CANTOR FINDS HIS CHANCE
Prompt action alone could save the women and children who lay
cowering in the launch.
"Corporal, kneel with your men, and let them have it as fast as
you can!" ordered Dave. "Riley, get your men into the boat, and
take the Colt with you. Post it as fast as you can on the starboard
quarter!"
Dave himself stood behind the kneeling marines, a fair target for
every hostile bullet.
John Carmody, too, felt in honor bound to risk himself beside
the young Navy ensign.
"All sea-going, sir!" called Coxswain Riley. "Schmidt, make ready
to cast off," sang back Darrin.
Now the different groups of Mexicans, who had been halted for a
minute under the brisk fire, saw their prey slipping away from them.
With yells of fury, Cosetta's men rose and attempted the final
charge.
"Marines aboard!" yelled Darrin.
Almost in the same instant, loaded revolver in hand, Dave sprang
to the gunwale and landed on the after deck.
Without waiting for the order from his chief, Schmidt cast off,
with the aid of the single sailor under his own command. The
engineer went ahead at slow speed for a few seconds while Riley
steered the launch clear of the wharf and headed for deeper, safer
water.
"Half speed ahead!" shouted Darrin, as Schmidt sprang to the wheel,
while Riley, snatching up his rifle, joined the fighting men.
Uttering howls of rage as they saw their prey escaping them,
the Mexicans rushed out onto the wharf in a mad attempt to board
before it was too late.
Three men would have succeeded in boarding the launch, had they
not been shot down as they leaped for the after deck.
"Give it to them with the Colt, Corporal!" Dave called. "Every
other man fire with his rifle!"
Before he had finished speaking, the reloaded Colt belched forth
its rain of death. It was the machine gun, with its muzzle swiftly
turning in an arc of a circle that did the most execution among
the outlaws, but the riflemen did their share.
Until his rifle barrel was too hot to hold in his hands, John
Carmody shot rapidly, yet coolly putting into his work all the
pent-up indignation that he had felt for days against Cosetta
and his men.
"Stop the gun!" ordered Dave Darrin, resting a hand on the shoulder
of the marine corporal. "Don't waste its fire."
The launch was now free of the shore, and moving down the lagoon at
half speed. On the wharf fully a score of Mexicans either lay dead
or dying.
Dave's spoken order to the engineer caused the launch to increase
its speed.
"Line up at the starboard rail," Dave called to the men grouped
about him. "We're going to catch it from the shore."
The launch was a few hundred yards down the lagoon when Darrin,
alertly watching, made out several figures on the eastern shore.
Patiently he waited until the first flash from a rifle was seen,
which was followed instantly by the report and the "pss-seu!"
of a bullet.
"Let 'em have the rest of what's in the Colt," the young ensign
directed, calmly. "Men, don't fire too rapidly, but keep up your
work. We want to be remembered by Cosetta, if he has the good luck
to be still alive."
It was neither a heavy nor an accurate fire that came now from
the enraged Mexicans. Helped out by the Colt, the fire from the
moving craft was sharp enough to discourage the rapidly diminishing
ardor of the miscreants on shore.
Just as the launch rounded the point of land at the mouth of the
lagoon, and stood out into open water at full speed, a stray bullet
killed Seaman Hicks.
"Yes, sir, he's dead, poor fellow!" exclaimed Riley, looking up
as Ensign Dave stepped hastily forward for a look at his man.
"Hicks was a fine sailor too."
"For a party that wasn't expected to fight," returned Darrin wearily,
"we've had a pretty big casualty list---two killed, and three
wounded."
"You're wounded yourself, sir," exclaimed Riley.
"Oh, my boot was cut," Darrin assented, indifferently.
"Look at your wrist, sir," urged the young Coxswain.
Dave glanced down at his left wrist, to find it covered with blood.
"It must look worse than it is," Darrin commented, listlessly.
"I didn't even feel it."
"It will need attention, sir, just the same," Riley urged. "Let
me fix it up, sir, with a first aid bandage."
There was a water cask aboard. As the launch was now out of close
range, and the Mexicans had apparently given up firing, Riley
brought a cup of water, poured it over the wrist, and wiped away
the blood.
"A scratch, as I thought," smiled Dave. "Not even enough to get
excused from watch duty."
"You'll have it dressed, sir, won't you, as soon as you get aboard
the '_Long Island_' again?" urged Riley, applying the sterilized
bandage with swift skill. "If the scoundrels used any of the
brass-jacketed bullets of which they're so fond, a scratch like
that might lead to blood poisoning, sir."
In a few minutes more the launch was out of rifle range. Dave
ordered the course changed to east by north-east, in order to
reach the rendezvous of the three launches.
"Steamer ahead, sir!" sang out the bow lookout, a few minutes later.
"Whereaway?" called Darrin, moving forward.
"Three points off starboard bow, sir," replied the sailorman.
"It looks like our own launch, sir."
By this time Darrin was well forward. He peered closely at the
approaching craft, for she might be a Mexican Federal gunboat
that had fallen into the hands of rebels or outlaws.
"It's our own launch," pronounced Darrin, a minute later. He
reached for the whistle pull and blew three blasts of welcome,
which were promptly answered.
The two craft now neared each other. "Launch ahoy, there!" called
a voice from the bow of the other craft.
"Aye, aye, sir!" Darrin answered.
"Is that you, Ensign Darrin?"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Lay to. I am coming alongside."
As the launch under Dave's command lost headway, then lay idly
on the light ground swell, the other launch circled about her,
then came up under the port quarter.
"Did you find the American party, Ensign Darrin?" demanded Lieutenant
Cantor.
"Yes, sir; I have the entire party aboard and uninjured."
"Was there any trouble?" asked Cantor.
"Yes, sir. We were fired upon, and forced to defend ourselves."
"You fired upon the natives?" exclaimed Lieutenant Cantor, in an \
astonished tone.
"I had to, sir."
"In the face of orders not to fight?" pressed Dave's enemy.
"Sir, if I had not fought, I would have lost my entire command,"
Darrin answered, with an indignation that he could not completely
veil.
"Ensign Darrin," came the sharp rebuke,
"You have disobeyed the orders of Captain Gales, which were repeated
by me just before we parted company. Did your fire hit any of the
Mexicans?"
"I think we must have done so, sir," Dave returned dryly. "Several
of them lay down, at all events."
"Any losses in your own command?" pressed Cantor.
"Two men killed and four wounded."
"The consequences of disobedience of orders, sir!" cried Lieutenant
Cantor, angrily. "Ensign Darrin, I am certain that you should not
have been entrusted with the command of a launch."
"That sounds like a reflection on the Captain's judgment, sir!"
Dave rejoined, rather warmly.
"No unnecessary remarks," thundered Cantor. "I shall not place you
in arrest, but on our return to the ship I shall report at once your
flagrant disobedience of orders."
Darrin did not answer, but the hot blood now surged to his head,
suffusing his cheeks. He was deeply humiliated.
"Young man, if you call that good sense," rumbled the deep voice
of John Carmody, "then I don't agree with you. You condemn
Darrin-----"
"Who is speaking?" roared Lieutenant Cantor.
"My name is John Carmody," returned the planter, coolly.
"Then be good enough to remain silent," commanded Cantor.
"Since I'm on a government boat," retorted the planter, "I suppose
I may as well do as I'm ordered. But at some other time I shall
air my opinion of you, young man, as freely as I please."
Lieutenant Cantor bit his lips, then gave the order to proceed
to the appointed rendezvous.
As Cantor's launch neared Dalzell's steamer, the lieutenant ordered
a rocket sent up. From away over on the horizon an answering
rocket was seen.
Forty minutes later the "_Long Island_" lay to close by. Cantor's
launch was the first to go in alongside.
"Were you successful?" hailed the voice of the executive officer
from the bridge.
"Ensign Darrin was, sir," Cantor replied, through the megaphone.
"Are all the missing Americans safe?"
"Yes, sir," Cantor continued.
"And all our own men?"
"Two killed, sir, and four wounded, through what I believe to be
disobedience of orders."
Instructions came for Lieutenant Cantor's launch to lay alongside.
Soon after the men were on deck and the launch hoisted into place.
Then, under orders, Darrin ran alongside. First of all
his wounded men were passed on hoard, being there received by
hospital stewards from the sick bay. Then, amid impressive silence,
the two dead men were taken on board.
"Ensign Darrin," directed the officer of the deck, from the bridge,
"you are directed to report to Captain Gales, at once."
Saluting, and holding himself very erect, Dave Darrin stepped
proudly aboard. His face was white and angry as he neared the
captain's quarters, but the young ensign strove to command himself,
and tried to keep his sorely tried temper within bounds.
"You will pass inside, sir, at once," directed the marine orderly,
as the young officer halted near the door.
Acknowledging the marine's salute, Dave Darrin passed him and
entered the office.
Lieutenant Cantor, erect and stern, faced Captain Gales, who looked
the sterner of the two.
"Ensign Darrin," began the battleship's commanding officer, rising,
"most serious charges have been preferred against you, sir!"