Gregorio stood in deepest dejection at the edge of the beach; his eyes sorrowfully scanned the dark waters. Had Espinosa turned off into the jungle, allowing him to go by, chuckling in his sleeve at the cleverness of his ruse? or had he embarked, and was he now sailing rapidly away toward freedom and wealth? Many of the straggling natives had now gathered about their chief and waited for his orders. They had ruthlessly entered the huts of the sleeping villagers and had dragged several of them trembling before their leaders. “But a half hour ago a large proa was launched from down the beach,” a native villager spoke up. “It had been waiting, and we were commanded to keep indoors on penalty of being shot. Through my bamboo shutter I saw it start.” Gregorio waited for no further words. Hastily turning to Lopez and Garcia he cried eagerly: “Light three fires on the top of the hill, the signal to the gunboat.” Then without spoken orders a half score of men helped the anxious Gregorio launch one of the small fishing boats lying high on the beach. As Lopez and his men hurried away, the native boat, with Gregorio at the helm, hoisted its bamboo sail to catch the light morning breeze and disappeared into the night. CHAPTER XXIV THE GUNBOAT ON GUARD “There’s a fire ashore there, sir,” a lookout called in an eager voice as Phil accompanied by O’Neil stepped on deck, and the midshipman’s joy was unbounded as he saw three points of light gradually grow into three unmistakable fires. “The signal,” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him. He can’t escape us now.” Eagerly he listened to the sweet music of those hollow sounds caused as he knew by the play of the oars in their rowlocks. Scarcely a half mile away was Espinosa, blissfully unconscious of the presence of his sentinel gunboat. Then a great fear came into his mind as he thought of the cargo the approaching boat might be carrying. Were Maria and her brother captives of this cruel villain? The anxious midshipman rang the engine bell for full speed ahead and the little gunboat quickly leaped to life. Espinosa was as good as captured. Inside of an hour day would break. “Keep a sharp lookout,” he shouted. The gunboat’s bow had turned directly for the sound of the passing boat and he did not know at what moment it would appear suddenly from out of the darkness ahead. Sydney and O’Neil stood beside Phil as the gunboat rushed forward. “That’s Espinosa, all right,” O’Neil exclaimed joyfully as he went below, after taking a look about him, to get the forward three-pounder ready. The two midshipmen strained their ears in vain into the night, but no sound of their quarry was evident. The gunboat was again stopped and the word passed for silence. A stillness crept over the gunboat. The sailors stood alert, silent in strained attitudes of listening, but no sound could be heard to cheer the now depressed Americans.