Chapter XI: On Board the Sea Eagle

We must now revert to the afternoon on which the redoubtable Captain Broome sailed from the harbor of San Francisco. It will be recalled that his was the first of the three vessels to leave the harbor. The captain was sitting in the cabin of the Sea Eagle in consultation with the Mexican dwarf whom, concealed in a hamper, he had smuggled on board. It was their purpose to have the boys think that the dwarf had been drowned at the time he had slipped from the professor's grasp and plunged into the waters of the bay.

The captain was sitting in a revolving chair in front of the desk, whose top was strewn with papers and charts over which he had been pouring. His thoughts apparently had not been particularly pleasing, for there was a scowl upon his hard face which looked harder than ever, and there was an ugly glitter in his eye which boded evil for whoever crossed his path. Nevertheless, the dwarf, who was seated, or rather perched, upon the top of a worn and battered sea chest at the opposite side of the room, regarded him with indifference. If there was anything upon the face of the earth or of its waters of which the Mexican was afraid or which had the power to make him blench, he had never met it.

For a moment or two the captain glared at the dwarf, who returned his look indifferently.

"A nice mess you've made of this business," growled the captain.

"It wasn't my fault," returned the dwarf surlily.

"Then I suppose it was mine," snapped the captain.

The dwarf shrugged his shoulders.

"You wouldn't let me put a knife in him," he snarled venomously. "The sharks would have had him now."

"Bah!" sneered the captain. "Can't you think of anything better than that? Besides, there are four of them. That's too clumsy, anyway. And," he went on after a moment's pause, "I don't believe you could have done it. Jim Darlington is too smart for you."

If it was the captain's intention to arouse all the malignity and vindictiveness of the hunchback's nature to the utmost, he certainly succeeded. The dwarf's eyes blazed with fire, his form trembled with rage and his voice when he spoke resembled more the hiss of an angry snake than the utterance of a human being.

"Leave him to me now," he hissed. "I will make an end of this Senor James and his whole tribe."

There was a devilish malignity in the way he spoke that stirred even the captain, callous as he was.

"All right," replied the captain, "if that's the way you feel about them, I guess you'll take care of the matter all right."

Getting upon his feet with an inarticulate growl, the captain lurched across the cabin and up the companion way to the deck, where a quick glance around assured him that there was no one within eavesdropping distance. Returning to the cabin he dropped heavily into the chair again.

"So the professor is back again?"

The dwarf made a surly gesture of assent.

"Why didn't you get the chart?"

"How could I? I paid the porter five dollars to let me handle the bag for a minute, but there was nothing in it."

"Why didn't you take the bag?"

"What was the good? There was nothing in it, and beside there was no chance."

"Where did he pick up those Darlington boys?"

"Who knows? He came with them on the train--all except Jim."

"What has this Jim been doing?" went on the captain.

"Nothing. He is crazy. Since I saw you, I followed him here, there, everywhere."

"Did he know you were following him?"

"He? No. He is the imbecile."

"Do you think he knows where we are going?"

"No." The dwarf laughed contemptuously. "He knows nothing. They are all of them to hunt for the treasure. He thinks no more of the girl."

"Don't be too sure of that," returned the captain. "I think he is on our trail, but we will give him the slip yet. And we will be rid of her, the day after to-morrow."

"What are you going to do with her?" asked the dwarf.

"Put her ashore at San Matteo. If we don't get rid of her pretty soon he will be bringing the whole pack down on us."

"Him!" muttered the dwarf, "leave Jim to me. But he thinks more of the gold."

"Why didn't you at least get the papers from him?"

"Carambo!" hissed the dwarf. "Why didn't I? I had the bag and those clumsy gringoes were chasing one another in the dark, when the professor, maledictions upon him, came in my way. Who would have looked for him there?"

"And he picked you up and spanked you like a bad little boy," said Broome, maliciously.

"Curses on him!" howled the dwarf. "But I--I, Manuel de Gorgiza," he struck himself on the chest, "will have my revenge on them all. But I fooled them. I swam under the water, and while they waited for me to come up I am under the dock, and I laugh at them all for the fools that they are. They think that I am down at the bottom of the bay, but I will have them yet."

"It is time we were getting under way," said the captain, rising. "You will have to postpone your revenge until we come back."

Going on deck, the captain gave orders to start and in a short time the Sea Eagle was on her course out through the Golden Gate.

"I wonder if they will follow us," mused the captain.

It need only to be recalled that the Sea Eagle on leaving the harbor headed north, and when the captain was satisfied that he was not followed the ship's course was altered.

"The little Mexican was right. Them boys are looking for the gold," the captain decided, rubbing his gorilla-like hands together with satisfaction.

The next day, however, when the Sea Eagle had entered San Matteo Bay and Captain Broome discovered the Storm King, he almost exploded with wrath. But the dwarf, who had been standing on the afterdeck, and with a spy-glass watching the other boat, had seen the boys go on shore. His crafty mind had even then conceived a plan of revenge worthy of the arch fiend himself.

Having devised his scheme, the dwarf went at once to Captain Broome, who was on the forward deck directing the stowing away of the stuff that was being transferred from the lugger to the Sea Eagle.

The captain listened attentively as the Mexican unfolded his plan. When the dwarf had concluded, Broome removed his hat and bowed graciously. His only comment was: "I take off my hat to you."