CHAPTER XXIV
THE SHEIK'S STRATEGY
Peggy gave the sheik an entrancing smile, followed by a brief glance atthe beaming Miss Valentine, who nodded her head approvingly.
"Won't you give me time to go below and pack my belongings that theymay be sent ashore?" she asked naively.
"Thunder!" gasped Monty. "That's no way to turn him down."
"What do you mean, Monty Brewster?" she cried, turning upon him withflashing eyes.
"Why, you're encouraging the old guy," he protested, disappointment inevery inflection.
"And what if I am? Isn't it my affair? I think I am right in suspectingthat he has asked me to be his wife. Isn't it my privilege to accepthim if I wish?"
Brewster's face was a study. He could not believe that she was inearnest, but there was a ghastly feeling that the joke was being turnedon him. The rest of the company stared hard at the flushed Peggy andbreathlessly waited developments.
"It won't do to trifle with this chap, Peggy," said Monty, coming quiteclose to her. "Don't lead him on. He might get nasty if he thinksyou're making sport of him."
"You are quite absurd, Monty," she cried, petulantly. "I am not makingsport of him."
"Well, then, why don't you tell him to go about his business?"
"I don't see any beads lying around loose," said "Rip" tormentingly.The sheik impatiently said something to the interpreter and that worthyrepeated it for Peggy's benefit.
"The Son of the Prophet desires that you be as quick as possible, Queenof the World. He tires of waiting and commands you to come with him atonce."
Peggy winced and her eyes shot a brief look of scorn at the scowlingsheik. In an instant, however, she was smiling agreeably and wasturning toward the steps.
"Holy mackerel! Where are you going, Peggy?" cried Lotless, the firstto turn fearful.
"To throw some things into my trunk," she responded airily. "Will youcome with me, Mary?"
"Peggy!" cried Brewster angrily. "This has gone far enough."
"You should have spoken sooner, Monty," she said quietly.
"What are you going to do, Margaret?" cried Mrs. Dan, her eyes widewith amazement.
"I am going to marry the Son of the Prophet," she replied so decidedlythat every one gasped. A moment later she was surrounded by a group ofexcited women, and Captain Perry was calling the "jackies" forward in avoice of thunder.
Brewster pushed his way to her side, his face as white as death.
"This isn't a joke, Peggy," he cried. "Go below and I'll get rid of thesheik."
Just then the burly Algerian asserted himself. He did not like the wayin which his adored one was being handled by the "white dogs," and withtwo spearmen he rushed up to Brewster, jabbering angrily.
"Stand back, you idiot, or I'll punch your head off," said Brewster,with sudden emphasis.
It was not until this moment that Peggy realized that there might be aserious side to the little farce she and Mary had decided to play forthe punishment of Brewster. Terror suddenly took the place of mirth,and she clung frantically to Monty's arm. "I was joking, Monty, onlyjoking," she cried. "Oh, what have I done?"
"It's my fault," he exclaimed, "but I'll take care of you, never fear."
"Stand aside!" roared the sheik threateningly.
The situation was ominous. Frightened as they were the women could notflee, but stood as if petrified. Sailors eagerly swarmed to the deck.
"Get off this boat," said Monty, ominously calm, to the interpreter,"or we'll pitch you and your whole mob into the sea."
"Keep cool! Keep cool!" cried "Subway" Smith quickly. He steppedbetween Brewster and the angry suitor, and that action alone preventedserious trouble. While he parleyed with the sheik Mrs. DeMille hurriedPeggy to a safe place below deck, and they were followed by a flock ofshivering women. Poor Peggy was almost in tears and the piteous glancesshe threw at Brewster when he stepped between her and the impetuoussheik, who had started to follow, struck deep into his heart and madehim ready to fight to the death for her.
It took nearly an hour to convince the Algerian that Peggy hadmisunderstood him and that American women were not to be wooed afterthe African fashion. He finally departed with his entire train,thoroughly dissatisfied and in high dudgeon. At first he threatened totake her by force; then he agreed to give her another day in which tomake up her mind to go with him peaceably, and again he concluded thata bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
Brewster stood gloomily on the outside of the excited group gloweringupon the ugly suitor. Cooler heads had relegated him to this place ofsecurity during the diplomatic contest. The sheik's threats ofvengeance were direful. He swore by somebody's beard that he wouldbring ten thousand men to establish his claim by force. His intensedesire to fight for her then and there was quelled by Captain Perry'sdetachment of six lusty sailors, whose big bare fists were shakenvigorously under a few startled noses. It took all the fight out of thesheik and his train. Three retainers fell into the sea while trying toretreat as far as possible from danger.
Mohammed departed with the irate declaration that he would come anotherday and that the whole world would tremble at his approach. Disgustedwith himself and afraid to meet the eyes of the other men, Brewsterwent below in search of Peggy. He took time to comfort the anxiouswomen who crowded about him and then asked for Miss Gray. She was inher stateroom and would not come forth. When he knocked at the door adismal, troubled voice from within told him to go away.
"Come out, Peggy; it's all over," he called.
"Please go away, Monty," she said.
"What are you doing in there?" There was a long pause, and then camethe pitiful little wail: "I am unpacking, please, sir."
That night Brewster entertained on board the yacht, several residentFrench and English acquaintances being the guests of honor. The storyof the day was told by Mrs. Dan DeMille, commissioned especially forthe duty. She painted the scene so vividly that the guests laughed withjoy over the discomfiture of the sheik. Peggy and Brewster foundthemselves looking sheepishly at one another now and then in the courseof the recital. She purposely had avoided him during the evening, butshe had gamely endured the raillery that came from the rest of theparty. If she was a bit pale, it was not surprising. Now that it wasover the whole affair appalled her more than she could have suspected.When several of the guests of the evening soberly announced thatMohammed was a dangerous man and even an object of worry to thegovernment she felt a strange catch in her throat and her now mirthlesseyes turned instinctively to Brewster, who, it seemed, was the sheik'sspecial object of aversion.
The next day she and Monty talked it over. The penitence of both wasbeautiful to behold. Each denied the other the privilege of assumingall the blame and both were so happy that Mohammed was little more thana preposition in their conversation so far as prominence was concerned.But all day long the harbor was full of fisher boats, and at nightfallthey still were lolling about, sinister, restless, mysterious likepurposeless buzzards. And the dark men on board were taking up no fish,neither were they minding the nets that lay dry and folded in thebottom of their boats.
Far into the night there was revelry on board the "Flitter," moreguests having come out from the city. The dark hours before the dawn ofday had arrived before they put off for shore, but the fisher boatsstill were bobbing about in the black waters of the harbor. The lightsgradually disappeared from the port-holes of the yacht, and the tiredwatch was about to be relieved. Monty Brewster and Peggy remained ondeck after the guests had gone over the side of the vessel. They wereleaning over the rail aft listening to the jovial voices of thevisitors as they grew fainter and fainter in the distance. The lightsof the town were few, but they could plainly be seen from the offing.
"Are you tired, Peggy?" asked Brewster, with a touch of tenderness.Somehow of late he had often felt a strange desire to take her in hisarms, and now it was strong upon him. She was very near, and there wasa drooping weariness in her attitude which seemed to demand prot
ection.
"I have a queer feeling that something awful is going to happento-night, Monty," she answered, trouble in her soft voice.
"You're nervous, that's all," he said, "and you should get to sleep.Good-night." Their hands touched in the darkness, and the thrill thatwent over him told a truth of which he had been only vaguely conscious.The power of it made him exultant. Yet when he thought of her and hertoo quiet affection for him it left him despondent.
Something bumped against the side of the ship and a grating soundfollowed. Then came other gentle thuds combined with the soft swish ofwater disturbed. Peggy and Brewster were on the point of going belowwhen their attention was caught by these strange sounds.
"What is it?" she asked as they paused irresolutely. He strode to therail, the girl following close behind him. Three sharp little whistlescame from above and behind them, but before they had time even tospeculate as to their meaning the result was in evidence.
Over the sides of the ship came shadowy forms as if by magic; at theirbacks panther-like bodies dropped to the deck with stealthy thuds, asif coming from the inky sky above. There was an instant of dreadfulcalm and then the crisis. A dozen sinewy forms hurled themselves uponBrewster, who, taken completely by surprise, was thrown to the deck inan instant, his attempt to cry out for help being checked by heavyhands. Peggy's scream was cut off quickly, and paralyzed by terror, shefelt herself engulfed in strong arms and smothered into silence. It allhappened so quickly that there was no chance to give the alarm, noopportunity to resist.
Brewster felt himself lifted bodily, and then there was the sensationof falling. He struck something forcibly with all his weight and fellback with a crash to the deck. Afterward he found that the effort tothrow him overboard had failed only because his assailants in theirhaste had hurled him against an unseen stanchion. Peggy was borneforward and lowered swiftly into arms that deposited her roughly uponsomething hard. There was a jerky, rocking motion, the sudden splash ofoars, and then she knew no more.
The invaders had planned with a craftiness and patience that deservedsuccess. For hours they had waited, silently, watchfully, and withdeadly assurance. How they crept up to the "Flitter" in such numbersand how the more daring came aboard long before the blow was struck, noone ever explained. So quickly and so accurately was the abductionperformed that the boats were well clear of the yacht before alarm wasgiven by one of the watch who had been overlooked in the carefulassault.
Sleepy sailors rushed on deck with a promptness that was amazing. Veryquickly they had found and unbound Brewster, carried a couple ofwounded shipmates below and had Captain Perry in his pajamas on deck totake command.
"The searchlight!" cried Brewster frantically. "The devils have stolenMiss Gray."
While swift hands were lowering the boats for the chase others werecarrying firearms on deck. The searchlight threw its mighty white armout over the water before many seconds had passed, and eager eyes werelooking for the boats of the pillagers. The Arabs had reckoned withoutthe searchlight. Their fierce exultation died suddenly when themysterious streak of light shot into the sky and then swept down uponthe sea, hunting them out of the darkness like a great relentless eye.
The "Flitter's" boats were in the water and manned by sturdy oarsmenbefore the glad cry went up that the robber fleet had been discovered.They were so near the yacht that it was evident the dusky tribesmenwere poor oarsmen. In the clear light from the ship's deck they couldbe seen paddling wildly, their white robes fluttering as thoughinspired by fear. There were four boats, all of them crowded to thegunwales.
"Keep the light on them, captain," shouted Monty from below. "Try topick out the boat that has Miss Gray on board. Pull away, boys! Thismeans a hundred dollars to every one of you--yes, a thousand if we haveto fight for her!"
"Kill every damned one of them, Mr. Brewster," roared the captain, whohad retired behind a boat when he became aware of the presence of womenon deck.
Three boats shot away from the side of the yacht, Brewster and JoeBragdon in the first, both armed with rifles.
"Let's take a shot at 'em," cried a sailor who stood in the stern withhis finger on a trigger.
"Don't do that! We don't know what boat holds Peggy," commandedBrewster. "Keep cool, boys, and be ready to scrap if we have to." Hewas half mad with fear and anxiety, and he was determined toexterminate the bands of robbers if harm came to the girl in theirpower.
"She's in the second boat," came the cry from the yacht, and thesearchlight was kept on that particular object almost to the exclusionof the others. But Captain Perry saw the wisdom of keeping all of themclearly located in order to prevent trickery.
Brewster's brawny sailor boys came up like greyhounds, cheering as theydashed among the boats of the fugitives. Three or four shots were firedinto the air by the zealous American lads, and there were loud criesfrom the Arabs as they veered off panic-stricken. Monty's boat was nowin the path of light and not far behind the one which held Peggy. Hewas standing in the bow.
"Take care of the others!" he called back to his followers. "We'll goafter the leaders."
The response from behind was a cheer, a half dozen shots and some ofthe most joyous profanity that ever fell from the lips of Americansailors, mingled with shrieks from the boats they were to "take careof."
"Stop!" Brewster shouted to the Arabs. "Stop, or we'll kill every oneof you!" His boat was not more than fifty feet from the other.
Suddenly a tall, white-robed figure arose in the middle of the Egyptiancraft, and a moment later the pursuers saw Peggy's form passed up tohim. She was instantly clasped by one of his long arms, and the otherwas lifted high above her. A gleaming knife was held in the upraisedhand.
"Fire on us if you dare!" came in French from the tall Arab. "Dog of anAmerican, she shall die if you come near her!"
Brewster's Millions Page 24
