Part 25 (1/2)
”I'm outside the three-mile limit,” he screamed ”I'll have the law on ye”
”He means,” explained Captain Folsom to the boys, ”that he is beyond the jurisdiction of United States waters and on the open sea”
Nevertheless, the old skipper barked out an order, sailors sprang to obey, sails came down, and the schooner lay hove to Then the Nark approached until only a boat's length away On the deck of the schooner, only the skipper stood The seaone below, their tasks completed
”Look here, my man,” said Lieutenant Summers, ”youthe line pretty fine What are your papers?”
The old skipper looked at him shrewdly, quizzically, frorin broke over his features
”Ye knoell as I we'm outside the three-ot liquor aboard But my papers is all clear, an' ye can't touch me I'm from Nassau in the Bahamas for St
John Two British possessions An' I'rew red Captain Folsom's eyes twinkled, and the boys saw one of the Nark's crew, an old salt, put up a big palm to hide a smile
”The old shellback has our skipper,” whispered Captain Folsom to the boys ”He has him on the hip We are outside the three-mile limit, undoubtedly To think of the old Yankee's spunk in telling us he has liquor aboard His papers will be as he says, too, but just the same that liquor will never reach St John It is destined for a landing on our own coast”
Lieutenant Summers also was of the opinion apparently that he had been foiled And little as he relished the fact that the old skipper was laughing at hiht he could do about it
However, he decided to pay a visit to the ”Molly M,” for he called:
”Stand by to receive a boat I a aboard”
Presently, the boys saw the little boat dancing over the waves, then Lieutenant Summers climbed to the deck of the schooner, and he and the old skipper disappeared together down the cohtened the boys about the difficulties of preventing liquor froled into the country
”As you can see from this instance,” he said, ”the traffic is carried on openly, or under only a thin coating of cao along our coast so as she stays outside the three- to her heels and prevent her frolers slip ashore somewhere else It's a weary business to try and enforce such a law at first And, what , ”is that every now and then some , and then the rest of us who are doing our work honestly and as best we can are given a black eye, for everybody says: 'Ah, yes, they're all crooks I thought so'
”But here,” he said, ”is Lieutenant Su Noe shall see what he found out”
The old skipper and the naval officer appeared on the schooner's deck, Lieutenant Summers went overside, and the boat returned with hian to draay When he reached the deck, Lieutenant Summers sent a sailor to summon Captain Folsom and the boys below They joined him in the cabin
”I have news for you boys,” said Lieutenant Summers, at once ”Captain Woolley of the 'Molly M' proved to be a pretty smooth article,” and he smiled wryly, ”but from a member of his crew, one ofthe description of your stolen craft had been seen alongside a sub chaser hlands on the Jersey coast”
”Hurray,” cried Frank, ”one of your fleet must have recaptured it”
Lieutenant Su,” he said ”If one of our boats had found your craft adrift or captured it with the fugitive slers aboard, I would have been notified by radio You see, the schooner sighted the sub chaser and motor boat yesterday This sailor, a talkative chap apparently, told ht the chaser was a shi+p of the 'Dry Navy' and crowded on all canvas to edge away froerous company
Then, he said, they could see these unifor their sides fro at the schooner What it all meant, he didn't know, but at any rate the chaser made no attempt to pursue”
”And you haven't heard from any of your fleet that our boat was recovered?” asked Jack, in surprise
”From none,” said Lieutenant Summers ”However, I shall order 'Sparks'
at once to query all the shi+ps”
CHAPTER XXIII