"Cases that appear built to hold rifles and ammunition, up forward, Overton," called Prescott, coming to the cabin door.
"Yes; this boat is a gun-smuggler beyond a doubt," nodded Lieutenant Hal. "Even if we found no guns aboard we could hold the craft for a pirate, for the conduct of her commander in having his fellows fire on us."
"A pirate? Father, is that true?" called the young woman, in a startling voice.
"Hush, child. You don"t understand such things," replied the man.
"But, if this be true? Oh, I must get out of here and get air. I am stifling."
"I shall be glad to a.s.sist you to the deck, madam, if you will permit me," offered Prescott, gravely, removing his cap.
At an almost imperceptible sign from her father the girl quickly moved forward and vanished with Lieutenant Prescott.
"I take it you"re in command here," muttered the father.
"I am," Hal nodded.
"Then I want to talk with you," continued the stranger. "Lieutenant, of course I know that you"ve got me in a nasty position. I want to see how you can help me to get out of it."
"If you really are in a bad position," Hal responded, gazing into the other"s eyes, "I do not see how I can help you, for I am only the officer concerned with seizing this craft. I am not going to be your judge."
"Oh, yes, you can," continued the other, sinking his voice still lower.
"We can fix it all, I know, with money!"
CHAPTER XX
AN OFFICER AND HIS HONOR
"I"m afraid you"re as badly off as the hunter"s dog," observed Lieutenant Hal coldly.
"How is that?"
"You"re barking up the wrong tree."
The purple-faced man looked searchingly into the clear, steady eyes of the young Army officer. Then he answered laughingly:
"Oh, come, now. Don"t try to keep me guessing too long, or I may lose my patience, and you may lose some money that you"d rather have. Up forward there"s a stateroom, and the light is turned on in there. Just step into the stateroom, by yourself, and count--this."
From a trousers pocket the purple-faced one had drawn a huge roll of bank-notes. Before Hal Overton could understand what was happening the stranger had pushed this roll of money into the young officer"s hand.
"That"s only a starter--something down to prove good faith, you understand," whispered the stranger.
"You--you _dog_!" cried Lieutenant Hal angrily.
Swat! The compact roll of bank-notes struck the stranger in the face, then bounded to the floor at Hal"s feet. The latter kicked the money away from him.
"You needn"t be so huffy about it," grumbled the other. "As I told you, that money is only a deposit paid down."
"You"ll go down, if you try anything more like that," uttered Lieutenant Hal wrathfully.
"Ah, now, see here, don"t be a fool," urged the stranger huskily. "I don"t want to spend a lot of time behind bars or too much in the courts either. Now, all you"ll have to do will be to help me frame a yarn that we can both----"
"Stop! I think I"ve heard about enough from you," warned Lieutenant Overton angrily.
"But, you idiot, I can offer you more money than you"ll make in twenty years of soldiering!"
"Perhaps you can, but you needn"t bother. Do you imagine, fellow, that an Army officer"s honor is of so little importance to him that he"ll sell it to a higher bidder. Now, I"ve had enough of you. Get out of here."
As Hal spoke he unfastened his belt and tossed it on to a seat at the side. It was his intention to call his brother officers into the cabin during the trip back. But at that moment Noll showed in the doorway.
"Lieutenant Overton, Mr. Halstead is inquiring whether you are ready with further orders."
That brought Hal to his feet, and also to the realization that both motor boats would have to be manned. Indeed, he would have to give a few moments of thought about the return to the American sh.o.r.e.
Hastily joining his brother officers on deck, Hal also called to Prescott, who placed a chair for the young woman and then joined the group.
"Prescott," Hal began, "I don"t imagine that the capture of this craft is warrant for our abandoning river guard for the rest of the night. The "Restless," I take it, must continue the patrol until other orders are received."
"Undoubtedly," nodded Prescott.
"Therefore, it"s my intention, with a few of our men, to take this prize into Agua Dulce. The remainder of the officers and men ought to remain aboard the "Restless." Now, as that boat belongs to the Thirty-seventh for the present I shall have to leave Terry in command in my absence, though yourself and Holmes are clearly the ranking officers here."
"There isn"t anything else that can be done," agreed Lieutenant Prescott. "And believe me, my dear fellow, Holmes and I are not disturbed over seeing the command in the hands of officers whom we just happen to rank."
Hal, therefore, ordered his own sergeant and six men to remain on the prize, while the rest of the military party stepped over on to the "Restless." The two craft thereupon parted.
"Sergeant," ordered Overton, "you will see that this helmsman steers a straight course for Agua Dulce. Don"t stand any nonsense from him. See that the start is made at once."
Just then Lieutenant Hal recalled the fact that he had left belt and revolver on a seat in the cabin. He went there, promptly, picked up the belt and buckled it on.
"Are you ready to talk business with me, now?" demanded the purple-faced one, in a low voice.
"I don"t believe I care to have anything more to do with you," Hal retorted stiffly.
"Oh, go ahead and ruin me, then," snarled the stranger.
Hal, ascending to the deck, spoke to a soldier standing there.
"Rainsford, see that the man in the cabin does not come up on deck," Hal directed. "Keep your eye on him as the most important prisoner on this prize craft."
The purple-faced man stared after Hal Overton"s retreating form.
"So you wouldn"t come to terms, eh?" demanded the fellow, under his breath. "You"d rather ruin me. Two or three years in prison will ruin me, just at present, for my affairs will go to smash if I have to drop behind bars for a while. And if the government of Mexico finds that I have been helping the _insurrectos_ it will mean total loss to me, perhaps, where my properties are situated in other parts of Mexico. And you, young whippersnapper in shoulder straps, you talked to me of your honor. Well, I"ll pitchfork that honor of yours!"
The purple-faced man laughed harshly. He was in a deadly frame of mind.