when night began to fall, the dunkery beacon was still keeping on her course,—a little too much to the eastward, mr. portman thought,—and the summer shelter was still accompanying her almost abreast, and less[pg 229] than half a mile away. during the day it had been seldom that the glasses of the yacht had not been directed upon the deck of the larger vessel. several times mr. shirley had been seen on the main deck, and he had frequently waved his hat. it was encouraging to know that their friend was in good condition, but there were many hearts on board the summer shelter which grew heavier and heavier as the night came on.
burke and burdette stood together in the pilot house. "suppose she gets away from us in the night?" said the mate.
"i don't intend to let her do it," replied his captain. "even if she douses every glim on board, i'll keep her in sight! it will be starlight, and i'm not afraid, with a vessel as easily managed as this yacht, to lie pretty close to her."
"then there's another thing," said burdette.
"you're thinking they may get rid of him?" asked burke.
"yes," said the other, "i was thinking of that!"
the captain did not reply immediately. "that came across my mind too," said he, "but it's all nonsense! in the first place, they haven't got any reason for wanting to get rid of him that way, and besides, they know that if they went into rio janeiro without shirley, we could make it very hot for them!"
"but he's a queer one—that captain hagar!" said burdette. "what was he doing on that easterly course? i think he's a scaly customer, that's what i think!"
"can't say anything about that," answered burke.[pg 230] "but one thing i know,—i'm going to stick to him like a thrasher to a whale!"
very early the next morning mr. hodgson came aft where captain burke was standing with the sailing-master. "sir," said he, "i am a clergyman and a man of peace, but i declare, sir, that i do not think any one, no matter what his profession, should feel himself called upon to submit to the outrageous conduct of the captain of that vessel! is there no way in which we could approach her and make fast to her, and then boldly press our way on board in spite of objection or resistance, and by force, if it should be necessary, bring away mr. shirley, whose misfortune has made us all feel as if he were not only our friend, but our brother. then, sir, i should let that vessel go on to destruction, if she chooses to go."
burke shook his head. "you may be sure if i considered it safe to run the two vessels together i would have been on board that craft long ago! but we couldn't do it,—certainly not with mrs. cliff on the yacht!"
"no indeed!" added mr. portman. "nobody knows what damage they might do us. for my part, i haven't any faith in that vessel. i believe she's no better than a pirate herself!"
"hold on!" exclaimed burke. "don't talk like that! it wouldn't do for the women to get any such notions into their heads!"
"but it is in your head, isn't it, sir?" said mr. hodgson.[pg 231]
"yes," said burke, "something of the sort. i don't mind saying that to you."
"and i will also say to you," replied the young clergyman, "that we talked it over last night, and we all agreed that the actions of the dunkery beacon are very suspicious. it does not seem at all unlikely that the great treasure she carries has been too much of a temptation for the captain, and that she is trying to get away with it."
"of course, i don't know anything about that captain," said burke, "or what he is after, but i'm pretty sure that he won't dare to do anything to shirley as long as i keep him in sight. and now i'm going to bear down on him again to hail him!"
the summer shelter bore down upon the other steamer, and her captain hailed and hailed for half an hour, but no answer came from the dunkery beacon.
willy croup was so troubled by what had happened, and even more by what was not happening,—for she could not see any good which might come out of this persistent following of the one vessel by the other,—that her nerves disordered and tangled themselves to such a degree that she was scarcely able to cook.
but mrs. cliff kept up a strong heart. she felt that a great deal depended upon her. at any moment an emergency might arise when she would be called upon, as owner of the yacht, to decide what should be done. she hoped very earnestly that if the captain of the dunkery beacon saw that the summer shelter was determined to follow him wherever he went, and whatever he[pg 232] might do, he would at last get tired of being nagged in that way, and consent to give up mr. shirley.
about eight o'clock in the morning, all belief in the minds of the men on board the yacht that the dunkery beacon intended to sail to rio janeiro entirely disappeared, for that steamer changed her course to one considerably north of east. a little after that a steamer was seen on the horizon to the north, and she was bearing southward. in the course of half an hour it seemed as if this new steamer was not only likely to run across the course of the dunkery beacon, but was trying to do it.
"captain," exclaimed mrs. cliff, grasping burke by the arm, "don't you think it looks very much as if that captain hagar was trying to run away with the treasure which has been entrusted to him?"
"i didn't intend to say anything to you about that," he replied, "but it looks like it most decidedly!"
"if that should be the case," said mrs. cliff, "don't you think mr. shirley's situation is very dangerous?"
"nobody knows anything about that, madam," said he, "but until we get him back on this yacht, i'll stick to her!"
burke could not make out the new-comer very well, but he knew her to be a mediterranean steamer. she was of moderate size, and making good headway. "i haven't the least bit of a doubt," said he to burdette, "that that's the pirate vessel from genoa!"
"i shouldn't wonder if you're right!" said the mate, taking the glass. "i think i can see a lot of heads in[pg 233] her bow, and now i wonder what is going to happen next!"
"that nobody knows," said burke, "but if i had shirley on board here, i'd steam away and let them have it out. we have done all we're called upon to do to keep those peruvian fools from losing that cargo of gold!"
the strange vessel drew nearer and nearer to the dunkery beacon, and the two steamers, much to the amazement of the watchers on the yacht, now lay to and seemed prepared to hail each other. they did hail, and after a short time a boat was lowered from the stranger, and pulled to the dunkery beacon. there were but few men in the boat, although there were many heads on the decks from which they had come.
"this beats me!" ejaculated burke. "they seem willing enough to lay to for her!"
"it looks to me," said mr. burdette, "as if she wanted to be captured!"
"i'd like to know," said the captain, "what's the meaning of that queer bit of blotched bunting that's been run up on the dunkery?"
"can't tell," said the other, "but there's another one like it on the other steamer!"
"my friends," said mr. arbuckle, standing in a group of his fellow-clergymen on the main deck, "it is my earnest opinion that those two ships are accomplices in a great crime."
"if that be so," said another, "we are here in the position of utterly helpless witnesses. but we should not allow ourselves to look on this business from one point[pg 234] of view only. it may be that the intentions of that recently arrived vessel are perfectly honorable. she may bring later orders from the owners of the dunkery beacon, and bring them too with more authority than did mr. shirley, who, after all, was only a volunteer!"
the yacht was lying to, and at this moment the lookout announced a sail on the starboard quarter. glancing in that direction, nearly everybody could see that another steamer, her hull well up in view, was coming down from the north.
"by george!" cried burke, "most likely that's another of the pirates!"
"and if it is," said his mate, "i think we'll have to trust to our heels!"
burke answered quietly, "yes, we'll do that when we've got shirley on board, or when it's dead sure we can't get him!"
the people from the mediterranean steamer did not remain on board the dunkery beacon more than half an hour, and when they returned to their vessel, she immediately started her engines and began to move away. making a short circuit, she turned and steamed in the direction of the distant vessel approaching from the northward.
"there," cried burke, "that steamer off there is another of the pirates, and these scoundrels here are going to meet her. they've got the whole thing cut and dried, and i'll bet my head that the dunkery beacon will cruise around here until they're ready to come down and do what they please with her!"
the actions of the treasure ship now seemed to indicate that mr. burke was correct in his surmises. she steamed away slowly towards the south, and then making a wide sweep, she steered northward, directing her course toward the yacht as if she would speak with it.
