THE MAN WITH THE GUN.
“Something’s wrong!”
“Sure pop!”
The boys heard a scream. It sounded like the voice of a woman.
Then there was a hoarse shout. The man at the wheel woke to a show of
interest, and the man forward started aft.
Suddenly a girlish figure appeared on deck. She ran to the rail and
tried to leap overboard, but two men, besides those already on deck,
appeared in pursuit, grasped and held her.
The girl seemed to see the small sailboat.
“Help!” she wildly cried. “Save----”
One of the men clapped a hand over her mouth, and she was carried away,
struggling.
Then there was excitement on board the _Jolly Sport_.
“The Old Nick is to pay on board the _Pirate_!” exclaimed Rattleton.
“It’s a girl, boys!” cried Diamond, all his natural gallantry awakened
and aroused. “She is in distress. We must aid her!”
“Bring her round, Hodge--bring her round, and we’ll----”
“Lay her up, Hodge, lay her up, and we’ll make a run after the
schooner!” came promptly from Frank. “I want to know something more
about this.”
“That’s right,” nodded Rattleton, who did not resent the manner in
which Frank took command. “What right have they to treat a girl like
that! There’s something wrong going on!”
Even Browning was aroused.
“I believe Rattleton is right,” he said. “Maybe that girl has been
kidnaped.”
The _Jolly Sport_ was headed in pursuit of the black schooner, without
immediately attracting the attention of anyone on board the _Pirate_.
The girl had been overpowered with ease and carried below.
“What are we going to do when we overtake them?” asked Browning.
“We’ll do something if we get on board!” exclaimed Hodge.
“But it’s not likely we’ll be able to get on board.”
“Oh, I don’t know!”
It was not long before the man at the wheel saw the boat in pursuit. He
called to another man, who went below, after coming astern to take a
look at the pursuing catboat.
In a short time two men came up from below and took a survey of the
_Jolly Sport_. One of the men seemed to be captain of the schooner. He
betrayed uneasiness.
Coming to the rail, the captain harshly shouted:
“What are you lubbers chasin’ us fer? Go about, and mind your own
business!”
“We wish to talk with you, captain,” returned Frank.
“Don’t want to talk,” was the surly retort. “Keep off.”
“We want to talk, I tell you. What’s the use to be so unsociable. Make
yourself agreeable.”
“What do you want?”
“We saw you were having a little trouble on board and so----”
“Ain’t havin’ no trouble. Tell yer to mind your own business! If you
nose round us, you’ll get hurt.”
“Who was the young lady who tried to jump overboard?”
“That was my gal,” answered the man, after some hesitation.
“Why did she try to leap over the rail?”
“She’s been sick, an’ she’s a little daffy in her upper deck, that’s
all.”
“He’s lying!” exclaimed Hodge, in a low voice. “You can tell that he is
lying by the way he says it!”
“We’ve got a doctor here,” fibbed Rattleton. “We’ll come aboard and
he’ll prescribe for her.”
“Keep off!” roared the man on the schooner. “We don’t want no doctors
botherin’ round here.”
“But we are coming aboard!” flung back Diamond. “We want to see that
girl.”
“You can’t see her! If you come round here, you’ll get yer heads broke!”
The black-bearded sailor was angry. He shook his fist at the boys, and
used language that would not look well in print.
Still the _Jolly Sport_ kept after the _Pirate_, as if the youthful
crew of the former had determined to overhaul the schooner and board
her.
There was a consultation on board the schooner, and then one of the men
hastily went below.
The _Jolly Sport_ was drawing close to the other vessel when the man
reappeared, bringing a gun, which he handed to the black-bearded man
who had done all the talking.
“Jee whiskers!” gurgled Rattleton. “That means trouble!”
“He won’t dare use it!” declared Diamond.
The man with the gun leaned over the rail of the schooner.
“Now, look here, you fresh young lubbers,” he roared, “if you don’t go
round and git, I’ll fill you full of duck-shot, or my name’s not Cyrus
Horn!”
The way he said it seemed to indicate that he meant business.
“Hanged if I don’t think he’ll do it!” grunted Browning. “He is a
genuine old pirate, for sure.”
“Are you the captain of that schooner?” asked Frank Merriwell.
“I be,” was the answer.
“Well, what’s the use to be touchy, captain! We’ve got some beer on
board, and you must be thirsty. You’ll find us a jolly crowd.”
“I don’t drink beer and I don’t want nothing to do with yer. Git!”
Capt. Horn leveled his big gun at the pursuing boat.
“Don’t be hasty, captain, for----”
“Git!”
“Listen to reason.”
“Git!”
The captain of the schooner was not to be beguiled by smooth words.
They could see his greenish eyes glaring along the barrel of the gun he
held, and he looked like a person who would not hesitate to shoot.
“I’ll give ye till I count three to go about,” he roared. “If ye don’t
do it, I’ll begin shootin’.”
Then he counted:
“One!”
The boys looked at each other undecidedly.
“Two!”
“It’s no use,” said Frank, quietly. “If the man is in such a mood,
it’s worse than folly to try to board his boat. He could claim that he
took us for robbers, and----”
“Down with your helm!” cried Rattleton, and the _Jolly Sport_ was put
about.
None too soon, for the captain of the schooner was seen taking aim with
great deliberation.
“Now git!” he roared. “If I see anything of yer again, I’ll take a shot
at yer jest for the fun of it.”
“Well, if that man isn’t a genuine pirate, it’s not his fault,” growled
Browning. “It’s certain he was cut out for one.”
“He’d cut a throat with pleasure,” nodded Hodge.
Merriwell was silent, with his eyes fastened on the receding schooner.
There was a troubled expression on his handsome face, and it was plain
enough that he regretted their inability to solve the mystery of the
girl who had tried to leap overboard.
It was not like Frank to give up so easily, but he had realized that it
was the height of folly to attempt to board the schooner in the face of
the enraged man with the gun.
It might be true that the girl was crazy, but Frank could not help
feeling that it was not true. Something seemed to whisper that she was
a captive in the hands of wretched and unscrupulous men.
Such a thought was quite enough to arouse within Frank’s heart a strong
desire to rescue her, but it seemed that he was utterly helpless to
render her any assistance.
Had our hero been sure the girl was a captive, he would have felt like
following the _Pirate_ at a distance and making an attempt to have the
proper authorities render the girl assistance when Capt. Horn ran into
some port.
If it was true she was crazy, the boys would make themselves objects of
ridicule by interfering in her behalf.
The situation was discussed, and they finally decided to continue on
their course to the Thimbles.
They steered for Pot Rock and the cove, where it was said Capt. Kidd
had hidden his vessel, and near which, it was supposed, his treasure
was buried.
It was past three in the afternoon when they ran into the little
steamboat dock.