have some plan up their sleeve, that's certain."
Slowly the hours wore away, until all sounds on deck ceased, and they knew it must be well along in the night. Still the schooner kept on her course.
All of the boys had been working at their bonds, but without success. They wished they had a light, but neither Sam nor Tom had a match, and Dick's pockets were entirely bare. Tom and Sam were likewise minus their pistols, Arnold Baxter having taken the weapons away before placing them in the hold.
The night proved to be a truly horrible one for the boys, for the hold was overrun with rats, who became altogether too familiar. At first one of the pests ran over Tom's legs.
"A rat!" he cried. "Hi, scat!" And the frisky rodent scampered off, but speedily returned, followed by several others. After that they had a lively time of it for half an hour, when the rats left them as suddenly as they had appeared.
The storm, and their various adventures, had tired the boys out, and soon, in spite of the surroundings, one after another fell into a light doze. The sleep did all of them good, especially Dick, who declared on awakening that he felt almost as well as ever.
"Only I'm as hungry as a bear," he added.
"Ditto myself," came from Tom. "I move we try to break out of this dingy hole."
"All right; but where shall we break to?" put in Sam. "I can't see much more than I could last night."
The matter was talked over, and presently they scattered, to feel along the ribbed walls of the hold.
For a long time nobody felt anything of importance, but at last Sam let out a soft cry:
"I've found something of a door!"
"Good for you," answered Tom. "Can you open it?"
"No, there seems to be a bar or something on the other side."
The others rejoined the youngest Rover, and made out the door quite plainly, for there was a broad crack at the top and at the side opposite the hinges. There was a bar, true enough.
"If we had something that we could slip into that crack, we might move the bar," observed Dick.
"I slipped on a sheet of tin a while ago," said Tom. "Perhaps I can find that."
His hunt was successful, and soon they had the tin in the crack under the bar. The latter gave way with ease, and then they pulled the door open. Beyond was the passageway leading to the cabin.
"Now what's the next movement?" whispered Sam.
"Let us try to arm ourselves first of all," answered Dick. "Then, if we are cornered again, we may be able to make some kind of favorable terms."
He tiptoed his way into the cabin and found it deserted. On the table rested the remains of a breakfast served to several people, and he picked up half a loaf of bread and put it in the pocket of his jacket. Several boiled eggs followed.
On one of the walls of the cabin hung two old-fashioned swords and a brace of pistols. Without hesitation he took all of the weapons and returned with them to his brothers.
"Here are pistols and swords, and something to eat," he said. "There seems to be nobody around, so you can come into the cabin, if you wish."
All entered the compartment. Both water and a little coffee were handy, and they made a hasty repast. While eating, Tom hunted around the room and also looked into an adjoining stateroom. In the latter place he found a bunch of keys on a nail.
"If only one of 'em fits these handcuffs," he murmured, and they tried the keys without delay. One did fit, and in a few seconds they were free of their fetters.
"Now 'lay on, MacDuff!'" quoted Tom, as he swung aloft one of the swords. "We'll give them a warm reception, eh?"
"We'll do nothing of the kind," replied Dick hastily. "In this case silence is the better part of valor. We'll lay low until the time comes to make a move."
"What, do you mean to go back to the hold?" asked Sam.
"We may as well, for the present. It is broad daylight now. Perhaps we can escape at night."
"Do you suppose they took our rowboat along?" came from Tom.
"I shouldn't wonder. We can — Hist! somebody is coming!"
Dick was right; Captain Langless was descending the companion way. On tiptoes the three boys hurried to the door leading to the hold. As they flung it back they found themselves confronted by Arnold Baxter and Dan.
CHAPTER XI
GAINING A POINT
The sudden turn of affairs chagrined the Rover boys greatly, and for the moment none of them knew what to say.
Arnold Baxter and Dan grinned at the trio sarcastically, and the bully was the first to break the silence.
"Didn't get away that time, did you?" he sneered.
"Ha! so they are here!" came from Captain Langless, who had just stepped into the cabin. "And without the handcuffs, too."
"Let us alone," cried Tom hotly. "If you touch me again, I'll shoot somebody." And so speaking, he raised one of the pistols taken from the cabin wall.
His aim was at Dan, and the bully fell back with a cry of terror, for, as old readers know, Dan was a coward at heart.
"Don't — don't shoot!" he faltered. "Don't!"
"My pistols!" burst out the captain of the Peacock, in a rage. "Hand those weapons over to me, do you hear?"
He took several steps forward, when Dick brought him to a halt by raising one of the swords.
It was a dramatic scene, of intense interest to all concerned. Arnold Baxter gazed at the armed youths in alarm, and Captain Langless grated his teeth.
"This is foolishness," said the owner of the schooner, after a painful pause. "If you try to fight you'll only get into worse trouble. We are, all told, ten to. three, and the best thing you can do is to throw down those arms and submit."
"We won't submit," came from Sam, with a boldness which was astonishing in one of his years. His stirring adventures in Africa and in the West accounted for much of this valor.
"We are not going to remain on this vessel," said Dick. "And if you try to detain us further somebody will get hurt."
"You scamp!" fumed Arnold Baxter, and looked at the elder Rover as if to annihilate him with a glance. But Dick remained undaunted, and gradually Arnold Baxter fell back a few steps.
It must be confessed that the Rover boys felt far from comfortable. Here were two of the enemy on one side and one on the other, cutting off their escape in both directions. More than this, Captain Langless now raised his voice, and presently several rough-looking sailors came rushing into the cabin.
"Leave the hold," cried the owner of the schooner to the Baxters. "I reckon I know how to manage 'em."
Arnold Baxter understood, and at once took his son by the arm. The pair had come down into the hold by means of a ladder lowered through the forward hatchway. Now they ran for the ladder, mounted, and drew it up after them. Then the hatch was closed down as before.
In the meantime Captain Langless whispered to one of his sailors, and the tar ran to one of the staterooms and returned with an old-fashioned seven-shooter, fully a foot and a half long.
"Now get back there," ordered the owner of the schooner. "I won't have any more fooling."
"If you shoot, so will I," said Tom quickly.
"And so will I," added Sam.
"We had better have no bloodshed," continued the captain, trying to control himself. "Behave yourselves, and you'll be treated all right.