“He got here pretty quickly after the robbery,” Case suggested. “Ask him if he knows that Clay was drugged and robbed,” he added.
Frank talked with the merchant again, and he answered that he had heard something about it, but thought it all a Yankee trick. During this conversation Clay had not opened his mouth to speak. He stood leaning against the cabin door frame, his hands in his pockets, his eyes on the deck. Now he turned and entered the cabin, closing the door behind him. Case followed him with his eyes until the door closed, then spoke to Alex.
“Go in there and see what he’s up to,” he said. “He is taking this too hard. Tell him we don’t blame him a bit—that it would have been the same if either one of us had had the money. Tell him to buck up!”
Alex rushed into the cabin and Case gave his attention to the Spanish merchant, who was now gesticulating and calling to three men who were putting off in a row-boat.
“He means to have the Rambler,” Frank said, dejectedly. “Those men are officers. Once they get their feet on this deck it will be impossible to continue on our way.”
Jule heard and turned toward the motors. In a moment sharp explosions which denoted full speed were heard, and the boat began backing out into the river. The men in the row-boat shouted and waved weapons in the air, but did not fire. The Spanish merchant fairly danced up and down in frantic rage, declaring that the boys would all go to jail for what they were doing.
Seeing that these threats and demonstrations made no difference in the speed of the boat, he leaped toward Jule, who stood by the open hatchway over the motors. While the deck was kept closed over the machinery on ordinary occasions, it was so arranged that a square of the deck lifted like a patch above the motors whenever special attention was being given to them.
The Spaniard was almost to the boy when Case tripped him and he fell headlong to the deck. Captain Joe stood watching him for a moment, showing his teeth, and then lay down within a foot of the fellow’s face, his lips snarling, his jaws working.
“If you try to get up we can’t restrain the dog,” Case said, gravely, “so if you think anything of your hide you’d better remain where you are.”
The row-boat followed the Rambler out into the river for a short distance and then turned back. As she did so the smoke of a steamer lifted to the east.