CHAPTER XIV.
A BARGAIN.
It surely seemed as if those who had been carried away by the Bonitawere to have their cup of trouble filled to the brim. Running ashore ona pleasant night when there was every reason to believe they were near ahome port was looked upon as a great disaster at the time; but now itdwindled into a trifle before the dangers which menaced.
There could no longer be a question but that the strangers were ripe forany mischief, even at the expense of a drawn battle, and Joe wasinclined to believe they might vanquish his party.
"They're hard tickets, and were most likely marooned here because oftheir misdeeds," he muttered to himself as he lounged on deck toascertain if the enemy had made any change of position. "It'll take somemighty neat work to get us out of this scrape, for we can't risk afight, and it's a question whether Bob can be held in check."
The men yet remained forward, where, in the shadow of the forecastle,they could have the benefit of the light land breeze, and wereapparently indifferent as to what move the rightful crew of the brigmight make.
Joe stood on the quarter-dock nearly half an hour trying in vain todecide upon some plan which would at least promise success, and then hewent below, looking, as in fact he felt, his lack of hope in the finalresult.
"It's pretty near high water," he said to Bob, who was making one moresearch of the cabin with the idea that it might yet be possible to findweapons, "and the question is, are we going to lose this tide withoutmaking an effort to launch the brig?"
"What can we do?" the old sailor asked impatiently. "It don't stand toreason that them villains would be any more decent if she was afloatthan they are now!"
"And before many days there'll come an easterly wind which will driveher up on the sand beyond all chance of ever being launched again!"
"That's jes' what is makin' me almost wild!" Bob cried as he turned andfaced the engineer, "She oughter be floated between now an' to-morrownight; but it can't be done!"
"Why not?" Joe asked calmly. "I've been turning matters over in my mind,and don't see the slightest chance of ever being able to drive those menashore. Wouldn't it be better to join forces rather than lose the brigentirely and be dependent upon sighting some vessel to take us off thekey?"
The old sailor looked up as if astonished that such a proposition shouldbe made; but before the angry reply, which was trembling on his lips,could be spoken, Joe said gently:
"Think the whole matter over before you say anything, and take plenty oftime, for we don't want to make another mistake."
Bob looked at the speaker angrily for a moment, and then seating himselfat the table with his head in his hands, he remained silent so long thatthe boys, who were watching him intently, believed he had fallen asleep.
"What's your plan?" he finally asked.
"It isn't what can be called a plan, but, according to my way ofthinking, the only course left for us to pursue. We've _got_ to makesome kind of a trade with those villains in order to get away from thisplace, and the sooner it's done the better."
"Go out an' see what they'll agree to!" Bob said hoarsely. "I'll standby any bargain you think half-fair."
Joe did not wait for further conversation. He was eager to takeadvantage of the tide, and no time was to be lost.
"Look here, Jim," the old sailor said, when the engineer had left thecabin, "if Joe makes a trade with them scoundrels, as I reckon he will,something must be done to prevent you boys from bein' kicked 'round, forwe can't have a fight every hour. While the brig is aground you'd beststay on board the tug, so's to be out of the way. When the grub is readyshove it on the table, an' then all three clear out, leavin' us to waiton ourselves. That'll ease things up a little."
While Bob was thus planning to save the boys from brutal treatment, Joehad lost no time in finishing his very disagreeable task.
When he went forward the men did not pay the slightest attention to hismovements, but continued their conversation as if whatever he might dowas no concern of theirs. It was not until he halted directly in frontof the party that the red-nosed man so much as raised his eyes.
"See here," Joe begun, as if to speak was distasteful; "we've got tocome to some agreement, for splitting-up now, when the brig's aground,isn't much better than child's play."
"That's my idee, to a dot!" he of the red nose replied with a leer; "butit ain't us what's makin' the row! We've got rights, no matter if youdid bring us aboard; an' what's more, we're goin' to have 'em!"
"We won't discuss that part of it," Joe said curtly. "You know as wellas I do that if there'd been two or three more in our party you wouldn'thave said a word about rights; but since it's your intention to takeunfair advantage of those who tried to relieve suffering, we'll let thematter drop. None of us will gain anything if the brig goes to pieces,and it's for the interest of all hands to have her launched; thereforeI've come to make a bargain."
"Well, out with it!" the man said coarsely, as Joe ceased speaking.
"I propose that we turn to, as if nothing had happened, each oneswearing to do his utmost toward carrying the brig to the nearestAmerican port, and there the whole matter can, as indeed it must, besubmitted to the court for settlement. On your part you agree not tomolest the boys in any way, and they are to do nothing but the cooking.We will recognize what I think are your unjust claims until the case islegally settled. No property is to be taken from the vessel, and, so faras possible, everything must remain as we found it."
"An' it has taken you all this time to fix up that agreement, eh?" theman asked, with a boisterous laugh. "I don't see but it amounts to jes'what we wanted at first. Look here, Mister Engineer, you an' Bob havegot an idee that we ain't on the square, an' it's a big mistake. When wefound you needed our help to work the brig into port, an' couldn't do italone, we said it was only fair play for us to share in whatever salvagemight be made. Now we'll agree to your bargain, 'cause it's nothin' morenor less than what I proposed, an' the sooner we get to work on thathawser the better, 'cause it's about flood-tide."
Joe realized this fact fully, and he went quickly aft for Bob,explaining to him in the fewest possible words the result of hisinterview.
"I hate to knuckle down to them scoundrels; but I s'pose it can't behelped," the old sailor said as he arose to his feet. "Keep out of theway, boys, so there won't be any chance for more abuse."
To have seen the party five minutes after Bob went forward, one wouldnot fancy there had been any hard feelings among them. The strangersset about the work with a will, recognizing the old sailor as being incommand, and with apparently no other thought than such us was for thebenefit of all.
The tide had ceased rising, it being that time known as "slack water,"when the capstan-bars were brought into use, and every member of theparty exerted all his strength in the effort.
Once, twice, three times the men leaped against the stout bars withoutmaking any perceptible change in the brig's position, and Joe began tofancy it would have been as well if he had not humbled himself by makinga trade with the strangers.
"Buckle down to it once more," Bob shouted. "It lacked almost an hour ofbein' high water when she struck, an' there can't be so very much sandunder her bow. Break down once more!"
No one hung back. The red-nosed man appeared to have the strength of agiant, and as he hove at the handles it seemed as if the wood or ironmust surely give way under the enormous strain.
"Grind her down!" he yelled, and when one more determined effort hadbeen made there was a decided movement. The bars were started fully aquarter of a turn, and Bob shouted:
"Now's the time, my hearties! Heave around once, an' we're clear of thisblessed key!"
Then every man hove down on the bars as the Mexican held turn, and inchby inch the heavy hawser came inboard until the winch revolved readilyas the Bonita glided out into deeper water, until she lay clear of theshoal, swinging to the grip of the cable over her stern.
"Hurrah!" Bob shouted, and the others joined in the cheers,
causing theboys to come from the galley to learn the reason for such an uproar.
"It's a matter of gettin' that anchor home, an' then when the windsprings up ag'in we can leave this sand-heap behind us," the red-nosedman said in a tone of satisfaction, as he wiped the perspiration fromhis face before following the example of the others, who had flungthemselves at full length in the shadow of the forecastle.
"What about the Sea Bird, Bob?" Joe asked when he had regained hisbreath sufficiently to talk. "I hate to leave the little craft to themercy of wind and wave."
"Why don't you swing this hawser right aboard of her?" the red-nosed manproposed. "The owners may think she's worth comin' after, an' she'll layhere comfortable enough, unless it blows a full gale from the east."
The tug was still made fast to the brig, having came off the shoal atthe same time, and, save for the huge patch of canvas over her bow,looking as staunch as when first launched.
"That's just what we will do; an' it'll save heavin' up the heavyanchor!" Joe cried. "The Bonita can lay alongside as well as if she wasmoored, and it won't take us so long to get under way when the wind doescome."
As soon as the party had recovered somewhat from the fatigue ofstraining at the winch, the hawser was shifted to the forward bitt onthe Sea Bird, and both crafts gradually swung around until they wereheaded for the open sea.
"We'll have a breeze before morning," the thin man remarked, "for onehas sprung up every night since we landed, an' it's safe to calculate onleavin' about midnight."
"After we've had somethin' to eat we'll make ready for it," Bob said ashe went toward the galley, for it was fully an hour past noon and theappetites of all were decidedly sharpened.
The amateur cook had everything ready, and the three boys carried thefood below without being molested by those whom they quite naturallylooked upon as enemies.