notwithstanding the fact that the summer shelter made very good time, that she had coaled at nassau, and was therefore ready for an extended cruise, it was impossible for any of those on board of her to conceal[pg 219] from themselves the very strong improbability of sighting the dunkery beacon after she had got out upon the wide atlantic, and that she would pass the comparatively narrow channel south of tobago island before the yacht reached it, was almost a foregone conclusion.
mr. burke assured mrs. cliff and his passengers that although their chase after the steamer might reasonably suggest a needle and a haystack, still, if the dunkery beacon kept down the coast in as straight a line as she could for cape st. roque, and if the summer shelter also kept the same line, and if the yacht steamed a great deal faster than the other vessel, it stood to reason that it could not be very long before the summer shelter overhauled the dunkery beacon.
but those who consulted with mr. portman were not so well encouraged as those who pinned their faith upon the captain. the sailing-master had very strong doubts about ever sighting the steamer that had sailed away two days before they left kingston. the ocean being so very large, and any steamer being so very small comparatively, if they did not pass her miles out of sight, and if they never caught up to her, he would not be in the least surprised.
four days had passed since they left kingston, when burke and shirley stood together upon the deck, scanning the horizon with a glass. "don't you think it begins to look like a wild goose chase?" said the latter.
burke thrust his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
"yes," said he, "it does look like that! i did believe[pg 220] that we were going to overhaul her before she got outside the caribbees, but she must be a faster vessel than i thought she was."
"i don't believe she's fast at all," said shirley. "she's had two days' start, and that's enough to spoil our business, i'm afraid!"
"but we'll keep on," said burke. "we're not going to turn back until our coal bunkers tell us we've got to do it!"
steamers they saw, sometimes two in an hour,—sailing-vessels were sighted, near by or far away;—schooners, ships, or brigs, and these were steaming and sailing this way and that, but never did they see a steamer with a single funnel painted black and white, with the stripes running up and down.
it was very early next morning after the conversation between burke and shirley that the latter saw a long line of smoke just above the horizon which he thought might give him reason for looking out for the steamer of which they were in quest; but when he got his glass, and the masts appeared above the horizon, he saw that this vessel was heading eastward, perhaps a little northeast, and therefore was not likely to be the dunkery beacon. but in half an hour his glass showed him that there were stripes on the funnel of this steamer which ran up and down, and in a moment burke was called, and was soon at his side.
"i believe that's the dunkery!" cried the captain, with the glass to his eye. "but she's on the wrong course! it won't take us long to overhaul her. we'll[pg 221] head the yacht a few points to the east. don't say anything to anybody,—we don't want to disappoint them."
"oh, we can overhaul her," said shirley, who now had the glass, "for it isn't a stern chase by any means."
in less than half an hour everybody on board the summer shelter knew that the large steamer, which they could plainly see on the rolling waves to the south, must be the dunkery beacon, unless, indeed, they should find that this was one of her sister ships coming north. there was great excitement on board the yacht. the breakfast, which was in course of preparation, was almost entirely forgotten by those who had it in charge, and everybody who could possibly leave duty crowded to the rail, peering across the waves to the southward. it was not long before shirley, who had the best eyes on board, declared that he could read with his glass the name dunkery beacon on the port bow.
"that's not where we ought to see it," cried burke; "we ought to see it on the stern! but we've got her, boys!"—and then he remembered himself, and added,—"ladies; and now let's give three good cheers!"
three rousing cheers were given by all on board with such good-will that they would have been heard on the other steamer had not the wind been pretty strong from the west.
the summer shelter gained upon the larger vessel, and burke now ran up signals for her to lay to, as he wished to speak with her. to these signals, however, the dunkery paid no immediate attention, keeping stead[pg 222]ily on, although altering her course towards the south-east.
"what does that mean, mr. shirley?" asked mrs. cliff. "mr. burke wants her to stop, doesn't he?"
"yes," said shirley, "that is what the signal is for."
"but she doesn't stop!" said mrs. cliff. "do you think there is any chance of her not stopping at all?"
"can't say, madam," he answered. "but she's got good reason for keeping on her way; a vessel with all that treasure on board could hardly be expected to lay to because a strange vessel that she knows nothing about asked her to shut off steam."
"that seems to me very reasonable, indeed," said mr. litchfield, who was standing by. "but it would be very bad fortune, if, after all the trouble and anxiety you have had in overtaking this vessel, she should decline to stop and hear the news we have to tell."
there was a strong breeze and a good deal of sea, but burke determined to get near enough to hail the dunkery beacon and speak to her. so he got round on her weather quarter, and easily overtaking her, he brought the summer shelter as near to the other vessel as he considered it safe to do. then he hailed her, "dunkery beacon, ahoy! is that captain hagar?"
the wind was too strong for the captain of the other vessel to answer through his trumpet, but he signalled assent. then burke informed him that he wished him to lay to in order that he might send a boat on board; that he had very important orders to captain hagar from his owners, and that he had followed him from[pg 223] jamaica in order to deliver them. for some time there was no answer whatever to these loudly bellowed remarks, and the two vessels kept on side by side.
"anyway," said burke to mr. burdette, "she can see that we're a lot faster than she is, and that she can't get away from us!"
"it may be that she's afraid of us," said the mate, "and thinks we're one of the pirates."
"that can't be," said burke, "for she doesn't know anything about the pirates! i'll hail her again, and tell her what we are, and what our business is. i think it won't be long before she lays to just to see what we want."
sure enough, in less than fifteen minutes the dunkery beacon signalled that she would lay to, and before long the two vessels, their engines stopped and their heads to the wind, lay rising and falling on the waves, and near enough to speak to each other.
"now, then, what do you want?" shouted the captain of the dunkery.
"i want to send a boat aboard with an important message from blackburn!"
after a few minutes the answer came, "send a boat!"
orders were given to lower one of the yacht's boats, and it was agreed that shirley ought to be the man to go over to the dunkery beacon. "who do you want to go with you?" asked burke.
"nobody but the boat's crew," he answered. "i can explain things better by myself. captain hagar seems to be an obstinate fellow, and it won't be easy to turn[pg 224] him back on his course. but if i want anybody to stand by me and back me up in what i say, you might let some of the clergymen come over. he might believe them, and wouldn't me. but i'll talk to him first by myself."
every member of the synod declared that he was perfectly willing to go to the other vessel if he should be needed, and mrs. cliff assured burke that if she could be of any good in making the captain of the dunkery beacon understand that he ought to turn back, she would be perfectly willing to be rowed over to his vessel.
"i don't think it will be necessary to put a lady into a boat on such a sea as this," said burke. "but when he hears what shirley has to tell him, that captain will most likely be glad enough to turn back."
captain burke was afraid to trust any of his clerical crew to row a ship's boat on such a heavy sea, and although he would be perfectly willing to go himself as one of the oarsmen, he would not leave the yacht so long as mrs. cliff was on board; but mr. burdette, the sailing-master, and the assistant engineer volunteered as crew of the boat, while shirley himself pulled an oar.
when the boat reached the dunkery beacon, shirley was soon on board, while the three men in the boat, holding to a line which had been thrown them, kept their little craft from bumping against the side of the big steamer by pushing her off with their oars. on board the summer shelter everybody stood and gazed over the rail, staring at the other steamer as if they could[pg 225] hear with their eyes what was being said on board of her. after waiting about twenty minutes, a note was passed down to the men in the boat, who pushed off and rowed back with it to the summer shelter.
the note, which captain burke opened and read as soon as he could lay hold of it, ran as follows:
"to captain burke of the 'summer shelter':
"it's my opinion that you're trying to play a beastly trick on me! it isn't like my owners to send a message to me off the coast of south america. if they wanted to send me a message, it would have been waiting for me at kingston. i don't know what sort of a trick you are trying to play on me, but you can't do it. i know my duties, and i'm going to keep on to my port. and what's more, i'm not going to send back the man you sent aboard of me. i'll take him with me to rio janeiro, and hand him over to the authorities. they'll know what to do with him, but i don't intend to send him back to report to you whatever he was sent aboard my vessel to find out.
"i don't know how you came to think i had treasure on board, but it's none of your business anyway. you must think i'm a fool to turn back to kingston because you tell me to. anybody can write a telegram. so i'm going to get under way, and you can steam back to kingston, or wherever you came from.
"captain hagar."
captain burke had hardly finished reading this extraordinary letter when he heard a cry from the boat[pg 226] lying by the side of the yacht in which the three men were waiting, expecting to go back to the other vessel with an answer. "hello!" cried mr. burdette. "she's getting under way! that steamer's off!"
and at this a shout arose from everybody on board the summer shelter. the propeller of the dunkery beacon was stirring the water at her stern, and she was moving away, her bow turned southward. burke leaned over the rail, shouted to his men to get on board and haul up the boat, and then he gave orders to go ahead full speed.
"what does all this mean?" cried mrs. cliff. "what's in that letter, mr. burke? are they running away with mr. shirley?"
"that's what it looks like!" he cried. "but here's the letter. you can all read it for yourselves!" and with that he dashed away to take charge of his vessel.
all now was wild excitement on board the summer shelter, but what was to be done or with what intention they were pursuing the dunkery beacon and rapidly gaining upon her, no one could say, not even captain burke himself. the yacht was keeping on the weather quarter of the other vessel, and when she was near enough, he began again to yell at her through his speaking-trumpet, but no answer or signal came back, and everybody on board the larger vessel seemed to be attending to his duties as if nothing had happened, while mr. shirley was not visible.
while the captain was roaring himself red in the face, both mrs. cliff and willy croup were crying, and[pg 227] the face of each clergyman showed great anxiety and trouble. presently mrs. cliff was approached by the reverend mr. arbuckle, the oldest of the members of the late synod who had shipped with her.
"this is a most unfortunate and totally unexpected outcome of our expedition," said he. "if mr. shirley is taken to rio janeiro and charges made against him, his case may be very serious. but i cannot see what we are to do! don't you believe it would be well to call a consultation of those on board?"
mrs. cliff wiped her eyes, and said they ought to consult. if anything could be done, it should be done immediately.
captain burke put the yacht in charge of the mate, and came aft where five of the clergymen, the sailing-master, and mrs. cliff and willy were gathered together. "i'm willing to hold council," said he, "but at this minute i can't give any advice as to what ought to be done. the only thing i can say, is that i don't want to desert shirley. if i could do it, i would board that vessel and take him off, but i don't see my way clear to that just yet. i'm not owner of this yacht, but if mrs. cliff will give the word, i'll follow that steamer to rio janeiro, and if shirley is put on shore and charges made against him, i'll be there to stand by him!"
"of course, we will not desert mr. shirley," cried mrs. cliff. "this yacht shall follow that vessel until we can take him on board again. i can't feel it in my heart, gentlemen, to say to you that i'm willing to turn back and take you home if you want to go. it may be very[pg 228] hard to keep you longer, but it will be a great deal harder if we are to let the captain of that ship take poor mr. shirley to rio janeiro and put him into prison, with nobody to say a word for him!"
"madam," said mr. arbuckle, "i beg that you will not speak of the question of an immediate return on our account. this is in every way a most unfortunate affair, but we all see what ought to be done, what it is our duty to do, and we will do it! can you give me an idea, mr. portman, of the length of time it would probably require for us to reach rio janeiro?"
"i think this yacht could get there in a week," said the sailing-master; "but if we're to keep company with that hulk over there, it will take us ten days. we may have trouble about coal, but if we have good winds like these, we can keep up with the dunkery beacon with half steam and our sails."
"mr. litchfield," said mrs. cliff, "the captain is up in the pilot house. i can't climb up there, but won't you go and tell him that i say that we must stand by mr. shirley no matter what happens, nor where we have to go to!"
