CHAPTER XX The Treasure Reclaimed

JUST then one of the trio stirred at the table and Jay drew back hurriedly lest his presence be noted. At the same time the Brighton lad heard the guard moving on the other side of the ship. It was time to get out of here. And why not? He had seen enough to acquaint him with the fact that whoever these men were aboard this palatial craft, they were pirates bold who had filched from the Dominion some of her gold bullion.

The lad hesitated not a moment, but quickly ran back over the deck to the rope ladder and as deftly lowered over the side. He had come aboard all unsuspected and undetected. Now he would hasten back to the Jules Verne and tell Captain Austin all that he had seen. It would be up to the chief officer of the salvage ship to say what next should be done.

"They must not get away at all hazards," Jay told himself. He hated to go, for his own disposition was to confront these chaps and demand of them by what right they had helped themselves to the gold that reposed here in American waters where only qualified agents could search it out. But that, of course, would have been foolhardy. The only thing to do was to get back to the Jules Verne and report his find.

The trip back was as easily negotiated as the trip over. The distance was short, not more than two hundred yards at most, and the athletic diver found himself still strong and sturdy as he came alongside the Jules Verne. A low soft whistle brought Dick to the rail in a hurry.

"That you, Jay?" came the friendly challenge. To which Jay replied affirmatively, and was quickly drawn aboard by the eager hands of his friends.

"What luck?" asked Captain Austin, who came up on the qui vive.

Jay motioned them all into his stateroom and there, while Dick and Larry rubbed him down and helped him into his clothes, Jay told the whole story as rapidly as he could. Captain Austin, Dick, Larry and Jay—these composed the group—with the addition of Fismes, who was snoring in one corner. Wide-eyed, they sat hearing the whole narrative. Patiently they heard him through.

"Did you recognize any of them at all?" asked Captain Austin.

"No, not one, except that one looked familiar," replied Jay. And then, in explicit detail, he told of him who seemed to be the leader of the trio in the cabin, who sat with his back turned.

"I could not get a look at his face, but he looked familiar to me and I've been trying to place him in my memory," added the youth.

After deliberating for a time Captain Austin decided to get in touch with the revenue cutter Marblehead and tell them the whole story. If the pirates decided to slip away in the night the slow-going Jules Verne with her diving bell, the Nautilus, could not pursue. But the fast little revenue cutter could overhaul them in a hurry.

Consequently, Larry Seymour repaired at once to the wireless room and in a few minutes was telling the whole story to the Marblehead. For some time the wireless spat its messages into the ether and then subsided as its receiver got busy. Larry was transcribing the messages.

"Captain Fowler, of the Marblehead, says he will move up closer to us," said Larry. "He wants us to keep a sharp lookout during the night and apprise them of the slightest movement aboard the pirate ship. If they move at all the Marblehead will charge down upon them. Captain Fowler proposes to go aboard at daybreak and find out who they are and by what authority they come taking the gold from the Dominion."

"Tell him O. K. and to keep his wireless receiver constantly on the alert," replied Captain Austin.

In the meantime extra precautions were taken to guard the pirates. An additional guard was posted and both the powerful searchlight and the machine gun on the bridge of the Jules Verne were inspected to see that they were in prime condition.

Captain Austin told Jay and Dick to turn in; that he would call them on the slightest provocation that their services were needed. Jay, although a bit fatigued by his swim, was for remaining up, but listened to the counsel of his chum, and together they withdrew to their stateroom.

"Might as well rest a bit, for there is bound to be some excitement in the morning," advised Dick.

So they repaired to the quiet of their own stateroom and with light extinguished lay in their bunks enjoying the cool night air that was such a relief after the heat of the day. From the corner came the gentle snores of Fismes, who was curled up fast asleep and entirely oblivious of the stirring events the morrow might hold for his masters. And pretty soon Jay and Dick, who had talked for a long time there in the darkness of their quarters fronting on the water about amidships, lapsed into slumber.

It was Dick who was first roused by a slight noise outside the stateroom. Was he dreaming, or had he heard a slight movement? The youth stirred and raised himself on one elbow. Did he imagine it, or was that the figure of a man—a head silhouetted through the stateroom window against the starry sky background? He was minded on the moment to cry out, demanding who was there. But he kept silence.

Reaching quietly under his pillow he was a bit dismayed to find his revolver not there where he expected it. Then he remembered; he had left it on the table. But he could not reach it without getting out of his bunk. Jay was still asleep.

How about Fismes? Funny the dog wouldn't be awake if some one was there. Dick listened but could hear no gentle snore that would indicate the dog was there as usual. Possibly Fismes had gone out on deck or below. The animal would prowl about at times.

Just then there was a slight stir again at the window. This time there was no mistake—some one was there. What Dick had thought was a head moved slightly. And then through the open door of the stateroom appeared in firm outline the form of a man—a huge hulk of a figure!

And then Dick did a funny thing. The best course was to have kept silence until the figure moved on. Then the Brighton youth could have slipped out of bed, grabbed his revolver and followed on. But he was not sure in his drowsy condition whether it was really a man, and whether it was friend or enemy. It might be only the guard on patrol.

At any rate, Dick sat up in bed, reached for the electric light and snapped on the light. Instantly the intruder, who had been going by the door, swung on his heel and thrust a revolver through the open door.

"Not a word, or I'll blow your brains out," snapped the visitor.

Awakening with a start, Jay jumped up in bed. The newcomer at once swung his revolver to cover him.

"Throw up your hands, and don't say a word," came the command. "If either of you speak, it means death. Not only to you, but to everybody on board. One sound and I'll blow this"—he indicated a whistle tied around his neck on a cord. "Your old boat is well covered from the little ship over yonder. We can blow you out of the water with one little broadside and the world will never know what became of you."

"Who are you?" demanded Jay as he sat on the edge of his bunk with both hands up. The youth was thinking rapidly. What could he do, though, in the face of that ugly looking revolver?

"Never mind who I am," came the reply. "Your game is up. We have cleaned out the Dominion of all her gold. Our ship is on the move now. You will never know us nor catch up to us. A little swim for me and then into a fast motor launch that will take me safely aboard my own ship. Do you get me? The jig is up. You have come too late. The Dominion has been cleaned as clean as a whistle. Haw! Haw!"

He laughed softly. That laugh! Where had Jay and Dick heard it before? Somewhere—this man——

They were both stirred by a quick command from their visitor.

"I'll trouble you for the key to your stateroom," he was saying. "I'll have to lock you both in until I get safely away. Come across, quick."

Jay was inclined to parley, hoping to engage the fellow until help came.

"Don't imagine it is so soft for you," he sneered. "Just off the cove here lies a U. S. revenue cutter. They know all about you. I was aboard you myself to-night and saw you getting your treasure together in the cabin. We are equipped with wireless and we have the revenue cutter Marblehead right outside here waiting for you. You'll never get away."

The muscles of the intruder's face contracted at that, and his eyes bulged a bit at Jay's startling declaration. And then his finger sought the trigger of the revolver.

"If it were not for stirring up a fuss I'd plug you both full of lead before I leave," hissed the figure in the doorway. "As it is, you'll either give me the key to your stateroom immediately or I'll shoot you both and then take my chances on getting away. Come along smart now or I'll bore you both through with this shooter."

And he took a new grip on the revolver as he stepped menacingly forward.

But just then came an ominous growl on deck just outside the stateroom. It disconcerted the intruder for a second and he turned his head slightly as there came another growl. In that instant Dick leaped for his own revolver as the lean figure of a stalwart hound dog leaped through the air, launched fully and fairly upon the giant in the doorway.

"Fismes!" yelled Jay. "Get him! Get him!"

It needed no direction to tell this dog what to do. With a malignant howl of hatred the huge war dog dove for the body of the visitor and sank his teeth in the flesh of the thigh. Bang! went the revolver, but taken off his balance by the unexpected flank attack, the intruder shot harmlessly over the head of the boys in the stateroom. At the same moment Jay hurled himself in a flying tackle just as he had flung himself at many a foe on the gridiron at Brighton.

Down went the pirate leader. Jay's lightning-like tackle cut both feet from under him. Before he could shoot again Dick leaped upon him and wrested the revolver from his hand. Against the infuriated dog and the combined attack of two such sturdy youths as Jay Thacker and Dick Monaghan he was outclassed. The struggle was short and in the end the prowling visitor lay panting and helpless.

Outside came the tramp of many feet and then the face of Captain Austin, Larry Seymour and others of the crew who had heard the shot and had been attracted by the commotion.

"What have we here?" demanded Austin heatedly as he bent over the confused mass of dog and men. It took only a glance to show what had happened. Some one had come slyly aboard the Jules Verne and had been trapped in the stateroom of the Brighton boys.

Jay and Dick struggled to their feet, relaxing their hold now that help had arrived in overwhelming numbers. But not so the dog. Fismes held on as though his life depended on it. With difficulty his masters succeeded in getting him to let go the figure on the floor.

"Quick, captain," shouted Jay. "The pirate ship over there is making ready to get away. This chap came aboard here to see who we were and to pay his compliments with a bomb before he left. Quick! notify the Marblehead."

Like a flash Larry was away to the wireless to call the revenue cutter. Order followed order as other members of the crew sprang to the searchlight and turned its blazing rays on the pirate craft. Others manned the machine gun and stood by awaiting the order to fire in case the ship so close by attempted to move.

"Zzz-t-t-ttt!" the wireless snapped out its radio call. Then the key was closed awaiting the answer.

"Marblehead half a mile away only," reported Larry as he came dashing back to the stateroom. "She has seen our light and knows right where we are. She has two boatloads of armed men on the way now to take the pirates in tow."

The figure on the floor stirred uneasily, torn between the hurt of the wound where the dog had sunk his sharp teeth into the flesh and the despair of knowing that the game was all up.

"Get up until we can take a look at you," commanded Captain Austin as he turned to the prisoner.

Slowly the latter struggled to his feet. All eyes were on him. Who was he?

Captain Austin turned the fellow with his face full to the light. He moved closer and gazed intently for a moment.

"Don't think you can fool me, you rascal. Don't think I can't see through that disguise. You have grown beard and moustache since last we saw you. But I know you; and so do these boys. Take a good look at him, fellows—don't you recognize him?"

"Carl Weddigen!" gasped the boys almost in unison.

"Just who he is!" affirmed Captain Austin. "And believe me, he'll not get away this time."

They were fastening handcuffs on the prisoner when the sound of rifle fire across the water indicated the men of the revenue cutter were boarding the pirate.