"Yes," replied Ben, whose teeth actually chattered with apprehension.
"Who is there on board now?"
"No one but the engineer and the fireman, except two boys," answered Ben. "They were all going to turn in as soon as they got to the wharf."
"The firemen are both men, but I reckon they won"t fight; all the rest are boys."
"One fireman and two boys have turned in by this time," added Ben.
"Then there is no one up but the engineer and one fireman?"
"No."
"Where is the gold, Ben?"
"In the starboard saloon stateroom."
"All right; have your pistols ready, but don"t use them, for it will be bad for us if we have to kill any one."
The party walked down to the _Woodville_. All was still on board of her, except the sound of escaping steam. Ethan stood sentry at the door of the stateroom containing the gold, and the man on watch in the fire-room was busy reading a newspaper. It was not sunset yet, but the crew of the _Woodville_ had been worked so hard for three days that those off duty could sleep without an opiate.
"Put on that hatch," said the fireman, who became the leading spirit of the party, as he pointed to the companion-way of the forehold, where the hands slept.
Ben obeyed the order without making any noise, and then the party went aft, where Ethan was keeping guard over the treasure.
"Good evening, Ethan," said Ben, with more suavity than he was in the habit of using.
"Good evening," replied the engineer.
"Haven"t turned in yet?" continued Ben.
"No."
"Going to start at midnight, I hear."
"Yes."
"Some friends of mine wanted to look over the boat; I suppose I can show them through."
"I don"t know; Captain Lawry can tell you," answered Ethan, who did not like Ben, and was not favorably impressed by the appearance of the other men.
Ben walked aft into the saloon, followed by his companions. Ethan was sitting in a chair by the side of the stateroom door. The fireman pa.s.sed round behind, and suddenly fell upon him, throwing him on the floor and pinioning his arms to his back.
"What are you about?" cried Ethan, struggling to release himself.
"Help! help!"
"Stop his mouth!" said Ben fearfully.
Vainly poor Ethan endeavored to shake off his a.s.sailants; his arms were tied together behind him, and a handkerchief stuffed into his mouth. In this condition he was lashed to a stanchion, so that he could move neither hand nor foot.
The commotion of this outrage attracted the attention of Mrs. Light and the two waiter-girls, who were employed in the lower cabin. The fireman exhibited a pistol to them, drove them below again, and threatened to shoot them if they made any noise. A similar demonstration quieted the fireman, and compelled him to return to the fire-room.
"The job is done," said Baker, the leader of the enterprise.
"But we haven"t got the money," added Flint, the deckhand.
"We don"t want that yet. It is safe where it is. Now both of you to your stations," continued Baker; and he went down into the fire-room.
Ben"s station was in the wheel-house, Flint"s at the fasts, and Baker"s at the engine, as it appeared from their subsequent movements; and it was evident, from the operations in progress, that the villains intended to make their escape in the steamer. Baker stopped the hissing steam which was going to waste, and compelled the fireman to renew the fires.
"Be lively!" shouted Ben, from the wheel-house, as he discovered Lawry on the sh.o.r.e, hastening back to the steamer with his bundle of clothes.
"All ready!" replied Baker, finding there was steam enough to start the boat.
Flint had already cast off the fasts, without waiting for orders, and was standing on the forecastle, as impatient to be off as a man can be who is engaged in the commission of a crime.
Ben rang the bell to back her; the wheels turned, but as the stern-line had been cast off, her bow was not carried out from the wharf.
By this time Lawry had discovered that the _Woodville_ was in motion. He was astonished and alarmed, though he was far from surmising that his boat had been captured by robbers. Running with all his speed, he reached the head of the wharf just as the boat had backed far enough to permit Ben to see him, and for him to see that Ben was at the wheel. Then he realized that his brother was engaged in another conspiracy.
Notwithstanding his extensive knowledge of "steam-boating" in general, Ben Wilford was a very unskillful pilot. If he had understood the management of a boat half as well as Lawry, the nefarious scheme might have been successful. He saw his brother; he did not wish to have him come on board, for Lawry might be so obstinate as to induce one of his dissolute companions to fire at him. He rang the bell to stop her, and then to go ahead, at the same time putting the helm hard aport.
The _Woodville_ went forward, and as she met the helm her bow came round, and she was headed out into the middle of the lake. As she went ahead, her stern swept in a circle within a few feet of the wharf, just as Lawry, breathless with haste and alarm, reached the end of the pier. The little captain knew nothing of the state of things on board, except that his brother Ben was at the wheel, which, however, was a sufficient explanation to him. The _Woodville_ was going, and he could not let her depart without him. Dropping his bundle, he leaped to the plankshear, grasping the rail with both hands. Jumping over the bulwark, he stood on the guard from which opened the windows of the saloon.
Neither of the three conspirators were in a situation to see this movement on the part of Lawry. Ben was too much occupied in steering--for he was not a little fearful of getting aground in some shoal water between the ferry and the wharf--to notice anything; but as soon as he had obtained his course, he looked for his brother on the pier. He was not there; but Ben did not suspect that he was on board the _Woodville_. Baker, who knew just enough about an engine to stop and start it, was working the valves with the bar; and he could think of nothing else. Doubtless he was conscious by this time that he had "taken a big job," in a.s.suming the control of the engine.
Lawry was bewildered by the situation. When his feet struck the deck, his first impulse was to rush up to the wheel-house, and confront the difficulty as the case might require. He started to carry out his purpose, when he happened to look through one of the saloon windows, and discovered Ethan, with the handkerchief in his mouth, tied to the stanchion. Deeply as he sympathized with his friend in his unpleasant position, he was still cheered by the sight, for it a.s.sured him that the engineer had been faithful to his duties, and was not a party to the conspiracy.
The little captain went round and entered the saloon by the door, without being seen by either of the conspirators. He removed the gag from Ethan"s mouth, and proceeded to unfasten the cords with which he was bound.
"What does all this mean, Ethan?" demanded Lawry, in excited tones, and almost crying with vexation.
"Hush! Do they know you are here?" asked the engineer.
"I think not; I don"t know."
"Keep still, then. They are after the gold."
"Who are they?"
"Ben and two other fellows. I don"t know them."
"We"ll stop this thing very quick," said Lawry.
"They are armed with pistols, and threatened to shoot all hands. Be careful, Lawry, or you will get a bullet through your head."
"What shall we do?" demanded the young pilot.
Ethan was an accomplished strategist. He led the way to the lower cabin, where the terrified women had been driven by the ruffians.