CHAPTER VIII
A BRUSH WITH THE GUNBOAT
The _Mariella_ swung slowly around until she presented only her sternand the width of her hull as a mark for her enemy, and then under a fullhead of steam she started to show her heels to the Spaniard. But cloudsof heavy, black smoke began to roll upward from the gunboat's funnel,showing that she, too, was crowding on steam for the chase.
The puff of smoke, the bark of the gun, the shot skipping over the wateracross their bows, much as a child scales a flat stone across a millpond, opened the boys' eyes to the seriousness of the situation. Theyfingered their revolvers nervously and watched the black bow of theSpaniard anxiously, expecting to see another white burst of smoke.
But the little commander evidently believed he could rely on the speedof his vessel to overtake the _Mariella_, for after the warning shot, hedid not fire again, and with throbbing engines the steamers settled downto a trial of speed.
"If we could only imagine that as a starting gun this would make afirst-rate yacht race," said Bert, after they had been running for someminutes.
"Yes, and for a richer stake than ever a yacht raced for before,"replied the captain, who had overheard the remark. Harry thought of theportrait of the beautiful girl that lay next the man's heart, andwondered if he meant her, but when he remembered the ringing defiance inhis voice as he shouted back to the Spaniard, "Viva, Cuba Libre," he wasinclined to believe that the man's spirit of patriotism rose superior tohis love just now.
By this time the veil of mystery that had hung over the ship and herpurpose had been pretty well lifted by the sequence of events, and theboys were convinced that they were a part of some secret mission againstSpain in the interests of Cuba.
Harry had little time for speculation as to the motives that inspiredthe captain, for another puff of white smoke appeared at the gunboat'sbow and a shot whistled by close to the starboard rail. The _Mariella_had been slowly drawing away from her pursuer, and the Spanish commanderevidently feared his prey would escape.
Suarez, on the bridge, turned anxiously aft as if expectinginstructions, but Captain Dynamite only set his lips into that firm,straight line and raised his glasses to watch the enemy's movements.
Another puff of smoke, a sharp report, and a shot struck the water onehundred yards astern, but in direct line with the _Mariella_.
"They've got the direction, but not the range," muttered the captain."Hard a-starboard, Suarez, for half a minute, and then take your courseagain. We'll give that gunner another guess."
The _Mariella_ swung to starboard just enough to take her out of thedirect course of her pursuer.
"Now, try it again, Mister Sharpshooter," sung out the captain, althoughthe Spaniard was by this time far out of range of his voice. "It willtake you some time to pick up your target once more."
The Spaniard sent two other shots after them in quick succession, butthey fell harmlessly to port. The quick swinging of the _Mariella_ outof her course had disconcerted the gunners.
"Don't you think you youngsters better go below?" said the captain,joining the boys, while he calmly rolled a cigarette. "I haven't muchrespect for their marksmanship, but you never can tell where a strayshot may fall."
By this time the sensation of nervousness and anxiety that had followedthe first shot had passed, and the boys were as eager to see the affairto an end as if they had been spectators at a play. They did not yetseem to feel themselves a part of the drama that might so easily beturned into a tragedy.
"If we are not in the way I should much prefer to remain here," saidHarry, "and if we are going to be shot I had rather have it done on deckthan in a stuffy cabin."
"Very well, I guess you are safe enough. Anyway, we shall be out ofrange in about fifteen minutes. Ah, she's going to try it again."
Another shot fell only a few feet astern.
Captain Dynamite placed his glasses on the roof of the deck house,tossed his cigarette over the side, and removing his coat, folded itcarefully and placed it beside the glasses.
"You are getting a little too close, Mister Goodshot," he said, rollingback his cuffs. "I guess a dose of your own medicine is about due."Turning to the bridge, he called:
"Keep her steady, Suarez."
"Aye, aye, sir," responded the mate. There was a note of glee in hisvoice and he rubbed his hands together with an air of greatsatisfaction, as he watched his commander's preparations. He seemed toknow what they portended, although the boys could see no purpose inthem.
The captain now stepped quickly to the after rail, and placing hisfinger underneath it, seemed to be pressing upon something. A squaresection of the deck began to slide silently and mysteriously away,leaving a black hole up through which there rose slowly a rapid firegun. There was a sharp click of snapping bolts as the new section ofdeck came into place.
"Now there will be something doing," whispered Bert.
Quickly taking his place on the saddle of the gun the captain trained itwith the hand of an expert. It seemed but a second from the time he ranhis eye along the sights before the discharge came. Without waiting tosee the result of his shot, he turned the muzzle a little to the right,sighted it again quickly and fired.
The boys watched breathlessly, straining their eyes to see the result,but without avail. Captain Dynamite rose, wiped his hands with a silkhandkerchief and walked to the deck house for his glasses.
"They are both out of commission, bedad," he said, after a minute'sinspection. "Scoot for the inlet, Suarez, me boy."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied the mate, gleefully. "Don't you think youbetter give them one more for good measure, sir?"
"Enough's a-plenty, Suarez. We'll have her hull down before eight bells.Would you like to see what a little gun like that can do?"
He turned to Harry as he spoke and handed him the marine glasses. Theywere a powerful pair and as Harry regulated them to his vision he seemedto be almost on board the Spanish gunboat. All was confusion on herdecks. The "both" referred to by the captain as being out of commission,were the port and starboard guns, with which she had been potting at the_Mariella_. Captain Dynamite's shots had each scored a bull's-eye.
In the turmoil, Harry could see that someone had been injured and wasbeing borne away by his companions. He lowered the glasses and held themout to the captain.
"You have laid up a man for repairs, I think, sir," he said.
The captain waved the glasses back with something like a shudder.
"I am sorry," he said, quietly. "The poor chap was only doing his duty.I aimed at metal and not human bodies. I hope he is not much hurt."
He turned to the rail again, touched the spring, and the gun slowly sankout of sight, the section of the deck that concealed it slipping intoplace again with a click. Putting on his coat he entered the cabin,leaving the boys in possession of the glasses. For some time they weregreatly interested in watching, turn by turn, the proceedings on thedeck of the gunboat, but finally the _Mariella_ made such good use ofher heels that even with the glasses, they could make out nothing butthe outlines of the Spaniard.
When they turned again to the deck of their own steamer, they weresurprised to see that it had once more resumed its usual appearance. Thearmed men had disappeared, the second mate paced the bridge, and onlythe lookouts occupied the decks. It was now twelve o'clock, and eightbells sounded clearly on the still, tropical air. The boys recollectedfor the first time that they had had no breakfast, just as CaptainDynamite stuck his head out of the cabin door.
"Come on, lads," he called, cheerily; "sure we've let the Spanishterrier cheat our stomachs."
The exciting events of the morning had not impaired the boys' appetites,and they promptly responded to the call. When they went on deck againonly a speck on the horizon marked the pursuing gunboat.
"Few of their old tubs can measure paces with the old _Mariella_," saidthe captain, with satisfaction, as he swept the sea with his glasses.
"She looked as if she had once been a pleasure yacht,"
said Harry.
"So she was, my boy. The Spaniards bought her from a New Yorkmillionaire, but she was an old model then, and they have top-hamperedher with armor and guns until they have knocked what little speed shehad out of her. We'll not even see a whiff of their smoke in half anhour."
"Will she continue so hopeless a chase?"
"O, sure she will. She hopes to trap us down the coast. See, there arethe shores of Cuba."
The boys turned quickly as he pointed over their starboard bow and saw alow dark line in the distance.
"Hurrah," shouted Bert.
"Hurrah for what?" asked the captain, smiling at the enthusiastic boywho swung his cap as he shouted.
"Why, just hurrah," answered Bert, sheepishly. "I began to think allland had disappeared from the face of the ocean."
"Then you don't like the water?"
"Heretofore I always considered myself dead stuck on it, but hereafterterra firma for mine. Something that you can dig your heels into andwhere disagreeable Spaniards don't send bullets whistling around yourears. How soon will we make Havana, captain?"
One of Dynamite's roaring laughs greeted this question of Bert's.
"Me boy," he said, as soon as he caught his breath, "if we should sailinto Havana harbor every mother's son of us would be shot by sunriseto-morrow."
"But you are going to land somewhere?" questioned Harry.
"Sure there's a fine bit of a place down the coast that we'll take apeep into before the moon's high to-night--barrin' any more Spanishterriers. Sure they're thick on this coast. A pack of snarling mongrels,and all snapping at the heels of Captain Dynamite. It's a proud man Ishould be with a head on me that's worth five thousand dollars to theman who can take it to Weyler."
"Do you mean that the Spaniards have put a price of five thousanddollars on your head?" asked Harry in amazement, as he backed away fromthe man instinctively.
"That was before my last voyage," chuckled the captain. "I would not besurprised if they had boosted the quotation a point or two since then.Gomez will know the latest market price."
The boys looked at him with awe. Here was a man who, though sailing intothe enemy's waters, boldly laughed at the thought that there was a priceon his head.
"He's the finest buccaneer I ever met outside of story books," whisperedMason, as if meeting buccaneers was an every day occurrence with him.
"Suarez," called the captain, "lay off and on until eight bells, thencall me. I'm going to take a nap. We can't make the inlet untilsundown."
Slowly Cuba rose out of the sea as the _Mariella_ ploughed her waytoward her shores. The long dark line began to take shape against theazure sky and to form itself into hills and valleys. The dark massturned to a deep shade of brown and then to green as the brilliantverdure of the island caught the rays of the sun. When they were nearenough to distinguish the contour of the coast line, the steamer'scourse was changed and for a time she stood out to sea again.
"What are we doing that for?" enquired Bert, anxiously.
"Didn't you hear the captain tell Suarez to stand off and on until eightbells? We are probably going to make a landing somewhere here, but it isnot yet time."
At this moment eight bells struck and without waiting to be called,Captain Dynamite opened the door of the cabin and stepped out on deck.Once again he had changed his costume and was now attired in white duckand wore a white yachting cap. As a breeze blew his coat aside, the boyscould see that he still wore the cartridge belt and pistols. He scannedthe shore for a moment and then turning to the mate, who still stood onthe bridge, he said:
"Well done, Suarez. At sundown I will take her in."
The coast at this point seemed covered with a thick, tropical growth ofpalms and high, rank weeds, interlaced thickly with vines that reachedto the water's edge. Back a few hundred feet the land rose abruptly,forming the foothills of the mountainous inland. The boys looked closelyfor some inlet or bay into which the _Mariella_ might steam, but thereseemed to be no break in the thick foliage so far as the eye couldreach. In the silhouette formed by the rising hills two palms, tallerthan the others, stood out against the sky like lone sentinels guardingthe shore against invading buccaneers.
At dinner, the captain was in a particularly agreeable mood.
"Well, my young pirates, how are you enjoying your cruise?" he askedjokingly. "It's pretty nearly at an end and all danger for you is aboutpast. In an hour or so we shall be safely within the sheltering arms ofCuba, and I think it is about time I introduced myself to you. I amplain Michael O'Connor, sometimes known as Dynamite Mike, but moregenerally styled Captain Dynamite--at your service. I am neither abuccaneer, pirate, nor privateer, but an humble Cuban sympathizer whotakes his life in his hand now and then to bring arms and ammunition tothe men who are fighting for the good cause of Cuba libre. I do this,first, because I love Cuba; second, because it is a very lucrativeprofession; third, because I like danger."
"But, Captain Dynamite, why should an Irishman love Cuba?" asked Harry.
"Sure, I'm only half Irish. My mother was a Cuban and I was born on theisland on my father's little sugar plantation. The Spaniards shut him upas an insurgent. He died in jail--tortured to death I shall alwaysbelieve--and my mother died of a broken heart in the arms of mychildhood sweetheart, Juanita. I was not there. I left the island whenonly a youngster, to shift for myself in the States. I took to the seaand I shall always be thankful that I did, for it has enabled me in somemeasure to avenge the death of my father. But now to your own affairs,my boys. After we have safely disposed of our cargo, I shall be free tomake a straight run for the States, and as I shall have others aboardfor whose safety I shall be responsible, I think probably you had betterstick to the old _Mariella_. I did think of getting you onto therailroad to Havana, but your lack of passports might cause youtrouble."
"We'll stick by the _Mariella_, captain," said Harry. "What do you say,fellows?"
"Sure, the _Mariella_ for us."
"All right, that's settled. I think it's about time to run to cover."
As they stepped out on deck the tropical twilight was fading and thesteamer was now close within the dark shadow of the shore. CaptainDynamite went forward to the bridge.
"Turn in, Suarez. It has been a long day for you. I will take her now."
The mate saluted and left the bridge. The captain entered the wheelhouseand the man relinquished the spokes and stood silently to one side. Thecaptain swung the wheel over quickly, with a sure, firm hand, and thebow of the _Mariella_ came around until she was headed directly for thewooded shore. Harry saw him raise his eyes and look once at the sentinelpalms.
Then the engine-room bell clanged loudly and the _Mariella_ shot at fullspeed, head on for the shore.