“Bah! What can they do against eight of us? If they get too obstreperous, a tap on the head with a marlin-spike will soon quiet them.”
While the two worthies of the schooner were cold-bloodedly discussing their plans to save themselves from the consequences of their cowardly act and at the same time enrich themselves, Nat and Joe, blissfully ignorant of any such proceedings, had hoisted the water keg on board.
This done, they started aft toward the cabin to join the professor and Mr. Tubbs. They found the two companions below, busily packing up their possessions. But at the instant they entered, the professor looked up from his desk, where he was sorting papers, with a troubled expression.
“What is the matter, professor?” inquired Nat politely.
“Somebody has been tampering with my papers!” he exclaimed. “I had them arranged in a peculiar manner. And see, this lock has been forced. Oh, that rascal of a captain! If we were in a civilized port, I’d——”
The professor’s angry tirade was interrupted in a startling manner. The door at the head of the companionway stairs was slammed abruptly to.
Warned by some intuition which he could not have analyzed, Nat bounded to the stairway and strove to reopen the door. But it resisted his stoutest efforts.
“It’s locked!” he managed to gasp, as the truth burst upon him.
“And we have been trapped by those two rascals!” exclaimed the professor.