CHAPTER III
"SHE'S LIKE A WARSHIP BELOW."
As the captain left the cabin the boys looked at one another withoutspeaking, for some minutes.
"What do you make out of him?" asked Bert, who was the first to breakthe silence.
"Sure enough pirate" said the Midget, confidently. "Gee, did you see hisface?"
"Yes, he evidently has a very bad temper and it will be well for us notto cross him too far," said Harry, thoughtfully; "but I don't propose tostay on this ship any longer than is necessary, whatever her mission,and I shall keep my eyes open for a chance to get ashore, or to signalsome passing vessel."
"Well, we cannot do anything in the escape line to-night, so we might aswell take his advice and turn in," said Bert, with a yawn.
An inspection of the stateroom showed a very comfortable room fittedwith two narrow bunks on each side. They were neatly made up, and thelinen was fine and clean. Thoroughly worn out, the boys prepared for bedand for the time cast their troubles aside.
As they were about to jump into their bunks, a slight grating noise washeard. They all stopped and waited in silence. There was no furthersound. It seemed to have come from the cabin beyond. After a second'sthought, Harry stepped quickly out of the stateroom and to the door thatled to the deck.
"We are no longer guests," he said, quietly, as he turned back into thestateroom and jumped into his bunk with resignation.
"What do you mean?" asked Bert, in a whisper.
"I mean that we are prisoners," answered Harry. "The door of the cabinis locked on the outside. That is the noise we heard. However, we can donothing to-night, and as I am very tired and sleepy I am going to turnin."
"Say, Hal," said Mason, in an awed tone, "what are we up against?"
"Search me," replied Harry, in a sleepy voice. "We may be able to learnsomething in the morning. Let's go to sleep now. We may need all ourwits by and by."
Notwithstanding the mystery of their situation the boys were soon fastasleep, and when they awoke, the sun was streaming through the portholes of the cabin. The steamer seemed to be moving along on an evenkeel. Apparently they had ridden out the storm of the night before.Harry was the first to spring from his bunk. He hastened to the cabin,his first impulse being to try the door and see if they were stillprisoners. He started with surprise when he reached the outer room. Atthe table in the centre sat the captain working at some maps and papers.He looked up pleasantly as Harry entered.
"Good morning," he said cheerily, "did you sleep well after yourducking?"
"Perhaps we should have slept better if we had not been locked in,"answered Harry, a little surprised at his own temerity.
The man laughed good-humoredly.
"Oh, that should not have disturbed you," he said. "You see we did notseem to understand each other very well last night when I left you. Ithink we shall do better to-day. Now what do you say to some breakfast?You have slept pretty late. It is twelve o'clock. There are yourclothes. You all better tumble out and get dressed. I am hungry myselfand just about to turn in. I have been on deck all night. The storm haspassed, and we are making very good time on our voyage, you will be gladto hear, no doubt."
All the temper of the night before had disappeared, and the captain wasagain the big, bluff, good-natured man that had first impressed theboys. There was nothing to do but to follow his advice and watch fordevelopments, and Harry, putting aside any thought of further pryinginto the affairs of the mysterious ship and her strange skipper for thepresent, returned to the stateroom and began to dress. The captain wentto the door of the cabin and called. Again the same man answered with arespectful salute.
"Tell the cook to serve breakfast."
"Aye, aye, sir."
These words seemed to be the extent of the man's vocabulary. The boyssoon learned that it was the only spoken formula of the ship's crewunless in reply to questions, which were rarely asked. The captain'swords were commands. He ruled the entire ship's company with a power asabsolute as that of a monarch. But the yoke did not seem to gall. Themen's obedience was the sort that is given to one loved and honored.
By the time the boys had gotten into their clothes, which had beencarefully dried and pressed, they found that breakfast had been spreadin the cabin. It was as tempting as a meal at home. The hard tack of thenight before had been replaced by an omelet, hot biscuits, friedpotatoes, and a steaming pot of coffee, which from previous experiencethe boys knew to be good. The savory odor of the food appealed stronglyto their appetites, and for the moment they forgot everything exceptthat they were very hungry and that there were good things to eat athand. The captain took his place smilingly at the head of the table, andthe Midget whispered to Harry:
"He's not such a bad sort, after all. I wonder what kind of a pirate heis, anyway."
"Sit down, boys, and buckle to. Hard tack does not stay long by you, butI told you last night I only eat what I give my men so that I couldoffer you nothing better then. I hope you will enjoy your breakfast. Ihave a very good cook. Used to sub at the Waldorf but got into a littletrouble on shore and is trying the sea. Stuck his mate under the ribwith a carving knife and is taking a voyage with me for the benefit ofhis health."
"Aren't you afraid he might do the same to you some time if he lost histemper?" asked Mason, looking at the captain with his eyes as big assaucers. He did not like the idea of sailing with a desperado of thatsort.
"Oh, no," answered the big man, carelessly; "I should stick first, youknow, and then it was in self defense that the blow was struck. Let megive you some of this omelet. You will find it as good as any you couldget at home."
The boys looked at the strange man in wonder. They could not make outhis character. But they ate their breakfast with a relish just the same,and the captain entertained them with tales of the sea that made themalternately laugh at his drollery or wonder at his daring. Not that heever brought himself into the stories, but the boys knew that he was thehero of the adventures which he related, because they felt that he wouldhave acted in just the way his heroes did. There was a strange air aboutthe man that attracted them to him. They felt that he would be a firmfriend and an unrelenting enemy. They liked to be with him, liked tohear him talk, liked to see him smile, but they all felt that theyshould dread to incur his anger.
He was rough and unpolished, but he dressed like a dandy. He hadevidently changed his clothing since coming off watch, for he wore atbreakfast another flannel suit and low, patent leather shoes. Histrousers were carefully creased and turned up. He resembled more, inappearance, a prosperous broker than the captain of a steamer whosemysterious character made him seem all the more out of place aboard.When they had finished breakfast he took a gold cigarette case from hispocket, and offered it to the boys.
"Smoke?" he asked, carelessly.
The boys declined with thanks. The captain stretched himself and yawnedas he rose from the table.
"Now, young gentlemen," he said, "I am going to turn in. Make yourselvesat home. I take it that I have your word that you will not concernyourselves with that which does not concern you."
"That depends upon how you construe the remark," said Harry, promptly."I should prefer to remain a prisoner in this cabin than not to use mysenses to my own advantage. For one, captain, I shall not promise exceptthat I will not do anything that might be considered prying into youraffairs. We feel sufficiently under obligations to you to prevent usfrom taking advantage of your hospitality. It might be proper for me totell you, though, that I shall make every effort to get off your ship.Not that I object to your company, but because we all feel that we oweit to the folks at home."
The captain laughed. He did not seem at all annoyed at Harry's frankstatement.
"Begorra, I like you for your honesty. Go on deck and get the air. Youwill find that I have not much to fear in the way of losing your companyjust at present. Believe me, though, youngsters"--here he became seriousagain--"if I could do so--with--what shall I say--with safety, I shouldbe only t
oo glad to put you ashore and to relieve the anxiety of thosewho are waiting for you. But in this matter I must be the judge, forthere are more persons involved and more interests at stake in thevoyage of the _Mariella_ than you can conceive. But I will put norestrictions on you. Go on deck and amuse yourselves as well as you canand make the best of the situation. Before we part company you willunderstand my position better. Wait, I will introduce you to the mate."
He stepped to the cabin door and called:
"Suarez."
"Aye, aye, sir," came the prompt response, and a small man appeared inthe doorway.
"Suarez," said the captain, "these are the young gentlemen we picked outof the sea last night. They are rather unwilling voyagers, for whichthey cannot be blamed. Take them on deck and let them have the run ofthe ship."
The mate looked up quickly at the captain in a questioning manner, as ifhe would like to protest, if he dared. The captain smiled.
"The run of the ship, Suarez," he repeated, as if in answer to theunspoken protest.
Again the mate saluted, and turned gravely to the deck, followed by theboys. He was a small, swarthy man, in great contrast to the captain. Helooked like a Spaniard. His hair was black and he wore a mustache andgoatee, and his small, black eyes were as alert as a cat's and seemed totake in everything at once in all parts of the ship. His expression wasone of keen shrewdness, but there was a look of care and anxiety thatsoftened it. His actions and manner were those of a man who does notwish to attract attention. As they reached the deck he turned to theboys, and bowing, said with a slight foreign accent:
"Good morning, young gentlemen. I hope you rested well after yourunfortunate experience. The captain says you are to have the run of theship. Make yourselves at home, and if there is anything that I can do toadd to your pleasure, pray call upon me without reserve."
His voice was soft, and he spoke with a great politeness of manner.
"He's too smooth," whispered Mason. "He will bear watching."
The mate did not seem inclined to further conversation. He bowed again,waved his hand as if to indicate that the ship was theirs, and turnedand walked to the bridge.
The boys looked around them. There was nothing to be seen but an expanseof water. There was not a sign of land or a vessel. The storm of thenight before had subsided, except that the waves were still runninghigh under a brightly shining sun. Harry put his hand to his eyes toshade them, and scanned the horizon in every direction, but there wasnot even a speck to be seen.
"The captain was right when he said there was not much danger of losingour company," he said, as he finished his observation.
"Unless we jump over and swim for it."
"What would we swim for?"
"I am very well satisfied to keep the planks under my feet and wait forsomething to turn up."
"Me, too," piped the Midget. "Let's make a round of the ship."
The steamer was comparatively small. In the darkness of the night andthe storm, and viewed from the little sloop, she had looked like anocean liner as she suddenly came upon them. Everything about her wasspick and span. The decks were as clean as holy stone and water couldmake them, and all the brasswork shone brightly in the sun. The decksseemed strangely deserted. Suarez, the mate, paced the bridge stolidly.On the forward deck two men were on lookout. In the pilot-house a sailorstood at the wheel, while behind him stood a man whose eyes roamedconstantly from the compass to the horizon.
The boys walked to the gunwale and looked over at the broad expanse ofsea. For some time no one spoke. Each was thinking of the worry andanxiety that those at home were suffering.
"Say, Hal," said Bert, finally, "what do you make out of this craft? Ofcourse it is out of the question to think of a pirate in these days, butthere is certainly some mystery about this steamer and her captain."
"Did you notice he said that if he could do so with safety he would putus ashore? What does that word 'safety' mean? There is no danger fromthe elements, he admits. What other danger threatens him if he goesashore? There is some mystery here and as we have become a part of it itis up to us to find out what it is."
"Yes, but how?"
"By keeping our eyes and ears open is all I can suggest now."
"Let's go forward and take a look around."
The boys strolled along the deck that narrowed into a passage aboutthree feet wide as they reached the forward house, which apparentlycontained the petty officers' rooms. In the centre was the door thatopened into the engine-room. Only the upper works of the big engineswere visible. The boys stopped. A man, evidently the engineer, or one ofhis assistants, sat on a leather-covered seat facing the levers andindicators. He looked up for a moment from the paper he was reading, andnodded to the boys with a smile, and then returned to his readingwithout a word.
"Fine morning, sir, after the storm," said Bert.
The man nodded again without raising his eyes from his paper.
"Cheery lot of conversationalists," said Bert, in disgust, as they movedon.
At the forward end of the house was the galley. As they reached this ablack, woolly head popped out of the open half-door. The negro grinnedwidely and quickly drew back his head.
"Good morning, Sambo," said the persistent Bert.
The negro bobbed his head, and grinned still more broadly, but did notspeak a word.
"All lost their tongues," said Bert.
Just forward of the deck house a small hatch stood open. It led to anarrow iron ladder that ran almost perpendicularly down into the darkdepths below. The boys peered into the blackness without being able todistinguish anything.
"I am going down," said Harry, after a moment's pause.
He stepped over the edge and placing his foot on the first rung of theladder, began to descend with great caution. The others watched himanxiously until he disappeared in the darkness. They waited at the hatchfor a long time before he reappeared. When he did he climbed out with aserious face and drew his companions away to the other side of thesteamer's deck.
His expression indicated that he had discovered something of more thanordinary interest.
"What is it?" whispered Bert, when they were out of range of the galleyand engine-room.
Harry leaned toward his companions impressively as he answered in anawed tone:
"Say, fellows, she's a regular warship down below."