“Outside, shipmate. He durstn’t stay inside longer, and he sent me to keep a lookout for you. I was giving you up when I clapped my old watchdogs on you. You are ready to go out to the Elizabeth in my boat?”
Jack’s reply was an exclamation of joy and a more fervant grip of the honest old tar’s hand.
“Captain Hillgrove had not deserted me after all!”
Without further trouble or delay the couple made the trip to the waiting vessel, when Jack was greeted by the bluff old skipper:
“Bless my eyes! but I had given you up to old Davy Jones.”
“And I thought you had left me in the lurch,” said Jack frankly, as he cringed under the grip given his hand by the other.
“I did not dare stay in Cobija longer, my hearty. If I had done so nary a bit of your dust would have been left on the Elizabeth. Bless my eyes! but I’m just overflowing and roaring glad--run up the yards lads. Lively, lads! put the old Elizabeth on her wings. We must be a long way from here afore sun-up.”
Exciting scenes followed, of which Jack was a spectator and not an actor. For the present his work was done, and he had time now to ponder upon his ups and downs, hardly able to believe that at last he was really on his homeward journey. He felt far more confident in the care of bluff Captain Hillgrove than in that of the fickle Peruvians.
Nor was his confidence misplaced, for the night passed without anything occurring to interrupt their progress, and when the sun rose the following morning it found them many leagues from land, and bowling merrily on their way.
Captain Hillgrove listened to his account of the fate of poor Plum Plucky with a feeling of sorrow, though he had never met the young American.