Part 17 (1/2)

When he who was evidently the leader of the party walked toward Dave to acquaint him with the pleasing fact that the search had been successful, Pedro darted from one room to another, and the studs and sleeve-b.u.t.tons, which the boys had noted, did not escape his eager gaze.

”These shall not be taken charge of for all hands,” he whispered half to himself, and the articles had but just been secreted when Dave came to the door.

”Do you want to spoil everything by loafin' 'round here?” he asked angrily. ”These kind of chances don't come every day, an' if our plans are upset owin' to such nonsense I'll split you like a mackerel with your own knife!”

That the Mexican was a rank coward could be told by the pallor which came over his yellow face as these words were spoken, and with a muttered but inaudible reply he followed Dave to the companion-way ladder.

”Now what are we to do?” the thin man asked when the three were ready to go on deck; and the leader of the villains replied readily:

”Nothin' yet awhile. Some chance will turn up before we're under way; but if it don't, the matter must be settled at night while they're below. It won't be a hard job, for they can't stay on deck together all the time, and when the crowd is separated it'll be like child's play.

Don't act as if anything was in the wind, but be sweet as mola.s.ses till the flies are where we want 'em!”

Then the three men ascended the ladder, and from the benign expression on their faces the most suspicious would hardly have fancied they had been plotting to murder those who befriended them in a time of need.

CHAPTER XVI.

TRICKED.

When the conspirators came on deck, and before they finished smoking, the boys cleaned the cabin, ate their own dinner in the galley, and were at liberty to remain idle until it should be time to prepare supper.

After the heat of the day had pa.s.sed Bob proposed that all the brig's lower sails should be set; adding, in conclusion:

”'Cordin' to my way of thinkin', there's goin' to be a decent kind of a breeze about sunset, an' if we're ready for it jes' so much time will be saved in leavin' this place.”

The three strangers appeared even more eager than he to see the brig under canvas once more, and all hands turned to with a will, pulling, hoisting, and sheeting home as if the wind which was to waft them toward the United States had already begun to blow.

By the time this work was done there could no longer be any question but that a generous breeze from the south was near at hand. Thin, filmy clouds formed in the sky, while every now and then the heated air would be set in motion slightly, as a token of what might be expected.

”There's no doubt now but that we'll be under way by sunset,” Joe said, as he stood on the quarter-deck where the boys had taken refuge from the heat, ”and it would be a good idea for me to be bringing my dunnage out of the tug, since it ain't likely I'll ever see the little craft again.”

”Ain't you goin' to try and save anything else?” Jim asked.

”There isn't much that we can take. Suppose all hands go aboard and see if there's anything belonging to the crew that'll pay for carrying away?”

The boys accepted the invitation readily, for they did not care to move about the deck of the brig very much lest they came in contact with the red-nosed man and his friends, and all four went into the tiny after-cabin of the Sea Bird, where Joe at once began his work of investigation.

There were four chests here in addition to the one owned by Joe, and these were broken open without ceremony, for the engineer did not intend to burden himself with anything that might not be of considerable value to the owners.

”We'll unpack 'em, and then put the things back carefully, in case the little craft is carried home again,” he said, going to work systematically, while the boys watched him with mild curiosity.

There was no apparent necessity for haste, therefore Joe set about his task leisurely because of the intense heat, which made the slightest exertion almost painful, and but two of the chests had been overhauled when Bob came below to learn what was going on.

”Gettin' ready to leave, eh?” he asked, after looking at the perspiring engineer in silence several moments. ”Well, it's time; for unless I've made a big mistake in them light clouds we'll start from here mighty soon.”

”If we were going alone I'd feel tiptop,” Joe said, as he paused for an instant in his work; ”but as it is, I'm afraid we'll have trouble with that crowd before the United States coast heaves in sight, even if they do talk so fair just now.”

”We must keep our weather-eyes liftin' every minute, an' at the first sign of a row pitch in so's to take 'em unawares;” and Bob stretched himself out on the port locker as if determined to enjoy all possible comfort before the serious work of sailing the brig without an experienced navigator was begun. ”I wouldn't hesitate to give 'em the slip by leavin' the whole crowd here; but there's no chance of their goin' ash.o.r.e after the wind rises.”