CHAPTER XXVIII.
BACK TO HILO.
Oliver and I discussed the situation for quarter of an hour. In that time we arranged our plans as far as we were able, although, to be sure, we realized that a single mismove might upset all our calculations.
Returning to Captain Marcale my chum addressed him very sternly.
"Captain Marcale, if you want to save your worthless life you must do exactly as we dictate. If you refuse I will shoot you straight through the head."
"Don't—don't shoot," was the trembling reply, and we soon realized that this Spaniard was about the greatest coward we had ever met.
"Are you willing to do as we want?"
"What do you want?"
"Who is your first mate?"
"Antonio Larvello."
"Very well; you must order Larvello to about ship and sail back to Hilo."
"Go back to Hilo! No, no!"
"I say yes."
"But—but" Captain Marcale grew as pale as a sheet. "I—I cannot do it."
"You want to live, don't you?"
"Yes, but"
"I won't listen to your talk. You played a desperate game, and you have lost. Do you imagine that your life is of any consequence to me? You must order the ship back."
A groan was the only reply now. The Spaniard realized that he had indeed "come to the end of his rope."
"And you must order that English sailor to come below," I put in.
"Why shall I do that?"
"We want to talk to him."
"And my mate is to come down too?"
"Your mate will stay on deck," put in Oliver. "If he makes the least movement to come down here your life will pay for it, remember that. Now keep quiet while we drag you over to the hatchway."
We caught the rascal up and pulled him over the boxes and barrels to a position directly under the hatchway. We had scarcely reached the spot when somebody appeared above—one of the sailors.
"Stop!" I called out. "Are you Larvello, the mate?"
The man shook his head and stared at me. Evidently he did not understand English. However, he made out that something was wanted, and ran off, and soon the mate came up, a short fat chap, who was not more than three-quarters sober.
"Capitan Marcale!" he bawled. "Que necesita V."—asking what the captain wanted.
"Hold up!" called Oliver. "You speak English. We're not going to have any Spanish just now."
"Capitan" began the mate, in astonishment. "What you wanta?" he continued.
"I—I am a prisoner," groaned the captain of the Viscount. "And the Americanos want me to turn the ship back to Hilo."
"To Hilo!"
"Yes; you'll get back to Hilo just as fast as you can," put in Oliver.
The mate stared in greater astonishment than ever. Again he started to speak in Spanish and again we interrupted him.
"The captain says to go back to Hilo," said Oliver. "Isn't that right, Captain Marcale?"
"Ye-as," came with a deep sigh. "If I must I must; but, oh, oh!" and the master of the Viscount looked the picture of misery.
"And you are to send Sam Gumbert here," said I. "Don't delay."
"Who says I am wanted?" spoke up a pleasant voice from above, and a round, jolly face appeared.
"Sam Gumbert, Captain Marcale has ordered the ship to return to Hilo," said Oliver. "We want you to look to it that the mate carries out his orders."
"By the crown, what does it mean?" came in tones of wonderment. "Has the captain changed his mind about you?"
"He has."
"I wish he would change his mind about me," growled Gumbert. "I am sick of this craft already. I was told there were other Englishmen aboard, but there are not."
"We were taken on board against our will. The captain is now going to return to Hilo. When we get back I fancy you will have all the chance you want to leave the ship," said Oliver, with a laugh.
"In that case I'll see that orders are carried out—or tell you," answered the English tar.
We waited anxiously for fifteen minutes after the mate left the hatch opening. During that time the Viscount kept on the course she had been pursuing. Evidently Larvello was consulting with those under him.
"Perhaps he won't mind orders," I suggested.
"If he don't, it will cost Captain Marcale his life," answered Oliver, and winked at me behind the captain's back.
"No, no! He will go back!" whined the master of the Viscount. "He must go back! Hi, Larvello, you wretch; listen to me!" he shouted.
Again the mate appeared, with Sam Gumbert at his side. He wanted to argue, to threaten, but it was all to no purpose. At last he went away, and slowly the course of the Viscount was changed, until she was heading back into Hilo Bay.
We felt that we had gained our point, but the end of the contest was not yet reached. The Spaniards on deck would try to get their captain from us, and if they accomplished this, the jig would be up, so far as our welfare was concerned.
"I think we can trust that Gumbert," I said. "Especially if we promise him his clearance at Hilo and a few dollars besides."
"Yes, I am sure we can trust him. He is evidently mad that he ever got into such a nest of garlic-eaters," answered my chum. "But he can't do much against eight enemies."
"With Gumbert we are three to eight—and we carry the balance of power so long as the captain is our prisoner."
"They may try some desperate game."
"What can they do? They can't starve us to death."
We talked the matter over, and at last called upon Sam Gumbert. The Englishman was more than willing to listen to us, and leaning down into the hold he whispered hoarsely: "I'll get ye out of the scrape—and get myself too. They are a set of villains aboard this craft!"
"Right you are, Gumbert," answered Oliver, and then told him what we would do for him when Hilo was reached in safety. A little later Gumbert went off, to return with some food from the galley and with an old-fashioned pistol which he had had stowed away in his locker.
"Here's a shooting-iron," he whispered. "She's a good one, too, even if she is old. No, don't say for me to keep it. I've got another—one that I cribbed from one of the Dagoes."
"Why you no come on deck?" asked Larvello, as he came up, a few minutes after. "Better up here dan down there."
"We'll stay right where we are," answered Oliver.
"You going to arrest us?"
"Not if you behave yourselves."
"Are you going to have me arrested?" howled Captain Marcale.
"That remains to be seen," I put in.
A long talk ensued, which it would not be worth while to transcribe to these pages. Captain Marcale pleaded to be let go, but we were obdurate. Larvello felt much relieved, since we assured him that we bore him no ill-will, he having had nothing to do with bringing us on board.
It was past nightfall when we ran into the bay and up to the town. Gumbert had supplied us with a lantern. He reported that several of the sailors were in an ugly mood. "I had to show them the pistol to keep them quiet," he added.
When the ship finally came to anchor we decided to go on deck, taking Captain Marcale with us. In the meantime Larvello was ordered to form the sailors in line in the extreme bow of the ship, and to keep them quiet while we went ashore in a small boat which Sam Gumbert prepared for us. Soon we were in the little craft, and a few minutes brought us to the landing.
It was a thoroughly crestfallen rascal that we marched into the police station at Hilo. Our charge was quickly made, and substantiated by Gumbert, and Captain Marcale was locked up pending a trial The harbor officials were notified, and they took charge of the Viscount. It was discovered that the rascals who had aided Captain Marcale in kidnaping us had taken French leave. We never saw or heard of them again.
Our first anxiety, after matters regarding the ship were straightened out, was for Dan, and we immediately organized a party of two policemen and ourselves to go up the Wailuku River on a hunt for our chum. Before we left him, we asked Captain Marcale if he knew what was to be done with Dan, and he said Delverez had had some secret understanding with Lola the Kanaka. It may be mentioned here that long afterward we learned that Delverez and Captain Marcale were distant relatives.