CHAPTER XIII
A RESCUE IN MID-OCEAN
Dick found that he could remain on the deck only with the greatestof difficulty. Several life lines had been stretched around andhe clung to one of these.
"What has happened?" he asked of one of the sailors. "What did westrike?"
"Struck a small boat," was the answer. "It had a colored man init. We've just hauled the fellow on deck."
"Is he all right?"
"No; he's about half dead. But the captain thinks he may get overit, with care," and the sailor hurried away.
Dick now saw several men approaching, carrying the form of therescued one between them. He looked at the unconscious man andgave a cry of amazement.
"Alexander Pop! What a strange happening!"
"Do you know the man?" questioned Captain Cambion.
"I know him very well," answered Dick. "He used to work at themilitary academy where my brothers and I were cadets." And theboy told Captain Cambion the particulars of Alexander Pop'sdisappearance from Putnam Hall. "I am glad that I will be able totell him that his innocence is established," he concluded.
"All providing we are able to bring him around to himself, MasterRover," returned the captain gravely.
"You think, then, that he is in bad shape?"
"I hardly know what to think. We will take him below and do allwe can for him."
It was no easy matter to transfer Pop to one of the lowerstaterooms, but once placed on a soft berth the Rovers did allthey could for him.
"It is like a romance," said Sam, while Randolph Rover wasadministering some medicine to the unconscious man. "How thin helooks."
"He's been suffering from starvation," put in Dick. "I suppose hegave that yell we heard with his last breath."
All of the party watched over the colored man with tender care,and feeling that he could be in no better hands the captain lefthim entirely in his friends' charge. "When he comes to his sensesyou can let me know," he said.
Dick was watching by Pop's side, and Tom was at the foot of theberth, when the colored man opened his eyes. As they rested onfirst one Rover and then the other he stared in utter astonishment.
"My gracious sakes alive!" he gasped. "Am I dreamin', or am Iback to Putnam Hall again?"
"Neither, Aleck," replied Dick. "You are safe on board an oceansteamer."
"An' yo'--whar yo' dun come from?"
"We are passengers on the steamer," said Tom. "You were picked upseveral hours ago."
"Yes, but--but I can't undersand dis nohow!" persisted thecolored man, and tried to sit up, only to fall back exhausted.
"Don't try to understand it, Aleck, until you are stronger," saidDick. "Would you like some hot soup?"
"Anyt'ing, sah, anyt'ing! Why, I aint had, no reg'lar meal inmost a week!" moaned the sufferer. "Glory to Heaben dat I amsabed!"
And then he said no more for quite a long, while.
The soup was already at hand, and it was Dick who fed it slowlyand carefully, seeing to it that Pop should have no more than hisenfeebled stomach could take care of, for overfeeding, so Mr.Rover had said, might kill the man.
The next day Pop was able to sit up, although still too weak tostand on his legs. He was continually praising Heaven for hissafety.
"I dun Vink I was a goner more dan once," he said. "I was on deocean all alone about a week, I reckon, although I lost time obdays after I'd been out two or Vree nights. I Vink I was mostcrazy."
"Perhaps you were, Aleck," said Sam. "But tell us how you got inthat position."
"Dat am de queerest part ob it, Master Rober--de queerest partof it. I got into de small boat fo' a sleep, and de fust Ving Iknowed I was miles an' miles away from eberyt'ing; yes, sah-milesan' miles away on de boundless ocean, an' not so much as a fishin'smack sail in sight. Golly, but wasn't I scared--I reckon I dunmost turn white!" And Aleck rolled his eyes around impressively.
"You were in a small boat attached to some steamer?"
"Dat's it. Da had been usin' de small boat fo' surnt'ing, andleft her overboard."
"Were you cut adrift?"
"I don't tink I was--but I aint shuah nohow."
"What boat was it?"
"De Harrison, from Brooklyn, bound to Cuba."
"Did you ship on her after you left Putnam Hall in such a hurry?
"I did, cos I didn't want de police to coted me. But, say, astrue as I stand heah--mean sit heah--I aint guilty of stealin'dem watches an' t'ings, no I aint!"
And Aleck raised both hands earnestly. "Captain Putnam made agreat mistake when he dun suspect me."
"We know it," answered Dick quietly. "We thought you innocent allalong, Aleck."
"T'ank yo' fo' dat, Master Rober--I'se glad to see dat I'se gotone friend--"
"Three friends, Aleck--we all stood up for you," interruptedTom.
"T'ank yo', t'ank yo'!"
"And we discovered who the real thief was," added Sam.
"Wot, yo' dun found, dat out!" burst out Pop. "An' who was deblack-hearted rascal?"
"Jim Caven."
"Dat cadet wot tried to be funny wid me an' I had to show him hisplace? Hol' on--I dun see him comin' from de attic one day."
"When he must have put those stolen articles in your trunk," saidTom. "Yes, he was guilty, Captain Putnam was going to have himarrested, but he got away."
Nothing would do for Alexander Pop after this but that the boysgive him the full particulars of the affair, to which he listenedwith the closest attention. But at the conclusion his face fell.
"Ise mighty glad I am cleared," he said. "But I'd give a gooddeal to face de cap'n--jest to see wot he would say, eh?"
"He said he was sorry he had suspected you," said Dick.
"What a big fool dis darkey was to run away!" murmured Aleckmeditatively. "I wasn't cut out fo' no sailer man. Ise been sickmost ebery day since I left shoah. By de way, whar is dis shipbound?" he went on.
"To Africa."
"Africa! Shuah yo' is foolin', Massah Dick?"
"No, I am not. We and our uncle are bound for the Congo River."
"De Congo! Dat's whar my great gran' fadder dun come from--so Iheard my mammy tell, years ago. I don't want to go dar, not me!"
"I don't see how you are going to help yourself, Aleck. The firststop this steamer will make will be at Boma on the Congo River."
"'Wot am I to do when I gits dar? answer me dat, chile."
"I'm sure I don't know. Perhaps the captain will let you remainon the Republique."
"What wid dern Frenchmen? I don't t'ink I could stand dat. An'what am yo' going to do in Africa?"
"We are going on a hunt for my father, who has been missing foryears."
Again Aleck had to be told the particulars and again he wastremendously interested. When the boys had finished he sat insilence for several minutes.
"I've got it-jest de t'ing!" he cried suddenly.
"Got what?" asked Tom.
"De right idea, Massah Tom. Foah gen'men like yo' don't want togo to Africa widout a valet nohow. Let me be de workin' man fe decrowd. I'll take de job, cheap,--an' glad ob de chance."
"Hullo, that's an idea!" mused Dick.
"Will yo' do it, Massah Dick?"
"We'll have to speak to my uncle about it first."
"Well, yo' put in a good word fo' me. Yo know I always stood byyo' in de school," pleaded the colored man. "I don't want to bedriftin' around jess nowhar, wid nuffin to do, an' no money comin'in--not but what I'll work cheap, as I dun said I would," headded hastily.
A little later Randolph Rover joined the group and Aleck'sproposition was laid before him. Strange to say he accepted thecolored man's offer immediately, greatly to the wonder of theboys, and from that minute on Pop be came a member of thesearching party.
"I will tell you why I did it," explained Randolph Rover to theboys in private. "When we get into the jungle we will need a manwe can trust and one who is used to American ways. Moreover, ifthere is any
spying to be done among the natives the chances arethat a black man can do it better than a white man."
"Uncle Randolph, you've got a long head," remarked Tom. "No doubtAleck will prove just the fellow desired." And Tom was right, aslater events proved.