CHAPTER X
LURKING IN THE SHADOWS
Early the next day they set out in search of a suitable craft for theirexpedition. It was no easy task to find what they wanted, but at lastthey chanced on a trig little sloop, of which after considerablebargaining and red tape they became the proud owners. All this was notaccomplished without the passage of many days, and while Benton wasinterviewing ship owners and harbor masters, the boys employed the timein mastering the mysteries of the diver's art.
Benton had looked up the old diver that he had previously spoken aboutto the boys, and had little difficulty in getting him to agree to givethe boys practical lessons in his profession. So thoroughly did he dohis part that in a little while the boys became proficient enough tofeel that they could get along reasonably well in the shallow waters inwhich they supposed the wreck to be lying.
Of course the old fellow who instructed them was somewhat curious, buthe was being well paid for his trouble, and was not in the habit ofworrying much about other people's plans. By the time the craft wasprovisioned and in shape for the voyage, the boys felt at home in thegreenish depths and were looking forward impatiently to the time whenthey could put their newly acquired knowledge to use.
At length all was in readiness, and when they went ashore one nighttheir eyes were shining with excitement, for with the dawn they were tostart on the voyage after the treasure. But as they left the dock andwalked toward the hotel, first one and then another became uneasy, forno apparent reason. Phil especially felt unmistakably the impression ofbeing followed, and more than once he glanced uneasily over hisshoulder.
They were in a poor section of the town, the narrow streets beinglighted only at rare intervals by a flickering oil lamp. Not a soul wasto be seen following them, but nevertheless the feeling of being doggedclung to them, and refused to be shaken off. At length Phil's keen eyesmade out a skulking figure just diving into a black patch of shadow, andat his warning word they all stopped.
"If you're sure you saw someone following us, we'll turn back and seewho it was," said Benton, and, suiting the action to the word, hestarted for the black shadow at top speed, the others close at hisheels. But he had hardly gone ten steps, when something-whizzed past hishead and struck with a sharp ring against the wall of a house that hewas passing. At the same time could be heard the swift beat ofretreating footsteps, and Benton pulled up short.
"No use chasing the fellow," he said. "In these dark alleys we'd neverfind him, and likely enough we'd get a knife through our ribs for ourtrouble. That was a knife that fellow threw, and it just grazed myhead."
He groped on the ground, and presently found the knife. It was long anddeadly sharp, and on the handle were two initials--"P. R."
"It doesn't require much guessing to tell whom that knife belongs to,"said Benton, grimly. "Those initials stand for Pasquale Ramirez, themurdering hound!"
"No doubt of it," agreed Phil, soberly. "You had a narrow escape, Jack.The sooner we get out of this town and on the clean blue ocean thebetter I'll like it."
"Well, it won't be long now, thank goodness!" said Dick. "To-morrow wesail for the Spanish Main, and leave that dirty halfbreed here. Thistown seems just made for sneaking dogs like him."
They hurried along the dark and winding streets, until they reached thebetter quarter of the city, and eventually their hotel. But here anotherunpleasant surprise awaited them.
When they left that morning all their belongings had been neatly packed,but now they were strewn wildly about the rooms. With exclamations ofastonishment and anger they gathered the things together and comparednotes to see what was missing.
Fortunately they had left nothing of great value in their rooms, and themap and papers Benton always carried on his own person. None of theirclothing had been taken, and at first they were somewhat at a loss tounderstand the motive of the outrage, but Phil soon supplied the clue.
"This couldn't have been the work of an ordinary thief," he said. "Theman who did this job was looking for something special--something thathe knows we have and that he wants badly. It looks to me as thoughRamirez had gotten into our rooms someway, ransacked our trunks, andthen, when he was convinced that we must have the map with us, he laidfor us when we came off the boat."
"That's about the size of it, I guess," nodded Benton. "Well he gotfooled both ways, but I only wish I could get my hands on him! Hewouldn't bother us again for some time to come, I promise you!"
Judging from the working fingers and flashing eyes of their friend thatprobably in that case the halfbreed would never bother anybody again,the boys were silent for a few minutes. Then, as there seemed littleimmediate prospect of meting out punishment to the rascal, they setabout repacking their belongings, and making ready for the early startin the morning.
The Fleeting, as they had named their boat, looked very neat andbusinesslike as they rowed out to her, and the adventure of the previousevening was forgotten as they gazed at her trim lines and felt afreshening wind that kicked up a thousand sparkling waves on thegleaming water. With shout and laughter they climbed aboard, wherebreakfast awaited them, prepared by the faithful Bimbo. He said he was agood cook, and that meal fully justified his claims. Then they rushedupon deck, hoisted the sails, and lifted the anchor. The sloop headedinto the freshening breeze, and chopped through the water at a pace thatspoke well for sailing qualities. In a few hours the land had faded intoa distant speck, and then disappeared altogether.
Benton was at the wheel, and he gazed aloft at the trim sails and tautcordage with pride and exultation. Soon the wind veered a few points andcame more abeam, and the vessel heeled over and fairly hissed throughthe water, her lee scuppers dipping under every now and again as anespecially strong gust caught the sails. The boys enjoyed the rush andheave of the vessel as it rose to the long swells, riding them easilyand throwing showers of spray from the sharp bows. The tang of the saltbreeze was more exhilarating than wine, and they shouted and sang astheir craft raced along toward her goal.
For a time they headed due south, but later veered to a more westerlycourse. For the first day or two the weather held fair, and they coveredmany miles of sparkling blue sea, all the time keeping a sharp lookoutfor an island like the one described in the old Spaniard's papers.
At night they hovered about in circles under easy sail, as they did notwant to run the risk of passing it in the darkness. In a few days theyhad reached the approximate latitude and longitude indicated on the map,but although they saw many islands, none of them appeared to answer thedescription of the one they were looking for. At first this did notgreatly disappoint them, as they knew the old map was not likely to bevery accurate. What bothered them more than anything else was theincreasing cloudiness of the weather, and the falling barometer. Everyindication pointed to a coming storm, and Benton lost no time inpreparing for it. He and the boys double reefed the mainsail, andsecurely lashed everything to the deck that they could not carry below.They worked fast, for the gloom deepened every moment, and the breeze,which had been fresh all the morning, died down to a dead calm, leavingthe sails idly flapping.
The western sky was black as night, except when it was rent by dartingforks of lightning. At times they could hear the dull mutterings ofthunder, and Benton's face wore a worried frown as he gazed over thelivid green ocean toward the approaching storm. From experience he knewhow fierce were the sudden tempests that sweep over the Caribbean Sea,and he had never seen one that looked more threatening than that nowbrewing.
Suddenly the sails flapped a few seconds, and then dropped limp again.From the distance they heard a faint whistling sound, that grew rapidlylouder, and then they could see a white line of hissing foam sweepingover the water and approaching them at terrific speed.
"Stand by to let the mainsheet run!" yelled Benton, but even as the boyssprang to obey, the wind was upon them. It struck with appalling force,and the Fleeting heeled over--further and further, until the decks
lanted down at a sharp angle to the boiling waters, and the boys had tohang on to ropes and stays to keep from sliding down the steep incline.
It was a terrible moment, while their lives hung in the balance. Alittle further, and the Fleeting would surely have capsized, but just atthe second when this seemed inevitable, the first furious gust of windabated a trifle, and their craft slowly righted herself, while the windwhistled and shrieked in her rigging.
Benton had managed to retain his place at the wheel, and as the gallantlittle craft picked up steerage way, he headed her into the wind and therising sea. At the first stroke of the raging gale the ocean was coveredwith spume crested waves, and lashed by its fury, they mounted higherand higher, until the ocean was an endless succession of mountainousrollers, bearing down hungrily on the devoted little ship, as thougheager to batter and overwhelm her. Great waves thundered down over herbows, raced aft, and carried away everything movable on the deck. It wasonly by dint of clinging desperately to ropes that at such times theboys avoided being swept overboard.
The Fleeting was tossed about like a chip in the tremendous welter ofwaters, and Benton soon saw that he could not hold a course into thewind. His only alternative was the run before it, and he shouted to theboys to lower the mainsail. They could not hear him above the noise ofthe storm, but they knew from his gestures what he wanted.
To get the mainsail down and furled, even though it was reefed, was agigantic task, but the boys tackled it bravely, and after a protractedstruggle amid flying spray and wildly lashing canvas, they got the sailsnugly stowed. Then Benton let the bows fall off before the wind, andsoon they were scudding along at a furious rate with the wind astern.
Their staunch little craft rode easier on this course, her stern risinghigh in air as a mountainous sea lifted it, while her bows slanteddizzily down into the green depths ahead. Then, in the full grip of thebig comber, she would go shooting forward, the water boiling and hissingalong her sides, until the wave had spent its force and passed on. Thesea presented a terrible aspect, and when Bimbo staggered on deck with apotful of steaming coffee that in some mysterious fashion he had managedto make, his dusky face turned a dull ashen hue.
The Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure Page 10