CHAPTER VII
"WHERE'S PETERS?"
The _Seamew_ had passed through Balabac Strait and was standing out intothe reef-strewn South China Sea, on the last leg of her course, when ithappened.
That afternoon the diving suits and pumps had been broken out and put inorder, after which the grinning Kanakas and Jerry Smith had given Martand Bob some practical lessons in dressing up in the cumbersomewater-tight outfit, and in working the pumps. In the evening they hadsat up late with Captain Hollinger, talking rifles and ammunition, andthey were weary enough to sleep soundly.
Mart's porthole was open that night, as usual. He woke up suddenly tofind the setting moon streaming in across his face, and got up to hang atowel across the open port, in order not to exclude the fresh air. As hedid so, he heard the ship's bell forward strike eight bells, and knewthat it was midnight.
There came a faint pad of bare feet forward--the watches being changed.Then, as he stood for a moment gazing out at the moonlit sea, he heardthe deep voice of the second mate, Liverpool Peters, who had apparentlyjust taken charge of the deck.
"All right, Mr. Swanson. I'll keep a sharp eye on that chart.Sou'-sou'-east by a half east it is."
Mart went sleepily back to bed and thought no more of it. He knew thatthey were in dangerous waters, but the yacht had a splendid outfit ofcharts and there was no danger for her among the coral reefs. He waswakened at dawn, however, to find Bob pounding on his door.
"Hey, Mart!" came the voice of his chum excitedly. "Tumble out here."
Mart growled out an unintelligible reply, but Bob resumed his pounding,so the wireless operator reflected that there must be "something doing."Hastily flinging on his clothes, he opened the door and gained the deck.
"Well, what's up, Holly? Why, it's hardly dawn yet!"
"Shut up an' come along to the bridge!" exclaimed Bob. "Dad's upthere--Joe Swanson came an' roused him up just now. That's what woke meup."
"Well, what's the matter?" demanded Mart vigorously. "We ain't struck areef, have we?"
"I'm not quite sure myself, Mart. Swanson said something aboutLiverpool, so mebbe he's had another scrap. I heard dad tell him to callall hands, then he was out on deck like a house afire, and I came afteryou."
"Much obliged, old scout," chattered Mart, for the dawn was cold. Whilethey talked, they had been hastening forward, and now they scrambledhastily up to the bridge deck, where they found everyone but theengine-room crew assembled. Jerry Smith was at the wheel, and he waggedhis head solemnly at the boys, but they were too excited to notice him.
Pushing through the crowd, they entered the chart house. CaptainHollinger was seated at the table, but merely glanced at them with anod. Swanson and the old rheumatic seaman Borden stood before him.
"Yes, sir," the mate was saying, and Mart noticed that his burly, ruggedface looked queer. "He was all right at eight bells, sir. Borden was atthe wheel when the port watch came up, an' Liverpool put Birch there inhis place."
"All right, Borden," returned the captain quietly. "You may go. TellBirch to step in here."
The boys glanced at each other, pale-faced. Each was exceedingly anxiousto know what had happened, but at sight of Captain Hollinger'stight-lipped mouth and drawn face, they dared ask no questions.
The one-eyed Birch came in, ducking his head respectfully.
"When did you last see Mr. Peters, Birch?" asked the captain.
"At six bells, Cap'n. Mr. Peters said he was goin' below for a drink,but he didn't come to the bridge again, sir."
"You heard nothing suspicious?"
"Nothin', sir."
"Who else was on the bridge?"
"The quartermaster, sir."
"Send him in here. You may go."
Birch left. The two boys again met each other's eyes, hardly able tobelieve what they had heard. Then old Jerry shuffled in.
"Quartermaster, did Birch leave the wheel about six bells?"
"No, sir--he wasn't off the bridge at all, sir."
"Hm!" Captain Hollinger leaned forward, fixing his eyes on the oldseaman. "Look here, Jerry. What do you think happened to Mr. Peters? Didhe meet with foul play?"
Jerry hesitated, glancing at the open door. Swanson moved forward andclosed it.
"No, sir, I don't think as he did," returned Jerry slowly. "The mendidn't like him, Mr. Hollinger; I will say they fair hated him, but notso bad as that, sir. Take Birch there--he's threatened Mr. Peters' lifebefore now, sir, but that's no more'n fo'c'sle talk, sir, as you knowvery well. No, sir, I think that Mr. Peters went below to get a drink,as Birch said, and in some way fell overboard. Me and Birch was on thebridge, and the rest in the port watch are Kanakas."
There ensued a brisk discussion, in the course of which the horrifiedboys learned that some time during the night the second mate hadvanished. The ship had been searched, but he was not aboard her, nor hadthere been any sign of struggle. Remembering the scene which they hadwitnessed between Peters and Birch, Mart immediately suspected theone-eyed seaman, while Swanson openly announced his belief that thesecond officer had met with foul play; but in no long time all suchthoughts were sent flying, when the engine-room crew came up forquestioning.
Two of the Kanaka stokers, both of them simple, frank-faced fellows whowere above all suspicion, stated that they had come up on deck for abreath of air shortly after six bells and had seen Peters standing bythe stern rail, looking down at the swirling waters as they rose fromthe churn of the propeller. Having no business in that part of the ship,they had gone forward again.
"I think there's no doubt of it," exclaimed the captain at last, evenSwanson nodding gloomily. "Poor Peters must have either committedsuicide, or else he fell overboard. Stand by for another hour, Mr.Swanson, then put the ship on her course again."
Only then did the boys become aware that the yacht was retracing hercourse in the vain effort to pick up her lost second mate. Later on thatmorning, when all hope had been given up, Bob and Mart sat in thewireless house and talked over the matter in sober earnest. As gladly asthey could have suspected Birch, however, they agreed that there was nofoul play involved.
"Your dad's no fool," declared Mart positively. "He sized up everythingpretty square, and Swanson didn't overlook anything either. Joe is soreat Jerry for something--prob'ly suspects him of being a pirate."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised myself," asserted Bob. "Poor Liverpool!He was a fine chap, for all his rough ways. Still, there's no doubt thatBirch was innocent. I shouldn't wonder if Liverpool got moonstruck andjust pitched overboard. I've heard of that happening before, Mart. Lookout--there's old Jerry coming aft now."
Sure enough, Mart looked out to see the slightly stooping figure of theold quartermaster coming aft to the wireless house. Jerry entered,ducked his head in silent greeting, and said nothing for some moments.After his pipe was filled, he looked out at the ocean, glittering in themorning sun, and then turned to glance solemnly at the two boys.
"Mystery o' the sea, lads--wave after wave! Fish down below, lads, andus up above. Fish tell no tales, fish tell no tales! Poor LiverpoolPeters, he's--"
"Look here, Jerry," exclaimed Mart, breaking in abruptly on the oldman's talk and forcing the bleary blue eyes to meet his. "I'd like toknow just how much stock to take in your talk. How long is it since youand the rest of 'em were shipmates together aboard the _Coralie_, eh?"
Mart fully expected that Jerry would break out into vehement denial, andmight even be surprised into making some admission. Bob, also, while nolittle astonished at his chum's unexpected attack, nodded his supportand craned forward as he watched the quartermaster.
But to their mutual disconcertion, old Jerry's face did not change, savefor a slight widening of his blue eyes as they met the hard gray ones ofMart. When he replied to the question, it was with a little chuckle asof inward amusement.
"Well, well! So you lads have heard about the old _Coralie_, hey? Thereain't many in these seas as haven't, 'cause why, men are bound to talk.Only fish tel
l no tales, lads. Aye, the old _Coralie_ was a sweet littleschooner, she was! But that was all years ago--and now she's lyin'ninety fathom deep, lads, off the South Lyconia reef. Not very far fromhere, neither, where she went down."
Mart sent a blank gaze at his chum, as Jerry replaced his pipe in hismouth and gazed calmly out at the ocean. This cool reception of his bombwas dismaying to say the least; but Bob came promptly to the rescue, andmore successfully.
"Why do they call you Shark Smith, Jerry?" he asked carelessly.
This time the boys scored visibly. The quartermaster's position did notchange, but his bleared eyes suddenly flashed out quick and keen andbright, while his wrinkled old face lost its gently benignant expressionas his firm mouth snapped shut on his pipe. This was not the first timethe boys had seen that swift alteration of his features; and now itpassed as quickly as it had passed before. Jerry turned slowly andlooked at them, a slow smile crinkling up his eyes.
"Why, lads, ye main surprised me, ye did that! How come you to learnthat old Jerry was called Shark Smith, now?"
"Oh, we heard about it," laughed Mart carelessly. "What's the reason,Jerry?"
The quartermaster chuckled again, tapped down his pipe, and repliedfrankly.
"Well, lads, I like both o' you, so I'll tell you. You mind me tellin'you about that there Pirate Shark, one day?"
They answered his questioning look with a nod.
"Well, when we was in the old _Coralie_, tradin' among the islands anddoin' a bit o' pearl-fishin' on the side, we met up wi' that therePirate Shark. He nipped two of our men, he did, and I been chasing himever since, lads. I'm goin' to get him, an' I'm goin' to lay him outwhere he won't kill no more men, lads. My mates know this and that's whythey call me Shark Smith, 'cause why I've been after that there PirateShark for a long time. Now I'm goin' to get him this cruise."
Mart's eyes flashed suddenly. He thought he understood everything now.
"So that's why you've got that dynamite aboard!" he cried accusingly."You lied to Captain Hollinger about that river having gold, just toget--"
"Tut, tut, lad!" Under Jerry's reproachful glance his words died away."No, I told no lies, lad. That river has gold in it all right. I'm goin'to get the Pirate Shark, and the cap'n gets the gold concession. Ain'tthat fair, lads? Ain't that fair, I asks you?"
Mart looked into the reproachful blue eyes an instant, then nodded. Hesuddenly felt ashamed of suspecting this gentle, half-crazy old man ofany wrong. It lay plain before him now--the Pirate Shark had killed twoof Jerry's shipmates, years before, and ever since that time the oldquartermaster had been pursuing his enemy, until it had become a fixedmania with him. After all, he did not blame old Jerry so very much, hethought.
Bob also was quite satisfied now, as appeared after Jerry had slouchedaway below again and the two boys talked over the matter.
"By juniper, Mart," exclaimed Bob, "I guess dad was right. We werefoolish to suspect old Jerry. He's got a bug about killing that PirateShark, see?"
"Sure he has," agreed Mart at once. "He's a little bit touched in thehead, Holly, but that's about all. Did you notice that he never budgedan eyelash when I shot out the _Coralie_ at him?"
"Uh-huh," nodded Bob thoughtfully. "So the _Coralie_ was just a tradingschooner among the islands, eh? That straightens out things pretty well,Mart. I s'pose she was a pretty tough craft, like most of 'em were inthe old days, and prob'ly she did a little pirating on the side. Butjust as dad says, there aren't any pirates any more. Especially on the_Seamew_. Believe me, we've been knocking at the wrong door."
"Looks like it to me," assented Mart. "Let's just forget the wholething, Holly, and call it square. I guess there's no doubt that poorLiverpool fell overboard, either. But if Jerry got that dynamite putaboard to kill the Pirate Shark, I see where we're going to have somefun, Holly!"
"Say, that's right!" Bob sat up suddenly, looking at Mart. Then theyboth grinned.
"We'll let your dad get off after his tigers, an' when he gets backwe'll have some surprising news for him, eh?"
"You bet!" agreed Bob, chortling.
But if Mart had been able to look into the future, he would hardly havegreeted the prospect with such unalloyed delight. For old Jerry Smithwas not quite so crazy as he was credited with being.