It took the cadet but a moment to reach her side. The shattered wreck3 of the wooden boat was floating near, and to that he struggled, helping4 her on.
And they reached it, in what it sounds like mockery to call safety. The girl scarcely knew whether it were best to hold on or to drown.
But instinctively5 she clung to the side as the great waves swept over them; and the two fixed6 their eyes upon the approaching vessel7.
She came on swiftly, sheering the water with her sharp bow. And Clif could see half a dozen men standing8 in the bow watching them.
"Perhaps they have heard of our escape," he growled9, "and come after us."
The vessel was not coming from Havana, but the cadet knew that a telegram might have sent it out.
At any rate, they were recaptured; and the horrors of Morro were before them again.
Steadily10 the gunboat drew nearer; the two half-drowned Americans were reached in a minute or two.
And the vessel slowed up and a rope was thrown to them. Clif desperate from despair, seized it and drew himself close.
A couple of Spanish sailors leaned down from the low side and lifted first the half unconscious girl and then the cadet up to the deck.
And then, weak and pale and dripping wet, they confronted a tall, ugly-looking Spaniard with an officer's chevrons11.
He stared at them curiously12.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
And Clif, grim with desperation, looked him in the eye and answered boldly:
"We are Americans," said he.
"Prisoners?"
"Yes."
"From where?"
"Morro Castle."
The Spaniard looked the amazement13 he felt.
"Morro Castle!" he echoed. "Humph! How did you get out?"
"Take us back there and you'll find out," was Clif's defiant14 answer.
And with that he turned toward the girl to wipe her dripping hair from her face.
He expected that the man would continue questioning them. But he was mistaken. The Spanish gunboat had done a risky15 thing, running out as it had, and her officers were anxious to get back.
The man turned away and hurried off. A sailor with a pair of handcuffs approached Clif, and the cadet quietly allowed his wrists to be secured.
Bessie Stuart was fortunately spared that indignity16. The sailor gruffly ordered them to go below.
The vessel, meanwhile, had resumed her trip. She had been running along close to the coast under cover of the darkness of the previous night. And now she turned to steal back.
Clif's heart was heavy, and he was miserable17 beyond description.
But he turned and silently followed the sailor to the companionway.
They did not go below at once, however, for just then something occurred that made the sailor stop.
The man who had first spoke18 to Clif, the captain, apparently19, had been sweeping20 the shore with his glass. And just then he gave a startled exclamation21.
Everybody heard him, and the Spanish sailor stopped and turned to look.
Clif was so listless and despairing that he did not take the trouble to do likewise; but when he heard the exclamations22 of the men he felt his heart give a leap.
They were staring at a man on the shore.
"What in the world can be the matter with that fellow?" cried the captain.
"Santa Maria! he is calling to us!" exclaimed another.
"He must be crazy," declared a third.
The captain, with his glass could see more plainly than the others, and his astonishment23 grew greater.
"Why, he's a Spanish officer—a lieutenant24, I think! And he is trying to hail us. What can it mean?"
"Perhaps he's got dispatches!" suggested some one.
It flashed over Clif in an instant what that meant, and Bessie Stuart heard him give a muffled25 exclamation of delight.
For he could see a blue-uniformed figure running down the shore and waving its arms wildly.
"It's Lieutenant Hernandez!" he panted.
And there was a wild gleam of hope in his eyes as he realized what that meant.
He might rescue them again!
Feverishly26 Clif watched to see what the gunboat would do. The captain continued staring and muttering exclamations of astonishment.
"I wonder if he does want us," he cried. "Por dios, I do think that's it."
And a second later he made up his mind and whirled about.
"Hard a port!" he roared.
And Clif's heart leaped with joy as he heard that order.
The sailor was so much interested in that strange incident that he let his prisoners remain on deck while he stood and stared. The Spanish vessel raced swiftly in toward shore.
And the stranger as soon as he saw that stopped his frantic27 gesticulating and stood still to wait.
The captain ran in as close as he dared, and then stopped. He stepped into the bow.
"What do you want?" he roared.
"Send a boat," the man shouted back. "I must come aboard. Quick!"
The captain muttered an exclamation of astonishment under his breath; but his curiosity alone would have been sufficient to move him. The gunboat's wherry boat was quickly gotten away.
As for Clif, he was simply wild with delight. For he could see that it was Lieutenant Hernandez after all.
Bessie Stuart was so overcome by the sudden shock of the discovery that she was scarcely able to stand, breathlessly the two watched the rowboat speeding in.
The lieutenant waded28 out as far as he could, and when the boat reached him he climbed into the bow. In a few moments he was speeding back to the gunboat.
And when he stepped on board he found the captain staring at him.
"Lieutenant Hernandez!" he gasped29.
"Yes," said the other with a bow.
But he scarcely glanced at the man until his eager eyes had sought out Clif and Bessie. When he saw them alive and unhurt a look of relief swept over his face.
And then he turned to the captain.
"What in the world is the matter?" the man cried.
The other nodded toward the two Americans.
"It is about them," he said.
"What about them?"
"Why did you stop them?"
"Stop them! Why they are Americans, and they were prisoners in Morro."
"I know that," said the officer. "But they were released."
"What!"
"Yes. And I was charged with the duty of seeing them safe on board the American ships."
The Spanish captain stared in amazement.
"Carramba!" he muttered. "Why didn't they say so?"
"I don't see that you gave them a chance," said the other. "You fired on them too soon."
"But I had no idea of this!" cried the other.
To doubt that story never once entered his head; he seemed to know who the lieutenant was.
"What in the world am I to do?" he asked, after a moment.
"I don't see that there is but one thing," said the other.
"Take them back to Havana and let them be sent from there?" asked the captain.
"No," said the lieutenant, quietly. "That will not do; for the government has pledged its word that they shall be on the ships by daybreak. To make haste is very important."
"But what else?"
"Give them your small boat."
"Carramba! I haven't got but one! And how will I ever get it back?"
The lieutenant was puzzled for a moment.
But suddenly he hit on a daring scheme.
"Captain," he said, "my orders are from General Blanco himself. He charged me above all things to see these people safe at once, even if I had to go out to the ships with them. I don't see that there is but one thing we can do."
"What is it?"
"We will have to hoist30 a flag of truce31 and take them out on this vessel."
The captain started.
"Can we trust the Americans?" he gasped.
"They are expecting us," said the lieutenant quietly.
And then for a minute the captain was silent; when he spoke it was to the man at the wheel.
"Steer32 us out to the Yankee fleet," he said. "It will have to be done, and run up that white flag."
Perhaps ten minutes after that the blockading squadron sighted a Spanish gunboat coming toward them with a flag of truce.
The New York steamed to meet it; and the vessel came alongside and without a word of explanation the two prisoners were sent aboard.
Clif and Bessie both gazed longingly33 at the noble-hearted lieutenant as he stood on the deck and watched them leave. Their look said plainer than words, "Come with us!"
But he only shook his head; and when he saw the two disappear upon the deck of the big cruiser, and when the gunboat was well on her way back to shore he turned with a slight groan34 and went below.
Clif and Bessie wondered with anxiety and sorrow what would be his fate. They dreaded35 for him the worst tortures of Castle Morro, but the heroic Spaniard escaped that—in a way that Clif learned a few days later.
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1
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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3
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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6
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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7
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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8
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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9
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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10
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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11
chevrons
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| n.（警察或士兵所佩带以示衔级的）∧形或∨形标志( chevron的名词复数 ) | |
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12
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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13
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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14
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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15
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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16
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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18
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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19
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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20
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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21
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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22
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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23
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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25
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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26
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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27
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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28
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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30
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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31
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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32
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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33
longingly
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| adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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34
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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35
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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