"I have paid dearly for them," the professor remonstrated.
"I"m sorry, but you won"t lose any more than you"ve already lost--nor gain more, as you won"t think of using them!"
"Why should I not use them? I will use them--_certainement!_"
"Be explicit, or forever hold your peace," Tommy laughed. "Can"t you see the man reaching for his handcuffs?"
But Monsieur, thoroughly aroused, waved the crisp bills with a great show of indignation, crying:
"If there is a way to run this cheat to earth I, alone, will know it!
Then you will want me to be telling you! For my own pleasure I have made a study of counterfeiters and their methods. Perhaps it may surprise you to learn that the police of Europe come to Bucharest and consult with me, eh? Thus, if I may also help you, I must retain my bills!"
We laughed, although I felt tremendously proud of the professor, having had no idea he was such a wonder; and Hardwick said, bowing:
"Then help yourself so I, also, may be helped. But let me take one for my government and, when you finish with the other, mail it to me with your report. I shall appreciate your a.s.sistance, really."
Monsieur was delighted.
They left us then, and again we settled about the c.o.c.kpit; each waiting for one of the others to begin. My own thoughts were like a whirlwind, and my ears strained with listening toward the black Gulf--listening for a voice, or the unnamable noise of the G.o.ds knew what, that might float to me across the water. I think Tommy half expected me to suggest that we take one of the small boats, and went to his room to put on darker clothes. In a few minutes Monsieur yawned and followed him--though I rather suspected that his yawn was caused more by nervousness than the want of sleep. A moment later Gates, standing near the wheel, softly called my name, so I arose and went to him.
It must be remembered that Gates was absolutely dependable. There were no frills about the old skipper, he shared not one superst.i.tious sentiment in common with Tommy, and it is extremely doubtful if he knew the sensation of fear; therefore, when I saw his face, I was astonished, and in alarm asked:
"Are you ill?"
"No, sir, but I"m sore upset. Please come a bit more aft, sir."
Taking a few steps till we were abaft the traveler, he turned and whispered:
"Mr. Jack, someone"s been trying to blow us up!"
CHAPTER VII
A BOMB AND A DISCOVERY
It seemed that either Gates or I must be out of our senses.
"Blow us up!" I gasped, staring at him.
"As sure as you"re born, sir! "Twas about the time you called over the rail. A little before that, as you gentlemen were talking, I heard a small boat. She came near, and she came up sneaking. First I thought it might be a sponge fisher with more curiosity than manners, but as she didn"t start on again I begun to c.o.c.k my ear. Then something gave a rub against our rudder post. I didn"t like it. I was sitting back there, anyhow, so just got to my hands and knees, and peeped over."
"Why didn"t you challenge?"
"Because there"s been strange doings these twenty-four hours parst, and I knew your affairs might be taking a serious turn. I thought you"d be wanting to know their play, "stead of scaring "em off. So I peeped and listened. With my eyes getting fair used to the dark I made out a dinghy with four men, and think they"d bent a line about our rudder post, for the for"ard man seemed to be working at us silent and farst. The middle one had the oars, ready to pull away. In the stern sheets sat the one I guessed was boss and, kind of squatting down in front of him, was a lad.
To tell the truth, sir, I felt squirmy, for those night-hawks were up to something mysterious."
"Wait a minute, Gates--did you recognize them?"
"Not me, sir. As I was saying, the fellow aft now parssed up a bundle to the for"ard chap, who took it gingerly and began farstening it on to us somewhere--I couldn"t see. The young lad leaned over and looked at it, then he up and sings out: "It ain"t fair!""
"Yes, yes," I caught him by the shoulders. "Go on, Gates!"
"Mind out this thing under my coat," he warned. "Well, sir, the one that was boss made a grab for him--Lor", how he did jerk him!--and the others froze like stone. They stayed that way while you were calling, then the dinghy glided off--the one aft still holding his hand over the lad"s mouth and kind of choking him with the other."
My blood was fairly steaming, and I cried out what was uppermost in my mind:
"That wasn"t a lad, Gates! It was a girl!"
His jaw dropped and he stared at me, but slowly shook his head.
"No, sir, it warn"t a girl, or the fellow wouldn"t have handled her so rough. Besides, sir, he wore--the lad, I mean--a jacket and cap like you or me."
"That doesn"t mean anything. I tell you it was a girl--I"m sure of it!"
"Well, sir, you"re wrong; for when they got out five fathom or so they stopped--to listen, maybe. You were back in the c.o.c.kpit by then, and I guess the fellow must have let up on the young-un; for, all at once, he--the lad, I mean--raked a match along the gunnel, for to take a smoke, d"you see! My word, but the way he was grabbed this time would have shocked you. I couldn"t see it, but you could hear the youngster gurgling. That shows it warn"t a girl, sir!"
"What shows it? Because you think she wanted to smoke? Girls do, Gates!"
"They do that, sir, and I"m not gainsaying it; but they do it sociable, arfter dinner, setting "round the c.o.c.kpit, as you might say. It"s seldom any of "em has such a mortal craving for tobacco as to have to take a suck at a little cigarette every time a man chokes her by the throat. My word, no! It"s the male s.e.x that wants the weed under those conditions--not a girl, sir!"
But I was seeing an entirely different version of the affair, so far as the smoking went; and Gates would have seen it, too, if he hadn"t been so excited. She had not wanted to smoke, at all, but to signal us! I knew it! I was never more sure of anything in all creation!
"And besides, sir," Gates now added, "no one would push his fingers into a girl"s throat like----"
"Stop," I cried, for I could not listen to more of this. If ever I wanted to kill it was then. I wanted to get my own fingers on that scoundrel"s throat as he had dared touch hers; and in my heart I swore by all the G.o.ds, by all the stars and moons and other things in the heavens and under the sea, that I would strangle out his miserable life by inches, or leave my bones to bleach on the sh.o.r.e of her unknown island. Wherever it was, I would find it; wherever she was, I would find her!--and G.o.d help him when he came my way! It was a cla.s.sy oath, and I felt a lot better for it.
"Now, sir," Gates"s voice began to tremble with pa.s.sion as he held up a black thing that had been tucked under his coat, "this invention I took off our rudder post when I rowed "round to see what they"d been up to.
It"s a dirty bomb, fixed to start us off for Davy Jones"s Locker sometime tonight, sir!"
"You"re sure it can"t start us off now?" I asked, taking it from his hands.
"Not lest you get too familiar, sir. I"ve disconnected the clock part of it."
"Have you any idea what those men looked like?"
He solemnly shook his head.
"You can"t guess who they were, or why they wanted to blow us up?" I persisted. "Shall we notify the port, or what?"
He stood a while silent before answering.
"Mr. Jack, G.o.d knows who they are. It was too dark for me to get any satisfying squint at "em; but I never saw "em before--that I know. Three things are sure: they"re either lunatics, or they"ve taken us for some mortal enemy, or----"
"Well?"