THE PURSUIT
No bad effects followed our friends' exposure on the raft, and starved
bodies were soon well nourished by the good food supplied aboard the
_Trascaron_, whose captain could not do enough for the young
millionaire's party.
Dick asked eagerly for news of his missing yacht, but could obtain none,
and was forced to content himself until they arrived at Santiago. There
his first act was to send a cablegram to his father, telling something
of Uncle Ezra's daring acts, how they were marooned on the island, and
of his intention to search for the _Albatross_.
Incidentally, Dick asked for some money, since most of his was aboard
the stolen yacht, and Mr. Hamilton promptly cabled a large sum,
sufficient to hire a steamer for a month. Dick, after fitting himself
and friends out with new clothing, next visited the lawyer, whom he had
engaged to search for the Valdez family, informing the attorney that no
further steps were necessary. The Cuban father and son were installed in
comfortable rooms in the hotel where Dick and his companions were
quartered, and Senor Valdez was told that Mrs. Hamilton, his wife's
cousin, had made ample provision for him, so that he could set up in
business again.
Senor Valdez and his son also signed certain papers in reference to the
property in New York, clearing the title, and making it unnecessary for
them to leave Cuba. They would receive their tenth share of the value of
the land, which, with what provision Mrs. Hamilton had made for them in
her will, placed them beyond the reach of want.
"And, now that's done, I'm going to get busy on my own account, and find
my yacht," remarked Dick one evening to his chums, as they sat in the
parlor from which their sleeping-rooms opened.
"Yes, it's time you did something for yourself; you've had us on your
hands long enough," remarked Paul.
"Well, we had lots of fun, even if we were marooned, and nearly
shipwrecked," declared the young millionaire.
Negotiations for the hire of a small, but swift, steamer were completed
the next day, and Dick and his friends went aboard. Of course, Grit went
also. Inquiries had failed to throw any light as to who might have
stolen Dick's yacht and launch from Stone Island, nor was any trace
found of the steamer _Princess_, containing Uncle Ezra and the men and
two youths whom he had hired to kidnap Dick.
"Then, if you can't get any trace, how are you going to know in which
direction to search?" asked Beeby. "You can't cover all the waters
around Cuba."
"I don't intend to," replied Dick. "In the first place, Captain Barton,
and the others of the crew are--or were--aboard my yacht when it was
captured. They are either aboard her now or they have been put ashore
somewhere by the thieves. In the latter case, we will hear something
from them sooner or later, for they'll communicate with us, and we'll
get a clue to work on. If they are still held as prisoners, I'll have to
adopt a different course."
"And what'll it be?" asked Paul Drew.
"Why, I think our best plan is to sail back to Stone Island."
"Stone Island?" cried Henry Darby.
"Do you mean to camp out there again?" asked Frank.
"No, we had enough of that," answered the wealthy lad. "But I have an
idea that the men who stole my yacht have a sort of headquarters on that
island. We didn't have time to look for it, but it must be there. What
would be more natural than that they will either hang around in that
vicinity, or even visit the island."
"Hardly that, if they think we are there still," objected Beeby.
"That's just it. They may think we have been taken off by some steamer,
and that the coast is clear, so that they can come back. If they do we
have them, and so I think our best plan is to set sail for the island
where we were marooned."
"I guess you're right, Dick," admitted Paul.
The next day the _Golconda_, which was the steamer Dick had hired,
slipped away from her dock, and headed for Stone Island. Aboard her,
though the boys did not live as finely as they had in the yacht of the
young millionaire, they had a good time, and most of their hours were
spent on deck, as they cruised on, looking for a sight of the
_Albatross_.
Dick declared that he was getting cross-eyed from so constantly looking
through the binoculars, but he would not give up. Many ships were
passed, but they proved to be other than the _Albatross_. Nor was the
_Princess_ sighted.
"I guess Uncle Ezra and his crowd had enough, and went back to New
York," ventured Dick. "My uncle is probably in Dankville now, figuring
up how much money he lost. Oh, won't I have the laugh on him when I
jolly him for kidnapping the wrong person!"
"I'd do more than _jolly_ him," said Beeby, vindictively. "He ought to
be arrested."
"Oh, Uncle Ezra is a peculiar man," said Dick. "He can make himself
believe that he acted just right. He's afraid I'll die a pauper in the
poorhouse, I guess."
Forward sailed the _Golconda_, even to Stone Island, but there was no
sight of the missing yacht. They anchored in the bay where Dick's fine
craft had previously come to rest, just before the theft, and,
cautioning captain and crew to be on their guard, Dick and his chums,
well armed, went ashore with Widdy, who was now one of their party.
But there was no trace of any visitors since they had left to make the
voyage on the raft, and they found their camp desolate, and undisturbed.
"Well, I guess I was wrong, thinking they'd come back here," said Dick,
rather disappointed, when, after a day spent on the island, they
prepared to go back on board the steamer. "But we'll search farther."
They did, and the voyage was kept up for a week, sailing here and there,
but always in the vicinity of the island. Once they returned to Santiago
to inquire if any news had been heard of either ship, but none had. Then
they began their search of the waste of waters again, stopping at or
near several small islands or keys, and inquiring of many vessels which
they spoke as they manoeuvred about.
"My yacht seems to have disappeared from this vicinity," admitted Dick,
ruefully, when the second week was half gone. "I guess I'll have to give
up."
"Don't you do it, matey!" exclaimed old Widdy, smashing his pipe down on
deck, a favorite diversion of his whenever he was excited. "Keep after
'em! You'll find 'em yet, split my lee scuppers if you won't!"
And so the young millionaire resolved not to give up just yet.
It was on the last day of the second week, when, as they were cruising
about almost within sight of Stone Island, that they saw the smoke of a
steamer, which seemed bearing down in the direction of the place where
the kidnapped youth had been left.
"Here comes a ship," spoke Beeby, who was using the glasses.
"Let me see?" requested Dick, and he took a long view. "I don't believe
it's my yacht," he said, "yet it's coming in this direction, and very
few ships have trade or business in this locality. Captain, I think
we'll steam forward and meet her."
The young millionaire's word was law aboard the ship he had hired, and,
accordingly, the _Golconda_ was put about, and headed toward the unknown
vessel.
This soon gave them a better view, and the boys crowded around their
host, anxious for the first word that would proclaim if it was the yacht
they sought, or some other craft.
Dick's eyes were glued to the binoculars, as he stood on the bridge,
peering eagerly forward.
"Is it her?" asked Beeby.
"I can't quite make out. She looks something like the _Albatross_, yet
the funnel is a different color."
"Maybe they painted it again, to deceive people," suggested Henry
Darby. "Why--look--she's turning around!"
They all stared in wonder, for the vessel, for some reason, was swinging
about in a big circle, retracing her course.
"Can we go a little faster?" asked Dick of the captain.
"_Si_, senor," was the reply, and the engine room telegraph clanged out
an order. The _Golconda_ leaped ahead.
As the boat, to which the gaze of all was directed, swung around, so
that her stern was toward the vessel containing Dick and his chums, the
young millionaire uttered a startled cry. Passing the glasses to Paul
Drew, and bidding him look, Dick exclaimed:
"It's her! It's my yacht! It's the _Albatross_!"
"It sure is," agreed Paul, a moment later. "I can read her name under
the stern."
"After her!" fairly yelled Dick. "After her, captain! Use every ounce of
steam you can, for we _must_ catch her!"
"I'll go down in the engine room and talk Dutch to the firemen,"
volunteered Widdy, who had the privilege of the bridge. He hastened
away, while Dick took another view of his yacht, that was steaming away
from him so rapidly. But the _Golconda_ was increasing her speed also,
and the "bone in her teeth" grew larger in size, while the screw
threshed the water at the stern more violently. The pursuit was on.