UNEXPECTED HELP.
"They're coming, Ned!" whispered Jack, in a hoarse tone.
"But that sound surely came from seaward, Jack?" expostulated the other.
"I know it did, and must have been the sneeze of a man at that," replied
the second scout. "But what of it, Ned? We must remember they've got
other boats besides our canoes, and it might be possible for them to row
around from the mouth of the Harricanaw to this place."
"Yes, possibly," said Ned, "but hardly probable in so short a time. But
like you, I believe it was a man who sneezed, and that he was out there
on the water. Look again, and see if you can pick up a boat moving,
Jack."
For a full minute the pair stood and strained their eyes to the utmost,
gazing minutely over the rolling waters, from the place where the white
foam could be seen, far out to sea. Ned even noted which way the night
breeze held, and in that quarter he kept his eyes glued the longest
time, as though instinct told him the mysterious sound must have been
carried on the wings of the wind.
There were all those twinkling riding-lights on the vessels composing
the fleet of whaling or sealing craft, which had come to obtain such a
strange reputation for appearing and vanishing so wonderfully. Perhaps,
as Ned observed them again, he unconsciously connected the sneeze with
their presence; but then this thought quickly gave way to the other. It
was more natural that they should expect those men of the fake mine to
be afloat near by, endeavoring to find some vulnerable part of the
stranded wreck, where they could deliver a successful attack.
"I see it, Ned!" suddenly said Jack, triumphantly.
"Show me!" observed the patrol leader, quickly moving his head so that
it came alongside that of his chum, whose hand was extended, with the
quivering forefinger pointing almost in a line with the nearest of all
the vessels.
"There, watch when the wave rises again, and you'll--there, did you get
it, Ned?"
"Yes, and as you say, it was a boat with several men in the same,"
replied the other scout, hastily; "and more than that, they seem to be
heading straight for this old wreck. You see, they're coming down the
coast, and as like as not, they've rowed all the way from the river."
"Could they do it on the bay?" asked Jack, dubiously.
"I don't see any reason against it, if they happen to have strong enough
muscles, and know how to manage a boat on the big waves," Ned went on to
say.
"But hadn't we better tell the rest?" asked Jack. "If we're going to get
a side wipe, it might be as well for all of us to be ready to meet the
rascals when they try to get aboard from their boat."
"Yes, let two stay to watch the break in the stern--the Cree and Frank
might handle that end of the business--bring the rest here with you,
Jack. I'll try and keep tabs of the boat, while you're gone."
"Be back in a jiffy, Ned," and with that Jack shot away.
He could not have taken much time to tell the others what they were
wanted for, because he quickly appeared again at Ned's elbow, bringing
Jimmy, Teddy and Francois along with him.
"What's the matter, Ned?" asked the first named, as he looked all about
him, evidently half expecting that he would see the head of a "boarder"
rising into view over the gunwale of the wreck.
"Jack discovered a boat coming in, and we think it must hold several of
our enemies," the other told them. "Look where I point and you'll see it
rising on the next roller."
Immediately exclamations of astonishment announced that the others had
sighted the alarming spectacle.
"They're expecting to take us by surprise, because we'd never think of
standing guard along that side of the old tub," Jimmy declared as his
opinion.
"It wasn't such a bad scheme, either," added Teddy. "Only for that man
sneezing when he shouldn't, neither of you two might have discovered the
boat."
"That's as true as anything you ever said, old man," assented Jack, who
never wanted to claim honors he had not fairly won. "But you know it's
the old Black Bear and Wolf luck.
"We're always running slap up against the greatest things ever heard
of."
"And first chance I find," muttered Teddy, "I'm going to get transferred
from the old Eagle into one of the other patrols. Whoever heard of an
Eagle having any special luck? That's because they went and named their
patrol after a bald-headed old pirate, who loves to rob the hard working
fish-hawk of his dinner, time in and time out."
Nobody was paying any particular attention to Teddy's lament, however,
and so he started in to take a second and more particular look at the
dancing object that could be seen one moment, as it rose on a wave, and
then vanishing from view again.
"Can you all make it out?" asked Jack.
Even Francois said there was no difficulty now; while Jimmy, as if to
prove that his sight was good, went on to say:
"It seems to be a pretty hefty boat, too, fellers?"
"Yes, that's what I thought," Jack answered him.
"And I reckon you noticed that only two men are in the same; that is, a
pair handling the oars; and, if there are any others, they must be lying
flat on their backs in the bottom of the old thing. Which gives me a
smart little idea, Ned."
"Glad to hear you say so, Jimmy; and if you don't mind we'll all listen
to what you've got ailing you," the patrol leader told him.
"Why, it's just like this, you see," continued the other, pleased
beyond words to find himself in the limelight, for that bit of luck did
not come the way of Jimmy often enough to suit him. "There are just two
of the fellers, that's right, and when they step up on deck, where it
slopes near the water-line, why, we'll jump them like a toad hops over a
mushroom. Before they know what's struck 'em, they'll be our prisoners,
see?"
"Yes, but what good will they be to us, Jimmy; you don't lay out to eat
them, I hope?" demanded Teddy, unable to grasp a thing that had not yet
been fully explained.
"Shucks! don't you see--when we've got 'em tied up good and tight, why,
what's to hinder the whole bunch of us stepping into their bully boat,
and go slidin' off as slick as you please, heading for the nearest
vessel at anchor out yonder?"
Jimmy put this question boldly, as though he realized that he had struck
a chord that was bound to evoke the highest praise from his mates. And
he was right, for Ned slapped him heartily on the back, Jack wrung his
hand, while Teddy, who had lost his breath in amazement, at least
managed to stroke his sleeve affectionately.
"A great scheme, I give you my word, it is, Jimmy; and one that does you
credit," said Ned. "If only we can carry it out, we've got the biggest
chance for escaping that could ever come our way. It all depends on
whether they really mean to try and board the wreck. We're not so dead
sure of that yet, you know."
The spirits of the others, buoyed up so suddenly by the prospect of a
speedy release from their predicament, underwent a drop. It was as
though the temperature had fallen from blood heat to freezing.
"Oh! but we were all certain they meant to try and board us a minute
ago, Ned; and let's see if they are still on the same course," with
which Jack, as well as the others sought to again catch a fleeting sight
of the oncoming boat.
It was not the easiest thing in the world to glimpse such a dusky
looking object in such uncertain light, and with the waves rising and
falling. But it happened that while they had been talking, Francois
managed to keep his eye fixed on the boat, and so he was able to point
it out to them.
"Oh! joy, she is still heading right for us!" said Jimmy, who had felt
the slump worse than any of the others, because of the fact that the
idea was his own.
What he said was true, and all of them could see that the two men in the
boat were pulling hard to come along with the sweep of the sea.
"Better get ready to lay the trap, hadn't we?" asked Jack, nervously.
"Oh! that will be easy enough when we make sure of where they expect to
board," the patrol leader told him; but, at the same time, he knew full
well that the boat would naturally have to swing around to the sheltered
side of the wreck, before those in it could hope to pull in.
All of them watched, with their hearts beating like trip-hammers, so
excited had the sudden hope made them.
The seconds seemed to pass on leaden wings to Jimmy. Several times he
moved uneasily, and Ned could hear the sigh that welled up from the
depths of his heart. This happened when, to his excited fancy, the
oncoming boat seemed to remain motionless on the swelling wave for a
brief period. Possibly at such times the rowers ceased their labors, for
the purpose of scrutinizing the dark hulk, which they were then
approaching, as though to make sure that they would find all well.
Each time, however, they started to rowing again, and as they drew
nearer to the shore, of course, they had to put more strength into their
strokes, because of the suction of the eddies that surged around the bow
of the derelict, standing at this time of nearly full tide, well in the
water.
When they changed their course, so as to swing around to leeward of the
wreck, Ned considered that it was time he and his comrades crept along
in the shelter of the bulwark, and made ready to receive the uninvited
guests.
First of all, they must allow them to come aboard, and also secure the
boat. Any premature action was bound to ruin the whole affair. If one of
the men got away, or the boat was set adrift, it would avail the
prisoners of the hulk nothing. They wanted a means for leaving the
hostile land, and the mere capture of these two men, who evidently
intended to take them by surprise, would not satisfy them at all.
So Ned and his mates made themselves as small as they could, crouching
there in the gloom of the night. They could hear the splash of the
waves beating against the other side of the old vessel, and these
constant sounds served to hide all else in the way of noise. When the
boat collided with the planking of the wreck, they only knew of its
arrival through the slight quiver that was conveyed to their alert
senses.
And now they saw one of the dark figures clambering hurriedly over the
broken bulwarks. Strange to say, he did not seem to be at all particular
as to what he was doing. There was no skulking movement, no crouching,
and looking about, such as one would expect to observe under the
circumstances. Ned noted this with surprise. He even began to entertain
serious doubts concerning the absolute truth of the theory he had
previously formed regarding the identity of the two men. Surely, if they
belonged to the force that had once before been repulsed when trying to
board the wreck, they would know of the presence of the scouts there,
and do everything within their power not to let the defenders know of
their secret coming.
"All right, Captain Bill!" they heard the man who had jumped aboard say;
and that too was a strange thing; had they believed the wreck to be
utterly abandoned, these mysterious parties could not have acted in a
more singular manner.
Now the second man was climbing over, in which act he was assisted by
the one who had come first, and who seemed to be a more agile chap.
At least the boat was secure, for Ned could see that the first visitor
was engaged in fastening the painter to a cleat that chanced to be near
by, and which he seemed to find in a remarkably able manner, as though
he might be quite familiar from past associations with the lay of things
aboard that hulk.
Ned had his little hand-electric torch ready, and when he believed that
the proper instant had come for action, he suddenly pressed the button
that caused a flash to dazzle the eyes of the men.
"Surrender! Don't try to make a single move, or you'll be shot down.
We've got you covered by our guns, so throw up your hands, both of you!"
was what he exclaimed, and at the same instant, the others stood up with
leveled rifles.
It was evidently a complete surprise for the invading force. They
elevated both hands as ordered, mechanically perhaps, for at the same
time they were uttering exclamations of bewilderment and wonder.
"Make sure of the boat, Jimmy!" said Ned, with an eye to their great
need; and only too gladly did the other scout jump forward to where the
rope had been passed around that cleat under the rail.
"Who are you, anyway, and what d'ye mean by holding us up this way?"
finally asked the older of the two prisoners; and now that he found time
to look closer, Ned was himself amazed to discover that both of them had
the appearance of seafaring men, in regards to garments and bronzed
faces.
"I'm going to ask you that same question," he managed to say. "Who are
you, and what do you want coming ashore in the night to board this
wreck?"
The men turned and looked at each other.
"What d'ye think of that, now, Captain Bill?" asked the younger man. "Me
to be asked that, as has lived and cruised aboard this old whaler
_Comet_ for six years and more, till she was wrecked in the ice last
season, and they carried me away, out o' my head from exposure? Ain't I
got a right aboard here, if anybody has? 'Twas only lately that I
learned she was ashore 'stead of bein' at the bottom of Hudson Bay; and
as I had some valuable papers hid in a bulkhead that I thought was lost
to me for good and all, why, I got Captain Bill, whose mate I am this
trip, to come ashore along with me, so's to see if they be here still.
We knowed there was a wild crowd prospectin' for copper up around these
parts, and didn't dare try to land in daylight. There was other reasons
besides. But now we've told you who and what we are, s'pose you turn
around and enlighten us. Seems like I seen them sort o' suits afore now,
on the Boy Scouts o' Swamsscot, where I hail from in New England. Be you
members of the same organization, boys?"
For a minute almost, none of the three lads could find his breath to
answer. The astonishing truth actually stunned them. They saw liberty
and safety looming up within their reach. There was no longer any doubt
concerning their chances for leaving this inhospitable land, and
carrying the answer which would mean so much to Mr. Bosworth and those
capitalists associated with him.
It was Jimmy who recovered first, and his ringing cheer that went
pealing forth over the heaving waters of Hudson Bay.