The fog had lifted sufficiently, by this time, so that clear vision was to be had for at least a quarter of a mile.
Skipper Tom whistled as he handled the wheel. Joe Dawson was so relieved in mind that, after a careful look at the motors, he threw himself upon one of the berths opposite and dozed. Hank put in his time looking after preparations for supper.
"What ails you, Halstead?" demanded Seaton, pausing abruptly beside the young skipper.
For the boy had turned, suddenly, to a sickly pallor.
"It has just struck me, sir," confessed the young motor boat skipper, "that, if Dalton has the slightest suspicion of what we"ve done to outwit him, he"s just the man who will be desperate enough to put his whole set of papers in at the nearest cable office for direct sending to Rio Janeiro!"
CHAPTER XIX
HELPLESS IN THE NORTHEASTER!
"I"ve already thought of that," nodded Powell Seaton.
"And it doesn"t worry you, sir--doesn"t make you anxious?" questioned Captain Tom Halstead.
"No. Of course, Dalton might cable the full contents of the papers. If the paper could fall only into Governor Terrero"s hands it would be well worth the cable tolls. But if such a cablegram were sent, openly, to Terrero, or one of his representatives, it would have to go, first of all, through the hands of the Government officials who have charge of the cable."
"But couldn"t Terrero fix that?" asked Halstead.
"No; Rio is out of his state, and beyond the sphere of his strongest influence. Now, if I were to land in Rio Janeiro, I would be arrested on a warrant issued by Terrero"s judges, up in the state of Vahia, and I would have to go to Vahia for trial. Undoubtedly Terrero"s rascally officers would shoot me on the way, and report that I had tried to escape."
"Then what harm could it do to Terrero"s chances for Dalton to send him the cablegram direct?"
"Why, either the cable officials in Rio are very great rascals, or else they are honest officials. If they are rascals, they might hold the cablegram long enough to act for themselves on the information it contained. On the other hand, if they are honest officials, then they would undoubtedly notify the Government of such a stupendous piece of news. The Government would then very likely take charge of my diamond field itself, which would be wholly legal, for the Government already owns many, if not the greater number, of the producing diamond fields of that country. So, if the Government, acting on information from its cable officials, took possession of the news and of the diamond field, what good would the cablegram do Governor Terrero? No; you may be very sure that Dalton won"t send the contents of the papers by cablegram.
He undoubtedly has the strongest orders from Terrero against doing that."
"I feel better, then," Tom admitted. "For the moment it came over me, like a thunderbolt, that Dalton might nip all our work in the bud by sending a cablegram. Still, couldn"t he send it by code?"
"No; for only the ordinary codes can go through the Brazilian cable offices, and the Government officers have the keys to all the codes that are allowed. Rest easy, Halstead; Dalton won"t attempt to use the cable."
"Then, if he doesn"t get aboard the "Glide," we"ll beat him out to Brazil--that"s the surest thing in the world!" cried Tom, with as much enthusiasm as though the great fortune at stake were his own.
They were still following in the wake of the "Glide." Once in a while d.i.c.k Davis or Ab Perkins had the operator on the freighter flash back a wireless message of a friendly, personal nature. Joe answered all these.
For thirty-six hours this pleasant stern-chase lasted. By night the helmsman of the "Restless" kept the searchlight enough in use to make sure that the drab boat did not appear.
"Dalton and Lemly lost the "Glide," if they were looking for her, in the fog," chuckled Halstead, in huge satisfaction. "Any Rio-bound boat they can catch now is hopelessly to the rear of the "Glide," I reckon."
Joe, by wiring back, and asking other wireless vessels to relay, from time to time, had ascertained that there was no other steam vessel, bound for Rio, in close pursuit.
Mr. Seaton took his trick at the wheel occasionally. So did Hepton.
Joe gave most of his time to the wireless installation, though he maintained charge of the motors, Hank doing most of the work there.
All had sleep enough during the cruise south. Joe used some of his spare time in carrying out his former plan of connecting the wireless table with the helmsman by means of a speaking tube.
They were well down the coast of Florida when even anxious Powell Seaton declared that there was no need of cruising longer in the wake of the "Glide." He felt certain that the freighter had entirely eluded the vigilance of those on board the drab boat.
By this time the supply of gasoline was nearly out. Tom had cautioned the charter-man that so long a run would use up about the last of their oil. There was, however, a small sail fitted to the signal mast.
Now, when the crew of the "Restless" turned back, the sail was hoisted and power shut off.
"We"ve oil enough to run perhaps three-quarters of an hour, sir," the young skipper explained. "We"ll have to use that up in making port when we get in sight."
Sailing aboard the "Restless" proved lazy work at the outset. With this small sail there was not wind enough to carry the boat at much more than two miles per hour on her northwest course for the nearest Florida town where gasoline was likely to be had.
"We"ll have a jolly long sail of it," laughed Skipper Tom, "unless the wind should freshen."
"Well, we don"t care," smiled Mr. Seaton. "At least, you won"t be overworked. And our minds are easier--mine especially."
"All of us have easier minds," Halstead retorted. "Don"t you understand, sir, that the rest of us have taken this whole business to heart? We couldn"t be more concerned than we are to see the affairs of our charter parties come through all right."
"Oh, I believe that," nodded Powell Seaton. "You boys have been the strongest sort of personal friends to me in my troubles. You couldn"t possibly have made my affairs, and my dangers, more thoroughly your own troubles."
Two hours later a wireless message came back from the "Glide." It was from d.i.c.k Davis, and couched in vague terms, but meant to inform those aboard the "Restless" that the drab seventy-footer was still out of sight. An hour after that a second message reached the motor boat.
Soon after the "Restless" found herself unable to answer, though still able to receive.
"Hank, are you feeling particularly strong to-day?" inquired Mr.
Seaton.
"I"m always strong, sir," replied the young steward.
"Then why not rack your pantry stores in order to supply the biggest thing in a meal for all hands this evening? I feel more like eating than I have any day in a month."
"You"d have to go to a sure-enough number-one hotel to find a better meal than I"ll put up for this evening," retorted Hank, grinning gleefully, as he started for the galley.
In such lazy weather Tom Halstead felt that he could go below for a nap, especially as Joe was around. Hepton was left at the wheel. Tom speedily closed his eyes in one of the soundest naps he had enjoyed in many a day. He was awakened by Hank, who came into the stateroom and shook him by the shoulder.
"Weather"s all right, up to now," b.u.t.ts informed the young captain.
"Still, we don"t like the looks of the sky, and the barometer is beginning to show signs of being eccentric. Won"t you come up on deck for a minute, anyway?"
Tom was out of his berth in a twinkling. There was enough of the sea-captain in him for that. The instant he reached the deck his gaze swept around anxiously, inquiringly, at the sky.
"The clouds up on the northeast horizon don"t look exactly friendly, do they?" he inquired of Joe.
"Don"t know," replied Dawson. "Haven"t seen enough of them yet."
"I"m thinking you will, soon," replied Halstead. "How"s the wind been?"
"From the east, sir," replied Hepton, who was at the wheel.
"It"s working around to northeast, now," muttered Halstead. "And it was almost from the south when I turned in."
Tom stood by the barometer, watching it.
"Trouble coming," he said, briefly.