Four Afloat: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Water

  CHAPTER VIII--TELLS HOW THEY OUTWITTED THE CAPTAIN OF THE _HENRY NELLIS_

  "What are you doing here?" demanded Nelson sternly.

  His first thought was that the boy had sneaked into the cabin duringtheir absence, bent on theft, and that on hearing their return he hadattempted to hide. But the other's first words disillusioned him.

  "Don't you tell him! Don't you, please, sir!" begged the boy in hoarsewhispers. "I ain't done any harm here, honest! And if he gets me, I'llhave to go back on the boat, sir, and she's going away up toNewfoundland, and--and--I just can't stand it any longer, I can't!"

  "Oh," muttered Nelson, "I see! You're--that boy of his."

  "I ain't his boy, not really!" cried the other eagerly. "He told mymother he'd take me one voyage and make a sailor of me. And I wanted togo; I didn't know what it was like. And I went up to Casco with him, andwhen we got here I wanted to go home, and he said I couldn't because I'dsigned on with him for a year. I never signed anything, sir; he was justlying! And we been here more'n a week, and he kept watchin' me all thetime. And to-day I saw your yacht, sir, and I thought maybe he wouldn'tmiss me till you'd gone out again, and so I sneaked down here a littlewhile ago. And I ain't touched a thing; honest, sir, I ain't! If you'lljust let me stay here till the _Henry_ sails, sir, I'll get out rightaway, I will. You ain't going to tell him, are you, sir?"

  "You stay here," answered Nelson quietly, "and keep still. I'll see whatthe other fellows say."

  "Don't you, please!" whispered the boy, half sobbing. "If he catches menow he'll whip me awful! Just let me stay a little while, sir, won'tyou? I'll do anything you say----"

  "Cut it out!" said Nelson kindly. "I dare say you won't have to go back,but I've got to tell the other fellows and see what they think. Don'tyou worry, though; I guess it'll be all right."

  Nelson hurried back to the cockpit. The _Vagabond_ was floating gentlyaway from the wharf on the outgoing tide. Forty or fifty feet away asmall tug was snuggling up to the _Henry Nellis_, preparatory to towingher outside the harbor. Bob was at the wheel, but he and Dan and Tomwere looking intently toward the stern rail of the schooner, where thecaptain and one of the sailors, the latter a small, swarthy man withrings in his ears, were talking excitedly and looking toward the_Vagabond_. The next moment the captain hurriedly disappeared, thewatchers heard an order given, and three sailors sprang to the sterndavits and began to lower the small boat which hung there.

  "Now, what's he up to?" asked Dan resentfully. But before anyone couldanswer him, Nelson had called to them.

  "Here a minute, fellows," he said softly. "Keep on looking, but moveover this way so you can hear me. That boy that the captain spoke of----"

  "He's getting into the boat," interrupted Bob.

  "I'll bet he's coming over here, too," said Dan. "If he tries to comeaboard, I'll plaguey well dump him into the water!"

  Nelson paused and watched proceedings. If the captain came aboard, hewas certain to find the boy. Perhaps he had every right to, but Nelsondidn't like the idea of giving the youngster up to him.

  "Here he comes!" muttered Dan.

  "Stand by the wheel, Bob," said Nelson. "I'm going to start her." Hedarted below, turned the gasoline valve, threw on the switch, and bentover the wheel. Once, twice, thrice he turned it over, but the enginerefused to start. Perplexedly Nelson stood up and ran his eye over themotor. Then he remembered that the gasoline had not been turned on atthe tank since the latter had been filled. It was too late now to runaway before the captain of the _Henry Nellis_ reached them. But hehurried forward, opened the outlet valve at the tank, threw a warningglance at the boy, who still sat huddled in the dim corner of the bunk,and returned to the engine. One more lift of the wheel and the enginewas running. But he didn't throw the clutch in and start the boat.Voices outside told him that the captain was already alongside. Hehurried up the steps, striving to look unconcerned. The boat from theschooner was bobbing about a couple of yards away. It was manned by twosailors, one of them the man with the earrings, and in the stern sat thecaptain.

  "Say, Nel," said Bob, as the former appeared, "this gentleman wants toknow if he can't see the launch. Says he's very much interested inlaunches." Bob was very sober, but his left eye, out of the captain'srange of vision, winked meaningly.

  "Why, I'm sorry," answered Nelson, turning to the captain, "but we'rejust leaving. The fact is, we've got quite a ways to go before dark."

  "Where you going?" asked the captain, smiling ingratiatingly.

  "Duxbury," answered Nelson on the spur of the moment.

  "Well, that won't take you long. You let me see your engine, like a goodfellow. I've been thinkin' of getting one of them naphtha launches for agood while." He made a slight motion with his hand and the sailorsdipped their oars.

  "Sorry," replied Nelson firmly, "but we can't stop. And I shall have toask you not to come alongside unless you want to take a trip with us.All ready, Bob?"

  "All ready."

  Over on the schooner the crew was lining the stern rail, and the tug,too, held its small audience. Nelson turned toward the engine-room door.

  "Hold on a bit," exclaimed the captain. "You listen to me, now. You'dbetter. You don't want no trouble and I don't want no trouble, eh?" Hesmiled with an attempt at frankness, a smile that made Nelson shiver andcaused Dan to clench his fists. "My boy's run away, and this man heresays he seen him getting on to your boat." He nodded at the sailor withthe earrings, who grinned and bobbed his head. "That boy's bound to mefor a year--signed papers, he did--and I'm his lawful guardeen andprotector. His mother give him into my care. How am I going to answerher when she asks me where is her boy, eh?"

  "More than likely he's halfway home by this time," suggested Bobpolitely.

  "If I was sure o' that," answered the captain, with a shake of his head,"I wouldn't mind so much. 'Cause I think a heap o' that boy, I do, and Iwouldn't have no harm come to him for half my vessel, I wouldn't." Oneof the men in the boat, the one who didn't wear earrings, choked, and,finding the captain's baleful glare on him, took a quid of tobacco fromhis mouth and tossed it overboard as though it were to blame for hisseeming mirth. "No, that boy's on your boat, I tell you," continued thecaptain sorrowfully. "He was seen a-climbin' down into her. Of course, Iain't sayin' as you knew anything about it; that ain't likely, 'causeit's agin the law to harbor deserters; but he's there, I'll take myoath. And so you just let me come aboard and talk to him kindly. I'mlike a father to him, and I can't think what's got into his head to makehim act this way. Pull in, Johnnie."

  "Hold on!" cried Nelson. "I've told you that you can't come aboard, andI mean it!"

  The captain's smiles vanished and gave way to a very ugly scowl whichdwelt impartially on the four boys.

  "Mean it, do ye?" he growled. "And I mean to have that boy. I've got thelaw on my side, let me tell you that, you young dudes, and I can haveyou put in jail!"

  "Look here, Mr. Whatever-your-name-is," said Dan impatiently, "you'retalking a whole lot of nonsense. Can't you see that we haven't got yourboy, and never saw him? If we did have him, you might have reason tokick, for I'm hanged if I'd give him up to you!"

  "You're lying!" cried the other angrily. "He's in the cabin! You go lookand see if he ain't."

  "No use in my looking," answered Dan carelessly. "Nelson's been down,and there's no place anyone could hide there. You haven't seen anythingof his plaguey boy, have you, Nel?"

  Nelson had been fearing that question, and for an instant he foundhimself in a quandary. He didn't mean to lie about it, and in spite ofthe fact that the captain evidently had the law on his side, as heclaimed to have, he hated to give the boy up. Already suspicion wascreeping into the captain's face when a way out of the quandarysuggested itself. Nelson looked thoughtful.

  "Well, it doesn't seem possible," he said slowly, "that he could be inthe cabin without my seeing him, but what the captain says is so, Iguess. If he is here, I suppose it's our duty to give him up. There's noharm in being sure, anyhow, and
so I'll take a look around down there.Is he big enough to make a fight?"

  "Fight? Him? No; he ain't got the spunk the Lord gave a duck!" answeredthe captain disgustedly. Nelson's manner had imposed on him thoroughly."But when you find him you call me and I'll get him out in a shake. Iknew you didn't want to obstruct the law, boys."

  "Oh, I guess he isn't worth going to law about," laughed Nelson. "I'llsee if he's there."

  He turned and made for the door. Bob was still at the wheel. As hepassed him he whispered softly: "_Ready!_"

  He disappeared, and Bob slowly, idly turned the wheel.

  "He ain't a bad boy," said the captain, no longer frowning, "but he'sdreadful stubborn. I told his mother I'd make a man and a first-classsailor of him, and I mean to do it, but it's-- Hi! Stop her! You comeback here!"

  The quiet throbbing of the engine, running light, had suddenly changedto a deeper note; there was a quick churning at the stern as thepropeller lashed the water, and on the instant the _Vagabond_ shot atfull speed in a wide curve toward the entrance of the harbor.

  "I'll have the law on you, you robbers!" shouted the irate captain ofthe _Henry Nellis_, shaking his big fist after them. "If you don't stop,I'll have every last one of you arrested. Hear me, do you?"

  Dan knelt on the seat and put his hands to his mouth.

  "Say! You go to thunder, will you?" he bawled.

  "Hush up, Dan!" said Bob. But he smiled, nevertheless, as hestraightened the _Vagabond_ for a run through the channel. Back of themthe little boat was bobbing erratically in the wake of the launch, andthe captain was still hurling invective after them. Nelson put his headout of the cabin and viewed the scene with satisfaction.

  "Is he du-du-du-du-down there?" asked Tom excitedly. Nelson nodded.

  "What?" cried Dan. "The kid's on board? Well, I'll be blowed!" Then hesat down on the stern seat and laughed till the tears came. "Oh, say,this is great! And there I stood, lying up and down to him! Say, don'tyou know he's peeved?"

  "Well, you didn't know he was here," said Nelson, "so you weren't reallylying."

  "Pshaw!" said Dan. "I'd have said the same thing if I had known. Itisn't lying to fool an old brute like that!"

  "A lie's a lie, no matter who you tell it to," answered Tom.

  "Look out for that schooner coming in, Bob," Nelson cautioned. "When youpass the Point, swing her straight across the bay. We'll try forProvincetown, seeing that I told him we were going to Duxbury."

  "Hello!" cried Dan. "Look there!"

  The boat containing the captain of the _Henry Nellis_ was returning asfast as oars could send it, and now it was alongside the tugboat and thecaptain had leaped aboard her.

  "What's he up to?" muttered Dan.

  The _Vagabond_ was dipping her nose into the waves of the bar.

  "Oh, he's beaten," said Tom, "and he knows it!"

  "Like fun he does!" cried Dan. "They're casting off the tug, and he'sstill aboard. I'll bet you anything----"

  "Nonsense!" exclaimed Nelson.

  "Nonsense be blowed! He's after us in the tugboat!"

  Dan turned and faced the others with a broad smile.

  "Now for some fun!" he chuckled.

  At that moment the _Vagabond_ swung around the Point and shook herselfclear of the harbor waters. But over the low sandspit a sudden cloud ofblack smoke floated upward, showing that the captain had taken up thechase.