CHAPTER XI
A DREAM REALIZED
For a moment Drew almost doubted his own eyesight. But there was nomistake. There could be only one girl like her in the world, he toldhimself. She was wearing a simple white dress and her head was bare.The bright sunshine rioted in her golden hair, and her eyes wereluminous and soft. A wave of color mounted to her forehead as she cameface to face with Allen Drew.
She had turned the corner of the deck house, and they had almostcollided. She stepped back, startled, and Drew collected his scatteredwits sufficiently to lift his hat and apologize.
"I--I beg your pardon," he stammered. "I ought to have been morecareful."
"Oh, it was my fault entirely," she answered graciously. "I shouldn'thave turned the corner so sharply."
What next he might have said Drew never knew, for just then there camea heavy step and the sound of a jovial voice behind him, and CaptainHamilton's hand was grasping his.
"So you did manage to come over and get a look at the beauty, did you?What do you think of her?"
"The most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" answered Drew fervently.
He might have had a different beauty in mind from that which thecaptain had, and perhaps this suspicion occurred to the girl, for theflush in her cheek became slightly more pronounced. But theunsuspecting captain was hugely gratified at the tribute, thoughsomewhat surprise at its ardor.
A glance from the girl reminded the captain of a duty he had overlooked.
"I was forgetting that you two hadn't met," he said. "Drew, this is mydaughter, Miss Hamilton. Ruth, this is Mr. Allen Drew, the young manI've been telling you so much about lately."
They acknowledged the introduction and for one fleeting, deliciousmoment her soft hand rested in his.
So she was Captain Hamilton's daughter! Her name was not Adams! Whata blind trail he had been following!
But Drew's thoughts were interrupted by the girl's voice.
"We have met before, Daddy," Ruth said with a smile. "Don't youremember my telling you about the young man who came to my aid that daywhen I went on an errand for you to the _Normandy_? You remember--theday I dropped the letters over the side? That was Mr. Drew."
"You don't say!" exclaimed the captain. "And here we've been seeingeach other every day or so and I've never thanked him. Drew, consideryourself thanked by a grateful father."
They all laughed, and then the captain put his hand on the young man'sshoulder.
"Come into the cabin and let's get that business settled. You'llexcuse us, won't you, Ruth?" he added, turning to his daughter. "We'vegot a hundred things to do yet, and we can't afford to lose a minute."
Ruth smilingly assented, and Drew was dragged off, raging internally,his only comfort being the glance she gave him beneath her loweredeyelids.
He tried to listen intelligently to the captain's talk and givecoherent answers to his questions. But bind himself down as he would,his mind and heart were in the wildest commotion.
So she was Captain Hamilton's daughter! Her name was not Adams! Thethought kept repeating itself.
But he had found her now, he wildly exulted. The search that mighthave taken years--that even then might not have found her--had come toan end. He had been formally introduced to her. He need no longerworship from afar. Her father was his friend. He could see her, talkto her, listen to her, woo her, and at last win her. Poor fellow! hewas so hard hit he scarcely knew how to conduct himself.
"As I was saying," he heard the captain remarking in a voice thatseemed to be coming from a great distance, "young Parmalee has finallymade up his mind to come with us. His doctor insists that the onething he needs just now is a sea voyage. Not the kind that he mightget on an ocean steamer, with its formality and heavy meals andchattering crowds, but the kind you can get nowhere but on a sailingcraft."
"I suppose you had to tell him just what we were going down there tolook for?" Drew forced himself to say.
"Yes, I did, after putting him on his word of honor never to breathe aword about the object of the cruise to anybody. I'd as lief have hisword as any one's else bond."
"What did he think about our chances in such an enterprise?"
"Now, there's a thing that rather surprised me," replied the captain."To tell the truth, I felt a little sheepish about mentioning thedoubloons to him, for I rather expected him to laugh. But he took itin dead earnest, and honestly thinks we have a chance."
"Is he perfectly willing, as far as his interest in the schooner goes,that she shall be used for this purpose?" Drew queried.
"Perfectly. In fact, he was enthusiastic about it. Wouldn't even hearof any compensation for the use of the vessel. Said he expected to gethis money's worth in the fun he'd have."
"He seems to have a sportsmanlike spirit, all right," commented Drew,with a smile.
"He surely has," confirmed the captain. "I think you'll like him whenyou come to know him."
"How old is he?"
"About your own age I should judge. You're twenty-two, I think I'veheard you say? Parmalee is perhaps twenty-three or twenty-four, butnot more than that."
"Have you got your full crew shipped yet?" Drew inquired, after a pause.
"Well, some of them are aboard," was the answer. "We've got two dozenin round numbers, but we still need five or six more men before we getour full quota. Ditty's ashore looking them up now."
"Do you think they're going to suit you?"
"Oh, I've seen better crews and I've seen worse," answered the captain."There are some of them whose faces I don't just like, but that's truein every ship's company. I guess they'll average up all right.
"There's one thing I want to show you," went on the captain, openingthe door of a closet built into the cabin.
Drew looked, and was surprised to see as many as a dozen rifles, aswell as several revolvers and a sheaf of machetes.
"Why, it looks like a small arsenal!" he exclaimed, in surprise. "Whaton earth will we want all these for? One might think that we expectedto have a scrap ourselves with pirates on the Spanish Main."
"Not that exactly," said the captain laconically, "but in an enterpriselike ours it's wise to take precautions. 'Better to be safe than besorry.' If it's known that we're after treasure, there may be sundrypersons who will take an unwholesome interest in our affairs."
"Do you mean members of the crew?"
"Not necessarily; though they may. It's not likely, for it's probablynothing but a turtle cay, but there may be people living on the islandwhere we're going who would seriously dispute our right to takeanything away and might try to stop us. Few of those small islands areinhabited; still, I'll feel a good deal more comfortable to know thatI've got these weapons stowed away where I can get them at a moment'snotice. By the way, do you know how to shoot?"
"Yes," answered Drew. "I belong to a rifle club, and I'm a fairly goodshot with either a pistol or a gun."
"A useful accomplishment," commented the captain. "You never know whenit may come in handy."
Drew was wild to go on deck again to talk with Ruth. He had scarcelyexchanged three sentences with her, and there were a thousand things hewanted to say. The time was getting so terribly short! In two daysmore he would be sailing away with her father, leaving her behind, andmonths might elapse before he could see her again.
It was his eager desire just now to get her interested in him to someextent, so that she would think of him sometimes while he was away; togive her some hint of the tumult in his heart; to let her guesssomething of the wealth of homage and adoration she had inspired.Surely, if he could talk with her, she could not fail to see somethingof what he felt. And seeing, she might perhaps respond.
"I suppose you'll find it hard to leave your daughter behind?" heventured to say.
The captain looked at him in surprise.
"Bless your heart, I'm not going to leave her behind!" he exclaimed."She's going with us after those doubloons," and he laughed.
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