A NOTE FOR CAPTAIN BURKE
Notwithstanding the fact that the _Summer Shelter_ made very good time,
that she had coaled at Nassau, and was therefore ready for an extended
cruise, it was impossible for any of those on board of her to conceal
from themselves the very strong improbability of sighting the _Dunkery
Beacon_ after she had got out upon the wide Atlantic, and that she would
pass the comparatively narrow channel south of Tobago Island before the
yacht reached it, was almost a foregone conclusion.
Mr. Burke assured Mrs. Cliff and his passengers that although their
chase after the steamer might reasonably suggest a needle and a
haystack, still, if the _Dunkery Beacon_ kept down the coast in as
straight a line as she could for Cape St. Roque, and if the _Summer
Shelter_ also kept the same line, and if the yacht steamed a great deal
faster than the other vessel, it stood to reason that it could not be
very long before the _Summer Shelter_ overhauled the _Dunkery Beacon_.
But those who consulted with Mr. Portman were not so well encouraged as
those who pinned their faith upon the Captain. The sailing-master had
very strong doubts about ever sighting the steamer that had sailed away
two days before they left Kingston. The ocean being so very large, and
any steamer being so very small comparatively, if they did not pass her
miles out of sight, and if they never caught up to her, he would not be
in the least surprised.
Four days had passed since they left Kingston, when Burke and Shirley
stood together upon the deck, scanning the horizon with a glass. "Don't
you think it begins to look like a wild goose chase?" said the latter.
Burke thrust his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"Yes," said he, "it does look like that! I did believe that we were
going to overhaul her before she got outside the Caribbees, but she must
be a faster vessel than I thought she was."
"I don't believe she's fast at all," said Shirley. "She's had two days'
start, and that's enough to spoil our business, I'm afraid!"
"But we'll keep on," said Burke. "We're not going to turn back until our
coal bunkers tell us we've got to do it!"
Steamers they saw, sometimes two in an hour,--sailing-vessels were
sighted, near by or far away;--schooners, ships, or brigs, and these
were steaming and sailing this way and that, but never did they see a
steamer with a single funnel painted black and white, with the stripes
running up and down.
It was very early next morning after the conversation between Burke and
Shirley that the latter saw a long line of smoke just above the horizon
which he thought might give him reason for looking out for the steamer
of which they were in quest; but when he got his glass, and the masts
appeared above the horizon, he saw that this vessel was heading
eastward, perhaps a little northeast, and therefore was not likely to be
the _Dunkery Beacon_. But in half an hour his glass showed him that
there were stripes on the funnel of this steamer which ran up and down,
and in a moment Burke was called, and was soon at his side.
"I believe that's the _Dunkery_!" cried the Captain, with the glass to
his eye. "But she's on the wrong course! It won't take us long to
overhaul her. We'll head the yacht a few points to the east. Don't say
anything to anybody,--we don't want to disappoint them."
"Oh, we can overhaul her," said Shirley, who now had the glass, "for it
isn't a stern chase by any means."
In less than half an hour everybody on board the _Summer Shelter_ knew
that the large steamer, which they could plainly see on the rolling
waves to the south, must be the _Dunkery Beacon_, unless, indeed, they
should find that this was one of her sister ships coming north. There
was great excitement on board the yacht. The breakfast, which was in
course of preparation, was almost entirely forgotten by those who had it
in charge, and everybody who could possibly leave duty crowded to the
rail, peering across the waves to the southward. It was not long before
Shirley, who had the best eyes on board, declared that he could read
with his glass the name _Dunkery Beacon_ on the port bow.
"That's not where we ought to see it," cried Burke; "we ought to see it
on the stern! But we've got her, boys!"--and then he remembered himself,
and added,--"ladies; and now let's give three good cheers!"
Three rousing cheers were given by all on board with such good-will that
they would have been heard on the other steamer had not the wind been
pretty strong from the west.
The _Summer Shelter_ gained upon the larger vessel, and Burke now ran up
signals for her to lay to, as he wished to speak with her. To these
signals, however, the _Dunkery_ paid no immediate attention, keeping
steadily on, although altering her course towards the south-east.
"What does that mean, Mr. Shirley?" asked Mrs. Cliff. "Mr. Burke wants
her to stop, doesn't he?"
"Yes," said Shirley, "that is what the signal is for."
"But she doesn't stop!" said Mrs. Cliff. "Do you think there is any
chance of her not stopping at all?"
"Can't say, madam," he answered. "But she's got good reason for keeping
on her way; a vessel with all that treasure on board could hardly be
expected to lay to because a strange vessel that she knows nothing about
asked her to shut off steam."
"That seems to me very reasonable, indeed," said Mr. Litchfield, who was
standing by. "But it would be very bad fortune, if, after all the
trouble and anxiety you have had in overtaking this vessel, she should
decline to stop and hear the news we have to tell."
There was a strong breeze and a good deal of sea, but Burke determined
to get near enough to hail the _Dunkery Beacon_ and speak to her. So he
got round on her weather quarter, and easily overtaking her, he brought
the _Summer Shelter_ as near to the other vessel as he considered it
safe to do. Then he hailed her, "_Dunkery Beacon_, ahoy! Is that Captain
Hagar?"
The wind was too strong for the Captain of the other vessel to answer
through his trumpet, but he signalled assent. Then Burke informed him
that he wished him to lay to in order that he might send a boat on
board; that he had very important orders to Captain Hagar from his
owners, and that he had followed him from Jamaica in order to deliver
them. For some time there was no answer whatever to these loudly
bellowed remarks, and the two vessels kept on side by side.
"Anyway," said Burke to Mr. Burdette, "she can see that we're a lot
faster than she is, and that she can't get away from us!"
"It may be that she's afraid of us," said the mate, "and thinks we're
one of the pirates."
"That can't be," said Burke, "for she doesn't know anything about the
pirates! I'll hail her again, and tell her what we are, and what our
business is. I think it won't be long before she lays to just to see
what we want."
Sure enough, in less than fifteen minutes the _Dunkery Beacon_ signalled
that she would lay to, and before long the two vessels, their engines
stopped and their heads to the wind, lay rising and falling on the
waves, and near enough to speak to each other.
"Now, then, what do you want?" shouted the Captain of the _Dunkery_.
"I want to send a boat aboard with an important message from Blackburn!"
After a few minutes the answer came, "Send a boat!"
Orders were given to lower one of the yacht's boats, and it was agreed
that Shirley ought to be the man to go over to the _Dunkery Beacon_.
"Who do you want to go with you?" asked Burke.
"Nobody but the boat's crew," he answered. "I can explain things better
by myself. Captain Hagar seems to be an obstinate fellow, and it won't
be easy to turn him back on his course. But if I want anybody to stand
by me and back me up in what I say, you might let some of the clergymen
come over. He might believe them, and wouldn't me. But I'll talk to him
first by myself."
Every member of the Synod declared that he was perfectly willing to go
to the other vessel if he should be needed, and Mrs. Cliff assured Burke
that if she could be of any good in making the Captain of the _Dunkery
Beacon_ understand that he ought to turn back, she would be perfectly
willing to be rowed over to his vessel.
"I don't think it will be necessary to put a lady into a boat on such a
sea as this," said Burke. "But when he hears what Shirley has to tell
him, that Captain will most likely be glad enough to turn back."
Captain Burke was afraid to trust any of his clerical crew to row a
ship's boat on such a heavy sea, and although he would be perfectly
willing to go himself as one of the oarsmen, he would not leave the
yacht so long as Mrs. Cliff was on board; but Mr. Burdette, the
sailing-master, and the assistant engineer volunteered as crew of the
boat, while Shirley himself pulled an oar.
When the boat reached the _Dunkery Beacon_, Shirley was soon on board,
while the three men in the boat, holding to a line which had been thrown
them, kept their little craft from bumping against the side of the big
steamer by pushing her off with their oars. On board the _Summer
Shelter_ everybody stood and gazed over the rail, staring at the other
steamer as if they could hear with their eyes what was being said on
board of her. After waiting about twenty minutes, a note was passed down
to the men in the boat, who pushed off and rowed back with it to the
_Summer Shelter_.
The note, which Captain Burke opened and read as soon as he could lay
hold of it, ran as follows:
"TO CAPTAIN BURKE OF THE 'SUMMER SHELTER':
"It's my opinion that you're trying to play a beastly trick on me!
It isn't like my owners to send a message to me off the coast of
South America. If they wanted to send me a message, it would have
been waiting for me at Kingston. I don't know what sort of a trick
you are trying to play on me, but you can't do it. I know my
duties, and I'm going to keep on to my port. And what's more, I'm
not going to send back the man you sent aboard of me. I'll take him
with me to Rio Janeiro, and hand him over to the authorities.
They'll know what to do with him, but I don't intend to send him
back to report to you whatever he was sent aboard my vessel to find
out.
"I don't know how you came to think I had treasure on board, but
it's none of your business anyway. You must think I'm a fool to
turn back to Kingston because you tell me to. Anybody can write a
telegram. So I'm going to get under way, and you can steam back to
Kingston, or wherever you came from.
"CAPTAIN HAGAR."
Captain Burke had hardly finished reading this extraordinary letter when
he heard a cry from the boat lying by the side of the yacht in which
the three men were waiting, expecting to go back to the other vessel
with an answer. "Hello!" cried Mr. Burdette. "She's getting under way!
That steamer's off!"
And at this a shout arose from everybody on board the _Summer Shelter_.
The propeller of the _Dunkery Beacon_ was stirring the water at her
stern, and she was moving away, her bow turned southward. Burke leaned
over the rail, shouted to his men to get on board and haul up the boat,
and then he gave orders to go ahead full speed.
"What does all this mean?" cried Mrs. Cliff. "What's in that letter, Mr.
Burke? Are they running away with Mr. Shirley?"
"That's what it looks like!" he cried. "But here's the letter. You can
all read it for yourselves!" and with that he dashed away to take charge
of his vessel.
All now was wild excitement on board the _Summer Shelter_, but what was
to be done or with what intention they were pursuing the _Dunkery
Beacon_ and rapidly gaining upon her, no one could say, not even Captain
Burke himself. The yacht was keeping on the weather quarter of the other
vessel, and when she was near enough, he began again to yell at her
through his speaking-trumpet, but no answer or signal came back, and
everybody on board the larger vessel seemed to be attending to his
duties as if nothing had happened, while Mr. Shirley was not visible.
While the Captain was roaring himself red in the face, both Mrs. Cliff
and Willy Croup were crying, and the face of each clergyman showed
great anxiety and trouble. Presently Mrs. Cliff was approached by the
Reverend Mr. Arbuckle, the oldest of the members of the late Synod who
had shipped with her.
"This is a most unfortunate and totally unexpected outcome of our
expedition," said he. "If Mr. Shirley is taken to Rio Janeiro and
charges made against him, his case may be very serious. But I cannot see
what we are to do! Don't you believe it would be well to call a
consultation of those on board?"
Mrs. Cliff wiped her eyes, and said they ought to consult. If anything
could be done, it should be done immediately.
Captain Burke put the yacht in charge of the mate, and came aft where
five of the clergymen, the sailing-master, and Mrs. Cliff and Willy were
gathered together. "I'm willing to hold council," said he, "but at this
minute I can't give any advice as to what ought to be done. The only
thing I can say, is that I don't want to desert Shirley. If I could do
it, I would board that vessel and take him off, but I don't see my way
clear to that just yet. I'm not owner of this yacht, but if Mrs. Cliff
will give the word, I'll follow that steamer to Rio Janeiro, and if
Shirley is put on shore and charges made against him, I'll be there to
stand by him!"
"Of course, we will not desert Mr. Shirley," cried Mrs. Cliff. "This
yacht shall follow that vessel until we can take him on board again. I
can't feel it in my heart, gentlemen, to say to you that I'm willing to
turn back and take you home if you want to go. It may be very hard to
keep you longer, but it will be a great deal harder if we are to let the
Captain of that ship take poor Mr. Shirley to Rio Janeiro and put him
into prison, with nobody to say a word for him!"
"Madam," said Mr. Arbuckle, "I beg that you will not speak of the
question of an immediate return on our account. This is in every way a
most unfortunate affair, but we all see what ought to be done, what it
is our duty to do, and we will do it! Can you give me an idea, Mr.
Portman, of the length of time it would probably require for us to reach
Rio Janeiro?"
"I think this yacht could get there in a week," said the sailing-master;
"but if we're to keep company with that hulk over there, it will take us
ten days. We may have trouble about coal, but if we have good winds like
these, we can keep up with the _Dunkery Beacon_ with half steam and our
sails."
"Mr. Litchfield," said Mrs. Cliff, "the Captain is up in the pilot
house. I can't climb up there, but won't you go and tell him that I say
that we must stand by Mr. Shirley no matter what happens, nor where we
have to go to!"