CHAPTER XXIX ONE LAST HOPE!
Nicky, held, as he was, between two pairs of strong arms, with Mr.Coleson on one side of him and Tew on the other, saw that LieutenantSommerlee, with his two patrols in the cutter, was “in a fix.” It wasplainly to be seen that the naval man did not dare to open fire, becauseof the threat to Nicky; nor did he dare to approach.
The lieutenant had prolonged the parley, making offers and trying, bythreat, by pleading, by persuasion, to induce the desperate crew of _ElLibertad_ to see reason, to give themselves up.
Nicky had somewhat loosened the rope around his wrists, but he did notlet this be known because he knew that he could not make his escape andhe wanted to save his strength for a surprise at a more advantageoustime.
Tom, flopping his wet, naked body onto the after deck and tumblingunceremoniously into the cockpit, turned every man’s attention in thatdirection.
“So help me!” shouted Tew, “it’s a mermaid—no, a merman—what’s comefloppin’ aboard.” He released one of Nicky’s arms and crawled aft. DonOrtiga still kept Nicky covered with his weapon, a menacing glow in hiseyes. All of the crew crouched because they did not want to risk thechance of an unexpected shot from the cutter. Crawling to where theengineer was rocking the flywheel, getting the engine to start again,Tew confronted Tom.
“What brought you aboard?” he demanded.
“I came to be with my chum!” declared Tom. “If you’ll let me get Mr.Coleson’s jumper out of the engine locker, I’ll thank you.” Tew noddedand Tom secured the jumper with which to cover his body.
Lieutenant Sommerlee saw the naked body land on _El Libertad_ andrealized that it was Tom’s, but did not see why the boy had deliberatelygone into danger.
However, as attention seemed to be distracted from him he seized theopportunity to make a sign to the man at the cutter’s engine and thatsailor, with careful hand, advanced his throttle, so that the engine gotmore gas and picked up. The cutter began to nose in to closer quarterswith the white boat.
At the same time Senor Ortiga drew a weapon and pointed it toward Tom.
“You come forward,” he commanded. “Tew—or somebody—tie him up.”
“All right, if you think I can do any harm,” said Tom quietly, “but takethat handkerchief out of Nicky’s mouth. What can he do by talking thatcan hurt you? It’s simply cruelty to gag him!”
“Take it out!” snapped Don Ortiga. “We don’t intend to be cruel, but youfellows are interfering with us and we are going to use you to cover ourescape—then we will see what to do with you later.”
“All right,” agreed Tom, pretending to extend his arms toward Tew.
“Keep away!” shouted Senor Ortiga to the cutter.
But she had headway and was coming on. Lieutenant Sommerlee had decidedthat he must risk the possibility of harm to the boys—he held that theywould hesitate a long moment before they would stain their hands with acrime against life.
In that he was right, because the most hardened criminals are reallycowards and, unless maddened or morally perverted, they will be moreafraid of death than of imprisonment, and will weigh their chances ofescape to the last instant before actually committing a major crime.
Nicky, seeing that his chance might have come, suddenly wrenched hisshoulder out of the grip of the sailor, at the same instant giving thesailor a thrust with his hands, and ripping them free of the rope. Thesailor staggered, being off balance in his crouching position; hecannoned against Don Ortiga.
Tom, fastening the strap of the jumper he had donned, saw Nicky’s move,and, being upright, saw Lieutenant Sommerlee rise in the cutter and takeaim at one of the men.
With a catlike leap he sprang against Tew, knocking him off his feetagainst the engineer; the two men clutched one another for support.
Tom, his plan of action made sure, had seen a wrench lying on the floor.For this he reached; he got it in his hand and arose. He turned towardthe engine. The wrench rose in the air and came down with all Tom’sforce, sidewise, toward the carbureter.
But Tew had divined his purpose and with a superhuman effort caught theswinging arm and by his superior strength diverted the blow enough sothat it clanged harmlessly against the water-cooling outer casing of themotor.
Tom, seeing the futility of his blow, released the wrench.
As he sprang back there came a report from the cutter.
But at the same instant Don Ortiga fired back, crying“Down—flat—everybody!” They all crouched.
“Jump—Nicky!” cried Tom. “Jump overboard.”
Nicky leaped onto the cushioned side seat and tried to elude thegripping hands. Tom, on his end of the cabin floor, made a similareffort. The engine roared as contact was made, and the _Libertad_,gathering headway, swung her nose and made straight for the cutter.
Lieutenant Sommerlee and his two men were firing, but while woodwork inthe cabin window sashes flew in splinters, they had to fire carefully soas not to touch the two boys.
Tom and Nicky were struggling, each caught by the legs. They strovemanfully against the heavy odds, but while the men dared not show theirheads, or expose their bodies to the fire from the cutter, they coulddrag at the boys in safety.
The uneven struggle lasted only a moment and the boys were lying,pinioned, panting, helpless on the cabin floor.
The _Libertad_, veering suddenly, made a sweeping curve, turning asidefrom the cutter. In the position which the cutter was faced, cominghead-on, she had to pass astern of the _Libertad_ before her men couldcontrol the tiller and turn her rudder.
Nicky and Tom, lying on the floor, could not see; but they heard thefoul words of the _Libertad’s_ crew and saw the flashes of theirweapons. Directed against the three in the cutter, their superior firewas a menace that Lieutenant Sommerlee could not overcome; before hecould, under the circumstances, get the cutter around, _El Libertad_ wasracing, full speed, for the channel that led outward. The cutter cameon, but the _Libertad_ had the headway and the advantage of her straightcourse while the cutter had to swing in a wide circle before she couldtake full advantage of her speed.
“You boys will be sorry for what you tried,” grated Don Ortiga.
“We’re sorry now,” said Tom shortly. “We are sorry that we tried to getaway.”
“Yes,” panted Nicky, “we ought to have succeeded.”
He turned his head toward Tom, his lips shaped words, but only Tom,reading his lips, got the message.
“There’s only one hope,” Nicky’s lips formed, “Cliff!”