CHAPTER XXXVII
WILL’S ESCAPE
Will Bertram, locked in the cabin apartment, could only imagine what was going on outside from the movements of the yacht and of its crew.
There was a little port-hole in the place where he was, but it did not admit of his looking out to any advantage.
He knew that the yacht had reached its destination, but when, an hour later, it again set sail his heart sank at the uncertainty of his situation.
Once he tried the door of the place. It was locked, but he found he could easily burst it open.
To do this and have his escape discovered, however, would only be to subject himself to renewed abuse at the hands of Captain Morris.
He could look into the cabin through a little window, and here he stationed himself.
“I will try to escape tonight,” he decided mentally, and he waited patiently for night to come.
The cabin was not visited for several hours after the yacht reached and left Portland.
At last, however, the boat came to a stop. A few minutes later Captain Morris and Parker came into the cabin.
“Are we going to stay here for the night?” the latter asked.
“Yes,” replied Morris.
“Do you think it safe?”
“Why not?”
“We cannot have traveled over forty miles.”
“But this is an unfrequented part of the coast. We will decide what to do by the morning. That boy has spoiled all our plans.”
“Then you have given up all idea of the insurance money?”
“I shall be glad if we get free and can get enough from the sale of the yacht to take us to some distant place.”
“You have the money from the sale of your property at Watertown?”
“Yes, all but the Bertram mortgage. I ordered my lawyer to foreclose and sell old Bertram out. I’m glad I did now,” remarked Morris, with malignant satisfaction expressed on his evil features.
“You’ll never get it.”
“I’ll have the pleasure of knowing that I’ve paid off this boy for making all this trouble.”
Parker looked avariciously at the well-filled pocketbook that Morris exhibited as he looked over some papers it contained.
At that moment one of the crew came below.
“Well?” said Morris, interrogatively.
“We’re moored for the night.”
“All right. Tell the others to watch for an hour or two.”
“All right, captain.”
The sailor returned to the deck but soon reappeared.
Morris ordered him to bring them some liquor from a cupboard.
The man did so and placed a bottle before Morris.
“Not that one,” said the latter.
“Why not, captain?”
“Because it’s drugged. We used that to dose the revenue officers in our last smuggling expedition.”
The sailor brought out another bottle, and the trio sat down and began drinking freely.
“We’ll look around the deck and all come below and have a game of cards, I guess,” remarked Morris, finally.
The next moment the cabin was deserted.
Will Bertram had been an interested listener and witness to all that had occurred.
A wild notion of securing liberty came into his mind as he recalled the episode of the two bottles of liquor.
He determined on a bold plan to render himself master of the yacht.
Without much effort, he broke open the door and gained the cabin.
Going to the cupboard, he took the bottle Morris had said contained the drug and mixed the greater portion of it with the liquor on the table.
He regained his covert just as Morris and the men re-entered the cabin.
In a few minutes, the party was engaged in playing games with a greasy pack of cards and drinking the drugged liquor.
Will noticed that Parker drank less heavily than his companions and that he watched the captain narrowly.
An hour later the game was played slowly and the men seemed to become drowsy.
The drugged liquor had done its work. Will was in a fever of anxiety as he noticed that Parker alone seemed to resist the effects of the drug.
Even he, as he observed that all of his companions slumbered deeply, with difficulty arose to his feet.
He came over to where Morris sat and then seemed to reflect.
“The pocketbook contains a fortune for me,” he muttered, “and if I stay with Morris I’ll be sure to get into trouble. I declare I’m feeling dizzy and sleepy; I’ll wait and take the pocketbook l-a-t-e-r.”
He sank to a chair as he spoke. His eyelids drooped. He was asleep.
Will waited only a single moment. He pushed open the door and crept into the cabin past the sleeping men and to the deck of the yacht.
“Free!” he cried, delightedly. “I am out of Captain Morris’ power at last.”
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