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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 to decide 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 of time, 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.
CHAPTER XIV. 55
"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've got to 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 his movements, 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 nearest American 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.
CHAPTER XIV. 56 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]