Chapter XIV: Ben's Plan Stolen

For his part Duval was no less quick in recognizing Ben Stubbs. At the moment, Dr. Perkins and the rest were standing in a group a little apart, and discussing their adventure, while Mr. Sterrett was loud in his praises of the _Sea Eagle_, which he described as the most wonderful craft on earth. Giving a swift look round to see that he was unobserved, Duval pressed a finger to his lips to enjoin silence on Ben, and then beckoned him to come a short distance out of the firelight.

Ben, in wonderment as to this unexpected reappearance of the young man who had exercised such sharp practice on him, obeyed the summons. But when he addressed Duval it was in an angry tone.

"What's this mean," he exclaimed, "how did you come here?"

"As you see, by that air ship," was the reply; "I never expected to see you here, however. I tell you, Stubbs, I've had a lot of hard luck. When those boys and that professor-chap rescued us I had been compelled to ship as a deckhand and cook on that yacht. Just think of it."

"A mighty good thing for you, say I," grunted Ben brusquely, "a little good, honest, hard work will take some of the crooked kinks out of your brain. My recommendation to you, Duval, is to stick to that sort of a job, and in time you'll learn to be a man."

Duval shot a look full of malice at the blunt old fellow. But his face was in the shadow, and Ben did not notice it. Instead he continued:

"But I ain't the one to bear a grudge, Duval, although you did come mighty near shipwrecking my faith in human natur'. Shake hands, mate, and for your old father's sake I'll do what I can fer you. I ain't one to kick a man when he's down."

Duval extended his thin, long-fingered hand, and Ben seized it in his rough paw and shook it with a heartiness that made the dark-skinned Duval flinch.

"There!" exclaimed the old fellow heartily, as he relinquished his grip, "that's all ship-shape and in good trim. Now let's get back to the rest of 'em afore they see us talking apart."

"You're not going to give me away to them?" asked Duval, almost breathlessly. "Sterrett thinks I'm all right, and may give me a better job some time."

"I won't stand in your way, lad," heartily rejoined Ben. "In fact, I'd like to help you get on your feet again."

"How about that plan of the location of the _Belle of New Orleans_?" asked Duval, without paying any attention to Ben's last remarks.

"Safe enough in my pocket, mate," replied Ben, tapping his worn coat; "why do you want to know?"

"I wondered if you had investigated my story."

"No, I haven't yet; but I don't mind telling you that I may do so before very long. And I'll tell you right now, Duval, that if we recover anything valuable from that wreck I'll see to it that you get a good share of it, and then you can set up in business again and make a new start."

Duval expressed what appeared to be very deep thanks for Ben's generosity. But, in reality, his thoughts were busy elsewhere. An idea had come into his head that was to bear strange fruit before very long. They joined the group clustered about Dr. Perkins without their absence having been noticed. Billy and Pudge had seen to it while the _Sea Eagle_ was on her mission of rescue that a good hot lunch should be ready on the return of the expedition. A few moments after Ben and Duval joined the others Pudge announced this fact, and the party trooped into the hut, nothing loath, to fall to with hearty appetites on a good meal. Soon after they "turned in," the boys insisting on the strangers taking their bunks, while they and Ben Stubbs put up with "shake-downs" on the floor.

It was very late--or rather early morning--when they retired, and before long all were wrapped in the deep sleep of exhaustion. Ben was the first to awaken, to find the sun streaming into the hut.

"Great guns!" he exclaimed, glancing at Billy's alarm clock on a shelf, "it's after seven."

Broad awake in a jiffy, he aroused the others, going from the floor sleepers to the bunks. Dr. Perkins, Mr. Sterrett and the latter's friend were awakened in turn, and it was not till then that Ben noticed that Duval's bunk was empty.

"Good fer him," he said to himself warmly, "the young chap has started to turn over a new leaf by gittin' out early. I'll take a turn outside afore breakfast and see if I can find him."

But Duval was not about the workshop, nor did Ben's calls summon him to breakfast. It was not till that instant that an ugly suspicion flashed into Ben's hitherto unsuspecting mind. Without saying a word to the others he hastily drew out his wallet and, withdrawing to a corner of the hut, examined its contents. Instantly his suspicions were verified.

The plan of the location of the wreck of the _Belle of New Orleans_ was missing!

Stifling his anger as well as he could, Ben hastened to the beach. As he had suspected the moment he found the plan missing, the small skiff was gone. What had happened was as plain as print to Ben now. Young Duval had waited till all in the hut were asleep, then he had stealthily crept from his bunk, recovered the plan he had given to Ben, and had decamped in the small boat.

"Waal, the dern scallywag!" burst out Ben, as he stood on the beach in the first shock of his discovery.

In his anger he shook his fist at the strip of sea between the island and the mainland to which, he did not doubt, Duval had crossed in his flight.

"The--the--precious scamp!" he continued, his bronzed features working, "and I trusted him as I would have trusted his dad."

Shaking his head, Ben slowly made his way from the beach back to the hut. He said nothing of his discovery during breakfast, but after the meal he found a pretext for drawing Dr. Perkins to one side. To him he communicated what had occurred.

"A good riddance of bad rubbish," said Dr. Perkins when Ben, whose voice shook with anger, had concluded his story; "we are cheaply rid of him, Ben."

The inventor, while not a selfish man, was so wrapped up in the success of the _Sea Eagle_ that, to him, the loss of the plan of the wreck did not appeal in the same way that it did to Ben Stubbs. But the old adventurer took him up indignantly.

"Bad rubbish, as you say, sir," he grated out, "but if that paper hadn't bin worth something Duval wouldn't have taken it. It's good-by to recovering that stuff from the _Belle of New Orleans_ now."

"By Jove! I'd quite forgotten my promise to you," said Dr. Perkins contritely; "but never fear, Ben, I'll see that you are not a loser."

"It ain't that," rejoined Ben; "I don't give a snap for the plan; but it's the ingratitood of that young whippersnapper that's got me sore. I'd like--I'd like to find that wreck just to get ahead of him."

"Humph!" rejoined the inventor, "I understand your feelings. He has certainly treated you very badly. But possibly we can think up some way to outgeneral him."

"Don't see how we are goin' to do it without that plan," rejoined Ben; "but I ain't one to cry over spilt milk. It's gone, and that's all there is to it. The best thing to do is to forget it."

Frank and Harry, on their way to the _Sea Eagle's_ shelter, were passing at the moment. After asking the inventor if he thought it would be advisable, and receiving an affirmative reply, Ben called them over. As briefly as he could he told them what had happened.

"Well, the precious rascal!" broke out Frank; "I thought there was something snaky-looking about the chap last night. Isn't there a chance of catching him?"

"Not such a slick rascal as he is, Frank," rejoined Ben despondently; "no, the plan is gone, and gone for good--so good-by to that."

But Harry now spoke up, and to the astonishment of the others his voice did not hold a trace of the disappointment they could not help but feel.

"Cheer up, Ben," he said heartily, "and by the way you might just cast your eye over this and see if it looks familiar."

As he spoke he dipped a hand into his breast pocket and produced a folded paper. Ben, with a mystified expression, took it and opened the thing up. The next instant it almost fell from his hands.

"Why!--why, by the glittering Pole Star!" he choked out, "it's the plan itself!"

"Not exactly," laughed Harry, "but I think it's a pretty good copy. You see I always liked drawing and that sort of thing, so when you showed me that plan I memorized it, and when I got a chance I sketched out this copy in case anything happened to the original. I think it's good enough to take a chance on."

"Good enough!" roared Ben, "why, lad, it's the plan itself. Now, then, if we don't beat Master Duval to the _Belle of New Orleans_ call me a double-decked, lee-scuppered sea cook!"