Four Afloat: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Water

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER XXIV--WHEREIN SPENCER FLOYD LEAVES THE _HENRY NELLIS_

  "Now what?" asked Dan when the _Vagabond_ had been made fast in her newquarters at the end of a file of disreputable canal boats. "How are wegoing to get hold of Spencer?"

  "It's a heap easier to ask questions than to answer them," repliedNelson. "Anyone got any suggestions?"

  Of course every one had, but none of them were practical and they werestill discussing the problem when Bob arrived on the scene.

  "What did you find out?" asked Nelson and Dan as one. Bob lookedsurprisedly about the circle to the accompaniment of Barry's tappingtail.

  "Isn't there going to be any luncheon?" he asked.

  "Thunder!" cried Tom. "What time is it? I forgot all about it!"

  "We all did," said Dan. "Get a move on, Tommy; Mr. Hawkshaw is in ahurry."

  "Well, but I want to hear about it," objected Tom. "You fellows come ondown."

  So they all adjourned to the engine room and while Tom set about thepreparation of luncheon Bob made his report.

  "I found out two or three things," said Bob. "In the first place,Spencer Floyd is still there, because I saw him and he saw me. In thesecond place the _Henry Nellis_ sails to-morrow morning for St. Johns,Newfoundland."

  "Then we've got to get busy to-day," said Dan resolutely.

  "She'd have been gone several days," Bob continued, "if it hadn't beenfor some row between her owners."

  "Then Captain Chowder doesn't own her?" asked Nelson.

  "He owns a fourth," answered Bob. "After I got on the wharf I wentacross to a schooner lying on the other side, the _Two Brothers_. I toldone of the men on deck that I'd like to come aboard and look around andhe said all right. We got quite chummy and he told me about the _HenryNellis_. He had been talking to one of her crew. I asked him what heknew about Captain Sander, only I didn't let on that I'd ever heard ofhim before. He said he didn't know anything about him except what theother chap had told him, which was only that the captain was a tartarwhen he got mad. I kept my eye on the _Nellis_ all the time. I could seeover her rail from where I sat on the deck of the other boat, but Iwasn't in plain sight in case the captain had happened along. But Ididn't see anything of him and the chap I was talking to didn't knowwhether he was on board or ashore. The only men I saw on the _Nellis_were a couple of deck hands, one of them that Dago with the earrings. Iguess most of the crew were ashore. But presently somebody walked out ofthe galley and tossed a panful of potato parings over the farther sideand I saw that it was Spencer. When he came back toward the galley Istood up. At first he didn't see me, but just as he was going throughthe doorway he glanced across and stopped. He didn't recognize me at alluntil I made a motion with my hand. Then he looked forward where the twomen were sitting, back to him, and walked over to the rail and pretendedto scrape the tin pan clean. But he was looking me over and I saw thathe remembered my face but couldn't place me. So I climbed back to thewharf and moved over toward him. When I got about ten feet away I turnedmy back to him and pretended to be looking at the _Two Brothers_."

  "You're a born detective, Bob," said Dan admiringly.

  "Shut up, Dan!" said Tom impatiently.

  "I called to him softly," Bob went on, "and he answered. 'I'm one of thefellows from the _Vagabond_,' said I. 'Is the captain on board?' 'No,'said Spencer, 'he's at the head of the wharf, in the office.' 'Can youget by without his seeing you?' I asked, and Spencer said No. Then Iasked him if he still wanted to get away and he said he did, and fromthe way he said it I guess he meant it! So I said: 'We'll come alongsideto-night in the launch and get you if you think you can get away.' 'Whattime?' he asked. 'Any time,' said I. 'Whenever you think best.' 'Abouthalf-past nine, then,' said he. 'I'll watch for you.' 'All right,' saidI. 'But don't let them suspect anything.' He was just starting to saysomething else when one of the sailors yelled at him to keep away fromthe rail or he'd knock his head off. I didn't turn around, but I walkedback and forth a couple of times as though I was admiring the _TwoBrothers_. Then I sauntered away along the wharf toward the street. Ithought I was pretty well through with it when a man came out of abuilding ahead of me and walked toward me. I saw at once that he wasCaptain Sander. At first I thought I'd turn around and go back to the_Two Brothers_ until he was out of the way. Then I thought that thatwould be too raw; he'd think I was trying to avoid him. So I put myhands in my pockets and passed him, kicking at the boards and looking atmy feet. I only glanced at him once. He saw me but I don't think he paidany attention to me. So there you are. That's how matters stand."

  "Bully for you!" cried Dan. "Talk about your Sherlock Holmeses andyour--your----!"

  "Yes, indeed, Dan," said Nelson soothingly. "But what we want to do nowis to----"

  "Eat luncheon," interrupted Tom.

  Before that meal was over their campaign was fully planned out. It wassimple enough and depended for success on their ability to reach the_Henry Nellis_ undetected and Spencer Floyd's ability to reach the_Vagabond_ in the same way.

  "If we get him," said Nelson, "we'll make a bee-line for Mullen's Cove."

  "How far is it?" asked Bob.

  "About eighty miles. We won't try to get there to-night, I guess, butwe'll go far enough to throw the captain off the scent; maybe toHempstead; we can do that in two hours."

  "It isn't likely the old pirate will try to chase us this time," saidDan. "He won't have a tug handy as he did at Sanstable."

  "Well, we won't run any risks," said Nelson. "As soon as Spencer'saboard we'll make tracks."

  And so it was settled. But the plan was discussed and rediscussed manytimes during the afternoon. Time went very slowly. At four they took arun around the Battery and up the North River for a ways, as Nelsonsaid, to see that the engine worked all right, but in reality, I think,to relieve the suspense of waiting. They had dinner ashore at a funnylittle _cafe_, on South Street, frequented principally by the betterclass of officers and sailors from the ships and steamboats along theadjacent waterfront. What they had was good, if plain, and they did fulljustice to it. Bob settled the bill at the little desk near the doorwhen they had finished and the others went on out to the sidewalk. WhenBob rejoined them his face showed that something had disturbed him.

  "What's up?" asked Nelson. For answer Bob seized him by the arm andhurried him away from in front of the restaurant, the others following.

  "Captain Sander," said Bob, when they were some distance away. "He wassitting at the table between the desk and the window!"

  Dan whistled.

  "Do you think he saw us?" asked Nelson.

  Bob shook his head doubtfully.

  "I don't believe so. He had a paper propped up in front of him and henever looked up after I noticed him. I wish, though, we'd gone somewhereelse for supper."

  "Yes," agreed Dan, "it would have been better even to have eaten Tommy'scooking!"

  At half-past seven the _Vagabond_ chugged up to the end of the next pierto that at which the _Henry Nellis_ lay. The launch showed no lights.Seated in the cockpit the four waited silently and impatiently for thehands of the clock in the cabin to approach the half hour after nine.After two bells had struck Dan went down every five minutes or so,struck a match and looked at the clock. Finally he came back andwhispered: "Nine-twenty-five, Nel!"

  Bob went to the wheel and Nelson disappeared into the engine room. Thesingle line which had held them to the side of a big lighter came awayand the propeller churned the water. Out into the stream went the_Vagabond_. Then, when she was opposite the _Henry Nellis_, Bob swungthe wheel over and she headed for the darkness of the dock. While stillsome distance out the engine was shut off and the launch slid quietlyinto the gloom, headed for the side of the schooner which lay dimlyoutlined in the darkness.

  Slower and slower went the launch. Bob, at the wheel, peered intentlyforward. At the bow Dan stood ready to thrust her nose away or draw herin toward the schooner. From the _Henry Nellis_ came no sound and onlyone light showed from her deck. The _Vagabond_ lost all
headway and layrocking gently in the black water. But Dan could reach the side of theschooner, and in another moment the launch was being pulled slowly alongpast the dark, tarry hull. Then came the most difficult task of all.They had decided that it would be wisest to have the _Vagabond_ turnedaround with her head to the stream, and now they set about it. But itwas the hardest sort of work, and more than once sounds resulted whichwould have been sufficient to warn those on the schooner had they beenexpecting visitors. As no alarm was given the boys hopefully decidedthat they had escaped detection by the captain in the restaurant.Finally the launch lay straight alongside the schooner, amidships, andthere was nothing left to do but wait for Spencer. Suddenly the clock inthe cabin struck three bells so loudly that the four held their breath.They had forgotten to muffle it. They listened but heard no sound fromthe schooner. The minutes passed. Dan crept down and looked at theclock, returning to the cockpit to whisper that it was almost a quarterto ten. Then from somewhere on the schooner came the faint sound of asliding door or hatch.

  Nelson groped his way to the cabin door so that he could reach theengine promptly. A moment passed. Then something fell at Dan's feet witha soft thud and a dim figure appeared above at the rail. At the samemoment a door crashed open on deck and heavy footsteps sounded. Thefigure scrambled over the rail and came half-falling to the deck of the_Vagabond_. Dan seized Spencer and dragged him into the cockpit just asthe irate voice of Captain Sauder broke the silence.

  "Spencer!" he bellowed. "Where are you? Go below or I'll shoot a hole inyou! I see you there! Come out, you sneakin' fool!"

  "Hurry, Nel!" whispered Bob hoarsely into the gloom of the engine room.Then the throb of the _Vagabond's_ propeller sounded startlingly loudand the launch slid forward in the darkness. Back against the lighterbackground of the cloudy sky appeared the form of the captain. A redflare lighted the darkness where he stood and a bullet whistled overDan's head.

  "Duck!" cried Dan, forgetting caution. All save Bob threw themselves onto the floor of the cockpit. Again the revolver spoke and a bulletcrashed into the cabin roof a foot from Bob's arm. Then the _Vagabond_was free of the slip and had swung upstream, her propeller churning thewater into white froth at the stern. Once more the captain fired, butthe bullet was lost far astern. As they passed the head of the next pierthey could hear the captain raging and swearing back there in the night.