Part 19 (2/2)

”First of all,” said Norris, ”I'm going to polish her up--to decorate the s.h.i.+p. And then, if ever that skunk voodoo gives me an excuse, I'm going to find out what my old training in gunnery has done for me.”

The land breeze had been blowing for a long time. Though Captain Marat had his clearing papers all in proper form long ago, we waited till the _Orion_ had got near a good three hours start, before we got up our anchor and set the _Pearl's_ bow out to sea.

It was past midnight, the moon--in its first quarter--was just setting.

In half an hour we went about, and made toward the north. Daylight found us rounding the northwest corner of the island.

”How long do you think it will take us to get sight of that skunk's s.h.i.+p?” asked Norris.

”Ah!” mused Captain Marat, ”Maybe one day, maybe two.”

”And if the _Orion_ is going back home,” said Norris, ”after she picks up Wayne and Ray, which way will she turn--north and then back, or down around the east end of the island?”

”I theenk,” said Marat, ”thad she go aroun' thees island. She make faster sail thad way, and Duran weel think we have not so much chance to head him off thad way--if we should happen to come after heem.”

That first day, while the _Pearl_ plowed steadily eastward, the coast always in view, Norris busied himself with repairs on his gun-carriage.

The second day broke with no sight of the _Orion_. And this day Norris gave to polis.h.i.+ng his bra.s.s cannon; a job that took grit and elbow-grease, for that barrel carried the acc.u.mulations of many years of exposure to all weathers.

That afternoon he got out powder and a ball, and charged the gun, and ten minutes before we were to turn on the starboard tack, he set adrift a little raft on which he had rigged a square bit of canvas. And then when we got round on that tack, he called Rufe, who came running with a red hot poker. Norris sighted the gun on that raft, the while shouting orders to the man at the helm. A touch of the red poker, and ”Boom!” We

saw the splash, perhaps forty feet to the right of the raft, which now floated some three hundred yards distant.

”If that had been the _Orion_,” said Norris, ”I'd have got her in the bows. That's a good enough shot, I'll say.”

It was near nine of the following morning that we sighted the sails of a vessel. There was excitement on the _Pearl_. In two hours we could see a little of the hull. She was a schooner.

”I think thad the _Orion_,” said Captain Marat then. The impulsive Norris had declared it that vessel from the first. Finally came an experience I dread to recollect. We had pa.s.sed the eastern end of the island, and were abreast of some lesser islands. The schooner ahead was on the starboard tack. We held also on the same tack. The other schooner went about on the port tack. We followed suit. In half an hour black clouds suddenly rose out of the southwest. They were preceded by gray clouds that curled like billows.

Captain Marat at once shortened sail--reefed to the uttermost. The schooner ahead went about and made for a small island to the east. The _Pearl_ did the same.

The wind struck us. Rapidly it increased in fury. Captain Marat got a loop of rope round the mainmast, whence he called his orders to Norris and two sailors at the wheel. I never had realized that a vessel could skim the sea with such terrific speed. Spray hissed over the deck. The masts bent; the schooner groaned under the strain. The tempest howled in the rigging. Belated birds flew past, sh.o.r.eward.

Rapidly that island loomed ahead in the semi-night. Marat used his gla.s.ses.

”Hard on!” he yelled at last.

We bore down directly on the land, now close aboard. Robert and I braced ourselves for a shock, for we expected the _Pearl_ to strike on the shoals.

Another minute and we saw land on both sides of us.

”Luff! Luff!” shouted Captain Marat.

The _Pearl_ went about; the sails flapped angrily; the anchor went overboard, and we lay in the lee of a wooded hill. Bits of trees flew over us--some debris lodged in our rigging, as the fury continued overhead.

In ten minutes all our sails were snug.

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