“Not a word above your breath for your life,” whispered the latter, whose face was as white as a sheet, and as he said it, he put something into Frank’s hand. It was one of Uncle Dick’s revolvers. “It is loaded and all ready for use,” whispered Archie. “I have done the worst part of the work. The men are on deck and waiting, and all you have to do is to tell them what your wishes are. I’m a little boy, am I, and you’re responsible for me, are you? You wish I was ashore where I belong, don’t you? We’ll have the schooner in five minutes more. Come out here, and I’ll show you why I wanted the tarpaulin left over the skylights.”
All this was Greek to Frank, who, not yet fairly awake, sat up in his bunk staring blankly, first at his cousin, and then at the revolver he held in his hand; but when Archie laid hold of his arm, he sprang lightly upon the floor and stepped out into the cabin.
CHAPTER X.
ARCHIE PROVES HIMSELF A HERO.
“Look there,” whispered Archie. “Could any little boy do that?”
Frank looked, and was greatly astonished at what he saw. There lay Waters, fast asleep on his mattress in front of the cabin door, but he was a prisoner, his hands and feet being securely ironed. Frank could scarcely believe that his eyes were not deceiving him.
“That’s why I didn’t want the tarpaulin taken off the skylights,” continued Archie. “Bob could have looked right down into the cabin and seen everything I did. I slipped down here and put the irons on him and never woke him up. It was the hardest piece of work I ever did, too,” he added, drawing his hand across his forehead, on which the perspiration stood in great beads.
Frank could well believe it. His cousin’s face bore unmistakable evidence that the ordeal through which he had passed had been a most trying one. What if the first touch of the cold irons had aroused the giant from his slumbers! Archie probably never would have lived to tell what he had attempted to do. He had more nerve than his cousin had ever given him credit for.
“I am glad it is done,” continued Archie. “I don’t know whether I could do it again or not. I’m afraid I couldn’t. I took his tools, too,” he went on, drawing a huge revolver from each of the outside pockets of his coat. “I’ll give you one and keep the other. The next thing is to make sure of our friend Bob, and then we’ll pay our respects to the other fellow on deck. He said he was tired, so I made him up a good bed and told him to go to sleep on it.”
By this time Frank had fully recovered from his amazement and was prepared to act. He saw the necessity of promptly completing the good work so well begun. Without saying a word he opened the door, stepped over the slumbering giant, and led the way to the quarter-deck. At the head of the ladder he encountered the ticket-of-leave man.
“What have you been doing?” demanded the latter, addressing himself to Archie. “I was just coming down after you. The next time you go down there I want to know it, so that I can go with you, do you hear? I don’t like the way you have been skipping about the vessel to-night, and I won’t have any more of it.”