Bernardo, seeing that he was completely beaten, called to his men to follow him. He turned and shook his fist at his pursuers, but he had no more shots left in either his rifle or revolver, nor did any of his men.
“We’ll get him!” panted Frank. “We’ll get him and make him prove Uncle Phil’s innocence!”
The chase grew hotter. It was along the water front, and out among the small piers.
CHAPTER XXIII—OVERBOARD
“Come on now, we have them!” cried Frank.
“Surrender there! Give up! Stop!” shouted Ned. “Halt, Senor Bernardo!”
But the Portuguese revolutionist and his rebel rascals kept on. Frank brought his rifle to his shoulder and exclaimed:
“Halt, or I’ll fire!”
Whether he actually would or not, he never stopped to consider. Shooting at a man in the open that way, when the heat of battle has passed, is a hard matter. Frank could not decide what to do. But the aimed gun had no effect, and a second later, with shouts of exultation, Bernardo and his men leaped from a small pier into a power boat, which was cast off and set in motion at once.
“They’ve beaten us!” gasped Ned. “They’ve gotten away!”