"Now!"
The skipper gave a short, sharp order or two, the men sprang to the
sheets, the schooner was turned right up into the wind, the sails began
to shiver, and directly after they began to fill on the other tack, were
sheeted home, and the _Teal_ lay so over to starboard that Fitz made a
snatch at a rope so as to steady himself and keep his feet.
"Why, he'll have the sea over her side," whispered Fitz excitedly.
"Very likely," said Poole coolly. "Ah, you don't know how we can sail."
"Sail! Why, you will have her lying flat in the water directly."
"Make the sails more taut," said Poole coolly. "I say, we are going
now. I didn't see what he meant. We have just turned the South Rocks.
Talk about piloting, old Burgess does know what he's about. We are
sailing as fast as the gunboat."
"But she's overhauling us."
"Yes, but she won't try to pass those rocks. She will have to keep to
the channel. We are skimming along over the rocky shallows now."
"Yes, with the keel nearly up to the surface," panted Fitz excitedly.
"All the better! Less likely to scrape the rocks."
"Well, you are taking it pretty coolly," continued the midshipman.
"This must be risky work."
"Yes, we don't want to be taken. You wait a few minutes and watch the
gunboat's lights. You will see that she will be getting more distant as
she goes straight on for the open sea. Her captain will make for the
next channel, two or three miles south, to catch us there as we come
out--and we shan't come out, for we shall go right on in and out among
the shallows and get clear off, so as to sail into Velova Bay. We shall
be all right if we don't come crash on to one of the shark's fin rocks."
"And if we do?"
"Well, if we do we shan't get off again--only in the boats--but old
Villarayo's gang won't get the ammunition, for that will go down to
amuse the sharks."
"Well, this is nice," said Fitz. "The schooner was bad enough before;
now it's ten times worse."
"Nonsense. See how we are skimming along. This is a new experience for
you. You will see more fun with us in a month than you would in your
old tea-kettle of a gunboat in twelve."
"Phew!" ejaculated the skipper, coming up, straw hat in one hand,
pocket-handkerchief in the other, and mopping his face. "This is rather
warm work, Poole, my boy. Well, Mr Burnett, what do you think of
blockade running for a change?"
"What do I think of it, sir?" said Fitz, who was still holding on tight
to one of the ropes.
"Yes. Good as yachting, isn't it?"
"Well, I don't like it a bit, sir. I don't call it seamanship."
"Indeed, young gentleman! What do you call it, then?"
"Utter recklessness, sir."
"Oh!" said the skipper. "Well, it is running it rather close, but you
can't do blockade running without. Not afraid, are you?"
"Oh, I don't know about being afraid, sir, but I think that we shall
have to take to the boats."
"Yes, that's quite likely, but the chances are about equal that we shall
not. Mr Burgess knows what he is about, and as likely as not we shall
be right into Velova Bay soon after sunrise, and the President's gunboat
twenty miles away."
Several times over during the rest of the night's run, Fitz observed
that there was a little anxious conference between the skipper and the
mate, the former speaking very sternly, and on one occasion the latter
spoke out loud in a sharp angry voice, the words reaching the middy's
ear.
"Of course it is very risky," he said, "but I feel as if I shall get her
through, or I shouldn't do it. Shall we take soundings and drop anchor
in the best bit we can find?"
"Where we shall be clearly seen as soon as day breaks? No! Go on."
It was a relief then to both the lads when the day broke, showing them a
line of breakers about half-a-mile away on the starboard-bow, and clear
open water right ahead, while as the dawn lifted more and more, it was
to show a high ground jungle and the beautiful curve of another bay
formed by a couple of ridges about three miles apart running down into
the sea.
"There," cried Poole triumphantly; "we have been running the gauntlet of
dangerous rocks all night, and we've won. That's Velova Bay. You will
see the city directly, just at the mouth of the valley. Lovely place.
It's the next city to San Cristobal."
"Fetch my glass, Poole," said the skipper; and upon its being brought
its owner took a long searching sweep of the coast as he stood by the
mate's side.
"I can only make out a few small vessels," he said; "nothing that we
need mind. Run straight in, and we can land everything before the
gunboat can get round, even if she comes, which is doubtful, after all."
"Yes, knowing how we can sail."
The boys were standing near, and heard all that was said, for their
elders spoke freely before them.
"What about choice of place for landing?" asked the mate.
"Oh, we will go up as close as we can get. Ramon is sure to have a
strong party there to help, and in a very short time he would be able to
knock up an earthwork and utilise the guns as we get them ashore. That
would keep the gunboat off if she comes round."
"Yes," said the mate quietly, and he handed over the wheel to one of the
men, the sea being quite open now between them and the shore a few miles
away.
"Well," said the skipper, "what do you make of it?" For the mate was
shading his eyes and looking carefully round eastward.
"Have a look yourself," was the gruff reply.
The skipper raised the glass he had lowered to his side, and swept the
horizon eastward; knowing full well the keenness of his subordinate's
eyes, he fully expected to see some suspicious vessel in sight, but that
had not taken the mate's attention, for as soon as the glass had
described about the eighth of a circle the skipper lowered it again and
gave an angry stamp with his foot.
"Was ever such luck!" he cried.
"No," replied the mate; "it is bad. But there is only one thing to be
done."
"Yes, only one thing. We must get out while we can, and I don't know
but what we may be too late even now."
For the next few minutes all was busy on board the schooner. It was
'bout ship, and fresh sail was set, their course being due east, while
as soon as Fitz could get Poole to answer a question, what had so far
been to him a mystery was explained.
"We are in for one of those hurricanes that come on so suddenly here,"
said the lad, "and we are going right out to sea, to try and get under
shelter of one of the isles before it breaks."
"But why not stop here in harbour?" said Fitz sharply.
"Because there is none. When the wind's easterly you can only expect
one thing, and that is to be blown ashore."
"But is there time to get under the lee of some island?"
"I don't know. We are going straight into danger now, for as likely as
not we shall meet the gunboat coming right across our bows to cut us
off."