"Do you, by any possible chance, mean the Ramona of the Royal
Line?"
"That's the one," said Jack, something of the other's excitement
'communicating itself to him. "Why, do you know anything about her?"
"I only wish we knew more of her!" snapped the lieutenant, with a
grim tightening of his lips, while the girls looked on in wonder at
the strange scene. "We're after her, too," the officer continued.
"She's in the hands of a mutinous crew, and she's been trying to do
some smuggling. We've orders to take her if we can, but first we
have to find her, and that's the errand we're on now. We stopped you
to ask if you had had a sight of her. But why are you interested in
finding her, if I may ask?"
"We're looking for my mother, who sailed on her," said Cora, quickly,
"and for Mr. and Mrs. Perry Robinson, the parents of these girls,"
and she nodded toward the twins.
"Is it possible!" exclaimed the lieutenant. "This is indeed a
coincidence."
"Have you sighted the Ramona?" asked Cora.
"No, Miss, and I wish we would--soon," spoke the lieutenant. "We're
going to have a storm, if I'm any judge, and our cutter isn't any too
sea-worthy. But it's all in the line of business," and he shrugged
his shapely shoulders as though preparing for the worst. He would
not shirk his duty.
"Well, I'm sorry we can't give you any information," Cora said. "We,
too, are very anxious to find the steamer, for we are not even sure
that our parents are aboard.
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