It was an exciting moment when the detective was led into the
cabin; as many as could get in, crowded into the low-ceiled
room.
The old man had rapidly revived, his only attendant being an
old man-of-war's-man, who had had a large experience with
wounded men.
The detective meantime was quite confident; conscious of his
innocence he welcomed the inspection.
The wounded man opened his eyes and gazed around the room.
"Where am I?" he demanded.
Renie stepped to his side and said:
"You are in your own cabin, father."
The old man gazed around wildly at the pale faces gathered
around his bed; the detective was led forward and the old
smuggler's glance fell upon the stark face. Suddenly the
wounded man uttered a thrilling cry, rose up in the bed to a
sitting position, end pointing his finger at the detective,
demanded in a hoarse voice,
"Why is he here? take him away!"
The group gathered around the bed were paralyzed to silence,
but after a moment the silence was broken by the voice of the
leader of the gang of lynchers who asked:
"Who is he, Tom?"
In clear distinct tones the answer came:
"The villain who struck me down!"
Renie uttered a scream, and oaths fell from the lips of the
men.
"Out with him! out with him!" came the cry, and oaths and
curses and shouts of vengeance filled the air.
The men started to turn the detective toward the door,
determined to hang him without further hindrance or delay.
The wounded man as he uttered the fatal words had fallen back,
seemingly into a dead faint.
It was a terrible moment; the maddened men had reached the
door with their prisoner when Renie called out in a frantic
voice:
"Hold! do not take him away, my father has a word to say to
him."
The girl's quick wit and readiness of expedient were
wonderful.
At first, when the fatal words fell from her father's lips,
her blood ran cold with horror; but quickly came the
recollection that the detective had changed his appearance,
and that she herself had failed to recognize him. Garcia was
a dark-complexioned man, and the thought came to her that here
was a possibility that, in a moment of excitement and
bewilderment, the injured old smuggler had mistaken the
detective for Garcia.
Her device to stay the maddened men was a rare example of
quickness of thought at a critical moment; indeed, it was the
only appeal that would have caused the men to delay their fell
purpose.
Tom Pearce was still unconscious, and Renie threw herself upon
the old man, pretending to caress him, so as to hide the fact
of his unconsciousness and to gain time until he should
revive.
At length, the old smuggler did revive, and Renie whispered
the inquiry in his ear:
"Father, who was it struck you down?"
"Garcia!" came the response in a husky voice.
Gladness gleamed in the girl's eyes.
The men brought the detective to the bedside.
"Wait, wait a moment!" commanded Renie.
"What does the old man wish to say to the villain?"
"Wait, wait until he more fully revives."
Some of the men who were outside, not understanding the cause
of the delay, called out:
"Bring the man out!"
Meantime, the old man more fully revived, when Renie whispered
to him:
"Father, do you know me?"
"Yes; it is Renie, my child."
"Do you remember pointing out the man who assailed you?"
"Yes; it was that villain Garcia."
"The man whom you denounced was not Garcia."
"Was it not Garcia whom they brought before me."
"No."
"Who was it?"
"A stranger."
"I made a mistake!"
"Yes; you made a mistake. Will you not look again at the
man?"
"Certainly I will."
"Will you rise up in bed?"
"Yes."
Renie assisted the old man to rise, and beckoned the men to
lead the detective forward.
"Now, father," she said, "look upon this man."
The old smuggler looked the detective all over, and a change
came over his face as he said:
"Is that the man I denounced?"
"Yes."
"My friends, that is not the man who assailed me!"
The gang of lynchers stood gazing in amazement, and there was
a suspicious look upon the faces of many of them as their
leader remarked:
"The girl has cajoled him."
The men suspected that the girl had induced her Father to
recall his words.
"Would you know the man who assailed you, Tom?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you accuse this man?"
"I had not fully recovered my senses when I denounced him."
"Do you know the right man?"
"Yes," came the answer.
"Are you sure you have your senses now?"
"Yes."
"This man is really innocent?"
"He is."
"That settles it, stranger. We owe you an apology; but you
had a narrow 'squeak' of it, and but for the gal, you'd have
been dangling now from yonder spar."
Turning to the wounded man, the fellow continued:
"Tom, who was the man who assailed you?"
"I know him."
"You're going to die; tell us, old man, who did the deed?"
The old man-of-war's-man, who had been attending the wounded
smuggler, exclaimed:
"Die, is it? Not he! Tom Pearce is good for a three-years'
cruise yet; and he'd a mind to take it!"
"Well, tell us who the man was, Tom?"
"No, boys, not now; it was a private quarrel. I'm coming
around all right, and I'm much obliged for the good feeling
you men have shown toward me; but I'll settle with the man who
downed me--settle with him good, and no mistake!"
"All right, you have your own way, but when you're around
again, we want to have a talk with you; and, meantime, Renie,
I've a few words to say to you in private."
"You want to talk to me, Ike Denman!"
"Yes."
"Well, speak out."
"Clear out, boys; you know what business you have on hand; get
down to work, and if you fail, I'll meet you at Rigby's later
on."
The men moved away, the detective going with them; and a few
moments later Renie, Denman, and the old smuggler were alone.
"Renie," said Denman, "haven't we always treated you well?"
"I've never complained of the treatment I've received on the
coast."
"Then, why have you turned against us?"
"I've not turned against you."
"Go slow, girl, go slow! Don't say anything you'll have to
take back."
"I know just what I'm saying."
"There's been an enemy on the coast."
"A Government officer?"
"Yes; a Government officer."
"Who warned him he was in danger?"
"Who first learned he was a Government officer?"
"That's neither here nor there. Who warned him not to go off
in the yacht this night?"
"I did."
"You did?"
"Yes."
"Why did you do so?"
"I did not want to see the man murdered."
"Who told you the man would be murdered?"
Ike Denman fixed his keen eyes sharply on the girl when he
asked the question.
"No one told me."
"See here, girl, do not tell me that!"
"You have my answer."
"Renie, before to-night I would have taken your word for
anything; but now I doubt you!"
"I can't help it, I have told you the truth."
"Someone must have told you our plans?"
"No one told me."
"And what did you tell the detective?"
"I told him not to go off in the yacht to-night."
"What more did you tell him?"
"I told him to leave the coast."
"What reason did you give him for warning hunt rot to go off
in the yacht?"
"I told him he'd never return alive."
"That's frank and straight."
"I always tell the truth."
"And now, girl, we have something, worse than a Government
officer on the coast."
The girl remained silent, and Denman continued:
"A traitor is worse than a Government officer, and, we have a
traitor in our midst."
The girl still remained silent. She supposed the fellow was
alluding to her.
"Renie, you must tell me who told you our plans?"
"No one told me your plans."
"Listen, girl, I want to keep you out of trouble; let me tell
you something; the men are very much incensed against you, and
have uttered terrible threats."
"I can't help it."
"Why did you warn the detective?"
"I did not wish to see the man murdered."
"And you turned against your father and us all?"
"I have turned against no one. I only sought to save a man's
life."
"The man is a friend of yours?"
"I never spoke to him before in my life, until I warned him of
his danger."
"Where is the man?"
"If he is wise, he has left the coast."
"Will you tell me how you have learned of our plans?"
"I overheard you discuss them."
"And you are the traitor
"I am the traitor!"
"Girl, never confess to anyone else what you have confessed
to me!"
The old smuggler was a listener to the foregoing conversation,
and he said:
"Renie is tender-hearted."
"Yes; but, Tom, Renie must go away."
"Yes; she is going away."
"Have you a place for her?"
"Yes."
"Will you tell me who assailed you?"
"Ike, I can't tell you all; but I was assailed on Renie's
account."
"You were assailed on Renie's account?"
"Yes."
"This is a strange story!"
"Some day you will know why I was assailed."
"Was it one of our people?"
"No."
"A stranger?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"A man you know."
"Name him."
"Not to-night."
"When will Renie go away?"
"As soon as possible."
"Tom, I am a friend of yours, and your daughter's; but I tell
you the girl is in a bad fix."
"She shall go away."
"To-morrow?"
"We shall see."
Ike Denman remained to exchange a few more words, and went
away; the father and daughter were alone.
The girl told of the attempt to kidnap her.
"I see it all, Renie, I see it all! But you are safe, and you
shall not come to harm; but tell me, who, is the man who was
brought before me?"
The girl was saved an answer, for the man walked in to answer
for himself.