CHAPTER XII
A STORM AT SEA
A sound as of a vast drum being beaten, a drum bigger and more sonorousthan anything ever conceived of, suddenly filled the salon. The wallsseemed to quiver. So great was the noise, so shattering, that all puttheir hands to their ears, as if their very eardrums were threatened.The boys and Mr. Temple who were alone, looked at each other in alarm.
The next moment the trawler, which until then had been riding on evenkeel, heeled far over, so far, indeed, that it seemed as if she couldnot right herself. Caught off guard the boys were tossed against thedoors of their cabins and bruised badly by the impact. Then slowly, likea swimmer coming to the surface after a dive, the ship righted herselfonly to begin a tossing motion that was frightful.
"First the rain," shouted Mr. Temple, who by clutching the table hadmaintained his equilibrium, "and now the wind. That's all."
The door of the companionway was thrust back rudely, admitting a cascadeof water that washed across the floor and the reeling form of MattMurphy. His head hung low and there was that in his attitude which toldFrank, the most sensitive of the boys, that he was in trouble. Franksprang to his assistance.
"Good boy," said Murphy, thickly. "Shut the door or the whole PacificOcean will be in here."
Frank slammed the watertight door and then turned to Murphy. Hiscompanions also had gathered around. Murphy grasped the table with hisleft hand. The right arm hung useless.
"Me arm's broke I guess," he said. "Git that doctor out o' the BigBoss's room. Calls himself a doctor, anyhow."
Frank hastened to pound on the door of "Black George's" cabin. At firstthere was no answer. Then a weak voice began to curse, the sounds barelyaudible to Frank above the roar of the storm.
He was uncertain what to do and turned to appeal to Murphy. The latter,reeling and clutching the table, interpreted his action aright.
"Open the door," he said.
Frank complied.
On a tumbled berth lay the form of "Black George," with head bandaged,recumbent, relaxed, breathing heavily. In a corner on the floor, as iftossed there by the action of the ship, half lay, half crouched a littlefat man with gray hair and ragged gray mustache. As Frank opened thedoor he looked up, through bleared eyes, ceased mumbling and stared infright.
"Don't take me, Mr. Devil. Please don't take me," he pleaded piteously.
Frank was thrust aside by Matt Murphy, who had come to investigate.Despite his broken arm, which must have been giving him great pain, thelatter advanced to the cowering form in the corner.
"Why, you're not even drunk," he said, after a moment's scrutiny. "Ibelieve you're just scared. Come. Out wit' ye."
Seizing the other's collar with his sound arm Murphy started to drag himinto the salon. It was the boy's first sight of the man taking care of"Black George." Since they had come aboard he had not left the cabin totheir knowledge. Chinese servants had taken his food to him. For thatmatter, they had seen nobody in authority except Matt Murphy. Firstmate? Second mate? Engineer? If the vessel owned them, at least they hadnot been seen.
Now the frightened little fat man grasped Murphy by a leg and almostpulled him to the floor. He babbled incoherently. Murphy tugged at him amoment, then tossed him back into his corner in disgust and started towithdraw. His eyes fell on the still form of "Black George." He stoopedover him, raised his eyelids, let them fall, and with an oath of disgustquit the cabin for the main salon, slamming the door behind him.
Dispiritedly, he slumped against the table.
"Master down an' out wit' drugs," he said. "That's what comes avassociation' wit' these Chinee people. You get to be a dopefiend. An'doctor so scared he's av no use. Uh."
Frank advanced.
"Look here, Mr. Murphy," he said. "If your arm's hurt, let us examineit. Bob here is a pretty good hand at rough surgical work. He took acourse in first-aid, so he could help out in football accidents atschool."
Murphy looked up hopefully.
"That so? Well, have a luk, lad. Here"--addressing Frank--"ye'll findbandages an' splints an' iodine in that cabinet in my cabin. Go an' git'em. An' bring me that bottle o' licker ye'll find there, too. I nadesomethin' to put sperrit in me this night."
One long pull he took at the bottle of liquor, then ordered Frank totake it away, after Mr. Temple had declined his offer of a drink.
"One's enough," he said. "I've got work to do an' must kape my head. Nowlad"--extending his arm and addressing Bob--"go ahead."
Murphy was without a coat, and Bob's first move was to cut away the leftsleeve of his flannel shirt. Deftly Bob worked, aided now and then byhis companions, while Murphy sat without a groan throughout the wholeoperation. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. At the end,however, his arm was neatly and stoutly bound in splints and lashedacross his chest.
"That's wan I owe you, boys," he said, when the operation was completed."Matt Murphy don't forgit. Now I'll be on me way to the bridge, or thatChinee at the wheel will be droppin' away from the wind an' there'll bethe Divil to pay."
As he rose to his feet and started for the door, Frank intervened.
"Won't you let me come up to have a look around, Mr. Murphy?" he begged.
"I will not," said Matt Murphy, violently. "Don't ye know why I kept yebelow all day? 'Tis because the Chinees have it in for ye forhalf-killin' Wong Ho. There's only two I kin trust an' them's the wansas cooks for ye an' serves the food. Stay where ye are an' be safe."
With that he opened the door, reeled back before the force of the windand the swirling gray hail of rain, then lowered his head and chargedthrough, pulling the door to behind him.
"So that explains why we've been kept below here," said Mr. Templethoughtfully. "Well, the prospect if we fall into the hands of theChinese crew doesn't look pleasant."
"I've heard," said Jack, "that the Chinese idolize certain leaders, andwill go to any lengths to obtain revenge for injury to them."
Mr. Temple nodded.
"Nevertheless," he said, hopefully, "this man Murphy seems a pretty goodsort, rough as he is. He'll do his best to protect us."
"Yes," declared Frank, "it seemed to me tonight that he was beginning toregret being a party to our captivity. He doesn't want us to fall intothe hands of the Chinamen. And he's disgusted, too, with his employer.Maybe, we'll get him on our side yet."
"He'll protect us from the Chinamen all right," said Bob. "But when hisboss, 'Black George,' recovers, he will be powerless. If this scoundrelis saving us in order to exact vengeance on us for the way we laid himout, we'll be in a pretty fix."
"Listen," said Jack. "I have an idea."
"What?"
"Why, here is 'Black George' helpless, with only a fright-crazed littlepudding of a doctor to help him. Let us take possession of 'BlackGeorge' and gain the whip hand over Murphy. Then we can compel Murphy tocome over to our side, perhaps."
"How?"
"Why, we'll buy our freedom with the freedom of Murphy's master."
"I don't believe it can be done, Jack," said Mr. Temple thoughtfully."It isn't only Murphy with whom we have to reckon, but these Chinamen,too. With them above all. 'Black George' probably doesn't mean much tothem. They would rather see him killed than see us escape their clutch.They probably feel that when we reach the smugglers' cove they cancompel 'Black George' to turn us over to their tender mercies, and thatis the only reason they have been content to keep hands off so far."
Jack was silent. The force of Mr. Temple's reasoning was apparent tohim.
"Well, then," he said presently, "we'll have to capture the ship in someway. That's all. And, perhaps, we can persuade Murphy to give us weaponsand help us overawe the Chinese crew."
"Perhaps we can," said Mr. Temple. "Meantime, let us all turn in and getsome sleep. Tomorrow will be the day on which we must make whateverattempt we decide on. And we'll need all our strength and alertnessthen. Frank, do you and Jack be sure to lock your cabin door again asyou did last night, and we will do likewise. Let us eac
h take a heavychair into our rooms, too. In case of a night attack, we can at leastpull the chair apart for clubs. And now, good night."
Mr. Temple thereupon turned in. For some moments, more, however, theboys chatted and tried to read, but at last they, too, retired. As faras they could tell, the storm continued to rage undiminished.
"I wonder what tomorrow will bring forth, Jack," said Frank, just beforegoing to sleep.
"I wonder," said Jack. "Good night."