The Motor Boat Club at Nantucket: or, The Mystery of the Dunstan Heir

“Take off the covering,” directed Don Emilio.The two seamen obeyed.

“Fine, is it not?” chuckled Alvarez, pointingto a brightly polished brass cannon.

“Yes; fine – not!” spoke Tom, in a voice ofmingled anger and disgust.

“It is a signal gun, such as every vessel isallowed to carry,” chuckled Don Emilio. “Butour signal gun will also carry a two-inch shell – andwe have plenty of ammunition. If yourprecious ‘Meteor’ attempts to follow us to-nightwe shall send her to the bottom of the ocean!You see, our cargo is needed by brave and patrioticmen in Honduras, and we are desperateenough to take it there in the face of everyone.”

Then, changing his tone, Alvarez, as he glaredat the boy, went on:

“Once you were good enough to ask me whatI would do to you if I had you in Honduras.Well, I shall show you, for you are bound forthat fine little country!”

CHAPTER XXIV – CONCLUSION

Young Halstead started and paled, as anyone else would have done at such awesomeinformation. Then he forced asneer to his lips.

“Are you foolish enough to think, Don Emilio, that you are going to be allowed to escape to-night?You will sink the ‘Meteor?’ Perhaps, but what will you do with that United Statescruiser over there off the port bow?”

As he pointed and spoke, Don Emilio and thetwo seamen rushed to the port rail. Tom wasquick to seize the chance that he had made.Sooner than trust himself in Don Emilio’s hands,he would risk the dangers of the deep.

When Don Emilio turned back Halstead wasno longer on board. Leaping to the starboardrail, Tom had sprung as far out as he could, and the waters had closed over him.

In taking this desperate leap Tom had calculated,as well as he could, on avoiding the suctionof the tug’s propellers. As he struck thewater he fought against that suction, and soonfelt himself beyond it.

When he came to the surface the fast-goingtug was so far ahead that Alvarez could notmake out so small an object as the boy’s headthrough the darkness and at the distance.

“Oh, the young fool has preferred drowningto going to Honduras!” cried Alvarez, turningto the seamen. “Very good; let him have hischoice.”

Tom, however, had no immediate plan ofdrowning. He was an expert swimmer, andwith the sea as smooth as it was to-night noteven his clothing hampered him much. In fact,he did not waste much strength on swimming, butsoon allowed himself to float, treading waterwhenever it became necessary.

When the tug was leaving the wharf the youngskipper was rather certain he had heard revolvershots, which would quickly bring the law’swhole fighting force together.

“They’ll come hustling along in the ‘Meteor,’”thought the boy. “If I can only makemyself seen it will be easier to be picked up thanto swim ashore.”

Nor was it long ere he beheld the rays of asearchlight flashing over the water. The searchlightcame nearer. Halstead felt certain thatthe rays came from the boat that was usuallyunder his command.

“Lawrence knows I was lugged aboard thetug, and Joe knows me well enough to knowI’d jump sooner than stay with that crowd,”was the opinion with which Halstead comfortedhimself.

Nor was he disappointed. After a little therays of the searchlight shone in his eyes, forcinghim to close them. But he waved one handaloft. Nearer came the “Meteor,” and nearer, until Halstead saw that the boat was headingstraight for him. Speed was shut off, whilehails sounded from the motor boat’s deck. Thetrim little craft, moving under headway only, came close alongside, while Jed tossed a lineover.

“Good old Tom!” cheered Jed. “Now, ifyou’re fit, swim for it”

So Tom Halstead, dripping, but triumphantand vengeful, returned to his command.

“Take charge, captain, if you feel like it,”urged Lawrence, and Tom, after casting asidehis water-soaked coat, stepped to the wheel.“Keep right on after that tug,” added the inspector.“I’ll swing the searchlight for you.”

“I must caution you, though,” spoke CaptainHalstead, after he had given Joe the go aheadword, “that the tug carries a two-inchgun and plenty of shells. Alvarez assured methat they’d sink you.”

“I don’t believe they’ll dare,” rejoined Mr.Lawrence, grimly compressing his lips. “However, keep right on after them, and we shallsee.”

The tug was quickly picked up by the searchlight.

“Whew! How she’s cutting the water!” exclaimedMr. Lawrence. “That tug was surelybuilt for fast work. She’s easily an eighteen-knotboat.”

While the chase kept up, Tom detailed hisbrief adventure aboard the filibustering craft.

Though the tug was showing fine speed, the“Meteor” was so much faster that at last themotor boat, dead astern, was within half amile.

Bang! came a sharp report over the water, following a sharp, red flash from the tug’s cannon.

“Blank charge – no shell,” commented InspectorLawrence, coolly.

Holding the searchlight to the tug’s afterdeck, however, the inspector and his friendssaw two men again loading the brass cannon.

There was another flash, a report, and a projectilewhizzed by to the starboard of the motorboat.

“They seem to mean business, Joyce,” mutteredthe inspector. “You know what comesnow.”

Joyce and his comrade disappeared into thecabin, swiftly returning with repeating riflesthat they had brought aboard.

Tom, in the meantime, had slowed down thespeed of the “Meteor.” To those aboard thetug it might have looked as though the officerswere giving up the pursuit.

“Go ahead, now, captain,” directed Mr. Lawrence.“Right after the scoundrels at full speed.”

As the “Meteor” once more cut the water, showing that she could easily overhaul the tug,Alvarez and two of his men were shown inthe searchlight rays to be returning to theircannon.

“Open up on them, but just pester them,”directed the inspector. “Don’t try to hit themunless they insist on loading their piece.”

Zip! zip! zip! Bullets struck the deck houseand side rails of the tug as the two United Statesofficers fired rapidly.

Alvarez, at the first fire, pulled off his hat, waving it defiantly. But now the continuousfire from the motor boat drove all three fromthe gun. They fled forward.

“Close right in alongside,” ordered Mr. Lawrencegrinning. “Joyce and the other man areexperts at the rifle game.”

It took but a few minutes to close the gap betweentug and motor boat. As the “Meteor”ran up to port of the filibusters Captain JonasFrench was the only man showing beside theseaman in the pilot house.

“We’re going to run alongside and boardyou!” yelled the inspector. “We won’t haveany nonsense, either. It will be worse for youif you try it.”

“What are your orders?” asked CaptainJonas, resignedly.

“Stop your speed and reverse. Then lie toand wait for us to board.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” growled French, in the toneof a man who had played and lost. The tugsoon lay motionless on the water, while the “Meteor”ranged in alongside. Lawrence and histwo comrades stepped over the tug’s rail first.Then Deputy Warren and his three brotherofficers followed. They represented only thecounty authorities, but had come along to makethe force stronger.

As the two craft fell away again Tom wavedhis hand banteringly to Alvarez, now out on deckand being searched for weapons.

“Sorry, Don Emilio, that I couldn’t sparethe time to go to Honduras with you,” calledthe young skipper. “But stay with us here inAmerica for a while.”

Saluting with their whistles the two craftparted company, the “Meteor” returning to theDunstan place with only her regular crewaboard.