“You will not be hurt, Pedro!” whispered the girl; “don’t make a noise—please.”
She followed this with some soft words in Spanish. But Pedro, loyal though he undoubtedly was to the girl, continued to struggle. Bob and Speake, however, managed to get him bound and gagged.
“This is only the beginning, Bob Steele,” breathed Ysabel, her cheeks flushed with excitement and her eyes bright as stars. “Here is Pedro’s revolver—take it.”
Bob took the weapon and thrust it in his pocket.
“We can’t use firearms,” he whispered, “for they make too much noise. Our hope lies in capturing our enemies one at a time, then cutting the cables and dropping down the river. If possible, we must do this before Fingal gets back.”
“Where did Dick go?” asked the girl.
“To release Gaines and Clackett. The torpedo-room door is fastened by a bolt on the outside, so he’ll have no trouble in getting them out. We’ll wait till they come before making our next move.”
Bob had hardly finished speaking before Dick came in through the forward door of the room. Clackett followed him—but Gaines was not along.
Bob lifted a warning finger as Dick was about to speak, pointed upward toward the deck and then motioned for Dick and Clackett to come closer.