The boat came on towards the Water Witch, slower now, and began to run alongside.
“You keeds!” yelled Dago. “Come on now, lay down those bows before you getta hurt! You come on peaceful and we no—break your necks!”
“Guess you’ll have to come and get us, Mr. Dago!” scoffed Stan, loudly.
A loud roar of laughter came from the boat; the other men were amused at Dago’s sputtering and swearing reply. Dago was Nevens’ right hand man, and it amused these lesser henchmen to see him baited by a couple of boys! Dago practically frothed with anger.
“I’ll skin you keeds alive!” roared Dago, and ordered the speedboat alongside the sloop.
Somewhat accustomed now to the glare of the light, Stan and John could make out men back of the searchlight and most visible was big Dago. As the boat swung over, two steel-pointed hunting arrows zipped through the air, carefully regulated by two boys fighting for their lives, so that, allowing for the rolling boats, and the wind, they would find a mark! Dago gave one terrified squawk of amazed agony and leaped backwards right onto the helmsman! With a sputter and then a cascading leap of spray off the bows, the speedboat darted past the stern of the Water Witch!
The boys lost no time getting in two more arrows and from the yells of pain, those stinging barbs must have gone into flesh! A hunting arrow, at that range, is a penetrating projectile and there would be no more pursuit that night from the gray speedboat.
In the cold waters of the bay a fat, swarthy man swam slowly and painfully, bellowing to the stars his opinion of bows and arrows, cold water, fools of helmsmen, and the two boys in particular. The wounded helmsman, for he had received the second brace of arrows as well as one of Dago’s big feet in the face, lay helpless and moaning in the boat while the others attempted to find Dago who had fallen overboard. They circled slowly, using the light, for a full half hour, before locating the center of the volley of exploding oaths and yells, then pulled the wet and wounded Dago into the rear compartment of the boat.
“Head for Porpoise Island,” ordered Dago. “We need an army and navy to getta those keeds!”
Humming, the boat made her way back to Porpoise Island and into the channel and the cove to find the other gray boat also back at the boat-house. A nervous group of men, to the number of twenty or more, filed into Mr. Nevens’ den a little later. These men, with the exception of Dago and a very few others, were usually hidden away in the side-passages of the underground part of the cabin during the daytime, to emerge at night to do the bidding of their chief. Naturally, Mr. Nevens had avoided these alleys when showing his young guests about during the daytime. Now he sat in his chair, feet on desk, smoking a black cigar. He was not pleased.