Part 17 (1/2)
”Is the wreck there, Jerry?”
For a moment Jerry made no reply, but stared around helplessly, and his jaw dropped. His head went up, and he searched the ladder and bulwarks above, until both Bob and Mart gave a shout of laughter.
”No use, Jerry,” cried Bob cheerfully. ”Your friends are gone, and there's a set of irons waiting for you up for'ard. Come, get out o' that suit and step lively, now.”
Jerry gasped, then cried feebly:
”Gone? My mates gone? Hey, Dailey! Birch! Yorke! Where are you, mates?”
The terror and consternation on his face sobered the boys instantly. He tried to get up, the veins standing out on his forehead, his eyes straining frantically, but Mart swiftly pushed him back and faced him.
Helpless though the old man was in his heavily-weighted diving suit, there was something terrible in his aspect that made both boys feel a sudden fear of his unleashed fury.
”Sit back there,” ordered Mart peremptorily. ”No use calling for your mates, Jerry. They can't help you now, and you're in for it.”
”Eh?” Jerry stared up, his face working horribly, his fingers twining and untwining. ”You--you've killed 'em? You've killed poor old Borden, lad, and Dailey--and Birch--”
Mart could stand it no longer.
”No, n.o.body's killed, Jerry,” he said kindly, sympathizing with the old man's terrible agitation. ”We've marooned your men on the island, and they're helpless and unarmed. The _Seamew_ belongs to us now, and I think it'll be best for all concerned that you go in irons. We can't trust you, Jerry, and that's flat.”
Slowly the old quartermaster comprehended his defeat. A look of anguish flitted across his face, his eyes lost their keen sharpness and became old and bleared once more, and with a groan he lowered his head on his breast and his white hair fell around his features in the sunlight.
Mart caught a pitying glance from Bob, but he knew too well that Jerry was not to be trusted, and drew his chum aside to the ladder.
”Look here, Holly,” he whispered earnestly, ”we can't get soft-hearted now. Jerry ain't half as simple as he looks, take it from me. We got our work cut out for us, too. Your dad's over there in the jungle, remember, and them Malays have got 'most all the crew pris'ners. That's goin' to be a mighty hard nut for us to crack. We've got to put Jerry in irons, that's all.”
Bob nodded, his eyes roving over the water.
”Look there, Mart,” he said, pointing to the island. ”The boat's gone back to the sh.o.r.e.”
Mart glanced across to the island, and saw that the boat had indeed drifted back to the beach and lay slowly stranding as the tide dropped.
However, he forgot about the matter instantly, as Jerry's voice came to them.
”Look here, lads,” and the old man's voice came softly, appealingly. ”I got a proposition to make. You've got me fair and square, lads, fair and square--but I want to get down to that there wreck again.”
Mart eyed him keenly, but the old man was evidently in earnest.
”Let's hear your proposition,” he said curtly.
CHAPTER XIV
A TRUCE
Jerry collected himself with an effort. It must indeed have been a bitter pill for him to swallow, reflected Mart as he watched the old quartermaster, while Bob stood at his elbow. Jerry had gone down leaving his gang in full possession of the yacht; he had evidently found the wreck untenanted by the Pirate Shark; and he had returned to the surface to find all his fine schemes shattered by the two boys.
Undoubtedly the old man was a villain, and he had showed that morning that he cared nothing for human life so that his plans were carried out; but now he looked so helpless, sitting there in the blazing sun with his white hair falling over his neck, that the boys could not help feeling a touch of sympathy for him.
”Lads,” he said slowly, gazing up at them with his gentle blue eyes, ”I found that there wreck, and she's split apart so's her cargo can be got at easy. There's gold a-lyin' there for the pickin' up, lads!” His voice grew hoa.r.s.e with eagerness.