Chapter THIRTY-ONE

When Levanter fell with a bullet from Redmond’s silent rifle through his leg, Mary Ingleton gained a respite from the most trying ordeal of her life. As it happened, Redmond’s return to Patrocinio Island occurred the evening before the pirate had taken Mary on the mine laying trip, and the former officer of the Wilbur Wright was actually making his way across the island from his cave to the old meeting place when Levanter surprised Mary beside the schooner Hilo. A lifetime of emotion had been concentrated for her in the brief hour which intervened between the two incidents.

At the moment when, flushed and worn out from the tremendous effort she had made in rolling the rock alongside the wrecked schooner, Mary looked up and saw her captor before her the surprise sent her heart into violent palpitation. For several seconds--a seeming eternity--she stood in open mouthed astonishment, speechless and helpless. The pirate watched her unfeigned amazement while he endeavored to guess the reason for her exertions. Finally he broke the tensity of the situation by exclaiming:

“What are you trying to do, Mary?”

His question brought Mary out of her stupor, back to her normal self.

“Good Heavens,” she gasped, “you startled me terribly. How did you get here?”

“I’m sorry,” replied Levanter, with a cynical smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, dearest. I changed my mind at the last moment and didn’t go out with the men. I sent Johnson out to superintend the mine laying job and then I came back. I saw you come out here and I just naturally followed you.”

The term of endearment used for the first time by Levanter since her imprisonment on the island brought a flush to Mary’s cheeks. It was not caused by any feeling of embarrassment. In fact the mingled feelings which had gripped her following his sudden appearance were completely consumed now in the molten heat of her violent hatred for the man before her. The flush was one of anger. The sky pirate on the other hand misinterpreted it entirely. The appearance of the blush on Mary’s face as he addressed her endearingly, caused him to forget momentarily the suspicions her actions had engendered within his mind.

Mary’s anger had now overcome her fear and to a certain extent subjected her judgement. Turning to Levanter, she exclaimed with considerable emphasis:

“I think you are terribly mean to scare me like that. I didn’t think you were prowling after me and spying on me.”

The remark brought Levanter out of the realm of speculation back to realities and his suspicions.

“But I can’t understand what on earth you were doing pushing that big, heavy rock about,” he said.

“Oh, I was just exercising,” said Mary sarcastically, still angry.

Levanter left her and went over to the wrecked schooner. He began to examine it carefully, particularly where Mary had rolled the rock up alongside it. Despite his careful search, he could find nothing wrong, and the failure left him still further perplexed as to her motives. What was her object in struggling so persistently with the rock, he reflected? It certainly was not for the purpose of exercise, because there were many more pleasant ways in which she could have done that. No! There was some real reason for it, and he made up his mind to find out what it was.

After making a complete search around the schooner, he clambered aboard the wreck and carried his investigation further. He went through the battered hull, from stem to stern, picking his way slowly and carefully through the piled up debris. Everything about the old schooner was as natural and normal as could be under the circumstances, considering the length of time it had lain upon the beach, subject to the constant pounding of the heavy surf. Disappointed, Levanter came up on the deck again and continued his survey there.

Suddenly he stopped short, his eyes fell upon the empty boat davits in the stern. He walked over and examined them carefully. The blocks and tackle were close hauled to the top of the davits, and the slack of the rope was coiled about the deck. The lifeboat was gone!

Levanter thought deeply and intensely. In what condition was the lifeboat when he and his men wrecked the schooner on the beach? To the best of his recollection, the boat had been left on the davits. In fact, he was almost sure of it, because he remembered ordering his men to break in its sides. He looked over the side to make sure that the boat was not lying waterlogged in the surf. There was no trace of it. Having made sure of this, he scrambled back ashore and went over to Mary. Throughout the time he had been on the schooner she had stood waiting, deep in thought, puzzling her brain for some plausible excuse to explain her actions. She realized she had been caught red-handed, and she knew that whatever the outcome of the present situation, Levanter would be suspicious and watch her every action. It certainly meant the end of her plan to cripple his adventure by means of one of his own bombs. Also, it was quite possible that he would considerably restrict her liberty or movement about the island.

“Where is the lifeboat?” he queried, somewhat irritably.

“How should I know?” replied Mary.

“Well it’s missing,” continued Levanter, “and you must know something about it, otherwise I can’t understand what you are doing here.”

“I don’t know anything about it,” Mary retorted with heat, unashamed at the lie. Didn’t you break it up? That’s what you told me before.”

“So I did, but I left it hanging on the davits, and it isn’t there now, and what’s more, I find you doing a most unacountable thing around here. That’s what I can’t understand. There must be some connection in this thing, and you might as well tell me what it is. If you think you can get away from me, you are very foolish.”

“I am not so silly,” said Mary, “I know I can’t get away and I’m not going to take any foolish chances. There’s nothing I can tell you about your old boat.”

For several minutes Levanter plied her with questions in a vain effort to trap her into some admission that would give him a clue to the mystery that confronted him. She answered readily enough at first, but in a completely non-commital manner, and when he began to press her more closely she became more reticent, and finally refused to answer at all. This attitude set fire to the kindling ferocity in Levanter’s temper and he stepped toward her.

Realizing the change and really alarmed, Mary began to walk away toward the huts. She had no idea what to do, except that she thought it wise to get as far away from him as she could while he was in his present threatening mood. He strode after her angrily.

“Why don’t you answer me?” he demanded as he reached to grasp her.

She evaded him readily enough, but for the first time in her life she was really afraid. In fact she was almost terror-stricken. More than ever the realization dawned upon her that she was completely within the man’s power and at the present moment alone with him.

“Don’t you dare to touch me!” she exclaimed.

The pirate laughed at her. “Why, what would you do?” he asked.

Then, as she did not answer, he continued, “My dear girl, there is nothing that you can do. You will have to do as I tell you. You can’t get away from me. I am determined to find out just what you were doing up at the schooner, and you might as well tell me now as later.”

While he was talking Mary was walking slowly forward, watching him closely out of the corner of her eye. There had flashed through her mind the memory of their last encounter when he had flared up and tried to seize her--the time when Walter Johnston, the pirate’s chief assistant, interrupted in her behalf. As far as she knew all the members of the pirate crew were still out on the airplane, laying mines along the coast, and consequently she was alone on the island with Levanter, with the exception of course of the Kanakas. It was no use looking to them for any assistance.

Helpless as she apparently was, however, Mary still hoped that by some fortunate chance the crew had already returned from the mine laying trip, so she steadily walked along, hoping against hope that she would attract the attention of Johnston.

The momentary laugh which had escaped from Levanter tempered the intensity of his wrath somewhat, but he was still in a highly inflamed temper. He continued after Mary, trying hard to solve the mystery surrounding the incident which had given rise to the present situation. They continued in this manner for several minutes, to Mary’s great relief, until finally they came up to the huts.

The Kanakas were all busily engaged at the tasks which had become routine to them. Mary felt a little easier because, while it was extremely doubtful just what they would do in case the pirate molested her, she felt that she was not as isolated as she had been at the opposite side of the harbor where the wreck of the Hilo was lying.

She gave a quick glance toward the airplane-mooring place, but her hopes were quickly dashed, for there was no sign of the machine. She realized now that it was a case of her wits against the temper of the pirate. There was no use going any further, she figured, as that would take her away from the Kanakas, and she realized bitterly that Levanter would follow her wherever she went. She tried hard to think of some way of getting out of the mess, but nothing occurred to her.

Suddenly she turned around and faced Levanter.

“Why do you keep following me?” she cried. “What do you want of me?”

The violent anger which had possessed Levanter had cooled down considerably. During the walk from the schooner he had been thinking hard, going back over every possible detail and every incident that he could think of that had taken place during Mary’s stay on the island.

As a result of this recollection, three things stood out prominently in his memory.

First, the unexpected, unexplained and untraced disappearance of his man, Harrison, which had long since passed out of his mind.

Second, the decided change which had recently come over Mary in regard to her attitude toward him and her sudden interest in all of his plans and activities; and

Third, the unusual task she was engaged in when he surprised her a short time ago.

Surely, he reflected, there must be some connection between these things. But what that connection was he could not figure out.

A new thought suddenly came into his mind: Had Harrison turned traitor on him?

The very idea caused his anger to flare up again. Had Harrison got away in the Hilo’s lifeboat? No? he thought to himself, that would have been impossible. He could not have repaired it and made it seaworthy in such a short time, and besides his disappearance had been discovered immediately. Moreover, the search he and his men had made with the airplane the following day would have quickly disclosed the presence of any boat on the sea, and he remembered that the search had been very thorough indeed. Not only this, but the search on the island itself had been very complete. Finally he dismissed the thought by deciding that Harrison had been drowned after all.

Having convinced himself on this point, he tried to reason out some plausible explanation of the other incidents which were puzzling him. His thoughts kept him so fully engrossed that he was completely oblivious of his surroundings. The sudden exclamation of Mary brought him back to actualities. He looked at her for a few moments before replying, his temper mounting rapidly again.

“By God!” he said finally, “I’m going to find out what you were doing and what it was all about.”

“Do you mean you are going to hurt me?” demanded Mary, with a show of defiance.

“Suppose I decide to,” he said with a sneer, “who do you think would stop me?”

“If you try to molest me, I shall call the Kanakas.”

“A lot of good they would do you!” he jeered. “You needn’t get alarmed, though. I’m not going to hurt you. At any rate, not now.”

Then, as though to belie his words, he started over toward her, saying as he went:

“What do you know about that man of mine, Harrison, who disappeared?”

As he spoke Levanter raised his hand and brought it down on Mary’s shoulder. He had scarcely touched her when he uttered a cry of pain, and then suddenly fell in a heap upon the ground.

Mary was completely staggered at the sudden turn of affairs. For several moments she stood in stupified silence, looking at the pirate who was writhing in agony where he lay. Finally collecting her wits, she said:

“What’s the matter?”

“Good Lord!” he gasped, “I’ve been shot.”

“Shot!” exclaimed Mary incredulously. “Who could have shot you? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I don’t know,” he replied weakly.

“Where are you hurt?” she asked.

“In my right leg. I think the bone is shattered.”

Suddenly a great light dawned on Mary. Surely it must have been Redmond who had fired the shot. It was a long time since she had received the welcome code letters over the wireless from the big government naval radio station at Honolulu which told of his safe arrival there, and she had been waiting anxiously day by day for his return. Many times had she strolled expectantly to their old meeting place in the hope of seeing him, only to be disappointed. Surely this must be Redmond now. Who else could have fired the shot?

Almost instinctively she turned and looked over to the rock. Suddenly her heart leaped with joy; there at the side of the boulder she could clearly make out his head peering out from behind it. Unthinkingly she motioned him to get back. Then realizing that her gesture might have been observed by the pirate, she turned in alarm at her foolish action.