THE ELEPHANT GUN

The boys sank into chairs, stunned. Their wildest dreams had fallen
short of this terrible reality, and when it finally faced them they were
staggered by it. Captain Hollinger and Swanson prisoners ashore; the
yacht in the hands of pirates!

"Mart, it--it's awful!" blurted out Bob, white-faced. "Jerry must have
meant to do this all along! What if dad--"

"Buck up, Holly," said Mart cheeringly, though he felt a terrible dismay
within him. "Your dad ain't in any danger. Jerry went ashore to arrange
with the natives to hold him, or to keep him out after tigers. He's all
right, and Swanson's with him."

"Looks like Swanson wouldn't join 'em," replied Bob dully. "Maybe
they'll kill 'em both, Mart."

"Nonsense!" Mart forced himself to brace up, in order to overcome his
friend's hopeless despair. "Jerry's fixed this whole thing so's to kill
nobody, Bob. That's easy to see. All he's after is the treasure that he
thinks is down there in the wreck. When he gets that, he and the rest
will light out with it, that's all. They're not the old kind of pirates.
They're bad enough, but they've got too much sense to murder anyone."

Under this sensible view of the situation Bob began to take a more
cheerful outlook, for he was more worried about his father than himself.
The broken wireless was now explained, and although Mart thought that he
could repair it, that would be out of the question at present. They
agreed that their best plan would be to accept things quietly, but that
Mart should get the wireless in shape at the first opportunity. He knew
their position, and if he could send out one call for help it would
undoubtedly be answered, as there were plenty of ships in these waters.

There was a tramping of feet on the deck, with loud shouts, and the boys
awoke from their lethargy of despair. It suddenly occurred to Bob that
they might arm the Kanakas and retake the ship, but upon searching for
Captain Hollinger's rifles, they found all vanished. Beyond a doubt,
Jerry and his men had confiscated the weapons and with them could easily
hold the Kanakas in check.

The only weapon remaining was an old elephant gun which Mart found in a
locker. It was a brute of a rifle, more like a cannon in appearance, and
there was no ammunition for it; in fact, Bob explained that his father
only kept it as a curiosity, and it was quite useless. Mart laid it
down, giving up thoughts of resistance.

"Let's see if they'll