SENDING THE MESSAGE
The captain no longer interfered in any way with the actions of his
young guests. They were entirely free to do as they pleased on the ship,
and apparently were under no surveillance. As they came on deck on the
fourth morning at sea, the day was beautifully bright and clear. The sky
was taking on that peculiar blue that is seen only in the lower
latitudes. The atmosphere seemed to have thinned, and the horizon to
have moved away a mile or two. The sea was as smooth as glass and the
steamer was ploughing her way along at the rate of fifteen knots (miles)
an hour. As usual, the decks were deserted, with the exception of the
man at the wheel and the two lookouts who were always on post, day and
night, no matter how clear the day, or how unnecessary the double watch
might seem.
It was the custom of the boys in the morning to distribute themselves
around the deck so that they could take in all the points of the
compass, and for a time each would study the horizon with careful
scrutiny, in the hope of sighting some vessel to which they might
signal. Everything had been carefully arranged so that as soon as a
ship of any sort was seen, word was to be passed quietly from one to
another without attracting the attention of anyone on deck, and then
each knew his duty.
Hamilton was the custodian of the flags. On him rested the
responsibility of displaying the signal so that the passing ship might
read the message.
The boys had studied the compass and the maps that were each day
displayed in the captain's cabin, and they knew that they were headed
south. Although that gave them little or no clew to their ultimate
destination, they felt some comfort in the knowledge that the shore of
America lay to the starboard, and away off somewhere beyond the dreary
horizon was the country they all loved, and where their anxious friends
and families were awaiting some word from them.
Bert's post was a little forward of the beam on the starboard side. As
he took his place this morning, his heart was heavy. He was thoroughly
tired of the monotony of the voyage, and the mystery that enveloped the
ship was beginning to wear upon him. For days now they had sailed
without seeing anything but a dreary expanse of water on every side,
unbroken by anything that was human. Porpoises played around the bows
of the steamer, and gulls shrieked as they swooped above her. Now and
then a fish leaped out of the water as the steamer ploughed through the
waves.
Bert leaned on the rail with his chin resting in his hands and his eyes
fixed upon the blank before him. Suddenly he raised his head, and an
expression of surprise crept into his face. He turned and looked
stealthily around him. Harry was slowly walking up and down the main
deck just aft of the fo'c'sle where the lookouts were stolidly pacing.
Bert again turned his eyes toward the horizon. What appeared like a
thread in comparison with the vastness of space around them wavered
above a small black speck. Bert watched it with eager eyes. At this
moment Harry stopped in his walk as he approached the starboard side,
and placing his arms on the rail looked out over the sea in the
direction of the black thread. Then the boys turned to one another and a
questioning glance passed between them. Little by little they moved in
toward one another until they met.
Harry looked carefully around him before he whispered:
"Bert, I think it is a steamer."
"I'm sure of it, Hal. Have you got the signals ready?"
"I can get them in a minute, but she is too far away yet."
"You know passing vessels always study one another with a glass."
"But I do not believe she could make out our signals even with a glass,
yet."
At this moment one of the men on lookout turned and looked up at the
second mate, who silently paced the bridge.
"Steamer off the starboard bow, sir," he said, quietly.
"Keep closer watch. I've seen her," replied the mate, gruffly.
"Aye, aye, sir," came the usual response, without a change in tone.
Involuntarily the boys turned their eyes aft to the captain's cabin. As
they did so the door opened gently and the natty, flannel-garbed figure
of the commander moved out onto the deck and to the bridge. He carried a
glass in his hand, which he raised to his eyes after he had spoken a few
words to the mate.
"I thought so," said Bert, dolefully. "You can't lose him."
"Never mind," said Harry, "if she comes near enough I will get the
signals up before he can stop me, and we will have to take chances on
their being read before he can get them down."
"But aren't you afraid of what he may do?" asked Bert, in some fear.
"What can he do?"
"He seems to be capable of doing a whole lot that might be unpleasant.
For instance, he might put you in irons and chuck you down in the hold."
"I do not think he would dare do that. But anyway, I am going to take
the chance. We owe it to the folks at home."
"You are right there, Hal. I'm with you whatever comes of it."
"Oh, he's not a cannibal, or a pirate. He might be pretty mad and
perhaps use us a bit rough at first, but I think he would laugh at it
afterward, when he recovered his temper."
"Gee, but think of all the unpleasant things that might happen before he
decided that it was time to laugh."
Harry smiled at the mournful face of his chum, and turned again to look
at the speck in the distance. Seemingly, it had grown larger. The
captain, who had finished his scrutiny, looked down at them and smiled
and waved his hand.
"Sleep well, lads?" he called to them pleasantly.
They nodded sheepishly in reply.
"I can't help liking him," replied Bert.
"There is something big and honest about him like a Newfoundland dog,"
answered Harry. "I feel sort of mean about trying to trick him. He would
be a good friend and a mighty bad enemy."
The captain took another look at the approaching vessel, spoke in a
confidential tone to the mate, and again disappeared into his cabin.
"She's coming on," said Harry, with satisfaction. "Unless she changes
her course, I will send up the signals in five minutes." He looked at
his watch as he spoke. "Pshaw, I'm always forgetting that the salt water
has somewhat interfered with the internal arrangements of this affair,"
he continued, laughing.
By this time the strange steamer was pretty well hull up and the boys
could distinguish her masts and funnel as well as see what appeared to
be flags fluttering in the breeze.
"In order that we shall not cause any suspicion, Bert," said Harry,
presently, "you go and get the Midget and stroll forward. I do not need
your help any more than to distract attention from me as much as
possible."
Bert turned, and walking around the deck, joined Mason who, while he had
heard the call of the lookout man and knew that there was a steamer in
sight, had not deserted his post, although he was keen with anxiety when
Bert reached him.
"Where is she?" he asked, eagerly.
"She's off the starboard bow, but don't ask fool questions. Move up
forward so that Hal can get a chance to have the flags up."
Although burning with a desire to watch the proceedings, the boys kept
their faces steadfastly turned to the bow as Harry began in an
unconcerned manner to work his way aft. He slowly climbed the
companionway that led to the upper deck, and carelessly approached the
mast to which the signal halliards were attached.
He stood there for a moment as if watching the oncoming steamer, but his
eyes were scanning the decks and the bridge on which the second mate
slowly paced to and fro. Then he turned his back to the mast and as he
stood with his hands clasped behind him, he cast off the halliards from
the cleat to which they were fastened. He was almost concealed from view
by the big mast.
When he had loosened the ropes, he turned quickly, and taking the end of
another rope from under his coat tied the two together. After one final
peep around the mast he threw his coat open boldly, made several quick
turns and unwound from his body the rope to which the signal flags were
attached. Then with a strong pull he began to send them aloft rapidly.
As the colors sped upward and broke into the wind, his heart almost
stopped beating from excitement.
Now they were half way up to the masthead and no one had seen them. The
second mate still paced the bridge with his back to him. He glanced at
the captain's cabin. No one appeared from there.
"I shall get them up," he whispered to himself through his tightly shut
teeth, "but will they be read?"
Now they were chock with the pulley block and he made the ends of the
halliards fast to the cleat and stood back to view his work. It seemed
scarcely possible that they should not be seen and read by the passing
steamer which was now so close that he could almost make out her colors
with the naked eye.
With a feeling of triumph he looked aloft at the flags that, aided by a
friendly breeze and the motion of the steamer, were fluttering out
straight from the masthead. As he dropped his eyes from aloft he started
back with a slight cry of fear and surprise.
The head of Suarez, the mate, appeared above an after companionway, his
eyes flashing with anger. He rushed at the boy like an enraged animal,
but Harry, determined to protect his signal as long as possible, stepped
to the mast and took a capstan bar from its place at the base and stood
defiantly awaiting the onslaught of the mate, who rushed upon him
regardless of his threatening attitude. Before Harry knew what had
happened the bar flew out of his hands, and he lay sprawling on the deck
from a blow from the open hand of the mate.
Suarez paid no further attention to him, but seizing the halliards
hauled down the signal. The scuffling of feet and the fall of the heavy
capstan bar caused the second mate to turn quickly, and at the same
moment the captain's door opened and he stepped out on the deck. His
face flushed with anger as he saw the signal-flags, and then he turned
quickly to the other vessel.
As he did so, Harry, whose eyes followed his, saw what he believed to be
an answering signal, creep up the mast of the passing steamer. Suarez
saw it, too, for he turned to Harry with an ugly look in his eyes.
"The mischief is done, you young devil," he said.
"I hope so," answered Harry, quietly rubbing the arm on which he had
fallen. "Your hand is heavy, Suarez."
"I am sorry if I hurt you, Master Hamilton," said the man, somewhat more
calmly, "but you are guilty of insubordination and you have broken your
word to the captain."
"You are mistaken, Suarez," said a deep voice behind them, and they both
looked quickly around to find Captain Dynamite beside them, his glass
raised to his eyes as he scanned the passing steamer. "Master Hamilton
made me no promise; in fact, he warned me that he would take the first
opportunity that presented itself to get ashore, or to communicate with
a passing ship. He has been too sharp for us, that is all."
"Message received all right, captain?" asked Harry, eagerly.
Dynamite smiled at the boy's assurance.
"Yes, received and acknowledged," he answered; and then turning to
Suarez he continued, in a low tone:
"I do not think it has done any harm. She does not apparently wish to
learn anything further of us."
"Captain Dynamite," said Harry, warmly, "there is a big load off my
mind, and now we will stick to you through thick and thin. We owe our
lives to you, and we are not ungrateful. Whether you wish to take us
into your confidence or not, I do not believe, whatever may be the
mystery of your voyage, that there is anything dishonorable about it,
and you can count on us as part and parcel of your crew. We have
succeeded in getting word to our friends at home as I told you I would
try to do; now we are yours to command."
The captain looked down into Harry's earnest face, his own quite serious
and solemn.
"You are a fine lot of lads," he said, "and if I was on a pleasure
cruise I would not ask for better companions, but look you, this voyage
of mystery, as you call it, is a very serious piece of business and I
wish you were all safe ashore and well out of it."
"But we don't want to be out of it, captain," asserted Harry,
stubbornly. Bert and Mason had now joined the group on the after deck.
"No, captain," piped the Midget, "we are in it so far and we want to
stick. You can't chuck us overboard very well, and as long as we have
got to be a part of your expedition, I think you better muster us in as
a part of the crew."
"Well, youngsters, as much as I regret it, you may have to cast your
fortunes in with ours after all, but until that necessity arises we will
go along as we are, I your host and you my unwilling guests."
"No, not unwilling now, cap," replied Mason. "So long as the folks know
we are safe and sound I think I had rather be aboard this queer craft
with you than any place I can think of just now. What do you say, Bert?"
"Right, as usual."
"Well, boys, while I have perfect confidence in your integrity and all
necessity for further secrecy is about past, still I think for your own
good, in view of possible happenings, it is best that I and my mission
remain a mystery to you."
The captain turned toward his cabin as he spoke, as if to terminate the
conversation.
"Perhaps it is not such a mystery after all, captain," said Harry,
quietly. "We must be pretty near the coast of Cuba."
The man turned quickly, a glint of that fierce light in his eyes, and
then he burst into a hearty laugh.
"Pretty sharp youngsters, eh, Suarez?" he said. "We may be able to make
some use of them yet. I think they better dine with us to-night."