Dutch the Diver Part 24

"But he is two thousand miles away."

"Possibly, but his influence is with us."

"What do you think, then?"

"There's a much finer one still," cried the captain, pointing to an albicore, which kept pace exactly with the schooner, as she careened over to the soft breeze and surged through the sparkling water. "No one."

"Yes, I see him," said Dutch, aloud. "But you think that Laure has emissaries on board?"

"May be yes, may be no. Lend me your gla.s.s, Mr Pugh. Thanks."

"Pray be a little more explicit. What do you think, then?"

"I hope they will strike a few of these fellows," said the captain, returning the gla.s.s. "I can get on better without it, thank you. Look here, Pugh," he said, in a lower tone, "I am all suspicion, and no certainty. One thing is certain--those treasures have an existence; the Cuban's acts prove that, and he will never let us get the spoil if he can prevent it. The colours of those fish are magnificent," he said, aloud, as the mulatto limped by. "The ladies ought to come and look at them. Every act of that man," he continued, "that I saw, proved him to be a fellow of marvellous resource and ingenuity."

"Yes," said Dutch, nodding, with his eyes to the binocular.

"And unscrupulous to a degree."

Dutch nodded again.

"If the _Wave_ was a steamer, instead of a fast three-masted schooner, it's my impression that we should have gone to the bottom before now."

"How? Why?"

"He would have had a few sham lumps of coal conveyed into the bunkers-- hollow pieces of cast iron, full of powder or dynamite; one or two would have been thrown into the furnace in firing, and the poor vessel would have had a hole blown in her, and gone to the bottom before we knew what was the matter."

"Diabolical!" exclaimed Dutch, below his breath.

"Oh, here is the grains," said the captain, as Oak.u.m came along with an implement something like an eel spear, or the trident Neptune is represented as carrying, except that in this case, instead of three, it was furnished with five sharp barbed teeth, and a thin, strong cord was attached to the middle of the shaft. "Would you like to try?" he continued, turning to Tonio, who stood close at hand.

"Yes, I'll try," said the mulatto, in a guttural voice.

"Let him have the grains, Oak.u.m," said the captain, to the great disappointment of several of the men. "These fellows are, some of them, very clever this way."

The mulatto eagerly took the spear, fastened the cord around his wrist, and, followed by several of the men, went forward to the bowsprit, climbed out, and, descending, stood bare-footed on one of the stays, bending down with the weapon poised ready to dart it at the first likely fish that came within range.

"I am all impatient to hear more," said Dutch, still watching the fish that played about in the blue water.

"And I am all impatient to find out more," said the captain; "but we must be patient."

"Then you know nothing?"

"Nothing whatever. I only feel sure that the Cuban is at work, trying to checkmate us; and, of course, I suspect. Now, I want your help."

"Of course," replied Dutch, both speaking more freely, for the attention of all was taken up now with the scene being enacted in the bows of the swift craft. "I feel sure that you must be right; but I have had so much to think of that these things did not trouble me. He must have started, and will get there before us."

"I don't think that possible," said the captain, "but I have thought so."

"But suppose that he has some of his men on board, scoundrels in his own pay."

"That is far more likely," said the captain; "and that is why I am so careful."

"Of course, that must be it," exclaimed Dutch. "The villain! He bribed your crew to desert, and has supplied others--his own miscreants."

"That is one thing I suspect."

"That last party there--the mulatto and the black."

"That is the most natural supposition at the first blush; but the men are all strangers, and for this very reason I am half disposed to think it was the first lot. One is so disposed to judge wrongly."

"You are right," said Dutch, thoughtfully, "and we have no common plotter to deal with. You remember the man who wanted to hide an important letter from the French spies?"

"No," said the captain, watching him intently. "What did he do?"

"He placed the letter somewhere so as they should not find it, knowing full well that they would come and ransack his chambers as soon as his back was turned."

"Well," said the captain, impatiently.

"Well, the spies of the police came; and in his absence searched the place in every direction, even trying the legs of the chairs and tables to see if the doc.u.ment was rolled up and plugged in one of them; but they gave up in despair, finding nothing."

"Where was it hidden, then," said the captain.

"It was not hidden at all," said Dutch, smiling. "The owner came back at last, after having been waylaid and searched, even to the linings of his clothes; and then, feeling secure, took the letter from where he had placed it, the French police feeling that it must be in other hands."

"But where was it?" said the captain again.

"Why, where he left it: in a common envelope, plain for everybody to see, just stuck half behind the looking-gla.s.s over the mantel-piece, and had probably been in the searchers' hands half-a-dozen times."

"That is just the trick that the Cuban will try with us," exclaimed the captain.

"I think so," said Dutch; "otherwise one might look upon that mulatto as a suspicious character."

"Yes, of course," replied the captain. "I was ready to pitch upon him at first, but I changed my mind, and am more disposed to suspect those two quiet English fellows, Lennie and Rolls, the men Oak.u.m was talking to some time back."

"I know," said Dutch. "One of them is a dark fellow, with an outrageous cast in his eye."

"In both his eyes, you mean," said the captain. "That is Rolls. The other fellow seems as thick-headed and stupid as an ox. He has a perpetual grin on his face, and looks simplicity itself."

"I know the men," said Dutch. "But now what do you propose to do?"

"Nothing but wait. I had thought of putting the others on their guard; but by doing so I might defeat my own ends. Perhaps, after all, I am wrong, and we shall never hear more of Master Laure, except, if we are successful, he may attack you by law for a share."

"But you could take precautions," exclaimed Dutch, who again glanced involuntarily at his wife, who sat there watching him in a sad appealing way that went to his heart.

"Every precaution with respect to the arms, which I always keep under lock and key. And now, what I want you to do is to keep about at all times, night or day, as the chance may serve, picking up such facts as you come across, and communicating them to me; while, for my part, I shall keep every possible st.i.tch of canvas set, and reach the place as soon as I can."

"For it may turn out a false alarm," said Dutch.