THE PEOPLE ON THE "MONTEREY"
The vessel which had last appeared upon the scene and which was now
steaming down towards the _Dunkery Beacon_ and the _Summer Shelter_,
while the small steamer from the Mediterranean was making her way
northward to meet her, was the _Monterey_ of Vera Cruz, and carried
Captain Philip Horn and his wife Edna.
As soon as Captain Horn had heard of the danger which threatened the
treasure which was on its way from London to the Peruvian
government,--treasure which had cost him such toil, anxiety, and
suffering, and in the final just disposition of which he felt the
deepest interest and even responsibility,--although, in fact, the care
and charge of which had passed entirely out of his hands,--he determined
not only to write to Shirley to go to Jamaica, but to go there himself
without loss of time, believing from what he had heard that he could
surely reach Kingston before the arrival there of the _Dunkery Beacon_.
But that steamer started before her time, and when he reached Vera Cruz,
he found it impossible to leave immediately for his destination. And
when at last he bought a steamer, and arrived at Kingston, the _Dunkery
Beacon_ and the yacht _Summer Shelter_ had both departed. But the
Captain found the letter from Mrs. Cliff, and while this explained a
great deal, it also puzzled him greatly.
His wife and Mrs. Cliff had corresponded with some regularity, but the
latter had never mentioned the fact that she was the owner of a yacht.
Mrs. Cliff had intended to tell Edna all about this new piece of
property, but when she looked at the matter from an outside point of
view, it seemed to her such a ridiculous thing that she should own a
yacht that she did not want to write anything about it until her plans
were perfected, and she could tell just what she was going to do. But
when she suddenly decided to sail for Jamaica, her mind was so occupied
with the plans of the moment that she had no time to write.
Therefore it was that Captain and Mrs. Horn wondered greatly what in the
name of common sense Mrs. Cliff was doing with a yacht. But they knew
that Shirley and Burke were on board, and that they had sailed on the
track of the _Dunkery Beacon_, hoping to overtake her and deliver the
message which Shirley carried. The Captain decided that it was his duty
to follow these two vessels down the coast of South America.
The _Monterey_ was a large steamer sailing in ballast, and of moderate
speed, and the Captain had with him--besides his wife and her maid--the
three negro men whom he had brought up from South America and who were
now his devoted personal attendants, and a good-sized crew. Captain Horn
had little hope of overhauling the two steamers, for even the yacht,
which he had heard was a fast-sailing vessel, had had twenty-four hours'
start of him; but he had reason to hope that he might meet one or both
of them on their return; for if the yacht should fail to overhaul the
_Dunkery Beacon_, she would certainly turn back to Kingston.
Edna was as enthusiastic and interested in this voyage as her husband.
She sympathized in all his anxiety in regard to the safety of the
treasure, but even stronger than this was her desire to see once more
her dear friend, whom she had come to look upon almost as an elder
sister.
During each day the Captain and his wife were almost constantly on deck,
their glasses sweeping the south-eastern horizon, hoping for the sight
of two steamers coming back to Kingston. They saw vessels coming and
going, but they were not the craft they looked for, and after they left
the Caribbean Sea the sail became fewer and fewer. On the second day
after they left Tobago Island they fell in with a small steamer
apparently in distress, for she was working her way under sail and
against head-winds towards the coast.
When the Captain spoke this steamer, he received a request to lower a
boat and go on board of her. There he found an astonishing state of
affairs. The steamer was from a French port, she carried no cargo, and
she was commanded and manned by Captain Hagar and the crew of the
English ship _Dunkery Beacon_. Captain Hagar's story was not a long one,
and he told it as readily to Captain Horn as he would to any other
friendly mariner who might have boarded him.
He had left Kingston with his vessel as he left it many times before,
and the Caribbees were not half a day behind him when he was hailed by a
steamer,--the one he was now on, which had been following him for some
time. He was told that this steamer carried a message from his owners,
and without suspecting anything, he lay to, and a boat came to him from
the other ship. This boat had in it a good many more men than was
necessary, but he suspected no evil until half-a-dozen men were on his
deck and half-a-dozen pistols were pointed at the heads of himself and
those around him. Then two more boats came over, more men boarded him,
and without a struggle, or hardly a cross word,--as he expressed
it,--the _Dunkery Beacon_ was in the hands of sea-robbers.
Captain Hagar was a mild-mannered man, an excellent seaman, and of good
common sense. He had before found orders waiting for him at Jamaica, and
had not thought it surprising that orders should now have been sent
after him. He had firearms on board and might have defended himself to a
certain extent, but he had suspected no evil, and when the pirates had
boarded him it was useless to think of arms or defence.
The men who had captured the _Dunkery Beacon_ made very short work of
their business. They simply exchanged vessels. They commanded Captain
Hagar and all his men to go over to the French steamer, while they all
came on board the _Dunkery Beacon_, bringing with them whatever they
cared for. Captain Hagar was told that he could work his new vessel to
any port in the world which suited him best, and then the _Dunkery
Beacon_ was headed southward and steamed away.
When Captain Hagar's engineers attempted to start the engines of their
vessel, they found it impossible to do so. Several important pieces of
the machinery had been taken out, hoisted on deck, and dropped
overboard. Whatever port they might make, they must make it under sail.
A broken-hearted and dejected man was Captain Hagar. He had lost a vast
treasure which had been entrusted to him, and he had not ceased to
wonder why the pirates had not murdered him and all his crew, and thrown
them overboard. He hoped that in time he and his men might reach
Georgetown, or some other port, but it would be slow and disheartening
work under the circumstances.
Captain Horn was also greatly cast down by the news he had received.
With the least possible amount of trouble, the pirates had carried off,
not only the treasure, but the ship which conveyed it, and now in all
probability were far away with their booty. He could understand very
well why they would not undertake such wholesale crime as the murder of
all the people on the _Dunkery_, for it is probable that there were men
among them who could not be trusted even had the leaders been willing to
undertake such useless bloodshed. If Captain Hagar and his men were set
adrift on a steamer without machinery, it would be long before they
could reach any port, and even if they should soon speak a vessel and
report their misfortune, where was the policeman of the sea who would
have authority to sail after the stolen vessel, or, if he had, would
know on what course to follow her?
Captain Horn gave up the treasure as lost. The _Dunkery Beacon_ was
probably shaping her course for the coast of Africa, and even if he had
a swifter vessel and could overhaul her, what could he do?
But now he almost forgot his trouble about the treasure, in his deep
concern in the fate of Mrs. Cliff and her yacht. He had made up his mind
that his friends on board that little vessel--he had very shadowy ideas
as to what sort of a yacht it was--had embarked upon this cruise
entirely for his sake. They knew that he took such a deep personal
interest in the safety of the _Dunkery Beacon_; they knew that he had
done everything possible to detain that vessel at Jamaica, and that now,
for his peace of mind, for the gratification of his feelings of
honor,--no matter how exaggerated they might consider them,--they were
following in a little pleasure craft a steamer which they supposed to be
a peaceful merchantman, but which was in fact a pirate ship manned by
miscreants without conscience.
His plan was soon decided upon. He told Captain Hagar that he would
take him and his men on his own vessel, and that he would carry them
with him on his search for the yacht on which his friends had sailed.
Captain Hagar agreed in part to this proposition. He would be glad to go
with Captain Horn, for it was possible he might hear news of his lost
vessel, but he did not wish to give up the French steamer. She was worth
money, and if she could be got into port, he felt it his duty to get her
there. So he left on board a crew sufficient to work her to Georgetown,
but with the majority of his crew came on board the _Monterey_, and
Captain Horn continued on his southern course.
When on the following morning Captain Horn perceived far away to the
south a steamer which Captain Hagar, standing by with a glass to his
eye, declared to be none other than his old vessel, the _Dunkery
Beacon_, and when, not long afterwards, he made out a smaller vessel,
apparently keeping company with the _Dunkery Beacon_, with another
steamer lying off to the eastward, he was absolutely amazed and
confounded. He could not comprehend the state of affairs. What was the
_Dunkery Beacon_ doing down south, when by this time she ought to be far
away to the east, if she were running away with the treasure, and what
were those two other vessels keeping so close to her?
He could not imagine what they could be, unless, indeed, they were her
pirate consorts. "If that's the case," thought Captain Horn, but saying
no word to any one, "this is not a part of the sea for my wife to sail
upon!"
Still he knew nothing, and he could decide upon nothing. He could not be
sure that one of those vessels was not the yacht which had sailed from
Kingston with Mrs. Cliff, and Burke, and Shirley on board, and so the
_Monterey_ did not turn back, but steamed on slowly towards the distant
steamers.