But the stranger continued on her way through the night. Ensign Fullerton regarded the young commanding officer of the gunboat expectantly.
"Put a solid shot across her bows, Mr. Fullerton."
Again the order was transmitted, with little noise. The gun-crew then awaited the signal from the executive officer.
Bang! This time the solid shot struck the water a bare fifty feet ahead of the strange craft"s bows as she forged on through the waves, her bow stirring up a gleaming white foam.
"That ought to stop her!" muttered Lieutenant Jack Benson, impatiently.
"I don"t believe it is going to, though, sir," reported Ensign Fullerton, studying the other vessel through his night-gla.s.s. "I don"t see a sign of motion on the stranger"s decks."
"Load again with solid shot, then," directed the gunboat"s young commander. "This time hit her square in the fore-rigging."
"I"ll step below and sight the piece myself," replied Ensign Fullerton.
A few moments later the executive officer reported the port bow gun in readiness for service.
"Fire whenever you are ready, Mr. Fullerton," called Lieutenant Jack, in a low voice.
Bang! barked the bow gun, a moment later. Over aboard the stranger there was a crash, a tearing sound, and then her foretopmast toppled, hanging loosely in place by the stays.
"That"ll stop her, I reckon." chuckled Jack Benson.
And "stop her" it did. There was no choice but to stop. This gunboat of the United States Navy was in a position to shoot every standing stick out of the schooner, if provoked too far, and the legal right to go to such lengths existed.
"Stranger is heaving to, sir," reported Ensign Somers.
"Very good, Mr. Somers. Order the power launch lowered. Put off as quickly as possible."
"Very good, sir."
Ensign Fullerton hastened back to the bridge, to a.s.sume command, while Hal hastings stood by him.
Boat-handlers and armed sailors and marines scampered over the side.
Down the gangway followed Jack and Eph, looking very stately as they held their swords clear of their legs. Busily the launch chugged across the intervening water gap.
"Schooner, ahoy!" hailed Eph, as the launch ran in alongside "What craft is that?"
"Schooner "Malta," Cooper, master, from Sidney, N.S.," came the reply of a man at the after rail.
"Seems to me I"ve seen you before, in Cobtown!" suddenly exclaimed Eph Somers, as he leaped over the rail in advance of his marines.
"C-Cob--town?" demanded the schooner"s master, falteringly.
"By the great Const.i.tution! We"ve caught the "Juanita" in disguise!"
bellowed back Ensign Eph, turning to Jack Benson, who was just boarding.
"See! There"s the false stern structure."
"You"re making a huge mistake of some sort, gentlemen!" protested the vessel"s master, tremulously.
"Marines, lay aboard," thundered Eph. "Take the deck, Corporal. Round up all the crew you see, and make "em stand at attention along one of the seams of the deck! Sailors aboard, you down any man who tries to block or balk you. Lively, now! I"ve seen this master in Cobtown, and I"ll take my oath this is the "Juanita" with a pieced-out, false stern and a faked third mast!"
"We hold you responsible for the deck, Corporal," spoke Jack, in a low tone to the noncommissioned officer of marines. "We"re going to take the sailors and go below."
A rush was made for the companionway leading down into the schooner"s cabin. A man"s white, scared face showed below, for a moment.
"Hurrah!" yelled Eph Somers, drawing his sword and making a bound below "There"s Brother Gray. Oh, we"ve the right boat--and the right crowd, too!"
CHAPTER XVI
THE DUEL THROUGH THE DOOR
Bang!
A stateroom door closed just before the two young officers reached it.
Click! That told the story of a bolt shot into place.
"You may as well open!" called Jack, coolly. "We have ample force for breaking down that door!"
Crack! In that confined s.p.a.ce the discharge of a pistol sounded almost deafening. A line of red shot through the stateroom door. The bullet from the weapon whizzed between Jack Benson and Eph Somers, the missile burying itself in wood across the pa.s.sage.
Crack! Crack!
With that desperate fellow the other side of the door, shooting through the key-hole, it was worse than folly to remain in line of range.
Yet Jack and Eph retorted coolly, with the dignity of officers.
"My man," requested Lieutenant Jack, turning to one of the sailors, "hand me your revolver."
Taking the weapon, Benson glanced at it a second or two, then raised the weapon, sighting for the top of the stateroom door.
Bang! The shot that Jack fired sent a bullet crashing through the door close to the upper framework.
"You see, Gray!" Jack called coolly, "we"re armed, too, and in overpowering numbers. Resistance is worse than foolish."
Bang! came the hostile answer.
This shot was fired through one of the panels of the stateroom door--fired at an angle, too.
Plainly the shot was intended to hit the young naval lieutenant. It pa.s.sed Benson"s right side by a margin of barely two inches.
"Pa.s.s me another revolver," whispered Benson, in the stillness that followed.
All through the day and evening these seamen, though outwardly respectful, and wholly well disciplined, had cherished a great deal of amus.e.m.e.nt over their boyish officers.