TOO LATE.
"NO patched hose for me," Charley said, decidedly. "If the divers want
to risk using it, they can."
It was not just the reply the wily Greek had expected and he hastened
to answer.
"You are right, it does not pay to take risks. I will get the new hose
and put it on."
But Charley was ahead of him. He did not intend to give the wily Greek
any chance to play tricks with the new hose. He brought it out from
the lockers in which it was kept and, after examining it carefully
connected it to the air pumps and helmets. Before putting on his
head-piece, he tried the air pump also. It proved to be in perfect
working order and sent the air gushing through the hose. Manuel
fastened the life-line below his arms, but Charley called the captain
to adjust the heavy helmet over his head.
As soon as his feet touched the bottom, Charley moved forward for
the wreck, Walter at his side. Neither lad wished to remain below a
second longer than was necessary for they fully realized that they were
running a terrible risk in descending at all. They found the box they
had discovered the day before entirely empty, the divers had brought
another out from the wreck's hold and broken it open. The gold was in
twenty dollar pieces and in a few minutes the lads had transferred
several hundred dollars from the box to the baskets. It was hard to
resist taking more but the risks were too great to permit it. Quickly
hastening back to the patch of sponges, they tore up several baskets
full of the mud and covered fungus and, making a slit in each with
their sheaf knives, stuffed in the coins. It was the very plan the
divers had followed but Charley had decided that they would not be
looking for the adopting of their own trick. As soon as the last coin
was hidden and the loaded sponges placed in the basket with others on
top of them to complete the load, Charley signed to Walter to ascend
and stood watching him until he had been drawn to the surface, then he
gave the signal to be drawn up himself. He was raised a few feet up
from the bottom then he sank quickly back to the place from which he
had risen and he saw the end of the life-line dangling in the water
twenty feet above his head. _It had been pulled loose from his body._
Charley stood for a moment looking at it in terrified dismay while his
quick brain took in the awful significance of his position. Frightened
as he was, he could not but admire the quickness with which Manuel had
hit upon another scheme for his undoing after that of the greased hose,
had failed, for he had not a doubt that the Greek had fastened the
life-line to him in such a manner that it would pull loose with a hard
jerk. He was in no immediate danger of death for the air hose still
connected him with the surface and the fresh air still came gushing in
a welcome stream into his helmet, but a moment's reflection convinced
him that this was not all of Manuel's scheme, for the Greek would know
that the captain and Walter would soon become uneasy over his delay
and would start an investigation which would quickly reveal that the
life-line was no longer attached to him. Clearly, the Greek had another
card up his sleeve which he would soon play and Charley waited for it
with every nerve strained to keenest tension. He felt longingly of
the air hose, wondering if the frail tube would hold for him to pull
himself up to the surface by it, but he quickly decided that it would
not stand the heavy strain and to break it would mean his instant
death. Keeping one eye on the life-line so tantalizingly out of his
reach he moved slowly forward until he stood beneath the diving boat
which showed like a dim shadow above him. Suddenly a thrill of horror
went through him, the diving boat was slowly drifting away--Manuel had
played his trump card. In a flash the terror-stricken lad comprehended
the situation. Some one of the Greeks, under Manuel's instructions, had
stealthily severed the cable, relying on the boat's slow drift being
unnoticed by the captain and Walter until it had dragged apart the
frail air hose. But, just as Charley had given up all hope and waited
for the parting of the hose which would mean his death, the dangling
life-line was jerked up out of sight,--his companions had discovered a
part at least of his plight--upon their next actions depended his life
or death.
The next few seconds seemed like hours to the helpless lad, then a dark
speck appeared in the water above him quickly growing in size until he
could see that it was Chris fighting his way downward with long steady
strokes and following the air hose in his descent. The little negro
was nearly exhausted when he reached the bottom. Thrusting the end of
the line he had brought into Charley's hand, he turned upward and shot
to the surface like a rocket. Charley whipped the line about his waist
and gave the signal to pull up. He was swiftly pulled to the surface,
hauled aboard the boat, and his helmet removed. Chris, breathing
heavily, was standing by the mast, the water dripping from him. Walter
and the captain, pale with fear, stood close beside him.
"Thank God, you're safe, lad," cried the old sailor, tears in his
eyes. "We feared the air hose would part before Chris could get to you.
We had just pulled on the life-line and found it had come loose from
you when we discovered the boat had gone adrift. I reckon, she must
have chafed her cable in two against a sharp piece of coral. Queer how
everything happens all at once that way, sometimes."
It was clear the simple old sailor did not suspect that the trouble was
anything but an accident, and Charley hastened to reply,
"All is well that ends well, but I've nearly had the life scart out of
me. I don't think I'll ever want to go down again."
He was watching Manuel closely as he spoke and he noted with
satisfaction the expression of relief on the Greek's swarthy face.
If he could only keep him from thinking that he knew anything about
the gold and had not discovered his treachery, he hoped to be able to
avoid open violence until they were prepared and ready for it. He was
convinced that the Greek was too cowardly to risk the danger of being
shot in open mutiny so long as he thought himself unsuspected and free
to scheme their removal without danger to himself.
The diving boat was worked back to her old position, another anchor
dropped, and donning their suits the divers resumed operations below.
When they came to the surface at the end of their two hour trick below
they seemed strangely excited and conversed eagerly with Manuel and the
rest of the crew. Charley was for awhile puzzled to account for their
excitement, but 'ere long the solution came to him. Like all plans
intended to deceive, his had contained a fatal defect.
"Walt," he whispered to his chum, "those chaps have noticed that some
of the gold has been removed from that box. We are in for trouble, now,
I fear." The Captain and Chris were warned to be on their guard but
it seemed that the warning was unnecessary, the excited talk amongst
the crew soon ceased and the fresh divers quietly prepared for their
descent.
But in spite of the quietness, there was a tension and earnestness
in the crew's manner which made the anxious little party of chums
feel that they were standing at the edge of a powder mine which might
explode at any minute.
"I would rather have open fighting than this awful waiting," Walter
whispered.
"We will have that soon enough," said his chum, grimly. "It will come
as soon as we try to make them get the schooner under way."
The long anxious day at last drew to its close, anchor was got up on
the diving boat, and she was headed back for the schooner.
As they passed a large piece of driftwood covered with large black
birds with very long necks, Manuel pointed at them, "Those are fine
eating," he said wistfully. "If the young gentlemen could kill a few it
would give us all a great feast."
Walter looked at Charley who nodded assent, for he was not loath that
the Greek should witness their skill with the revolver.
Both boys had practiced often with their revolvers and were better than
average marksmen. Their pistols were automatics, a style of weapon with
which even the unskillful can shoot fairly accurately. Walter fired six
shots in as many seconds, killing four birds and wounding one. Charley
fired four shots at the same time, killing two birds and crippling a
third. The rest of the birds took flight before the boys could shoot
more. The captain and Chris emptied their pistols at the flying flock
without success.
The diving boat was run alongside the dead birds and they were picked
up by the crew. Manuel seemed delighted, "The young gentlemen are
wonderful shots," he declared.