Archie went into his stateroom, and closed the door behind him, while Frank, having completed his calculations, ran up the ladder, and took charge of the deck.
During the day everything passed off smoothly. The crew were obedient and prompt, and the schooner was as well sailed as she would have been had her lawful captain been on her quarter-deck. Just before dark some interest was excited among those on board by the discovery of a large steamer, which appeared to be following in their wake. Frank watched her through his glass until the night shut her out from his view.
“No, I cannot,” answered Frank. “She is too far off.”
“Brown says she looks rather suspicious.”
“Well, he’s an old sailor, and ought to be able to tell a man-o’-war from a merchantman, even at that distance.”
“If she is following us, what time will she come up with us?”
“About midnight, perhaps, if this wind holds.”
“Then look out for fun,” exclaimed Waters, striking his open palm with his clenched hand. “We’ve all got two revolvers apiece; we’ve got all the muskets belonging to the schooner piled up in the cabin, where we can get our hands upon them at a moment’s notice; and,” he added, jerking his thumb over his shoulder toward the twenty-four pounder, “Brown says you’re the best fellow to work these guns that he ever saw.”
“I have had some experience with them,” said Frank.
“We’ll give the man-hunters a lively tussle,” added the convict.
“What will be the use of that?” asked Frank. “If you beat off her boats when she sends them out to board us, she’ll open on us with her big guns and sink us.”
“No matter. We’d sooner she’d do that than take us back. But ’spose now, captain, that you knew that steamer was a war vessel, and that you was a smuggler or something, who had reasons for keeping out of her way, what would you do?”
“I should wait until it was pitch dark, and then I’d put out all lights, come about, and sail right back to meet her,” said Frank, who had already made up his mind that it would be better to put this plan into operation than to risk a battle with the steamer if she should prove to be a man-of-war. He knew that the convicts would fight desperately before they would permit themselves to be taken back. Of course they would be beaten and overpowered, as they deserved to be, but what would become of himself and Archie in the meantime? How would the beautiful little Stranger look after a broadside from the man-of-war? “I should, of course, pass her at such a distance that she wouldn’t discover me,” added Frank, “and at daylight we would be out of sight of each other.”