CHAPTER X
LASSOING THE SCOTCHMAN
Louis opened the cabin door, and looked out; but he closed it immediately, for the light in the apartment would enable Captain Velazquez to see that it was open, and cause him to suspect that the prisoners had made their escape. The lamp hanging from the deck beam above was a bracket with three lanterns. Felix climbed upon the table which stood beneath it, and took it down. It was then wrapped up in the tablecloth, and placed under the divan, where it could shed none of its light about the apartment.
The door was then opened again; but it looked as though Diego had seen the light before, and he was hailing the Scotchman very vigorously. Louis had only time to gather up a handful of lanyards and other lines from a box under the seats in the standing-room before he heard the footsteps of Gray in the port gangway. He retreated, closing the door all but a crack.
"What's the matter on board of the steamer?" yelled Diego.
"Nothing is the matter," replied Gray, who had not stopped to look in at the cabin windows as he came aft, for the master of the schooner was yelling at him all the time.
"The cabin door is open, and"—
And Louis heard no more, for at that moment Scott heaved his lasso, and the Scotchman began to dance about the standing-room, swearing like a smuggler as he was. Louis threw the door of the cabin wide open, for concealment was no longer necessary or practicable. He had hastily supplied his companions with the lanyards and lines he had procured. He rushed out followed by the others. The slip-noose of the lasso had already been drawn tight about his neck, and Gray was roaring like a bull, though his voice had become very husky.
"The slip-noose of the lasso had already been drawn tight."
"The slip-noose of the lasso had already been drawn tight."
"The slip-noose of the lasso had already been drawn tight."
He was struggling furiously, with his hands free, trying to release his neck from the pressure of the rope. Louis hesitated, for he realized that a blow from the powerful man would fell any of them to the deck. Scott was tugging at the lasso all the time, pulling and jerking it so that his victim should not escape. Diego, who could not help seeing what had transpired in the stern of the steamer, was still yelling with all his might. Fortunately that was all he could do, and he was permitted to do all he pleased of it.
"Don't go near him, Louis!" called Scott from the hurricane deck—"not yet, for he can strike an awful hard blow."
The pilot was certainly a prudent young man, and he was not always so; but Louis had anticipated him, and kept out of Gray's reach. The struggle continued, and Scott was vigorously manipulating the lasso so that Gray could not obtain an instant's respite from the strain upon his neck. The pressure was rapidly doing its work upon him, for he was beginning to writhe and struggle for breath. He had ceased to yell and to swear, for he lacked the wind to do or say anything. He had soon weakened so much that the time for more decided action had come; and Scott initiated it.
The lassoer had drawn his victim towards him till he was directly in front of the cabin door. Without announcing his intention to his associates, the pilot threw down his lasso into the standing-room, and then leaped down himself directly upon the head of Gray. In his weakened and gasping condition he could not resist the force of this onslaught, and he sank down upon the deck beneath his persecutor.
"Take one of his arms, and I will take the other, Flix!" called Louis, as he sprang upon the fallen Scotchman, and seized his right arm, while Felix did the same with his left. "Have the lanyards all ready, Morris!"
Scott had seized his victim by the throat, and held his head down upon the deck. Just at this critical moment Francisco, who had heard the yells of Gray, put in an appearance, and, seeing the desperate situation of the smuggler, he was rushing forward to his assistance. Morris threw the lines upon the deck, wheeled about, drew his revolver, and faced the wheelman.
"Back to the pilot-house, or you are a dead man!" said Morris, as he pointed his weapon at the head of the helmsman.
Francisco halted, and looked at the shining revolver, which was a high-cost one his father had bought for him in London. Louis wondered from Morris's words whether or not he had been reading "blood-and-thunder" stories; but the boy was resolute enough for the occasion, and cool enough to remember what Louis had said about shooting in the present affair. The Spaniard could not understand a word that he had spoken.
"Va a la casa del piloto!" (Go to the pilot-house!) shouted Louis with vim enough to show that he was in earnest as well as Morris.
Francisco evidently did not like the situation at all. He had drawn a longcuchillo, or knife, and he was certainly a dangerous man.
"Fire, Morris, if he moves on you!" called Louis, as he saw the blade gleaming in the moonlight.
Probably Francisco realized that a ball from the revolver could travel faster than his knife, and perhaps he had less sympathy for the Scotchman than he would have had for one of his other associates, for he backed away from the dangerous vicinity to the barrels of the weapon, and returned to the pilot-house. The steamer had fallen off her course, but she presently came back to it, indicating that the wheelman had returned to his duty.
This affair was only a momentary interruption of the more serious business in progress in the standing-room. Gray was out of breath, and out of strength, and after a vain attempt to release himself from the grip of Scott, he gave up the battle, for he had become absolutely powerless. He was actually suffering, and his gasps and struggles for breath were painful to witness.
"Loosen the line at his throat, Scott! The man is choking to death!" called Louis in a very decided tone, as he and Felix rolled the victim over on his back.
"Stay where you are, Morris!" shouted Scott, as he complied with the humane request of Louis, who could see that the prisoner—as he was by this time—had not the strength to make any further resistance. "Shoot any one that shows a knife!"
Francisco had gone to the wheel, and there was no one to shoot. Louis and Felix were each in full possession of one of the arms of Gray, and he could do nothing more to help himself. His hands were securely bound behind him, and then he was left to himself. He presently recovered a portion of his strength, and tried to rise. He was assisted in doing so, and then conducted to the cabin.
He was invited to recline on the divan, and, weak as he was still, he was willing to comply with the request. But Louis, satisfied that he would soon be as strong as ever, was not content to leave him until he had been more effectually secured. Scott took off his belt, and after winding it around the prisoner's wrists several times, he buckled it so tight that it seemed to be impossible for him to get loose.
Not yet satisfied, they bound his legs together at the ankles, and then tied him down to the supports of the divan. Gray said not a word, and appeared to be too weak to do so, or to be inclined to do so.
"Francisco has a knife, and he may give us more trouble than the Scotchman did," said Scott, when they had all retired from the cabin to the standing-room. "If you will take my advice, all three of you will stick your pistols in his face while he stands at the wheel. Louis will tell him he shall not be harmed if he submits, and then we will tie his arms behind him, and make him fast to something in the pilot-house."
"All right," replied Louis; "but remember that no fellow is to fire."
"I don't think you will find any occasion to fire," added Scott, as he picked up the saw which he had used in his first encounter with the Scotchman. "Francisco has already shown that he does not like the looks of revolvers."
Scott led the way. The Spaniard was standing by the wheel, intently observing the compass, when the pilot, varying his programme a little to suit the situation, threw his arms around him, and brought him to the floor. Louis and Felix seized his arms, without even threatening him with the arsenal of weapons in their pockets. Francisco was made a prisoner. He was thrown upon the settee abaft the wheel, and secured to the back and legs of it.
His knife was taken from him; but Louis assured him he should not be harmed if he made no resistance. The party then proceeded to the engine-room. Not one of them had seen or heard a word from Felipe since they started on the excursion. He attended to his duty, and heeded the bells apparently without knowing or caring who rang them. Pedro, his custodian, was fast asleep on the seat back of the machinery, and did not appear to have heard the noise or the yells from the standing-room. He was an easy victim, and when he had been secured he was conducted to the pilot-house, where he was laid out on the floor in front of Francisco. He was fastened to the settee.
Felipe wanted to know what had happened. He had tried to ascertain, but Pedro showed him his knife, and would not allow him to leave the engine-room. The situation was explained to him, and all he was required to do was to run the engine. Scott had taken the wheel when Francisco was deposed, and his companions joined him when they brought in their last prisoner. Diego was still yelling; but they did as they do in Spain when it rains—they let him yell.
"Do you know where you are, Scott?" asked Louis, as he looked out the window in front of the wheel.
"Of course I do; we were about half-way between Gibraltar and Algeciras when I took the wheel, and then I headed her for the red light on the New Mole. You have not told me, Captain Belgrave, what you intend to do with the prize and the prisoners we have taken."
"We will go alongside the Guardian-Mother, and Captain Ringgold may do what he pleases with them," replied Louis.
"That was just my idea of what you would do with them," added the pilot. "But there is no one of our number in the standing-room to watch the movements of Captain Velazquez. He may get up some mischief that will bother us. If you prefer, Captain Belgrave, to take the wheel, I will stand guard at the stern."
"You are a better helmsman than I am, Scott; you had better keep the wheel, and I will keep watch of Diego," replied Louis. "If anything happens, send me word. Morris will be within hail of you to be your messenger, though I don't think anything is likely to happen in this part of the steamer. If I want you, I will send Morris to take your place."
"That blackguard can chop off the tow-line when he takes a notion to do so," suggested Felix, as they moved aft.
"That would only be jumping out of the frying-pan into the fire," replied Louis. "We are not more than two miles from the New Mole, and we shall be there in twenty minutes."
"Then it is time for him to chop it off now."
"I don't know what he will do. If he cuts loose from the Salihé, he can be easily overhauled by the custom-house officers, if there are any here," answered Louis.
"Faix, I think it is Spanish officers, and not English, we want; and why don't you run into the town on the other side of the bay?"
"I thought of that; but I am not inclined to bother with them. Captain Ringgold will know how to settle the case better than we do."
Captain Velazquez had kept up his yelling as long as he could see any one at the stern of the steamer; and as soon as Louis and Felix showed themselves, he resumed his cries.
"The skipper of that hooker is in a tight place, and he knows it," said Felix. "What's that he says?"
"He says he will cut the tow-line if we don't go down the bay," replied Louis, translating his frantic cry.
Louis answered the yell by firing his revolver in the air, directing Felix to do the same.
"Louis answered the yell by firing his revolver in the air."
"Louis answered the yell by firing his revolver in the air."
"Louis answered the yell by firing his revolver in the air."