"Bad news, señores," announced the man. "José Nundico died half an hour ago."
"I rather expected that he would," said Mr. Heatherington. "You might tell Señor Mendoza from me that it would be advisable to dispose of the body as soon as possible, and burn everything that it has come in contact with. All that part of the ship should be sealed up and disinfected with burning sulphur."
"I will tell him that, señor," replied the steward, "but I hope that he will not entrust me with the task."
Luncheon was barely over when Miguel Fe entered the cabin.
"Mendoza has gone off in one of the boats to locate the oyster beds," he declared. "Perhaps, señores, you would care to watch the operations from the bridge? There are good marine-glasses available."
"We will do so," replied Mr. Heatherington.
"Of course, he will not find the spot," continued Miguel Fe insinuatingly. "Come now, señor. Tell me the secret, and, while Mendoza is away, I will have you all sent ashore in one of the boats. You will be safe with the giant Dane. Afterwards I will return with some trusted men—Mendoza and Lopez will not be of the party—fish up the black pearls and take you back to either Panama or Callao, where the treasure will be faithfully divided. Is not that a fair proposition?"
Mr. Heatherington gave no indication of agreeing to the proposal, but looked the Spaniard full in the face.
Miguel Fe shifted his feet uneasily.
"Come, señor, it is a generous offer," he said wheedlingly.
Without a word of warning the Englishman sprang at the double-faced rascal, and pinned his arms to his side before Miguel had time to grasp either the hilt of his knife or the butt of his revolver.
"Cover him, Peter!" exclaimed Mr. Heatherington.
Peter Arkendale needed no second bidding. In a trice the muzzle of his revolver was pointed straight at the centre of the Spaniard's forehead. For a moment Mr. Heatherington wondered whether in his excitement the lad would press the hair-trigger; but Peter kept a cool head and a steady trigger-finger.
"Now, then," continued Mr. Heatherington sternly. "You made your offer. I will make mine, but I'm afraid there'll be no option on your part. You'll accept it without question. You will accompany us to the bridge. There you will give orders to the remainder of the crew to weigh and proceed. If there's no time to weigh, then the cable must be slipped. If there's sufficient coal to take the Paloma to Panama, to Panama we will go. If not, we'll signal the first vessel we meet and get her either to give us a tow or wireless for a tug. If you can prove that you are not one of Mendoza's crowd, and that force of circumstances brought you into this unsavoury business I'll pay you the sum of five hundred pounds, but, remember, the treasure will not be divided under any conditions—at least between you and me. Is that clear?"
"It is, señor," replied Miguel Fe.
"Skip across and warn Captain Gregory, Kenneth," said his father. "We can't leave him down here if the rest of the mutineers give trouble. We'll win through yet."
When Gregory joined the party Mr. Heatherington, who meanwhile had taken possession of Miguel's revolver and knife, gave orders for the Spaniard to lead the way.
"Señor, I have a bad head," expostulated Miguel, when they reached the foot of the companion-ladder.
"No need to tell me that," rejoined Mr. Heatherington. "Lead on."
"I feel faint," declared the Spaniard, and by the look on his face, it seemed as if the man was really on the verge of a collapse.
"Faint when you reach the bridge," said the Englishman bluntly. "There's plenty of fresh air up there to revive you."
Miguel did not fall in with the suggestion. Instead, he promptly collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
"Confound the fellow!" ejaculated Mr. Heatherington. "Bear a hand, Kenneth; we'll carry him up."
Thrusting the revolver into Captain Gregory's hands, for the skipper's wound prevented him lifting any heavy weight, Mr. Heatherington gripped the Spaniard under the arms while Kenneth took hold of his legs.
It was now an awkward predicament. There were several of the hands on deck. Had Miguel been all right they would have had no suspicions, but since the man had to be carried there were good grounds for interference on the part of the mutineers.
Yet as the little band moved for'ard towards the foot of the bridge-ladder the men did not appear to take any heed of the unconscious second in command—a fact that struck the Englishmen as being decidedly ominous.
"Be on you guard, Gregory!" whispered Mr. Heatherington warningly.
Before Gregory could as much as nod in acquiescence there was a sudden rush of mutineers from fore and aft. Peter raised his revolver. It was knocked out of his hand. Mr. Heatherington and Kenneth, dropping their burden, turned to face the nearmost of their assailants. As they did so, Miguel Fe, abandoning his well-simulated ruse, gripped Mr. Heatherington by the ankles. The Englishman stumbled, capsizing Gregory as he did so.
Twenty seconds later the four were seized and secured. Facing them stood Pedro Mendoza with a leer of fiendish satisfaction on his oily features. Instead of being away in the boat, as Miguel Fe had declared, Mendoza had schemed to lure his captives into a trap—and he had succeeded.
CHAPTER XI. THE AMBUSH ON THE SHORE
Too late Heatherington and his companions in misfortune realized that they had been played with like a mouse in the claws of a cat. They had staked their all on the chance that Mendoza and Miguel Fe were antagonists—each trying to best the other and at the same time pretending to be loyal comrades in villainy. Actually Miguel's proposals were the direct result of an understanding between him and his superior officer. Mendoza had not gone off in the boat. He had been hiding, waiting for Miguel Fe either to announce that he had cajoled the Englishman into revealing the secret bed of the black pearl oysters, or failing that to incite the prisoners into an act that in Mendoza's estimation would justify him in proceeding to extreme measures.
Since it was no longer necessary for him to play the part of Mendoza's rival, Miguel Fe ranged up alongside of his chief.
"He offered me a thousand pounds in English money to take the Paloma to Panama," reported Miguel. "You, Pedro, were to be left in the boat at the mercy of the natives of Talai, to say nothing of the wrath of the Dane, Holbaek."
"I'll have a great deal more than a thousand pounds out of him before I've finished with him," declared Mendoza. "And as for Holbaek, I'll have him in my power before the setting of to-day's sun. We'll have those pearls even if we have to search every inch of the bed of the lagoon. Now, Miguel, I'm going off with the boats to search for the Dane. I'll take one of those English youths with me as a hostage for Heatherington's good behaviour. The other youth you'll keep on deck. For the present Heatherington and Gregory will be kept close prisoners. I'll scare Heatherington into revealing the secret before many hours have passed. You know what to do while I am away."
Miguel Fe nodded significantly.
Armed men seized Mr. Heatherington and Captain Gregory and led them aft. Kenneth and Peter attempted to go with them, but were sternly ordered to remain.
"Now, you young whelps," exclaimed Mendoza in broken English. "You will do as you are told. If you refuse you will suffer for it—not you only but the other prisoners as well. You"—indicating Kenneth—"will go with the landing-party in the boats. Your friend will remain under the care of Teniente Miguel Fe. If one of you gives trouble he will be punished and his friend as well. Is that clear to you?"
Kenneth and Peter gave a grudging assent. Being separated was a contingency that they had not hitherto taken into consideration. It was useless to kick or even to protest. All they could do was to "knuckle under" and bide their time when a favourable opportunity of circumventing the mutineers presented itself.