AN ILL-ADVISED START.
Vance hastened to the forward cabin as soon as he saw Ned go down the
companion-way, and arrived there just in time to hear the last portion
of his remark.
Roy seemed thoroughly bewildered on thus learning that the interpreter
had deceived them, and stood silent and motionless as Vance said
bitterly:
“With such a man to manage the job, it isn’t hard to fancy that they’ll
make a pretty thorough search of this craft before leaving her.”
“The best thing we can do is to send him ashore at once,” Ned added. “We
don’t want such fellows around, for it isn’t safe.”
“But Boy has already hired a sailing master and a steward. In addition
to that, he has engaged Manuel to go with us to Key West.”
Ned looked at Roy as if asking if the statement was correct.
“I didn’t think there would be any harm in making ready to leave as soon
as possible, for the machinists reported that the engine had been
repaired, and by leaving now we can be in Key West before morning.”
“But you surely are not willing to take a crew selected by Manuel after
what I have told you?” Ned said in surprise.
“When I engaged them I didn’t know there was anything wrong.”
“But now that—What is going on? It sounds as if we were under way!”
Ned ran hastily up the companion stairs, looked around for an instant,
and then leaped below in the greatest excitement as he said hurriedly:
“It is a fact! We are steaming out of the harbor! What is the meaning of
it?”
“I told them to start the minute you came on board,” Roy said in a low
tone, wishing from the very bottom of his heart that he had never given
such an order.
“And we are going to run across with four men on board who are perfect
strangers, except that we know one told an absolute lie for the purpose
of preventing you from sending any word to your parents!” Ned exclaimed
as he literally threw himself into a chair and stared moodily at the
floor.
“I wasn’t consulted in the matter at all,” Vance said angrily. “I told
Roy I thought he should wait till you came aboard.”
“I surely asked your opinion about taking Manuel as interpreter,” Roy
said sharply.
“Yes; but that was after you had made the trade with the others, and
they virtually had possession of the yacht.”
“Well, it can’t be helped now, and we must decide what may be done to
prevent them from taking us by surprise,” Ned said with a long-drawn
sigh.
He fancied he knew exactly how Roy felt when he made the bargain, and
that it had only been done from a desire to be with his parents as soon
as possible, therefore it did not seem to him right that the boy should
be blamed.
“Why can’t it be helped?” Vance cried sharply. “What is to prevent us
from ordering them to put back?”
“If they have come on board with any idea of taking possession of the
steamer, they wouldn’t obey the command and we should only succeed in
starting a row before being prepared.”
“I’ll soon know what they mean!” Roy said angrily as he went toward the
companion-way.
“Wait a minute!” Ned cried as he caught him by the arm. “Don’t act as
hastily as you did before, but think the matter over first. Suppose they
refuse to obey orders, what can we do before mapping out a plan?”
“I’ll take one of the revolvers with me and make them do as I say.”
“And probably be knocked down before you had spoken half a dozen words,
even though the men were perfectly honest. Who do you suppose would
allow a boy to come at him with a drawn weapon without making some kind
of a row?”
It did not take many moments for Roy to realize the truth of this, and
he seated himself on one of the lockers in moody silence.
“Well, see here, this won’t do,” Vance suddenly cried. “The yacht is
getting further out of the harbor every moment, and if there is such an
idea as turning back, it should be carried into effect at once.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Roy replied in dismay.
“And I think it would be foolish to attempt to change any of the orders
which have been given,” Ned added. “If the men are bent on mischief they
wouldn’t obey, and if they are honest we shall get to Key West without
trouble.”
“Well, are you going to sit here and let matters take their own course?”
Vance asked impatiently.
“This is what I think might be done,” Ned replied, speaking slowly, as
if weighing well his words. “One of us could sit in the pilot-house and
the other in the engine-room all the time, each armed with a revolver.
The third would spell either when it became necessary, and thus a watch
might be kept over the two most important sections of the craft.”
“But suppose they should raise a row because we remained on guard?”
Vance asked.
“If they are perfectly honest nothing of the kind could happen, and if
not, the question will surely arise, when we can speak right out and say
exactly why we don’t like the looks of things. Men who have come aboard
simply to earn their wages by performing the necessary work surely
wouldn’t object to those who stand in the place of the owners caring for
the property.”
“What do you think of that plan, Roy?” Vance asked.
“I’ll go in for anything you two believe best. After being so smart I
ought to be willing to tie my head in a bag until we reach port.”
“But you haven’t made any provision for keeping an eye on the hold,”
Vance suggested in a whisper.
“Why can’t you do that? I’ll go into the pilot-house, Roy into the
engine-room, and you would be at liberty to prowl around anywhere. It
won’t be a very long watch if they intend to play square.”
“Then let’s begin at once.”
All hands arose to their feet and ascended the companion-way, since it
was necessary first to go on deck in order to reach either of the places
referred to.
Manuel was standing just beneath the wheel-house when the boys reached
the open air, and it looked very much as if he had been hovering around
the hatch-way in the hope of overhearing what might be said in the
forward cabin, where the consultation was held.
“We are under way,” he said to Roy, treating him as the leader of the
party, as was but natural, since by him he and his friends had been put
in possession of the little craft.
“So I see. We should arrive some time during the night, for this craft
can make twelve knots under ordinary circumstances.”
“If the weather holds good you will awaken in port,” was the reply. “The
captain has been to Key West many times, and will get the little steamer
there as soon as any other person could.”
“How about the engineer?” Vance asked.
“Oh, he is a master of his trade; you need have no fears but that she
will be kept at full speed.”
“I think I’ll have a look at him,” Roy said, and as he started aft
followed by Manuel, Ned suddenly remembered that after deciding upon
their course of action they had been so careless as to forget the
weapons, which were in one of the after-cabin lockers.
“Hold on a minute!” he said quickly. “I wish you would show me where
those papers were put.”
“What papers?” Roy asked innocently, and the most careless observer
would have understood that there was nothing of the kind aboard.
“The ones I gave you just before I went on shore,” and by dint of much
winking, which may or may not have been seen by the interpreter, Roy
finally understood that he should accompany his friends.
“Well, of all thick-headed mortals you are the worst!” Vance whispered
when they were in the after cabin. “It was necessary for Ned to give the
whole snap away before you could understand that he wanted to speak with
you.”
“I’ll admit that I’m about as stupid as fellows are usually made,” Roy
replied seriously, “and the knowledge of what I have possibly done only
makes me worse. What is it you wanted, Ned?”
“We forgot the revolvers, like a set of chumps, and they are here,” Ned
replied as he opened the locker.
The words had hardly been spoken, and before the weapons could be
raised, when the companion-way doors were suddenly pulled to, the hatch
drawn over, while the click of metal told that the bolts had been drawn.
Vance was at the top of the stairs instantly pounding on the wood-work,
but no attention was paid to him for several moments.
“Unlock this door!” he shouted. “What do you mean by shutting us in
here?”
The party on the outside appeared to be making the fastenings secure,
and not until this had been done to his satisfaction did he condescend
to reply; then the prisoners heard the voice of Manuel as he said
loudly:
“We have taken a notion to learn where those old coins come from and
think you may have a good supply on board, consequently found it
necessary to take possession. It won’t do any good to shout and rave,
for we are well out of the harbor. So try to make the best of a bad
matter.”
Ned took careful aim in the direction of the voice and discharged one
barrel of his revolver, the bullet plowing its way through the thin
barrier; but, so far as could be ascertained, doing no further damage.
“I’ll soon show you how to do that sort of thing, my bantam,” Manuel
replied angrily, and then the sound of his footsteps on the roof of the
cabin told that he had gone forward.
“It is just as I feared,” Ned said with a sigh. “That fellow had all the
opportunity he needed and has taken advantage of it. The sight of the
money told him almost as plainly as words could have done that we had
found a treasure on the key where the yacht went ashore.”
“And I was such a fool as to arrange everything for them in the best
possible shape!” Roy moaned. “It doesn’t seem as if a fellow _could_
make such a fool of himself as I have succeeded in doing.”
“It’s no use crying over what can’t be helped,” Ned said cheerily as he
mentally braced himself to appear cheerful lest his companions should
lose all courage. “We must try to get the best of those fellows.”
“And we stand a mighty good chance, don’t we? Four of them against three
who are locked into a place where they not only can’t help themselves,
but are shut out from every other portion of the steamer!” Vance said
bitterly. “Now they are convinced there is treasure on board, it won’t
take more than ten minutes to discover it, and most likely the yacht is
being headed this very minute where they can trust to finding friends.”
[Illustration: NED SHOOTS AT MANUEL THROUGH THE CABIN SKYLIGHT.—Page
251.]
“I don’t fancy she is bound for Key West,” Ned replied, “but I can’t see
why it is necessary to look for friends, since they have got things all
their own way, while we’re shut up here like rats in a trap.”
Then came a long interval of silence as each fellow was trying in vain
to devise some scheme by which the recapture of the yacht would be
possible, and all were startled as if by an electric shock when a loud
report rang out, followed by the splintering of wood and glass, as a
bullet lodged in the panels of the state-room door within a few inches
of Ned’s head.
For an instant the three stood as if panic-stricken, and then Vance ran
toward the bulkhead which divided the cabin from a portion of the
engine-room as he cried:
“Get up here, quick! He’s trying for another shot!”
As he spoke he pointed to the skylight, from which direction the bullet
had come, and there could be seen the interpreter’s legs as he was
gliding noiselessly around in the hope of seeing his intended victims
more clearly.
This was just the opportunity Ned wanted, and, resting his revolver on
his arm in order to take more steady aim, fired twice in rapid
succession.
A scream of pain told that at least one of the missiles had struck the
target, and the oaths and imprecations which followed gave very good
evidence as to who had been wounded.
“You shall pay for this, you scoundrels!” Manuel cried in a fury. “Don’t
think that because you are hidden from view it is impossible to get at
you. There is no need of our hunting you out; a few days with neither
food nor water will soon do the business!”
“But what is to prevent our winging all hands of your party before we’re
starved?” Ned cried. “We are justified in shooting to kill, for you have
shown yourselves to be pirates, and we shan’t give in without a
struggle. Watch your chance!” he added in a whisper to Roy. “We’ve got
to shoot them down or else go under ourselves.”
“You won’t crow so loud to-morrow,” Manuel shouted, and then the sound
of halting footsteps told that he had gone forward once more.
“You are shivering like a fellow with a chill,” Vance said to Roy.
“So would you if you had gotten us into the scrape that I have. It seems
as if I had doomed all three to death.”
“You mustn’t give way like that,” Ned said sharply, “or there will be
very little hope for us. Vance, you take the revolver until Roy pulls
himself together, for just now I don’t believe he could hit the side of
a barn.”
“Is this all we are to do—stand here for them to sneak up and shoot us
whenever they feel like it?” Vance asked as he obeyed the order.
“Not by any manner of means, an’ it won’t pay to remain in this spot
very long, for they can fire at us from the engine-room. I’ll go into
one of the state-rooms, and you take the other. By leaving the doors
open it will be possible to keep watch on the skylights, and that is the
most dangerous point just now.”
Vance made his way quickly into the room on the starboard side,
fastening the door open with a chair lest the motion of the craft should
close it, and Ned went into the apartment opposite, Roy following him.
Not until this had been done was it learned that the stock of cartridges
was yet in the locker, and it was necessary they be divided before
Manuel should have attended to his wound and returned to watch for a
chance to shoot one of the prisoners.
Ned darted out very swiftly, knowing he stood a poor show of returning
if one of the pirates caught a glimpse of him, and in a very short time
both the watchers were well supplied with ammunition.
There was no encouragement to be gained from the fact that they were
well armed and sheltered from view, as all three realized after they had
had time to think the matter over.
The men could easily find the gold and silver, run the yacht into some
harbor, and there abandon her, or, making preparations to leave in the
small boat at the proper moment, scuttle her.
It was more than probable they would pursue this last course, as Ned
admitted to himself after studying the matter several moments, and he
could not repress a shudder as he thought that even now they might be
arranging such a plan.
The yacht need not be taken more than a dozen miles from the island of
Cuba before the deed could be done with but slight chance of detection,
and the treasure in the hold was sufficient to tempt such men as they
undoubtedly were to commit even a greater crime in order to gain
possession of it.
The watchers were sitting on the floor with their backs against the
bunks, where they could have a full view of the skylight, and each held
his revolver in his hand ready for immediate use.
“There’s precious little hope that either of you will get a chance to
shoot,” Roy said after a long time of silence, during which he had
remained with his face buried in his hands. “They are not obliged to
come aft for everything, and even if it should be necessary, it could be
done after dark when we can’t see them.”
“I’m a Dutchman if there isn’t one thing in our favor!” Ned cried as a
sudden thought occurred to him.
“What is that?” Roy and Vance asked in concert.
“The boat is being towed behind. They have got to come around here
before they can abandon the yacht.”
“There’s no chance of that being done unless——”
Vance ceased speaking very suddenly as he understood what Ned had been
thinking about, and to him the future, not very bright before, suddenly
grew yet more dark.
Then came another time of silence, during which the motion of the screw
suddenly ceased, and the prisoners looked at each other in surprise and
alarm.
Was this stoppage due to the engine itself, or had the pirates arrived
at that point where they were ready to adopt yet bolder tactics than
before?
As a matter of course this question could not be answered among
themselves, and they waited in painful suspense for some noise by which
they might gain an inkling of the true state of affairs.