Chapter IX
DEEP WATER
The ebb tide soon caught the Mary Jane in the suck of its swift currentand the boat rushed seaward. Presently she struck the breakers andfloundering through them like a wounded duck, commenced to rise and fallon the rhythmic ground swell.
Dorothy came out of the cabin rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"You didn't take much of a rest," said Bill from his place at the wheel.
She yawned and caught at the cabin roof to steady herself.
"Mary Jane's gallop through the breakers woke me up. Sleeping on a hardfloor isn't all it's cracked up to be--and the cabin was awfullystuffy."
"Are you as good a sailor as you are a sport?"
"I don't know much about this deep water stuff, but I've never beenseasick. Thought I might be if I stayed in there any longer, though."
"Feel badly now?"
"No, this fresh air is what I needed. Is that the lightship dead ahead?I just caught the glow."
"Yep. That's Fire Island Light. I wish this confounded drizzle wouldstop. The swell is getting bigger and shorter. Must be a breeze of windnot far to the east of us."
"D'you think we're in time, Bill?"
"Yes, I think so. The weather is probably thick farther out and up thecoast, and the ship will be running at reduced speed. It's likely she'llbe an hour or so late. There is a ship out yonder, but it's a tanker ora freighter."
"How do you know that?"
"Why, a liner would be showing deck and cabin lights. Here comes thebreeze--out of the northeast."
"It's raining harder, too. Ugh! What a filthy night."
Bill nodded grimly in the darkness. "You said a mouthful. It'll be goodand sloppy out here in another hour or two. Jolly boating weather, Idon't think! And we can't get back into the bay until daylight, I'mafraid."
The big boat continued to pound steadily seaward and before long thelightship was close abeam. Bill ran some distance outside it, thenstopped the engine.
"No use wasting gas," he said, and emptied one of the five-gallon tinsinto the fuel tank.
He went into the cabin again and reappeared with two life preservers.
"It's lucky the law requires all sail and motor craft to carry thesethings. Better slip into one--I'll put on the other."
Dorothy lifted her eyebrows questioningly. "Think we're liable to getwrecked?"
"Nothing like that--but a life preserver is great stuff when it comes tostopping bullets."
"Gee, Bill, do you really expect a scrap? There isn't a sign of themotor sailor yet."
"I know--but they're out here somewhere, just the same. Neither of us isshowing lights, so in this weather we're not likely to spot each otherunless our boats get pretty close. And if they do, those hyenas won'thesitate to shoot! Here, let me give you a hand."
Having put on the life preservers over their dripping slickers, they satdown and waited. The wind was freshening. A strong, steady draft blewout of the northeast and it was gradually growing colder. The rain hadturned into sleet, fine and driving, but not thick enough to entirelyobscure the atmosphere.
"Good gracious, Bill--_sleet!_ That's the limit, really--do you supposewe'll ever sight the ship through this?" Dorothy's tone was thoroughlydisgusted.
"Oh, yes," he replied cheerfully, "this isn't so bad. Her mastheadlights should have a visibility of two or three miles, at least."
Dorothy said nothing, but, hands thrust deep into her pockets and withshoulders hunched, she stared moodily out to sea.
For about an hour they drifted, the broad-beamed motor boat wallowing inthe chop which crossed the ground swell. Twice Bill started the motorand worked back to their original position. He did not like the look ofthings, but said nothing to Dorothy about it. The wind grew stronger andseemed to promise a gale. The low tide with the line of breakers acrossthe mouth of the inlet would effectually bar their entrance to GreatSouth Bay for the next ten hours. And he doubted if they would haveenough fuel for the run of nearly fifty miles to the shelter ofGravesend Bay.
Then as they floundered about, he heard the distant, muffled bellow of abig ship's foghorn. Again it sounded; and twice more, each time comingcloser. Bill started the engine and headed cautiously out in thedirection from whence it came.
Suddenly there sounded a blast startlingly close to the Mary Jane. Thiswas answered from the lightship, and through the flying scud and sleetthey saw a vivid glare. Bill put his helm hard over and when the steamerhad passed about four hundred yards away, he turned the motor boat againto cut across the liner's wake. Faint streams of music reached theirears emphasizing the dreariness of their position.
Directly they were astern of the great ship, he swung the Mary Jane intothe steamer's course. Running straight before the wind, it was easy tofollow the sudsy brine that eddied in her wake. He was by no meanscertain, however, that he could keep the dull glow of her taffrail lightin sight. That depended upon the liner's speed, which might be more thanthe Mary Jane could develop. But he soon discovered he had eitherunderestimated the power of the motor boat or, what was more probable,the steamer had reduced her own. Before long he was obliged to slow downto keep from overhauling.
And so for nearly an hour they tagged along, astern, keeping a sharplookout on the band of swirling water. Little by little their spiritssank, as no floating object appeared to reward their perseverance. Theweather was becoming worse and worse, but the sea was not troublesome;partly because the Mary Jane was running before it and partly becausethe great bulk of the liner ahead flattened it out in her displacement.
"If this keeps on much longer, we're going to run short of gas," saidDorothy, still peering ahead. "Any idea how long it _will_ keep up?"
Bill shrugged and swung the boat's head over a point.
"Not the dimmest. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll have to follow herall the way to the pilot station and then cut across for Gravesend Bay."
"We'll sure be out of luck if we run out of fuel with this wind backinginto the northwest. It will blow us clean out to sea!"
"Take the wheel!" said Bill abruptly. "I'm going to see where we stand."
Dorothy, with her hands on the spokes, saw him measure the gasoline inthe tank and then shake his head.
"How about it?" she called.
"Not so good," he growled, and poured in the contents of another tin."This engine is powerful, but when you say it's primitive, you only tellthe half of it. The darn thing laps up gas like a--"
"_Bill!_" Dorothy raised her arm--"there's another motor boat ahead!"
Both of them stared forward into the gloom. For a moment Bill could seenothing but the seething waters and the faint glimmer of the liner'staffrail light. Then in an eddy of the driving sleet he caught a glimpseof a dark bulk rising on a swell a couple of hundred yards ahead. At thesame time they both heard the whir of a rapidly revolving motordistinctly audible between the staccato barks of their own exhaust.
"The motor sailor, Bill!"
"Sure to be. It must have cut in close under the steamer's stern. Let metake the wheel again, Dorothy."
"O. K. Do you think they've seen us?"
"Not likely. They'll be watching the ship and her wake. To see us,they'd have to stare straight into the teeth of the wind and thisblinding sleet."
"But they'll hear us, anyway?"
"Not a chance. That motor sailor's got one of those fast-turningjump-spark engines. They run with a steady rattle. There's no intervalbetween coughs. Ours are more widely punctuated. Anyhow, that's the wayI dope it. They've probably signaled the ship by this time, and thecontraband ought to be dropped from a cabin port at any time now."
"Got a plan?"
"I think I have."
He gave the boat full gas, then a couple of spokes of the wheel sheeredher off to starboard.
"What's that for?" Dorothy thought he had decided to give up theattempt. "Not quitting, are we?"
"What do you take me for? Get
out that gun of yours and use your wits.I'm goin' to loop that craft and bear down on them from abeam. If theybeat it, O. K. If they don't, we'll take a chance on crashing them!"
"You tell 'em, boy!" Dorothy had caught his excitement. "If they shoot,I'll fire at the flashes!"
Bill was working out his plan in detail and did not reply. He felt surehis scheme was sound. The Mary Jane was heavily built, broad of beam,with bluff bows and low freeboard. The motor sailor was a staunch craft,too, but she was not decked and with a load of but two men aboard shewould have no great stability. He was certain that if he could work outand make his turn so as to bear down upon her from a little forward ofthe beam, striking her amidships with the swell of his starboard bow,she would crack like an egg.
Bill did not dare risk a head-on ram. That might capsize them both. Tocut into her broadside at the speed she was making would possibly tearoff or open up his own bows. The Mary Jane must strike her a heavy but aglancing blow at an angle of about forty-five degrees. Such a collisionmeant taking a big chance with their own boat. But the Mary Jane washalf-decked forward and the flare of her run would take the shock on thelevel of her sheer strake.
Quickly he explained his project.
"I'm taking a chance, of course, if I don't hit her right," he finished.
"Go ahead--" she flung back. "I'm all for it!"
Bill grinned at her enthusiasm, and with the engine running full, hestarted to edge off and work ahead. But he could not help beingimpatient at the thought that the contraband might be dropped at anyminute and hooked up by the others. He took too close a turn. As theMary Jane hauled abreast about two hundred yards ahead, the smugglerssighted them. Their motor sailor swerved sharply to port, and with asudden acceleration, it dived into the gloom and was lost to sight.
"Bluffed off!" he shouted triumphantly.
He turned the wheel and was swinging back into the liner's wake whenDorothy gave a cry and pointed to the water off their port quarter.
"Look! There! _There!_" she screamed.
Staring in the same direction, Bill saw what at first he took to be anumber of small puffs of spume. Then he saw that they were rectangular.The Mary Jane had already passed them and a second later theydisappeared from view.
Bill nearly twisted off the wheel in an effort to put about immediately.The result was to slow down and nearly stop their heavy boat. Graduallythe Mary Jane answered her helm and presently they were headed back inthe ship's path.
And then as the Mary Jane was again gathering speed, the motor sailorcame slipping out of the smother headed straight for the contraband, herbroadside presented toward her pursuers.
"Stand by for a ram!" yelled Bill and pulled out his automatic.
Not fifty yards separated the two boats. Bows to the gale, the Mary Janebore down on the motor sailor. If those aboard her realized theirdanger, they had no time to dodge, to shoot ahead, or avoid the ram bygoing hard astern. They swerved and the Mary Jane struck full amidshipswith a fearful grinding crash.
Bill caught a glimpse of two figures and saw the flame streak out fromtheir barking guns. He felt a violent tug at his life preserver. Then ayell rang out and the two boats ground together in the heave of theangry sea.
Steadying himself with a hand on the wheel, he reversed and his boathauled away. As she backed off he heard the choking cough of the othercraft which had now been blotted out by the darkness and driving sleet.
Bill turned about with a triumphant cry on his lips, then checked itsuddenly as he saw that Dorothy had fallen across the coaming and waslying halfway out of the boat.