“That’s right,” Cliff agreed. “This time she won’t give up until she captures—or sinks us!”
“It’s a risk, I know,” Nicky admitted. “She won’t know we are on board and she will have a right to sink these fellows. But it would be one way to help to capture——”
Tom spoke practically.
“What good will it do us to have this boat sunk?” he asked. “In this rough water we wouldn’t have a chance to be picked up, maybe.”
“I guess it is too dangerous,” Nicky admitted.
“Better wait,” Cliff suggested. “We will get our chance. The right must win or there wouldn’t be any justice in the world!”
They watched eagerly for any sign of the cutter but Captain Ortiga stood well out from land before he swung west. The chums saw that the chances for the cutter to discover them were remote and went back into the cabin where they were assigned to berths.
But if the weather had seemed to aid the wrong side, there was another card to be played and it came as a surprise.
Instead of lying-to, close to land, the cutter had stood out to the deeper channels also!
There came a warning call from the man on watch on top of the cabin, echoed by the one at the bows. “Hard a-port!” was the call, “something ahead!”