Boy Scouts on the Yukon Read online

  CHAPTER III.

  INTO ROUGH WATERS.

  The Boy Scouts of Creston, although expert in nearly all water sports, andfamiliar with the gently flowing Hudson, and the quiet inland tides of bayand Sound, had had no experience as yet of ocean travel. The Alaska tripwas the first test of their sailor-like qualities. In the "Inside passage"are two stretches of twenty and forty miles, where the full sweep of thePacific rollers is felt, and it was while crossing one of these stretchesthat the "Queen" took on those erratic motions that sent Dick Pepper andDon to the open air so quickly and caused not a few of their fellowtravelers considerable discomfort.

  Strange as it may seem, none of the other boys were affected by the roughwaters, and they quickly followed their chums to the deck to offer aid andcomfort. It has always been one of the peculiarities of seasickness that,however important and serious it may seem to the victim, it is prone toarouse ridicule and humorous suggestions in those who are not subject toits attacks, and while Rand, Jack and Gerald did what they could for theirunfortunate companions, they could not resist the temptation of anoccasional sly reference to their chums' poor qualities as sailors, thatunder any other circumstances would have driven the combative Pepperfrantic.

  "Wa' yo tellin' me, hoeny, tha' wa' some great scenery, ovah da'?"suggested Rand, falling into a broad Southern dialect that he used attimes.

  Poor Dick, whose interest centered in the dark blue of the water beneathhim, attempted a glare of indignation with poor results, while Don made noattempt to express the briefest kind of an "opeenion."

  "Faith, and this the celebrated _mal de mer_, is it?" said Gerald, gazingwith mock curious interest at his wilted chums.

  "That's brutal, Gerald," exclaimed Jack, "seasickness is bad enough,without any of your Celtic High School French."

  "Begorra, it's about all of it I remember, and maybe I'll never get achance to use it again."

  "I wish it was catching, like the measles or mumps," gulped Pepper in afury, "and I'd give it to you all."

  "What, French?" asked his brother.

  "Naw, seasickness," yelled Pepper, and bolted for his stateroom to be soonfollowed by his two companions in misfortune. A couple of hours in theirbunks with some little attention from their now rather repentant critics,and the steamer having passed again into still water the patients weresoon restored to normal health, with, if possible, greatly increasedappetities.

  Two days later, Jack, who was ever on the alert for something new and hadmade friends with several of the officers, thus getting the run of theship, was exploring the lower decks, and walked through the quarters ofthe third class passengers. These were largely made up of laboring mengoing "in" for the summer work. A few miners who had spent all their moneyin the Pacific coast cities, and were going back to try their luck again,and a few of the class whom the police of those and other cities hadsimply told to "move on."

  The steerage quarters were rather dark, and hearing voices Jack steppedaside into a narrow passageway between the bunks to let a couple of menpass. The two turned into the same passageway which concealed Jack, andthe latter recognizing the voice of Dublin sank down into one of thefurther berths as the others sat down on a couple of bunks near theentrance.

  "I tell ye it's a better game than the other," said Dublin, "and we'regoin' in for anything we can make."

  "I'm not strong for any new game that I don't understand," whined thevoice of Rae, "and we're in bad on this boat, as it stands. We'll findgames enough of our own when we git to Skagway."

  "Don't lose yer nerve," said Dublin, "with a good chance to make a stakein sight. These folks is takin' in a lot of fine machinery, and that Yukoncountry is a long ways from where that machinery is made, and every nutand bolt in it will be worth its weight in coin by the time they've got itin there. All we got to do is to cop off a piston and a valve or two andthis army man will be willin' to pay several hundred dollars to get 'emback rather than wait for months to get 'em in from the outside."

  "Well," replied Rae, "ye know that stealin' up in this country is biggercrime than murder, and they don't fool with the courts much."

  "Aw, this ain't stealin'," sneered Dublin, "it's only kidnappin' andholdin' for ransom. I know just whereabouts in the hold this stuff wasstored at Seattle, and that kid, Monkey, of yours, can get at it in tenminutes if he has the nerve. The stuff is not a hundred feet from us, andI can show him tonight how to do it."

  Rae, who was more or less of a coward, made further protest, but finallyyielded, and the pair slipped out of the passageway and walked away stilldiscussing the proposed scheme. Jack, glad to be released from the ratherodorous confinement of the bunk into which he had crowded himself, leftthe third-class quarters and made for the upper deck.

  His newspaper training, of which he had received a considerable amount inthe intervals of his school days in the office of his father's paper inCreston, included an acute sense of analysis, and he at once arrived atthe opinion that the conspiracy he had heard referred to the freight whichColonel Snow was taking North, and his first impulse was to lay the matterbefore him for such action as he might see fit to take.

  Then a foolish ambition to handle the thing alone, born possibly of thatnewspaper desire to bring off a "scoop" as an exclusive publication iscalled, coupled with the usual boyish longing to become a hero, incitedhim to circumvent the plot singlehanded and alone, prevented him fromspeaking to either the leader of the party or his chums. In addition, hisjournalistic training had instilled deeply one of the first rules of theprofession, accuracy, and to tell the truth he was rather ashamed to go toColonel Snow with so little evidence to back up his story, and so hedetermined to "keep tabs," as he called it, on Monkey Rae, and knowing hecould handle that young man physically to capture him redhanded and takehim in dramatic fashion before the Captain.

  Jack had no doubt that Dublin would carry out any scheme he had in mind atthe first opportunity, and that the attempt to get into the hold would bemade at a hatchway on the same deck with the steerage. The hold at thispart of the ship being filled with machinery and other heavy freight, thehatch cover was not battened down and most of the time was left partiallyoff in order to give a circulation of air through that part of the holdunder the steerage.

  About ten o'clock that night, Jack slipped away from his companions, anddescended to the engine room deck, where he took up his place behind somepacking cases, and awaited developments. Nearly all the steeragepassengers were in their quarters, for the night was keen and there waslittle enjoyment in the open air.

  An hour passed and Jack was becoming weary of his vigil, especially inview of the uncertainty of the coming of his quarry. Then, from thepassageway leading to the steerage a slim figure emerged and by the dimlight of the lamp which illuminated this part of the deck, Jack was justable to recognize Monkey, who carried in one hand a hatchet, and somethinglike a policeman's club in the other. Monkey glanced rapidly around thedeck, looking for the watchman who at times visited every portion of theship, but the coast was clear.

  Crossing the deck the boy slipped easily between the partly raised hatchcover and the combing, and down the stationary iron ladder into the darkhold. As he did so a ray of light appeared in the hitherto dark hold.Glancing around to be sure that neither Dublin nor Rae were standingsentinel for the young marauder, Jack slipped noiselessly over the deck,and followed Monkey down the ladder.

  A glance showed him that what Monkey carried in his right hand was aportable electric light and with this he was carefully searching for themarks upon some packing cases.

  Jack tiptoed quietly toward him, intending to take him unawares, failingin his eagerness to make the capture to allow Monkey to make an attackupon the case with his hatchet sufficiently to "clinch" his evidence.

  Just as Jack put out his hand to grasp the arm that held the hatchet hisfoot struck an unseen coil of rope, and he plunged head foremost intoMonkey. The latter pitched forward three or four steps and Jack landed onhis hands and knees, an accident that probably saved him serious injury,for at the moment the terror-stricken Monkey turned and aimed a furiousblow at whatever had struck him.

  At the same time he dropped the electric light, which promptly went out asthe spring was released, and the hold was in darkness. Jack dared not movefor fear of the hatchet, and all he could hear was the loud breathing ofthe terrified Monkey, who carefully began to grope for the lost lamp. Thesearch was vain, and Jack was slowly backing away from the vicinity towardthe ladder, intending to bar Monkey's egress when he heard a movement thatseemed to indicate that Monkey was climbing up the piled-up freight. Thenthere were two loud blows with the hatchet on the deck above them whichformed the floor of the steerage quarters.

  Scarcely a minute passed before a man with another electric light swarmeddown the ladder, and Jack was in the hands of the powerful Dublin. At thesame moment, Monkey dropped his hatchet and dashed past them to theladder, where he hung like his simian namesake, calling shrilly for thenight watchman. Jack made an effort to twist himself loose from the handsof Dublin, but in vain.

  "What are ye doin' down here, ye thief? Tryin' to get at the cargo? Callthe quartermaster there, Monkey."

  Realizing the trap into which he had fallen, Jack made no further effortto release himself until he reached the deck above, when he jerked awayfrom Dublin and faced the quartermaster and the watchman. There they werejoined by Rae and some of the other steerage passengers.

  "Well, well; if it ain't one o' them boy Scouts; them amateur soldiers.Where d'ye find him, Monkey?"

  "I seen him hanging round this deck and when he slipped down in the holdwith a hatchet and a 'lectric light. I followed him. He jumped onto me andI run back to the ladder and yelled for Dublin, and he come and got him."

  "How about this, young feller?" asked the quartermaster. "What were youdoin' down that hold this time o' night. Ain't ye one of Colonel Snow'sparty?"

  "I am," said Jack, "and this man's story is a straightout falsehood. Itwas I who followed this boy down into the hold on information that Igot"--

  A burst of laughter from both Rae and Dublin interrupted Jack's story, andboth men swore vehemently that Monkey had been in his berth up to a fewminutes before he had called for Dublin. Jack, recognizing his folly innot having notified Colonel Snow and the Captain of the conspiracy, andalso the way in which the tables had been turned upon him in his attemptto "go it alone," said:

  "I will explain this thing to the Captain; I think he will understandit."

  "I guess you'd better," said the puzzled quartermaster; "but we can't wakehim up tonight. I'll see ye up to yer stateroom and you can explain in themorning. And you," he said, sharply, turning to Dublin and Monkey, "you beon hand with your story. Meantime," to the watchman, "put on that hatchcover and lock it."

  As early the next morning as possible, Jack sought an interview with Col.Snow and told him the whole story. The latter was greatly interested, butsaid plainly that Jack should not have undertaken to handle the matter byhimself.

  The Captain was not so easily pacified. He heard both stories and grinnedquietly as both Rae and Dublin tried to make a hero out of Monkey.

  "I've told you fellows you're too much in evidence on this boat and Idon't want to hear anything more from you until we get to Skagway." Col.Snow's intercession arranged matters for Jack but he did not get off anytoo easily.

  "I haven't any doubt but that your story has a good foundation, but itwould hardly go as evidence in a court of law, and even if the Colonelhere thought it worth while, I don't suppose he cares to be bothered witha prosecution in courts that are three years behind with their cases. Ishall take occasion to draw the attention of the authorities to thiscrowd, when we reach Skagway, however.

  "I should like to say, however, that in a case like this, your first dutywas to have informed me, and let me police my own boat. I am the superiorofficer here, as you know. I understand you belong to that excellentorganization, the Boy Scouts, and if I am not mistaken, there is onelittle line in the ritual devoted to discipline. Good morning." Anddespite the rebuke which brought the flush to Jack's face, the captainsmiled, and shook hands pleasantly.

  The story could not be kept from the chums, who were rather inclined toresent Jack's failure to let them take a hand in the capture of MonkeyRae. They rallied Jack not a little on his grand effort at heroism andRand even dug up an old schoolbook quotation about an engineer who hadbeen hoist with his own petard. The boys took their disappointment out invarious good natured gibes, and mock congratulations to "the SherlockHolmes of the good steamer Queen" were a daily occurrence until thearrival at Ketchikan and new scenes drove the incident from the boys'memories. It was to be recalled in much more serious form a little later.