CHAPTER XIV
A RUSE THAT FAILED
"I should think so!" cried Phil. "Come on down and let me fix it."
"What is it?" asked Steve anxiously.
"Perry's hit in the arm. They must have shot along the side, and thebullet glanced from something. Come on, Perry."
"All you fellows get out of here," commanded Steve. "It might happenagain, and you're not doing any good here, anyway. The chest's in thebottom locker in our cabin, Phil. Is it bad?"
"Don't think so," was the reply from the companion way. "Only a fleshwound, I guess. I'll look after it."
Steve had forgotten to try a second shot at the port, but Wink again letgo at where the glint of a revolver muzzle showed and a cry of pain cameacross the water.
"Got him!" said Wink.
"You must have," agreed Steve. "I hope you didn't hurt him much."
"Suffering snakes!" ejaculated Wink. "Why shouldn't I hurt him? Theypotted Perry, didn't they? What are we supposed to do! Lie around hereand let them shoot us full of lead and just smile? Why, you pig-headed,solid concrete--"
But Wink's flow of eloquence was interrupted by two shots from the_Follow Me_. There was a tinkling of glass as one of them smashedthrough the upper frame of the window on Steve's side. The otherploughed into the chart-box. Wink instantly fired back twice, aiming atthe two ports he commanded. "Harry's boat will look like a sieve," hechuckled as he broke his revolver and jammed fresh cartridges into it."Get busy there, Steve!"
For answer Steve's revolver spoke twice and the thud of the bullets cameto them. "Got the boat anyway," chuckled Wink. "We can scare 'em even ifwe can't pot 'em! Better back up a little, Steve. I don't want to bustour flag-pole."
Once more the _Adventurer_ increased the distance between her and theadversary, and once more the engine beneath their feet relapsed into aquiet purr as the load was taken off again.
"If it wasn't that we'd bust the _Follow Me_," exclaimed Steve savagely,"I'd ram them! They're knocking our paint off and breaking our glass andraising the dickens!"
Wink glanced across the deck. Steve, his revolver laid on the floorbeside him, was knotting a handkerchief about his hand with his teeth."Hello!" exclaimed Wink. "Did they get you!"
"No, it's only a piece of glass. It's bleeding a bit, that's all." Stevegave a final tug at the knot and seized his revolver again. "I wishthey'd show themselves!"
"They probably wish the same of us," laughed Wink. "How long does thiskeep up? I'm getting hungry!"
"It keeps up until they give in," responded Steve determinedly. "Belowthere! Tell Ossie to start on the dinner."
"Dinner!" exclaimed Ossie from the aft companion. "Suppose they pluggeda bullet into the galley?"
"Don't be an idiot," begged Steve impatiently. "You've got four inchesof planking and a pile of rope and a refrigerator and a lot of otherstuff between you and the bullets. Get busy and do your bit!"
"All right, Steve. I'd forgotten about the refrigerator. But you can betI'm not going to leave the door open!" This jest was rewarded with alaugh from the others as Ossie pushed his way past them and divedhurriedly across the deck to the forward companion way. "Pistols andcoffee for twelve," he added as he disappeared.
For several minutes there was no further sound or movement aboard the_Follow Me_. "They're probably fixing up the chap who got plugged,"opined Wink cheerfully, as he watched the ports. "Wish we had a rifle,Steve. We could get them right through the hull, I guess."
"Yes, and if we had a torpedo we could sink her," said Cas Temple fromthe hatch. "Suppose they've run out of cartridges, Steve?"
"I don't believe so. I guess they don't think it's worth while wastingwhat they've got."
A cheering aroma of coffee stole up from the galley and murmurs ofsatisfaction were heard. Perry, his forearm bandaged neatly andscientifically, crowded his way up the after companion. "Say, Steve, letme have a shot at them, will you?" he begged earnestly. "Just one,Steve, like a good fellow!"
"How's the arm, Perry?"
"Oh, all right, I guess. It hurts a little. Phil's got it so blamedtight that I can't close my fingers. Will you, Steve?"
Steve was denied an answer by a sudden interruption from Wink. "She'smoving, Steve!" he cried. "They've started her!"
"But they're anchored!" exclaimed Joe.
"They've cut the line. Probably reached through a port on the otherside," said Steve, working quickly at the controls. "It's lucky wedidn't have ours down, too!"
The _Follow Me_, gathering headway, pushed for the channel, and the_Adventurer_ lunged forward with a mighty splashing of her screw, Stevebringing her head around as fast as he could. "How the dickens are theysteering her, Harry?" he demanded, staring in puzzlement at the emptycockpit of the other craft.
"There's an auxiliary wheel forward, in the stateroom. They're comingaround, fellows. Get under cover! Steve, you'd better drop!"
The others scuttled for the companion ways, and none too soon, for, asthe _Follow Me_ swung around into the channel those behind her ports hada clean sweep of the _Adventurer's_ bridge deck and a fusillade of shotsswept across the forty or fifty yards dividing the boats. Steve and Winkhad dropped below the rail, while, in the cabins, the others were takinggood care to crouch beneath the level of the ports. Some eight shotswere fired, but, although several took effect on various parts of thebridge, the fact that the _Adventurer_ was now plunging around in ahalf-circle at a full twelve miles an hour and the other boat wasrunning at top speed down the channel made accuracy impossible. NeitherSteve nor Wink had a chance to reply until it was too late for theirshots to be effective. By that time the two cruisers had straightenedout on the course and the chase had begun.
Harry Corwin was entrusted with Steve's revolver and, standing on thedining table set from locker to locker across the galley, he couldthrust head and shoulders through the hatch. But the cockpit of the_Follow Me_ remained empty and the entrance to the cabin was closed.Wink, his revolver ready, had returned to his post and watched grimlywhile the _Adventurer_, her engine fairly humming, slowly wore down thedistance that separated her from the enemy.
"They're certainly getting some speed out of her," called Winkadmiringly. The rest of the company had returned to the bridge and werewatching eagerly. Tom Corwin, who had remained unaffected by the pottingof the _Follow Me's_ hull, was fighting mad now because the thieves hadlost the bow anchor, and sputtered wrathfully as he gazed over Steve'sshoulder. "If I was Harry I'd put a bullet through that door," hemuttered. "I wish someone would let me have a shot at them!"
"You couldn't hit her at this distance, with the boats swinging," saidSteve. "Wonder why it doesn't occur to them to cut away that tender.It's taking a mile off their speed."
"Afraid of getting hit, I guess," replied Joe.
"It doesn't seem to me that we're gaining very fast."
"We're not, but we're gaining fast enough. Hello!" The _Follow Me_,having approached the end of the island, had turned her nose to portstraight for the end of the beach. "How much does she draw, Tom?"
"Two feet and a half; same as this."
"And the chart shows two feet of water there at low tide!" exclaimedSteve. "And it's nearly dead low now, I guess. She's taking a chance,all right!"
The channel ran straight ahead, close to the shore of the mainland, andif the _Follow Me's_ exploit proved successful she was due to increaseher dwindling lead by a good mile unless the _Adventurer_ accepted thechallenge and followed her example. For a minute Steve hesitated. Then:"If she can do it, we can," he muttered, and slowly turned the wheel,his eyes darting to the chart. "No depth shown here," he said. "Two feetfurther along. Then four and seven. If we can get to the point of sandthere we're all right."
They watched the _Follow Me_ breathlessly. She was dancing almost in thebreakers now and for a long moment it seemed that she would surely pileherself on the spit that ran seaward from the end of the island. But shegot by safely and the _Adventurer_ plunged after her. There werestrained faces on
the bridge deck then and Ossie was seen to lay atentative hand on the cushion of the nearer seat. Steve, with grimcountenance, kept his eyes on the rollers, trying his best to follow inthe wake of the other boat. Here and there white water hinted at shoalsand it was between two of these that the _Follow Me_ had gone. Steveeased the wheel and slowed the engine a trifle and the _Adventurer_,rocking in the long swells that were breaking on the beach hardly morethan a stone-throw to port, went on. Steve was in the act of breathing along sigh of relief when there came a jar that threw several of the boysoff their balance and brought cries of consternation to their lips. Forone horrid moment the _Adventurer_ hung with her propeller churning thesand, and then shook herself free and lunged forward again.
Shouts of relief went up and a smile of triumph came to Steve's face ashe pulled her back into the course and slipped into deeper water. The_Follow Me_ was still a good eighth of a mile ahead and swingingnorthward around the curve of beach. "They're going to make forNewburyport," said Steve. "Watch them try to get me into trouble now,Joe."
"How do you mean?"
"They're keeping in close to shore. See? Look on the chart."
"I see twelve little black crosses about there. What do they mean? Oh, Iget you. 'Emerson Rocks,' eh? But I don't see them!"
"No, they're sunken. The _Follow Me's_ running as near them as shedares, hoping that we'll try to cut the corner more and strike. Thosefellows know this coast as I know the inside of my hat! But we'll foolthem this time!"
So close to the submerged danger did the _Adventurer_ go that Perry,watching over the side, caught a glimpse of a dark mass under the greenwater. Then the chase straightened out once more and Steve drew thethrottle wide, experimented with the spark for a moment and sent thewhite cruiser surging along in pursuit. There could be no doubt as tothe outcome of the race. It was only a question of time. The thieves hadstaked all on the attempt to elude the _Adventurer_ in the shallows, andnow they were doomed to open water, for Plum Island ran straight andunbroken for seven miles, and not until the entrance to NewburyportHarbour was reached was there the smallest chance to slip out of sight.
Ossie announced that dinner would be ready in a few minutes, but no onepaid any attention. Every eye was fixed on the _Follow Me_, which, deadahead, was scurrying along at a rate which Tom, who had thought he knewthe engine thoroughly, marvelled at. But the distance was shorteningbetween pursued and pursuer. Off the life-saving station the fleeingcraft was scarcely a hundred yards in advance, and it became more andmore certain that the boats would be on even terms long before theseven-mile stretch was half traversed.
Wink went below and summoned Harry Corwin down from his perch, much tothe relief of Ossie, whose preparations for dinner had not been madeeasier by having to dive under the table every time he sought theice-chest, and posted him at a port in the forward cabin. "If they won'tgive up," he explained, "we'll have to go on plugging them. I'll takeit in the other cabin. Better fire first from one port then fromanother. That'll keep them guessing. It's just as well for them not toknow that we've got only two pieces of artillery!"
"All right," said Harry, "but there's no use staying here now, is there?There's nothing in sight but a sea-gull!"
"No, but be ready when we get abreast, Harry. I think that gun pulls tothe right a little. You might watch it."
Wink returned to the deck, followed by Harry as far as the companion,and looked forward at the _Follow Me_. Since he had gone below thepositions of the boats had altered noticeably, and now, had he wished,he might easily have put a bullet through the mahogany door beyond thecockpit. Steve was bearing seaward a little, intending to run up on thestarboard side of the black cruiser.
"I'll bet they're doing a whole lot of thinking about now," said"Brownie." "Guess I'll go down and sit on the floor again. They'll beable to plug us in another minute or so."
"You'd all better beat it," said Steve. "If the bullets begin to flyagain someone will get hurt."
Slowly but certainly the bow of the _Adventurer_ crept up on the_Follow Me's_ stern. Some sixty feet of water divided them. Beyond theblack cruiser lay the long yellow beach, dazzling in the noondaysunlight. Suddenly the _Follow Me's_ bow turned straight for thebreakers and Steve gave a cry.