by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XV.
THE STRATEGY OF THE CHASE.
Dory Dornwood had accomplished all that he intended by his plan. Thepilot of the Missisquoi would not dare to cross the ledges, and it wouldbe necessary for her to go nearly a mile to the southward to get aroundthem. Dory calculated that his manoeuvre had given him two miles thestart of the steamer.
Captain Vesey and Pearl Hawlinshed seemed to be holding a consultation.Dory imagined that Pearl was trying to persuade the captain to venturein among the rocks. If so, he was not successful; for the Missisquoi didnot come any nearer to the ledge.
"What is she going to do next, Dory?" asked Corny Minkfield, while theboys were waiting for the next move of the steamer.
"That's more than I know," replied Dory, chuckling at the success of hisplan. "I think Captain Vesey had enough of getting aground yesterday,and he don't want to spend the day laid up on one of these ledges. Ibelieve the steamer would go over Champion Rock all right; but hercaptain is shy, and I don't think he will come any nearer than he isnow."
Dory had headed the Goldwing to the east. As he had predicted, the windwas increasing, and the schooner carried quite a bone in her teeth. Itlooked a little like a game of chess, where each player has to wait along time for the other to make his move. The captain and his passengerappeared to be still engaged in the discussion in the bow of the boat.Dory thought he could quicken their movements; and, hauling in hissheets, he stood to the south.
"There she goes!" exclaimed Thad, as the steamer started her propelleragain.
"I think we can keep her moving," replied Dory. "She will go to thesouthward as fast as we do, to head us off. We can play this game aslong as she can."
"But who wants to stay here all day fooling with that steamer?" saidCorny.
"I don't know that we have any thing better to do," added Dick Short."We have got enough to eat to last us all day."
"I think we shall have some variety in this thing. Captain Vesey has todeliver the Missisquoi to her new owner to-night, and he can't stay heremuch after noon," replied Dory.
In fifteen minutes the steamer was well to the southward of ChampionRock, and began to turn to the eastward.
"She is coming around to pick us up on this side of the rocks," saidThad.
"That's all right, but she won't pick us up," answered Dory. "I amafraid it will get very monotonous before she overhauls us by herpresent tactics."
Dory put the boat about, and stood to the north. He continued on thistack until the Missisquoi was directly south of Stave Island, and ofboth ledges, which were in a line with the island. She had gone half amile farther to the southward than was necessary to avoid Champion Rock;but her pilots were not well posted, and they seemed to be determined tokeep on the safe side.
The skipper waited until the steamer was half a mile to the eastward ofthe ledges, and then he proceeded to beat across the dangerous ground.He took a southerly tack first, so as to bother the pilot of the steameras to his intentions. The Missisquoi kept on her course, and Pearl wasevidently bothered.
The pursuer had not thought there could be any difficulty in capturingthe owner of the Goldwing when he had a steamer to use in chasing her.He had found out his mistake. The captain and engineer had not earnedtheir five dollars apiece yet, for they had not put the passenger onboard of the schooner. Doubtless they were continuing the chase for thepurpose of obtaining their money, for the boys were satisfied thatCaptain Vesey had no other interest in the pursuit.
As the Missisquoi put her helm to starboard, in order to run to thenorth, Dory tacked the schooner, and stood off to the north-east. Thiscourse would carry him directly over Stave Island Ledge. The effect ofthis move was soon apparent, for the steamer stopped her screw again.Her pilots could see that it was useless to go any farther on herpresent course. By the time she got a mile farther, the Goldwing wouldbe on the other side of the ledges. Another discussion seemed to be inprogress between the captain and the passenger. But it was not continuedlong; for the Missisquoi put about, and stood to the westward.
"She has got enough of that," said Thad. "I don't believe she will keepit up much longer."
"It is cool and comfortable here, and I think we can stand this sort ofthing as long as she can," added Dory.
"Of course we can; but the game is ended, and the Missisquoi is goingback to Plattsburgh," suggested Corny.
"The game is not ended yet," replied Dory: "in fact, it has but justbegun."
"What's the reason it isn't ended?" demanded Corny, who did not like tohave his conclusions disputed. "What is the steamer going off in thatdirection for, if there is to be any more fun?"
"Is that the way to Plattsburgh, Corny?" asked Dory quietly.
"She has gone off and left us, whether she is bound to Plattsburgh ornot. If she means to catch us, why don't she stick to it?" continuedCorny.
"She is sticking to it. The way to catch a pigeon is to put salt on histail, you know," answered Dory, laughing. "She is beginning to play hergame now. If she had gone to the north-west, instead of to the west, Imight believe she had given it up; and I should be ready to head theGoldwing for Burlington as soon as I saw her to the eastward ofValcour's Island."
"What do you think she means to do, Dory?" asked Thad.
"I am very clear what she means to do. I wouldn't give anybody two centsto write it down for me," replied the skipper confidently. "She has goneto the west so that she can coax us out from these ledges. If she couldget us away from these dangers, where she could chase us, she would soonbe up with us."
"There are plenty of rocks and shoals south of us," suggested Thad.
"But there are buoys on them, and a hundred feet of water between them.Very likely Captain Vesey knows his way among them. We can very soon seewhether she has given up the chase or not," said Dory, as he put theboat about, and headed her to the south.
"Are you going to run for Burlington, Dory?" asked Corny.
"We are headed in that direction now," replied the skipper.
"But the steamer does not change her course," continued Corny.
"And she won't change her course until we have gone a couple of milesfarther to the southward. They are getting smart on board of theMissisquoi," added Dory, like one who is driving a winning horse.
All hands watched the steamer very closely, and Corny would have givensomething handsome to have it made out that Dory was mistaken in hiscalculations. He was loyal to the skipper, but he did not like to havestatements of the latter prove true every time. The steamer did notchange her course, but she did not seem to get ahead very fast.
In half an hour the Goldwing was off Colchester Reef Light. TheMissisquoi was still headed to the west; and Corny was beginning to feeltriumphant, though he was not confident enough to say much. The steamerwas three miles distant; but Dory was satisfied by this time that shehad stopped her propeller, and was only waiting for the schooner to geta little farther to the southward, where she could not dodge in amongthe dangerous rocks.
"She is coming about!" shouted Thad.
"It is about time for her to do something," replied Dory. "But she isnot coming down this way."
"How do you know she isn't, Dory Dornwood?" demanded Corny, who wasrather indignant when the skipper made another prediction.
"I think I understand her little game," answered Dory mildly; for hefelt that he could afford to disregard the sharp tones of Corny.
"Where is she going?" asked Corny, wishing to make the skipper commithimself fully.
"She is going to the eastward," replied Dory without any hesitation; forit was all a plain case to him.
"How do you know she is, Dory?" demanded Corny. "She is still turning;and she isn't headed any way yet."
"I think it is easy enough to see what she is about, Corny. Can't yousee it with your eyes shut?"
"No: I'm sure I can't; and I don't believe you can, Dory Dornwood,"added Corny.
"She is now just as far west of Champion Rock as we are south of it. Sheis g
oing to the eastward, so as to cut us off if we try to reach theledges again. I think she has got her course now."
It was plain enough to all the members of the Goldwing Club, that, asthey could see the whole of the starboard side of the Missisquoi, shewas headed to the eastward. Corny gave it up when he saw that he couldhold out no longer. From the smoke that poured out of the smoke-stack ofthe little steamer, it was plain that she was crowded to her best speed.
"She is in a hurry now," said the skipper, laughing.
"She is going to do a big thing now," added Thad. "She is going to catchus, sure."
"But I think we had better be doing something," continued the skipper,as he put the Goldwing before the wind.
"What are you going to do now, Dory?" asked Corny.
"That will depend upon circumstances," replied Dory, who suddenlyappeared to be disposed to keep his own counsel.
As soon as the schooner was up with the light-house, the skipper hauledin his sheets again, and headed the Goldwing to the north-east. Thiscourse seemed to bother the steamer, for it made it evident that theboat did not intend to go near Champion Rock.
"She's after you again," said Corny a few minutes later. "She hasaltered her course, and is coming down this way to head you off."
"All right! Let her come," replied Dory.
"But we are getting pretty close together," added Thad. "She is going tocatch us this time. At least, I am afraid she is."
"Don't worry about it, Thad. She isn't going to catch us on this tack."
The Missisquoi was coming in between Hog's Back Island and the reef ofthe same name. She kept the red buoy on her starboard, and the black onher port hand. She was hardly more than a quarter of a mile from theGoldwing, and running for a point ahead of her. It began to be veryexciting for the boys, for they believed she would overtake theschooner in a few minutes more.
But the Goldwing came out just a little ahead; and the steamer wasastern of the boat, but not more than a hundred yards. She gained on herevery minute, until suddenly the Missisquoi stopped.