Dave Porter on Cave Island Part 26

"The same, Mr. Porter. Then you know him?"

"Indeed I do!" returned Dave. "Why, I sailed with him in the South Seas!"

"Well, he's here."

"We'll have to try to see him before we leave," said Phil. "He was a nice fellow."

At the second shipping office further inquiries were made concerning the sailing of the _Emma Brower_. It was learned that the bark had carried not more than half a cargo for Barbados and eight pa.s.sengers. The names of Merwell, Jasniff, Leeds, or Cross did not appear on the pa.s.senger list.

"Did anybody here see those pa.s.sengers?" asked Dunston Porter.

"I did," returned a young clerk. "I was aboard just before she sailed, and I saw all of them."

"Were there two young fellows, chums?" asked Dave.

"There were, two tall chaps, a bit older than you."

"Did they look like these fellows?" and now our hero brought out the photographs he had used before.

"They certainly did!" cried the clerk. "I remember this fellow distinctly," and he pointed to Jasniff's picture, taken just before that individual had run away from Oak Hall.

"Then they sailed, just as we feared!" returned Dave, and there was something like a groan in his voice.

"Wonder if they took the jewels," murmured Roger.

"Most likely, Roger," answered Dunston Porter.

"But what would they do with them in such an out-of-the-way place as Barbados?"

"I rather imagine their plan is to keep quiet for a while, until this affair blows over. Then they'll either return to the United States, or take a British vessel for England. Barbados is an English possession, you must remember, and a regular line of steamers sail from there to England."

"I wonder if we couldn't charter a steam tug and go after the bark?"

mused Dave.

"It might be done," returned his uncle. "But I doubt if we could catch the bark, or even locate her. She has too much of a start."

"Was the bark going to stop at any ports along the way?" asked Phil.

"She was not," answered the young shipping-clerk.

"Then there is nothing to do but to sail for Barbados after them!" cried Dave.

"Sail after them-that far!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the senator's son.

"Yes, Roger. Of course you haven't got to go, or Phil either. But I think my uncle and I ought to go after 'em. Don't you think so, Uncle Dunston?"

"I don't know-perhaps," was the slow reply. "We had better make a few more inquiries first, Dave."

"Oh, yes, let us find out all we can about Merwell and Jasniff."

They left the shipping office and walked back to the hotel. Here they had a late breakfast and then commenced to make diligent inquiries concerning all the movements of Merwell and Jasniff. They soon learned that the pair had had plenty of money to spend, and that they had bought many things for the trip to Barbados, even taking along an extra supply of the Turkish cigarettes that came in the boxes with bands of blue and gold.

"I think that that proves my clew of the cigarette box is correct," said Dave.

They visited the local p.a.w.nbrokers, and from one of them learned that Merwell had p.a.w.ned two diamonds for two hundred and fifty dollars. The rascal had told the p.a.w.nbroker that the gems were the property of a rich lady who was awaiting a remittance from France.

"Do these diamonds belong to the Carwith collection?" asked Roger.

"That remains to be found out," answered Dunston Porter, and then he told the p.a.w.nbroker to be sure and not let the gems go out of his possession until a further investigation could be made. The man grumbled somewhat, but when Dave's uncle spoke about calling in the officers of the law, he subsided.

"Very well, I'll keep them," he said. "And if anything is wrong, I'll do what the law requires, even if I lose by it."

"Let us visit the _Golden Eagle_ and see Bob Sanders," said Phil, late in the afternoon. "Perhaps he knows something about the _Emma Brower_, and her trip."

The others were willing, and sundown found them aboard the vessel belonging to Phil's father. Hardly had they stepped on deck when a grizzled old tar, with white hair, rushed up to Dave.

"If it ain't Dave Porter!" he burst out. "Yes, sir, Dave, wot I haven't seen in a year o' Sundays! How be you, my boy?" And he caught the youth by both hands.

"Billy Dill!" exclaimed our hero, as his face lit up with pleasure.

"Where in the world did you drop from? I thought you had given up the sea."

Billy Dill, as my old readers will remember, was the tar who aided Dave in locating his Uncle Dunston. As related in "Dave Porter in the South Seas," Billy Dill had traveled with our hero to that portion of the globe, in the _Stormy Petrel_, of which Bob Sanders was, at the time, second mate. On returning home, the old tar had been placed in a sanitarium and then a sailors' home, and Dave had imagined he was still in the latter retreat.

"Couldn't give up the sea, Dave," replied the old sailor. "I tried my best, but it wasn't no use. So I goes to Phil's old man, an' I says, says I, 'Give me a berth an' anything I'm wuth,' an' he says, says he, 'How would ye like to sail with Cap'n Sanders, wot sailed with you to the South Seas?' 'Fust-rate,' says I; an' here I be, an' likes it very much."

"Well, I'm glad to see you looking so well," answered Dave.

"It's the sea air done it, lad. When I was ash.o.r.e I jest knowed I wanted sea air. No more homes ash.o.r.e fer Billy Dill, not much!" And the old tar shook his head with conviction.

A few minutes later, while the old sailor was shaking hands with the others, and asking and answering questions, the captain of the ship came up.

"Very glad indeed to see you again," said Captain Sanders, with a broad smile. He looked closely at the boys. "Grown some since I saw you last."

"And you have advanced, too," answered Dave, with a grin. "Let me congratulate you on becoming a captain, Mr. Sanders."

"It's all through the kindness of Mr. Lawrence and Captain Marshall. If it wasn't for them, I shouldn't be in this berth."

"How is Captain Marshall?" asked our hero. The man mentioned was the commander of the ship in which Dave had sailed to the South Seas.

"First-rate, the last I heard of him. He sailed from San Francisco to Manila ten days ago."

"Captain Sanders, what port are you bound for next?" questioned Phil, after greetings had been exchanged all around and a number of other questions had been asked.

"No port as yet, Phil. I'm waiting for orders."

"Have you any idea where you may go to?"

"Something was said about a cargo for Porto Rico. But nothing was settled. I'll know in a couple of days, I think."