As soon as night had really settled down, Mr. Radley-Todd quit loafing and suddenly became active. He carried his trussed and helpless prisoners, one by one, to the small launch and laid them gently along the bottom. He had already, during the afternoon, waded out to the larger launch of Ganza, bored a large hole in its bottom and then stopped the inrushing water with a plug. He chuckled while doing this, being greatly pleased by what he called his "foxy plan to fool the pirate."
With his prisoners aboard, the boy shoved the Salvador's launch into the water and cautiously paddled it between the rocks and to the side of the big launch, to which he attached it by means of a rope.
"I think I shall gag you boys, as you suggested," he said to the prisoners, who by this time had become sullen and decidedly unfriendly.
"No!" cried Francisco, partly in anger and partly in fear; "it is not necessary. We know what to do."
"Will you promise not to cry out and attract Ramon's attention?"
"We swear it!" they all cried eagerly.
"Then I think I shall gag you. Not because I doubt your word but because I've whittled out three lovely gags and I'm anxious to see how they work."
They began to protest vigorously at such unkind treatment, but Chesty gagged them, by turns, and they were effectually silenced.
"You boys are splendid actors," he told them, admiringly, "and you are performing your parts with great credit to us all. No one would guess this was your plan, would he? Ramon least of all. If we are not captured, you will make an important addition to our party on the yacht. If we are, you will lie gloriously to Ramon and say I sneaked up behind you and sandbagged all three before you saw me. Eh? Never mind answering, for you can't."