CHAPTER IX
A NIGHT ATTACK
"Oh, Jack!" cried Tom, stooping over the boy lying prone upon the pilothouse floor. "Oh, Jack, speak to me!"
Unguided by a hand at the wheel, the Fortuna fell off into the trough ofthe sea and began to roll broadside on. Another shot came from theschooner, but it went wild. The boys crowded about the form of theirfallen chum and tried to lift him to his feet. Frank was the first togive attention to the boat.
"They're gaining on us!" he cried. "Which switch controls the power?Let's get away from here before they kill us all!"
"Those levers in the center of the board," directed Harry, "govern thespark and fuel. Someone get the wheel. Steer due northwest for a whileuntil we get straightened out!"
Frank whirled the spokes of the wheel rapidly and brought the Fortuna upto her course, while Harry quickly operated the switches that gave newimpetus to the engines. Soon the Fortuna was cleaving the waves at fullspeed. Clouds of spray were thrown far aside as she mounted the crest,and every plunge into the trough brought a torrent of water over herbows. Her graceful lines offered little resistance to her progress. Sheleaped forward like a thing of life, rapidly leaving the schooner farastern.
Another shot was fired from the pursuer, but fell far astern of theflying motor boat. Apparently those aboard the sailing vessel realizedthe hopelessness of further effort, for they turned and headed back forthe island so recently left by the boys.
No sooner had the Fortuna been put under full speed than, leaving Frankat the wheel, the others carried Jack into the cabin, where he was laidupon a bunk. Swiftly Tom tore away his jacket and shirt, exposing achest with well-developed muscles standing out prominently. The strong,lithe figure of the boy gave striking evidence of the beneficial resultof constant and well-directed physical exercise. Just now he lay limpand inert.
"Where is he hit?" queried Harry, appearing with restoratives from themedicine chest. "Is he bleeding much?" he continued.
"Funny thing, I can't find any blood at all!" declared Tom. "It's apeculiar thing, too, for if he was hit hard enough to knock him down thebullet must have entered his body!"
"That's a strange thing, isn't it?" spoke up Arnold.
"Strange is no word for it!" Tom asserted. "I'm just all at sealiterally as well as figuratively. This is the strangest part of ourqueer experiences during the past few hours."
"Let's get his clothes off and examine him closely," suggested Arnold."Maybe the bullet hit him from a ricochet."
"Wise little Scout!" commended Tom. "You've got a great head on thoseshoulders! I'm glad we brought you along."
Before he had ceased speaking, Tom had begun to divest Jack of his upperclothing. With the assistance of Harry and Arnold, he removed the jacketand shirt in a short time.
"There's nothing here at all!" he cried in amazement.
"What's that bruised looking place over his heart?" asked Harry. "Seemsto me it is discolored somewhat there."
"Sure enough!" cried Arnold. "Give him first aid for drowning. That maystart his heart action. He isn't shot after all!"
"Hurray!" responded his chums in chorus, quickly putting into action thesuggestion of Arnold. They worked quickly and effectively, theirtraining standing them in good stead at this time.
Before many seconds had passed, Jack opened his eyes, gasped weakly andthen sat up on the edge of the bunk. Blinking his eyes, he put his handover his heart. Arnold shouted for pure joy.
"Hurrah, Frank!" he cried up the companion-way, "Jack is coming to! Whatdo you think of us for life-savers?"
"You can't mean it!" incredulously protested Frank.
"Well we just do mean it and I for one am awful glad!"
"So are all of us glad!" declared Tom. "I was worried for a while. Itlooked as if you were going to stay out, Jack!"
The boys were capering about in glee over Jack's recovery though hissmile was still a trifle wan and drawn. Slowly, however, his strengthreturned. He accepted and drank with eagerness the cup of steamingcoffee proffered by Arnold as a restorative.
"Thank you, Scout!" smiled Jack. You're a master hand at the cooking!What hit me? I felt quite a blow."
"You were shot," declared Harry. "The pirate schooner shot at us, youremember, and then they had to shoot you, but we can't find any holewhere the bullet went in. You're only bruised."
"Ha!" exclaimed Jack. "I see it now! The bullet hit the automatic I hadput in my breast pocket. I never carried it there before and don't knowwhy I should have put it there this time."
"Well, it's a lucky thing you varied from your habit!"
"Let's see if the bullet is in the pocket yet," Harry said.
A search of the jacket revealed a hole, in the outer cloth where thebullet had entered. Inside the pocket were the automatic and severalslivers of lead, fragments of the shattered missile.
"Jack," Harry said with a shiver, as he grasped his chum's hand, "thatwas a mighty close shave. I'm glad it terminated so well."
The silent grasp that Jack returned spoke louder than words of the bondof friendship that existed between the boys.
"Come, come," bustled Harry, "Jack will be getting hungry. Whose watchis it in the kitchenette? I was on last, I know!"
"Yes, you were!" declared Arnold in mock anger. "You are always just offduty when there's work to do! We know you!"
It was decided that Harry must prepare supper, for the boys were allfamished after their hard day's work.
"You'll have to check down a little if I cook!" asserted Harry. "Thisisn't a battleship, and the pirates are far astern."
"Good idea," Jack assented. "Check her down, Tom, and save fuel. Afterthat Madero's wasting of our gasoline, we'll need all we have. He didn'tseem to care for expense a little bit!"
The suggestion was followed, and shortly the Fortuna was traveling at amore moderate gait, taking the seas easily without shipping water on herforward deck. Frank was enthusiastic over the arrangements, declaringthat each feature was exactly as he would have wished for it himself.The searchlight and cabin lights operated by the dynamo below decks weresources of pleasure.
Harry was soon busily engaged in preparing a bountiful supper for theboys who were ready to do ample justice to his skill in the kitchen.Harry felt justly proud of his ability as did the others, who sat downto a supper of broiled Red Snapper with a mushroom sauce helped out byfried potatoes, hot baking powder biscuits and excellent coffee. Frankhad opened a tin of marmalade which disappeared rapidly before the youngappetites.
Frank had been relieved at the wheel by Arnold who loved to be entrustedwith the management of the boat.
While the boys ate, a glorious sunset graced the western sky. Longspears of light flashed up through misty, veil-like clouds, seeming toinvite the boys to the West, as if holding out to them promises of greatthings in store.
Silently the boys gazed in rapt wonder. At last with a deep sigh, Frankbroke the silence that had seemed to hold all the boys.
"Isn't that grand?" he asked. "For that one could almost willinglyrepeat what we've been through today. I like sunrises and sunsets andstorms and calms and all the phenomena of nature."
"I like trees and flowers most of all!" declared Tom.
"And I like live things--birds and squirrels and such!" Arnold declared.When I grow up, I'm going to be President and have a law passed thatit's a crime to rob nests and kill squirrels and things like that. I'drather let them live!"
"Well, I belong to an Audubon Society at home," Frank stated. "I thinkit's fine to study the birds and their habits and intelligence. We studyabout other creatures, too. I am learning a lot about the creatures ofthe wild out-of-doors. It's interesting."
"Here's good old Rowdy coming to get his share," cried Tom, slapping thebulldog on the shoulder. "There's a funny old chap. He'll take all sortsof mauling from any of us boys or from anyone whom he likes, but let aperson whom he distrusts point a finger at him, and he's at their throatin a minute. He is very partial!"
; "Yes," Jack assented, "and it's remarkable what a judge of characterthat dog is, too! He can select the good from the bad about asunerringly as one could wish. Sometimes he will make friends withperfect strangers and we find afterwards they are good people eventhough first appearances were against them. Again he will take a disliketo some mighty fine looking folks, but we learn that they are villainsunder the surface in the long run."
"Rowdy," Frank challenged, "are you going to take a shine to me or not?Be mighty careful, now, for I'm very anxious about it."
For answer the dog who had been in the center of the floor sprang up toFrank's lap in an endeavor to "kiss" the boy's face. His weightprojected so suddenly upon the lad resulted in upsetting him, and boyand dog rolled to the floor in a mass. Rowdy thinking a new game was onbegan pulling the boy about until all hands were arrested by a cry fromArnold, who still remained at the wheel.
"Land Ho!" came his cry down the companion-way. "Land on the starboardbow. All hands on deck!"
"Sure enough!" cried the lads. "There's a light, too!"
"I'll wager that's Pascagoula," Tom said. "Pretty near time we werethere by the way the Fortuna went through the water when the schoonerwas chasing us. I wonder where we can tie up!"
"Let's shove her along and try to get in before dark," was Jack'ssuggestion to which the others readily assented.
As the Fortuna entered the harbor the boys kept a sharp lookout for apromising berth for the night. Not until they were well past the bridgeover which the Louisville & Nashville Railroad crosses the river didthey find a place that looked suitable.
"Let's not tie up to a dock," suggested Harry. "Let's anchor."
This seemed the most feasible solution and was acted upon.
A position was chosen apart from the busy docks and well over toward anunoccupied section of shore. A goodly length of cable was paid out and astopper put in place. The boys then prepared for retiring withoutfurther attempt at getting acquainted with the town or its inhabitants,leaving that for the morrow.
Leaving the doors between the cabins opened for ventilation andconvenience in visiting after they were in their bunks the boys soondisposed themselves and prepared to pass a restful night.
"Wouldn't it be better to set a watch?" asked Arnold.
"I don't think it necessary," declared Harry. "It's safe here."
"Sure it's safe, but I feel uneasy just the same," Arnold protested."There's no knowing what's going on in these ports."
It was voted, however, that no watch was necessary so the boy composedhimself to sleep drawing the blankets closely to his chin.
Scarcely had he gotten into a quiet sleep before Rowdy came to his bunkand insisted on making himself a bed fellow of the boy.
At last everything was still. Only the heavy breathing of the tired boysgave evidence of life aboard the Fortuna as she rode to her anchor,swinging with the currents and wavelets. Her riding lights were burningbrightly, fed from the storage batteries below decks, and everything tothe passer by betokened peace.
Once Rowdy lifted a watchful eye and growled menacingly. Arnold stirreduneasily in his sleep and threw an arm over the dog.
Suddenly a shriek of agony pierced the air with startling distinctness.Shriek after shriek followed intermingled with cries of distress. Theboys bounded from their beds in alarm.