"By what right, captain, do you detain me, and take from me my possessions?"
"Oh, all is fair in love or war, is it not so?"
Ignoring the question and recognizing the probability that argument was useless, Jim contented himself with an inquiry:
"What do you propose doing with me?"
"I shall be most pleased to entertain you on board my ship."
"For what purpose is my presence wanted there?"
"Just for the pleasure of your company. I hear that you are a fine young fellow, and I may have a proposition to make to you that will be worthy of your consideration. Just now the thing to do is to get back to the Marjorie. I will make this offer now. If you will go along with us without causing any trouble, you shall, as a reward, not be harmed."
"But I am blindfolded."
"That is a condition easily remedied," saying which, the handkerchief was removed from the captive"s eyes.
Jim recognized the fact that he had been trapped, and was in the hands of a wily, adroit villain, but protest or a struggle for freedom would be unavailing under the existing circ.u.mstances, and he believed that his wisest plan was to make the best of his fate pending better opportunity to change the conditions of things.
Guided by the captain and mate a long march was undertaken, and at a late hour, with slight knowledge of the locality, Jim was put into a rowboat and conveyed on board a ship riding at anchor in an open bay.
He was soon to learn that he was a prisoner on board that vessel of questionable purpose, the Marjorie. So much information the captain himself conveyed to him when releasing the bonds that had held secure his arms. He was placed in a small compartment known as the ship brig, and a securely locked door barred his egress.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE SEARCH.
Toward dusk on Sunday evening, Tom, after a lazy day, having once more perused the paper bound love story which he invariably carried in his pocket, was reminded of his promise to join Jim and Juarez on sh.o.r.e.
He called to Jo, and, while waiting for him, let down into the long boat at the ship"s side some small casks, which were to be filled with fresh water.
"When you get ash.o.r.e, send the steward on board," said the professor.
"It"s near supper time, and he should be here."
"What did he go ash.o.r.e for?" asked Tom.
"He said that he wanted to look for some kind of leaves that he wished for flavoring."
"H"m," drawled Tom. "Hope he hasn"t gone to look for something to poison us with."
"What makes you so prejudiced against the steward, Tom?" asked the professor. "There isn"t anything against him, except that he is a Mexican, and--"
"That"s enough for one thing," a.s.serted Tom. "I am pretty sure that he is the one that has caused all the trouble here."
"But why?" persisted the professor. "He has been my steward off and on for many years, and he has always been faithful and honest."
"Maybe he has," persisted Tom. "But still I don"t trust him."
"All right, Tom," replied the professor, laughingly, "keep your eye on him, but still I think he is all right."
"I say, Tom," broke in Jo, who had climbed down into the small boat, "if you are coming you had better make a start and hurry up Berwick. It will be night before we get away. Say, what did you do with the rowlocks?"
"What would I do with them," retorted Tom. "Left them in their place, of course."
"Well, they are not there now," grumbled Jo. "How do you think we are going to row without any rowlocks?"
"What is that?" asked the professor.
"Somebody has taken the rowlocks out of the boat," complained Tom, "and Jo seems to think I did it."
"Perhaps some of the crew took them out when they were unloading it last," suggested the professor. But a hasty questioning of the men who had hoisted out the filled casks showed that they had not removed them.
"It is certainly strange," admitted the professor. "Are they all gone?"
"All of them," returned Jo, emphatically.
"Well, you will have to get some out of the storeroom," said the captain, who had been attracted by the discussion. "I think it is likely someone has taken them out and forgotten them."
"Now, then," cried Jo, when the other rowlocks had been put in. "Where"s Berwick? Give him a hail, will you?"
At this instant Berwick came up the ladder from the engine room, excitedly swinging an iron bar.
"Hallo," called Tom. "What have you got there?"
"What do you think of that!" demanded Berwick as he came toward the others.
"What is it?" asked the professor.
"It is an iron bar that I found wedged in the engine," replied Berwick.
"I thought I would take a look over the engine before I went ash.o.r.e and I found this."
"What was it doing there?" asked the professor.
"Well, it wasn"t doing anything," replied Berwick, grimly, "but if the engine had been started with that thing in it, it would have made a junk heap of the whole thing in about ten seconds."
"How did it get there?" asked Tom.
Berwick shrugged his shoulders.
"You know as much about it as I do. Whoever put it there meant mischief.
If that infernal little hunchback isn"t around--"
"His first cousin is," supplemented Tom, "but he has gone ash.o.r.e now and I don"t believe he will be back."