“What sort of a place is it?” inquired Mr. Jukes.
“Not much of a town,” was the reply. “It is at the mouth of a river that penetrates a wild country. If ‘Bully’ Broom wished to hide his captives, he could not have taken them to a better place.”
“Sparhawk,” and the millionaire’s voice was vibrant with determination, “how long will it take us to get there?”
“I should say not more than a week. But we should have to re-coal at Tahiti if we are to make the run at top speed. How about that, Raynor?”
“You’re right, captain,” said the young engineer. “I’ll guarantee to run the Sea Gypsy’s engines faster than they were ever run before, but I’ve got to have the coal to do it with.”
“That steamer is through coaling us now?” asked the millionaire, after he had made a few calculations on a scrap of paper.
“They emptied the last of their load an hour ago,” said Captain Sparhawk.
“Good,” was Mr. Jukes’ response. “Send the captain to me and I will give him my check. Raynor, how soon can you have steam up?”
“In an hour, sir,” responded the young engineer.
“Splendid; make all the time you can. Every moment is valuable now. Ready——”