“He’s going to lure them where he can—do—what he plans—” He did not make the plan clear but the chums felt that it was a very serious danger into which their countrymen, pursuing their duty, were being led.
“We’ll run up along them islands,” Tew went on, “to the mouth o’ the Shark River. O’ course it ain’t rightly the mouth o’ the river, out there in them islands—it’s just a channel through ’em opposite the Shark—that’s about fifteen miles back, at the mainland edge.”
“What good will that do?” Nicky inquired earnestly.
“Well, we’ll have the Senorita well in the mouth o’ the river, come dawn! Then we lands, see? Then we waits. O’ course they’ll run up along the islands and if they miss us, well an’ good—but if they turn and come into the inner channel and spot us, they’ll put a crew onto the deserted Senorita, and keep some on their cutter—and then—we’ll spring a little surprise!”
There was little sleep for the excited chums during that night. It was quiet enough, and uneventful; but they were so excited and “worked up” that they could not stop discussing the situation long enough to fall asleep.
They made good progress and when the sound of running feet and low orders came, they all rose from their bunks and ran on deck.
“You’re sure you know the channel?” Tew was asking, as they came up to him and Captain Ortiga.
“Yes,” replied the latter, shortly. “You stand by to pass the word quickly to the man at the wheel.”
The first faint dawn light was visible in the East. Ahead were dim blotches on the water; to the right lay many other gloomy shapes. There seemed to be a wider space off the bow at one point. The order was given, the vessel swung her course toward the break and, still at good speed, bore on.
The dim islets closed in on each side.