cried Tom. "Those fellows may be pretty rough amongst
their own neighbors, and do things that are mighty bad, but when they
get amongst outsiders, they know that an inquiry would be made to trace
the chaps who disappear. All three boys are safe, I really believe. At
least, I'll require positive proof to the contrary."
Presently the boys prepared to retire. They felt quite satisfied to know
that their home was once more afloat. Jack declared he rested better
when the vessel was rocked by the waves.
None of the lads slept soundly. Rowdy seemed to have lost his composure
of a few hours earlier and paced up and down the cabin.
Occasionally one of the boys would start up from his bunk and wander
about to peer from the windows or pilot house. The moon light flooded
the town and river, turning the rigging of the ships into silver and
glittering in dazzling bits of light from the rippling waters. Deep
black shadows were cast by every object.
Thus up and down the boys were passing a restless night.
"Get up fellows," called Tom at length. "Here's a pretty sight. A
schooner--I think she's a three master--is leaving town. See the
fountain of sparks from the tug's smokestack. What a sight it is to see
those sails going up. I wonder where she's headed for."
"Look at the man away up there in the top," cried Jack.
"And there goes another up the main rigging," put in Tom. "The sails go
up slowly somehow. I guess she's short handed."
"Maybe she's like many another vessel that my father has told me about,"
offered Frank. "He has often told me of ships that left port with only
two or three sober hands besides the captain and officers. When they
were once outside the harbor and had been dropped by the tug, the mate
would go to forecastle and rouse out the hands. If they were drunk, he'd
beat them until they were sober."
"What a terrible thing," cried Jack in horrified tones.
"And then he sometimes has told me of fellows who were shanghaied aboard
vessels against their will and kept below until so far away that
swimming back would have been suicide."
"Why didn't they complain when they once got ashore?" asked Tom. "I
should go right to the American Consul at the port."
"Well, maybe they felt that if they did they would have had fair
treatment and maybe not. You know a captain of a vessel is king on board
his boat when they are at sea. He might log a man for mutiny and the
chap would be glad to run away from the vessel when he landed.
"It must be a tough life on those deep sea craft in spite of all the
fine stories we read. I don't want to go to sea."
"Right you are, Tom," cried Jack. "But look at the chap, he's headed
right in for us. I do believe he'll be on us in a minute."
"Sound the Klaxon a little," said Frank. "Maybe he'll sheer off. Why not
switch on the lights? He might see them."
Quickly this suggestion was followed. Not a moment too soon it seemed,
for the tug crew had evidently been watching the vessel they were towing
and had not noticed the Fortuna. A whirl of the spokes by the pilot
brought the tug on a course away from the motor boat, but the schooner
had headway enough so that she came right on. By the narrowest margin
she cleared the Fortuna.
The boys breathed easier as she slipped past them, her bulk looming
large beside the vessel they occupied.
"What was that?" asked Jack, holding up a hand for silence.
"I didn't hear anything," declared Tom. "What do you hear?"
"I thought I heard it, too," cried Frank. "The Bob White call."
"Where could it have come from? It must be that some of the men around
here use that whistle," Jack decided. "We've heard it before."
Although the boys discussed the matter thoroughly they could not decide
where the call could have been sent from and finally again composed
themselves for sleep, after extinguishing all but the riding or anchor
light gleaming at the head of their signal staff.
Morning was just breaking when they were again aroused. This time a tap
at a window brought Rowdy to attention and made Jack spring to his feet
in alarm. In a boat sat Doright, the negro.
"What do you want?" demanded Jack. "Can we do anything for you?"
"No sir, Boss, youall caint do nothin' for me," answered the negro,
rolling his eyes upward. "Mebbe youall kin do something for them
pardners of yourn! They done gone away."
"Gone away!" gasped Frank, now joining Jack. "Gone away!"
"Yaas, sir, Boss, dey done goned away on a ship named the 'Walkfast.' I
done holp Mister Pete put 'em on board."
"Where is this ship now?" demanded Frank crisply.
"She done lef' a hour or two ago," answered the negro. "If youall wants
to know where she gwine, go ax de man at de custom house."
"That's a sensible thing to do," declared Jack. "Take this fellow
aboard, while I go up to the custom house and find where the ship
Walkfast was bound for and if this chap is not lying, we'll take a
little cruise for an appetizer. Don't let him get away."
In a few minutes Jack came running back breathless. He made haste to get
aboard, signaling for the boys to hoist the anchor.
Not a second was lost in getting the Fortuna under way with her nose
pointed out to sea. After the engines had been set whirling Jack
recovered his breath and explained that the vessel had been the schooner
"Quickstep," that had so nearly wrecked the Fortuna. Her clearance was
for New York and she was heavily laden with lumber.
"We can make about three miles to his one," Jack explained. "We're about
three hours behind him so we ought to catch him in about an hour or so
from now unless he steers a course different from that taken by other
vessels. He's heading for the Dry Tortugas."
"Shall we boost the engines a little?" urged Tom.
"No; better let them go as they are," replied Jack. "Every machine has
what I'd call an 'economy notch.' Beyond that on either side more work
may be done, or less, but at the expense of straining the engines or
fuel or something. They're doing excellent work right now, so let's not
disturb them. It won't be long now."
The minutes seemed to drag like hours, however, to the boys. The glasses
were constantly used by Tom, who was perched on top of the pilot house,
sweeping the water for a trace of a sail.
"I see her," he shouted. "I mean Ship Ahoy. No, Sail Ho."
Directly the Fortuna overhauled the vessel they pursued.
"I want to speak to your captain," hailed Jack.
"Keep off, or I'll shoot," replied the mate at the rail.
"Bob, Bob White," came a whistle from the rigging.