Bothwell, the Flemings, and perhaps half a dozen dark-skinned sailors were crouching behind the bulwarks, raising their heads above the rail only to shoot.
A constant crackling of small arms filled the air. The boats had crept nearer and were pouring a very steady fire upon the defenders.
The forward movement was only a diversion under cover of which we might have a chance to escape, but it was being executed with so much briskness and spirit that Bothwell could not guess its harmless nature.
At my signal the sailor led Evelyn quickly toward the p.o.o.p. With my eyes over my left shoulder I followed at their heels. We had all but reached the stern when I heard the smack of a fist and turned in time to see a Panama peon hit the deck full length.
He had been hurrying forward and had caught sight of us. His mouth was open to shout an alarm at the time the Irishman"s fist had landed against the double row of shining teeth.
The fellow rolled over and was up like an acrobat. But my revolver, pointing straight at his stomach, steadied him in an instant.
"Don"t move or shout," I warned.
From the bushes Alderson had been waiting for us and his boat was in place. He flung up a rope ladder with grappling hooks on the end.
Gallagher fixed them to the rail and helped Evelyn down.
"You next," I ordered.
"Yes, sir."
"Your turn now, Sambo," I told the peon after the sailor had gone.
The fellow rolled his eyes wildly toward the stem of the vessel but found no hope from that quarter. He clambered over the rail like a monkey and went down hand after hand. I followed him.
We were huddled promiscuously in the little boat so that it rocked to the very lip. For a half a minute I was afraid we were going down, but a shift in position by Gallagher steadied the sh.e.l.l.
Meanwhile Alderson had thrown his muscles into the oars and we drew away steadily; fifty strokes, and the shadows had swallowed us.
Alderson pulled across the river and let the boat drift down the opposite bank. The outgoing tide carried us swiftly. We slipped past the schooner un.o.bserved. Gallagher blew twice on a whistle and the two boats commanded by Blythe and Yeager at once drew back into safety.
Some three hundred yards farther down stream they caught up with us.
"All right, Jack?" Blythe called across to me.
"All right, Sam."
"Miss Wallace is with you, of course?"
"Yes, and one other pa.s.senger who nearly swamped us. Can you take our prisoner?"
His boat pulled up beside us and relieved us of one very frightened Panama peon. We were very glad to be rid of him, for a dozen times the waves had nearly swamped our overloaded skiff and I had been bailing every second.
A few minutes later we reached the _Argos_.
From Blythe I learned that Gallagher had been responsible for the plan by means of which he had rescued us. Moreover, he had insisted on taking the stellar role in carrying it out, dangerous as the part had been. It was his way of wiping out his share in the mutiny.
CHAPTER XXVI
THE LAST BRUSH
We resumed next morning the digging for the treasure. The sh.o.r.e party was made up of Blythe, Yeager, Smith, Higgins and Barbados.
Those of us left on board had a lazy time of it. I arranged watches of two to guard against any surprise on the part of the enemy either by an attack upon the yacht or by a sally along the sh.o.r.e upon the treasure diggers.
Having divided my men into watches, I discharged my mind of responsibility. Evelyn and I had a thousand things to tell each other.
We sat on the upper deck under the tarpaulin and forgot everything except that we were lovers reunited after dreadful peril.
Youth is resilient. One would scarce have believed that this girl bubbling over with life and spirits was the same one who had been in such hopeless despair a few hours earlier.
A night"s good sleep had set her up wonderfully.
Last night I had looked into tired eyes that had not yet fully escaped from the shadows of tragedy, into the sharp oval of a colorless face from which waves of storm had washed the life.
This morning the sun shone for her.
Courage had flowed back into her heart. Swift love ran now and again through her cheeks and tinted them.
She was herself, golden and delicate, elastic and vivid as a captured nymph.
"When I left the old _Argos_ I thought I never wanted to see the yacht again, but now I think I could be happy here all my life," she confided.
"Wouldn"t you prefer to have your cousin just a few miles farther away?"
She fell grave for a moment.
"Do you think he"ll try to do more mischief?"
"He"ll try. That"s a safe bet. But I think we have him checkmated. By night we ought to have the bulk of the treasure on board. Once we get it the _Argos_ will show him her heels."
Four bells sounded, six, eight. Dugan came down from the bridge to report to me.
"Captain Blythe"s party coming down to the beach, sir."
Two of the men were carrying a large chest. It was so heavy that every forty or fifty yards relays relieved each other. The box was brought down to the edge of the water and loaded into a boat. Smith and Higgins took their places at the oars and Blythe stepped into the bow.
The cargo seemed to call for tackle and ropes. I had them ready before the boat reached us. Blythe superintended the hoisting of the chest, arranging the ropes so as to make a slip impossible. We hauled it safely aboard.
"Have it taken to the strong room, Sam. There"s another waiting for us ash.o.r.e," Blythe explained.
"Want me to go back for it?"
"No. Keep a sharp lookout for our friend up the river."
He was pulled ash.o.r.e again and returned two hours later with a second chest, this time leaving Yeager and Barbados on guard at the cache.
Gallagher and Alderson were sent ash.o.r.e later to join Tom"s party for the night watch.