THE ACCUSATION
"What's this?" demanded Captain Brisco, coming on deck just then.
"What's up?"
"Sail ho!" repeated Jack Jepson. "Over there, Captain!" and he pointed,
and extended the telescope. Alice noticed that the hand of the old salt
trembled, though usually he was as steady as the proverbial surgeon.
"Hum! Yes. One of the English revenue ships," remarked Captain Brisco.
"It's the first one we've met down here."
"It is a British vessel, isn't it?" asked Jack Jepson, and there was a
queer strain in his voice.
"Yes," replied his superior. "What of it?"
"Oh, nothin' sir! Nothin'."
But Alice thought it was something.
"Well, we haven't any need to speak to her," went on Captain Brisco.
"We're going to anchor soon."
"Anchor?" asked Jepson.
"Yes, they want to take some of their pictures!" It was evident to
Alice, from the tone of voice in which Captain Brisco spoke, that he had
little sympathy with the work of the film actors. But he had been hired
to do his part with the ship, and must carry out his agreement with Mr.
Pertell.
The captain handed back the glass, and went to consult with the manager
about making a landing. They were near several small islands, any one of
which would probably do as a background for some of the picture-play
scenes.
Left to himself Jack Jepson took another long look at the oncoming
steamer.
Alice watched him curiously.
"Yes, she's a lime-juicer," he remarked, and something like a sigh
escaped him.
"A--a lime-juicer?" repeated Alice in some surprise. "I thought you said
she was a _steamer_."
"So she is. But we old sailors used to call all British ships
'lime-juicers,' because they used to be the only ones that was compelled
by law to carry lime juice."
"Why lime juice?" Alice wanted to know.
"To prevent scurvy, Miss. Lime juice, potatoes or anything like that
will keep sailors from the scurvy disease, Miss. They found it out, the
Britishers did, and made their ships carry such stuff. Lime juice is
easier to stow away than potatoes, and every sailor had to have his
share.
"Scurvy is a bad disease, Miss. It's terrible, and though lots of fun
was made of the lime juice British ships, they done their duty, Miss. It
got so other nations had to fall into line. And, though lime juice isn't
as needful as it was, 'cause they have other things that do as well,
perhaps, I always think of a Britisher as a lime-juicer."
"I see," murmured Alice. "Yes, I can see the English flag," she went on,
as she looked through the glass Jack passed to her. "She is headed right
for us, too."
"That's what I make out, Miss. And I wish it was my watch below; I sure
do, Miss!"
"Why, you aren't thinking that they may be after you, are you, Jack?
After you on that old mutiny charge?"
"They might be, Miss," he said in a whisper, looking cautiously around.
"You see that charge isn't dead, and then there's the one of escapin'
from an English prison. They might overlook the mutiny, especially as
they may not have all their witnesses now--some of 'em may be dead. But
an English prison officer never forgets, nor forgives, an escape, and
the law doesn't either. If they was to see me, I'd be taken back to
stand the charges ag'in me."
"But how would they know you?" asked Alice. "Besides, it isn't at all
likely that anyone on that vessel had anything to do with your being
taken into custody on the mutiny charge. That was years ago."
"I know Miss, but they might remember me, even if I have changed a lot.
And this is mostly English waters around here. English islands, too. It
was somewhere about here I was imprisoned. Before I set foot on land,
I'm going to find out if it's English, and if it is, I'm goin' to stay
on board. I'm not goin' to take any chances."
"But can't they arrest you at sea, if there should be such a possibility
that they recognized you?"
"Not if I'm three miles from land, I think. Still, I may be wrong about
that. I wish I hadn't come on this voyage, that's a fact. I don't like
the sight of that English flag."
"Don't worry," advised Alice. "There isn't one chance in a thousand that
you would be recognized after these years. In the first place, you have
changed a lot. And, in the second place, probably the English officers
who arrested you, and the others, are in some other part of the world
now. Why do you think they may be on that steamer?"
"Well, things don't change down here as much as you might think,"
replied Jack, as he and Alice watched the steamer coming nearer. "And an
Englishman is less likely to change than anybody else, Miss. He'll often
stay in the same berth until he dies. So it's likely some of the same
officers who were around here when I was arrested are here yet. And they
may be on that vessel."
"But how can they recognize you?" Alice persisted.
"Well, if they didn't know me, they might know this ship."
"This ship! Why, this is only a small vessel, and yours was a big
five-master."
"I know, Miss, I know," said Jack, with a nervous look over his
shoulder. "But here's a secret I haven't told to anyone yet. This may be
the _Mary Ellen_, but she used to be the _Halcyon_!"
Alice started back in surprise.
"The _Halcyon_!" she gasped. "How could it be?"
"This way, Miss. They built her over, cut down her length, and changed
her so hardly anybody would recognize her. But I knew the _Mary Ellen_
for the _Halcyon_ almost as soon as I came aboard."
"And is that why you acted so--so queer?"
"Partly--yes. You see she was first the _Mary Ellen_ and the mutineers
named her the _Halcyon_. Then, when she was rebuilt she became _Mary
Ellen_ again."
"But I never knew they could make vessels over," Alice protested.
--"Oh, yes, it's often done," the sailor assured her. "This certainly
was the old _Halcyon_, as she was called when the mutineers had her, and
anyone who had sailed in her would know it. A sailor's eye can't be
deceived. There's others on board as know it, too."
"Others here? Of the mutinous crew?"
"Hush, Miss, if you please! Not so loud! Yes, others who were in the
mutiny, but who got off scott free, while I was the one to suffer. But
they're tryin' to keep under cover. There's a game afoot, but I'll spoil
it if I can--that is, if this British steamer don't make trouble for
me."
Alice's head seemed to swim. She was getting into the depths of the
mystery now with a vengeance. What did it all mean? To what did Jack
have reference? Could it be that Captain Brisco, and the man with whom
he was so friendly, were in a plot?
Alice felt as if she must tell someone. It was too big a secret for her
to keep to herself.
One thing seemed necessary. She must rid Jack of some of his fear of
being arrested again.
"But if the ship is changed so, how could any of the British officers,
provided any are on that steamer, recognize her?" Alice asked.
"I don't know how, but I'm sure they could," said Jack, rather
unreasonably. "And you mark my words. They'll see us and in spite of our
change of rig, they will want to speak us. A sailor never forgets a
ship. Of course there may be no officers on that steamer who would know
the old _Halcyon_, but ag'in, there may be. I'm afeered, Miss."
"Oh, but you needn't be. Mr. Pertell will make it all right even if----"
"He isn't bigger than Johnnie Bull," said Jack ominously, "though Mr.
Pertell is a good friend of mine. Ha! Didn't I tell you? There they come
right for us, and they're signallin' us to lay to."
It was evident that something had taken place aboard the steamer. A
signal flag broke out at her mast, and Captain Brisco, seeing it,
exclaimed impatiently:
"What can they want with us?"
"They want to talk, that's evident," said Hen Lacomb, who stood near the
commander.
"But what about?"
"We'll soon know."
As the _Mary Ellen_ lay almost motionless on the sea, for she had been
brought up sharply, the steamer approached. It was so calm that she
could come quite close without danger of a collision. A man, evidently
an officer, hailed through a megaphone. Jack dared not desert his place
as lookout.
"What vessel is that?" demanded the officer of the British steamer.
"The _Mary Ellen_, from New York," answered Captain Brisco. "Out on a
moving picture cruise. We're in a hurry."
"Better not be," was the exasperating comment. "There's someone here who
wants to ask you a few questions."
Another figure joined the speaker, and at the sight of this second
officer, old Jack Jepson groaned.
"I knew it! I knew it," he whispered to Alice. "That's the man in charge
of the revenue cutter who arrested me years ago. See! He recognizes me!
I thought this would happen."
It was evident that something out of the ordinary was taking place.
"_Mary Ellen_ ahoy!" called the second officer. "If you didn't used to
be the _Halcyon_, I miss my guess. And there's a man aboard you I want!
There he stands!" and he pointed an accusing finger at Jack Jepson.