The Third Officer: A Present-day Pirate Story
Page 13
CHAPTER XII
Plans
Burgoyne's solitary meditations were interrupted by the appearance ofthe purser and Barnes the steward, the latter carrying a tin pannikinof lime juice.
"That's better, Mr. Burgoyne," exclaimed Holmes, seeing that thepatient had recovered consciousness. "My word, that was some fight byall accounts. You didn't half sock the blighter."
Alwyn drank deeply before replying:
"S'pose it was," he admitted. "Goodness only knows why I did take thefellow on, though. How long shall I have to stop here, do you think?"
"Matter of a couple of days," replied the purser. "Pity you didn'tsettle that chap Strogoff. He didn't attend afternoon parade, thankgoodness, but he was fooling around all the blessed morning, findingfault with things."
Burgoyne raised himself on one elbow. The movement sent a thrill ofpain all over his body.
"He didn't see Miss Vivian, I hope?" he asked anxiously.
"Young Bill? No. Young Bill was kept in the background, so to speak.Hello! Here come the others. Hadn't any idea it was knocking-offtime."
Branscombe grinned sympathetically when he saw his chum.
"You low-down bruiser!" he exclaimed. "Did they teach you that in thenavy?"
"Partly," admitted Alwyn. "I'm afraid I departed somewhat from therecognized canons of the ring towards the end. Had to, or I mightn'thave been here now. Well, any news?"
Phil divested himself of his soiled patrol coat, and revealed thefact that he had encompassed his waist with an uncut length of aboutten fathoms of inch-and-a-half manila rope.
"A slight contribution to the general fund, eh, what, Withers?"
The Second Engineer produced his share of the day's plunder; onehack-saw blade and four pieces of files each about three inches inlength.
"I had Satan's own job to get them," he explained. "The hack-sawblade I managed by a sort of three-card trick, and old Li Whong nevertwigged it. I spend most of the time in the workshop breaking off thetips of eighteen-inch files and rounding off the jagged edges. Liissued twenty-four out to the men, and twenty-four were returned; buthe didn't notice that, instead of eight eighteen-inch and tenfourteen-inch, he received four eighteens and fourteen fourteens.How's that, umpire?"
"Excellent," conceded Burgoyne.
"'Spose you haven't formed a satisfactory programme?" inquiredBranscombe. "Hardly to be expected from a battered old prize-fighterlike you."
"I have," replied Alwyn, "subject to alterations. In the first place,any idea of surprising the guard must be scrapped. Although there aremore prisoners than guards when the _Malfilio_ is away, there's toomuch alertness on the part of the pirates to warrant success. We'd bebowled over like rabbits, especially if they caught us out in theopen with those machine-guns. What I propose doing is to select asmall crew--unfortunately I can't take it on, as I'm senior manhere--cut out one of the boats, provision her, and make a dash forthe Marshall Islands."
"That's all very fine," admitted Phil, after Alwyn had explained hismovements earlier in the day "Collaring the boat seems feasible; buthow about provisioning her? We can't lug fifteen days' grub downthrough that tunnel and stow it away. And there's fresh water to betaken into account. We've no barricoes. Even if we had, how could weget, say, thirty gallons, or nearly three hundredweight of water tothe boat?"
"That is a proposition," admitted Burgoyne thoughtfully. "Ten gallonsought to be sufficient, though. We must devise some way of gettinghold of a barrel or two. Now as regards provisioning the boat. Hasanyone a pencil?"
Withers supplied the required article.
"Phew!" ejaculated Burgoyne. "I feel like one of those 'Every Picturetells a Story' advertisements we used to see in the papers at home.You fellows carry on with your grub while I draw a rough chart of theisland. I don't think it will be very much out."
In spite of several interruptions, and at the cost of considerablephysical discomfort, Burgoyne completed the plan.
"Now," he continued, "there's a free passage right round the islandinside the reef. Here's our compound; there's where the fence ends onthe western side. Right underneath is a cave. If that won't suit,probably the others will. What's to prevent us going down by means ofa rope and exploring? If everything's O.K. we can lower our reservestock of provisions, and hide the stuff in the cave until it'swanted. Then, when opportunity serves, the crew told off to cut outthe lifeboat will run her round one dark night, provision, and bemore than hull down before dawn. If they fall in with a ship, so muchthe better. If not, they can make the Marshall Islands, and in lessthan a month there ought to be half a dozen cruisers off the island."
"Sounds all right," admitted Branscombe. "But how about a course?"
"I've a compass," replied Alwyn. "It's only a pocket one, and I don'tknow what the variation and deviation are. But steer due south andone can't go wrong. Whoever goes in charge of the boat takes thecompass."
"Who will?" asked Withers.
"Branscombe," replied the Third Officer. "At least, he's down for thejob. I can't go, unfortunately, but Phil is the only other officeravailable who has had experience in boat-sailing and navigation."
"Thanks, old son!" exclaimed Phil.
"You haven't gone yet, dear old thing," rejoined Burgoyne. "However,there's no harm in thinking things out. Another point is the crew.One hand will be sufficient. I would suggest that Scilly Islander,Minalto."
"A decent sort," conceded Branscombe.
"Yes," resumed Alwyn. "He started boat-sailing early in life. It's asort of instinct with the Scilly Islanders, since they can't go acouple of miles in a straight line without having to make use of aboat. He's a bit slow on the up-take, but he can interpret an orderintelligently. He's got initiative, and doesn't hang on to theslack----"
"My child!" ejaculated Withers, rolling his eyes. "Why thisthusness?"
"You'd know quick enough if I could lay hold of you," declaredBurgoyne with mock severity. "Now, buzz off, if you don't mind. Ihave some sort of idea that my head's aching."
Burgoyne did not get up on the following day, nor on the next. Beforehe was fit to resume control a week had passed. Phil Branscombe"carried on" for him, and the forced labour proceeded as leisurely asthe pirate crew permitted.
As far as the occupants of the compound were concerned, BlackStrogoff was a back number. Not since Burgoyne's encounter with thePeruvian had he put in an appearance. One result of the quarrelbetween Ramon Porfirio and Strogoff was the latter's transference tothe _Malfilio_, where he was less likely to cause trouble than ifleft to influence a certain section of the pirates ashore. Fernando,Strogoff's understudy, was undoubtedly a brute and lacked theintelligence of the Russo-German, and the various members of thecrews of the three captured ships soon found that Fernando could beeasily hoodwinked.
During the week in which Burgoyne was detained within the compound,he was kept well in touch with the progress of events. The _Malfilio_during that period remained in harbour. Withers, who had been sent onboard the cruiser to assist in executing repairs reported that hermachinery was far from being in an efficient state, and that duringher last trip to sea she had burst the main steam-pipe of herstarboard engine. What had transpired during that short cruise he wasunable to ascertain; but it was evident that Ramon Porfirio was in avery "jumpy" state.
In point of fact, the _Malfilio_ was overhauling an oil-tanker whenthe steam-pipe gave out. Consequently the pursued vessel got away;but whether she had any suspicion of the nature of the cruiser was amatter for doubt in the pirate captain's mind. If she had, then herescape would mean that the world would know of the existence of apirate craft in the North Pacific, and in due time things would bemade far too hot for Señor Ramon Porfirio.
Alwyn saw a good deal of Young Bill during his convalescence. Thegirl's visits brought balm to his mind, but he would not have feltquite so elated had he known that Hilda impartially distributed herfavours between all the "sick bay" cases amongst the _Donibristle's_crew.
"I suppose you are
properly fed up, being cooped on this island?"asked Burgoyne.
"Not at all," replied Miss Vivian. "It's rather exciting, especiallywondering how we are going to get out of it. If things get no worsethere's not much to complain about. It was very hard losing Mother,and both Dad and I feel the loss very much. But apart from thatthere's nothing much to worry about--except carrying out yourorders, sir," she added, with an enigmatical smile.
"I'm glad you did that," said Alwyn.
"Supposing I had refused to wear these clothes, and insisted uponkeeping my face clean? As it is, I renew my charcoal powder threetimes a day."
"Had you refused I should have taken steps to compel you," declaredBurgoyne firmly.
"I don't see how," remarked Hilda.
"It is unnecessary to give details," said Alwyn, his face growingstern. "I can tell you this; if those ruffians had found out your sexyou would have been shot."
"Shot?" repeated the girl, unable to conceal her astonishment. "Bywhom?"
"I should have done it," was Burgoyne's startling reply. "With thefull consent of your father. If you wish to know why, ask him."
Hilda Vivian changed the subject abruptly. Nor did Burgoyne ever haveto refer to the matter again It was, he reflected, a brutally drasticstep to take, but it had the desired result. The girl realized thatit was not an idle masquerade, but the shadow of a great peril, thatcompelled her to assume the rôle of ship's boy.
A surprise awaited Alwyn when he was able to resume duty. CaptainBlair had made a rapid recovery, and was now able to resume hisinterrupted control of the _Donibristle's_ officers and crew to theextent permitted by Señor Ramon Porfirio and company.
Alwyn accepted the change most cheerfully. Although for certainreasons he was loth to relinquish many of his responsibilities, hewas now left with a relatively free hand. He could pursue hisinvestigations with less fear of inside interruptions, since anyquestion of routine would be made direct to the skipper. He wouldalso be able to take command of the lifeboat, if and when she startedon her long voyage to the Marshall Islands. It was rather rough luckon Branscombe, he reflected, being done out of that part of theexcitement, but there was no question as to who was the better man athandling a small sailing-boat.
At the first opportunity Burgoyne broached the subject to CaptainBlair. The Old Man listened carefully to the Third Officer's recital,then, to the latter's utter astonishment he said:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Burgoyne, but I refuse to give you or anyone elsepermission to make the attempt."