WHEREIN ARE SEVERAL SURPRISES.
John Berwick had taken the oars on leaving the Storm King, and had
pulled for some time in the direction of the city. Without speaking, he
gave undivided attention to his task, while Jim seated in the stern
sheets, was also silent, lost in thought.
"Well, Jim," began Berwick, after a time, as they were nearing the city
wharves, "have you decided on your next move?"
"Yes," responded Jim, rousing himself. "The next thing I am going to do
is to get dinner.
"Then," continued Jim, "I am going to bed and get a good night's sleep
and make a fresh start in the morning."
"A most sensible thing, Jim," agreed the man at the oars.
"That's what Broome is going to do, too."
"What?" asked Jim.
"Make a good start in the morning."
"Can't help it if he does," growled Jim. "Have you anything better to
suggest?"
"No, I suppose that we have done all that we can."
"But not all that we are going to do!" snapped Jim. "I'll find some way
of squaring our accounts.
"Hallo!" he cried in an undertone a moment later. "Now what do you think
of that?"
"What is it?" asked Berwick in alarm.
"Look there on the wharf."
"By the beard of Neptune! You're right!" exclaimed Berwick, dropping his
oars in his surprise, and nearly capsizing the boat as he grabbed for
one.
"Easy there, old fellow," cautioned Jim, "remember I haven't got my
bathing suit on."
"What in the name of all that is wonderful is _he_ doing there?"
"Looks as if he was taking a nap," said Jim. "Sh! Don't wake him!" as
Berwick with his hand to his mouth was about to call. "We'll crawl up on
him and take him by surprise."
"Make him think old Broome has got him," chuckled the engineer.
Berwick pulled the boat gradually up to the wharf, and after making
fast, the two conspirators climbed up on to the wharf and crept toward
the unsuspecting Juarez, as has already been told in the opening chapter
of this book.
Juarez had not recognized his antagonist, and struggled furiously. The
two rolled and tumbled about on the floor of the wharf, there being no
time or opportunity for any explanation. Berwick, who had watched the
outcome of the "surprise" with amusement, thinking it had gone far
enough, was about to interfere, when Jo and Tom, who had come up
unobserved, threw themselves into the melee, and in a trice had Jim
secure and powerless to move.
"Whew!" panted Juarez. "That was a close call."
"I told you to watch out!" declared Jo. "But it isn't Broome."
"Jo! Tom!" called Berwick, who was shaking with laughter at the turn the
affair had taken. He stepped out of the shadow where he had been hiding.
"Hallo!" cried Tom, suspiciously. "Who is it?"
"It is I, John Berwick," responded the engineer, between peals of
laughter. "Better let your captive up, but keep out of his reach. It's
Jim."
"Jim!" exclaimed Jo and Tom together. "What is Jim doing here?"
"Just giving Juarez a little surprise party," explained Berwick.
Promptly while still talking the boys had released Jim, who got on his
feet sputtering and angry.
"Hold on, Jim," expostulated Berwick. "It's all your own fault. You
brought it on yourself. But, I say, Juarez, where did you come from?"
"Just came on from home," said Juarez. "Thought I'd give _you_ a
surprise."
"You did all right," laughed Berwick. "It seems to have been a surprise
party all around."
"Ho!" cried Jo, "that ain't all, we've got a bigger surprise yet."
"What is that?"
"What do you say to a trip to the South Seas and a search for a treasure
island?"
"For a what?"
"What are you talking about?" demanded Jim, who had been slowly
recovering his good humor.
"A trip to the South Seas," reiterated Jo.
"I say," interposed Berwick, "I thought you said, Jim, that the first
thing you were going to do was to get dinner. I begin to feel a
hollowness in my interior that needs attention. Suppose we postpone
explanations until we have had something to eat."
"Now, you're talking sense," agreed Tom. "And we'll hunt up the
professor and have him, too."
"The professor!" exclaimed Jim. "Who is he?"
"Oh, the professor with a name as long as the alphabet," replied Jo. "He
can explain better than we can."
"The professor with the long name!" cried Jim and Berwick
simultaneously. "What do you know about such a man?"
"Nothing," replied the boys, "except that he has engaged us to go on the
Storm King for a treasure hunt. What is the matter with him?"
"Well, that beats all!" said Berwick weakly.
"What's all the palaver about anyhow?" demanded Jo. "I thought we were
going to get something to eat before we had any more talk."
"Come on," said Berwick. "I know I'm dreaming, but want to get the
dinner before I wake up."
"Where is the professor?" demanded Jim.
"He's at the Golden Gate Hotel," answered Jo. "We all came on together
and went to the hotel. Then we came out to hunt you up. We were going to
get a boat and row out to the Sea Eagle."
"Lucky you didn't," returned Jim. "Old Bill Broome has got the Sea Eagle
again."
"He has!" cried Jo and Tom in consternation, "what did you let him take
her for?"
"That was unavoidable," volunteered Berwick. "He has some illegal claim
which Jim can't upset, the lawyers say."
"Can't we get her back again?" asked Juarez.
"We certainly will," answered Jim, "now that you are all here. I'm
awfully glad to have your help."
"Let's go and see the professor," suggested Juarez. "Perhaps he will
help us out."
"Of course, he will," said Tom. "He'll know just what to do."
"Which is more than we do," remarked Berwick to himself.