"WE'LL STICK TO SHIRLEY!"
When night began to fall, the _Dunkery Beacon_ was still keeping on her
course,--a little too much to the eastward, Mr. Portman thought,--and
the _Summer Shelter_ was still accompanying her almost abreast, and
less than half a mile away. During the day it had been seldom that the
glasses of the yacht had not been directed upon the deck of the larger
vessel. Several times Mr. Shirley had been seen on the main deck, and he
had frequently waved his hat. It was encouraging to know that their
friend was in good condition, but there were many hearts on board the
_Summer Shelter_ which grew heavier and heavier as the night came on.
Burke and Burdette stood together in the pilot house. "Suppose she gets
away from us in the night?" said the mate.
"I don't intend to let her do it," replied his Captain. "Even if she
douses every glim on board, I'll keep her in sight! It will be
starlight, and I'm not afraid, with a vessel as easily managed as this
yacht, to lie pretty close to her."
"Then there's another thing," said Burdette.
"You're thinking they may get rid of him?" asked Burke.
"Yes," said the other, "I was thinking of that!"
The Captain did not reply immediately. "That came across my mind too,"
said he, "but it's all nonsense! In the first place, they haven't got
any reason for wanting to get rid of him that way, and besides, they
know that if they went into Rio Janeiro without Shirley, we could make
it very hot for them!"
"But he's a queer one--that Captain Hagar!" said Burdette. "What was he
doing on that easterly course? I think he's a scaly customer, that's
what I think!"
"Can't say anything about that," answered Burke. "But one thing I
know,--I'm going to stick to him like a thrasher to a whale!"
Very early the next morning Mr. Hodgson came aft where Captain Burke was
standing with the sailing-master. "Sir," said he, "I am a clergyman and
a man of peace, but I declare, sir, that I do not think any one, no
matter what his profession, should feel himself called upon to submit to
the outrageous conduct of the Captain of that vessel! Is there no way in
which we could approach her and make fast to her, and then boldly press
our way on board in spite of objection or resistance, and by force, if
it should be necessary, bring away Mr. Shirley, whose misfortune has
made us all feel as if he were not only our friend, but our brother.
Then, sir, I should let that vessel go on to destruction, if she chooses
to go."
Burke shook his head. "You may be sure if I considered it safe to run
the two vessels together I would have been on board that craft long ago!
But we couldn't do it,--certainly not with Mrs. Cliff on the yacht!"
"No indeed!" added Mr. Portman. "Nobody knows what damage they might do
us. For my part, I haven't any faith in that vessel. I believe she's no
better than a pirate herself!"
"Hold on!" exclaimed Burke. "Don't talk like that! It wouldn't do for
the women to get any such notions into their heads!"
"But it is in your head, isn't it, sir?" said Mr. Hodgson.
"Yes," said Burke, "something of the sort. I don't mind saying that to
you."
"And I will also say to you," replied the young clergyman, "that we
talked it over last night, and we all agreed that the actions of the
_Dunkery Beacon_ are very suspicious. It does not seem at all unlikely
that the great treasure she carries has been too much of a temptation
for the Captain, and that she is trying to get away with it."
"Of course, I don't know anything about that Captain," said Burke, "or
what he is after, but I'm pretty sure that he won't dare to do anything
to Shirley as long as I keep him in sight. And now I'm going to bear
down on him again to hail him!"
The _Summer Shelter_ bore down upon the other steamer, and her Captain
hailed and hailed for half an hour, but no answer came from the _Dunkery
Beacon_.
Willy Croup was so troubled by what had happened, and even more by what
was not happening,--for she could not see any good which might come out
of this persistent following of the one vessel by the other,--that her
nerves disordered and tangled themselves to such a degree that she was
scarcely able to cook.
But Mrs. Cliff kept up a strong heart. She felt that a great deal
depended upon her. At any moment an emergency might arise when she would
be called upon, as owner of the yacht, to decide what should be done.
She hoped very earnestly that if the Captain of the _Dunkery Beacon_ saw
that the _Summer Shelter_ was determined to follow him wherever he went,
and whatever he might do, he would at last get tired of being nagged in
that way, and consent to give up Mr. Shirley.
About eight o'clock in the morning, all belief in the minds of the men
on board the yacht that the _Dunkery Beacon_ intended to sail to Rio
Janeiro entirely disappeared, for that steamer changed her course to one
considerably north of east. A little after that a steamer was seen on
the horizon to the north, and she was bearing southward. In the course
of half an hour it seemed as if this new steamer was not only likely to
run across the course of the _Dunkery Beacon_, but was trying to do it.
"Captain," exclaimed Mrs. Cliff, grasping Burke by the arm, "don't you
think it looks very much as if that Captain Hagar was trying to run away
with the treasure which has been entrusted to him?"
"I didn't intend to say anything to you about that," he replied, "but it
looks like it most decidedly!"
"If that should be the case," said Mrs. Cliff, "don't you think Mr.
Shirley's situation is very dangerous?"
"Nobody knows anything about that, madam," said he, "but until we get
him back on this yacht, I'll stick to her!"
Burke could not make out the new-comer very well, but he knew her to be
a Mediterranean steamer. She was of moderate size, and making good
headway. "I haven't the least bit of a doubt," said he to Burdette,
"that that's the pirate vessel from Genoa!"
"I shouldn't wonder if you're right!" said the mate, taking the glass.
"I think I can see a lot of heads in her bow, and now I wonder what is
going to happen next!"
"That nobody knows," said Burke, "but if I had Shirley on board here,
I'd steam away and let them have it out. We have done all we're called
upon to do to keep those Peruvian fools from losing that cargo of gold!"
The strange vessel drew nearer and nearer to the _Dunkery Beacon_, and
the two steamers, much to the amazement of the watchers on the yacht,
now lay to and seemed prepared to hail each other. They did hail, and
after a short time a boat was lowered from the stranger, and pulled to
the _Dunkery Beacon_. There were but few men in the boat, although there
were many heads on the decks from which they had come.
"This beats me!" ejaculated Burke. "They seem willing enough to lay to
for her!"
"It looks to me," said Mr. Burdette, "as if she wanted to be captured!"
"I'd like to know," said the Captain, "what's the meaning of that queer
bit of blotched bunting that's been run up on the _Dunkery_?"
"Can't tell," said the other, "but there's another one like it on the
other steamer!"
"My friends," said Mr. Arbuckle, standing in a group of his
fellow-clergymen on the main deck, "it is my earnest opinion that those
two ships are accomplices in a great crime."
"If that be so," said another, "we are here in the position of utterly
helpless witnesses. But we should not allow ourselves to look on this
business from one point of view only. It may be that the intentions of
that recently arrived vessel are perfectly honorable. She may bring
later orders from the owners of the _Dunkery Beacon_, and bring them too
with more authority than did Mr. Shirley, who, after all, was only a
volunteer!"
The yacht was lying to, and at this moment the lookout announced a sail
on the starboard quarter. Glancing in that direction, nearly everybody
could see that another steamer, her hull well up in view, was coming
down from the north.
"By George!" cried Burke, "most likely that's another of the pirates!"
"And if it is," said his mate, "I think we'll have to trust to our
heels!"
Burke answered quietly, "Yes, we'll do that when we've got Shirley on
board, or when it's dead sure we can't get him!"
The people from the Mediterranean steamer did not remain on board the
_Dunkery Beacon_ more than half an hour, and when they returned to their
vessel, she immediately started her engines and began to move away.
Making a short circuit, she turned and steamed in the direction of the
distant vessel approaching from the northward.
"There," cried Burke, "that steamer off there is another of the pirates,
and these scoundrels here are going to meet her. They've got the whole
thing cut and dried, and I'll bet my head that the _Dunkery Beacon_ will
cruise around here until they're ready to come down and do what they
please with her!"
The actions of the treasure ship now seemed to indicate that Mr. Burke
was correct in his surmises. She steamed away slowly towards the south,
and then making a wide sweep, she steered northward, directing her
course toward the yacht as if she would speak with it.