Up the Forked River; Or, Adventures in South America Part 31

"No greater than he will secure in her; but what is to become of them?"

"Of whom?"

"Their boat is so injured that they are helpless."

"No doubt General Yozarro will be able to float another loan big enough to provide his navy with a new screw; until then, he may limp along as best he can."

At this moment, Mate Horton came forward with the same question.

"We might tow them down to Zalapata, even with General Bambos on board, but I am not impressed that it is my duty. Let them drift with the current and they will b.u.mp up somewhere. It is well that they should have a few hours for meditation. Besides, they have the tender and catboat and can send ash.o.r.e for help, if they need it. No; I shall have nothing more to do with the gang; they must look out for themselves."

Captain Winton emitted a resounding blast from the whistle, to which the tug responded, and steamed down the river. His intention was to maintain a moderate speed, pa.s.sing Zalapata without stop, and to make the first halt at San Luis, which ought to be reached some time during the night.

The Captain did not forget one important fact. While he had been fortunate in ascending the forked river, he had the slightest possible knowledge of it. The utmost circ.u.mspection was necessary on his part.

The stream was broad and deep, but it had its snags, its "sawyers"

like the Mississippi, and its dangerous shoals and shallow places. An experienced pilot can generally locate such spots by the crinkling circles at the surface, but there was a certain risk which would baffle even Captain Ortega. Below San Luis, the river so broadened and deepened, and was so comparatively free from obstructions that practically all peril would be left behind.

Captain Winton strove unremittingly to keep the channel, though that was not always possible. His good fortune in coming up the stream gave him confidence of making the down trip in safety. Fifteen minutes after expressing this belief to Major Starland, the bow of the yacht suddenly rose several feet, there was a quick slackening of speed and the boat settled to rest. No one needed to be told what it meant: the _Warrenia_ had run upon a mud bank and was fast.

"Captain Ortega's performance over again!" said Major Starland, "with the exception that he did it on purpose and I don't think you did."

"I am somewhat of the same opinion myself," growled the Captain, "but here we must stay for several hours at the least."

An instant investigation showed that the yacht had suffered no injury.

She was staunchly built, and the impact was like that of a solid body against yielding cotton. Had the mud been rock or compact earth the result must have been disastrous.

The screw was kept viciously going, but it could not drag the boat off. Then the crew toiled for an hour shifting what was movable to the stern, but without result. Next, an anchor was carried a hundred feet up stream and imbedded in the oozy bed of the river, while st.u.r.dy arms on board tugged at the connecting hawser by means of a windla.s.s, with the screw desperately helping, but the hull would not yield an inch.

Finally the efforts were given up. Nothing remained but to wait till the rising tide should lift the mountainous burden and swing it free.

When the accident occurred, the tug had been left far out of sight in the winding stream, but about the middle of the afternoon it slowly drifted into view around a sweeping bend. The fact of its coming sideways showed that it was swayed wholly by the current.

"That is curious," remarked the puzzled Major to Mate Horton; "why don't they anchor, or pole to land, or tow the tug ash.o.r.e with the smaller boats? There is no need of letting the vessel become a derelict simply because she has lost her screw."

The interest of those on the yacht naturally centred in the gradually approaching craft, which was closely scanned through the various gla.s.ses. Miss Starland stood beside her brother, her instrument leveled, while he used only his unaided eyes. After a time he remarked:

"That boat seems to be moving slowly."

"It isn't moving at all."

She handed the binocular to him, and a moment after pointing it, he exclaimed:

"You are right; it looks as if they did not care for a closer acquaintance."

Mate Horton joined them. He had noticed the same thing.

"What do you make of it, Major?"

He glanced at Miss Starland and then at his friend without speaking.

She caught the by-play.

"Don't be afraid to speak before me; you do not seem to have noticed something else about the boat yonder."

"What is that?"

"It has a good many more men on board than when we parted company with it."

CHAPTER XL.

Major Jack Starland flashed up the gla.s.s and studied the other craft.

"By Jove! you are right; where do you suppose they came from, d.i.c.k?"

"The General must have established communication with his friends soon after we left him; he certainly has a strong crew."

"That means he intends to attack us; it looks as if there is to be a naval battle between an American yacht and the navy of the Atlamalcan Republic."

It was Miss Starland who said this without a trace of excitement, and as if the impending struggle was of only pa.s.sing interest.

"She is right," observed the mate; "it is hard to tell which has the advantage with one crippled and the other hard aground."

"They will wait till night and then come at us in their small boats.

As nearly as I can make out, they have all of twenty men on board.

What is your opinion, Miss Starland?"

She pointed the gla.s.s again for several minutes before replying:

"There are nearer forty, for it is certain that some are keeping out of sight. I suppose they are well armed, and it seems to me we are in a bad situation."

"There's no denying it," remarked her brother with a grave face; "they will wait till night and then dash upon us from several sides at the same time; the hour or two before the moon rises will be their opportunity."

"But why," was the natural feminine inquiry, "does General Yozarro molest us? He has always claimed to be your friend, and, until today, has treated us both with courtesy. What pretext can he offer for his course?"

"While there is little in his excuse, it will doubtless be that the owner of this yacht captured his flimsy tug which he persists in calling a gunboat, or rather that I stole it, for which offence he means to punish me."

"Will he not in the end have to reckon with our government?"

"Yes, but he must first reckon with _us_; the affair is a ridiculous one in which to involve the United States, and I shall not feel proud of my part, if forced to make the appeal; but General Yozarro will find it is no child's play in which he engages when he attacks us. We have not a very full supply of small arms on board, but we shall make things lively for him."

When night closed in, the relative position of the two craft was unchanged. Every possible preparation was made on the yacht, for there could be no doubt of the hostile intentions of the Atlamalcans. A small boat was seen to leave its side and pa.s.s to the southern sh.o.r.e.

Followed through the gla.s.ses, it disclosed two seamen swaying the oars, but when it returned after a brief absence, it held six pa.s.sengers. The crew of the crippled tug was fast growing and General Yozarro had certainly made good use of his time.

The twelve-pounder of the _Warrenia_ was loaded to the muzzle. Six rifles were distributed among the men, several of whom had revolvers and all knives. Lookouts were placed at all points. The conviction was that during the brief period of gloom before the rising of the moon, two or three or possibly more small boats, crowded with armed men, would dash simultaneously upon the grounded craft and strive desperately to board her.

The sanguinary fight that impended, with the certain loss of life on both sides, could be averted by a surrender, which calm judgment would have justified under the peculiar circ.u.mstances, but it was not strange that even Miss Starland and Aunt Cynthia hinted nothing of that nature. As for the officers and crew, they eagerly awaited the conflict with a band whom they despised. Although greatly outnumbered, not one doubted their ability to repel the attempt to board. There was only one condition that they would have changed; that was the presence of the ladies. They could be safeguarded during the fight, but it would have been better had they been far away. Such absence, however, was impossible and no one referred to it.