"Don"t you? Why, I think it is as clear as mud," laughed Burchmore.
"We shall be in Christiania in a couple of hours. I thought you were playing some trick upon us, Sanford; but I see now that you were all right. There"s the captain; he speaks English."
"What town is that, captain?" asked the c.o.xswain.
"Drobak; we shall be in Christiania in about two hours," answered the master.
"Where"s Ole?" demanded the c.o.xswain, much excited.
"What does it mean?" said Clyde.
"I don"t know. Where"s Ole?"
The waif evidently considered discretion the better part of valor, for he could not be found; and the c.o.xswain and those in his confidence realized that they had been "sold" in their own coin.
CHAPTER XII.
THE BOATSWAIN AND THE BRITON.
"Where"s Ole? I don"t understand it," repeated Sanford, after he had made another ineffectual search for the missing waif.
"We have been sold, instead of selling those fellows," added Stockwell.
"That"s so; and I should rather like to know how it was done. Ole has sold us out."
"Is this your Rjukanfos?" demanded Clyde Blacklock, who had been looking for some one upon whom to pour out his wrath.
"Not exactly," answered Sanford, indifferently, for he did not particularly enjoy the airs of the Briton.
"But what do you mean by bringing me here?" added Clyde.
"I didn"t bring you here. You came of your own free will and accord."
"No, I didn"t; you said we were going to the waterfall."
"We thought so ourselves; but we have been deceived. Ole has sold out and made fools of us. You are no worse off than the rest of us."
"To whom did he sell out?" asked Clyde, appeased when he learned that he was not the only sufferer.
"I don"t know. I don"t understand it at all. We have been cheated out of the Rjukanfos, and brought to Christiania."
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" inquired Stockwell.
"We can"t do anything about it. I suppose we shall be on board of the ship in an hour or two, telling the princ.i.p.al how hard we tried to be here before."
"But I"m not going back to Christiania," protested Clyde.
"I don"t see how you can help yourself. This boat don"t stop again till she arrives there."
"I will not go to the ship again, at any rate," added Clyde.
"Do as you like about that; it isn"t our business."
Clyde was much disturbed by the situation. As he always regarded himself as the central figure of the group, he began to suspect that the apparent miscarriage of the plan was a trick to lure him back to the ship; but Sanford seemed to be honest, and to be entirely discomfited by the discovery. Burchmore and Churchill were highly elated at the success attending their scheme, which had, indeed, exceeded their expectations; but they were as much mystified by the disappearance of Ole as the victims of the trick. Being unable to speak the language, they could not inquire for the absentee; but they made a very diligent search for him. They were more successful than Sanford"s party had been, for, in going forward, they heard some high words in the quarters of the steamer"s crew, in the forecastle.
Listening for a moment, they heard the voice of Ole, who appeared to have concealed himself in that part of the vessel, and was properly regarded as an intruder by the rightful occupants thereof.
"Come out here, Ole," shouted Burchmore. "We want you."
Ole turned from the Norwegian sailors, who were scolding at him for taking possession of their quarters, to his friends and allies.
"Where"s Sanford?" he asked, rather timidly.
"On deck."
"He"ll kill me."
"Nonsense! We will take care of you against any odds," said the cashier, laughing heartily at the fears of the waif. "They have only just ascertained where they are. Come up, Ole."
Thus a.s.sured, the young Norwegian climbed up the ladder, much to the satisfaction of the sailors. Burchmore was too well pleased with the trick he had played upon the conspirators to confine the knowledge of it to Churchill and himself, and had explained it to all who were not actually in the confidence of the c.o.xswain. A majority of the party were thus arrayed on his side, though two or three of them would as readily have chosen the other side. The cashier was evidently the safer leader.
"Sanford and that Englishman will pound me for the trick," repeated Ole, as he glanced at the quarter-deck, where his victims were considering the situation.
"No, they won"t; we are able and willing to protect you," replied Burchmore. "Come, we will go aft, and hear what they have to say."
The cashier led the way, and the waif reluctantly followed him.
"I believe you wanted to see Ole," said Burchmore, who could hardly look sober, he was so pleased with the result of his operations.
"Yes; I did wish to see him," answered Sanford, rather coldly. "I will see him some other time."
"O, I thought you wanted him now," laughed Burchmore. "I am satisfied that this is really Christiania Fjord."
"So am I," added the c.o.xswain, with a sickly smile.
"And you were quite right, too, in saying that large place was Drammen," chuckled Burchmore.
"Certainly I was."
"Neither were you mistaken in regard to Kongsberg."
"I find that I was not."
"I suppose you remember the Irishman"s turtle, that swallowed his own head, Sanford?"
"Of course."