CHAPTER XII
A MUTUAL SURPRISE
"Davy Jones!" gasped Joe Weldon, as he too looked into the boat he hadtowed to the derelict, and saw the man. "Another passenger!"
"And a dead one, too, I reckon," added Abe, grimly.
"Let's make sure," suggested Tom. "We must get him aboard here, unlessthat boat is better than the derelict. Maybe we had better take tothat."
"No," decided Joe, after a careful look. "She's stove in, and only herwater-tight compartments keep her afloat. It wouldn't be safe to getinto her. Our own craft is better."
"Then we must get him aboard here," went on Tom. "That is, if he'salive."
"And we must get some of that drinking water out of the boat, too,"went on Abe. "It's just what we need."
"Maybe there's food, also," suggested Joe. "It's a good find all right,even if the boat is a wreck."
"Is my daddy in it?" asked Jackie.
"No," replied Tom sadly. "But, Jackie I'll tell you what we're goingto do. We'll make a little house out of part of that boat, and we cansleep in it."
"Really and truly, Tom?"
"Surely."
"And we can camp out?"
"Yes. Now you go away up, on that high part of our ship and stay therewhile we pull the sick man out of the boat."
Tom put Jackie on the highest part of the derelict over which the wavesdid not break. In fact, now that the sea had gone down, their situationwas not so bad, for they were getting dry.
"Come on now, mates, all together," proposed Joe. "We'll haul the manout first, and then see what's in the boat that's of any use to us. Alltogether, now!"
It was no easy task to get an unconscious man from the boat, nearlyawash, to what might be called the deck of the derelict. But theymanaged it, and he was made as comfortable as possible.
"Some of that canvas will come in handy," remarked Joe, as he pulled alarge piece of it from the lifeboat. "And here are two kegs of water,and some cases of tinned food. We won't starve, or die of thirst, rightaway."
"Right you are, mate," agreed Abe. "Now if we could only get this boatup on the derelict, we might use the planks for making a shelter, asTom said. Let's try."
It was even harder work than hauling the unconscious passenger up onthe deck, but the sailors knew their business, and with Tom to helpthem and taking advantage of the swell of the sea, and an occasionalbig wave, they did manage to get the wrecked lifeboat up on thederelict by hauling on ropes attached to her.
"And it's a good thing we didn't try to go to sea in her," commentedAbe, as he looked at the holes stove in the craft. "Even with thewater-tight compartments we couldn't have gone far. She must have beenrammed by some of the wreckage after this man was in her. Do you knowhim, Tom?"
"Yes, I know him," was the quiet answer. "Let's get the boat a littlehigher up."
"All together--heave!" cried Joe, and they worked the craft farther upon the derelict.
"There's an axe!" cried Tom, as the bottom of the lifeboat becameexposed, when the water ran from her through the rents and gashes."That will come in handy."
"That's what," agreed the sailors.
Now that they had their prize secure, they turned their attention tothe passenger who had so unexpectedly come to them. He seemed to bestill unconscious, but Tom, feeling of his wrist, detected the movementof a pulse.
"He's alive," he said.
"Then the sooner we get the water out of him the better," spoke Abe."Though I don't believe he got much into him, for he was sitting highin the boat, and she hadn't shipped so very much."
Then they began to work over the unconscious man, Tom thinkingmeanwhile of the irony of fate that had again thrown him into contactwith the character in whose life he had played so strange a part.
"He's coming around," announced Joe, after a bit.
"Yes, I guess so," assented Abe.
The man sat up. His eyes roved about as though he could not understandwhere he was. He looked first at Abe, then at Joe, and then soughtlittle Jackie, who was seated on the highest part of the derelict whereTom had sent him. Then the gaze of the man went to Tom's face.
Over the countenance of the man came a tinge of fear, and Tom smiledgrimly. He saw the features of the man as they had been on the daywhen he came aboard the _Silver Star_ in such a hurry--a smooth-shavenface--the face on which Tom had seen the man adjusting a false beard inhis stateroom that day.
The mysterious passenger gasped. Then he said:
"You--you here--Tom--Tom Fairfield?"
"Yes, I'm here, Professor Skeel," announced our hero calmly, as hefaced the former Latin instructor of Elmwood Hall--the teacher againstwhom he had led such a successful revolt. "I'm here, and I'm surprisedto see you here."
"No more--no more than I am to be here--and to see you," came the grimanswer. "It's a mutual surprise I fancy."
"Yes," agreed Tom simply.
"Do you know this man?" asked Joe. "This Mr. Trendell?" for, somehow,the sailor had learned the name by which the renegade professor hadgone.
"I don't know him by that name," spoke Tom, "but it doesn't matter Ifancy. We have other things to consider now."
"All right," agreed the sailor. "It's none of my affair. Only when aman goes by two names--"
"What business of yours is that?" snapped Mr. Skeel, with a return ofhis old, overbearing classroom manner.
"Nothing, of course. But I've got a right to make a remark, and whoeveryou are, I'd remind you that we've saved your life."
"And what's more," went on Abe, "we're all equal here. We're not onboard a ship now, and there's no captain, unless we elect Tom here,which I vote we do."
"Second the motion," came from Joe. "How's that, Captain Tom?"
"I--I'll not serve under him!" muttered Burton Skeel. "I won't takeorders from him."
"Then you can go adrift again, and shift for yourself if you like,"spoke Joe sharply. "The majority rules here, and Abe and I vote forCaptain Tom."
"Oh, I don't know enough about a ship to be captain," spoke our hero.
"You don't have to know much about a ship to navigate this water-loggedcraft," said Joe. "Captain we've voted you, and captain you'll be.There has to be some one to give orders, and you're him. If thisProfessor Skeel, as you call him, or Mr. Trendell, as we knew him,doesn't like it he can go elsewhere."
"Oh, I suppose I must give in," said the new passenger bitterly.
"That's all that need be said," commented Abe, "and if you've got asecret you can keep it. We won't ask any questions, will we mate?"
"Not I," growled Joe. "Now then, Mr. Trendell--"
"You might as well call me Skeel," said the owner of that name. "SinceTom Fairfield knows me there is no use trying to hide my identity. Notthat I have anything to conceal," he added hastily.
"All right," agreed Joe. "Now then, let's make this lifeboat fast ina little better shape, and then we'll chop off some of the planks andbuild a sort of shelter. Then we can think about breakfast--that is ifthe captain says so."
"Surely," assented Tom with a smile. "Do as you think best. You knowmuch more about it than I do."
The two sailors busied themselves, while Jackie looked on interestedly.Mr. Skeel, who was rapidly regaining his strength, after a drink ofwater, and a bite of biscuit and meat, crawled to Tom.
"Are--are you going to inform on me?" he asked.
"Certainly not," replied our hero. "I'm done with you. I have no wishto trouble you further. I think you acted very unfairly toward ourclass, and what you did to my friend Bruce Bennington was criminal, buthe does not want to prosecute you, so neither do I."
"You little knew the temptation I was under," said the former professorhumbly. "I make no explanations, but I will say that I have decidedto live a better life. I was going to try in a new country to redeemthe past. I had no idea you were on the _Silver Star_ when I engagedpassage under another name, and when I saw you, after I had disguisedmyself, I was greatly startled. I kept to my room, and even thought ofadopting anothe
r form of false beard and moustache so you would notknow me."
"I recognized you," said Tom simply. "However, you need not fear me. Iwill say nothing, and I hope that you can better yourself in your newsituation. That is all that need be said."
"I suppose so," spoke Mr. Skeel gloomily. "This is a bad beginning fora new life, though--a wreck."
"How did you come to get in the boat?" asked Tom.
"I hardly know. There was so much confusion. I came up on deck afterthe crash, and waited for the order to get into the boat. Some onehelped me in. I was the only one in it when the second crash came,and suddenly the boat seemed to fall into the sea. I received a blowon the head, and then I knew no more until I found myself aboard thisderelict. I suppose I must thank you for saving my life."
"Not at all. It was Joe who swam out and brought in your boat. I amsorry for you. We will say no more about it. There is a hard enoughtask ahead of us as it is, to save ourselves."
"Do you think we can?"
"I don't know. It all depends on whether we can get to an island wherethe natives will be friendly enough to give us aid, or if we are pickedup by some vessel. We will hope for the best. We have food and water,but not much of a craft under us. However, since your boat is here,possibly we can make some kind of a structure to shelter us."
The two sailors, with the piece of canvas that had been found in thelifeboat, and with some pieces of lumber which they managed to chop outof the derelict, were constructing a shelter on the after portion ofthe wreck--on the highest part.
"Oh, Tom!" called Jackie, who sat beneath this improvised awning, "comeunder my tent!"
"I will," answered our hero with a smile.
"And bring me something to eat," commanded Jackie. "I'm hungry. I wantmy breakfast, and I want my daddy. When will he come, Tom Fairfield?"
"I don't know. Soon, I guess. Now we're going to play at soldiers,camping out, and we'll have breakfast in our tent. Won't that be fun,Jackie?"
"Indeed it will. Hurry up, Tom!"
Tom smiled sadly, as he collected some food and water from where thestores had been put. And yet, in a way he was glad he had this littleboy in charge now, for it kept him from brooding over his own troubles.
"I don't see how I'm ever going to rescue dad and mother when I'mwrecked myself," reflected Tom. "But it's too soon to give up yet," andhe closed his teeth grimly, to keep back the tears that wanted to come.