Where Duty Called: or, In Honor Bound

"Have no fear, señors, it is I."

The speaker was Francisco de Caprian, and he was not long in gaining their side.

"How fares it with you, señors?"

"Poorly," replied Jack, speaking for his captors as well as himself. "What does this mean?"

"I cannot stop to explain now. This ship is now bound to Porto Colombia for some repairs. It stopped off Maracaibo to land General Riera and his staff. From what I have overheard the present commander will leave her there, and one of Matos' more intimate followers will become the captain. It is possible we may fare better in Porto Colombia than out to sea here. But I am not certain. The captain seems concerned over what to do with you, and desperate measures may be carried out. I cannot say. But one fact remains. Every moment we are being carried farther and farther from Caracas. As far as I could I have arranged for immediate flight. I have bribed a sailor, who will help us get a boat. The night promises to be dark, which will materially aid us in escaping. But there is a lookout who stands in fear of his life lest he lets anything pass his gaze. It is not more than an even chance that we can succeed in evading him and the others. Do you care to take that chance with me, señors, or remain here and possibly escape with more or less harm?"

"For one," said Ronie, "I am in favor of getting away as soon as possible."

"Will it be possible for us to take our trunk with us?" asked Harrie. "We can ill afford to lose that."

"I thought as much, señor," replied Francisco. "I think we can manage to take it along."

Though it was too dark for them to see the countenance of their companion, the young engineers looked anxiously toward him while they waited for his answer. Jack spoke in a moment:

"I know how you feel, boys, and I think I have some of that spirit myself. I have always found, too, that the bold dash for freedom always counted best. If you think we had better take our chances now, I am with you, by the horn of rock – Gibraltar, if you please!"

"Good!" exclaimed Harrie and Ronie together. "You hear, Francisco, that we are going with you?"

"Si, señors. We will begin at once. For I will free you from those irons. Then you must follow my directions to the letter."

While he was speaking Francisco began to work upon the manacles upon Ronie's wrists, and he showed that he had come prepared for his task, as inside of five minutes the three were free, very much to their relief.

"Now," said Francisco, "you had better remain quietly here for what you judge to be an hour. Then you come upon deck, being careful to get astern without being seen. During this interval of waiting I will have a boat in readiness, and be prepared to lower your chest into it at short notice. You will have to bring this with you, and if it is too heavy to handle easily and rapidly, I should advise you to remove whatever of its contents you can spare. You understand?"

"We do, Francisco, and we will not fail to be on hand."

"I will be there to assist you. In case I fail to accomplish my purpose in getting the boat, you will hear an alarm, in which case you had better replace your irons and stay where you are until the excitement blows over. Under these circumstances it will be for your interest to look out for yourselves, as you will know that I cannot help you."

"We shall not desert you," replied the young engineers, while they clasped his hands as he started to leave them.

"He is a brave fellow, and thoroughly unselfish," said Harrie.

Exchanging now and then a few words, they waited and listened while the silence remained unbroken. At times the sound of footsteps reached their ears, and constantly the steady swish of waters, but nothing to warn them that the plans of Francisco had miscarried.

"The hour must be passed," declared Jack at last.

"And we must be moving," added Ronie.

"Can you find your chest easily?" asked the first.

"I think so," replied Harrie. "Follow me."

The next five minutes were occupied in reaching the deck with their burden. Upon feeling the salt sea breath the three breathed easier, while they glanced about to see if the way was clear. As Francisco had prophesied, the night was quite dark, though there were signs in the west that the clouds were breaking away. No one was to be seen nearby, and silently the three stole along toward the place where they expected to meet Francisco, bearing the chest containing the instruments, charts and papers of the young engineers. Fortunately, this was small, as they had not taken more than was necessary.

Harrie and Ronie bore this between them, while Jack followed with every sense strained to catch the first sight or hear the first movement of their enemies. In this way they had passed half the distance, and had caught a glimpse of one ahead whom they believed to be their friend, when a sharp voice rang out an alarm that for a moment fairly took away their breath. Before they had fairly recovered the cry was answered from the fore part of the vessel, and they realized that their flight had been discovered.

"Quick, señors!" called Francisco. "In a moment we shall be too late."

Ronie and Harrie quickened their advance, while Jack prepared to meet the enemy hand-to-hand, if it should be necessary, while he kept close beside his companions.

"The boat is ready," said Francisco. "Let me fasten the rope about the chest. If we can lower that before they get here, we will give them the slip."

Already they could hear the crew of the Libertador rushing wildly about, uttering confusing cries, which told that they had little idea of what was taking place, the majority doubtless thinking they had been attacked by some unknown and mysterious foes. Above this medley of voices rang the stern command of the captain, trying to bring order out of the excitement.

Francisco had now arranged the rope about the chest, and then it was lowered down the ship's side, rapidly, hand over hand.

"They are coming!" exclaimed Jack, hoarsely. "If I only had a weapon of some kind I would show them the mettle of my arm."

"Over the rail!" said Francisco, and he and Harrie shot down the line at a furious rate. But before Ronie and Jack could follow they found their retreat cut off, and themselves confronted by a dozen armed men, with others coming swiftly toward the scene.

CHAPTER VI.

A SWIM FOR LIFE

Thinking that his friends were close beside him, Harrie dropped into the boat arranged for their flight. At the same moment Francisco landed in the bow of the slight craft rocking at its moorings, while flashes of light and wild orders of men under the stress of great excitement came from the deck of the Libertador.

"Are you all here?" asked the young Venezuelan, while he looked hurriedly upward to the scene of excitement Over their heads, rather than about him.

"Jack and Ronie are not here!" replied Harrie. "Hark! That must be them engaged in a hand-to-hand fight."

"We must cut loose!" exclaimed Francisco, through his clinched teeth. "Some of them are coming over the rail!"

"Boat ahoy!" thundered a stentorian voice from the vessel.

Francisco was in the act of cutting the boat adrift at that moment, and before the sound of the speaker's voice had died away the fugitives were several yards astern.

"Ply the oars, for your life!" said Francisco. "Our lives depend on our work for the next few minutes."

Loath as he was to make this flight without his friends, it was really all that Harrie could do, and he lent his arm to that of his companion, and with each stroke of the oar they were taken farther and farther from the scene of wild commotion reigning upon the deck of the outlawed ship.

"They are laying to," panted Francisco. "They have sighted us, and boats will be lowered to give us pursuit. Ha! that shows they mean business."

A volley of firearms at that instant awoke the night scene, illuminating the sea for a considerable distance. But the shots flew wide of their mark, though the light from the guns had disclosed their position, so the following volley whistled uncomfortably near. A darkness deeper than ever succeeded the discharge of firearms, and under this cover the fugitives managed to get beyond range before the third volley could be sent after them.

Harrie had improved the passing gleams to look for Ronie and Jack, but he had failed to learn aught of their fates, and his heart was very heavy, as he concluded that he alone had been permitted to escape. Francisco was silently bending over his oar, sending the boat swiftly through the water into the unknown dangers that must lie in their pathway.

Meanwhile, how has it fared with Jack and Ronie, who found their escape cut off at the very moment they were about to follow their companions?

"By the horn of rock – Gibraltar, if you please!" gritted the first, seizing upon a stout lever that some one had dropped nearby, and which promised to be a formidable club when wielded by his nervous arms, "when ye keelhaul old Jack Greenland ye'll hear Gabriel's trumpet sounding not far away!"

Then, as the mob rushed forward, he sprang in front of Ronie, who had suddenly found himself flung back from the ship's rail, to be sent headlong to the deck, and swinging his primitive weapon over his head he mowed down a semi-circle of the seamen as if he was cutting a swath of grain. By that time Ronie, whose determined nature was aroused by this rough treatment, was upon his feet, holding in his right hand a serviceable small arm that he had been able to pick up.

Shots were fired upon them by the crew of the Libertador, but, fortunately, the assailants proved but poor marksmen. One burly ruffian attempting to fell Ronie, the latter pointed at his body and discharged his firearm. At least he cocked the weapon and pulled the trigger, but it failed to respond. Realizing that it was empty, he used it as a club, and a moment later had cleared his path of the big seaman. At that moment Jack cried out:

"Quick – into the sea!"