The new-comers were by no means pre-possessing in appearance, and wouldhardly have inspired confidence even had their manners been more agreeable.
He who acted as spokesman for the party was a stout man with a very long body and short, bowed legs, that caused him to roll to and fro like a ship in a gale when he walked. It was his nose which attracted the most attention, for it was not only the most prominent feature of a not remarkably pleasing-looking countenance, but so enlarged and red at the end that one could well fancy he had fastened a boiled beet to his face as a partial disguise.
The other American was exactly the reverse in form and feature. He was tall and thin, with a sickly yellow complexion and a little snub nose which looked as if made of putty for a much smaller face—one that might have been bought at auction because it was cheap, if noses could ever be sold.
The Mexican would answer for a type of that class known as "greasers," save for the fact that he had discarded his national costume in favor of a dirty pair of duck trousers and a blue flannel shirt.
In the boys' eyes, at least, the three appeared more like hardenedvillains than honest sailors; and this opinion was strengthened rather than lessened when they were better known.
Although Bob doubted the story they told, he had no proof that it was false; therefore he treated them as if believing every word, and as the first move toward ministering to their alleged necessities had ordered Jim to prepare breakfast.
As a matter of fact, the account which these men gave of themselves was such as could not well be questioned in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
They were a portion of the crew of a turtling-schooner hailing from Nassau; so the red-nosed man had said during the short pull from the beach to the brig. Five days previous their craft put into this cove, and they, with two others, came ashore to search for turtles. At this work they followed around the shore of the key until so far away that night came on before the return journey could be made.
The other two men had traveled in an opposite direction, consequently they were alone, but not at all disquieted at being forced to remain over night on the island, because in their business such incidents were of frequent occurrence. With never a thought of trouble they made themselves comfortable in the thicket, returning to the cove as soon as possible after sunrise.
To their great surprise the schooner was no longer there, nor could the other members of the crew be found. They had been deserted; but why, neither of the party could even so much as guess. The Bonita and thetug were the first crafts the men had seen, and, quite naturally, they lost no time in hailing the crew.
Jim was not an expert cook; therefore the work in the galley was done very slowly. It would have been nearly noon before the second meal could be served had not Harry and Walter assisted to the extent of making the table ready, and afterward carrying the food below.
Bob and Joe had gone about their task of ascertaining the exact condition of the brig in order to form plans for floating her, and Jim was forced to announce breakfast when his culinary labors were ended.
"You've been about it long enough to cook dinner for the President!" the man with the red nose said, in a surly tone. "If I was the skipper of this 'ere brig I'll find a way to make you more lively!"
"Well, so long as you ain't the skipper, but only a sailor what says he's starvin' to death, s'posin' you buckle down to the grub that's cooked, so's I can get the cabin cleaned up!" Jim replied saucily; and before the words were hardly out of his mouth he received a blow on the side of his head which sent him reeling against the rail.
Then, as if the uncalled-for punishment had been a kindly reward for services performed, the red-nosed man led the way below, followed by hiscompanions, who seemed to think that gentleman's method of treating their hosts was something very comical.
Jim was too much surprised to make any outcry. After looking around to learn if Bob had been a witness of the injury he retreated to the galley, soothing his anger by shaking his fist in the direction of the cabin.
"You jes' wait," he muttered, seating himself on an empty mess-kid where he could nurse his sore face. "You jes' wait an' see if I don't fix the whole crowd! Talk about bein' sailors an' then cuffin' the cook when you're goin' to eat aft! I'll bet not one of them villains knows how to reef a jib, an' before they leave this vessel I'll show what I can do."
It is not probable that Jim had any very clear idea as to what kind of punishment he would mete out to this man who had struck him without provocation; but he believed an opportunity of avenging his wrongs would present itself in the near future, and this thought had a wonderfully soothing effect.
Harry and Walter, as attendants upon the guests, were treated with no more consideration than that shown Jim. When the men seated themselves at the table, both boys went toward the companion-way as if to go on deck; but the thin man cried gruffly:
"Stay here, you young cubs! We may need somethin' more, an' in that case you're to bring it!"
Just for an instant Harry glanced at Walter, as if questioning whether they should obey, and then, evidently concluding discretion was the better partof valor, he retreated to one corner of the cabin, where he would be ready to obey the commands of these strange guests.
During the next ten minutes the men ate voraciously—not as if they had been on the verge of starvation, but like pigs; and at the end of that time he with the red nose asked, as he rested both elbows on the table and picked his teeth with a fork:
"Where does this brig hail from?"
"I don't know," Walter replied, after waiting in vain for Harry to speak.
"Don't know? Haven't you got sense enough to tell where you come from?"
"Webelong in New York. While we were at the Isle of Shoals, Jim and Harry and I rowed out to the brig, and found her abandoned. Then the wind sprung up and she ran away with us."
"Where did the old sailor come aboard?" the man asked, after exchanging glances with his companions.
Walter told him in the fewest possible words how Bob had become a member of the party, and also in what condition the Sea Bird was when Joe linked his fortunes with theirs.
"How happened it that you run ashore here?" the Mexican asked, and this question Harry answered.
"Then you've got no more right aboard this craft than we have," the first speaker said, "an' I reckon we'll stick by the ship. Do you know where there's any tobacco?"
"No, I haven't seen a piece except that which Bob has."
"Then hunt for some. In a well-found craft like this there's sure to be plenty."
"We don't know anything about it, and do not intend to look!" Harry said decidedly, as he retreated toward the companion-way, taking up his stand directly in front of Walter.
"I'll have to give you a lesson, the same's I did the other fellow!" the red-nosed man cried in an angry tone. "Are you goin' to obey orders?"
"I'm willing to do any necessary work, but I don't intend to wait upon you!" and Harry tried very hard to prevent his voice from trembling.
"That's jes' what you will do!" the man cried, as if beside himself with passion, and seizing a plate from the table he hurled it with better intent than aim directly at the boys, grasping another the instant the first had left his hands.
The second he did not throw, however. As the crockery was shivered into fragments against the companion-ladder, passing within an inch of Harry's head, Bob appeared at the hatchway.
"What's goin' on in here?" he asked sternly.
"Them boys were givin' us some of their impudence, an' I was showin' 'em the proper place aboard ship, that's all," the red-nosed man replied in a mild, friendly tone, as if he had simply been doing his host a favor.
"Look here, my friend," and it could be plainly seen that Bob was trying hard to control his temper. "It won't be well for you to show any one on this craft what his place is. We took you aboard believin' you weresailors an' starvin'; but we'll set the whole lot adrift mighty quick if I see any more of this kind of work." Then turning to the boys, he added, "Go on deck or stay here, as you choose; but don't play servant to a single person on the brig."
"I allow you're lookin' at this matter wrong," the thin man said in a conciliatory tone, as Harry and Walter ascended the companion-ladder. "We haven't said or done anything out of the way. How was we to know but they was the reg'lar cabin-boys, an' when they insulted us jes' 'cause we'd lost our vessel an' luck was agin us, we only did what you would."
As a matter of course, Bob was not absolutely certain but that there might be some truth in the man's statement, although from what he knew of Harry and Walter it did not seem probable; therefore he said, with less show of anger:
"We'll let the matter drop; but you must understand that the boys are to be treated as I am. The one who acts as cook has been to sea a little, and can stand harder work than the others, who were never on board a vessel before. Neither of 'em are to be bossed or scolded, for all do what they can willingly, an' I'm standin' right by 'em. Now that you've had somethin' to eat, an' ain't sufferin', what do you propose doin'?"
"You're short-handed, even if you had only the brig to look after; sowhat's to hinder our workin' a passage to sich port as you calculate on makin'?" and the red-nosed man spoke very humbly.
"We reckon on leavin' the tug here," Bob replied gravely. "She's aground, an' what's worse, bunged up so bad that three weeks wouldn't be any too long for repairs. 'Cordin' to my figgerin' the brig can be floated reasonably easy; an' with Joe Taylor aboard I can run her to the mainland pretty nigh as quick as if we had more of a crew."
"Do you mean that you don't care about takin' us along?" the slim man asked.
Bob hesitated an instant, hardly caring to say plainly that he had no desire for their company, and then he replied:
"It ain't wholly as I say. Considerin' what has been done, an' that the Sea Bird was disabled through the carelessness of one of my party, Joe has got as much interest here as I, an' he'd have to agree."
"Does he make any objection to helping us out of this hole if we're willing to do our full share of work?" the Mexican asked.
"I don't say he does, 'cause, you see, we haven't made any talk about sich a plan."
"Then find out jes' what he's willin' to do;" and the thin man spoke very earnestly. "We'll agree to obey orders like as if we'd signed articles, an' before the brig reaches the coast you'll be mighty glad of our help."
"Do you know what island this is?" Bob asked as if desiring to change the conversation.
"It's one of the Double-Breasted Keys," the thin man replied.
"On the Bahama Bank?"
"Yes; pretty nigh the northern point of the shoal."
"Then we're not more than three days' sail from Nassau?"
"About that; but you can't get in without a pilot, an' it ain't much further to some port in the United States."
To this Bob made no reply, but turned as if to leave the cabin when the Mexican stopped him by asking:
"Will you say whether we are to be given a passage, or must we go ashore to starve?"
"I'll talk the matter over with Joe. If he's agreed I won't say a word ag'in it, though I'd much rather take the brig in alone." And then Bob hurried up the companion-ladder, as if eager to escape from his guests.
When the three men were alone their entire bearing changed, and the one with a red nose said in a whisper, as he shook his fist threateningly in the direction Bob had vanished:
"We'll whine 'round only till the brig's afloat, an' then if we can't get away in her, leavin' that crowd behind, we deserve to stay!"
"And when we do have a craft of our own we'll pay off some old scores to that meddlin' fool who broke up our little game in Nassau!" the thin man added.
"It will be well if we do not show our hand too quickly," the Mexicansaid. "Without even so much as a revolver, we cannot hold possession in case they should decide to set us ashore."
"What a coward you are!" And he with the red nose spoke in a tone of contempt. "There are only two of them, for the boys don't count, an' marlin'-spikes or belayin'-pins comes as cheap to us as any one else. If we wanted to drive that crowd over the rail it wouldn't be very hard work, unless we two was the same chicken-hearted lubbers you are!"
The Mexican turned upon his heel as if the conversation was decidedly too personal; but he made no attempt to resent the insult, and the thin man said, in a soothing tone:
"You're talkin' sense now, pardner; but we need them fellers worse'n they do us. The brig must be afloat before anything is done."
"Of course she must. You don't think I'm sich a fool as not to think of them tricks. Leave me to boss the job, an' it won't be many hours till we have everything our own way."
Then the three men went on deck apparently the most honest sailors to be found on the sea; and from his place of refuge in the galley Jim watched them distrustfully.
Bob was decidedly disturbed by this desire of the men to be taken fromthe key. If the story they told was true, he had every reason to expect from the first that such would be their request; and yet, now that he began to discern their true character, it was with considerable surprise he learned that they wished to link their fortunes with his, at least to the extent of leaving the island.
"I don't want sich as them around," he muttered as he left the cabin and went forward to where Joe was sitting in the shade of the jib with his chin in his hands, trying to devise some simple plan for pulling the brig into deep water.
"There's no way it can be done except by setting the sheet anchor thirty or forty fathoms toward the mouth of the harbor and working down to it by sheer expenditure of muscle."
"Never mind that just now," Bob replied gloomily, "for there's another question to be settled. What do you s'pose that crowd in the cabin want?"
"I reckon they're counting on our taking them away," Joe replied laughingly. "Most any fellow who had been marooned on this key wouldlike to leave."
"But I don't believe their yarn about bein' left behind, unless they were up to some mischief an' the captain didn't know what else to do with 'em."
"They ain't very pleasant-looking customers, for a fact; but yet they may be honest sailors."
"I don't take any stock in it, or they'd never carry sail as they do. The red-nosed fellow was heavin' plates at Harry when I went below, an' they tried to make me believe the boy had been givin' 'em impudence. Now they promise to do full work if we'll take them with us."
"And I reckon that's just about what you'll have to do, Bob. It would be cruel to leave them here; and, besides, we shall need the whole crowd before the Bonita can be floated. If I could repair the tug in any reasonable length of time, it would be another matter; but since that can't be done, on account of the damage to the steam-chest, there's a good deal of heavy work ahead."
"Then your advice is to tell 'em they can stay aboard," Bob said moodily.
"I don't see what else you can do, more especially since it might be awkward if they should conclude to remain whether we wanted them or not."
Bob was silent several moments, and then he said impatiently:
"I reckon you're right; but it goes mightily agin the grain to take sichcattle as them along. Howsomever, 'what can't be cured must be endured;' but I'll have my weather-eye liftin' all the time, so they'd better keep out of mischief. The sooner we get an anchor over the better, an' I'll call 'em, so's they can give us a sample of their work."
He was spared the labor of going below again, for just at that moment the three men came on deck, and at once made their way forward.
"I hope you ain't goin' to refuse us a chance to give you a lift," the red-nosed man said in a whining tone; and Bob replied, without so much as looking at his guests:
"Joe thinks we haven't got the right to say no; an', besides, we shall need a pretty big force to work the brig off the sand. S'posin' you take hold an' help us lay out an anchor astern?"
"All right! You boss the job an' we'll stand by for every pound of strength we've got."
Since there was no possibility of using the tug, it would be necessary to set about the task as Joe had said, and Bob explained to the apparently willing workers exactly how it was to be performed.
"We've got to lay out the sheet-anchor, backin' it if the holdin'-ground ain't good," he said, addressing his conversation to the strangers, but looking directly at Joe. "She plumped on here pretty strong, I'll allow; but it wasn't more'n half-tide when we struck, an' she oughter be worked off in two or three floods. One of you get the boat around, an' I reckon it won't take very long to make ready for the job."
The yawl was staunch enough to stand up under the weight of thestream-anchor, and while the Mexican was pulling her to the port bow, Bob rove a tackle on the yard-arm by which to raise the heavy mass of metal.
Seeing that some important work was in progress the three boys came to assist; but the old sailor quickly dispensed with their services.
"Stay aft, lads. There's force enough here for this job, an' by 'tendin' to the grub I reckon you'll be doin' your full share."
Neither of the boys objected to this plan. They had good reason to dislike the strangers, and were not desirous of coming in any closer contact with them than was absolutely necessary.
By the aid of the tackle the five men soon had the anchor in the boat with a manilla hawser, one end of which was made fast to the winch, coiled on top.
Then the red-nosed man and Bob pulled the yawl straight away from the brig's stern, while the Mexican hove the fakes overboard as the distance was widened. This portion of the task was slow and wearisome, for the weight of the hawser caused the boat to hang despite the vigorous efforts at the oars; but the desired position was finally gained, and after a great deal of tugging and straining the anchor was dropped.
Joe had two or three turns of the cable around the winch, and all hands began heaving on the bars until the stout rope was fairly taut, after which a sloper was put to it, and the laborers sat down in the shadefor a breathing spell.
The work was now completed until the tide should rise; and then, if the brig could not be pulled off, it would be necessary to break out some of the cargo in order to lighten her.
The most captious could have found no fault with the new members of the crew while this portion of the task was being performed. They pulled and hauled with a will, making no effort to shirk any particularly severe duty, and striving earnestly to finish the job in the least possible space of time.
When the heavy anchor was laid-out astern Joe congratulated himself on this addition to their number, and said to Bob, as they were stretched out on the deck while the strangers had gone toward the scuttle-butt:
"It seems as if our taking them aboard was a big piece of luck. I'll admit that they are not over and above pleasant-looking; but think of the difference in the work. With no one but the boys to help us, you and I would have been all day setting the anchor. Now we've got a good crew of five, and there's no question about our being able to sail the brig."
"You're right, Joe," Bob said thoughtfully; "an' I s'pose I'm a reg'lar old woman. The way they acted at first riled me so much that I couldn't see any good in 'em; but we'd be in a mighty tight place, now the tug is disabled, if they wasn't here."
Then the two discussed matters relative to hauling the brig from her bed of sand, and gave no heed to the strangers, who were amidshipsconversing in low tones, as if fearful of being overheard.
Their consultation was evidently satisfactory to all concerned, for the red-nosed man said, as the question under discussion was brought to a close:
"She'll come away in a couple of tides at the longest. As near as I can make out she only hangs from the waist up, and if the anchor holds, five of us ought to yank her off without much trouble. We must be ready to carry out our plans at a moment's notice."
Then the men separated to walk about the after part of the brig in an apparently aimless manner; but all three met in the cabin a few moments later, much to the discomfort of Walter, who was clearing off the table and putting things to rights generally.
It seemed as if the strangers had not counted on finding any one below, for they looked at each other questioningly a moment, and then the thin man asked:
"Why don't you go into the galley, where you belong?"
"Because it's my turn to clear up the cabin," Walter replied as he continued his work. "Harry is washing the dishes and Jim's cooking dinner."
The boy had no fear of violence since Bob interrupted the scene at the breakfast-table; and, besides, he was engaged in necessary work; therefore after answering the question he paid no further attention to the men, save that he noticed the Mexican walking to and fro, peepinginto such of the state-rooms as were open.
"Well, you needn't stay any longer," the thin man said gruffly. "If you're goin' to live aboard ship the first thing to learn is that you've got no business aft, when any one else is here, except while waiting on the table."
"I can't go till the work is done," Walter replied innocently, as he continued the task with no change of manner save to move more quickly.
"What do you mean by answering in that manner?" the red-nosed man asked angrily as he seized the boy by the collar and dragged him toward the companion-way. "If you don't know your place it's time somebody gave you a few lessons."
Walter was both surprised and alarmed by this sudden attack. It had not occurred to him that he was doing anything wrong by remaining; but the grip on his neck was so strong, and seemingly vicious, that it was certain some terrible punishment would follow, and he screamed loudly for Harry.
Up to this moment it is hardly probable that the man had any idea of doing more than eject him from the cabin, because he did not wish to arouse Bob's anger again; but Walter's screams made him furious, and he boxed the boy's ears half a dozen times with no gentle force.
Matters were in this condition when the other boys came running aft, and one glance was sufficient to call forth all their anger.
"Hi! Bob!" Jim yelled, and Harry rushed boldly into the cabin as he cried:
"If you touch him again I'll knock you down!"
Having been summoned from his labors so suddenly, he had not stopped even to lay aside the coffee-pot he was cleaning, and this now served as a weapon. Raising it above his head he ran forward to strike Walter's assailant; but he had hardly taken half a dozen steps when a blow from the red-nosed man felled him senseless to the floor.
Quickly as all this happened, Bob answered Jim's shrill appeal before another move could be made, and Harry had but just fallen when the old sailor leaped below.
"What mischief are you scoundrels up to now?" he cried angrily as he assumed a position of defense after pulling Walter from the man's grasp. "It seems to me you're playin' a pretty high hand for sailors who have been saved from starvin'!"
"So far we've minded our own business and done all the work we could," he with the red nose said firmly; "but because you've helped us off the key there's no reason why we should take all the airs these cubs choose to put on. After you've heard their story an' cooled down a bit we'll talk with you, but not before!"
Then with a swagger which was probably intended as a show of dignity the man went on deck, followed by his companions, just as Joe came below to see if his services were required.
It was some moments before the little party could discuss the apparentlyserious turn which affairs had taken, for Harry remained as he had fallen, and all their thoughts were centered on restoring him to consciousness.
A vigorous application of cold water soon had the desired effect, however, and in ten minutes after the self-invited guests went on deck he was apparently as well as ever, save for a big red lump under his left ear.
"Do you feel all right, now?" Bob asked as the boy recovered from the bewilderment caused by the blow and began hunting for the coffee-pot, which had rolled under one of the lockers.
"My ear aches pretty bad; but the rest of my body is sound enough, though it's hard to tell how long we fellers will be able to keep on our feet if those starving sailors stay aboard."
"They'll go ashore mighty quick if this kind of work is kept up. Tell us what you did that started 'em?"
"I don't know anything about it." And Harry rubbed his sore ear gently to soothe the pain. "Jim and I came when Walter screamed, and saw thered-nosed fellow pounding him. I was going to take his part with the coffee-pot, but before there was time to strike a blow one of them knocked me down."
Then Walter gave a truthful account of all that had been said and done in the cabin, and Bob thought over the matter in silence several moments before speaking.
"It looks as if they wanted to know what there is below here," he finally said half to himself. "I mistrusted them from the minute they got into the yawl without takin' the trouble to shove her bow off, an' if I ain't mistaken there'll be mischief done before this 'ere brig reaches port!"
"I suppose they think we can't get along without them—which comes pretty near being a fact—and so feel at liberty to ride a high horse," Joe suggested.
"They shall soon know that we'll lay aground all summer rather than let sich a crowd of sharks bully us!" Bob cried angrily. "Come out with me, Joe, an' we'll settle this matter one way or the other mighty quick!"
"Keep your temper somewhere within soundings," the engineer said soothingly, "for they're three against two, and if it should come to a fight we might get worsted."
"If I ain't a match for three sich lubbers as them I'll soak my head in the harness-cask." And with this promise, which savored strongly of boasting, the old sailor went on deck, Joe joining him as he walkedforward.
The strangers were lounging near the forecastle, apparently indifferent to the disturbance which had been made in the cabin. When Bob came on deck they glanced toward him as if there was no cause for angry thoughts, and then resumed their conversation.
"Don't be hasty, now!" Joe whispered. "Talk the matter over calmly, to make sure Walter told the whole truth, and try to find out what they mean to do, before you threaten."
Bob shook his head as if the advice was distasteful; but he followed it, nevertheless. Advancing until he stood opposite the men, he asked in a tone which to make sound calm required considerable effort:
"Will you explain what caused the trouble in the cabin just now?"
"I told one of them cubs to get out—they've got no right below—an' he yelled blue murder when I took hold of his coat to make him obey orders. That brought one of the others, who tried to hit me with a coffee-pot," the red-nosed stranger said without hesitation. "That's about all there is to it. We did jes' as you or your friend would do when a boy aboard ship was impudent."
"Now see here," and it could be plainly perceived that Bob was struggling to keep his temper within bounds, "them lads are here by accident, an' two of 'em don't know what work is, yet they turn to likelittle men. I consider that they've got the same rights on this craft as I have, an' the man who tries to make 'em obey foolish orders is bound to have considerable trouble with me!"
"There won't be any row if they stay in their place an' do a full share of the work," the red-nosed gentleman said very decidedly.
"It ain't for you to say what their place or work is!" and now Bob's temper was gaining the ascendancy.
"That's a matter of opinion," the man said in an offensive tone. "Me an' my mates reckon we've got jes' as much to say on this 'ere brig as you have. In the first place she was abandoned by her proper crew; the cubs were carried off in her, an' you jes' the same as drifted aboard. All you've done toward savin' her has been to run on this shoal. The tug's rightful engineer is in charge, so we've got nothin' to say about her; but we're calculatin' on stickin' to what's as much ours as yours!"
If Bob had been alone it is most probable he would have struck the speaker, and thus precipitated a fight, which very likely was just what the strangers desired; but Joe held him back as he said, in a low tone:
"Keep your temper, old man; this is no time for a row. Wait awhile."
"I'll soon show how much right I've got here!" he cried angrily, struggling to release himself from Joe's detaining grasp, and paying no attention to the wise advice.
"You couldn't do better than begin now," the red-nosed man saidsneeringly as he and his companions put themselves in an attitude of defence. "Talk is cheap when a man hasn't got the nerve to back it up!"
"Have some sense about you," Joe whispered angrily. "Can't you see that a row is just what they want?"
Fortunately for all save the strangers, Bob realized the truth of this remark, and instead of rushing blindly forward to what would have been certain defeat, he stepped back a few paces to the foremast where he could reach a belaying-pin in case weapons became necessary, and Joe continued the conversation by saying:
"This talk about your rights is all bosh. I was in charge of the tug, and picked up this vessel, towing her in here. Any court would recognize my claim as a just one. You wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it came to legal rights, for both crafts had a crew on board, and nobody asked for assistance. We propose to hold our ground, and before proceeding to extremities allow you ten minutes in which to leave this brig. If you go peaceably we will give you one of the Sea Bird's boats and a reasonable supply of provisions; but in case force is necessary, it may be a matter of swimming ashore!"
"A reg'lar sea-lawyer, eh?" the red-nosed man said with a contemptuous laugh, in which his companions joined. "We've told you our ideas on the subject, an' if so be that they don't jes' agree with yours, then Is'pose we'll have to be put ashore—providin' it can be done without too much harm to them as tackles the job!"
This speech afforded the strangers no slight amount of amusement, and as they laughed boisterously Bob seized a belaying-pin with the evident intention of deciding the question at once.
"Be careful," Joe whispered. "Can't you see that they've got the capstan-bars ready for use? We should be knocked over like nine-pins before it would be possible to strike a blow. There may be some fire-arms aft, and if we get hold of them first all the advantage will be on our side."
Bob had turned to follow the very sensible advice when the red-nosed man shouted, this time in a threatening tone:
"Seein's how you've laid down the law for us, I reckon we'd better give you a dose. I don't say you've got to go ashore whether or no, for it's our way to let everybody have a chance. If you're willin' to say that we're on the same footin' as you, share an' share alike, there'll be no trouble. In case you don't look at it in that light, then somebody must take to the island; but it won't be any of us!"
"Don't answer him," Joe said, as he literally pushed Bob aft. "They reckon on settlin' matters by a fight now, when they've got the best of it, an' we must be careful not to do anything foolish."
The old sailor walked swiftly away, as if fearing to trust himself toolong within sound of that mocking voice, and Joe kept close behind him until they were in the cabin, where the boys had remained until the result of the revolt should be determined.
"Sit in the companion-way where you can keep your eye on those men, and sing out if they make any move toward coming aft," Joe said to Jim; and the latter obeyed at once by taking up his position where everything forward of the mainmast came within his range of vision.
Bob's rage was so great that his only desire just now was to enforce authority, and he lost no time before beginning the search for weapons. From one state-room to another he went, looking into sea-chests, overhauling boxes, and upsetting drawers; but nothing more deadly than a sail-needle met his eager gaze. As a matter of coarse, there must have been fire-arms on board the brig when she left port; but those who abandoned her had taken everything of the kind with them.
"I can't find so much as a sheath-knife," he said, coming into the saloon where Joe stood revolving this very serious turn of affairs in his mind. "We shall have to trust our fists and anything in the way of a club that can be picked up, for I'm not goin' to let another hour go by without showin' them villains that we intend to hold possession of this craft."
"But we mustn't act until we've formed some plan," Joe replied. "Tell me just what you propose doing, and I'll stand by till the last."
"I'm going to drive them over the side!" Bob cried, passionately.
"Just now they are stronger than our crowd, and it may be a question as to who goes first."
Joe spoke in a matter-of-fact tone; but it could be seen that he waslaboring under no less excitement than the sailor; and the latter, beginning to realize the weakness of their position, asked hoarsely:
"What do you think we ought to do?"
"Wait awhile till we see how they're going to act;" and then the engineer ascended the companion-ladder to ascertain the condition of affairs forward.
It surely seemed as if those who had been carried away by the Bonitawere to have their cup of trouble filled to the brim. Running ashore on a pleasant night when there was every reason to believe they were near a home port was looked upon as a great disaster at the time; but now it dwindled into a trifle before the dangers which menaced.
There could no longer be a question but that the strangers were ripe for any mischief, even at the expense of a drawn battle, and Joe was inclined to believe they might vanquish his party.
"They're hard tickets, and were most likely marooned here because of their misdeeds," he muttered to himself as he lounged on deck to ascertain if the enemy had made any change of position. "It'll take some mighty neat work to get us out of this scrape, for we can't risk a fight, and it's a question whether Bob can be held in check."
The men yet remained forward, where, in the shadow of the forecastle, they could have the benefit of the light land breeze, and were apparently indifferent as to what move the rightful crew of the brig might make.
Joe stood on the quarter-dock nearly half an hour trying in vain todecide upon some plan which would at least promise success, and then he went below, looking, as in fact he felt, his lack of hope in the final result.
"It's pretty near high water," he said to Bob, who was making one more search of the cabin with the idea that it might yet be possible to find weapons, "and the question is, are we going to lose this tide without making an effort to launch the brig?"
"What can we do?" the old sailor asked impatiently. "It don't stand to reason that them villains would be any more decent if she was afloat than they are now!"
"And before many days there'll come an easterly wind which will drive her up on the sand beyond all chance of ever being launched again!"
"That's jes' what is makin' me almost wild!" Bob cried as he turned and faced the engineer, "She oughter be floated between now an' to-morrow night; but it can't be done!"
"Why not?" Joe asked calmly. "I've been turning matters over in my mind, and don't see the slightest chance of ever being able to drive those men ashore. Wouldn't it be better to join forces rather than lose the brig entirely and be dependent upon sighting some vessel to take us off the key?"
The old sailor looked up as if astonished that such a proposition should be made; but before the angry reply, which was trembling on his lips, could be spoken, Joe said gently:
"Think the whole matter over before you say anything, and take plenty oftime, for we don't want to make another mistake."
Bob looked at the speaker angrily for a moment, and then seating himself at the table with his head in his hands, he remained silent so long that the boys, who were watching him intently, believed he had fallen asleep.
"What's your plan?" he finally asked.
"It isn't what can be called a plan, but, according to my way of thinking, the only course left for us to pursue. We'vegotto make some kind of a trade with those villains in order to get away from this place, and the sooner it's done the better."
"Go out an' see what they'll agree to!" Bob said hoarsely. "I'll stand by any bargain you think half-fair."
Joe did not wait for further conversation. He was eager to take advantage of the tide, and no time was to be lost.
"Look here, Jim," the old sailor said, when the engineer had left the cabin, "if Joe makes a trade with them scoundrels, as I reckon he will, something must be done to prevent you boys from bein' kicked 'round, for we can't have a fight every hour. While the brig is aground you'd best stay on board the tug, so's to be out of the way. When the grub is ready shove it on the table, an' then all three clear out, leavin' us to wait on ourselves. That'll ease things up a little."
While Bob was thus planning to save the boys from brutal treatment, Joe had lost no time in finishing his very disagreeable task.
When he went forward the men did not pay the slightest attention to hismovements, but continued their conversation as if whatever he might do was no concern of theirs. It was not until he halted directly in front of the party that the red-nosed man so much as raised his eyes.
"See here," Joe begun, as if to speak was distasteful; "we've got to come to some agreement, for splitting-up now, when the brig's aground, isn't much better than child's play."
"That's my idee, to a dot!" he of the red nose replied with a leer; "but it ain't us what's makin' the row! We've got rights, no matter if you did bring us aboard; an' what's more, we're goin' to have 'em!"
"We won't discuss that part of it," Joe said curtly. "You know as well as I do that if there'd been two or three more in our party you wouldn't have said a word about rights; but since it's your intention to take unfair advantage of those who tried to relieve suffering, we'll let the matter drop. None of us will gain anything if the brig goes to pieces, and it's for the interest of all hands to have her launched; therefore I've come to make a bargain."
"Well, out with it!" the man said coarsely, as Joe ceased speaking.
"I propose that we turn to, as if nothing had happened, each one swearing to do his utmost toward carrying the brig to the nearestAmerican port, and there the whole matter can, as indeed it must, be submitted to the court for settlement. On your part you agree not to molest the boys in any way, and they are to do nothing but the cooking. We will recognize what I think are your unjust claims until the case is legally settled. No property is to be taken from the vessel, and, so far as possible, everything must remain as we found it."
"An' it has taken you all this time to fix up that agreement, eh?" the man asked, with a boisterous laugh. "I don't see but it amounts to jes' what we wanted at first. Look here, Mister Engineer, you an' Bob have got an idee that we ain't on the square, an' it's a big mistake. When we found you needed our help to work the brig into port, an' couldn't do it alone, we said it was only fair play for us to share in whatever salvage might be made. Now we'll agree to your bargain, 'cause it's nothin' more nor less than what I proposed, an' the sooner we get to work on that hawser the better, 'cause it's about flood-tide."
Joe realized this fact fully, and he went quickly aft for Bob, explaining to him in the fewest possible words the result of his interview.
"I hate to knuckle down to them scoundrels; but I s'pose it can't be helped," the old sailor said as he arose to his feet. "Keep out of the way, boys, so there won't be any chance for more abuse."
To have seen the party five minutes after Bob went forward, one would not fancy there had been any hard feelings among them. The strangers setabout the work with a will, recognizing the old sailor as being in command, and with apparently no other thought than such us was for the benefit of all.
The tide had ceased rising, it being that time known as "slack water," when the capstan-bars were brought into use, and every member of the party exerted all his strength in the effort.
Once, twice, three times the men leaped against the stout bars without making any perceptible change in the brig's position, and Joe began to fancy it would have been as well if he had not humbled himself by making a trade with the strangers.
"Buckle down to it once more," Bob shouted. "It lacked almost an hour of bein' high water when she struck, an' there can't be so very much sand under her bow. Break down once more!"
No one hung back. The red-nosed man appeared to have the strength of a giant, and as he hove at the handles it seemed as if the wood or iron must surely give way under the enormous strain.
"Grind her down!" he yelled, and when one more determined effort had been made there was a decided movement. The bars were started fully a quarter of a turn, and Bob shouted:
"Now's the time, my hearties! Heave around once, an' we're clear of this blessed key!"
Then every man hove down on the bars as the Mexican held turn, and inch by inch the heavy hawser came inboard until the winch revolved readily as the Bonita glided out into deeper water, until she lay clear of theshoal, swinging to the grip of the cable over her stern.
"Hurrah!" Bob shouted, and the others joined in the cheers, causing the boys to come from the galley to learn the reason for such an uproar.
"It's a matter of gettin' that anchor home, an' then when the wind springs up ag'in we can leave this sand-heap behind us," the red-nosed man said in a tone of satisfaction, as he wiped the perspiration from his face before following the example of the others, who had flung themselves at full length in the shadow of the forecastle.
"What about the Sea Bird, Bob?" Joe asked when he had regained his breath sufficiently to talk. "I hate to leave the little craft to the mercy of wind and wave."
"Why don't you swing this hawser right aboard of her?" the red-nosed man proposed. "The owners may think she's worth comin' after, an' she'll lay here comfortable enough, unless it blows a full gale from the east."
The tug was still made fast to the brig, having came off the shoal at the same time, and, save for the huge patch of canvas over her bow, looking as staunch as when first launched.
"That's just what we will do; an' it'll save heavin' up the heavy anchor!" Joe cried. "The Bonita can lay alongside as well as if she was moored, and it won't take us so long to get under way when the wind does come."
As soon as the party had recovered somewhat from the fatigue ofstraining at the winch, the hawser was shifted to the forward bitt on the Sea Bird, and both crafts gradually swung around until they were headed for the open sea.
"We'll have a breeze before morning," the thin man remarked, "for one has sprung up every night since we landed, an' it's safe to calculate on leavin' about midnight."
"After we've had somethin' to eat we'll make ready for it," Bob said as he went toward the galley, for it was fully an hour past noon and the appetites of all were decidedly sharpened.
The amateur cook had everything ready, and the three boys carried the food below without being molested by those whom they quite naturally looked upon as enemies.
Bob gave an expressive look to the boys when the repast had been placedon the table, and all three understood that he meant for them to leave the cabin rather than run any chance of another encounter with the men.
A quarrel just now, however trivial the cause, might lead to very serious consequences, because the guests were unscrupulous and stronger than the Bonita's crew; therefore this precaution of the old sailor's was a wise one. Jim and Harry not only realized the fact, but they were more than eager to be beyond the reach of these quarrelsome strangers, whose blows were bestowed without provocation, and they went into the galley, closely followed by Walter.
"I've sailed along of some pretty tough customers," Jim said with the air of one who has had many and varied experiences, as he seated himself on an empty keg just outside the galley door, "but I never run across anybody like them duffers. They're worse'n old Mose Pearson, an' folks used to say he was the ugliest skipper that ever hove a mackerel-line."
"They act as if the brig belonged to them, and we were the ones who hadbeen taken off the key," Harry said bitterly. "I wish Bob never'd allowed them aboard!"
"So do I!" And Jim spoke very emphatically. "There'll be a heap of trouble before we get rid of that crowd, or else I don't know anything about sich fellers. If they put on many more airs us three will have to sleep aboard of the tug, where we won't run the risk of bein' knocked down."
"We can stand a good deal if they help us get the brig into port," Walter said with a sigh. "I'm willing to be thumped every day for a week if I can get home once more."
"Most any of us would;" and Jim again put on his air of exceeding wisdom; "but the trouble is we can't count on goin' where we want to while they are aboard. I wouldn't be much 'stonished to hear that red-nosed man order all hands, 'cept his own crowd, ashore any minute. I'll be satisfied if, when the next fight comes, Bob hits him one crack hard enough to send more'n a thousand stars dancin' before his eyes. A good thump is the only thing that'll make him walk straight!"
The others would have been equally delighted at such a lesson; but there was not time to say so, for just at this moment Joe called for coffee, and Harry ran below with a fresh supply, after which the boys set about cleaning up the galley preparatory to getting their own dinner.
In the cabin, matters were progressing so favorably that a strangerwould hardly have supposed the party had been upon the verge of an open rupture but a few hours previous. The thin man was particularly affable, and seemed to be thinking of no other subject save that of sailing the brig to the nearest American port in the shortest space of time.
"If you're no navigator, how do you calculate it'll be possible to make the trip?" he asked of Bob, during the course of the meal.
"It'll have to be done by dead reckonin', of course," the old sailor replied in as near an approach to a friendly tone as he could command, for the recent trouble was yet too fresh in mind to admit of his feeling thoroughly at ease. "It don't matter what port we make, an' as it's all plain sailin' after we're clear of the bank, the job oughter be done without much trouble."
"The most important question is, When can we start?" the Mexican said with an odd laugh. "I've had so much of this key lately that I'd like to see it a dozen miles astern just now."
"I fancy we're all of the same mind," said Joe, who seemed to think it necessary he should say something, if only to show he harbored no resentment. "We shan't have long to wait, I hope."
By this time the engineer and Bob had finished the meal, while the others seemed to have hardly begun. It was as if they had some purpose in remaining a long time at the table; but yet one could not have seen in their manner anything to arouse suspicion.
The old sailor and Joe arose from the table and went up thecompanion-way ladder as the former said:
"It's too hot to stay below any longer than a feller is obliged to, an' I reckon you can get on as well without us."
The thin man replied that there was no reason why one should suffer discomfort because others were slow, and by the time he had finished speaking Bob and Joe were on deck, looking with satisfaction at the result of their labors.
"We shan't be hanging round the Bahama banks much longer, my hearty," the old sailor said gleefully. "Now that the brig has deep water under her keel once more, it's only a question of wind."
"I don't suppose it would pay to hang on here until the tug could be repaired?" Joe added half inquiringly, as he went forward where the shadow of the forecastle afforded a most refreshing shelter.
"Indeed it wouldn't," and Bob spoke very decidedly. "In the first place we must get this craft off our hands without loss of time; an' then, ag'in, the sooner we've said good-by to them new shipmates the safer I'll feel. They ain't to be trusted any further'n you can see 'em; but we've got to mess with the crowd till the brig's in port."
Joe looked toward the steamer wistfully. He had suffered so many hardships and been exposed to such great danger in her that it would be almost like parting with an old friend to leave the little craft to rotat her moorings, or be blown ashore when the next gale should come from the east.
While these two were cheering themselves with the belief that in a few hours at the longest the brig would be under way again, those in the cabin were proceeding to make themselves thoroughly at home.
Bob and Joe had no sooner gone on deck than the red-nosed man said, in a whisper:
"Now, Dave, you stay here, where it'll be easy to see if any of them fools come this way, an' I'll make quick work of the search. If the brig's papers are to be found we shall run no risk in taking her anywhere, an' we'll soon set ourselves up for gentlemen."
"Unless somebody overhauls us for that little job down in the channel," the thin man added gloomily.
"Don't be a fool!" was the savage reply. "How is anyone to know we had a finger in that pie? Even if it should come out, we won't be in this part of the world much longer. We can put in to Key West, hire a full crew, and an hour afterwards sail for any port we like best. Come on, Pedro."
The Mexican had already risen from the table, and was noiselessly making his way aft to the room on the starboard side which would naturally have been occupied by the Bonita's rightful captain.
The red-nosed man made haste to overtake him, as if doubtful of his friend's honesty, and the two entered the apartment at the same moment.
Up to this time no one had disturbed the watch which hung at the head of the berth. The boys and Bob believed that every article on board shouldbe delivered up to the authorities; but these men had no such scruples.
He with the red nose clutched it eagerly, almost overturning the other in his efforts to reach the time-piece first, and against this confiscation the Mexican protested angrily.
"Don't be a fool! I've only taken charge of it for all hands. We're to whack up fair on everything!"
"Then why didn't you let it hang on the wall?"
"Because that fool of a Bob might have stowed it away before we've had a chance to take possession. Now, don't stop to chin, but help me hunt over these papers."
The Mexican looked much as if he distrusted the softly-spoken words; but he made no further protest, and together the two men began to overhaul the contents of the desk.
To find that for which they sought was not a difficult task. It was only necessary to examine half a dozen papers before the documents were discovered, and the red-nosed man said grimly, as he put them in his pocket:
"I reckon we've got things pretty near as we want 'em. We're the masters now, an' there'll be mighty little talk made about rights. Come along; if we're not on deck soon them Miss Nancys may suspect somethin', an' we want to keep their eyes closed two or three hours longer."
"But ain't we goin' to search the other rooms?"
"What's the use? There'll be plenty of time to-morrow, when we'realone."
The worthy Pedro was not content to wait. The loss of the watch, for he seemed to consider it such, troubled him, and he was eager to put something in his own pocket.
When he who was evidently the leader of the party walked toward Dave to acquaint him with the pleasing fact that the search had been successful, Pedro darted from one room to another, and the studs and sleeve-buttons, which the boys had noted, did not escape his eager gaze.
"These shall not be taken charge of for all hands," he whispered half to himself, and the articles had but just been secreted when Dave came to the door.
"Do you want to spoil everything by loafin' 'round here?" he asked angrily. "These kind of chances don't come every day, an' if our plans are upset owin' to such nonsense I'll split you like a mackerel with your own knife!"
That the Mexican was a rank coward could be told by the pallor which came over his yellow face as these words were spoken, and with a muttered but inaudible reply he followed Dave to the companion-way ladder.
"Now what are we to do?" the thin man asked when the three were ready to go on deck; and the leader of the villains replied readily:
"Nothin' yet awhile. Some chance will turn up before we're under way;but if it don't, the matter must be settled at night while they're below. It won't be a hard job, for they can't stay on deck together all the time, and when the crowd is separated it'll be like child's play. Don't act as if anything was in the wind, but be sweet as molasses till the flies are where we want 'em!"
Then the three men ascended the ladder, and from the benign expression on their faces the most suspicious would hardly have fancied they had been plotting to murder those who befriended them in a time of need.
When the conspirators came on deck, and before they finished smoking,the boys cleaned the cabin, ate their own dinner in the galley, and were at liberty to remain idle until it should be time to prepare supper.
After the heat of the day had passed Bob proposed that all the brig's lower sails should be set; adding, in conclusion:
"'Cordin' to my way of thinkin', there's goin' to be a decent kind of a breeze about sunset, an' if we're ready for it jes' so much time will be saved in leavin' this place."
The three strangers appeared even more eager than he to see the brig under canvas once more, and all hands turned to with a will, pulling, hoisting, and sheeting home as if the wind which was to waft them toward the United States had already begun to blow.
By the time this work was done there could no longer be any question but that a generous breeze from the south was near at hand. Thin, filmy clouds formed in the sky, while every now and then the heated air wouldbe set in motion slightly, as a token of what might be expected.
"There's no doubt now but that we'll be under way by sunset," Joe said, as he stood on the quarter-deck where the boys had taken refuge from the heat, "and it would be a good idea for me to be bringing my dunnage out of the tug, since it ain't likely I'll ever see the little craft again."
"Ain't you goin' to try and save anything else?" Jim asked.
"There isn't much that we can take. Suppose all hands go aboard and see if there's anything belonging to the crew that'll pay for carrying away?"
The boys accepted the invitation readily, for they did not care to move about the deck of the brig very much lest they came in contact with the red-nosed man and his friends, and all four went into the tiny after-cabin of the Sea Bird, where Joe at once began his work of investigation.
There were four chests here in addition to the one owned by Joe, and these were broken open without ceremony, for the engineer did not intend to burden himself with anything that might not be of considerable value to the owners.
"We'll unpack 'em, and then put the things back carefully, in case the little craft is carried home again," he said, going to work systematically, while the boys watched him with mild curiosity.
There was no apparent necessity for haste, therefore Joe set about his task leisurely because of the intense heat, which made the slightestexertion almost painful, and but two of the chests had been overhauled when Bob came below to learn what was going on.
"Gettin' ready to leave, eh?" he asked, after looking at the perspiring engineer in silence several moments. "Well, it's time; for unless I've made a big mistake in them light clouds we'll start from here mighty soon."
"If we were going alone I'd feel tiptop," Joe said, as he paused for an instant in his work; "but as it is, I'm afraid we'll have trouble with that crowd before the United States coast heaves in sight, even if they do talk so fair just now."
"We must keep our weather-eyes liftin' every minute, an' at the first sign of a row pitch in so's to take 'em unawares;" and Bob stretched himself out on the port locker as if determined to enjoy all possible comfort before the serious work of sailing the brig without an experienced navigator was begun. "I wouldn't hesitate to give 'em the slip by leavin' the whole crowd here; but there's no chance of their goin' ashore after the wind rises."
"No," Joe replied, with a long-drawn sigh, "we shall have to grin an' bear it, I reckon; but——"
He ceased speaking very suddenly, for just at that moment a footstep was heard on the steamer's deck, and an instant later the unpleasant-looking face of the man with the red nose appeared at the companion-way.
"You all got outer sight so quick that I thought p'rhaps you'd gone overboard," he said with a leer, glancing inquisitively around thecabin, but making no motion to descend.
"Joe is overhaulin' this dunnage, to see if there's anything worth carryin' back to the States," Bob replied carelessly, as the engineer continued his work in silence.
The man lowered his head as if to see the interior more plainly, and, unperceived by any one in the little apartment, made a quick motion with his hand, evidently for the benefit of those aboard the brig.
During nearly five minutes he stood there carelessly pushing the hatch back and forth, until the Mexican waved his hat, when the red-nosed man suddenly shut both doors, shoving into place the bolts which fastened them together.
The little party in the cabin looked up in surprise at this singular maneuver, but it was not until the sound of quick footsteps was heard on the deck as the man ran swiftly aboard the brig that any one thought of treachery.
"They've locked us in here so's they can steal the Bonita!" Bob shouted, as he leaped to the companion-way and began pounding on the bolted doors.
The oaken timbers were firm as a bulk-head, and, without a weapon, he might have worked there all day in vain.
Joe had sprung to the windows; but his efforts were quite as useless as Bob's. Heavy iron gratings, intended to keep out intruders and break the force of the waves, were screwed so firmly in the wood-work that theycould not be removed from the inside save by the use of proper tools.
They were securely imprisoned, for the cabin had no outlet except at the companion-way, and two or three hours of hard work would be absolutely necessary before they could escape by the doors.
While Bob and Joe were darting from one possible point of vantage to another, shouting for help and uttering wild threats in the same breath, the boys had gathered at one of the port windows which looked directly on the brig's bulwarks.
"They ain't gettin' under way!" Jim cried, as if trying to persuade himself that the strangers were not intending to desert them.
"There's no need for the pirates to hurry," Bob said hoarsely, as he stood in the center of the cabin, his face convulsed by rage and trembling like one in an ague fit. "If I had jumped on 'em with the belayin'-pin when Joe held me back, all of that crowd wouldn't be able to get away. Come here, you cowards, an' give us a fair show! Open this hatch or I'll foller you till your lives won't be worth the livin'!"
"The hawsers have been cast off, an' now the brig is beginnin' to move through the water!" Jim reported, as he pressed his face close to the iron bars.
This information gave fresh impetus to Bob's wrath. He rushed from one corner of the cabin to another shouting the wildest threats, and behaving generally like an insane person.
Joe was quite as angry as the old sailor, but not to such an extent thathis common sense had deserted him. While Bob strode back and forth he was working on the screws which held the bars in place. By breaking off the end of the largest blade in his pocket-knife quite an effective tool was made, and he had accomplished no slight portion of his task when Jim made the last report.
Rapidly as the engineer might labor, however, he knew it would be impossible to remove this one particular barrier to freedom before the Bonita would be beyond their reach. The promised wind had come sooner than it was expected, as could be told by the rapidly increasing speed with which the black bulwarks of the brig slipped past the window, and the task was not half completed when blue water could be seen as the vessel's stern swept by, leaving a wake which bubbled and danced merrily in the sunlight.
"There must be a pretty good breeze," Jim continued, speaking excitedly, as if the tears were very near his eyelids, "for the upper sails are all drawing. Now I can see that red-nosed bully at the wheel, an' he's wavin' his hat!"
Joe continued to work at the bars, and now, when it was too late to effect anything, Bob recovered from his anger sufficiently to make at least an attempt at assisting, while Harry and Walter stood near the companion-way, so thoroughly bewildered by this last blow of a cruel fate that speech was well nigh impossible.
The brig remained within Jim's range of vision but a few moments longer,and when she disappeared entirely he threw himself on a locker, trying to stifle with its cushion the sobs which convulsed him.