THE CAPTURE OF THE CAP HOORN
"SHEER off!" shouted Captain Cain, leaning over the bridge-rails and directing the full blast of his powerful voice upon the still unknown craft alongside. "Stand clear; we're going full ahead in half a shake."
"Hang on a minute, Cap'n!" replied Broadmayne. "There are only two of us—survivors of the yacht Ibex, burnt late last night. If you won't take us on board you might give us some grub and water. We're famished and horribly cold, you know."
Captain Cain made a brief mental review of the situation, as far as he knew of the facts. He was not a soft-hearted man—far from it. There would be very little risk to the occupants of the boat if they remained adrift for a few hours longer. They were bound to be picked up by some of the up- and down-Channel traffic. He could provide them with a few provisions and then go ahead.
On the other hand, he was quite in the dark as to what the two men in the boat had seen or heard. It was much too early for the Alerte to reveal her true character, that of a submarine pirate craft. And it was very disconcerting when he, the captain, was congratulating himself that, the Alerte had been armed and had gone through additional diving tests under cover of darkness, to find a boat lying alongside with two persons in her who might be remarkably cute in spotting anything out of the ordinary at sea.
The simplest solution was to drop a pig of ballast through the bottom of the boat and leave the two men to their fate. They couldn't keep afloat very long in the open Channel in November. On their own admission, they were cold and famished. They'd sink within five minutes.
But the suggestion was dismissed as quickly as it had been formed. Captain Cain was strongly opposed to taking life wantonly, whether it be man or beast. If occasion arose with sufficient justification for his point of view, the pirate captain would shoot down any one in cold blood or otherwise. Again, he had pledged himself to his crew, and for the present it was policy to abide by his plighted word, that he was against performing any violent act against the crews of British ships, and were not these two men British survivors of a disaster?
And, judging by the tone of the man who had spoken, one of the survivors was some one of good, possibly high birth. In any case, the pair might prove useful additional hands to the Alerte's complement. If they wouldn't, well he'd make them. There was also the chance that the distressed mariners might be people of social standing and wealth. Then there would be a good opportunity to demand ransom. Coming on top of the Chamfer incident, Captain Cain decided such a possibility seemed no probability. He would be lucky, indeed, if he could repeat his previous success in that direction.
All this flashed through the ready brain of the pirate captain in a very few seconds. Quickly he made up his mind.
"Come aboard!" he said briefly.