The two natives displayed some surprise when they observed this action, but they said nothing, and most likely felt no suspicion as yet of their captain, whose desperation and heartlessness on more than one previous occasion had won the confidence of the islanders.
It was not long before the change was noticed on board the pursuer, where, most likely, it was accepted as the proper thing, possibly on account of the fear from the passengers.
“I have no revolver like you,” said Captain Fred, after they had kept this up for a couple of hours, “but I have a double-barreled pistol which is loaded to the muzzle. You have your six-chambered weapon, and you must keep it ready, for, when the two islanders here become certain of the truth, it is more than probable they will make a savage attack on us, for two more desperate demons never lived.”
“I should hardly think so,” said the mate, glancing furtively at them.
“No; they are as meek looking as lambs, but they were sent with me on account of their fierce courage. Why, they were ready and eager, when we visited you upon the island, to make an open attack, where the chances of their defeat were about even. They would rather fight and kill any moment than eat, and I had to be pretty sharp to restrain them.”
“I shan’t forget your warning.”
“It won’t do for either of us to sleep tonight, for they are as treacherous as cobras. They would feign slumber on purpose to put us off our guard, and then stab us to death in our sleep.”
“Will we not reach Wauparmur tonight?”
“It is doubtful, for the change we have made in the course is taking us away from the true direction and gives the advantage to them, as they are closer in than we. We have lost some good ground from the lightness of the wind, and we shall be fortunate if we catch sight of the place before tomorrow’s sunrise.”
“After all, Captain Fred, it must be a question of speed between us and our pursuer. Which, therefore, is the faster, the double canoe yonder or ourselves?”
A troubled expression came over the face of the young captain, as he answered:
“I don’t know, for there has never been a test. We kept company most of the way out, but we rattled along without any thought of speed, sometimes together and sometimes apart; but my opinion is that in moderate weather like the present there is little difference between us, or if there is any it is in our favor. In a strong wind, the other would he apt to outspeed us.”
“We are going to have more wind,” said the mate, looking anxiously about him. “I think I perceive it freshening already.”
“I fear the same thing,” said Fred, who was manifestly very uneasy. “We are now about two miles apart, and the prospect is that that will be cut down one-half by sunset.”
“And then?”
Fred shrugged his shoulders.
“All is not lost. When the sun goes down, with us a mile apart, we shall be invisible; but they will crowd all speed, and stand a good chance of coming up with us again.”
“But we gain a chance to maneuver.”
“There is hope and yet great risk in that, for if we can throw them off the track we shall be safe, for we can easily get beyond their range of vision long before sunrise; but at the same time, in making these sharp turns, we shall lose a great deal of ground, provided we don’t succeed, and if they once get in sight of us after the moon rises, the race will be ended, for we won’t gain a chance to dodge them again.”
“And then?”
“There will be the worst fight you ever saw. We shall have to begin by shooting these two, or pitching them overboard, if they don’t happen to get their work in ahead of us, and then we shall have more than twenty savage islanders to keep off—if we can.”
“We are pretty well armed, Captain Fred.”
“Yes, we have our pistols, and there is a musket apiece for you, me and Inez—for she will have to take a hand in the fight.”
“And there will be no braver than she. Have they any firearms on board?”
“I’m sorry to say they have, and that’s what makes me more anxious than anything else. There are spears, knives, battle-axes and at least six loaded muskets, and what is more, the men who have them in hand know how to use them.”
Mate Storms looked anxious, as well he might, for this was a phase of the question which had not presented itself to him. The case being as it was, the pursuers would be likely to begin firing as soon as they came within range, and when close in, the matter would be entirely within their hands.
Everything seemed to augur ill for the fugitives. The wind was steadily increasing and the flying proa was dashing through the water at a tremendous rate. The pursuing one had already shifted its course, so that this early in the afternoon the struggle had begun and settled down to a virtual test of speed.
“What do you suppose they think of the whole business?” asked Mate Storms, looking back at the double canoe as it rose on a huge swell at the same moment that they themselves sank in the vast, watery waste.
“I don’t know whether they think anything is wrong yet or not, but imagine I am trying to keep off until after dark.”
“Why, then, don’t they respect your purpose and work with you?”
“The leader of that company is an islander who is somewhat jealous of me. He believes he knows more about such business than I do, and he has made up his mind to keep this in hand, no matter what my wishes are. So, though he may think I mean all right, yet he is sure he knows better, and governs himself accordingly.”
“These two men here on board try to look indifferent, but they act suspiciously to me.”
“And they are suspicious, too.”
Fred Sanders might have added further that they were not only suspicious, but had actually discovered the truth.
They understood the purpose which had brought all three to the lonely island, and they knew that that purpose had been changed.
Inez Hawthorne, the girl of his own race, had caused this wonderful transformation in the heart of the young captain, and instead of being her enemy, he had become the devoted friend of herself and companion. While they could not understand the English tongue as they heard it spoken, they could read the meaning of looks and gestures and the confidential talks which they saw going on around them. They were convinced that their captain intended to betray them, and prevent the wealth from falling into their hands.
Would they submit?
Far from it. They would not only refuse to give their assent to any such perfidy, but they would use their utmost endeavors to defeat it. Such was their purpose, and Fred Sanders knew it, for he understood the character of the wretches; well, therefore, was it that he whispered the warning in the ear of Mate Abram Storms.
Inez Hawthorne sat at the front of the proa, in the place that had been assigned her, for something seemed to tell her that the men were so occupied with their duties that it would be better for her to keep away from them. It was with much reluctance that she consented to exchange the few words with Captain Fred Sanders, and little did she dream that it was those same few words which turned the young man from a deadly enemy into the most devoted ally, and gave some promise of life to herself and her companion. Yet, as we have shown, such was the fact.
CHAPTER XXXIV
Closing In
When the sun sank in the western horizon, the situation of the two craft had not materially changed. The larger had perceptibly gained upon the smaller; but a good distance still separated them, and both parties were doing their utmost. The wind was blowing stronger than at mid-day, but it was not such a gale as had been feared, and our friends were not without hope of eluding the natives, who were endeavoring to overtake them.
Inez Hawthorne could not avoid seeing how matters stood, though she was far from suspecting the whole truth. Mr. Storms told her that the other boat contained pirates, who were doing their utmost to overtake them, and they were striving their hardest to prevent it. As it stood, there was a prospect of a fight, in which she would likely be calle
d upon to take part. She smiled, looked reverently upward, and said she was ready whenever needed, and then she remained as cool and watchful as either of her friends.
Mr. Storms advised her not to go to sleep, as the coming night must decide the case one way or the other for them.
“No fear of my sleeping,” she said. “I realize our position too well to do that.”
“And Inez,” whispered Storms, “these two savages on board are the worst sort of men. Keep watch, and do not place yourself in too dangerous a position respecting them.”
“I have been alarmed more than once at their looks and mutterings.”
As the sun went down, it was a curious sight when the double canoe rose on a swell and was outlined against the flaming disc behind, as we have described the ship and the moon more than three years before.
The sight was a strange one, though it lasted but a moment, when the craft went down, and the smaller proa swiftly climbed the long slope of the watery mountain in front. The round moon speedily rose in the sky, and it was so bright that it was hard to tell when twilight ended and its light began.
Never did Storms and Sanders long for utter darkness more than on the present occasion. Had the moon been obscured, they would have made a sharp turn in their flight, with every prospect of throwing the others completely off their trail, and with every reason to hope for a clean escape before sunrise.
But the flood of moon light prevented either proa losing sight of the other.
“There’s only one thing left to us now,” said the young captain.
“And that’s to fight.”
Fred nodded his head.
“Well, we can do that. But I wish we were well rid of these fellows with us. It puts us between two fires, and there can be no doubt they suspect the truth.”
“I am sure of that. Hello!”
Mr. Storms had hold of the steering-oar, and Fred was sitting close to him when he uttered the last exclamation, and, springing forward, hastily drew his pistol, took a quick aim and fired.
A frenzied howl followed, and one of the crew made a furious plunge far out into the sea, and, going down like a log, never came up again.
“Over with you, too!” shouted Sanders, in their native tongue, his eyes flashing; “not an instant, or I’ll shoot!”
The savage did not hesitate, with his knife clenched in his hand, and the young captain leveled his pistol at him.
The sight of the muzzle so close to his skull, and the finger resolutely pressing the trigger, were too much, and the savage made a tremendous leap, like a tiger springing from his hiding-place, went far out into the sea, and, quickly coming to the surface, blew the water from his mouth, and began swimming with a swift, powerful stroke in the direction of the pursuing boat.
“Did you see that?” inquired Sanders, beginning coolly to reload his pistol.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you know why I fired as quickly as I did?”
“No.”
“That wretch had drawn his knife, and was moving in the direction of the unsuspecting Inez, sitting there. I overheard him say something which aroused my suspicion, and he was in the very act of raising his knife when I fired.”
“Is it possible? He deserved death, then, and you finished him. But what purpose could they have in killing an innocent girl like her?”
“Pure fiendishness—that’s all. Then they meant to make their attack upon us, and they would have made things lively.”
“But how much better it would have been had they waited until the others attacked, when they could have made a fatal diversion?”
“Most certainly; but their course shows the nature of the wretches. They are so fiendish and so eager to fight that they have no judgment.”
“Are we heading toward Wauparmur, Fred?”
“No; we are steering wide of it.”
“Since, then, we are engaged in a regular chase for that port, why not head straight for the island, so as to have that advantage, at least?”
“You are right, for there is nothing to be gained by maneuvering to throw them off the track.”
Fred Sanders took a small compass from his pocket, and studied it carefully for a minute or two by the light of the moon. Then he gave directions to Storms to bear more to the left, or the westward, until finally he informed him that they were heading directly for the port where all their hopes were now centered.
The wind fell slightly, but the pursuing boat steadily gained, and it was impossible to see how our friends could escape a hand-to-hand fight with the pirates, and there could be but one issue to such an encounter.
The islanders were thoughtful enough to lower their immense sail, and stand by until they could pick up their comrade struggling in the water, actuated probably as much by curiosity to know the facts as by humanity.
This gave our friends a show once more, and they drew away from their pursuers; but, alas! not to an extent to leave them out of sight, and until they could do so, they could not hope to accomplish anything.
Mr. Storms was not without a strong hope of seeing some friendly sail, to which they could hasten for assistance, and he continually searched the horizon, telling Inez to do the same.
Captain Fred did not expect anything of that nature, and, since the glasses were in his hands, he kept them turned most of the time in the direction of the double canoe, and called out his information and orders to his mate at the helm.
Of course the distance was much less than a mile, or the proa would scarcely have been discernible, but the moonlight was strong, such as those who live in temperate zones can hardly realize, and the illumination of the sea was wonderfully brilliant.
Both Fred and Storms, who had spent years in the South Seas, agreed that they had never seen anything like it before, and, for all purposes, it might as well have been broad day. The finest print could have been read with ease, and the glasses leveled at the approaching boat showed the crowds of swarthy pirates on board, all as eager as wolves to come up with the craft, which they were gaining so steadily upon.
And the fugitives knew well enough what the sequel would be. The rival of Captain Fred would want no better excuse for cutting him and his companions to pieces, and the wealth in their possession would be more “loot” than the same parties could obtain in a dozen piratical expeditions.
“But they shall never get a pennyworth of it!” said Abe Storms to Fred.
The latter lowered his glass and looked inquiringly at him.
“When it becomes absolutely certain that they have got us, I shall throw all the pearls overboard, so that they shall gain nothing more than our lives.”
“That’s right; only,” said the young captain, with a smile, “I advise you not to be in too much of a hurry about it, for you will feel somewhat mortified if we reach Wauparmur, after all, and you find you have cast your whole wealth into the sea.”
“I shan’t lose my head,” said the mate, with a laugh, “unless one of them takes it off.”
Inez Hawthorne was silent at the prow of the proa, where she was looking for the longed-for sail, which, alas! was never to appear, for she, too, had come to believe there was no other hope for her and her friends.
Mate Storms and Captain Fred happened to turn their heads at the same moment, and were looking at the double proa coming up with them very rapidly, when each uttered an exclamation, for they suddenly saw a red flash at the prow of the boat, a puff of smoke, and then the report of a musket reached them almost at the same instant that the whistle of the bullet through the rigging was heard.
“By George, they are firing at us!” said Fred, as if it was not the most natural thing in the world for them to do.
“Yes, and they’re aiming pretty well, too, for that shot went through the sail!”
“I hardly supposed they were near enough to do that, but they are in earnest. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to reply to their hail?”
“It would, most undoubtedly!”
Putting
up his glass, Captain Fred dived forward, brought out one of the muskets, and taking deliberate aim, fired at the approaching craft.
His shot was a fortunate one, too, for the cry which instantly followed showed that some one was struck. The others did not fire again for some time, but seemed to concentrate all their energies and attention upon the pursuit, which was turning more and more every minute in their favor.
“I don’t see any escaping a fight,” said Fred Sanders.“Inez says she hasn’t caught a glimpse of a sail, and I am sure she won’t. We may as well bring our guns here and be ready to repel boarders.”
CHAPTER XXXV
Wauparmur
Oftener than we suppose does heaven interfere directly in the affairs of men. Minutes had passed since Sanders and Storms had agreed that no earthly occurrence could avert a fight with the dusky demons, with scarcely a grain of hope for escape from them, when Inez uttered the astounding exclamation:
“We are gaining on them!”
It was inconceivable, and the two looked again to the rear to learn the cause of her unaccountable delusion. Five minutes later Sanders added in a husky gasp:
“She is right; we are not only gaining, but we are gaining fast.”
“How do you account for it?”
“I can’t account for it.”
“I can.”
“How?” asked the amazed youth.
“God interposes many times when mortals do not see it,” said the New Englander reverently; “there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. You have repented, and He has extended his hand to help you.”
“Perhaps you are right,” replied Sanders, much impressed.
“I know I am right.”
“And I hope to prove worthy of such undeserved kindness. All I ask is the opportunity.”
“It shall be granted you. But, humanly speaking, there has been some accident on board that craft yonder.”
“It must be that; as a sailor, you know any one of a half dozen things would be sufficient to throw them out of the race. A ripping of the sail, a fracture of the mast, the breaking of the steering gear, or some sudden quarrel would do the trick. Sufficient for us is it to know that it has been done.”
The Edward S. Ellis Megapack Page 112
