"Anything in reason." The life-saver grinned. "Of course, I don"t understand what"s going on, but I"ll back you."
"This is a good, stout tub we are in." Orme hesitated. "I want you to ram her nose into that other boat."
Porter shook his head.
"That"s going pretty far," he said. "I don"t know that there is warrant for it."
"It won"t need to be a hard b.u.mp," Orme explained. "I don"t want to hurt the fellow."
"Then why----?"
"To frighten him into giving up some papers."
Porter looked straight into Orme"s eyes. "Do the papers belong to you?"
he demanded.
"No." Orme spoke quietly. "They belong to this young lady--or, rather, to her father. This j.a.panese, and the other one, there on the sh.o.r.e, stole them."
"What is the lady"s name?"
"I can"t tell you that."
"But the police----"
"It isn"t a matter for the police. Please trust me, Mr. Porter."
The life-saver stood irresolute.
"If this boat is damaged, I"ll make it good five times over," continued Orme.
"Oh, it wouldn"t hurt the boat. A few scratches, perhaps. It"s the other boat I"m thinking of."
"It"s pretty grim business, I know," remarked Orme.
The younger man again studied Orme"s face. "Can you give me your word that the circ.u.mstances would justify us in ramming that boat?"
It flashed over Orme that he had no idea what those circ.u.mstances were.
He knew only what little the girl had told him. Yet she had a.s.sured him again and again that the papers were of the greatest importance. True, throughout the affair, thus far, with the exception of the blow he had given Maku, the persons concerned had offered no dangerous violence. The mysterious papers might contain information about South American mines--as little Poritol had suggested; they might hold the secrets of an international syndicate. Whatever they were, it was really doubtful whether the necessity of their recovery would justify the possible slaying of another man.
Perhaps the girl had unconsciously exaggerated their value. Women who took a hand in business often lost the sense of relative importance. And yet, she had been so sure; she had herself gone to such lengths. Then, too, the South Americans had hired a burglar to break into her father"s house, and now this j.a.panese had abducted her. Yes, it was a serious game.
Orme answered Porter. "I give you my word," he said.
Porter nodded and tightened his lips.
"At the very least, that fellow has tried to abduct this young lady,"
added Orme.
"All right," said Porter. "Let her go."
The other boat had drifted about fifty feet away. Orme called out.
"h.e.l.lo, there, j.a.panese. Will you give up the papers."
No answer came.
"If you won"t," cried Orme, "we are going to ram you."
"Oh, no!" exclaimed the girl suddenly. "We mustn"t drown him."
"We shan"t," said Orme. "But we will give him a scare." Then, in a louder voice: "Do you hear?"
The only reply was the tapping of metal on metal. The j.a.panese, it seemed, was still trying to find out what was wrong with his motor.
"Well, then," Orme said to Porter, "we"ll have to try it. But use low speed, and be ready to veer off at the last minute."
"He"ll try to fend with the boathook," said Porter.
"If he does, I"ll get him."
"How?"
"La.s.so." Orme picked up a spare painter that was stored under the seat, and began to tie a slip-noose.
The girl now spoke. "I suppose we shall have to do it," she said. "But I wish there were a less dangerous, a less tragic way."
Hardly knowing what he did, Orme laid his hand gently on her shoulder.
"It will be all right, dear," he whispered.
If the word embarra.s.sed her, the darkness covered her confusion.
Porter had started the motor, setting it at a low speed, and now he was steering the boat in a circle to gain distance for the charge.
"I"ve lost the other boat," exclaimed Orme, peering into the darkness.
"She"s off there," said Porter. "You can"t see her, but I know the direction."
He swung the launch around and headed straight through the night.
"Hold on tight," Orme cautioned the girl, and, coiling his la.s.so, he went to the bow.
The launch moved steadily forward. Orme, straining his eyes in the endeavor to distinguish the other boat, saw it at last. It lay a few points to starboard, and Porter altered the course of the launch accordingly.
"Make for the stern," called Orme, "and cripple her propeller, if you can."
Another slight change in the course showed that Porter understood.
As the lessening of the distance between the two boats made it possible to distinguish the disabled speeder more clearly, Orme saw that the j.a.panese was still tinkering with the motor. He was busying himself as though he realized that he had no hope of escape unless he could start his boat.