Part 20 (1/2)
”General Yozarro and his officers have returned!” called Martella; ”the firemen are cramming the furnace with wood; they mean to pursue us!”
Jack Starland and his sister looked behind them. The Atlamalcan had spoken the truth. The time seemed much too short for the party to have made the journey to the Castle and back. In fact, it was impossible for them to have done so, but there could be no doubt that they were all on the tugboat. The explanation instantly flashed upon Martella.
”Captain Navarro suspected the truth some time after we left and hurried to take us to the Castle again. Some news may have reached him, or his own sense told him of my trick. He met the General on the way.”
Such undoubtedly was the fact. Had our friends suspected aught of that nature, they would not have frittered away the precious minutes as they had done.
Meanwhile, the resinous wood flung into the furnace of the tugboat was doing its work. From the single smokestack poured the murky vapor, sprinkled with crimson sparks which were tossed right and left high in air, to drop hissing into the water. In the moonlight, a snowy winrow at the bow showed that the tug was plowing ahead with fast increasing speed. Capable of making a dozen miles an hour, she was already doing her best, and coming up with the sailboat hand over hand.
Only a few minutes were given the fugitives in which to decide what to do. A straight away race was hopeless, for the pursuer, now no more than an eighth of a mile distant, was sure to overhaul them in a very brief time.
”I am inclined to let General Yozarro come up with us,” said the Major; ”I have no fear of his molesting me or Miss Starland, and I am rather curious to hear what he has to say for himself. We are in our own boat, or at least not in his, and we have committed no crime against the Atlamalcan Republic, whatever that name means.”
”You must not think for an instant of such a thing,” said his sister with great earnestness.
”Why not? Do you hold him in fear?”
”No; but he will take vengeance upon Martella, who has served us so faithfully.”
”Great heavens! I never thought of that; and he will be as merciless with Captain Guzman for having helped Martella.”
”And with _you_ for crossing his path.”
”With me! I long for a meeting with him; but, Captain,” added the American, raising his voice; ”it will not do for you and Martella to be on board when General Yozarro overtakes us.”
”I think you are right,” replied the Captain; ”the General and I have never loved each other, and even General Bambos would not object strongly if it is proposed to shoot me for aiding an Atlamalcan to desert from his navy.”
Martella said nothing, but no one understood the situation better than he.
”I will head the boat for the southern sh.o.r.e, where you two can look out for yourselves.”
”I am afraid you will not have the time to reach it.”
”It _must_ be done!”
The American had pushed the tiller sharply round, and the boat was speeding diagonally for the bank. The change of course gave her a fairer wind, but the tug was coming up so fast that it looked as if she must head off the fugitives. Full steam had been put on, and our affrighted friends, when they looked back, saw the tumbling foam at the bow, the spreading wake streaming fanlike to the rear, and the dark figures crowding forward, amid whom it was easy to believe they discerned the form of General Yozarro cursing the engineer for not attaining better speed.
”If we cannot make it,” said Martella to the Captain, ”we must jump over and swim.”
”We cannot swim any faster than we are going now, and the water abounds with enemies.”
”None is so treacherous as Yozarro; I at least will try it; I can let myself over softly and make so long a dive that perhaps he will not notice me.”
”Wait a few minutes, Martella, for I do not like your plan.”
The brief interval decided the question. It seemed that the sailboat might touch land before the pursuer could interpose to head them off.
Martella decided to take his chances with the others.
The tug was now so near that Yozarro called: