Part 27 (1/2)
Then they turned to give the same greeting to Joe Dawson, who gasped:
”Gracious, but it _does_ seem good to meet fellows of the Club and from the old home town at that!”
Mr. Seaton, though following in more leisurely fas.h.i.+on, now pa.s.sed them, going on up to the deck. There he met Captain Rawley.
”Don't mind what my young men do, captain,” begged the charter-man, ”and don't mind if they delay you for a few minutes. I'll make good the damage.”
”Help yourself to a little of my time, then, sir,” grimaced the freighter's captain. ”Anything that I can spare from the proper time of the run, you understand.”
”How on earth do you fellows happen to be on this s.h.i.+p, of all places in the world?” demanded Tom Halstead.
”Easy enough to explain,” laughed d.i.c.k Davis. ”Port authorities at Rio were good enough to order six motor boats for harbor purposes. My dad got the chance of building the boats at his yard at Bath. The Rio motor boats are on board, down in the hold, and Ab and I are sent along to deliver the motor boats, put them in running order at Rio, and, if necessary, teach the natives how to run such craft.”
”Did you fellows know we were signaling you by wireless?” Joe was asking Ab Perkins. ”Did you know that you were going to see us?”
”Didn't know a blessed thing about it,” admitted Ab Perkins, almost sheepishly. ”d.i.c.k and I were asleep in our stateroom. We were getting ready to come out on deck when we felt the old tub slackening speed.
Then we came out to see what was happening. We looked over the rail, and--_wow_!”
Ab again seized Joe Dawson's hand, giving it another mighty shake.
Then the irrepressible Ab reached out for Tom's hand, but d.i.c.k Davis was drawing Halstead up on deck.
Readers of the first volume of this series will remember both Ab and d.i.c.k well. They, too, were boys born near the Kennebec River, and took part in the stirring adventures narrated in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF THE KENNEBEC, just before Tom and Joe left for the next scenes of their activities, as related in THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT NANTUCKET and THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OFF LONG ISLAND. Ab Perkins and d.i.c.k Davis were two of the most valued of the early members of the Club.
All in a twinkling, Tom Halstead was seized by an idea. He looked about for Powell Seaton, saw that gentleman talking with Captain Rawley, and caught the charter-man's eye.
”See here, Mr. Seaton,” whispered Halstead, as soon as he had gotten his employer aside, ”there's no great need for me to go to Rio.”
”No?”
”Of course not. Give the papers to d.i.c.k Davis, with exact instructions as to who is to receive them at Rio Janeiro, and those papers will get into exactly the hands for which you intend them.”
”You feel certain of that, Halstead?” demanded Powell Seaton, his voice tremulous with anxiety.
”Absolutely sure, sir. d.i.c.k Davis can be trusted as long the world holds together. There isn't the faintest yellow streak in him, either.
Square, straight, keen, brave--that's d.i.c.k Davis. And Ab Perkins would go through the jaws of anything with Davis! Why, Mr. Seaton, they're Motor Boat Club boys! You can trust them to the same degree as you're willing to trust me. Moreover, they're going down to Rio on a mission to the Government. They've got a better chance to get ash.o.r.e, unmolested and unwatched, than any other stranger would have.”
”Get your friends together, then, somewhere where we can have a private corner,” begged Powell Seaton. ”We'll talk this matter over--we've got to talk like lightning, at that.”
While Mr. Seaton sought Captain Rawley, Tom shot back along the deck to where Joe, Hank and the two Rio-bound members of the Motor Boat Club stood talking.
”Hank,” said Tom, in a low voice, ”Hepton is all alone down on the 'Restless,' except for our prisoner aft. Hepton may be all right, and I think he is--but one of our own crowd ought to be on board our boat.”
”I'll be the one, then,” half-sighed Hank b.u.t.ts, turning to descend the side gangway.
Captain Rawley promptly agreed to turn his own cabin over to the friends who wanted a private chat.
”But only for five minutes, mind you,” he insisted. ”Then I must be on my way.”
Behind the closed door of the captain's room Powell Seaton and Tom Halstead swiftly explained what was wanted.
”Will we do it?” said d.i.c.k Davis, repeating the question that had been asked him. ”Why, of course we will. There's only one answer possible.