SIXTY SHOWS HIS HAND.
"We'll suppose," proceeded Matt, "that Townsend has brought us all
together on the _Santa Maria_ for some work or other that's to be done
in Belize. We'll suppose further that everything is all right and as it
should be, and that Townsend had a niece whom he never mentioned to us,
and a brother-in-law about whom he never said a word in all the time we
have been with him. But why should the niece and the brother-in-law try
to deceive us?"
"Der leedle girl vouldn't do dot, Matt," asserted Carl.
"I don't like to think that, Carl, any more than you do, but we're
going it blind and ought to consider carefully anything we hear."
"Right-o, matey," said Dick. "What have you heard that makes you think
the girl and her uncle are not dealing on the square with us?"
"Miss Harris said that her Uncle Archibald Townsend's real name is
Harris, and----"
"Dot might be, Matt, for ve know dot Downsent uses odder names schust
as he----"
"Wait a minute, Carl. Miss Harris also told us that her mother's maiden
name was Sixty, and that Captain Sixty was her mother's brother."
"Also that Townsend was her father's brother," chimed in Dick. "I don't
see anything wrong about that."
"Then," continued Matt, "Captain Sixty started to call Sadie Harris,
Ysabel, but tried to explain away the break when the girl looked
at him. The captain also said that Miss Harris' mother was of
Spanish origin, and whoever heard of Spaniard by the name of Sixty?
Furthermore, if the captain is a brother of Miss Harris' mother, then
the captain ought to be a Spaniard himself."
It was hard for Carl to follow this line of reasoning, although Matt
made it as clear as he could. Dick, however, grasped the point Matt had
brought up.
"Shiver me!" he exclaimed. "It's a wonder I didn't see that myself. The
old bucko stepped over his chalk mark, and the girl hustled him away
before he could say anything more. Great kedge anchors! What sort of a
deal are we in on, anyhow? The girl's yarn don't hold together, and it
was Sixty himself who let the cat out of the bag. What's to be done? We
could have the captain set us ashore, and then we could make our way
back to New Orleans and have a talk with Townsend."
"No, I don't think we'd better do that. After all, Dick, it may be that
Townsend has fixed this thing up, and that the girl and the captain are
talking according to instructions."
"Townsend never told them to pull the wool over our eyes, mate. He's
not that kind of a fellow."
"If it comes to that, he's not the kind of a chap, to my notion, to mix
up with a man like Sixty. Still, everything may be all right. The girl
knew that we were expecting word from Townsend; in fact, all her talk
and actions prove that she knows more about Townsend's plans than she
could possibly know if Townsend hadn't taken her into his confidence.
At least, that's the way I look at it. If we had the captain of the
_Santa Maria_ put us ashore we might be spoiling Townsend's plans. For
that reason I'm in favor of staying right where we are and waiting for
developments. But we can be careful, pards, and keep our eyes open. If
there is any crooked work on foot it will come to the surface in time."
"Aber ven id comes by der surface," spoke up Carl, with a good deal
more wisdom than he generally showed, "meppy id vill be too lade to
dodge drouple."
"If Miss Harris and Captain Sixty don't think we suspect anything
underhand," answered Matt, "the advantage will be with us."
"Sure," averred Dick. "We can keep our own counsel and have a sharp eye
to windward all the time."
"Oof Downsent vants us," continued Carl, "und oof dis ain'd vat he
vants us for, den, py shinks, ve vas spoiling his blans vorse as ve vas
by keeping on mit der poat."
"What's your idea, Dick?" asked Matt; "to keep on, or have the captain
put us ashore and go back?"
"Our course is laid, matey," responded Dick, "so let's hang to it."
"There's no escaping Honduras after we once strike the gulf."
"Then we'll go to Honduras. It's a bally layout, any way you look at
it, but the chances are that we're on the right tack."
"What have you to say, Carl?"
"I don'd t'ink der girl iss fooling us, und dot's all aboudt id. I say
mit Tick dot ve keep on like ve're going, mit our vedder eyes shkinned
bot' vays for preakers. Oof ve ged to Honturas, und Downsent don'd show
oop, den ve can send him some caplegrams und say vere ve vas, und vy.
Yah, ve hat pedder keep on."
"That's my idea. I can't see what motive any one would have for playing
double with us. What enemies have we in New Orleans? And, if we had any
there, why should they go to the trouble of buying tickets for us on
the _Santa Maria_ and sending us to Belize?"
"Right-o," agreed Dick. "We'll play a square game, and if any one
tries to run afoul of us with anything different, why, we'll bring 'em
up with a round turn. The outward trip to Honduras isn't costing us
anything, anyhow."
Having arrived at this decision the boys left their stateroom and went
down to their dinner.
The passenger business between New Orleans and Central America was not
extensive, and there were no more than twenty people seated around the
two tables in the dining room.
Matt and his friends found themselves at the captain's table, with
Sixty and Miss Harris directly opposite. Miss Harris greeted them
with one of her engaging smiles, and Sixty grinned and nodded his
bullet-like head. But there was no talk across the board, although Carl
was visibly eager for a little conversation with the girl.
Following the meal the boys strolled about the deck, hoping that either
Sixty or Miss Harris would come looking for them and engage in talk
which might either confirm their suspicions or else set them at rest.
But nothing of the sort happened.
"They're sheering off from us," commented Dick. "Probably that's in
accordance with Townsend's plan, too. I wish I knew what our work is to
be."
"I've puzzled my brain over it till I'm tired," said Matt. "We've been
a long while getting at the work, and while we've been waiting Townsend
hasn't dropped a hint about what it was. We're just as much in the dark
now as ever."
During the afternoon the _Santa Maria_ slipped through the lower end of
South Pass into the gulf, and began to roll and wallow in the heavier
swell.
Carl became indisposed. He declared that he wasn't seasick, but the
motion of the boat annoyed him. He made for his stateroom with the
announced intention of lying down and getting himself accustomed to
the pitch and tumble. Dick, in the hope of discovering the whereabouts
of Sixty and the girl, strolled forward. Matt was left alone on the
stretch of deck aft of the bridge. An awning sheltered him from the
sun, and the breeze that wafted itself across the broad reaches of the
gulf was grateful and refreshing.
All the other passengers who had been occupying deck chairs in that
part of the boat had gone away.
Matt, after half an hour's wait for Dick to return, got up with the
idea of looking for him. As he passed a casual glance over the foamy
trail left by the _Santa Maria_, his keen eye detected something
appearing and disappearing in the tumbling waves that captured his
immediate attention.
The object glistened in the rays of the afternoon sun and looked like
a reddish ball. Sometimes he could see it quite plainly for a few
moments, rolling and tumbling in the waters, and then a large wave
would sweep past and blot it from his sight.
The ball seemed to be following the ship, maintaining at all times the
same distance.
Was it some kind of a fish? Matt asked himself. If it was, then it was
a variety of fish of which he had never heard or read.
He looked around to see if there were any of the officers or deck hands
in his vicinity, but there were none, and he was obliged to watch and
wrestle with his curiosity.
It might be a piece of wreckage, he told himself; yet, if it was, what
kept it in the wake of the _Santa Maria_?
He continued to hang over the rail and watch the queer red object,
waiting for some of the ship's officers or men to come to that part of
the boat.
Presently he heard a muffled footfall close behind him. He turned his
head and saw Captain Sixty at his side. Beyond Sixty, and gliding
hastily in his direction, was Miss Harris.
There was a question on Matt's lips, but it died away quickly when the
youth saw the diabolical expression on Captain Sixty's face.
"Here's where you go over!" said Sixty hoarsely.
Then, before Motor Matt could make a move to defend himself, the burly
scoundrel seized him in a grip of iron, lifted him bodily and flung him
from the rail.
A loud cry escaped Matt's lips. It was taken up by a shrill scream from
the girl, and, the next moment, by a hoarse shout from the treacherous
Sixty.
"Man overboard! Man overboard!"
As Matt dropped into the lashing waves that frantic yell of Sixty's
smote on his ears. Even in that perilous moment the reason for the
scoundrel's alarm flashed through his brain. Matt's yell and the girl's
scream had aroused the officers and crew, and there was nothing else
for Sixty to do but to give his alarm and hope that the speed of the
ship would take her so far away from Matt that rescue would not be
possible.
The first officer was on the bridge. Turning a look rearward he saw a
dark object in the smother of foam, far astern, clinging to one of the
ship's life-preservers.
It was the girl who had wrenched the life-preserver from the rail and
flung it after Matt. She had succeeded in this before Sixty could reach
her side and prevent the act.
Bells jingled in the engine room and the _Santa Maria_ lessened speed
quickly. Dick and Carl, hearing the loud yell of Captain Sixty, and the
bustle on the deck, joined the other passengers who were hurrying from
the cabin.
"Who was it?" cried Dick.
"Your friend, Motor Matt," answered Sixty, who was close to Dick and
Carl.
Miss Harris, white as death and half fainting, was leaning against the
deck-house. Sixty had his eyes on her, and their baleful influence held
her silent.
"He was watching something astern," explained Sixty, "and went over the
rail. I tried to get to him, but he slipped away from me."
"Matt!" whooped Carl, in a spasm of fear and apprehension. "It was our
bard dot tumpled oferpoard!"
Dick rushed for the boat which the sailors, under an officer's
direction, were getting ready to lower.
"We're going along!" shouted Dick wildly.
"Keep away!" ordered the officer.
"I'm a sailor," answered Dick, "and I can help! Motor Matt's my mate,
and I'm going to help save him!"
Without waiting for permission, both Dick and Carl sprang into the
boat. There was no time to lose making the boys get back on the deck,
or arguing the question, and the officer yielded his place to Dick.
"Lower away!" he shouted, and the blocks rattled as the boat dropped
from the davits.