by James Otis
CHAPTER XXII.
FROM JOY TO DISMAY.
It was nearly sunset, and Jim's feast had been ready for the table fullyan hour when Bob and Joe came out of the thicket and launched the boatonce more.
The boys, who were on deck watching for their return, could see thatboth the men were nearly exhausted. They rowed as if it was a greatexertion even to lift the oars, and on reaching the steamer sat in theyawl some time before coming aboard.
"You'd better hurry!" Jim said warningly. "I've had a swell dinner readyso long that it must be pretty nigh dried up by this time, an' if youfool 'round much more everything will taste like chips!"
"I couldn't hurry, lad, if a month's grub rolled together was waitin' forme," Bob said as he mopped his sun-burned face with his shirt-sleeve."That last job was a tough one, an' I feel as though all the marrow inmy bones was toasted brown. This 'ere's the only shady place with anyair stirrin' we've found since mornin', an' I mean to scoop in all thecomfort I can for the next half-hour."
Joe was equally as unwilling to move from the side of the tug, whereslight but cooling draughts of air afforded the long-needed relief fromintense heat, and Jim's feast was but little more than a cold lunch whenthe weary ones were ready to sit at the table in the stuffy cabin.
Bob exerted himself but once more that night after the meal wasfinished, and then he went below to make sure the treasure had beenstowed according to his directions.
It was yet light when the tired crew stretched themselves on themattresses which had been spread under the awning aft, and althoughthere was such a fruitful topic, but little conversation was indulgedin, because slumber came so quickly.
But however tired Jim was, he could not refrain from speaking of thetreasure they had so unexpectedly found.
"What are you fellers goin' to do with your share of the gold?" he askedin a low tone, to avoid being overheard by Joe or Bob.
"Give it to father, I suppose," Harry replied, displaying but littleenthusiasm because of his weariness.
"You can bet I'll keep what comes to me right in my owntrousers-pocket!" Master Libby replied very decidedly. "I'm goin' to buya vessel like the Mary Walker, an' make a voyage fishin' all by myself!"
"But you'll have to take a crew," Walter suggested with a yawn.
"Of course I'll have somebody to do the work an' stand watch; but I'llbe the boss, an' won't so much as go on deck when it rains! I'll have aheavin'-line in my pocket, so's to whale the cook if the grub ain'tfirst-class! I tell you the crew'll have to jump 'round when I'm aboard,or there'll be fun!"
"I should think you had enough of that kind of work when those men wereaboard," Harry said after a pause.
"Well, you see I want to take my turn at floggin' once in a while, so'sto know what it's like. I haven't had a chance yet; but I will when weget this money home."
Neither Harry nor Walter made any reply to this rather cruel project,and in the silence which followed they soon fell asleep, leaving Jim hischoice of indulging in more air-castles or that of benefiting by theirexample.
The first rays of the rising sun failed to awaken them next morning, andall hands might have slept a good portion of the forenoon if Jim had notbeen aroused by a sensation of numbness in his arm, caused by the factthat Harry had unconsciously used it as a pillow.
"It's early yet, an' I reckon I'd better take one more nap instead ofcallin' the other fellers," he muttered to himself as he sat boltupright an instant for the purpose of restoring the circulation of bloodto his misused limb.
As he did this, however, mechanically glancing seaward, he saw thatwhich drove from his eyelids all desire for sleep.
A boat had just come into view from around the northern point of thecove, and was heading directly toward the steamer, rowed by two men wholooked strangely familiar, although for a moment he could not clearlydistinguish their features.
"Bob! Bob!" he cried in a low tone as he shook the unconscious sailor."There's a yawl comin' in here, an' I believe----"
He did not finish the sentence, for Joe was on his feet by this time,and cried, before Jim could speak another word:
"I'm a Dutchman if that red-nosed villain an' the Mexican haven't comeback! What deviltry are they up to, I wonder?"
Now the remainder of the crew were awake and peering out over the railat the rapidly-approaching boat, the occupants of which could be clearlydistinguished as two of the party for whom those on the schooner fromNassau were in search.
"What are we to do?" Joe asked in a whisper. "They mustn't be allowed tocome on board or we may have trouble in getting rid of them; and,besides, I don't fancy being shipmates with murderers."
"Of course they can't come over the rail," Bob replied angrily. "Bringanything on deck that will serve in the place of weapons, an' we'll keepthem at a distance. It's only two against two--without countin' theboys--an' I reckon we can hold our own!"
Just as Joe disappeared inside the engine-room the new-comers, havingarrived within thirty or forty yards of the steamer, ceased rowing, ashe with the red nose shouted:
"Ahoy, on the tug!"
"What do you want?" Bob asked gruffly.
"We've come to make a trade! The brig is aground on the shoal to thenor'ard of here, an' things shall be made fair an' square if you'll helpus float her. I'll come aboard, where we can talk comfortable-like."
"That's exactly what you won't do while I've got strength enough tobreak your head!"
"Now don't get grumpy over the little trick we played," the man said, ina wheedling tone.
"Do you call it nothin' but a trick to steal a vessel an' leave five ofus on a disabled tug, after we'd done what we could to keep you fromstarvin'?" Bob shouted fiercely.
"We knew there was plenty of grub aboard; you couldn't 'a' handled bothcrafts, so what we did was only dividin' things up. The Bonita isstranded now, an' will go to pieces in the first gale if you can't fixthe tug to tow her off. We'll----"
"The steamer couldn't be repaired in a month; but if she was in workin'order we wouldn't raise a hand toward savin' the brig while you were onboard!"
As Bob ceased speaking Joe came on deck with four lengths of iron pipe,each about three feet long, and the old sailor seized one of these witha look of exultation as he said to his companions:
"I reckon they won't get over the rail while we can swing sich a handyclub as this!"
"They may have fire-arms," Joe suggested.
"That ain't very likely, or they'd 'a' set us ashore ten minutes afterwe took 'em off the key."
During this short conversation the two men were whispering together, andas the old sailor ceased speaking, he with the red nose cried, in athreatening tone:
"You sea-lawyers want to be mighty careful with your tongues, orthere'll be trouble. I've come here to make a fair trade, an' you'dbetter listen to it. We'll help repair the tug, an' give up an equalshare of the brig if you'll turn to with us an' get her off the shoal."
"We wouldn't lift a finger if she was sinking with all three of you onboard!" Joe shouted, unable to remain silent any longer. "There's been aschooner up here from Nassau since that _trick_, as you call it, wasplayed on us, and if her crew ever get hold of your crowd it won't makeany difference whether the Bonita goes to pieces or floats!"
For an instant the two men sat motionless and silent, staring at theengineer as if stupefied by the information; and then the one with thered nose cried hoarsely, as he shook his fist in impotent rage:
"We was willin' to give you a fair show, an' do our share towardrepairin' the steamer; but if that can't be done, look out for squalls.We'll pull the brig off the shoals; and, what's more, it will be donewith that steamer!"
"Come an' take her!" Bob cried derisively. "You've got to get rid of usfirst, then repair the machinery, an' afterwards learn to run it. Bythat time I reckon there'll be more gray hairs in your heads than thereare now!"
The angry man looked at the old sailor an instant as if about to makeanother threat, and then, evidently chang
ing his mind, he spoke a fewwords to his companion, after which the two began to row leisurelytoward the shore.
The crew of the Sea Bird watched them in silence until the boat's bowgrated on the sand, and as the men left her to go into the woods, Joesaid:
"If we worked lively it might be possible to tow that yawl out herebefore they knew what was being done. Then those two would be harmless,an' the one they've left on the brig wouldn't be able to do muchmischief alone."
"It could be done, I s'pose," Bob replied, thoughtfully; "but I'd ratherlet 'em go away than stay so near."
"But we shall have to be on guard all the time, for no one knows whenthey'll make an attempt to steal this steamer."
"I can't see that we should be as well off to coop 'em up on the island.We've got to take in a supply of water from there before it'll be safeto leave the harbor, an' they'd interfere with sich a job mightily."
This was a view of the case which Joe had entirely overlooked, and itwas sufficient to show the folly of his hastily-formed plan.
"They may try to stave our boat when they come back," Jim suggested."It could be done before we'd have a chance to stop 'em."
"There's some truth in that, lad," Bob replied, quickly. "It won't doany harm to take her out of the water, so jump in an hook on the falls."
When the yawl was hoisted inboard all hands seemed to realize that anencounter was extremely probable, even though the murderers could gainbut little advantage in getting possession of a disabled steamer, andthey gathered around Bob to learn what measures for defence he had topropose.
"It's certain they won't try any game until the other man is here," hesaid after a long pause, during which he scrutinized the shore closely,"an' we'd better get ready for a fight. Jim, you an' Harry cookbreakfast. Walter is to go on watch, and Joe an' I'll set about thework. Now that there is so much treasure aboard we must push the repairsfor all we're worth."
When the two cooks went below and the sentry took up his position in thepilot-house, Bob began making such preparations for defence as werepossible with the limited means at his command. The pieces of iron pipewere laid near the rail aft, where they could be most convenientlyreached; the boat-hook and oars were taken from the yawl that they mightbe ready for use, and then the old sailor brought on deck the largestrocks he could find among the ballast.
"There's about a dozen below that'll weigh ten or fifteen poundsapiece," he said grimly in reply to Joe's question of what he intendedto do with such primitive weapons. "One of 'em would make somedisturbance if it struck a boat's plankin' below the rail inside, an' Ireckon we can pitch 'em pretty true if the villains should be foolishenough to make an attack."
By the time the steamer had been put in a state of defence Jim announcedthat breakfast was ready, and the two men went below while the cook andWalter stood guard to give an alarm at the first appearance of theenemy.
