Let's drill holes in the ship. Let's anything."
"Now don't get sarcastic, if you please. Madero didn't do all those
things. He tried something once and didn't make it work."
"Yes, and he got a sore foot, too! He's out here for more."
Answering the hail from the Fortuna, Madero, for it was he, asked to be
taken aboard. He seemed weak and unable to help himself. When his
condition became apparent the boys were all sympathy. They quickly
helped him over the rail and then took his boat in tow.
"What's on your mind, Madero?" laughed Jack. "How are you?"
"I want first of all to tell you fellows how sorry I am I ever did
anything to harm you. I believed that you were some terrible creatures
come down here to rob and pillage and torture the natives. I had been
told by Wyckoff that if you caught me alone you would not hesitate to
kill me. He made me believe I was doing something creditable when I
attempted to destroy your boat."
"Well, that's all right, Madero. We forgive you."
"And I want to say that I came aboard your boat the other night to
finish what Wyckoff and I both had failed to do earlier. When you boys
were so kind to me after my accident I hadn't the heart to hurt you. I
returned to Wyckoff and refused to do any more. He then had me taken
back into the country and put into the chain gang where the negro
criminals are worked on the public highways."
"The brute," exclaimed the boys almost in chorus.
"And when I made a trifling mistake," went on Carlos, "the foreman had
me stretched over a log and whipped like an animal.
Pages:
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175