CHAPTER XXVII. A DAZZLING DISCOVERY.
With La Rue's cry still ringing in his ears, Ralph rushed to the edge ofthe bridge and peered over. Alongside nothing could be seen butswirling, rushing foam.
But suddenly a flash revealed to Ralph the fact that they had runaground on the point of either an island or the mainland, he could not,for the time being, determine which. Trees and rocks could be made outby the frequent flashes, which showed, also, that the _River Swallow_had grounded bow on, and was now swinging outward with the current.
Ralph was recalled from his observations by a voice behind him. It wasHansen, the Norwegian. The man had stopped his engines, being seamanenough to know what had occurred as soon as he felt the grinding shockof the landing.
"We bane gone ashore, sare?" he asked.
"Yes, we've grounded, Hansen, and I must tell you that your wretch of amaster Hawke, while crazed with fright, threw himself overboard. I fearhe is lost forever."
The Norwegian appeared dazed. His fishy blue eyes rolled wildly.
"La Rue bane dade?" he muttered.
"I don't know anything about La Rue," said Ralph, thinking the man hadnot rightly understood him, "I said Hawke had gone. He jumped overboardwhen we struck. Crazy from fright, I guess."
"He bane all de same," said the Norwegian calmly. "Hawke bane La Rue, LaRue bane Hawke. I bane glad he gone."
"Glad, why?" exclaimed Ralph, horrified at the man's callousness.
"He bane bad man. He say if I don't do as he say he lose me mine yob. Byyiminy, I got wife and childrens by mine home in Norvay. I no vant loseyob. So I do as he say."
"What did he make you do?" asked Ralph, too interested for the minute toremember anything but what the man was saying.
"He bane make me take package off motor boat what come by Daxter Islandby night. I have to give package to Malvin. Dey say dey bane smogglerand kill me if I talk."
He sank his voice low.
"Dey bane make me halp Hawke while he put sand by carburetors."
"So it was Hawke, or La Rue, that played that rascally trick!" criedRalph.
"Sure. He bane hidden forvard. Dey hear you mean tell police about dem.Den dey cook up plan so you no get avay."
"The precious scamp!--but, well, he's gone now. Hansen, you must comebelow and help me get Malvin on deck. Is he conscious, do you know?"
"He bane sit up when I come trou' cabin from angine room," said the man.
"Very well, then. We must get him up here. The boat is hard aground andmay be going to break up. We must get ashore."
"How we do dat?"
"We must swim for it. I'll try the water and see how deep it is."
The lead line showed, to Ralph's great joy, that the water alongside wasnot beyond his depth. Both Hansen and Malvin were tall men. With goodluck, it might be possible to wade ashore. It was while he was heavingup the lead that he noticed a dark object lying on the bridge, rightwhere La Rue had taken his crazed leap.
He picked it up. It was La Rue's coat. He had cast it off when he tookhis mad plunge.
As he handled the garment, Ralph suddenly felt a hard, oblong object inone of the pockets. It felt like a case. He plunged his hand into thepocket and drew out--the leather wallet that contained the pricelesscollection of gems!
What a find!
The boy's head swam. La Rue, in the desperation of terror, had entirelyforgotten the fortune in precious stones. Hastily Ralph thrust thewallet into his pocket.
"You bane find something," came a voice behind him. Hansen's voice. Hadthe Norwegian seen anything? Ralph by no means trusted the man, and hedidn't like the idea of his knowing of the great find.
"It was La Rue's watch," he said; "he left it in his coat. Now let us gobelow and get Malvin on deck."
"I'll spare you that trouble," came a voice behind them both.
They turned and faced Malvin himself. His head was bandaged. His facechalky white.
"Well, you got the upper hand of me," he said, addressing Ralph, "but Ibear no malice. Are we all going to the bottom?"
The man's cool, calm demeanor offered an odd contrast to the cowardlybehavior of La Rue. He appeared to have resigned himself to whateverfate was to be his.
"Better a grave in the river than a long sentence in a Federalpenitentiary," he muttered.
Ralph did not hear this. His mind was concerned with saving their lives.But, like a true boat captain, he still had a feeling that he owed astrong duty to the _River Swallow_.
"Before we go we must get out stern lines and fasten to them the spareanchors," he declared. "The boat is riding easily now. If we can keepher stern swung out we may still be able to get her off when the stormdies down."
Malvin flashed a glance at him. The boy's voice had rung cool anddetermined. Malvin was no fool. He recognized in those accents the voiceof authority. Moreover, although he had not the slightest intention ofusing it as a means of persuasion, Ralph had possessed himself of therevolver that La Rue had cast aside when he made his wild leap. The boycontrived that a glint of it should show as he spoke. He didn't see anyharm in providing that his orders should be backed up by a display offorce if necessary.
As for Hansen, he was an old hand on the waters. The present situationdid not alarm him particularly. He obeyed Ralph's orders with alacrity.It was the force of habit acting on a man who had so long beenaccustomed to taking orders that obeying them was second nature.
It did not take long to cast the two spare anchors out astern and swingthe _River Swallow_ so that only her prow rested upon the rocks. Asmentioned before, she was a very light draft boat and four feet of waterwas ample to float her.
"She'll lie snug enough now," declared Ralph, when his orders had beencarried out; "and now let's see about getting ashore and finding outwhat sort of a place this is that we have struck."
The _River Swallow's_ emergency rope steps were found to be capable ofreaching the water's edge. The lead had already told them that the depthwas shallow. Hansen went first with Malvin, displaying no hesitation infollowing him. Ralph, true to the traditions of the captain's office,came last. He found Malvin and Hansen half-way to shore, wadingpainstakingly and not without difficulty, through the swift rushingwaters.
The two gained the beach ahead of Ralph. He had supposed that they wouldbe waiting for him. But when he reached the shore he could see nothingof them, and, although he shouted, he gained no response to his cries.
It was then that a disquieting thought occurred to him.
Hansen had seen him transfer a package from La Rue's coat to his ownpocket.
Was it not possible that the man had guessed, through some previousknowledge, that the package he had abstracted was the wallet containingthe precious stones destined for transfer across the border? In such acase it behooved him to be on the keen lookout for a surprise of somesort. From what he knew of him, Malvin was not the sort of man to allowa fortune in gems to get into the hands of the enemy.
Ralph felt his breast pocket as, wet through to the skin and halfexhausted from his struggle against the rapidly running water, he stoodon the shore. A satisfying feeling rewarded his touch. So far he held aprince's ransom in gems secure.
How long could he do so? Ralph realized that the instant he had becomepossessed of the wallet of gems he had incurred a responsibility whichit might tax his keenest abilities to carry out.
The Border Boys Along the St. Lawrence Page 28
