When the coward saw that he was indeed covered by a weapon in the hands of a determined person, his grasp on his own means of offense loosened, permitting the revolver to drop to the deck.

Seeing that he was for the time worsted he tried to cover his confusion with a grin that was more of a snarl.

“Better send for your captain and be quick about it,” cried Jack impatiently.  “We can’t afford to burn up good gasolene chasing you.  Move quickly and it will be better for you.”

Ungraciously the mate dispatched one of the hands to call the captain who appeared on deck directly in a not very good humor.

When he saw the boys in their neat uniforms, however, and observed the trim appearance of the craft alongside his own vessel, his manner changed.  He approached the rail and hailed: 

“Launch, Ahoy!  What can I do for you?”

“I must speak with you on important business, Captain.”

“All right, sir.  If you’ll bear off a little, I’ll heave to and you may come aboard.  I’m heavily laden and on short time, but I’ll spare you a few moments if you can be brief.”

In a short time the schooner lay quietly upon the water, with the Fortuna ranged alongside.  Fenders had been put overboard by the Fortuna’s crew in order to protect the paint on the launch.

Jack was received by the captain, who met him with a smile and hearty handshake of welcome.  The situation was soon explained by Jack, who won the captain’s heart by his straightforward, manly appearance and by his directness of speech.

“So we’ve got some of your chums who have been shanghaied?” queried the captain, when Jack had finished his recital.

“It looks that way, Captain,” Jack announced.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” inquired the master of the sailing vessel in a tone intended to be severe.

Jack was watching his new acquaintance closely and thought he detected just the suspicion of a twinkle in the captain’s eye.

“He’s playing for time to try me out,” thought the lad rapidly.  “He wants to see what I’ll do in case of refusal.”

Outwardly he gave no indication of what was in his mind, but appeared to be pondering the situation deeply.  At length he said: 

“Captain, I’ll have to leave it up to you.  We want our chums who are aboard your vessel.  I don’t know what the marine law is nor whether we’d have a right to seize them by force if we were able.  So I think I’d better leave it to you.  What shall we do, Captain?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” replied the Captain, reaching for Jack’s hand and seizing it in a hearty grasp, “I think you’d better take the lads and with them my apology.  Will that do?”

“Captain, you’re a brick,” shouted Jack, forgetting for a moment in his enthusiasm the difference in their rank.  The next moment he was all confusion over his breach of etiquette.