Perk at once hurried aft, but just as he laid his hand on the wheel he stopped short, gazed intently over the stern toward the shore, and then quietly made his way forward again. “Now I’ll tell you what’s a fact,” he whispered; “you’d better work that capstan a little livelier, for they’re coming.”
“Who are coming?” asked all the boys at once.
“Well, there’s a yawl close aboard of us, and if you can tell who is in it, you will do more than I can.”
The young sailors looked in the direction Perk pointed, and saw a sailboat swiftly approaching the yacht. To heave the anchor clear of the ground and get under way before she came alongside, was impossible, for she was already within a few rods of the vessel.
“Stand by to keep them off,” said Walter, catching up his carbine. “We don’t want to hurt any of them if we can help it, but bear in mind that they must not, under any circumstances, be allowed to come over the side.”
The boys, with their weapons in their hands, hurried to the rail, and Walter was on the point of hailing the boat, and warning the deserters that any attempt to board the yacht would be stubbornly resisted, when he discovered that she had but one occupant. The others became aware of the fact at the same moment, and Eugene declared that it was none other than Pierre Coulte. “Let him come aboard, fellows,” he added, “and we’ll make him tell where Featherweight went to-day in such a hurry. We may learn something to our advantage.”
Before his companions had time either to consent to, or reject this proposition, the yawl rounded to under the bow of the Banner, and a head appeared above the rail. The boys crouched close to the deck, and in a few seconds more a human figure leaped into view, and after looking all about the yacht, ran toward the capstan. On his way he passed within reach of Walter, who thrust out both his sinewy arms, and wrapping them about the intruder’s legs, prostrated him in an instant. No sooner had he touched the deck than Perk, who was always on the alert, threw himself across the man’s shoulders, and seizing both his hands, held them fast.
The stranger lay for an instant overcome with surprise at this unexpected reception, and then began to show his disapproval by the most frantic struggles; and although he was firmly held, he gave evidence of possessing uncommon strength and determination. But it was not Pierre they had got hold of, as they quickly discovered. There was something about him that reminded them of somebody else. Perk, at least, thought so, for he bent his head nearer to the stranger’s, remarking as he did so:
“Now I’ll tell you what’s a fact—”