THE DISCUSSION.
THE chums looked at each other in silent comprehension. There was not
a doubt in the mind of either that the sailor had been made away with
during their absence from the ship. They recalled Manuel's talk with
the cook before they left the schooner and the look of satisfaction in
his face when he learned that they were all going on the diving boat.
Even the captain was not slow to grasp the horrible truth.
"It's a terrible business, but don't let on that you suspect them," he
whispered. "We've got to have a long talk and decide what it's best
to do." To Manuel, he said, curtly, "I reckon, it's the fellow's own
business if he wanted to drown himself, so you ain't got no cause to
grieve. Better divide his things up amongst the crew."
Although they were eager for a talk alone, the four lounged carelessly
about the deck, striving to appear unconcerned, until the Greek boy
summoned them to supper below. They talked cheerfully until the cook
had retired bearing the empty dishes with him. Then Charley arose and
noiselessly closed the cabin windows and door so that their words would
not reach the deck. Returning to his seat, he called the pale-faced
little Greek lad to him, and, resting his hand on his head, said kindly,
"Ben, we are not going to repeat anything you say to us, and we want
you to tell us just what has been troubling you the last few days."
The little lad burst into tears, "They'll kill me," he sobbed, "they'll
kill me."
"They will never know you told us," Charley assured him. "We will never
let anyone know you told us."
"They are going to kill you all," faltered the boy as soon as he could
control his sobs.
"Why do they want to kill us," Charley questioned.
"My uncle makes them mad. When you give orders he adds lots of bad
names and swear words to them. He tells the crew that you always take
that sailor's part. He tells them you're going to have them all put in
jail when you get back to Tarpon. He tells them you love that sailor
and hate Greeks."
"But why did they hate that sailor so?" Walter questioned.
"He Turk," explained the lad. "Greeks hate Turks."
The chums glanced at each other in swift comprehension. They knew of
the deadly hatred that existed between the two races. A hatred that
had led to the bitter war in which the Greeks had been badly beaten.
They understood now why the handsome sailor had been shunned by all
his shipmates. They could see, too, how the wily Manuel had used their
defense of the man to arouse the crew's resentment against them. The
cunning Greek had woven about them a net of lies which it would be
impossible to explain away.
"Then they find gold," Ben continued, "that makes them crazy. Manuel
tells them to leave you alone if you don't find out about the money,
but kill you if you do."
"The infernal rascal," exploded the captain. "He goes in irons and down
in the hold to stay 'till we get to port."
"Don't do that!" cried the alarmed Greek lad. "They kill you right off
if you do."
"One thing more," said Charley, as the little fellow's tears began to
flow afresh. "Who killed that sailor?"
But Ben did not know although it was evident that he did not doubt that
the man had been killed.
Charley waited until the lad had dried his tears, then let him go with
the caution to tell none of the crew that he had told them.
"We are in the tightest fix of our lives," he declared, when Ben had
gone. "It seems, from what he says, that we are safe so long as they
do not suspect that we know anything about the gold but I fancy that
Manuel suspects that we have found it and I do not believe we can count
on their being willing to let us reach port alive. The question is,
what had we better do."
"I don't understand all this talk about gold," said the captain.
The boys hurriedly told of the discovery they had made while the old
sailor listened with sparkling eyes.
"Boys," he exclaimed, when their tale was concluded, "you've found what
will make rich men of us all. I remember the excitement caused by the
loss of that ship. It happened twelve years ago. For months tugs and
steamers were scouring the Gulf searching for her. She had cleared from
New Orleans for New York with two million dollars in gold aboard."
"She might as well contain two million toothpicks so far as we are
concerned," said Charley, impatiently. "I'd give up every cent of it
willingly to be safe in port this minute."
The captain, brought abruptly back to a realization of their desperate
situation, thought deeply for several moments before he spoke. "We had
ought to be able to hold our own against them fellows," he, at last,
observed. "We are well armed and I don't believe they have got any
weapons except their sheaf knives which ain't no good except at close
quarters."
"It is not open violence but treachery that I fear," Charley explained.
"We have had two samples already of the way they work. First in that
stoppage of the air hose and, second, in the making away of that
sailor. No, that Manuel is too cunning a rascal to risk open rebellion
when he can accomplish his ends without any personal risk."
"Why not let them continue to get up the gold and hide it as they have
been doing?" Walter suggested. "We can pretend that we do not know what
is going on. Then when we get to port we can turn them over to the
authorities and recover the money without any trouble."
Charley shook his head doubtfully. "That will not do," he said. "I am
as convinced as I am that I am living, that we would never reach port
alive. Manuel is too wise to take any chances and he knows that they
could not remove such a large amount of gold from the schooner without
arousing suspicion. I believe he has entrusted the crew to spare us for
the present only because he thinks that some of the fleet might happen
along and grow curious if we were all missing. Besides, it is doubtful
if any of them know enough about navigation to sail the 'Beauty' home.
Us boys, he probably will not hesitate to remove at any time if he can
give the act the appearance of accident, like what occurred to-day.
The captain, he will likely permit to remain alive until near port. He
will have a long story made up to account for our disappearance and the
gold will likely be well hidden amongst the ballast from where he can
remove it without exciting comment so long as we are not on board."
The lad spoke confidently for he was putting himself in the place
of the cunning Greek and reasoning just what he would do in a like
position.
"I've got it," exclaimed the captain in triumph. "When they are asleep
we'll batten down the forecastle hatch on them and keep them there
until we get to port. We four can work the schooner in, I guess."
"I tell you, you don't realize what a cunning rascal that fellow is,"
Charley declared in reluctant admiration. "He has provided against just
such an attempt. I did not understand the reason for it last night, but
I noticed that all during my watch on deck there were three or four men
hanging around the deck up forward. It's a great stake they are playing
for and they are not taking the slightest chances."
"I noticed the men hanging around," admitted the captain, "but I didn't
think much of it at the time. Let's have your plan, if you've got one,
lad."
"I'm afraid we can't get out of this hole without some violence and
danger," Charley replied. "I have been thinking over it all day and
this is the only thing I can think of that seems to offer any hope
of success. First thing in the morning Walter and I must descend to
the wreck again and bring up enough gold to pay off the men when we
get to port. It's a risky thing to do, but it is necessary to carry
out my plan. You see," he paused to explain, "the men were shipped for
three months and they could demand pay for that time. We haven't got
the money and we have not gathered up enough sponges yet to make up so
large an amount. They could tie the schooner up for their wages and
make us a lot of trouble and expense, a thing Manuel would be sure to
do."
"But they have got a lot of gold which belongs to us, already," Walter
suggested.
"We would have hard work to prove that it is ours, and it would mean a
lot of delay," replied his chum quickly.
"Go on with your plan, lad," said the captain, who perceived that
Charley had thought over all sides of the question with his usual
clearness.
"After we have brought up the money. We will use their own plan for
bringing it up without its being noticed--we will hang around and let
them go on with the work as usual all day, for it would not do to fight
it out on the diving boat. When we get back to the schooner at night,
we will bring matters to a head. We will make them get up anchor and
sails and head back for Tarpon. There's bound to be trouble and plenty
of it but we'll be prepared for it and Tarpon is only two days' sail.
What do you think of the plan?"
He did not have to wait long for a chorus of objections.