Frontier Boys in the South Seas Part 31

"Who are you talking about?" demanded Berwick.

"The steward."

"I am not quite ready to concede that," said the professor, "but I think there is a traitor aboard somewhere, and there is mischief brewing. It seems to me that the best thing to do is to get Jim and Juarez on board again until we can clear this thing up. Get over, boys, into the boat.

I am going with you."

Tom ran down the ladder into the boat, followed by the professor, and in a moment the boat was speeding for the sh.o.r.e as fast as Tom and Jo could pull it.

"Where are your guns?" asked the professor, when they landed.

"We left them with Jim," replied Jo. "He was to bring them ash.o.r.e and clean them up."

"Jim and Juarez were to be somewhere abouts but I don't see either of them," put in Tom.

"They certainly are not here now," exclaimed the professor, anxiously.

"They can't be far away," said Tom. "Wait until I give them a call.

Ohe-ee! Jim! Juarez! Oho-e-e!" he shouted.

There was no response, however, to their repeated calls.

"It's strange," said the professor. "Look around and see if you can find their trails."

"Here's the guns," cried Jo, a moment later, "hid away in these bushes."

"That's queer," commented the professor, "they must have gone off somewhere, but why?"

"Here's Juarez's trail," announced Tom. "I can see, too, that he went off first and that Jim went afterward."

"Better take your guns along, boys," advised the professor. "There is no telling what we may meet."

Picking up their guns the boys started off on the trail with Tom in the lead. They had not gone very far on the way when Tom stopped and raised his hand.

"There is something or someone coming," he whispered as the others came up with him. "Get behind or into the bushes until we see who it is, or what."

Only a person with ears trained by experience in the woods would have detected the approach of someone as Tom had. There was an occasional snapping of a twig or rustling in the bushes as the coming object moved.

There was an unevenness about the movements that puzzled the boys.

With his rifle c.o.c.ked and ready for instant use, Tom crouched behind the bush ready for quick action if necessary. Then as the figure of someone came into view, moving slowly, and stealthily through the woods, he sprang forward.

"Hallo, Juarez," he called. "Anything the matter? Where have you been?"

"Where is Jim?" asked Juarez.

"Jim?" echoed Tom. "I don't know. Isn't he with you?"

"Then those pirates have got him!" exclaimed Juarez. "I tried to get back to warn him, but I had a fall, and it took me longer than I expected."

"Come. Sit down and tell us about it," said the professor, fixing, meanwhile a place beneath a tree, "while I see what is the matter with you. Where are you hurt?"

"It is my foot," explained Juarez. "I expect I strained it when I fell.

I can hardly walk."

"Hardly!" exclaimed the professor when he examined Juarez's foot. "It's a wonder you walked at all. You have a dislocation. And your head, too?"

"Never mind that," cried Juarez. "Never mind anything. We want to get after the pirates."

"All in good time, Juarez," replied the professor. "The first thing to do is to get you into shape again, for we shall need your help. Here, Tom, you get a hold of this leg. Hold it steady, now, ready." With a little click the bone slipped back into place when the professor gave a pull and a little twist to the foot, but although Juarez's face went white, he did not utter a sound.

"Now," commanded the professor, "see if you can get some cold water, Jo, and Tom, you find something for a bandage. You'll find some sail cloth among the stuff we brought in the boat."

Tom was off in a second to return presently with a strip of cloth as Jo came up with his cap full of water. Tearing the material into strips and dipping them into the water, the professor soon had both Juarez's head and foot bandaged in a way that gave him comparative relief.

"Now," said the professor, "tell us about Jim."

Whereupon Juarez told briefly of his journey that afternoon, and how, when trying to observe the approach of some strangers, he had fallen, and then he repeated the conversation he had overheard, and told how he had tried to get back to the sh.o.r.e in time to warn Jim of the impending danger. All listened intently and Tom could not avoid an occasional interruption to express his opinion of the steward.

"The villain!" cried Tom between his teeth, in a tone that boded ill for the man.

"You were evidently right," the professor reluctantly admitted, "the man is a traitor."

"I hope we catch him," cried Jo.

"Come on, now," says Tom, starting up.

"Where are you going?" asked the professor.

"To help Jim. If you will stay with Juarez, Jo and I will follow up his trail," responded Tom.

This seemed feasible and wise and aided by some instructions given by Juarez they were in a measure able to make good progress. They soon came upon a place where there were evidences of a struggle, and here they carefully searched about and called loudly, but got no response.

But one inference was possible, Jim had been overpowered by a superior force and made prisoner; so they reluctantly returned to the professor with this report.

"We can't do anything more to-night," determined the professor. "It is too late. If there are enemies about under cover of darkness they have every advantage. I think our best plan would be to go back to the Storm King and make our plans for to-morrow. With a night's rest, Juarez will be in shape to help us, and we will have Berwick, too."

"But they may kill Jim before morning," objected Tom.

"I don't think there is any danger of that," replied the professor.

"They would not have bothered to take him prisoner if any harm were intended. If we went on now, even if we knew what direction to take, we would only be working in the dark, literally and figuratively. We will have to reconnoitre a little first and plan accordingly."

"I don't know but what you are right," admitted Tom, very reluctantly, "but it doesn't seem the right thing to do to leave Jim that way."

"Festina lenta, Tom," rejoined the professor. "You remember the old proverb, 'Make haste slowly.' We'll do more by not trying to do things too quickly. We will go back and get ready for to-morrow."

"What do you know about this Captain Beauchamp, who is evidently the commander of the Marjorie?" Jo inquired.

"He is a buccaneer, a pirate and a slave to do the bidding of anyone who will pay for his service. Still he has the reputation for dealing fairly and is far more likely to hold Jim as hostage for ransom or other advantage than to do him bodily harm."

"Have you ever had dealings with the captain?"