"It is queer that n.o.body is in sight!" remarked Phil, as the canoe drew closer.
"Somebody is coming on deck now!" cried Dave, in a low tone, and Paul Shepley appeared, followed by Jasper Van Blott and, close behind him, one of the sailors.
"h.e.l.lo! what"s this?" sang out the first mate, on catching sight of the canoe.
"Captain Marshall and the others!" muttered the former supercargo. "Hi!
keep away from here!" he roared.
"Surrender, you villains!" called out the captain. "What do you mean by running off with my ship in this fashion?"
"You keep off!" warned Paul Shepley, without answering the question.
"Keep off, I tell you!"
"We"ll fire on you, if you don"t keep off," called the former supercargo, and he brought forth a big pistol.
"Be careful, cap"n, or somebody will git shot!" whispered Billy Dill.
"Those fellers look like they was des"prit!"
"Don"t you dare to shoot!" called out Captain Marshall. "The first man who fires shall swing from the yardarm!"
The loud talking had brought several sailors to the deck, and they were followed by the second mate, who stared at the canoe and its occupants as if he could not believe his eyes.
"h.e.l.lo, Captain Marshall!" sang out Bob Sanders. "I am mighty glad you have come."
"Then you are not in this mutiny, Sanders?"
"Not by a jugful! They tried to buy me up, but I wouldn"t consent.
Podders, Diski, and McNabb are not in it, either."
"I am glad to hear it. Sanders, take control of the ship until I get aboard."
"He will do nothing of the kind!" yelled Jasper Van Blott, and was about to turn on the second mate, when the latter hit him a blow in the ear, sending him headlong to the deck.
"McNabb! Podders!" called the second mate. "Grab Mr. Shepley!"
The sailors called upon understood, and before the first mate could turn, one tar had him from behind, so that he could not raise his arms.
Then the other seized a pistol and, turning, faced the crew with the weapon.
The turn of affairs had been so sudden that Shepley and Van Blott were taken completely by surprise, as were likewise the sailors who had sided with the rascals, and, for the moment, none of them knew exactly what to do. In the meantime the canoe b.u.mped alongside of the _Stormy Petrel_, and, catching hold of a trailing rope thrown overboard by the sailor named Diski, Captain Marshall hauled himself to the deck, followed by Billy Dill and the boys.
"Do you surrender?" demanded the captain, striding up to the first mate, revolver in hand.
"Ye-yes!" burst out Shepley. "It"s--it"s all a mistake, Captain Marshall--all a mistake!"
"I reckon it was!" answered the captain, grimly. "What about you, Van Blott?" And he turned on the former supercargo, who was struggling to his feet.
"I suppose I"ve got to give in," muttered Jasper Van Blott.
"And what about you men?" demanded Captain Marshall, turning his stern eyes on the portion of the crew that had mutinied.
"We"re with you, cap"n," said one, humbly. "Mr. Shepley led us into this, without us knowin" what we was a-doin". Ain"t that so, mates?"
"That"s so," said the others, humbly.
"Are you willing to obey me, after this?"
"Yes! yes!" came in an eager chorus.
After this a long talk took place, and Jasper Van Blott and Paul Shepley were placed in irons and conducted to a closet in the bow of the ship, used for the storage of oil and lanterns. The place was given a rough cleaning, and then the pair were locked inside, Captain Marshall putting the key in his pocket. Both of the prisoners wanted to protest, but the master of the _Stormy Petrel_ would not listen.
"You can do your talking later, when I have time to listen," said he.
"Just now I have other matters to attend to."
From Bob Sanders and the three loyal sailors Captain Marshall got a fairly accurate account of the mutiny. He was told that Jasper Van Blott had done his best to get all hands to join in the plot. The former supercargo was the prime mover in the affair, and the first mate was a coward and had been little more than his tool. The sailors who had gone in had done so rather unwillingly, and, after thinking the matter over, Captain Marshall decided to read them a stern lecture and then forgive them.
It was now no longer necessary for the natives to take the whites to Sobago Island, and, after a brief consultation, Soko and his men were paid off and given some presents, and then, the mists rising, the canoe was headed back for Yam-kolo Island. It was the last that Dave and his friends saw of these black men, who had proven so friendly.
With the first mate in irons, Bob Sanders was advanced to fill his place. This left the position of second mate vacant, and, after a consultation with the boys, the master of the _Stormy Petrel_ offered Billy Dill the position, and he accepted gladly.
"I always kind o" wanted to be a mate," said the old tar. "I"m tickled to death!" And his face showed it.
With the lifting of the mist a stiff breeze came up, and preparations were made for continuing the voyage to Nanpi. It was found that the last storm had slightly disabled the rudder, which accounted for the fact that the bark had not made greater headway on her trip. But additional parts were on board, and by nightfall the damage was made good, and then the _Stormy Petrel_ answered her helm as well as ever.
"And now for Sobago Island!" cried Dave, to his chums. "I hope I have no more trouble in finding Mr. Dunston Porter!"
CHAPTER x.x.xI
LIFTING THE CURTAIN
The second mate told the truth when he said Paul Shepley was a coward and under the thumb of the former supercargo. That very evening Shepley begged to see Captain Marshall alone, and, when given the opportunity, actually fell on his knees before the master of the _Stormy Petrel_.
"I am willing to do anything, captain!" he groaned. "Only don"t--don"t swing me from the--the yardarm!" He had it firmly fixed in his mind that he was to be executed.
"You deserve to be hanged!" answered the captain. "I don"t see why I should spare you."
"It was all Van Blott"s fault--he fixed the whole thing from beginning to end. He got the stolen cases on board and made me promise to help in getting rid of them. And he got up the plan to run away with the ship."
After that Paul Shepley told his story in detail, and the captain became convinced that the first mate was more of a sneak than a villain.
"I will let you off, upon two conditions," said Captain Marshall, at last. "The first is, that you serve as a common sailor for the rest of this trip. Will you do it?"
"Yes, but it"s pretty hard on me," whined Shepley.
"The second condition is, that you promise to appear against Van Blott, whenever called upon to do so."