Chapter TWENTY-NINE

For several moment after the naval crew had left him on the shores of the little cove at the southern end of Patrocinio Island Redmond paused deep in thought. He was confronted with a very confusing dilemma. Should he remain where he was for the rest of the evening and take a nap in the bushes surrounding the cove, or should he try to make his way in the darkness to the cave where he had lived during his previous stay on the island?

If he went forward in the dark, he mused, there was always the possibility that he might stumble over something and betray his presence. On the other hand, with nothing but vegetation to hide in where he was, he might easily be discovered in the morning, should any of the pirate gang happen to come over to that side of the island.

After weighing the matter carefully in his mind, he decided to stay where he was. He figured this would entail the least risk, and moreover, he was anxious to inspect the place where the boat was hidden, during daylight, so that he would be more familiar with it, in case of need.

Having reached this decision, he searched around for a suitable spot to sleep in, and having found it, threw himself down and slept soundly for the rest of the night.

As daylight burst in on the tropical sky the following morning, Redmond awoke, bright and alert. He ran over to where a small brook was trickling its way into the bay and took a hurried wash. Then, after a meal of bananas plucked from the plants around him, he made a brief examination of the hiding place where the row boat was stowed away. No better place could have been chosen even in daylight. It lay alongside a small bumpy piece of ground not more than a hundred yards from the sea, and it was completely hidden from view by vegetation. There was not a single mark on the beach to show where it had been pulled from the water over to its hiding place. In the boat was the small compact wireless set which would be a link between himself and the cruiser in case of emergency. It was of the reflected wave type, operating on a wavelength of half a meter. It could be conveniently held in the hand, and yet it could easily carry his voice for a distance of twenty-five miles in a straight line. This remarkable efficiency was due to the fact that instead of radiating in every direction, the electro-magnetic waves were reflected in the same manner that a beam of light is reflected from a mirror. The set was so designed that it could be used for transmission and reception, thus making it possible to conduct a conversation with it. The power required was supplied by a single dry cell, and a small high voltage battery. It was a development of the system first produced by Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless, and his assistants in 1922. Satisfied that the boat would escape detection and yet be easily moved into the sea in case of need, he started his journey into the interior of the island, where his old cave was located. His progress was necessarily slow because of the density of the tropical vegetation which covered the island in an almost solid patch. After trudging for a little more than an hour, he finally reached the cave that had been his home for so many nights. Everything was practically as he had left it.

Redmond had brought with him a few necessities, which he figured would make his stay at the cave more endurable, and these he proceeded to stow away carefully where they could not be seen in case any of the outlaws should happen to pass that way. Among the things he brought with him was an automatic pistol, a very small revolver, and a short range rifle equipped with a silencer. After he had hidden his small camp equipment, he threw himself down within the shade of the cave for a brief nap during the heat of the midday sun.

The afternoon was well advanced when he awoke again. Hurriedly he gathered a meal from the growths around him and washed it down with copious draughts from the brook that passed around the hill in which the cave was located. This done, he set out on his journey to the rock where he had been in the habit of meeting Mary Ingleton during his previous stay on the island. With him he took the rifle for use in any emergency that might arise. In his pocket he had placed the small revolver. This he intended to give to Mary at the first opportunity as a means of protection for herself.

He moved forward cautiously. It was now a long time since he had last trodden the path and he was not absolutely sure of himself, and the trail he had broken was covered completely over with thick growth. Another reason that impelled him to caution was the fact that he did not know what changes might have taken place at the pirate’s end of the island. As he went forward he realized that he was confronted with the most hazardous part of his trip, and as he walked with difficulty through the jungle two concurrent but unconnected thoughts passed through his alert mind. Almost subconsciously one thought was concentrated upon the task before him of getting to the rock safely without detection. It was engendered by his fixity of purpose and developed by the quick observation of his eyes and the keen perception of his ears.

Coincident with this thought was another and more intimate one which proceeded from his reasoning faculties. It was caused by his anxiety over the safety of the young woman he had come to assist, but its continuation was due to an entirely different reason.

It was several weeks since he had last seen Mary Ingleton, and many things had happened to him during that period. Now that he was approaching the critical part of his adventure he wondered how she had fared while he had been in Honolulu and she was on the island at the mercy of the pirate and his crew with no one to encourage or protect her.

As he thought his mind reverted back to the time when he had set out from the island in the frail boat to reach civilization and bring aid to Mary. At that time, he mused, he was actuated by purely altruistic and chivalrous motives. The series of remarkable adventures he had undergone and the suffering he had experienced, however, had caused him many moments of serious introspection during that time, and now he knew that an entirely different cause motivated his present efforts.

There was no doubt about it. His former indifference toward the weaker sex had entirely disappeared, and in its place a new feeling had been engendered within him. With the calculating calmness that was one of his chief characteristics he had analyzed carefully day by day the new sensation, and after a long deliberation he had come to a conclusion as unexpected as his cogitation had been lengthy. He realized and admitted to himself that he was in love with the young woman he was now on his way to aid.

Strangely enough the realization brought him no feeling of happiness. Instead his mind was sorely troubled. It was beclouded with depressing thoughts concerning Mary and gloomy conjectures regarding her safety. Under any other circumstances he would have pushed forward to assist her with only the thought of getting to the scene of her involuntary imprisonment at the earliest possible moment. Now, however, a series of wild conjectures as to what might have happened to her during his absence coursed through his mind in rapid succession to torture him. He imagined all kinds of gruesome things, and even though he carefully argued that all of them were impossible, nevertheless he could not entirely cast the gloomy ideas from his mind.

Thus, alternately rising to the heights of hope and then falling into the depths of despair, he trudged slowly forward through the jungle until he reached its edge. Then he looked out over the clearing where the pirate had established his base. In the foreground was the rock where he had met Mary so many times before. Not a sign could he see of any of the outlaw gang upon the shores, or near the buildings where they lived and worked, nor was Mary to be seen anywhere.

He was disappointed. Having assured himself that no one was in sight, he cautiously emerged from the shelter of the vegetation about him, and then made his way slowly and carefully to the rock. It was his intention to stay there as long as it was daylight, on the chance of attracting Mary’s attention, should she come out of the building. If unsuccessful in this he had decided to come back each day until he had finally seen and spoken to her. He was anxious to complete the plans for her escape as soon as possible, despite the fact that it would be a few days before another cruiser could possibly arrive from Honolulu and take the place of the damaged Farragut.

He reached the rock in safety and then lay down beside it. He made himself as comfortable as he could under the circumstances. In this condition he was hidden in such a manner that he could look around the base of the rock and get a clear view of the pirate’s base before him without being visible himself.

As he looked over the harbor he saw the remarkable airplane of the pirate afloat near the rock to which it was moored. He concluded that Levanter and his crew must be upon the island. His reasoning was apparently confirmed by the small wisp of bluish smoke which was idly rising out of the small stack in the workshop building where the liquid oxygen fuel was made by Levanter’s men.

It seemed as though he had been lying there for years before anything happened. In reality a little more than an hour had elapsed from the time he took his position behind the rock until he saw two figures emerge from the larger building. As they moved about he recognized in them Levanter and Mary. Instinctively he gripped his rifle. He brought it to his shoulder as he lay, ready at a moment’s notice to aim and fire. His natural caution however warned him against any hasty action that might jeopardize the chances of rescuing Mary, especially as it would be several days before he could get her off the island under any conditions.

Silently and intently he watched the two figures. They appeared to be engaged in a very excited conversation, judging from their animated gesticulations. As they spoke to one another they were gradually walking to the landing place where the airplane lay at its moorings. Occasionally Mary would stop, and Levanter would turn toward her and apparently argue with a great show of eagerness before they began to move on again.

Suddenly Redmond set himself in tense but subdued alertness. His quick eye had detected a decided change in the situation when Mary had stopped once more. He distinctly saw her stamp her foot, apparently in anger, turn completely around and then start back in the direction whence she and Levanter had come. As she did so he saw the latter leap forward and grasp Mary by the shoulder. He saw the pirate stop Mary abruptly by the strength of his grip and shake her visibly. The scene he witnessed completely severed the restraining grip of caution that had held him motionless. He was inwardly boiling with an all consuming rage engendered by the scene that was being enacted before him upon the beach, and under the sour of its intensity he raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired. The bullet sped silently and true. Redmond saw Levanter’s grip loosen from Mary’s shoulder. He saw the pirate reel unsteadily for a second, then fall in a huddled heap upon the ground.