"As if the very Old Nick was in him," was the reply. "You heard what he said about a drum-head court martial for you?" the sailor added.
"Of course."
"Well, he means it. He"s got something against you that doesn"t show on the outside. He"ll try you in five minutes and shoot you within the next ten."
"That would be murder."
"Well, he has the authority, under the general instructions regarding the treatment of pirates," said the sailor.
"But you know that I"m not a pirate, and so does Carstens," Ned said.
"You know that I came here in the _Manhattan_ without the consent of the officers at Manila, but you know that I was only defending myself when those natives were shot."
"I don"t know anything about it," was the discouraging reply. "I"ve heard you spoken of as a pirate for the past few days, and the members of the crew all believe you to be one. If he orders them to shoot you, they"ll do it."
"Yes, I presume so," Ned said, soberly.
"What are you going to do about it?" asked the sailor, after a short pause.
"The question," Ned replied, "is what are you going to do about it?"
"I couldn"t do a thing if I tried," was the reply. "When Carstens hears that the _Manhattan_ got away he will be red-headed, and will order the trial to proceed at once. I"ll see what I can do with some of the men I know well, but the chances are that I"ll only get myself into trouble without doing you any good."
"All you can do," Ned said, "is to delay the trial, and the execution, if it comes to that."
The officer who had made the arrest, after failing to seize the boat, now approached the Lieutenant and said something to him in a low tone.
"What?" the latter almost screamed. "You let the boat get away?"
"They were too quick for us," was the reply.
"Too quick for you?" howled the Lieutenant. "Do you know what you"ve done? You"ve ruined all my plans--the plans of the government.
Inefficiency is worse than open disobedience, and you may consider yourself under arrest!"
The officer saluted and turned away, a scowl on his face.
"There is a likely man to talk with first," Ned suggested to the sailor.
"He will doubtless listen to you."
The Lieutenant now turned sharply toward the prisoners.
"What"s going on there?" he demanded. "What are you talking to that pirate for?" he added, approaching Ben threateningly.
"Trying to see what I could get out of him, sir," Ben replied, saluting.
"Well?"
"Not a thing!"
"Then cut it out," said the officer, moving away.
By this time the boxes were all out of the _Clara_, and the other vessel was brought up to the Tusks. A great pile of boxes lay in the sandy beach, and these the Lieutenant counted over for the second time. Then he beckoned to a dignified looking native and went over the ranks of boxes with him.
"Is it correct?" asked Carstens.
The other nodded and pa.s.sed a slip of paper to the officer.
"Yokohama exchange," Ned heard him say.
"It must be that the native is paying for the guns," Ned said, and Ben, looking half frightened, half angry, nodded his head.
The Lieutenant now turned to the unloading of the _Martha_, which was now at the north Tusk. The hatches were soon lifted and the unloading of the cargo began. It consisted princ.i.p.ally of boxes and barrels.
"Ammunition," Ned whispered.
Again the sailor nodded.
"Nice old government officer he is!" Frank said, in a half whisper.
"He doesn"t act like himself," Ben said, "not since he came out of the cabin after being ill for a day and a night. And the boxes coming out of the hold now do not look like the boxes that were put in it on the China coast. I don"t know what to make of it all."
During all this talk Ned had been listening intently for the shriek of a rocket, casting his eyes up the mountain side in the hope of seeing the green light of a signal reflected there. But no reports of rockets in the sky had come to his ears, and there were no signal lights reflected on the mountain.
The moon was well up in the heavens when the unloading of the _Martha_ was completed. Then the Lieutenant called the dignified native to his side again, and once more the toll of the boxes was taken and a slip pa.s.sed over to the officer. This done, the men went back into the hold again and began unloading small boxes, evidently containing tinned provisions.
"There," whispered Ben, "those are the goods Lieutenant Carstens took on board at the Chinese port."
"Then where were the guns and the ammunition taken on?" asked Ned.
"That is what gets me," was the reply.
"Tinned goods were also put into the _Clara_?" Ned asked.
"Yes; and they are going to take them out."
"Thought they"d get the guns out first," said Ned. "Don"t you see," he added, "that this man Carstens is a traitor! Can"t you see that he is turning guns, undoubtedly stolen from the government, over to the rebel chiefs, and getting his pay for them?"
"It looks that way," was the slow reply, "but what am I to do about it?"
"Talk with some of the men," urged Ned. "If those arms are taken away from this island by the natives they will be used to murder soldiers and sailors."
"I know it," said the sailor, "but what can I do?"
"Go and talk to the officer he just ordered under arrest."
"And have him report the conversation in order to get back into the good graces of the Lieutenant!" said Ben. "I"m not quite so green as that."
"What sort of a reputation does this man Carstens bear in army circles?"
asked Ned, presently, seeing that it was of no use to argue with the sailor, who was afraid of being brought into trouble if he tried to aid the boy.