CHAPTER X.
THE TIGHTENING COIL.
Matt, supposing that the actions of the two marines was a mereformality, made no comment. The captain sat in a chair before a desk,smoking a cigar and scowling at him. He did not ask Matt to sit down.
"Who owns that submarine?" the captain jerked out.
"Captain Nemo, Jr., of Philadelphia," Matt answered, a little resentfulbecause of the captain's curt manner.
He and his chums had captured the convicts and had thus performed agood deed for the Chilian government. It seemed to Matt as though hewas entitled to a little more courtesy.
"Captain Nemo, Jr.," muttered the captain. "_Carramba!_ A fictitiousname. There is a story about a Captain Nemo. Why do you talk to me likethat?"
"I am telling you the truth!" answered Matt. "Will you tell me yourname, sir?"
"Why do you wish to know that?"
"So I may report this conversation to the naval officer aboard the_Grampus_. He will enter it in his log, which, at the end of thiscruise, will be submitted to the navy department of our government."
The captain's eyes glimmered like coals.
"So!" he snapped. "You think me afraid? Ah, ha! I am Captain EnriqueSandoval, of the Chilian war ship _Salvadore_. Report it. What is it tome? Now, if you please, have you a wireless telegraph instrument aboardthe submarine?"
"We have. What of that?"
"Then you admit it!"
"I don't know why I shouldn't admit it," answered Matt coolly.
"Why have you a wireless machine on your boat?" went on the captain.
Matt had no intention of telling this Captain Sandoval about histrouble with the Sons of the Rising Sun.
"That is my business, Captain Sandoval," said he.
"_Si_, and mine, too, as you will find. Yesterday, this war ship wasin Smyth Channel. Her wireless machine was out of commission and couldnot be used. The station at Punta Arenas kept calling for me. _You_answered! _You_ replied that your boat was the _Salvadore_! _You_ tookthe message about the escaped convicts from the air. Why? Becauseyou wanted to find them, take them aboard, and help them escape!_Carramba!_"
Matt was astounded. Captain Sandoval punctuated his words by jabbing along forefinger into the air, but Matt hardly saw the finger, or thewildly triumphant look on the captain's face.
"That is not true, Captain Sandoval," said Matt, his face flamingindignantly. "If we were trying to keep the convicts out of your hands,why should we turn them over to you, here in the strait?"
"Garcia told me," went on the captain. "He and his men were to pay youmoney to take them to the River Plate. You took them off the sailboat,and then you lost your courage and came westward along the strait toleave them at Punta Arenas."
"That is not the truth!"
"Don't talk so to me!" frowned the captain. "Be respectful."
"I shall tell you what I think," answered Matt. "What you say is worsethan foolish. Who is this Garcia?"
"He is the leader of the convicts--the one who planned the escape. Isay you helped them, because you thought they would give you money."
"There is not a word of truth in what you say!" declared Matt.
The captain started up from his chair.
"Ah, ha!" he screamed. "You dispute the word of Captain EnriqueSandoval?"
"Oh, splash!" exclaimed Matt disgustedly. "I'm going, but this insultshall be reported to our state department."
"Your state department!" sneered Captain Sandoval. "When you try tohelp Chilian convicts escape, you put yourself out of the protection ofyour state department."
Matt stepped to the door. Two muskets dropped across the opening infront of him. The king of the motor boys whirled around and drewhimself up to his full height.
"What does this mean, Captain Sandoval?" he asked crisply. "Am I not tobe allowed to leave this ship?"
"No; you are under arrest."
Matt, waiting no longer for an invitation, sat down in a chair.
"You are piling up a lot of trouble for yourself, Captain Sandoval,"said he coolly. "You're a reasonable man, or ought to be, as captain ofa war ship, but is there any sense in arresting me on such a ridiculouscharge as the one you have just mentioned?"
"The charge is enough," growled the captain. "But there is another."
"What is it?"
The captain's talk was so outrageously nonsensical that Matt, in spiteof his desperate situation, could not help but find some amusement inhis preposterous assertions.
"You, over your wireless machine, claimed to be the war ship_Salvadore_. That is enough, more than enough, to cause your arrest."
Matt was beginning to see through the whole proceeding.
Captain Sandoval, for reasons of his own, chose to take the word of theconvict, Garcia, in preference to Matt's. Garcia had made his threatsthat, if Matt persisted in turning him over to the Chilian authorities,he would make trouble for the _Grampus_. This, undoubtedly, was whatthe convict was now trying to do.
Garcia had been the first one sent aboard. He had at once told hisfalse story to one of the petty officers, who, in turn, had carried itto the captain.
As for the wireless part of it, the machine on the _Grampus_ had notbeen strong enough either to receive messages from Punta Arenas, or tosend them there. Punta Arenas had heard the Japanese boat talking. TheJaps had claimed to be the war ship for nothing else than to receive apossible message regarding the whereabouts of the _Grampus_.
But Matt could not explain the case of the Sons of the Rising Sun toCaptain Sandoval. Sandoval might attempt to get into communicationwith the Japanese boat, either to confirm Matt's story, or for someother purpose. The result would be that the Sons of the Rising Sunwould learn that they had been tricked, and that the submarine was inMagellan Strait. Then, if the _Grampus_ was held any length of time inPunta Arenas, pending an investigation, the Japanese boat would havetime to get around to Smyth Channel before Matt and his friends couldreach the Pacific.
The young motorist took a look ahead, and held his peace regarding hisJap enemies.
"You are making a big mistake, Captain Sandoval," said Matt quietly. "Ishall appeal to the American consul at Punta Arenas."
The captain showed his teeth in a snaky smile.
"I shall have much to say about what you will do," he answered.
"You will not allow me to return to the submarine?" asked Matt.
"I shall take you, a prisoner, on this war ship to Punta Arenas."
"How about the submarine?"
"The submarine will follow us. We----"
An officer appeared at the door.
"Captain," said he, "one of the prisoners would speak with you."
This report was made in Spanish, but Matt translated it.
"Let him be brought here properly guarded," said the captain.
A few minutes later, the wounded Chilian was brought in by two marines.This was the man Matt had taken such a desperate risk to save at thetime the five convicts were taken from the overturned boat.
"_Amigo_," said the prisoner, looking at Matt and tapping his bandagedarm.
Here, then, was a friend where Matt had least expected to find one. Forsome time the convict talked, the captain listening incredulously. Whenhe had done, the captain ordered him away.
"The fellow says," observed the captain, to Matt, "that Garcia speakslies, nothing but lies. But this fellow wants to help you, for he saysyou saved his life."
"He is truthful," said Matt.
"I reason for myself," declared the captain shortly.
"If you delay the _Grampus_ at Punta Arenas," went on Matt, "ourgovernment will hear of it and will make trouble for you and yourgovernment."
"I do my duty," answered the officer, patting his gold-laced chest;"Captain Enrique Sandoval always does his duty. It is not for you totell me what I must do."
"Will you take me to jail in Punta Arenas?" asked Matt.
"No, not to the jail. The house of the harbor master will do. You willbe kept there u
ntil the convict, Garcia's, story is looked into."
"How long will that take?"
"A week, two weeks--I do not know how long."
"I shall not stay in Punta Arenas more than a day, at most!" declaredMatt. "The submarine must be taken into the Pacific and up the coastwithout delay."
"We shall see," said Captain Sandoval, pulling at his mustache andshrugging his shoulders.
"We shall see," repeated Matt, "if the American consul, when appealedto by the naval officer aboard the _Grampus_, has any power to undothis outrage."
The captain waved his hand to the marines and gave them an order. Theguards stepped to Matt's side, motioned for him to stand up, and ledhim off to a small room opening upon the same passage that led to thecaptain's quarters. Here Matt was locked in, and presently he heardmuffled orders, a jingling of bells, and the _Salvadore_ began puttingabout for the run back to Sandy Point.
Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn Page 10
