The next instant he had recovered from his temporary smoke blindness. As Kenworth jumped for him, Ned sprang at the other. As he did so, his arms shot out and Kenworth's pistol went flying through the air.
Then Ned's strong hands seized the other's wrists with the force of steel handcuffs.
"Confound you!" roared Kenworth. "I didn't get you, did I?"
"Not just yet," panted Ned, "nor for some time to come. You're my prisoner, and if you[Pg 122] don't want to accompany me quietly I'll find means to make you."
Kenworth's reply was an odd one. He uttered a peculiar2 whistle.
"Now what's that for?" wondered Ned. The question had hardly taken shape in his mind before it was answered, and in a surprising manner.
A loop was thrown over him, he fell forward, and his arms were pinioned3 by an irresistible4 force to his side, while a knee pressed into the small of his back.
"Honorable capitan lie quiet? No?" came a voice in his ear.
"It's Saki! Let me go instantly," demanded Ned.
A soft, gurgling laugh was the rejoinder.
"Yes, me Saki all right, honorable capitan; but no can let you go. You lie down lilly while."
With a trick that Ned recognized as one employed by the jiu-jitsu expert he had vanquished5 in the Far East, the yellow-skinned rascal6, as he[Pg 123] spoke7, threw Ned sprawling8 on his back on the sand. Before he could make any defense9 another loop was slipped over his legs.
"Help!" shouted the boy. "Help! Help!"
There was a chance that his voice might carry to the distant tug10.
"Ah! That velly bad to make noise, honorable sir," came Saki's soft voice, and into the struggling lad's mouth was thrust a not over-clean rag.
Effectually silenced now, Ned lay there with blazing eyes. He was beaten, as he realized with a bitter feeling at his heart. Saki and Kenworth were in league, as he had half guessed before.
Kenworth's harsh laugh made him turn his eyes in that worthy's direction.
"Well, how do you like it, eh?" he chuckled11. "And you thought you could overreach me and give me orders, did you? Just take that!"
The young ruffian swung a fist crashingly into his helpless victim's face. Again and again he[Pg 124] struck, while Saki stood by, grinning. But suddenly the Jap interfered12.
"That plenty for now. We finish our work. Then maybe soon we go way lilly while. Come back night time. Takee honorable capitan nice hotel."
The yellow man broke into a laugh as he spoke, and Kenworth, flushed and vicious from his display of vindictive13 fury, ceased belaboring14 Ned. He turned again to his sketch15 book and spy glasses. Saki took the opportunity to retrieve16 the pistol, which he handed back to Kenworth.
"Maybe good thing you not better shot," he chuckled, with sinister17 meaning.
The wind blew his coat aside as he stooped over, and Ned saw that, pinned within it, the Jap had a peculiar decoration. Ned knew what it was. He had seen similar ones in the Far East on the world cruise.
It was the badge denoting that the wearer belonged to Samurai, or warrior18 caste of Japan. It[Pg 125] also was conferred as a decoration on certain leaders after the Russo-Japanese war.
This Saki, then, was not the ship's steward19, as he had been masquerading. Instead, he was a soldier and a veteran, and evidently, too, of high rank.
The whole thing came over Ned in a flash. What a fool he had been not to see through the plot before. The Jap, whose creature Kenworth plainly was, had seized the opportunity of the great naval20 maneuvers21 to smuggle22 himself into the midst of things and secure information about Uncle Sam's fighting ships and war methods that he could have gained in no other way.
The careful maps that Kenworth was drawing were destined23 to be sent across the Pacific, for what purpose Ned could guess. He turned eyes that blazed slow fires of contempt upon Kenworth.
The latter laughed harshly.
"Thinking you'd like to nail me, aren't you?"[Pg 126] he sneered24. "But you'd have to get up a little earlier in the morning to do that. We knew every one of your plans long ago. Saki got them in your cabin——"
The Japanese held up a warning hand.
"No talk any more. Hurry up your map," he urged.
"Pshaw! what harm does it do to tell him a few wholesome25 truths?" snarled26 Kenworth. "He's had a swelled27 head too long altogether. This is the time that he learns he's not as smart as he thinks, by a whole lot."
But he regarded the Jap's hint and addressed no more remarks to Ned. The Dreadnought Boy lay on the hot sands with an ardent28 sun burning down upon him. But he was careful to give no sign of suffering, although his thirst was beginning to be excessive.
As if he knew this, and delighted in torturing the helpless lad, Saki, from time to time, drew[Pg 127] out an elaborately chased bottle and drank from it with much satisfaction.
"Ah! nice, cool. Veree nice," he would say, smacking29 his lips and proffering30 it to Kenworth. "Lemonade, veree good 'Merican drink."
But Ned, without the quiver of an eyelid31, lay gazing up into the blazing firmament32, although his throat felt as if it were cracking from a drought of centuries.
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1
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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2
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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3
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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5
vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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6
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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7
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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8
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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9
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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10
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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11
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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13
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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14
belaboring
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| v.毒打一顿( belabor的现在分词 )；责骂；就…作过度的说明；向…唠叨 | |
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15
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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16
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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17
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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18
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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19
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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20
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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21
maneuvers
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| n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 ) | |
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22
smuggle
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| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
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23
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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24
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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26
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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27
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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28
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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29
smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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30
proffering
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的现在分词 ) | |
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31
eyelid
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| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
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32
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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