CHAPTER III. THE MYSTERIOUS GRAY NIGHT CRAFT.
Perhaps Malvin, who had stood poised as if ready for a jump as theypassed the Big Nigger, heard the boy. At any rate, as Ralph spoke, heturned.
"A terribly narrow escape that, sir," he said.
Ralph told Persimmons to go below and attend to his engines before hereplied. Then he turned on the man.
"Yes, a terribly narrow escape which might have ended in disaster for usall," he said, with an emphasis that allowed no doubt as to his meaning.In case that Malvin had not fully understood him, he added:
"Malvin, your carelessness almost cost us all our lives."
"My carelessness, sir!"
The man's voice held an aggrieved tone. He tried to slip into his coatand cover the life jacket he wore.
"I said 'your carelessness.' I don't care to use a harsher word. How didit happen, Malvin, that you wore a life jacket to-night?"
"A life jacket, sir?"
"Yes; the one you put on under your coat. Surely you did not have anintuition that we were going to be wrecked?"
Ordinarily a bright, lively lad, Ralph could be stern enough when hechose. His experiences out west and in old Mexico had broadened anddeveloped the youth whom we first encountered on a visit to JackMerrill's ranch in search of the health he had almost lost by overstudyat Stonefell College.
Ralph was not that boy now. He was the stern questioner of a man whoserecent actions had surely justified him in entertaining black suspicionsof the fellow. For the first time Malvin hesitated as Ralph shot out thequestion about the life jacket.
"Oh, yes, sir. The life jacket, sir. Yes, you see----"
His voice trailed off. But Ralph pressed him harder.
"Come, I am waiting for an explanation. If one is not forthcoming Ishall inform my father of your conduct."
"I don't see why I can't wear a life jacket if I want to," said Malvin,at length, in a voice that, for the first time, held a note of sullendefiance. "I know these Gallops better than you do, Master Stetson. Ihave always worn a life jacket when running them."
"Yes," said Hardware dryly, "you are more timid than we thought you,Malvin."
"Never mind, Harry," struck in Ralph; "tend that searchlight and keep abright lookout for the Needles. We must pass them to port."
"All right," responded Hardware cheerfully; "luckily, there's no'needles in a haystack' business about them. They are as clear as thefreckles on Persimmons' face. Don't worry."
He began swinging the search-light off to the left-hand side of theboat, searching for the group of sharp-pointed rocks known as theNeedles, which were by no means the menace to navigation that Big Niggerwas.
"So you always wear a life jacket in running the rapids?" insistedRalph, as his companion carried out his instructions.
"Always, sir; yes, sir. It's the safest plan."
"Well, I guess you are entitled to considerable praise for yourforesight, Malvin," said Ralph meaningly. "You can go forward."
"All right, sir. Very well, sir," was the rejoinder. Malvin once moreappeared to have full control of himself.
He descended the two or three steps leading from the raised bridge fromwhich the navigation of the _River Swallow_ was directed. As his figurevanished forward in the darkness, Harry Ware turned to his chum.
"What do you make of that fellow, Ralph?"
"He's a puzzle to which we have no answer--as yet," was the reply.
"A puzzle, all right. I sure agree with you. But as to the answerpart----"
"Well?"
"I rather think that we are not so far off from the solution as youfancy. For instance, this business to-night."
"Let's hear what you make of it."
"Why, it looked to me as if the fellow deliberately tried to wreck theboat."
"But for what earthly reason?" demanded Ralph, in an astounded tone.
"Well, for one thing, we have supplanted him on board her. You mustremember that before we came up here your dad had given Malvin absolutecharge of the craft. I've heard that he took full advantage of this. Theboat was seen cruising about at all hours of the night."
"Even so. Granted that he dislikes us, even hates us, although he hasshown no signs of harboring such a feeling."
"I'm not so sure of that. Under that smooth manner he hides a vindictivenature. I've caught him looking at you once or twice, when he thoughtyou weren't looking and that nobody saw him, in a way that made me thinkhe didn't like you any too well."
"Possibly he can't be blamed for that, either. It is rather a come-downfor him to have to take orders where he was used to giving them instead.But, even assuming all this, what reason would he have to try to wreckthe _River Swallow?"_
"I imagine that in the answer to that lies the solution of that puzzleyou were talking about a while back."
"Well, let's suppose--although I don't for a minute believe it--that heactually was fiendish enough to try to destroy the craft out of malice,would not he have gone to the bottom, too?"
"I'm not so sure. Malvin is reputed to be the strongest swimmer in theseparts. He was wrecked in a canoe in the rapids once and swam to an eddyand eventually reached the shore. Then, too, to-night he had on a lifejacket. Does not that point to the fact that he believed some accidentwas going to happen, in which it would be necessary for him to swim forhis life?"
"Oh, as to that, he had a good explanation for it," responded Ralph.
"So I suppose," was Harry Ware's dry comment.
"After all, we may be unduly excited and manufacturing a melodramaticscare out of nothing at all," pursued Ralph. "Well, there go theNeedles! In a minute more we'll be out of the Gallops, and for once Ishan't be sorry. That was just about as near to a smash-up as I care tocome."
The _River Swallow_ shot onward for a short distance, and then, as sheentered smoother water, Ralph rang for full speed ahead on both engines.He had hardly done this, when Hardware gave a sudden yell and pointedfrantically ahead of them.
Through the night the gray, dim outlines of a passing craft, slippingalong under the shore of one of the islands which dotted the other sideof the Gallops, was visible. She carried no lights and was moving at aswift rate of speed.
In addition to the fact that the other craft carried no lights, she hadrisked collision with the _River Swallow_ by cutting right across herbows. Both these actions were gross violations of the river law. The twoboys stared into the darkness ahead as the gray shadow slipped on towardthe Canadian shore.
"Well, I'll be jiggered!" burst from Harry Ware's lips. "It's the ghostcraft again."
"Ghost nothing! If we'd hit her we'd have found her solid enough, I'llbet," declared Ralph. "Clap the search-light on her, Hardware. We'veseen that craft so often lately that the thing is getting on my nerves.Men who are out on lawful errands don't sneak about without lights.Let's show her up and see what sort of a boat she is, and who mans her."
Harry obediently turned his attention once more to the search-light. Butthough he swung it assiduously in the direction in which the "ghostcraft," as he called the mysterious gray motor boat, had last been seen,its rays failed to reveal a sign of her.
"Well, she can appear and vanish in a mighty spook-like fashion, eventhough she may be built of solid wood and iron," declared young Ware,with conviction, as he reported no trace of the craft that had glidedacross their course in the darkness of the night.