CHAPTER XIV
ON A GULF STEAMER
"Well, now for a life on the ocean wave!" came from Tom.
"Und a houses on der rollings deeps," put in Hans.
"And may the enemy be captured in short order," came from Harold Bird.
"All well enough to hope that, but I am afraid we have some workbefore us, perhaps something we won't like," said Dick, seriously."Those men know that the prison is staring them in the face, and theywill do all in their power to escape. If cornered they may put up astiff fight."
"Well, we can put up a fight too," answered Sam.
The conversation took place on the forward deck of the _Mascotte_,a gulf steamer running from Mobile to Tampa and other points on theFlorida coast. Two days had passed since the boys had arrived at BaySt. Louis and in that time they had accomplished several things ofmore or less importance.
It had been an easy matter to obtain all possible information fromSolly Jackson, and for the time being the fellow was in the hands ofthe law, awaiting further developments. He had promised, if the otherswere captured, that he would give evidence against them, and in returnfor this Dick and Harold Bird said they would be easy on the carpenterwhen he came up for trial.
The gasoline launch had been raised without much trouble and towedto a shipyard, where she was to undergo repairs. The craft was notdamaged a great deal, but would need a new gasoline tank and somenew seats. Fortunately the gasoline supply had been low at the timethe fire broke out, otherwise those on board would have been blownsky-high.
After numerous inquiries Tom and Sam Rover had learned that Pold,Todd, and Dan Baxter had taken passage for Tampa on a schooner namedthe _Dogstar_. The vessel carried a light load of lumber consignedto a firm that was erecting a new winter hotel on Tampa Bay, andexpected to make a fairly quick passage across the gulf.
The Rovers and their friends had taken the train from Bay St. Louisto Mobile, after first sending messages to Mrs. Stanhope, Mrs. Laning,and the girls. At Mobile they had just been in time to catch the_Mascotte_ and had been equally fortunate in securing several vacantstaterooms.
"We'll head them off this time," said Tom, yet this was by no meanscertain, it depending somewhat on the quickness of the trip made bythe lumber schooner. The _Mascotte_ was by no means a first-classsteamer, and it had been a question, the day before the voyage wasundertaken, if she had not better be laid up for repairs to her engineand boilers. But of this our friends knew nothing.
As soon as the trip was begun Dick and Harold Bird had an interviewwith the captain of the steamer and told the latter how anxious theywere to get track of the _Dogstar_. To their dismay, however, thecaptain proved to be anything but agreeable and said he could notbother himself over their personal affairs, even when offered pay todo so.
"He's a regular lemon," said Tom. "I don't think he'd do a favor foranybody."
"And this steamer is a tub," answered Sam. "I shouldn't wish to travelvery far in her."
Yet with it all the boys felt in pretty fair spirits as they gatheredon the deck and talked matters over. But in less than an hour theywere in open rebellion.
They went to the dining room for dinner and were served with foodthat was scarcely fit to eat. As they had paid for first-classaccommodations all found fault.
"Waiter, bring me some meat that isn't burnt," said Sam.
"And bring me some that is fresh," added Harold Bird.
"And bring me a cup of coffee that is worth more than ten cents apound," came from Songbird. "This is nothing but mud."
"Even this bread is next door to being sour," said Fred.
"Yah, dis vos der vorst tinner vot I efer see alretty!" was Hans'comment. "I vos make a kick py der cabtain, ain't it!"
"Sorry, gen'men," said the waiter. "But dat meat am de best we have,an' dar ain't no udder kind ob coffee an' bread, sah!"
"Whose fault is it, the cook's or the captain's?" asked Tom.
At this question the waiter shrugged his shoulders. Then he leanedover and whispered into Tom's ear.
"Wish yo' would make a kick--I hates to serve sech food--'deed I does!"
The boys left the table half hungry and so did the other passengers.Dick walked up to one of the others.
"Don't you think we ought to make them serve us with better food?"he asked, flatly.
"I do, sir," was the answer of the passenger. "But the cook said itwas the best he had. He said we might go to the captain or to anybodywe please. He is going to leave the boat when we arrive at Tampa."
Without more ado Dick, Harold Bird, and about a dozen others soughtout Captain Fretwood, who was in his private cabin.
"What is it?" demanded the officer, eying the crowd sourly.
"We have come to complain of the food served at dinner," said Dick."It was so poor we could not eat it."
"Oh, the food is all right," answered the captain in an overbearing tone.
"No, it is not all right," put in Harold Bird.
"We paid for first-class accommodations and we want first-class food,"put in Tom, with spirit.
"That's the talk," came from several in the crowd.
"See here, I am not to be dictated to by a lot of boys!" cried CaptainFretwood, angrily. "We are giving you good food, and that is allthere is to it."
"It's a fraud!" cried Sam.
"A downright imposition," added Songbird.
"Our tickets read 'First Cabin with Meals,'" said Fred. "Those mealsaren't good enough for steerage passengers. Unless you give ussomething better--"
"Ha! do you threaten me on my own ship?" bellowed the captain.
"We certainly do!" said Dick, as Fred glanced at him questioningly.
"I can put you in irons for it, young man!"
"No, you can't. We are not going to touch you or any of your crew.But unless you serve us with first-class food from now on I, for one,shall make a complaint against you as soon as we land, and have youarrested."
At this announcement the face of the captain of the _Mascotte_ grewpurple with rage. He stepped forward as if to strike Dick. But thelatter stood his ground, looked the irate officer full in the eyes,and the man paused.
"We have had trouble enough without your adding to it," said HaroldBird. "We ask only that which is due us."
"The young man is perfectly right," said an elderly passenger. "Thefood is horrible. If he makes a complaint to the authorities I shallsustain him."
"So will I," added several.
"All right, have your own way," grumbled the captain. "I see you arebound to get me in a hole. If the food wasn't good it was the faultof the cook."
"He says it is your fault, and he is going to leave you at the endof this trip."
"Bah! Well, we'll see. If he can't serve the food properly cookedI'll be glad to get rid of him."
After that an all-around discussion ensued, lasting quarter of anhour. Led by the boys the passengers were very outspoken, and as aconsequence the next meal was fairly good, although not exactlyfirst-class.
"We tuned him up, that's certain," said Sam.
"I am glad you did," said a passenger sitting opposite. "I was afraidI should be starved to death before we reached land."
"He'll have it in for us," said Fred. "Every time he looks at me heglares like a wild beast."
"We'll keep our eyes open," said Dick. "But I don't think he'll doanything. He knows we were in the right. I reckon he's more of atalker than anything else," and in this surmise the eldest Rover wascorrect.
During the afternoon a heavy mist swept over the gulf and the speedof the _Mascotte_ had to be slackened. Two men were placed on watchbesides the pilot, but they could see little.
"This is going to delay us still more," said Tom, and he was right.About six o'clock they came near crashing into another steamboat,and after that the forward movement was almost checked entirely.
All on board felt it would be a night of more or less peril, andconsequently the trouble over the meals was forgotten. The captainpaced the deck nervously
, and the pilot and other watchers strainedtheir eyes to pierce the gloom.
"I must say, I don't feel much like turning in," remarked Sam. "Ican't tell why it is, either."
"I feel myself as if something unusual was in the air," answered Tom.
"Boys," said Dick to his brothers, "if anything should happen, sticktogether."
"To be sure," came from Sam and Tom.
"But do you think something will really happen?" added the youngestRover.
"I don't know what to think. I know this steamer is worse than anold tub, and I know that the mist is getting so thick you can cut itwith a knife."
"I wish we were on shore again, Dick."
"So do I."
"Py chiminatics!" came from Hans. "Owit on der deck you can't seeyour face before your nose alretty!"
"Of course you know what this means, Hans," answered Tom, who wasbound to have a little fun in spite of the seriousness of the situation.
"Vot does dot mean?"
"You know they have great earthquakes down here, and great volcanoes."
"Vell, vot of dot?"
"When it gets so misty as this then look out for a fearful earthquakeand a great volcanic eruption."
"You ton't tole me!" gasped the German youth. "Say, I ton't vont noearthkvakes, not much I ton't!"
"Maybe it won't do much harm--only sink the ship," put in Sam, takinghis cue from Tom.
"Sink der ship? Den ve peen all drowned, ain't it? Say, Sam, howkvick you dink dem earthkvakes come, hey?"
"Oh, some time to-night," answered the youngest Rover.
"Mine cracious! Ve peen all killed asleep!" groaned Hans. "Say, Idink I ton't go py der ped, not me!" he added, earnestly.
At that moment came a cry from the deck. It was followed by a thumpand a crash that threw all of the boys flat on the floor of the cabinof the steamer.