The Shadow Passes

  CHAPTER XXIV OVERTAKING A SHADOW

  Once again it was night. The wind had gone down with the sun. The sea wascalm. On board the Oriental ship there was a strained air of tenseexpectancy.

  "I can't understand what's keepin' 'em here," MacGregor said in a lowtone to his young companions. "It's plain that they're scared stiff ofthat seaplane. Looks like they'd heave anchor and be away any minute. Andif they do--" There was no need to finish. Both Johnny and Rusty knewthat this would mean a trip to the Orient under circumstances strangerthan any fiction.

  "They seem to be waiting for something," said Johnny.

  This was true. All the little brown men not stationed at posts of dutywere standing along the rail looking away toward the distant shores thatwere lost in the night.

  "They'll be back," MacGregor said, thinking of the men on the seaplane."Looks like it's a race against time. But what are they waiting for?"

  It was not long until they should know. As they stood there, nervesa-tingle, listening, a distant confusion of noises came to them.

  "If there were a war," said MacGregor, "I'd say it was rifle andmachine-gun fire."

  This notion was too fantastic to be seriously considered. But what wasit?

  Second by second the sound increased in volume. "Can this be what they'relooking for?" Johnny asked.

  If so, these little men welcomed it in a strange manner. Short, sharpcommands were given. Scores of men went into frenzied action.

  "Look!" Rusty gripped Johnny's arm. "They're lowering my boat into thewater."

  "And it's got gas in the tank. All ready to turn over and start. Ifonly--"

  "That's motors we're hearin'," MacGregor broke in. "A thunderin' lot of'em! I shouldn't wonder--"

  "MacGregor," Rusty seized his arm, "our boat is in the water. They areall crowding the rail again. This may be our chance."

  "So it may," the old man agreed. "Follow me. Not a sound!"

  "I'll get Kopkina," offered Johnny. "I just saw him on deck."

  Dodging behind a life-raft Rusty and MacGregor went scurrying along inthe dark and Johnny and Kopkina soon joined them.

  "It--it's just here," Rusty whispered.

  "We--we need a rope ladder," Johnny exclaimed low.

  "Here's one," came in MacGregor's cheering voice. "Let her over easynow."

  "Now," he breathed. "Over you go."

  The speed with which they went down that ladder, all but treading on oneanother's fingers, would have done credit to the U. S. Navy.

  "Now I'll cut her loose," said MacGregor. "All right, Rusty, turn herover."

  The fly-wheel whirled. The splendid motor began a low put-put-put. Theywere away into the dark.

  "They'd have trouble findin' us," MacGregor murmured.

  "But listen!" Johnny exclaimed.

  The sound of many motors had doubled and redoubled. Just as they wereabout to swing around the prow of the ship, something long, dark andsilent shot past them.

  "The Shadow!" Johnny exclaimed.

  It was true, this was the Shadow. But at last the Shadow was not going toescape. After it thundered a powerful speedboat and as she shot past themthe excited trio saw a burst of flames and caught the rat-tat-tat of amachine gun.

  This was followed instantly by a wild scream from the Shadow whichsounded very much like a sign of surrender. At the same time the seaseemed fairly ablaze with lights from many boats.

  Johnny's head was in a whirl. What was happening? Without knowing why shedid it, Rusty seized him by the arm and held him tight while shescreamed, "Johnny! It's wonderful! Wonderful!"

  What had happened may be quickly told. When Blackie and his crew failedto return, and Rusty as well, there had been consternation about thecannery. There was little use searching Bristol Bay in a fog. When,however, Dan MacMillan appeared in his seaplane, they went into action.Red McGee climbed into the cockpit and they were away. They had circledfor an hour when they sighted the Oriental ship.

  As they flew over it Red McGee experienced no difficulty in getting theunusual signals Johnny and Rusty had set up for him. He recognized theboxing forms of both Rusty and Johnny.

  Realizing that his daughter would be on board that ship only against herwill, he went into a wild rage. He demanded that the seaplane be landedclose to the ship and that he be allowed to "tackle the whole lot of 'emsingle-handed."

  To this young MacMillan, would not consent; for, in the first place, thesea was too rough for a landing and in the second, he was not willing ashe later expressed it, "To see a good man commit suicide by tackling ahundred Orientals single-handed."

  He had flown back to their base. By the time they reached the cannery,Red had cooled off.

  "I want every last boat gassed up for an emergency run," he commanded."Any of you men that have guns, get 'em loaded and ready. There's acouple o' whale-guns up at my cabin. You, Pete and Dan, get 'em an' seethat they're loaded. We'll show 'em."

  They were about ready for a start when Blackie and his men arrived on thescene.

  "Blackie," Red exploded, "they've got Rusty and your boy, Johnny. They'reholdin' 'em captive. Come on! We'll start a war!"

  For once, Blackie did not say, "No." After they had turned the small,blue bear loose in a sheet-metal tool-shed he climbed into DanMacMillan's speed boat, dragging Red and Lawrence with him, and they wereaway.

  It was this speedboat that had spied the Shadow. They had given it chaseand had, as you have seen, at last, after sending a volley of machine-gunbullets across its bow, overhauled it.

  The Shadow was the very craft that had been awaited by the Oriental ship.Had it put in an appearance two hours sooner, the ship must surely haveweighed anchor and our story might have been much longer. As it was, theOrientals were destined to wait a long, long time before lifting theShadow on deck, if at all.

  While Johnny and Rusty looked and listened, the whole cannery fleet,every small deck bristling with guns, surrounded the ship.

  Having overhauled the Shadow, Blackie placed it in charge of anothercraft, then came gliding in alongside the _Krazy Kat_.

  "MacGregor," he said in a husky voice, "tell me what happened." MacGregortold him. Hardly had he finished when a small motor launch carrying threelittle brown officers arrived. The officers were fairly aglow with goldand braid.

  "A thousand pardons," their leader began. He was allowed to go nofarther.

  "Listen!" Blackie stood up. He was dressed in corduroy trousers and aleather jacket. His face was working strangely.

  "Listen," he repeated. "No apologies, not a thousand, nor even one. I'lldo the talking." His voice was low. "I know why you're here. To catch ourfish. You sank our boat. You have an hour to get your ship headed out ofBristol Bay. We'll take that Shadow of yours with us. We caught herlifting nets inside the three-mile limit. That makes her a fair prize.

  "As to the sinking of the _Stormy Petrel_, I shall make a completereport. The matter shall be taken up by our diplomats.

  "I might add, for your further information, that a law is now before ourCongress making Bristol Bay United States waters, open to our fishermenalone. It will pass. If you care to come back next year we will meet youwith three destroyers.

  "And now, gentlemen," he doffed a ragged cap, "I bid you good-night."

  Clicking their heels, without a single apology, the officers saluted,then the power boat lost itself in the shadows.