"No," the latter said, telling the falsehood brazenly. "Ned is the only one who can run it."
"Can"t you start the engine?" French asked, anxiously.
The boys shook their heads.
"Then I"m going to try," French said. "As I hinted last night, when I told you I came here in a launch, there are other motor boats around the corner, in a bay on the western side of the island. I have only to get to them. There are plenty of men there who can do the job."
"I hardly think it safe for one who knows nothing of engines to fool with one," said Jack. "Suppose I see what I can do with it. I"ve seen Ned work the thing, and may be able to start it."
"Try it!" French said. "But if you make any foolishness with it, you"ll find yourself in trouble. Understand?"
"I don"t want to ruin the boat!" Jack said. "We"re going to have fun with this craft before we leave it!" he added, with a grin.
"Then you"ll have to hurry and have your fun," said French, "for you"re going to leave it as soon as we get to the bay where the other boats are."
Jack opened a trap in the c.o.c.kpit seat and placed his hand on the jar which supplied the electricity for the spark. French was watching him, but he managed to draw the wires out without being seen. This, of course, effectually crippled the boat. He fumbled for a time with his hand on the jar, watching the sh.o.r.e as he did so, and then closed the trap.
After closing the trap Jack turned the fly-wheel a few times, pounded away with a wrench, and inspected the gasoline tanks, but of course no motion was transmitted to the shaft. Finally he threw down the wrench in apparent disgust.
"I can"t do anything with it!" he exclaimed. "You"ll have to wait until Ned comes if you can"t start it yourself."
"It is my impression," said French, with a smile, "that your friend Ned is trussed up in a camp over on the other side of the island!"
"Then why don"t you send for him, or for some one else to run the boat?"
asked Frank innocently, his purpose being to induce French to send one of the guards away, and so reduce the force to be opposed.
"From out of the mouths of children," laughed French. "Well, you know the rest! I have an idea that you have solved the problem."
He talked in Spanish to one of the men for a moment, and the fellow rowed ash.o.r.e in one of the canoes the captors had come in and set off through the jungle. The boys watched the thickets, hoping to see some sign of a struggle. They were sure that Ned would capture the guard, and so, possibly, delay the appearance of French"s friends.
But all was quiet along the coast. Ned evidently had some other plan in mind. In a few moments French proposed breakfast and entered the cabin, relying on the guard to keep the boys out of mischief. As they had no weapons, he did not believe they would make any trouble. Besides, he kept a sharp lookout through the low, open doorway of the little cabin.
Then Frank became possessed of what Ned afterwards declared to be the one brilliant idea of his life! First he asked the guard if he could speak English.
"Understan" some; speak little," was the reply.
"Well," Frank went on, "I"m going to take my morning exercises. See if you have anything like this in your blooming land!"
"Bloomin" lan" Good! She bloom!"
The Filipino pointed away to the ma.s.s of tropical blossoms shimmering in the sunlight and grinned at what he doubtless considered a very sharp reply. French, hearing the voices, looked out of the cabin and smiled at the antics the boy was making.
Frank threw his body into a vertical position and bent sharply off to the right. Then back to vertical and off to the left. Then back and to the right again.
"That"s all right!" cried French from the cabin. "You appear to be a nimble little chap. What are those exercises for?"
"To bring all the muscles of the body into use!" replied Frank, winking at Jack, who was just beginning to understand the purpose of the sudden demand for exercise.
"Blessed if he ain"t doing the wigwag with his body!" thought Jack.
"That is the letter "C"."
From the vertical Frank then dropped his body over to the left, then to the right and stopped.
"That"s wigwag for "O"," thought Jack. "I wonder what he means to say?"
"Well done!" shouted French, his hands full of tinned goods. "I"ll get you a job in a circus when I get done with you!"
"That will be fine!" Frank replied, facing French with as innocent a face as a boy ever carried.
One to the right, two to the left, one to the right, and Jack read the letter "M" and saw what the next one would be. One to the right, one to the left, and Jack read the letter "E." Then three slow motions straight in front, then to vertical again.
"That means the end of the word," the boy thought, "and the word is "COME." Now, I wonder if he will?"
Frank kept up his odd motions, at which the Filipino seemed greatly amused, and French turned away to the alcohol stove to prepare a cup of hot cocoa. But the motions were only for effect now, and meant nothing.
There was a light movement in the thicket, and three figures, crawling low, entered the canoe which the guard had left the _Manhattan_ in and moved noiselessly toward the boat.
The Filipino"s back was turned to the beach, for he was watching Frank.
French was busy with his cocoa, condensed cream, and sugar, and so the advancing canoe was not observed until it was within a few feet of the boat. Then the guard uttered a cry of warning and raised his gun.
Frank was ready for this and the distance between himself and the guard was well calculated. He launched himself like a catapult-dart against the slim figure, and was fortunate enough to seize the gun. Frank was an adept at the j.a.panese ju-jitsu game, and, much to the astonishment of the Filipino, he soon found himself, minus his gun, dropping to the bottom of the bay.
French, of course, started out of the cabin, revolver in hand, but when he stooped his tall figure in the low doorway he did not straighten it again as readily as he had expected to. Jack was on the back of his neck and shoulders, pressing him down to the bridge deck. But French was a strong man and Jack would have soon been thrown aside had Frank not engaged him.
When Ned, Pat and Jimmie sprang out of the canoe and gained the c.o.c.kpit, the three were in a tangle, with Frank sitting on the hand which held the weapon. French surrendered the revolver and sat up with a sickly grin on his face when he saw the three bending over him, ready to take a hand in the proceedings.
"You win!" he said. "I know when I hold the low hand!"
"Didn"t I tell you," Frank said, as soon as he could catch his breath, "that the motions you saw were calculated to bring the muscles of the body into action? Well, they did, didn"t they?"
"Rather!" French replied. "Now, if you"ll pull this ambitious young man off my back, I"ll get into an easier position."
"You"re a good fellow," Jack said, "and I"ll do as you say, only you"ve got to behave yourself, you know."
French, looking as calm as when he had held the upper hand, arose and seated himself on the bridge deck, looking Ned over keenly as he did so.
"You didn"t figure on getting into a mix-up with a lot of wild animals, did you?" asked Ned, with a smile. "These two Black Bears gave you quite a squeeze, eh?"
"Rather!" was the short reply. "Say, gentlemen," he went on, "if you"ll kindly step to one side I"ll time that Filipino as he plows through the jungle. I can"t see him, but I can see the bushes make way for him.
Believe me, at this time to-morrow he"ll still be running!"
"He went up in the air some!" Pat said. "How did you ever do that, Cully? He shot up into the blue and then dove straight down into the bottom. Most wonderful thing I ever saw."
"That," answered Frank, with a grin, "was a Boy Scout hint that his presence was not needed here."
"This," said Jimmie, pointing to Pat, "is Pat Mack, the loafer we were talkin" about the other night. He placed the signals in gra.s.s. You wouldn"t think to look at him, that he was very bright, except his hair, but he is quite intelligent at times."
Jimmie dodged as Pat made for him and promptly fell overboard. The boys fished him out and Frank scolded him for mussing up the c.o.c.kpit!
"The little rascal deserved it," said Pat. "I"m deserving of a more formal introduction, being of the Wolf Patrol, of the city of New York."