He stumped forward, swinging his powerful arms to and fro, as if eager to clasp his enemy in them, but he stumbled, and would have fallen inside the cabin with the broken door, had not Dick caught him. At the same time the fleeing man called out:
"The jig's up! WiddY's here!"
"Who's Widdy?" asked a man's voice, and it was followed by confused shouts.
"Never mind. The jig's up, I tell you! Better get ashore. Cast off the boat!" yelled the big sailor.
There was the tramp of rapid footsteps on deck. Then came a sound as of something being dragged along—a scraping of wood on wood.
"Quick!" cried the old sailor to Dick. "They're trying to shut the hatches on us. We must get on deck!"
Puzzled and alarmed—not knowing what to make of the strange actions of Widdy, yet vaguely fearing, the lad turned from the cabin, and hastened toward the companionway down which he had come. As he sprang up it he saw the young sailor who had told him to go below shoving the hatch cover over.
"Quit that!" cried Dick. With a quick motion he caught up a coil of rope that had dropped on the steps, and thrust this into the crack as the man pushed the cover forward. This prevented it from being closed.
A moment later Widdy was at Dick's side. The
