Eph answered.
On the gunboat"s quarter deck, following Ensign Somers"s report, there was an anxious conference.
"If this is the craft we"ve been following all the time," muttered Jack Benson, "we"ve a lot of hunting yet ahead of us."
"Shall I signal the schooner permission to proceed, sir?" asked Ensign Fullerton.
"By all means."
Darkness came down over the ocean while Lieutenant Jack was sending a wireless despatch through the air to the Navy Department.
CHAPTER XV
"THE RIGHT BOAT AND THE RIGHT CREW!"
Three hours later, under a new order from Washington, the gunboat"s launch stole in alongside of a second schooner that had been pursued, overhauled and brought to a standstill.
This craft, however, proved to be a Nova Scotian vessel, with papers all right, a cargo beyond suspicion and no sign of the fugitive Gray aboard.
When news of this second failure had been flashed to Washington, and twenty minutes more had pa.s.sed, the instructions came back out of the ether:
"Cruise slowly about where you are. Await new instructions, which will go forward to you as soon as we have fresh, reliable information from any source. See that your own search light is freely used through the night."
""Puss in the Corner," at sea," muttered Lieutenant Benson. "And we ain"t even find a corner."
An hour later the young commander of the "Sudbury" turned in. Hal was on the bridge.
The gunboat cruised along lazily at about eight knots an hour. For some time Hal paced the bridge indolently, while the sailor lookout, forward, manipulated the searchlight, sending its beam in wide circles over the waters.
It was within half an hour of the time of calling the new watch, in fact, when the bow watch reported:
"Sail dead ahead, sir!"
Barely more than a topsail could be made out, even through the marine gla.s.s of the young watch officer.
"Hold the light on her; we"ll overtake and examine her, anyway," was Ensign Hastings"s quick decision. From the bridge he gave orders for the engine room to go ahead with increased speed. While the gunboat was bounding off after the stranger, time came to call the port watch. Eph Somers came up to the bridge, somewhat sleepy.
"Same old story, I guess," yawned Eph. "Have you pa.s.sed the word to the executive office?"
"Not yet," Hal replied. "I didn"t believe it worth while to break the slumber of Mr. Fullerton, or of the commander, until we got close to see whether the stranger looks in the least like the "Juanita.""
"I don"t believe the "Juanita" is anywhere on this wide ocean," muttered Eph, stifling a yawn.
"It doesn"t look that way," smiled Hastings.
Down before the wheelhouse a bell began to sound briskly.
"Eight bells; your watch, Mr. Somers," announced Hastings. "But I am going to remain on the bridge with you for a while. I want a look at that mud-hooker over yonder."
Within fifteen minutes more the gunboat was running fairly close, though off to starboard.
"That doesn"t look even a little bit like the "Juanita,"" muttered Ensign Eph, disgustedly. "Why, she"s longer than the Cobtown schooner.
Besides, the "Juanita" is a two-sticker, while that hooker yonder has a third mast with a yawl-rig leg-o"-mutton sail."
Hal said nothing, but continued to study the stranger through his night-gla.s.s.
"She is a queer-looking hooker," muttered Hastings. "Say, Eph, somehow that boat doesn"t look as though she was built to fit her own rig."
"Why not!" demanded Eph.
"Well, look at her length. Then take a peep at the height of her dory-mast. Does it look tall enough for the length of the schooner?"
"I hadn"t thought of that," admitted Somers, also taking a careful look through the nightgla.s.s. "Jove, Hal, she is an odd-looking piece of hulk."
Eph turned to pa.s.s the order to run in still closer to the schooner.
"What"s wrong with her stern-hull?" asked Ensign Somers, three or four minutes later.
"Looks like a patchwork affair," declared Hal, more interested than ever.
"Has she a built-on stern?" demanded Somers, half a minute later.
"By Jove, I half believe she has. Eph, without that stern and the yawl mast, would you say the craft looks like the "Juanita"?"
"I believe she would," muttered young Somers, excitedly. "Marine orderly!"
A sea-soldier came quickly up the bridge stairs, saluting.
"Mr. Somers"s compliments to Mr. Fullerton, and will the executive officer come to the bridge?"
Again saluting the marine vanished aft. It doesn"t take a naval officer long to report, even when he has to rouse himself out of a sound sleep to do it.
Ensign Fullerton reached the bridge rubbing his eyes, but he listened intently to what the two younger ensigns had to say.
"Marine orderly!" called the executive officer. "Mr. Fullerton"s compliments to the commanding officer, and will he come to the bridge?"
Barely a minute later, Jack Benson stood on the bridge, listening to his subordinate officers and staring across the gap of water at the unknown craft.
"Mr. Fullerton," directed the young commander, "prepare to fire a signal shot and to lower the power launch. Make up the boarding party as usual.
Mr. Somers, you will go in command of the launch. And I will accompany you this time. Mr. Fullerton, when I leave the bridge, you will a.s.sume command."
Both officers, as they received their orders, saluted.
Bang! The signal gun barked out, the flash from the muzzle sending a long tongue of red through the darkness.