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diff --git a/40548-0.txt b/40548-0.txt index c9f4ad5..624f08a 100644 --- a/40548-0.txt +++ b/40548-0.txt @@ -1,40 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rival Campers, by Ruel Perley Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rival Campers - or, The Adventures of Henry Burns - -Author: Ruel Perley Smith - -Illustrator: A. B. Shute - -Release Date: August 20, 2012 [EBook #40548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVAL CAMPERS *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 40548 *** THE RIVAL CAMPERS @@ -12151,360 +12115,4 @@ will be heartily welcomed in this new and attractive edition. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rival Campers - or, The Adventures of Henry Burns - -Author: Ruel Perley Smith - -Illustrator: A. B. Shute - -Release Date: August 20, 2012 [EBook #40548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVAL CAMPERS *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE - RIVAL CAMPERS - Or, - THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY BURNS - - - By - Ruel P. Smith - - ILLUSTRATED BY - A. B. SHUTE - - BOSTON - L. C. PAGE & COMPANY - 1905 - - - _Copyright_, _1905_ - By L. C. Page & Company - (INCORPORATED) - - _All rights reserved_ - - - Published July, 1905 - - - _Second Impression_ - _Third Impression, July, 1906_ - - - _COLONIAL PRESS - Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. - Boston. U. S. A._ - - - WITH LOVE TO - _Ruel Stevenson Smith_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. The Camp 1 - II. To the Rescue 17 - III. A Surprise 32 - IV. A Night with Henry Burns 51 - V. A Hidden Cave 72 - VI. Jack Harvey Investigates 90 - VII. Squire Brackett's Dog 109 - VIII. The Haunted House 125 - IX. Setting a Trap 142 - X. A Midnight Adventure 160 - XI. An Unpleasant Discovery 181 - XII. A Cruise Around the Island 199 - XIII. Storm Driven 220 - XIV. The Man in the Boat 238 - XV. Good for Evil 259 - XVI. A Treaty of Friendship 278 - XVII. The Fire 290 - XVIII. The Flight 306 - XIX. The Pursuit 324 - XX. Among the Islands 343 - XXI. The Trial 364 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - "'Look, Bob! Look!' he cried. 'What have we done?'" - (_Frontispiece_) 86 - "'What's the matter with you?' roared the Colonel" 67 - "'You're the worst one of all, Jack Harvey'" 114 - "Craigie reeled under the blow and staggered back against the - wall" 173 - "Boys and lobster-pot slumped into the sea" 211 - "'Will you shake hands with me?' he asked" 279 - - - - - THE RIVAL CAMPERS - - - - - CHAPTER I. - THE CAMP - - -On a certain afternoon in the latter part of the month of June, the -little fishing village of Southport, on Grand Island in Samoset Bay, was -awakened from its customary nap by the familiar whistle of the steamboat -from up the river. Southport, opening a sleepy eye at the sound, made -deliberate preparation to receive its daily visitor, knowing that the -steamer was as yet some distance up the island, and not even in sight, -for behind the bluff around which the steamer must eventually come the -town lay straggling irregularly along the shore of a deeply indented -cove. - -A few loungers about the village grocery-store seemed roused to a renewed -interest in life, removed their pipes, and, with evident satisfaction at -this relief from island monotony, sauntered lazily down to the wharf. The -storekeeper and the freight-agent, as became men burdened with the -present responsibility of seeing that the steamer was offered all -possible assistance in making its landing, bustled about with importance. - -Soon a wagon or two from down the island came rattling into the village, -while from the hotel, a quarter of a mile distant, a number of guests -appeared on the veranda, curious to scrutinize such new arrivals as might -appear. From the summer cottages here and there flags were hastily run -up, and from one a salute was fired; all of which might be taken to -indicate that the coming of the steamer was the event of the day at -Southport--as, indeed, it was. - -Now another whistle sounded shrilly from just behind the bluff, and the -next moment the little steamer shoved its bow from out a jagged screen of -rock, while the chorused exclamation, "Thar she is!" from the assembled -villagers announced that they were fully awake to the situation. - -Among the crowd gathered on the wharf, three boys, between whom there -existed sufficient family resemblance to indicate that they were -brothers, scanned eagerly the faces of the passengers as the steamer came -slowly to the landing. The eldest of the three, a boy of about sixteen -years, turned at length to the other two, and remarked, in a tone of -disappointment: - -"They are not aboard. I can't see a sign of them. Something must have -kept them." - -"Unless," said one of the others, "they are hiding somewhere to surprise -us." - -"It's impossible," said the first boy, "for any one to hide away when he -gets in sight of this island. No, if they were aboard we should have seen -them the minute the steamer turned the bluff, waving to us and yelling at -the top of their lungs. There's something in the air here that makes one -feel like tearing around and making a noise." - -"Especially at night, when the cottagers are asleep," said the third boy. - -"Besides," continued the eldest, "their canoe is not aboard, and you -would not catch Tom Harris and Bob White coming down here for the summer -without it, when they spend half their time in it on the river at home -and are as expert at handling it as Indians,--and yet, they wrote that -they would be here to-day." - -It was evident the boys they were looking for were not aboard. The little -steamer, after a violent demonstration of puffing and snorting, during -which it made apparently several desperate attempts to rush headlong on -the rocks, but was checked with a hasty scrambling of paddle-wheels, and -was bawled at by captain and mates, was finally subdued and made fast to -the wharf by the deck-hands. The passengers disembarked, and the same -lusty, brown-armed crew, with a series of rushes, as though they feared -their captive might at any moment break its bonds and make a dash for -liberty, proceeded to unload the freight and baggage. Trucks laden with -leaning towers of baggage were trundled noisily ashore and overturned -upon the wharf. - -In the midst of the bustle and commotion the group of three boys was -joined by another boy, who had just come from the hotel. - -"Hulloa, there!" said the new boy. "Where's Tom and Bob?" - -"They are not aboard, Henry," said the eldest boy of the group. - -The new arrival gave a whistle of surprise. - -"How do you feel this afternoon, Henry?" asked the second of the -brothers. - -"Oh, very poorly--very miserable. In fact, I don't seem to get any -better." - -This lugubrious reply, strange to say, did not evoke the sympathy which a -listener might have expected. The boys burst into roars of laughter. - -"Poor Henry Burns!" exclaimed the eldest boy, giving the self-declared -invalid a blow on the chest that would have meant the annihilation of -weak lungs. "He will never be any better." - -"And he may be a great deal worse," said the second boy, slapping the -other on the back so hard that the dust flew under the blow. - -"Won't the boys like him, though?" asked the third and youngest -boy,--"that is, if they ever come." - -Henry Burns received these sallies with the utmost unconcern. If he -enjoyed the effect which his remarks had produced, it was denoted only by -a twinkle in his eyes. He was rather a slender, pale-complexioned youth, -of fourteen years. A physiognomist might have found in his features an -unusual degree of coolness and self-control, united with an abnormal -fondness for mischief; but Henry Burns would have passed with the -ordinary person as a frail boy, fonder of books than of sports. - -Just then the captain of the steamer put his head out of the pilot-house -and called to the eldest of the brothers: - -"I've got a note for you, George Warren. A young chap who said he was on -his way here in a canoe came aboard at Millville and asked me to give it -to you; and there was another young chap in a canoe alongside who asked -me to say they'd be here to-night." - -"Hooray!" cried George Warren, opening and reading the note. "It's the -boys, sure enough. They started at four o'clock this morning in the -canoe, and will be here to-night. Much obliged, Captain Chase." - -"Not a bit," responded the captain. "But let me tell you boys something. -You needn't look for these 'ere young chaps to-night, because they won't -get here. What's more," added the captain, as he surveyed the water and -sky with the air of one defying the elements to withhold a secret from -him, "if they try to cross the bay to-night you needn't look for them at -all. The bay is nothing too smooth now; but wait till the tide turns and -the wind in those clouds off to the east is let loose! There's going to -be fun out there, and that before many hours, too." - -With this dismally prophetic remark the captain gave orders to cast off -the lines, and the steamer was soon on its way down the bay. - -The three brothers, George, Arthur, and Joe Warren, and Henry Burns left -the wharf and were walking in the direction of the hotel, when a remark -from the latter stopped them short. - -"Did it occur to any of you," asked Henry Burns, speaking in a slightly -drawling tone, "that we shall never have a better opportunity to play a -practical joke on your friends than we have to-day--?" - -"What friends?" exclaimed George Warren, indignantly. - -"I thought you said Tom Harris and Bob White were coming down the river -to-day in a canoe," said Henry Burns, in the most innocent manner. - -"And so they are. And you think we would play a joke on them the first -day they arrive, do you? I believe you would get up in the night, Henry -Burns, to play a joke on your own grandmother. No, sirree, count me out -of that," said George Warren. "It will be time enough to play jokes on -them after they get here. I don't believe in treating friends in that -way." - -"Rather a mean thing to do, I think," said Arthur Warren. - -"I'm out of it," said Joe. - -"It doesn't occur to any of you to ask what the joke is, does it?" asked -Henry Burns, dryly. - -"Don't want to know," replied George. - -"Nor I, either," said Arthur. - -"Keep it to play on Witham," said Joe. - -"Then I'll enlighten you without your asking," continued Henry Burns, -nothing abashed. "You did not notice, perhaps, that though your friends, -Tom and Bob, did not come ashore to-day, their baggage did, and it is -back there on the wharf. Now I propose that we get John Briggs to let us -take his wheelbarrow, wheel their traps over to the point, pitch their -tent for them, and have everything ready by the time they get here. It's -rather a mean thing to do, I know, and not the kind of a trick I'd play -on old Witham; but there's nothing particular on hand in that line for -to-day." - -Henry Burns paused, with a sly twinkle in his eyes, to note the effect of -his words. - -"Capital!" roared George Warren, slapping Henry Burns again on the back, -regardless of the delicate state of that young gentleman's health. "We -might have known better than to take Henry Burns seriously." - -"Same old Henry Burns," said Arthur. "Take notice, boys, that he never is -beaten in anything he sets his heart on, and that his delicate health -will never, never be any better;" and he was about to imitate his elder -brother's example in the matter of a punch at Henry Burns, but the -latter, though of slighter build, grappled with him, and after a moment's -friendly wrestling laid him on his back on the greensward, thereby -illustrating the force of his remark as to Henry Burns's invincibility. - -The suggestion was at once followed. Within an hour the boys had wheeled -the baggage of the campers to a point of land overlooking the bay. - -"It's all here," said Henry Burns, finally, as two of the boys deposited -a big canvas bag, containing the tent, upon the grass, "except that one -box on the wharf, which looks as though it contained food." - -"We can let that stay there till we get things shipshape here, or get -Briggs to put it in the storehouse by and by," suggested young Joe. - -But if they could have foreseen then that the leaving of the box there -upon the wharf, seemingly such an inconsequential thing, was to be the -means of creating no end of trouble, it is quite possible that even young -Joe himself, though rather fond of his ease, would have brought it away -on his own shoulders; but it seemed of no consequence whether it should -be removed then or later, and so the box remained where it was. - -It required but a brief time to pitch the tent. It was a large, -square-shaped canvas, with high walls on two sides, so that a person of -medium height could stand erect there, and running to a peak at the top -in the usual "A" shape. Putting the frame, of two poles and a -cross-piece, together, and drawing the canvas over it as it lay on the -ground, the two larger boys raised it into position while the others -drove the pegs and stretched the guy-ropes. - -"Now, then," drawled Henry Burns, "if you care to, we can carry the joke -still further by cutting some poles and putting up the bunks." - -This proposition also meeting with approval, Henry Burns and the eldest -of the Warrens started for the woods, about a mile distant, to cut some -spruce poles, leaving the younger brothers to complete the pegging of the -tent, ditching it, and getting things in order. - -The spot which had been selected for the camping-ground was one of the -most beautiful on the island. It was a small point of land projecting -into the bay, with a sandy beach on either side. Its outermost extremity, -however, ended in a wall of ledge, which went down abruptly, so that the -water at high tide came up to within a few feet of the greensward, and at -low tide dropped down, rather than receded, leaving no bare rocks -exposed. - -A few spruce-trees grew on the point, sufficient to give shade, and in -the midst of a clump of them was a clear spring of water that was cool to -iciness during the hottest days. The point commanded a view of the entire -bay on the eastern side of the island, so that when the breeze came up -from the south, as it did almost daily through the summer, blowing fresh -and steadily, the billows over all its broad surface seemed to be aiming -their blows directly at it, while every breath of wind was laden with a -salt odour that was health-giving and inspiring. - -It was a choice bit of land that Bob's uncle had purchased several years -ago, when a few speculators had thought the island might be "boomed" as a -summer resort. The little fishing village of Southport, which numbered -then some twenty odd houses, had, indeed, been augmented by the "boom" by -about the same number of cottages; and adjoining the old tavern there had -been built a more imposing structure, the new and the old composing the -summer hotel. - -But the village had not "boomed." It remained the same peaceful, quiet, -quaint, and interesting village as of yore. Those cottagers who remained -after the boom died out were rather glad than otherwise that the -picturesque place had not been transformed into a fashionable resort. -They liked it for its tranquillity and quaintness, and soon came into -sympathy and friendliness with the villagers, who had parted with their -lands only with the greatest reluctance, and who viewed the new order of -things with a suspicion born of years of conservativeness. - -The gaiety of the place centred about the hotel, where, too, the greater -number of the guests were those who came year after year, and who would -as soon have thought of going to Jericho as to any other place than the -island. - -The leading citizen of the village was Squire James Brackett, and its -moving spirit one Captain Curtis, or "Cap'n Sam," as he was familiarly -known. The former owned the best house in the village, a big, rambling, -two-story farmhouse, perched on the hill overlooking the harbour. He was -a vessel-owner and a man of importance. He was the only man in the town -who had persistently refused to associate with the summer residents, -which some attributed to the fact that he feared lest their coming might -disturb his sway over town affairs. - -Captain Sam was a man of altogether different stamp. It is safe to say he -was on good terms with everybody on the island. He was for ever busy; the -first man to arise in the town, and the last to retire at night. In fact, -it is a fair assumption that, had Captain Sam deserted the island at an -early date in its history, the town might have eventually fallen so sound -asleep that it would not have awakened to this day. - -Captain Sam united in his activities the duties of storekeeper, coal and -ice merchant, musician, constable, and schoolmaster, the latter vocation -occupying his winter months. The energy of the village was concentrated -in this one man, who seemed tireless. He was on intimate terms with -everybody, and knew everybody's business. That he was rather good-looking -was the cause of some pangs of jealousy on the part of young Mrs. Curtis, -when business called her husband away among the housewives and maids of -the village. Finally, Captain Sam had a voice which defied walls and -distance. It was even told by some of the village humourists that he had -once stood at the head of the island and hailed a vessel sailing around -the extreme southern end, thirteen miles distant. - -Grand Island, lying in the middle of the bay, almost divides the upper -part of it into two big bodies of water, so that there are two great -thoroughfares for vessels, leading out to sea, the western being the more -generally used, for it is a more direct passage. The eastern bay is -filled with islands at the entrance to the sea. - -In the course of an hour, the boys who had gone to the woods returned to -the camp, bringing with them four spruce poles. These were quickly -trimmed of their branches, and cut to an even length of about seven feet. -Then, four stakes being driven into the ground on each side of the tent -under the walls, to form the legs of the bunks, the poles were mounted on -these and made fast. Then pieces of board were nailed across from pole to -pole, and on these were placed mattresses stuffed with dry hay from -Captain Sam's stable. - -"There," said young Joe, throwing himself on one of them, "is a spring -bed that can't be beaten anywhere. I know some think spruce boughs are -better, but they dry, and the needles fall off, and the bed gets hard. -These will last all summer." - -The pliant spruce poles were as good, indeed, as springs. - -In the meantime the younger boys had dug a trench completely around the -tent, extending to the edge of the bank on one side of the point, so that -a heavy rain could not flood the floor. In the rear of the tent they had -set a huge box belonging to the campers, made of a packing-case and -provided with a cover that lifted on leather hinges, and a padlock. It -was, presumably, filled with the camp outfit. In one corner of the tent, -on a box, they placed a large oil-stove and oven. The bedding was taken -inside, and everything made shipshape. The comfort of the prospective -campers seemed assured. - -Over the top of the tent they had also stretched a big piece of stout -cloth, made for the purpose, which was fastened to the ground at the ends -with guy-ropes and pegs, and which was to protect the tent against -leaking water in any long rainy period, and also serve as additional -shade in hot weather. - -The boys had done a hard afternoon's work. Pinning back the flaps of the -tent, they sat at the entrance and looked out across the bay. The wind, -which blew from the southeast, had not grown idle during the afternoon, -but had increased steadily, and now came strong and damp from off the -bay, rushing in at the opening of the tent and bulging it out so that it -tugged violently at the ropes. - -"It won't do to leave the tent-door unpinned," said Henry Burns. "It's -going to blow great guns to-night." So, closing the entrance and making -it fast, they went to the edge of the bank and sat there. - -"It's rough out there now," said George Warren, pointing to the bay, -which was one mass of foaming waves; "but it will be worse from now till -midnight. The wind is going to blow harder and the tide is just beginning -to run out." - -The tide indeed set strongly down the island shore, so that when it met -the wind and waves blown up from oceanward it made a rough and turbulent -chop sea. - -All at once as they sat there a sailboat rushed out from behind the -headland across the cove and thrashed its way through the white-capped -waves, heading down the island and throwing the spray at every plunge -into the seas. Those aboard had evidently a reckless disregard for their -own safety, for, although such few coasters as could be seen in the -distance were scudding for harbour, fearful of the approaching storm, -this craft carried not only full mainsail and forestaysail,--sail, too, -that was large for the boat at all times,--but a topsail and a jib. The -boat was hauled well into the wind and heeled over, so that the water -again and again came over the board into the cockpit. - -Perched upon the windward rail were three boys. A fourth, a boy evidently -near George Warren's age, stood at the wheel, seemingly the most -unconcerned of all. He was large of his age and powerfully built, and his -sleeves, rolled above the elbow, showed two brown and brawny arms. A -fifth boy, somewhat younger in appearance, lying in the bottom of the -boat, with feet braced against the side, held the main-sheet. - -The boat was a white sloop, about thirty feet in length over all, and -clearly fast and able. - -"I'll say one thing for Jack Harvey and his crew," exclaimed George -Warren, as the yacht rushed by the point, "although I think they're a -mean lot. They can handle a boat as well as any skipper on the island. -And as for fear, they don't know what it means." - -"Look!" he cried. "Do you see what they are doing?" as the yacht was -suddenly brought, quivering, into the wind and headed away from the -island on the other tack. "There's nothing in the world Jack Harvey's -doing that for except to frighten the hotel guests. He sees the crowd on -the piazza watching him, and is just making game of their fright. He'll -sail out there as long as he dares, or until his topmast goes, just to -keep them watching him." - -And so indeed it proved. An anxious crowd of summer guests at the hotel -had no sooner begun to rejoice at the boat's apparent safety, than they -saw it go about and head out into the bay once more. Then they breathed -easier as it headed about again, and came rushing in. Then as it once -more headed for the bay, they realized that what they were witnessing was -a sheer bit of folly and recklessness. Angry as they were, they could but -stand there and watch the yacht manoeuvre, the women crying out whenever -a flaw threw the yacht over so that the mainsail was wet by the waves; -the men angry at the bravado of the youthful yachtsmen, and vowing that -the yacht might sink and the crew go with it before they would lift a -hand to save one of them. All of which they knew they did not mean,--a -fact which only increased their irritation. - -"Ah!" said George Warren, as a big drop of rain suddenly splashed on his -cheek. "Perhaps this will drive them in, if the wind won't." It had, -indeed, begun to rain hard, and, although the crew of the yacht must have -been drenched through and through with the flying spray, the water from -the sky had, evidently, a more dampening effect on their spirits, for the -yacht was headed inshore, and soon ran into a cove about three-quarters -of a mile down the island, behind a point of land where, through the -trees, the indistinct outlines of a tent could be seen. - -And so, as it was now the time when the sun would have set upon the bay, -if it had not been shut out from sight by a heavy mass of clouds, and as -the wind came laden with rain, which dashed in the faces of those who -were out-of-doors to encounter it, the boys turned from the spot where -they had gathered and hurried for shelter, the brothers to their cottage, -and Henry Burns to the hotel. - -The tent, swayed by the fierce gusts of wind, tugged at its ropes; the -reckless crew of the white sloop had found shelter, and those vessels -that were out upon the bay eagerly sought the same. - -But in that part of the bay which rolled between the northern end of the -island and the mouth of the river, fifteen miles away, a greater piece of -recklessness was being enacted than was ever dared by Harvey and his -careless crew. There was none on shore there to witness it, for the -island at that extreme end was bare of settlement. - -A mile from the nearest land, seemingly at the mercy of a wild sea which -threatened every moment to engulf it, a small canoe slowly and stubbornly -fought its way toward the island shore. At a distance one would have -thought it a mere log, tossed about at random by the waves; and yet, one -watching it would have seen it slowly draw ahead, glide from under the -spray that broke constantly over its bow, and still make progress; -sometimes beaten back by billows that tumbled fast one upon another, but -gaining something through it all. - -There were two occupants of the craft, and, though but mere youths, none -could have handled the paddles more skilfully. Yet it was a question of -the great sea's strength against their endurance. What would happen -should they find that there came a time when they made no gain? If they -turned about, even supposing that were possible, the storm might drive -them across the bay once more, but their strength and courage would be -gone, and they could hardly hope to reach the shore. It was either the -island goal or nothing. - -One standing on the shore would scarce have seen them now. Darkness began -to hide them. But the island loomed up, dim and shadowy, before them, and -they struggled on against the storm. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - TO THE RESCUE - - -A person leaving the wharf at Southport would ordinarily take one of -three roads: the one directly ahead leading up through the village and -past the hotel; the one to the left passing by, though at some distance -from, the cottages that were scattered irregularly along the south shore -of the bay; the road to the right leading similarly to the cottages on -that shore. The shore there, however, made a deep sweep, bordering on a -cove of some considerable extent. - -From the shore in all directions the land sloped back, with a gradual -rise for about a mile. Cottages dotted the slope here and there. - -To the right of the wharf and the farthest away from it of any dwelling -was the Warren cottage. Somewhat hidden in a grove of spruce-trees, its -broad piazza commanded a fine view of the bay and the islands in the -distance. - -On this particular evening, however, there was little inducement of wind -or weather for one to linger there. The rain, driven by the wind through -fluttering tree-branches, dashed itself against the cottage windows as -though the drops were drawn, like moths, to the light which shone from -within; then fell in pools and was swept away by driving gusts. Nought to -be seen there now but sea and sky in wild commotion; darkness in all the -air, blackness over all the bay. - -But, despite the dreariness of the storm outside, there was pleasing -comfort within the cottage. The increasing darkness of the night, the -dashing rain and the noisy wind, like unwelcome guests, came only to the -threshold and gained no admittance. A fire of driftwood blazed in the big -stone fireplace, and the soft rays shed by a lamp suspended from the -ceiling further lighted up the cosy room. - -There were four occupants of the room. Mrs. Warren, a sweet-faced, cheery -little woman, and the three brothers, were seated about the fire. They -were conversing earnestly, and, as the talk progressed, it seemed as -though the influence of the storm was getting into the room. - -"It's no use, mother," said George Warren, who stood in front of the -fireplace, facing the others, "trying to make us think that Tom and Bob -did not start to cross the bay. Ever since the boys were out in the big -storm on Moosehead Lake they've been afraid of nothing. Tom Harris -declares his canoe will stand as rough a sea as a dory,--and, what's -more, the storm hadn't begun by the time they must have left the mouth of -the river." - -"Yes, but Captain Chase would warn them not to cross." - -"I've no doubt he did, mother; and, if he did, that might make it so much -the worse. If the boys had been in a sailboat they probably would have -listened to him; but the captain would sneer at that canoe, and would -like as not tell them it wasn't fit to cross the bay in at any time, much -less in rough water. And that would be just enough to put them on their -mettle. They'd make the attempt, even if they had to put back." - -"Yes, and Tom said in the note that they would be here to-night," broke -in young Joe. "And when he gave that to Captain Chase to bring, it showed -he meant to start, anyway." - -"But when the storm increased they would put back," urged Mrs. Warren. - -"No," answered George, "they must have gotten two-thirds of the way -across the bay before the worst of the storm broke. The storm seemed to -hold up for an hour or two during the latter part of the afternoon, and -then increased all of a sudden with the turn of the tide. The boys would -have gotten so far across that it would be too late to turn back, and -they would have to keep on." - -"And yet you boys want to imitate their recklessness!" cried Mrs. Warren, -impatiently. "Come, Arthur," and she turned to the boy who had remained -silent thus far during the discussion. "Help me convince your brothers of -their mistake. You don't agree with them, I am sure." - -The boy thus addressed, though a year younger than his elder brother, was -the one on whose judgment the mother more often relied. He was fully as -active as the other two, but his was a calmer temperament than theirs. -This confidence in him really extended to his brothers, though they joked -him on his moderate, studious ways, and called him the "professor," -because he was a little near-sighted and sometimes wore glasses. He came -forward now and stood by his mother's chair. - -"I can't help thinking, mother, that George and Joe are right," he said, -deliberately, while poor Mrs. Warren gasped with dismay. "You wouldn't -have us play the parts of cowards while the boys may be in danger, and -when we can perhaps save them. There isn't half the danger you imagine, -either. The wind is blowing now squarely from the east, and once we have -beaten out of the cove we can sail alongshore without heading out to sea. - -"Then, too," he continued, "the yacht is nearly new, and was fitted with -new rigging this year. We'll promise to sail only a little past the head -of the island and return, or run into Bryant's Cove and walk back. It's -no more than we ought to do for the best friends we've got. There's not -another sailboat in the harbour to-night that is as stiff as ours, except -Jack Harvey's, and it's out of the question to ask him. The other boats -went out to the races at Seal Harbour, or we would get Captain Sam to go -in his yacht. We can't ask Jack Harvey to go--that's certain." - -"Wouldn't he laugh at us, though!" said George. "He would offer to tow -our boat along, too, or something of that sort, just to be mean, and then -there'd be a nice row." - -Besieged on all sides, Mrs. Warren could but yield a partial consent. - -"You and George can go," she said, turning to Arthur, "but Joe must stay -with me. I can't spare you all to take such an awful risk." - -"I won't stay!" cried young Joe, hotly. "That is to say, I--I don't want -to," he hastened to add, as Mrs. Warren looked reproachfully at him. -"They need me to help sail the _Spray_,--don't you, fellows?" - -"There ought to be three to manage the boat in this wind," said George, -somewhat reluctantly. "I guess you'll have to let him go, mother--" - -But at this moment there was the sound of footsteps upon the piazza. Some -one walked around the house, gave a premonitory knock at the door, and -let himself in. - -It was Henry Burns. He was equipped for the storm, in oilskins, rubber -boots, and a tarpaulin hat. The water ran from his clothing in little -streams and made a series of pools on the polished wood floor. Declining -Mrs. Warren's offer of a seat, on the ground that he was too wet, Henry -Burns stood by the mantel near the fireplace, and, with tarpaulin -removed, still looked the pale and delicate student, despite his rough -garments. - -"Ahoy there, shipmates," he said, with great gravity, waving the -tarpaulin at the group. "You weren't thinking of cruising for your health -this evening, were you? Because, if you were, my health isn't as good as -it might be, and I think a little salt air would do it good." - -"Bravo!" cried George Warren. "You might know Henry Burns would be on -hand if there was any excitement going on. Never knew him to fail,--Joe, -you'll have to stay at home now and keep mother company. We don't need -more than three. Come, Arthur, hurry! We mustn't lose a minute longer." - -And while young Joe turned away, almost in tears at the verdict, the -other two boys scrambled about, hastily donning reefers, oilskins, and -heavy boots. Then they were gone with a rush and a bang of the door, and -Mrs. Warren and Joe composed themselves as best they could to await their -return. - -And could any of them have imagined then, looking forth through the -darkness and the storm, an overturned canoe pounding helplessly upon the -beach of that island shore, it surely would not have comforted the -watchers nor have given courage to those who went forth to rescue. - -Descending the bank to the shore of the cove, the boys quickly launched a -rowboat, the tender to the yacht, and, with Henry Burns seated in the -stern, tiller-ropes in hand, the brothers, about equal in strength, -pulled vigorously across the cove, where the sloop lay at anchor under -the lee of the bluff. It was no easy task to cross the cove in that sea; -and often Henry Burns turned the boat from its course and headed out -toward the entrance, to meet some enormous wave that, had it broken over -the side of the boat, would have filled and swamped it. - -The yacht _Spray_, sheltered as it was from the brunt of the storm, was -tossing about uneasily as the boys climbed aboard and made the tender -fast astern. It was a small craft, about twenty-five feet over all, with -the hull painted black. It was trim and was able for its size, but, safe -to say, not a fisherman in the village would have cared to put out in it -this night. Still, the boat had been built on an outer island of the bay -for fishing in heavy weather, and was seaworthy. - -There were three sets of reefing-points in the mainsail, and, after some -discussion, it was decided to reef the sail down to its smallest size. -While Henry Burns hoisted the sail slightly, the brothers hastily tied in -the reefs, and the halyards were then drawn taut at throat and peak and -made fast. The tender was tied to the buoy. There was no use trying to -tow it in that sea. Then, with George Warren at the tiller, Arthur and -Henry Burns cast off, and the voyage was begun. - -When Mr. Warren purchased the boat for his boys, he had it rigged with -especial care for an emergency. The main-sheet was rigged to run through -a double set of pulleys, so that the mainsail could be hauled with -comparative ease in a heavy gale. The sail he had cut down smaller than -the boat had been carrying, so there was less danger of her capsizing. -That very precaution was, however, to prove a source of trouble on this -particular night. - -Arthur Warren and Henry Burns now came aft, the iron centreboard was -dropped, and the yacht was almost instantly under headway, standing out -by the bluff and heading almost directly across the cove. Arthur Warren -held the main-sheet, while Henry Burns seated himself, with feet braced -against the centreboard-box, ready for any emergency. - -For a moment they were in comparatively smooth water, and then, as they -emerged from the lee of the headland, it seemed as though they had been -suddenly transported into another sea. The wind that struck them careened -the boat over violently, as they were as yet under but little headway. -Easing the yacht for a moment with the sheet, they righted somewhat, but -the prospect was not pleasing. The _Spray_ did not head into the wind -well, and they soon found they could not make even a straight course -across the harbour, with the slant of wind they had. - -"We may make something on the next tack," said George, "but it doesn't -look very encouraging." - -"Supposing you see how she comes about before we run in near shore," -suggested Arthur, after some minutes. - -In answer, George put the tiller hard down, after giving the little boat -a good headway. The yacht went sluggishly in stays, hung almost in the -eye of the wind for a moment, and then, failing to make headway against -the heavy seas, fell off once more and would not come about. - -"There's only one thing we can do, boys," said George. "We must run in -under the shelter of the wharf and shake out that last reef. The sail is -too small to reef down so close. I'm sure she will beat under a double -reef. It's the only thing left to do." - -It was the work of but a few minutes to carry out this plan. The third -reef was shaken out and the sail hoisted. Once more the yacht emerged -from shelter. The change for the better in its working was at once -apparent. It pointed higher into the wind, though careening over so that -the water came unpleasantly near the top of the high wash-boards. But the -yacht would stand this. The question now to be tested was, would she act -and come about under the still small sail she was carrying against the -force of such a sea. - -"Now, then," said George, as they neared the bluff again, "we will try -her once more. If she fails now we are beaten. We cannot carry more sail. -That's sure." - -He put the tiller down as he spoke, and the _Spray_, responding bravely, -headed into the seas. They strove angrily to overwhelm the little craft, -and dashed furiously against her bows, while the wind worried the -flapping sails as though it would tear them from boom and mast; but the -_Spray_ held on and came about nobly, and they were away again on the -other tack, standing across the harbour. - -It seemed an hour before they had beaten out where they dared to stand -past the bluff and head alongshore. They had left all shelter hopelessly -behind; on one side of them a wilderness of foaming waves rushed upon -them from the darkness; on the other side lay the lee shore, high and -rock-bound for the most part, but now and then broken by small stretches -of beach. Against the former, the seas broke with heavy crashings; upon -the other, with an ominous booming. - -But they headed off the wind a trifle, eased the sheet, made by the -point, and stood along the shore as near as they dared to run. It was -well for them that the little yacht was a good sea boat. Again and again, -as some wave, lifting its white crest above the others, threatened to -overwhelm them, the yacht was headed out to sea, and then the wave, -lifting the boat high on its crest and rolling rapidly from beneath it -till half the length of the yacht seemed poised in air, left it to fall -heavily upon the next oncoming wave, or, worse still, to plunge into a -watery gulf, there to be half-buried by the next big sea. - -But the yacht lived through it all and kept bravely on its course. Henry -Burns's arms ached with bailing out the cockpit, where the seas broke in -over the quarter, or came aboard in clouds of spray as they headed into -the wind. - -They dared not sail near the shore, and could see it but indistinctly, -save when some larger wave broke upon the beach and carved out a white -line of foam, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. So against the -cliffs that they passed they could see a sudden blur of white as a big -wave hurled itself to destruction. Beyond this all was blear and -indistinct. - -They were now within half a mile of the head of the island, and, looking -ahead into the darkness, which, with the rain, had greatly increased -within the last hour, like the beginning of a fog, they realized how -useless was the search they had begun. They could see but the merest -distance in any direction. The storm was steadily increasing, and already -a new condition confronted them. The wind was shifting to the southeast, -from east, so that their return was rendered impossible. It was worse -than folly to think of beating back in such a head sea. The wind on their -quarter was driving them along furiously. It was madness to dream of -keeping on past the head of the island. - -"We can't make Bryant's Cove any too soon to suit me," said George. "The -_Spray_ has got more wind now than she knows what to do with." - -The little boat was, indeed, burying her bows under at every plunge, and -trembled in all her timbers at the fearful strain. It was plain that she -had reached the limit of her seaworthiness. Bryant's Cove was a short -distance around the head of the island. Once there, they would be -sheltered from the storm. - -The boys had ceased to speak of a possible rescue of their friends. It -was a question of their own salvation now, and the instinct of -self-preservation asserted itself. Henry Burns peered eagerly ahead, but -looked only for the point of land behind which lay their safety. Suddenly -he turned and uttered a shrill cry of fright, such as no one had ever -heard from him before. - -"Luff her, George! Luff quick--quick, for your life!" he cried, and, -springing for the tiller, threw his weight against it ere the startled -helmsman could find strength to act. - -The yacht, with sails slatting, came into the wind amid a cloud of spray. -The boom, striking a wave, had nearly snapped in two. But it was not an -instant too soon. - -A black object that looked enormous rose suddenly out of the sea in front -of the _Spray_. The next wave lifted it high in the air, and hurled it -down upon them. It was a ship's yawl-boat, of immense size, fully as -large as the yacht itself. Down the watery declivity it shot, swift and -straight, like some sea-monster in pursuit of its quarry. - -But the little yacht had answered her helm well. There was a crash and a -splintering of wood, and the yawl drifted rapidly past and was lost in -the darkness. The yacht _Spray_, her bowsprit and fore-rigging torn away, -once more fell off the wind and was driven on by the storm. It was an -escape so narrow that a moment more and they had been dashed to pieces. - -Henry Burns was the first to regain his courage. - -"It's better the bowsprit than the rudder," he said, coolly. And his -courage gave them strength. A few minutes later they had passed the head -of the island and gained the lee of the land, and in fifteen minutes more -they had cast anchor in Bryant's Cove. - -"I am willing to do whatever you boys think is best," said George Warren, -as they lowered and furled the sail and made the yacht snug for the -night. "But I think it's of no use for us to make any search for the boys -along this shore. If they capsized in the bay to-night, neither they nor -their canoe would come ashore here. The canoe would be blown across the -bay; and they-- Well, we're bound to believe that they didn't start, or, -if they did, that they put back." - -"I don't see but what we have done all we can to-night," responded his -brother; "and, as we have got five miles of muddy road to travel, the -sooner we start the better. We could stay in the boat to-night, but we -must get back on mother's account. Depend upon it, she has worried every -single minute we have been gone, and I don't blame her, either. Now it's -all over, I don't mind saying I think we were fools to come out. But we -meant well, so perhaps the less said the better. We'll have to leave the -_Spray_ to herself till the storm goes down. Nobody will harm her." - -"I don't mind staying here to-night and looking after her," said Henry -Burns. "To be sure, old Witham doesn't know I have left the hotel, but I -tumbled my bed up before I came away, and he will only think I got up -early in the morning, if he wonders where I am." - -"No, no, old fellow. We won't let you stay. We won't hear of it," said -both brothers. "The sooner we all get home and get dry clothes on, the -better. There's no need of any of us staying. The _Spray_ won't sail out -of the cove of herself, and every one on the island knows her." - -So, as they had left the tender behind, they removed their clothing, tied -it into bundles, slung them around their necks, and, slipping overboard, -swam to shore. - -"If I ever was more glad to get on land alive than I am at present," said -Henry Burns, his teeth chattering with the cold, as he hastily scrambled -into his clothes, "I don't happen to remember it just at this instant. I -wonder if my aunt would send me down here again for my health if she -could see me now." - -There was something so ludicrous in the idea that the boys could not help -bursting into roars of laughter,--though they felt little enough like -merriment. - -"The more I think of it," said Henry Burns, "the more I believe the boys -are snug ashore at Millville, and that they haven't been within ten miles -of Grand Island to-night." - -"I think you are right, Henry," responded Arthur. - -"It must be so," said George. - -And yet not one of them dared to believe absolutely that what he said was -true. - -They started off across lots now, walking as rapidly as their wet and -heavy clothing would allow, to strike the road which led to the harbour. -Coming at length into this road, they had walked but a short distance, -and were at the top of a hill at a turn of the road where it left the -shore, when Henry Burns, pointing down along the shore, said: - -"We ought to remember that part of the bay as long as we live, for we -shall never be much nearer to death than we were right there." - -"Sure enough," responded Arthur, "it was just about off there that the -big yawl smashed our bowsprit off." - -"The yawl must have been driven ashore by this time," said George. "Wait -a minute and I will take a look." And he disappeared over the bank and -was lost in the bushes. The two boys seated themselves by the side of the -road to await his return, but started up with a horror in their hearts as -a shrill cry came up to them from the shore. There was that in the cry -that told them that George Warren had found other than the ship's -long-boat. They scarcely dared to think what. Then they, too, dashed down -the slope to the shore. - -When they reached his side, George Warren could scarcely speak from -emotion. - -"Look! Look!" he cried, in a trembling, choking voice, and pointed out -upon the beach where the tide had gone down. - -There were two strange objects there that the sea had buffeted in its -wild play that night, and then, as though grown tired of them, had cast -upon the shore, among the rocks and seaweed. - -One was the long-boat, no longer an object of danger, for the sea had -hurled it against a rock and stove its side in. The other was a canoe. -The sea had overturned it and tossed it upon the shore. Two of its -thwarts were smashed where it had been dropped down and pinioned upon a -rock--and the rock held it fast. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - A SURPRISE - - -With hearts beating quick and hard, they lifted the canoe from the rock, -fearful of what they might find beneath it; but there was nothing there. -Then they searched along the beach in the darkness as best they could, -peering anxiously into clumps of seaweed, and standing now and again -fixed with horror as some dim object, cast up by the sea, assumed in -shadowy outline the semblance of a human form. The shore was heaped here -and there with piles of driftwood and ends of logs that had come down -through countless tides and currents from the lumber-mills miles up the -river, and this stuff had lodged among the ledges and boulders at various -points along the beach. Here and there among these they hunted, groping -amid the seaweed, cold and chill to the touch, and suggesting to their -minds, already alert with dread, the most gruesome of discoveries which -they feared to make. - -That the boys had crossed the bay in the frail craft which they had just -found there seemed to be no possible doubt. Furthermore, they were now -led to believe that Tom and Bob, having once reached a point where they -could have found shelter, had chosen to keep on past the head of the -island in an effort to make the harbour of Southport. They must at least, -as the wind had blown, have reached a point opposite where the boys had -found the canoe, and have, perhaps, paddled some distance beyond. - -But it was clearly useless to continue the search further in the darkness -and storm. They lifted the canoe and carried it up from the beach, and -hid it in the bushes upon the bank. Then they went slowly back to the -road. - -"I tell you what we can do," said Arthur Warren. "I hate to go back to -the cottage without making one more search. Let's get a lantern and come -back. We shall not have to go far for one,--and we shall have done all we -can, then, though it is a bad night to see anything." - -The rain was, indeed, pouring in torrents and driving in sheets against -their faces. - -"Yes, we must do that much," said George. "And then--then we can come -back in the morning--" His voice choked, and he could not say more. They -went on down the muddy road in silence. - -Shortly below the hill, upon the road, was a big farmhouse, arriving at -which they turned into the yard. The house was in darkness, save one dim -light in a chamber; but they pounded at the door with the heavy brass -knocker till they heard the shuffling of feet in the entry, and a voice -inquired roughly what was wanted. They answered, and the door was opened -cautiously a few inches, where it was held fast by a heavy chain. An old -man's face peered out at them. The sight of the boys was evidently -reassuring, for, in a moment more, the man threw open the door and -invited them to walk in. - -"There be rough sailors come by some nights," he said, in a manner -apologizing for his suspicion. "I'm here alone, and"--he lowered his -voice to a husky whisper--"they do say that I have a bit of money hid -away in the old house. But it's a lie. It's a lie. It's the sea and the -garden I live on. There's not a bit of money in the old house. But what -brings you out in such a storm? You haven't lost your way, have you?" - -They told their story, while the old man sat in a chair, shaking his head -dubiously. When they told him of the finding of the canoe, and their -certainty that the boys had crossed in it, he declared that it could -never have lived to get to the island. - -"It must have come from down below," he said. "It could never have been -paddled across the bay against this sea. Two boys, d'ye say, paddled it? -No. No, my lads, never--upon my life, never. Two stout men in a dory, and -used to these waters, might have done it; but two lads in a cockle-shell -like that would never have reached the Head, let alone getting beyond -it." - -He seemed to regard them almost with suspicion, when they told him of how -they had sailed up along shore in search of their comrades, and was -perhaps inclined to believe their whole story as some kind of a hoax. -Certain it was he gave them little comfort, except to say he would look -alongshore in the morning. If any one had drowned offshore in the -evening, they might not come ashore till the next day, he said. - -But he got a battered lantern for them and handed it over with a -trembling hand, cautioning them to be careful of it, and to leave it by -the door on their way back. They heard him bolt the heavy door behind -them as they turned out of the yard into the road. A clock in the kitchen -had struck the hour of ten as they left the house. - -"Isn't it very probable, after all," said George, as they walked along, -"that the man may be right, and that this canoe we have found is one that -has been lost off some steamer?" - -"It seems to me perhaps as probable," answered Henry Burns, "as that the -boys should have attempted to keep on in the storm, having once reached a -place of safety." - -"I wish I could think so," said Arthur. "But I can't help fearing the -worst,--and if the boys are lost," he exclaimed bitterly, "I've seen all -I want to of this island for one summer. I'd never enjoy another day -here." - -"I won't believe it's their canoe until I have to," said George. "They -are not such reckless chaps as we have been making them out." - -And he tried to say this bravely, as though he really meant it. - -They tramped along the rest of the way to the shore in silence, for none -of them dared to admit to another that which he could not but believe. - -By the lantern's dim and flickering light they searched the beach again -for a half-mile along in the vicinity of where the canoe had come ashore. -But nothing rewarded their hunt. - -"The old man must be right," said George Warren. "The canoe must have -come ashore from some steamer. Let's go home, anyway. We've done all we -can." - -Heart-sick and weary, they began the tramp back to the cottage. At about -a mile from the old farmhouse, where they left the lantern, they turned -off from the road and made a cut across fields, till they came at length -to the shore of the cove opposite the Warren cottage. They could see -across the water the gleam of a large lantern which young Joe had hung on -the piazza for them; but the boat they had expected to find drawn up on -shore was gone. - -"Old Slade must be over in town," said Henry Burns; "and he won't be back -to-night, probably. So it's either walk two miles more around the cove or -swim out to the tender. We're all of us tired out. Shall we draw lots to -see who swims?" - -"I'll go, myself," volunteered George. "I'd rather swim that short -distance than do any more walking. I'm about done up, but I am good for -that much." And he threw off his clothing once more, and swam pluckily -out to the tender and brought it ashore. They pulled across the cove to -the shore back of the cottage, and, springing out, carried the boat high -up on land. - -They were at the cottage then in a twinkling; but, even before they had -reached the door, dear Mrs. Warren, who had heard their steps upon the -walk, was outside in the rain, hugging her boys who had braved the storm -and who had come back safe. She was altogether too much overcome at the -sight of them, it seemed, to inquire if they had found those in search of -whom they had set out. - -And then the dear little woman, having embraced and kissed them as though -they had been shipwrecked mariners, long given up for lost,--not -forgetting Henry Burns, who wasn't used to it, but who took it calmly all -the same, as he did everything else,--hurried them into the kitchen, -where young Joe had the big cook-stove all of a red heat, and where dry -clothing for the three from the extensive Warren wardrobe was warming by -the fire. - -A comical welcome they got from young Joe, who had been just as much -worried as Mrs. Warren, but who hadn't admitted it to his mother for a -moment, and had scornfully denied the existence of danger, and yet who -was every bit as relieved as she to see the boys safe. He tried not to -appear as though a great weight had been removed from his mind by their -return, but made altogether a most commendable failure. - -The big, roomy, old-fashioned kitchen--for the Warren cottage had -originally been a rambling old farmhouse, which they had remodelled and -modernized--had never seemed so cosy before. And the fire had never -seemed more cheery than it did now. And when they had scrambled into dry, -warm clothing, and Mrs. Warren had taken the teakettle from the hob, and -poured them each a steaming cup of tea, to "draw out the chill," they -forgot for the moment what they had been through and their sad discovery. - -In fact, it seemed as though Mrs. Warren and young Joe were strangely -indifferent to what had sent them forth, and were easily satisfied with -the opinions expressed by the boys, who had agreed not to mention the -finding of the canoe until something more definite was learned, that Tom -and Bob had in all probability not left the river. - -So easily satisfied, indeed, and so little affected by the fruitless -errand they had been on, that all at once Henry Burns, who had been eying -Mrs. Warren sharply for some moments, suddenly rose up from where he was -sitting, and rushed out of the kitchen, through the dining-room, into the -front part of the house. Wondering what had come over him, the others -followed. - -What they saw was a tableau, with Henry Burns as exhibitor. He had drawn -aside the heavy portière with one hand, and stood pointing into the room -with the other. - -There, seated before the fireplace, were two boys so much like Tom and -Bob, whom they had given up for lost, that their own mothers, had they -been there, would have wept for joy at the sight of them. And then, what -with the Warren boys pounding them and hugging them, like young bears, to -make sure they were flesh and blood, and not the ghosts of Tom and Bob, -and with the cheers that fairly made the old rafters ring, and the -happiness of Mrs. Warren, who was always willing to adopt every boy from -far and near who was a friend of one of her boys,--what with all this, -there was altogether a scene that would have done any one's heart good, -and might have shamed the storm outside, if it had been any other kind of -a storm than a pitiless southeaster. - -Then, though the hour was getting late, they all sat about the big -fireplace, and Tom narrated the story of the shipwreck. - -But, just as he began, young Joe said, with mock gravity: - -"We haven't introduced Henry Burns to the boys yet. Henry, this is Tom -Harris, and this is Bob White." - -"I don't think we need an introduction to one who has risked his life for -us," said Tom Harris, heartily, as he and Bob sprang up to shake hands -with Henry Burns. But Henry Burns, carrying out the joke, bowed very -formally, and politely said he was extremely happy to make their -acquaintance. At which Tom and Bob, unfamiliar with the ways of Henry -Burns, stared in astonishment, which sent the Warren boys into roars of -laughter. - -The boys thus introduced to Henry Burns were handsome young fellows, -evidently about the same age,--in fact, each lacked but a few months of -fifteen,--thick-set and strongly built. The sons of well-to-do parents, -and neighbours, they had been inseparable companions ever since they -could remember. Tom Harris's father was the owner of extensive tracts in -the Maine woods, from which lumber was cut yearly and rafted down the -streams to his lumber-mills. In company with him on several surveying and -exploring expeditions, the boys had hunted and fished together, and had -paddled for weeks along the streams and on the lakes of the great Maine -wilderness. - -They had hunted and fished in the Parmachenee and the Rangeley Lake -region, and knew a great deal more of real camp life than most boys of -double their age. Further than this, they were schoolmates, and were so -equally matched in athletic sports, in which they both excelled, that -neither had ever been able to gain a decided victory over the other. Tom -was of rather light complexion, while Bob was dark, with curly, black -hair. - -It was through their friendship with the Warren boys, who lived not far -from them, in the same town, that they had decided to spend the summer -camping on Grand Island. - -As they all gathered around the cheerful blaze of the fire, Tom told the -story of the day's adventures. - -With so much of their camp kit as they needed for cooking along the -river, they had started from the town of Benton at about four o'clock -that morning, just as the tide began to ebb. Hardened as they were to the -use of the paddle, by the time the tide had ceased to ebb and slack water -ensued, they had left the city miles behind and were well down the river. - -Then the flood tide began to set strong against them, and a wind arose -that furrowed the river with waves that were not big enough to be -noticeable to larger craft, but which seriously impeded the progress of -the frail canoe. They kept steadily on, but made slow headway. - -At Millville, a few miles above the mouth of the river, where it -broadened out into the bay, they had met the steamer, and had hastily -scrawled the note which Captain Chase had brought to the Warren boys. - -Sure enough, Captain Chase had warned them of the impending storm, and, -furthermore, had offered to transport them and their canoe across the -bay; but they had declined his offer, wishing to paddle the entire -distance to the island. They had set their hearts on making the trip of -forty miles in one day; and partly for this reason, and partly because -Captain Chase had looked askance at their canoe, and had assured them -that it was not a fit craft for bay work in any weather, let alone in a -heavy sea, they had set out, toward the latter part of the afternoon, to -cross the fifteen miles of bay which lay between them and Grand Island. - -The storm which had threatened gradually closed in around them, but they -held on stubbornly, until, when too far across the bay to put back, it -rapidly gathered strength, and soon turned what had been a comparatively -safe pathway across the sea into a wilderness of waves, that at one -moment rose high above the bow of the canoe, dashing them with spray as -the sharp canoe cleaved them, and the next dropped down beneath them, -opening a watery trench, into which they plunged. - -They had seen storms like this, that came quick and sharp upon the lakes, -heaving up a sea almost in a moment, with squalls that swept down from -the hills. They had been safely through them before; but at those times -it had been a short, sharp battle for a half-hour at most, before they -could reach a friendly shore. But here it was different. Here were miles -of intervening water between them and the nearest land. This was no lake, -to be quickly within the shelter of some protecting point of land. - -But they had never for a moment lost courage nor despaired of coming -through all right. They struggled pluckily on, and might have gotten -safely to land without mishap, if they had been familiar with the shore -of the island. To a stranger, the shore about the head of the island -presented a sheer front of forbidding cliffs, rising abruptly from the -water, and against which, in a storm, the sea dashed furiously. - -There was apparently no place at which a boat could be landed; and yet, -hidden behind the very barrier of ledge that sheltered it, lay Bryant's -Cove, as quiet and sequestered a pool as any fugitive craft could wish to -find. Had the boys known of its existence, they would have landed there, -and have been at the Warren cottage before the _Spray_ had left the -harbour. - -As it was, there seemed to them to be no alternative but to keep on to a -point about half a mile farther along the shore, where they hoped to be -able to make a landing upon the beach. - -They had accomplished the distance, and were fast nearing a place where -they could land in safety, when a most unexpected and disastrous accident -happened. Suddenly, and without the slightest warning of its weakness, -the paddle which Bob was using snapped in two in his hands. At the same -moment a wave hit the canoe, and, with nothing with which to keep his -balance, Bob was thrown bodily from the canoe into the sea, upsetting the -canoe and spilling Tom out at the same time. - -The boys were able to grasp the canoe and cling on for a few minutes. -They were both good swimmers, and often, in smooth water, had practised -swimming, with the canoe upset, and were able to accomplish the feat of -righting it, bailing it with a dipper, which they always carried attached -to one of the thwarts by a cord, and then climbing aboard over the ends. -But it was useless to attempt such a thing in this boisterous sea. - -Indeed, it was more than they could do, even, to cling to the overturned -craft, for soon an enormous wave struck it a blow broadside and tore it -from their grasp. Then ensued a fight for life that seemed almost -hopeless. They were near to shore, but the sea seemed to delight in -mocking them; tossing them in at one moment, so that they could grasp at -seaweed that lay above the ledges, and then clutching at them and drawing -them relentlessly back. - -It was then that their athletic training stood them in good stead. Less -hardy constitutions and weaker muscles than theirs would have quickly -tired under the strain. Refraining from useless struggles to gain the -shore, they waited their opportunity, and strove merely for the moment to -keep themselves afloat. In this manner they were, several times, almost -cast up on shore. - -All at once Tom Harris felt a sharp pain in his right hand. Then he -realized, with a thrill of hope, that he had struck it upon a rock. It -was, indeed, a narrow reef that made out some distance from shore. They -had narrowly escaped being dashed upon it head-foremost. Tom waited and -gathered his strength as the next wave hurled him on its crest in the -direction of the ledge. Then, as the wave bore him with great force -against it, he broke the force of the shock with his hands, was thrown -roughly up against it, and managed to cling fast, with his fingers in a -niche of the rock, as the wave, receding, strove to drag him back again. - -Then, holding on with one hand, he managed somehow to grasp at Bob as he -was drifting by, and hold him fast and draw him in. Clinging to the ledge -as each succeeding wave broke over them, they waited till they had -regained their strength and recovered their wind, and then slowly worked -their way along the ledge to shore, and at length were safe, out of the -sea's fury. - -Then they had rested awhile, before setting out on foot. Their canoe they -could see at some distance out from shore, tossing about at the mercy of -the waves. It must of necessity come ashore in due time, but it might not -be for an hour, and they resolved not to wait for it, but to push on to -their destination, returning on the morrow to look for it. They followed -the shore for about a mile down the island, till they met a fisherman, -who told them how to get to the Warren cottage by the same route the -Warren boys and Henry Burns had taken a few hours later. - -They had crossed the cove in old Slade's boat, and, expecting to astonish -the Warren boys by their appearance, in the midst of the storm, had -found, to their dismay, that those whom they had expected to find safe at -home were imperilling their lives for them out in the bay. - -"Well, I must be up and moving," said Henry Burns, when Tom had concluded -his narrative. "I don't mind saying I'm a bit tired with this night's -work--and I guess you are, by the looks. I can sleep, too, now that I -know that you are not down among the mermaids at the bottom of Samoset -Bay." - -"Why don't you stay here with the boys to-night, Henry?" said Mrs. -Warren. "You cannot get into the hotel at this hour of the night, without -waking everybody up. Colonel Witham closes up early, you know." - -"No one but Henry Burns can, mother," said Joe Warren. "Henry has a -private staircase of his own." - -"It's a lightning-rod staircase, Mrs. Warren," explained Henry Burns. "I -use it sometimes after ten o'clock, for that is my bedtime, you know. -Mrs. Carlin--good soul--sends me off to bed regularly at that hour, no -matter what is going on; and so I have to make use of it occasionally." - -Mrs. Warren shook her head doubtfully. - -"You shouldn't do it, Henry," she said. "Although I know it is hard for a -strong, healthy boy to go off to bed every night at ten o'clock. Well, -that comes of being too strict, I suppose,--but do look out and don't -break your neck. It's a bad night to be climbing around." - -"Don't worry about Henry Burns, mother," said Arthur. "He wouldn't do it, -if he wasn't forced to it,--and he knows how to take care of himself, if -anybody does." - -"Well, good night," said Henry Burns. "And don't forget, I hold my -reception to-morrow night; and I extend to Tom and Bob a special -invitation to be present." And, with a knowing glance at George Warren, -Henry Burns took his departure. - -As the boys went off to bed that night, George Warren explained to them -that on the next night, the occasion being an entertainment in place of -the regular Wednesday night hop at the hotel, he and Henry Burns had -planned a joke on Colonel Witham, in which they were all to take part, -and, with this prospect in view, they dropped asleep. - -In the meantime Henry Burns, arriving at the hotel, and having learned by -previous experience that a lock on a rear door of the old part of the -hotel, which was not connected with the new by any door, could be -manipulated with the aid of a thin blade of a jack-knife, crept up to the -garret by way of a rickety pair of back stairs, and from thence emerged -upon the roof through a scuttle. Then, carefully making his way along the -ridge-pole to where the new part joined the old, he climbed a short -distance up a lightning-rod, to the roof of the new part. - -This was a large roof, nearly flat. He walked across, about midway of the -building, to where another rod, fastened at the top to a chimney, came -up. Clinging to this, Henry Burns disappeared over the edge of the roof, -found a resting-place for his foot on a projection which was directly -over his own window, and then lowered himself, like an acrobat, down the -rod to a veranda. Raising the window directly beside the rod, he slipped -inside, closed it softly, and in a few minutes more was abed and sound -asleep. - -While all Southport slept, the storm spent its force, and toward morning -gradually subsided. In the place of the beating rain there stole up -through the islands, in the early morning hours, great detached banks of -fog,--themselves like strange, white islands,--which shut out the bay -from the shore. They lay heavy over the water, and, as the boisterous -seas gradually gave way to the long, smooth waves that rolled in without -breaking, one might have fancied that the fog, itself, had a depressing -and tranquillizing influence upon the sea. - -Yet old fishermen would have ventured out then, without fear, for there -were signs, that might be read by the weather-wise, that a light west -wind was soon to be stirring that would scatter the fog at its first -advance, and sweep it back out to sea. - -But, brief as was the visitation of the fog, it sufficed to hide all -things from sight. And if a boat, in which one boy rowed vigorously, had -put forth from the camp of Jack Harvey, down in the woods, and had come -up along the shore to the wharf, and the box, which was a part of the -belongings of Tom Harris and Bob White, had been lowered from the wharf -into the boat and conveyed back to the camp and hidden away there,--if -all this had happened, it is safe to say that no one would have seen what -was done, nor would any one have been the wiser. - -Perhaps some such a thing might, indeed, have occurred, for when Tom and -Bob, Henry Burns, and the Warren boys met at the wharf the next -fore-noon, they found the box gone. They hunted everywhere, ransacked the -storehouse from one end to the other, but it was nowhere to be found. - -"And to think that it's all my fault," groaned young Joe, as they stood -at the edge of the wharf, after the unsuccessful search. "I might have -known John Briggs would forget to lock it up! It was left in the open -shed there, boys, protected from the rain, and he promised to look out -for it; but he must have forgotten. I spoke to him about it the last -thing last night, on our way home to the cottage." - -"Was it very valuable?" asked Henry Burns. - -"Ask Tom what he thinks," laughed Bob, while Tom tried to look -unconscious, but blushed furiously. - -"There's a pretty sister of mine," continued Bob, "that thinks so much of -us that she spent a week cooking up a lot of things for us to start our -camping with. There's a box full of the best stuff to eat you ever -tasted, that somebody will gobble up, I suppose, without once thinking or -caring about the one that made them. Pretty tough, isn't it, Tom?" - -Tom turned redder still, and felt of his biceps, as though he was -speculating what he would do to a certain person, if that person could -only be discovered and come up with. - -"I tell you what it is, boys," said George Warren; "things have had a -strange way of disappearing here this summer, as they never did before; -and, what's more, if Jack Harvey and his crew haven't stolen them, they -have at least got the credit for taking the most of it,--and you may -depend upon it, that box is down there in the woods, somewhere about that -camp." - -"Then what's to hinder our raiding the camp and getting it?" Tom broke -in, angrily. "Bob and I, with two of you, could make a good fight against -all of them." - -"No doubt of that, Tom," answered George Warren; "but there are two -things to be considered. First, we want to get the box back; and, second, -we are not absolutely certain that they have it. If they have it, you may -be certain that it is carefully hidden away, and we shouldn't recover it -by making an attack on them. We must find out where it is hidden first, -and then, if we cannot get it away otherwise, we will fight for it." - -"So it seems that we have two scores to settle now," said Henry Burns, -dryly. "We owe a debt now to Jack Harvey and his crew, and there's a -long-standing account with Colonel Witham, part of which we must pay -to-night. Be on hand early. The latch-string will be out at number -twenty-one." So saying, Henry Burns left them. - -Late that afternoon Tom and Bob, looking from the door of their tent -across the cove, saw a sight that was at once familiar and strange. It -was a canoe, in which were two occupants, and it was being paddled toward -their camp. The long seas, smooth though they were, still rolled in -heavily, and the light canoe tossed about on their crests like a mere -toy. Still, it did not take long for them to discover that the canoe was -their own. They had supposed it lost, though they had intended to set out -in search of it on the following morning. - -In the bow and stern, propelling the craft with paddles roughly -improvised from broken oars, were George and Arthur Warren. - -"Tom, old fellow," said Bob, as the canoe came dancing toward them, -"we've lost the box, but we've got the luck with us, after all. Not only -are we proof against drowning, but we own a canoe that refuses to be -wrecked." - -And then the bow of the canoe grated on the sandy shore. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A NIGHT WITH HENRY BURNS - - -Henry Burns, having neither father nor mother living, had been taken in -charge several years before this by an elderly maiden aunt, whose home -was in the city of Medford, Massachusetts. She was fairly well-to-do, -and, as there had been a moderate inheritance left in trust for the boy -by his parents, they were in comfortable circumstances. - -But Henry Burns was made, unfortunately, to realize that this does not -necessarily mean a home, with the happiness that the word implies. Good -Miss Matilda Burns, a sister of Henry's late father, never having known -the care of a family of her own, had devoted her life to the interests of -a half a score of missions and ladies' societies of different kinds, -until at length she had become so wrapped up in these that there was -really no room in her life left for the personality of a boy to enter. - -Henry Burns was a problem which she failed utterly to solve. Perhaps she -might have succeeded, if she had seen fit to devote less of her time to -her various societies, and more to the boy. But she deemed the former of -far more importance, and felt her duty for the day well performed, in the -matter of his upbringing, if she kept him out of mischief, saw that he -went off to school at the proper hour, and that he did not fall ill. - -To achieve two of these ends the most conveniently to her, Miss Matilda -exercised a restraint over Henry Burns which was entirely unnecessary and -altogether too severe. Henry Burns was naturally of a studious turn of -mind, and cared more for a quiet evening with a book than he did for -playing pranks about the neighbourhood at night. At the same time, he had -a healthy fondness for sports, and excelled in them. - -He was captain of his ball team, until Miss Matilda found it out and -ordered him to stop playing the game. She considered it too rough for -boys, having had no experience with boys of her own. And so on, with -swimming and several other of his healthful sports. They were altogether -too risky for Miss Matilda's piece of mind. It came about that Henry -Burns, in order to take part with his companions in their out-of-door -sports, found it necessary to play "hookey" and indulge in them without -her knowing it. He won a medal in a swimming-match, but never dared to -show it to Miss Matilda. - -Withal a healthy and athletic youth, he had a pale complexion, which -deceived Miss Matilda into the impression that he was sickly. He was -slight of build, too, which confirmed in her that impression. When once -her mind was made up, there was no convincing Miss Matilda. The family -doctor, called in by her for an examination, found nothing the matter -with him; but that did not avail to alter her opinion. The boy was -delicate, she said, and must not be allowed to overdo. - -Accordingly, she made life miserable for Henry Burns. She kept a watchful -eye over him, so far as her other duties would admit of, sent him off to -bed at nine o'clock, tried to dose him with home remedies, which Henry -Burns found it availed him best to carry submissively to his room and -then pitch out of the window, and, in short, so worried over, meddled -with, and nagged at Henry Burns, that, if he had been other than exactly -what he was, she would have succeeded in utterly spoiling him, or have -made him run away in sheer despair. - -Henry Burns never got excited about things. He had a coolness that defied -annoyances and disappointments, and a calm persistence that set him to -studying the best way out of a difficulty, instead of flying into a -passion over it. He had, in fact, without fully appreciating it, the -qualities of success. - -If, as was true, he was a problem to Miss Matilda, which she did not -succeed in solving, it was not so in the case of his dealings with her. -He made a study of her and of the situation in which he found himself, -and proceeded deliberately to take advantage of what he discovered. He -knew all her weaknesses and little vanities to a degree that would have -amazed her, and cleverly used them to his advantage, in whatever he -wanted to do. Fortunately for her, he had no inclination to bad habits, -and, if he succeeded in outwitting her, the worst use he made of it was -to indulge in some harmless joke, for he had, underlying his quiet -demeanour, an unusual fondness for mischief. - -What to do with Henry Burns summers had been a puzzle for some time to -Miss Matilda. She was accustomed, through these months, to visit an -encampment, or summer home, composed of several ladies' societies, and -the presence of a boy was a decided inconvenience. When, one day, she -learned that an old friend, one Mrs. Carlin, a fussy old soul after her -own heart, was engaged as housekeeper at the Hotel Bayview, at Southport, -on Grand Island, in Samoset Bay, she conceived the idea of sending Henry -Burns there in charge of Mrs. Carlin. - -So it came about that Henry Burns was duly despatched to Maine for the -summer, as a guest of Colonel Witham. He had a room on the second floor, -next to that occupied by the colonel, who was supposed also to exercise a -guardianship over him. As Colonel Witham's disposition was such that he -disliked nearly everybody, with the exception of Squire Brackett, and as -he had a particular aversion to boys of all ages and sizes, he did not -take pains to make life agreeable to Henry Burns. He was suspicious of -him, as he was of all boys. - -Boys, according to Colonel Witham's view of life, were born for the -purpose, or, at least, with the sole mission in life, of annoying older -people. Accordingly, the worthy colonel lost no opportunity of thwarting -them and opposing them,--"showing them where they belonged," he called -it. - -But this disagreeable ambition on the part of the colonel was not, -unfortunately, confined to his attitude toward boys. He exercised it -toward every one with whom he came in contact. Despite the fact that he -had a three years' lease of the hotel, he took absolutely no pains to -make himself agreeable to any of his guests. He looked upon them secretly -as his natural enemies, men and women and children whom he hoped to get -as much out of as was possible, and to give as little as he could in -return. - -He was noted for his meanness and for his surly disposition toward all. -Then why did he come there to keep a hotel? Because he had discovered -that guests would come, whether they were treated well or not. The place -had too many attractions of boating, swimming, sailing, and excellent -fishing, winding wood-roads, and a thousand and one natural beauties, to -be denied. Guests left in the fall, vowing they would not put up with the -colonel's niggardliness and petty impositions another year; but the -following season found them registered there again, with the same cordial -antipathy existing as before between them and their landlord. - -In person, Colonel Witham was decidedly corpulent, with a fiery red face, -which turned purple when he became angry--which was upon the slightest -occasion. - -"Here's another boy come to annoy me with his noise and tomfoolery," was -the colonel's inward comment, when Mrs. Carlin, the housekeeper, informed -him that Henry Burns was coming, and was to be under her charge. - -So the colonel gave him the room next to his, where he could keep an eye -on him, and see that he was in his room every night not later than ten -o'clock, for that was the hour Mrs. Carlin had set for that young -gentleman's bedtime. - -Henry Burns, having in due time made the acquaintance of the Warren boys, -as well as a few other youths of his age, had no idea of ending up his -evenings' entertainments at ten o'clock each and every night; so he set -about to discover some means of evading the espionage of the colonel and -Mrs. Carlin. It did not take him more than one evening of experimenting -to find that, by stepping out on to the veranda that ran past his own and -Colonel Witham's windows, he could gain the ascent to the roof by a -clever bit of acrobatics up a lightning-rod. Once there, he found he -could reach the ground by way of the old part of the hotel, in the manner -before described. It is only fair to Henry Burns to state that he did not -take undue advantage of this discovery, but kept on the whole as good -hours as most boys of his age. Still, if there was a clambake, or some -other moonlight jollification, at the extreme end of the island, where -Henry Burns had made friends among a little fishing community, he was now -and then to be seen, sometimes as the village clock was proclaiming a -much later hour than that prescribed by Mrs. Carlin, spinning along on -his bicycle like a ghost awheel. He was generally known and well liked -throughout the entire island. - -On the night following the arrival of Tom and Bob, the sounds of a -violin, a clarionet, and a piano, coming from the big parlour of the -Hotel Bayview, told that a dance was in progress. These dances, withal -the music was provided by the guests themselves, were extremely -irritating to Colonel Witham. They meant late hours for everybody, more -lights to be furnished, more guests late to breakfast on the following -morning, and, on the whole, an evening of noise and excitement, which -interfered more or less with his invariable habit of going to bed at a -quarter after ten o'clock every night of his life. - -They brought, moreover, a crowd of cottagers to the hotel, who were given -anything but a cordial welcome by Colonel Witham. He argued that they -spent no money at his hotel, and were, therefore, only in the way, -besides adding to the noise. - -The guests at the Bayview were, on the whole, accustomed to the ways of -Colonel Witham by experience, and really paid but little attention to -him. They went ahead, planned their own dances and card-parties, and left -him to make the best of it. - -This particular evening's entertainment was rather out of the ordinary, -inasmuch as it was given by a Mr. and Mrs. Wellington, of New York, in -honour of their daughter's birthday, and, on her account, invitations to -the spread, which was to be served after the dancing, were extended to -the young people of the hotel. In these invitations Henry Burns had, of -course, been included; but Mrs. Carlin and Colonel Witham were obdurate. -It was too late an hour for him; his eating of rich salads and ices was -not to be thought of; in short, he must decline, or they must decline for -him, and that was the end of it. - -"Never you mind, Henry," said good-hearted Bridget Carrington, who was -Mrs. Carlin's assistant, and with whom Henry Burns had made friendship. -"It's not you that'll be going without some of the salad and the -ice-cream, not if I know it. Sure, and Mrs. Wellington says you're to -have some, too. So just breathe easy, and there'll be a bit for you and a -little more, too, a-waitin' just outside the kitchen window about nine -o'clock. So go on now and say never a word." - -So Henry Burns, with the connivance of Bridget, and by the judicious -outlay of a part of his own pocket-money, in the matter of sweet things -and other delicacies dear to youthful appetites, had prepared and planned -for a small banquet of his own in his room, next to that of Colonel -Witham. - -"But how will you manage so that Colonel Witham won't hear us, as he will -be right alongside of us?" George Warren, who was a partner in Henry -Burns's enterprise, had asked. - -"Leave that to me," said Henry Burns. - -The evening wore on; the strains of the music sounded merrily along the -halls; dancing was in full swing,--everybody seemed to be enjoying the -occasion, save Colonel Witham. He had at least conceded to the occasion -the courtesy of a black frock coat and an immaculate white tie, but he -was plainly ill at ease. He stood in the office, the door of which was -open into the parlour, his hands twisting nervously behind his back, -while he glanced, with no good humour in his expression, now at the blaze -of lights in the parlour, and now at the clock, which, however, even -under his impatient gaze, only ticked along in its most provokingly -methodical fashion. - -The outer door opened and in walked young Joe Warren, recognized by -Colonel Witham as one of the plagues of his summer existence. - -"Good evening, Colonel Witham," said young Joe, with studied politeness, -and in a tone that ostensibly anticipated an equally cordial response. - -"Good evening!" snapped the colonel. - -"Good evening, Colonel Witham," chimed Arthur Warren, close at his -brother's heels. - -The colonel responded gruffly. - -"Good evening, colonel," came an equally cordial greeting from Tom and -Bob, and from George Warren, smiling at Colonel Witham, as though he had -extended them a hearty invitation to be present. - -The colonel snorted impatiently, while the colour in his red face -deepened. He did not respond to their salutations. - -The boys seated themselves comfortably in the office chairs, and listened -to the music. - -"You needn't think you're going to get Henry Burns to go off with you," -the colonel said, finally. "It's half-past nine now, and his bedtime is -ten o'clock. I wonder where he is." - -Arthur Warren chuckled quietly to himself. He could have told the colonel -just where Henry Burns was at that moment; that he was busily engaged in -conveying a certain basket of supplies from outside the kitchen window, -up a pair of back stairs, to his room on the second floor above. - -"You go and keep an eye on Colonel Witham," he had said to Arthur Warren, -"and if he starts to look for me, you go to the door and whistle." - -Which accounted for the sudden appearance of all the Warrens and Tom and -Bob in the presence of Colonel Witham. - -Fifteen minutes elapsed, and one by one they had all disappeared. - -"Good riddance," was the colonel's mental ejaculation when he found them -gone. - -Great would have been his amazement and indignation could he have but -seen them, a few minutes later, seated comfortably on the bed in Henry -Burns's room. It was approaching ten o'clock. - -"Where's Bob?" asked Henry Burns, as the boys quietly entered, and he -made the door fast behind them. - -"Hm!" said Tom, shaking his head regretfully. "It's a sad thing about -Bob. It's too bad, but I don't think he will be here, after all." - -"Why, what's the matter?" exclaimed Henry Burns, with surprise. "He isn't -hurt, is he? I saw him a few hours ago, and he seemed all right." - -"No, he isn't hurt,--at least, not the way you mean, Henry. The fact is, -he was dancing out on the piazza about half an hour ago with pretty -little Miss Wilson,--you know, the one in the cottage down on the -shore,--and the last I saw of Bob he was escorting her home. I'm afraid -we shall have to give him up for to-night." - -"That's too bad," said Henry Burns, solemnly, as though some grievous -misfortune had come upon Tom's chum. "And the worst of it is, it may last -all summer. Well, Bob will miss a very pleasant surprise-party to Colonel -Witham, to say nothing of the spread. That, by the way, is stowed away in -those baskets over behind the bed and the wash-stand,--but, first, we've -got to clear the coast of Colonel Witham." - -"We're yours to command, Henry," replied George Warren. "Tell us what to -do." - -"Well, in the first place," said Henry Burns, opening one of his windows -that led out on to the veranda, as he spoke, "the rest of you just listen -as hard as ever you can at my door, while George and I make a brief visit -to the colonel's room. If you hear footsteps, just pound on the wall, so -we can get back in time. It's pretty certain he won't be here, though, -until we are ready for him. He hasn't missed a night in weeks in getting -to bed exactly at a quarter past ten o'clock. He's as regular as a -steamboat; always on time. And he's a good deal like a steamboat, too, -for he snores like a fog-horn all night long." - -Henry Burns and George Warren disappeared through the window and were -gone but a moment, when they reappeared, each bearing in one hand a lamp -from the colonel's room. - -"The colonel is always talking about economy," explained Henry Burns, "so -I am not going to let him burn any oil to-night, if I can help it. My -lamps happen to need filling,--I've borrowed an extra one for this -occasion, and so, you see, I don't intend to waste any of the colonel's -oil by throwing it away. I'll see that not a drop of the colonel's oil is -wasted." - -Henry Burns carefully proceeded to pour the oil from each lamp which he -and George Warren had brought from the colonel's room into those in his -own room. - -"There," he said, "there's enough oil in each of those wicks to burn for -several minutes, so the colonel will have a little light to start in on. -But we don't want to return his lamps empty, and so I'll just fill them -up again. I'm sure the colonel would approve of this economy." - -And Henry Burns carefully refilled the colonel's lamps from his -water-pitcher. - -"It won't burn very well," he said. "But I'm sure it looks better." - -"Now, we'll just take these back again," he continued, addressing George -Warren. "And there's another little matter we want to arrange while we -are in there. The colonel is always finding fault with the housemaids. -Now we'll see if we can't improve on their work." - -Again the two boys disappeared, while the remaining three stood watch -against the colonel's sudden appearance. - -Once in the colonel's room, Henry Burns seized hold of the bedclothes and -threw them over the foot-board. Then he snatched out three of the slats -from the middle of the bed, replacing them with three slender sticks, -which he had brought from his own room. - -"Those will do to support the bedclothes and the mattress," he explained, -"though I'm really afraid they would break if any one who was kind of -heavy should put his weight on them." Then he carefully replaced the -mattress and the bedclothes, making up the colonel's bed again in the -most approved style, with his friend's assistance. - -"You take notice," he said to George Warren, as he opened a closet door -in the colonel's room, "that I am careful to destroy nothing of the -colonel's property. I might have sawed these slats in two, and left them -just hanging so they would support the bedclothes, and would not have -been any more trouble; but, being of a highly conscientious nature, I -carefully put the colonel's property away, where it can be found later -and restored." - -"I'm afraid the colonel wouldn't appreciate your thoughtfulness," said -George Warren. - -"Alas, I'm afraid not," said Henry Burns. "But that's often the reward of -those who try to look after another's interests. However, I'll put these -slats in this closet, shut and lock the door, and put the key here on the -mantelpiece, just behind this picture. It would be just as easy to hide -the key, but I don't think that would be right, do you?" - -"Certainly not," laughed George Warren. - -"There," said Henry Burns, taking a final survey of everything. "We've -done all we can, I'm sure, to provide for the colonel's comfort. If he -chooses to find fault with it, it will surely be from force of habit." -They took their departure by way of the colonel's window, closing it -after them, and quickly rejoined their companions in the next room. - -"I deeply regret," said Henry Burns to his guests, "that this banquet -cannot begin at once. But we should surely be interrupted by the colonel, -and, on the whole, I think it is best to wait until the colonel has taken -his departure for the night from that room,--which I feel sure he will -do, when the situation dawns fully upon him. - -"It also pains me," he added, "to be obliged to invite you all to make -yourselves uncomfortable in that closet for a short time. At least, you -will hear all that is going on in the colonel's room, for the partition -is thin between that and his room. So you will have to be careful and -make no noise. I feel quite certain that the colonel will make me a -sudden call soon after he retires, if not before, and he really wouldn't -approve of your being here. He's likely to have a decidedly unpleasant -way of showing his disapproval, too." - -"I think we can assure our kind and thoughtful host that we fully -appreciate the situation," said Arthur Warren, gravely, "and will be -pleased to comply with his suggestion to withdraw. Come on, boys, let's -get in. It's after ten now, and time is getting short." - -"You take the key with you," said Henry Burns, "and lock the door on the -inside. It's just an extra precaution; but I can say I don't know who has -the key, if anything happens. I won't know which one of you takes it." - -The four boys stowed themselves away in the stuffy closet, turned the key -in the lock, and waited. Henry Burns quickly divested himself of his -clothing, put a bowl of water beside his bed, placed a clean white -handkerchief near it, set a lamp near by on a chair, turned it down so -that it burned dim, unlocked his door so that it could be opened readily, -and jumped into bed. - -He did not have long to wait. Promptly at a quarter past ten o'clock the -heavy, lumbering steps of the corpulent colonel were heard, as he came up -the hallway. The colonel was puffing with the exertion which it always -cost him to climb the stairs, and muttering, as was his custom when -anything displeased him. - -"Suppose they'll bang away on that old piano half the night," he -exclaimed, as he passed Henry Burns's door. "And every light burning till -midnight. How do they expect me to make any money, if they go on this -way?" - -He opened the door to his room and went inside, locking it after him. -Henry Burns pressed his ear close to the wall and listened. - -The colonel, still talking angrily to himself, scratched a match and -lighted one of the lamps. Then he divested himself of his collar and tie, -threw his coat and waistcoat on a chair, and reseated himself, to take -off his boots. - -All at once they heard him utter a loud exclamation of disgust. - -"What on earth is the matter with that lamp?" he cried. "That comes of -having hired help from the city. Never look after things, unless you keep -right after them. How many times have I spoken about having these lamps -filled every day!" - -The colonel scratched a match. "Hulloa," he exclaimed, "it's full, after -all. Well, I see, the wick hasn't been trimmed. There's always something -wrong." The colonel proceeded to scrape the wick. Then he scratched -another match. The wick sputtered as he held the match to it. - -"Confound the thing!" yelled the colonel, now utterly out of temper. "The -thing's bewitched. Where's that other lamp? Oh, there it is. We'll see if -that will burn. I'll discharge that housemaid to-morrow." - -He scratched still another match, held it to the wick of the other lamp, -and was evidently satisfied with that, for they heard him replace the -lamp-chimney and go on with his undressing. - -In a few minutes more there came another eruption from the colonel. - -"There goes the other one," he yelled. "I know what's the matter. -Somebody's been fooling with those lamps. I'll make 'em smart for it." -The colonel unscrewed the part of the lamp containing the wick, took the -bowls of the lamps, one by one, over to his window, opened them, and -poured the contents of the lamps out upon the veranda. - -"Water!" he yelled. "Water! That's what's the matter. Oh, but I'd just -like to know whether it's that pale-faced Burns boy, or some of those -other young imps in the house. I'll find out. I'll make somebody smart -for this. Wasting my oil, too. I'll make 'em pay for it." - -The colonel set down the lamps, rushed out of his room into the hall for -the lamp that usually occupied a standard there. He did not find it, -because Henry Burns had taken the pains to remove it. The colonel made a -sudden dash for Henry Burns's door, rattled the door-knob and pounded, -and then, finding that in his confusion he had failed to discover that it -was unlocked, hurled it open and burst into the room. - -What the colonel saw was the pale, calm face of Henry Burns, peering out -at him from the bed, as that young gentleman lifted himself up on one -elbow. Around his forehead was bound the handkerchief, which he had -wetted in the bowl of water. The lamp burning dimly completed the picture -of his distress. - -"Hi, you there! You young--" The colonel checked himself abruptly, as -Henry Burns slowly raised himself up in bed and pressed one hand to his -forehead. "What's the matter with you?" roared the colonel, completely -taken aback by Henry Burns's appearance. - -"Oh, nothing," said Henry Burns, resignedly. "It's nothing." - -The colonel little realized how much of truthfulness there was in this -answer. - -"Did you want me for anything?" asked Henry Burns, in his softest voice. - -"No, I didn't," said the colonel, sullenly. "Somebody has been fooling -with my lamps, and I--I thought I would use yours, if you didn't mind." - -"Certainly," replied Henry Burns. "I may not need mine again for the rest -of the night." Again he pressed his hand dismally to his forehead. - -"I won't take it!" snapped the colonel. "You may need it again. Why don't -you tell Mrs. Carlin you've got a headache? She'll look after you. It's -eating too much--eating too much, that does it. I've always said it. Stop -stuffing two pieces of pie every day at dinner, and you won't have any -headache." - -With this parting injunction, the irate colonel abruptly took his -departure, slamming the door behind him. - -Henry Burns dived beneath the bedclothes and smothered his roars of -laughter. The colonel, disappointed in his quest for a lamp, and not -caring to search further in his present condition of undress, returned -once more to his room and finished undressing in the dark. - -"I'll make somebody smart for this to-morrow," he kept repeating. "Like -as not that little white-faced scamp in the next room had some hand in -it. I can't quite make him out. Well, I'll go to bed and sleep over it." - -The colonel rolled into bed. - -There was a crash and a howl of rage from the colonel. He floundered -about in a tangle of bedclothes for a moment, filling the room with his -angry ejaculations, and endeavouring, helplessly, for a moment, to -extricate himself from his uncomfortable position on the floor. Then he -arose, raging like a tempest, stumbling over a chair in his confusion, -and nearly sprawling on the floor again. - -He rang the electric button in his room till the clerk in the office -thought the house was on fire, and came running up, breathless, to see -what was the matter. - -"Fire! Who said there was any fire, you idiot!" shrieked the colonel, as -his clerk dashed into the room and ran plump into him. "There isn't any -fire," he cried. "Somebody's been breaking the furniture in here; tearing -down the beds, ruining the lamps. Get that room on the next floor, down -at the end of the hall, ready for me. I can't stay here to-night. Don't -stand there, gaping like a frog. Hurry up. Get Mrs. Carlin to fix that -bed up for me. She's gone to bed, do you say? Well, then, get somebody -else. Don't stand there. Go along!" - -The clerk hurried away, as much to prevent the colonel seeing the broad -grin on his face as to obey orders. The colonel, stumbling around in the -darkness, managed to partly dress himself; and, five minutes later, the -boys heard him go storming along the hall to the stairway, which he -mounted, and was seen no more that night. - -The closet door in Henry Burns's room swung softly open, and there rolled -out helplessly on the floor four boys, choking with suppressed laughter, -the tears fairly running down their cheeks. - -Henry Burns, calm as ever, quietly arose from bed, removed the bandage -from his brow, slid into his clothes, and remarked, softly, "I feel -better now." - -"Oh, don't, Henry," begged George Warren. "If you say any more I shall -die. I can't laugh now without its hurting me." - -"You need something to eat," said Henry Burns. Pinning a blanket up over -the transom to hide the light, and stopping his keyhole, to prevent any -ray of light from penetrating into the hallway, and throwing down a -blanket at the door-sill for the same purpose, Henry Burns lighted both -his lamps, carefully locked his door, and made ready to entertain his -guests. - -"It's not just according to the rules of etiquette," he said, producing a -package from the basket, "but we'll have to start on the ice-cream first -before it melts. Then we'll work back along the line, to salad and ginger -ale." - -He drew forth from the package, which proved to be a box filled with -chopped ice, a small brick of ice-cream. It was beginning to melt about -the edges, but they made short work of it. - -"Now," said Henry Burns, "if you please, we'll start all over again. Here -are the sandwiches." - -"It's the finest spread I ever had," said young Joe, appreciatively, as -he stowed away his fourth sandwich and helped himself to an orange. - -"Joe always goes on the principle that he may be cast away on a desert -island before he has another square meal," said Arthur, "so he always -fills up accordingly." - -"It's a good principle to go on," responded Henry Burns. "George, you -open the ginger ale." - -So they dined most sumptuously, and had gotten down to nuts and raisins, -when Henry Burns, whose ears were always on the alert, suddenly sprang -up, with a warning "Sh-h-h," and, quickly stepping across the room, -turned the lamps down, signalling at the same time for the boys to be -silent. - -Not one of the others had heard a sound; but now they were aware that -soft footsteps were pattering along the hallway. - -Presently some one came to Henry Burns's door, turned the knob, and -rapped very gently. - -Not a sound came from the room. - -Then a voice said: "Henry, Henry." - -There was no reply. - -"Strange," said the person outside; "I could have sworn that I heard his -voice as I came up. Well, I must have been mistaken. He seems to be sound -asleep. I guess his headache is better." - -They heard the footsteps die away again along the hallway. - -"Whew!" said Henry Burns; "that was a narrow escape. That was Mrs. -Carlin. Somebody must have told her I was sick. She sleeps all night with -one eye and one ear open, they say." - -"Well," said George Warren, "I reckon we'd better take it as a warning -that it's time to be going, anyway. It's eleven o'clock, I should say, -and we have got to get up early and overhaul the _Spray_. She's up at -Bryant's Cove yet, and we have got to bring her down and have a new -bowsprit put in, and reeve some new rigging. We've had a great time, -Henry. Count us in on the next feed, and give our regards to Colonel -Witham. Come on, boys." - -"Sorry to have to show you out the back way," said Henry Burns, "but the -front way would be dangerous now, and my lightning-rod staircase seems to -be the only way. It's a very nice way when one is used to it; but look -out and don't slip." - -By the time the last boy was on the roof, Henry Burns was half-undressed; -and by the time the last one had reached the ground, his light was out -and he was half-asleep. That was Henry Burns's way. When he did a thing, -he did it and wasted no time--whether it was working or playing or -sleeping. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - A HIDDEN CAVE - - -It was a little after eleven o'clock when Tom left the hotel. His mind -was so occupied with the events of the evening that he started at once -toward his camp, forgetting an intention he had earlier in the night of -visiting the locality of Jack Harvey's camp in search of the missing box. -He stopped every few minutes to laugh long and heartily, as, one by one, -the mishaps of Colonel Witham came to his mind. - -All at once he remembered the missing box. He had nearly reached his tent -by this time, but he stopped short. He called to mind the contents of the -box; among other things, a certain big cake, with frosting on it, and, -although he and Bob, as young athletes, were bound to hold such food in -little regard, there was one thing about it which particularly impressed -him just now, and that was the remembrance of how he had watched Bob's -sister, with her dainty little fingers, mould the frosting on the top, -and how she had slyly wondered--as if there could be any doubt of -it--whether they, meaning Tom, would think of her while they were eating -it. - -The thought of that cake falling into the hands of Jack Harvey and of Tim -Reardon and the others of Harvey's crew, and of the jokes they would -crack at Tom's expense, made his blood boil. He started in the direction -of Harvey's camp, then turned back to get Bob to accompany him,--and then -paused and went on again, saying to himself that he would not awaken his -chum at that hour of the night. He started off through the woods alone. - -The night was warm and pleasant, though it was quite dark, as there was -no moon. He passed by the cottages, and then turned into a foot-path that -followed the windings of the shore. The path led for some distance -through a thicket of alders and underbrush, from which at length it -emerged into an open field. Crossing this, Tom again entered a growth of -wood, the path winding among the roots of some old hemlocks and cedars. - -All at once he saw a light shining indistinctly through the trees, and -knew that it must be in the immediate vicinity of Harvey's camp. - -"So much the better, if they are up," muttered Tom. "If they're sitting -around that fire they are sure to be talking." He hurried on in the -direction of the light, still following the path. - -The fire soon became plainly visible. At a point where the path divided -he could see the white tent, lit up by a big fire of driftwood that -blazed in front of it. He could hear the sound of voices, and -distinguished that of Harvey above the others. There seemed to be some -insubordination in camp, for Harvey's tones were loud and angry. - -Tom concluded not to take the path to the left, which was the one leading -direct to the camp, but continued on for a distance along the main path. -It was well he did so, for presently he heard some one coming toward him. -The paths were at this point so near together that he could not -distinguish which one the person was taking; so he drew aside and -crouched in the bushes, which were very dense between the two paths. A -boy, whom he recognized as Tim Reardon, soon came in sight, and passed -close by the spot where Tom was concealed. He carried a pail in his hand, -and was evidently going to a spring near by for water. He was grumbling -to himself as he passed along. - -"I'm always the one!" he said. "Why don't he make some one else lug the -water part of the time? I'm not going to be bullied by any Jack Harvey, -and he needn't think I am." - -He kept on to the spring, however. Tom remained where he was, and Tim -soon returned, carrying the pail filled with water. Tom waited till he -saw Tim arrive at the camp and deposit the pail of water near the fire, -before he again emerged from the clump of bushes into the path that led -past the camp. He followed this cautiously. He could not as yet see -whether all the members of the crew were present about the camp-fire, and -he knew that to encounter any one of them at that hour near the camp -would not only put an end to all hopes of recovering the box, by -revealing to Harvey and his crew that he suspected them of having stolen -it, but that, once an alarm being given, he should have the whole crew at -his heels in a twinkling. - -Tom was sufficiently acquainted with the reputation of Harvey's crew to -know that it would go hard with him if they found him there. He stole -quietly along past the camp some little distance, and then, turning from -the path, got down on his hands and knees and crept toward the camp -through the bushes. - -Near the camp was a hemlock-tree, with large, broad, heavy branches, that -grew so low down on the trunk that some of them rested on the ground. It -offered a place of concealment, and Tom, at the imminent risk of being -discovered, reached it and crawled in between the branches. If the -campers had been expecting any one, and had been on the watch, he must -surely have been discovered, for several times branches cracked under -him, and once so loudly that he thought it was all up with him, expecting -them to come and see what had made the noise. But they took no notice of -it, either because they were accustomed to hearing noises in the woods, -of cattle or dogs, or thought nothing at all about it. - -From where he now lay, Tom could see the entire camp, and hear everything -the boys said. It was a picturesque spot which Harvey had chosen. The -land here ran out in one of those irregular points which was -characteristic of the shores of the island, and ended in a little, -low-lying bluff, that overlooked the bay. On the side nearer the village, -the shore curved in with a graceful sweep, making a perfect bow, and the -land for some distance back sloped gradually down to the beach. The beach -here was composed of a fine white sand, making an ideal landing-place for -rowboats. On the side farther from the village, the waterfront was of a -different character. It rounded out, instead of curving in, and the shore -was bold, instead of sloping. It was not easily approached, even by small -boats, as the water, for some distance out, was choked up with reefs and -ledges, which were barely covered at high tide, and at low water were -exposed here and there. - -This apparently unapproachable shore had been taken advantage of by -Harvey in a way which no one in the village had ever suspected. There was -a channel among the reefs, which a small sailboat could pursue, if one -were accurately acquainted with its windings. With this channel, which -they had discovered by chance, the campers had become thoroughly -familiar, at both low and high water. - -The point had been cleared of undergrowth, and most of the larger trees -had been cut down for some little distance back from the water. In the -rear of this clearing there were thick woods, extending into the island -for a mile or more. - -The campers had pitched a big canvas tent at the edge of the clearing, -where they lived in free and easy fashion, cooking mostly out-of-doors. -They scorned the idea of making bunks, as smacking too much of -civilization, and at night slept on boughs covered with blankets. They -lived out-of-doors in front of the tent when the weather was pleasant, -and, when it was stormy, they went aboard the yacht and did their cooking -in the cabin, over a small sheet-iron stove. - -It was altogether a romantic and picturesque sight that Tom saw as he -looked out from his hiding-place. At a little distance from the tent the -fire was blazing, while the members of the crew either sat around it or -lay, stretched out at full length, upon the ground. A pot of coffee was -placed on a flat stone by the side of the fire, near enough to get the -heat from it, and the delicious odour of it as it steamed made Tom -hungry. - -The members of Harvey's crew were utterly without restraint, saving that -which was imposed capriciously by Harvey himself. Harvey was not -naturally vicious. His mind had been perverted by the books he had read, -so that he failed to see that his acts of petty thievery were meannesses -and acts of cowardice of which he would some day be ashamed. - -He fashioned his conduct as much according to the books he read as -possible, and, if he had been but trained rightly, would have been proud -to do courageous things, instead of playing mean jokes, for he had at -heart much bravery. He rarely wore a hat, and was as bronzed as any -sailor. The sleeves of his flannel blouse were usually rolled up to the -elbows, showing on his forearms several tattooed designs in red and blue -ink. He was large and strong. - -The boys around the fire were telling stories and relating in turn -incidents of adventure that had taken place since their arrival on the -island. At the close of their story-telling, they arose and began making -preparations for a meal. Near by the fireplace they had built a rough -table, of stakes driven into the ground, and boards, with benches on -either side of it, fashioned in the same way. Two of the boys went to the -tent and brought out some tin dishes, and the steaming pot of coffee was -taken from the stone and set on the table. - -Then Joe Hinman, taking a long pole in his hand, went to the fire and -proceeded to scatter the brands about, while a shower of sparks rose up -and floated off into the forest. Presently Joe raked from among the -embers a dozen or more black, shapeless objects. These he placed one by -one on a block of wood and broke the clay--for such it was--with a -hatchet. The odour of cooked fish pervaded the camp and saluted Tom's -nostrils most temptingly. Inside of the lumps of clay were fish of some -kind, which Tom took to be cunners. As fast as they were ready, Tim -Reardon carried them to the table, where they were heaped up on a big -earthen platter. - -The boys then fell to and ate as though they were starving. Tom wondered -for some time if this could be their usual hour for supper; but -remembered that he had seen the _Surprise_ several miles off in the bay -that evening, and concluded that the evening meal had been long delayed. -The _Surprise_ now lay a few rods offshore, with a lantern hanging at her -mast. - -The boys continued to talk, as they ate, of tricks they had played and of -raids they had taken part in, down the island. In fact, the good citizens -of Southport would have given a good deal for the secrets Tom learned -from his hiding-place that night. Tom waited impatiently, however, for -some mention of the missing box. Could he be mistaken in suspecting them -of having taken it? No, he was sure not. That they were capable of doing -so, their own conversation left no room for doubt. Tom felt certain the -box was in their possession. - -But he began to feel that his errand of discovery to-night would be -fruitless. They must, he argued, have some sort of storehouse, where they -hid such plunder as this, but no one had as yet made the slightest -mention of it. It was clearly useless for him to grope about in the -vicinity of the camp at night, and he began to think it would be better -after all to wait until day and select a time for his search, if -possible, when all the members of the crew were off on the yacht. But -that might come too late, and Tom wondered what to do. - -All at once Joe Hinman made a remark that caused Tom to raise himself -upon his elbow and listen intently. - -"Boys," said Joe, "I've got a little surprise for you." - -The crew, one and all, stopped eating, rested their elbows on the table, -and looked at Joe curiously. - -"I'll bet it's a salmon from old Slade's nets," said George Baker. "Joe's -sworn for a week that he'd have one." - -"He's all right, is Joe," remarked Harvey, patronizingly. "There isn't -one of you that can touch Joe for smartness." - -Thus encouraged, Joe told how he had seen the box that had been a part of -Tom's and Bob's luggage left on the wharf the night it arrived; how he -had ascertained that it contained food, by prying up the cover; and how, -early on the following morning, he had rowed up under cover of the fog, -and had brought back the box to the camp. - -"It's down in the cave now," said Joe. Tom gave a start. "There's a -meat-pie in it that is good for a dinner to-morrow, and a big frosted -cake, if you fellows want it to-night." - -"Hooray!" cried Jack Harvey. "You and I will go and get it." Whereupon he -and Joe sprang up and made directly for the spot where Tom lay, passing -by so close that he could have reached out and touched them, and hurried -along the bank, down to the shore. - -Tom allowed them to get well in advance before he ventured to crawl from -his hiding-place and follow them. He saw them at length disappear over -the bank at a point where there grew a thick clump of cedars. He turned -from the path into the woods, made his way cautiously past the place -where he had seen them disappear, turned into the path again, and then -climbed down the bank, which was there very steep, holding on to the -bushes, and looked for the boys, but they were nowhere to be seen. - -Tom knew they could not have passed him. They had not reappeared over the -edge of the bank, and they were nowhere in sight along the shore. There -could be but one conclusion. The entrance to the cave must be located in -the clump of cedars. - -It seemed to Tom that he had waited at least a quarter of an hour, -though, in fact, it was not more than five minutes, when he saw the boys -reappear. Tom groaned as he saw the big cake in Joe's hand. Joe laid it -down on the ground, while he and Jack picked up several armfuls of loose -boughs lying about, and threw them up carelessly against the bank. Then -Joe took up the cake again, and they emerged from the cedars, climbed up -over the bank, and disappeared in the direction of their camp. - -Tom lost no time in scrambling to the spot. The hiding-place was -cunningly concealed. It was an awkward place to crawl to from any part of -the bank, and no one would have thought of trying to land there in a -boat. The entrance to the cave might have been left open, with little -chance of its ever being discovered. Tom threw aside the boughs -sufficiently to discover that beneath them was a sort of trap-door, made -of pieces of board carelessly nailed together. Then he replaced the -boughs and, without even attempting to lift the board door, regained the -path at the top of the bank. - -"There'll be time enough to explore that later," he muttered. "I'm not -the only one that will have lost something out of that cave before -morning, though." He made his way cautiously past the camp once more, and -then started on a run for his own camp. His hare and hounds practice at -school stood him in good stead, and he did not stop running till he had -come to the door of his tent. He unfastened the flap and entered, panting -for breath. Bob was sleeping soundly. He shook him, but Bob was loath to -awake, and resented being so roughly disturbed. - -"Wake up, Bob! Wake!" cried Tom, shaking him again. - -Bob opened his eyes. "Why, is it morning, Tom?" he asked. - -"No, it isn't, Bob, but it soon will be. I've found the box, Bob. -Harvey's got it, and I know where it is hidden,--down near his camp in a -cave." - -Bob shivered, for Tom had pulled the blanket off the bed, and the moist -sea air penetrated the tent. He dressed, stupidly, for he was not fully -rid of his drowsiness. - -The boys went down to the beach, and Bob washed his face in the salt -water. - -"I'm all right now, Tom, old fellow," he said, "but, honest, Tom, I feel -ugly enough at being waked up, not at you, though, to just enjoy a fight -with those fellows." - -"There's little prospect of that, if we are careful," answered Tom. "What -we want to do is to show them we are smart enough to get the box back, -and, perhaps, play them a trick of our own." - -Then they carried the canoe down to the shore, launched it, and set off. -It was about one o'clock in the morning. They paddled away from the tent -and down along the shore, noiselessly as Indians. Past the village and -past the cottages, and not a sign of life anywhere, not even a wisp of -smoke from a chimney. The canoe glided swiftly along, making the only -ripples there were on the glassy surface of the bay. - -As they came to the beach near Harvey's camp, they landed, and Tom crept -up over the bank to reconnoitre. He came back presently, reporting that -the crew were all sound asleep, and everything quiet around the camp. -Then they paddled quickly by the end of the bluff and along the bold -shore beyond, picking their way carefully among the reefs, as they could -not have done in these unknown waters with any other craft than the -buoyant canoe. - -They disembarked at the clump of cedars, and made the canoe fast to the -trunk of one that overhung the water. Tom took from the bow of the canoe -a lantern, and they scrambled up the bank. Throwing aside the boughs, -they disclosed the trap-door, which they lifted up. Tom lit the lantern -and they entered the cave. - -They found it much larger than the opening indicated. It was excavated -from the hard clay of which the bank was composed, and, though not high -enough for them to stand quite erect, it was about eight feet long and -five feet wide. - -It was filled with stuff of all sorts. There were spare topsails -and staysails,--possibly from coasters that had anchored in the -harbour,--sets of oars from ships' boats, several boxes of canned goods, -that the grocer of the village had hunted for far and wide, coils of -rope, two shotguns, carefully wrapped in pieces of flannel and well -oiled, to prevent the rust from eating them, four lanterns, two axes and -a hatchet, and odds and ends of all descriptions useful in and about a -camp or a yacht. - -The roof of the cave was shored up with boards, supported by joists. In -one corner of the cave was the box for which they sought, broken into, -and with the gorgeous cake gone; but that was all. The rest of the -contents were untouched. - -They took the box, carried it down to the shore and placed it in the -canoe. Tom started to return to the cave. - -"What are you going to do now, Tom?" queried Bob. "We don't want to take -anything of theirs, of course." - -"Not a thing," answered Tom. "We don't go in for that sort of business, -but I just want to show them that we have been here and had the -opportunity to destroy anything that we were of a mind to. Perhaps it -will teach them a good lesson. It will show them that we are as smart as -they are, anyway." - -So saying, Tom began to gather up the guns, the good sails, the boxes of -provisions, and other things of value, and carry them outside the cave, -setting them down on the bank at some distance from the mouth of it. - -"We won't destroy anything of value," said Tom. "But here are some odds -and ends of old stuff, some of these pieces of oars, empty crates, -bagging, and that sort of thing, which will make a good blaze, and which -would have to be thrown away some day. They are of no use to anybody. I -propose to make a bonfire of these in the cave, just to show Jack Harvey -that we have been here. He'll find all his stuff that's good for anything -put carefully outside the cave, and no harm come to it. But he'll be just -as furious to find his cave discovered and on fire, for all that." - -"All right," said Bob, "here goes." - -Bob was thinking of that cake. - -Tom took one of the axes and chopped a small hole in the top of the cave, -some distance above the door. - -"That will make a draught," he said, in answer to Bob's inquiry. - -Then he blew out the lantern and poured the oil with which it was filled -over the pile of rubbish. There was still a small heap of stuff in one -corner of the cave, some old boards, and a few pieces of sail, thrown -carelessly in a pile, as though of no value. They did not stop to bother -with these, as they seemed of no consequence, and they were in a hurry. - -Tom struck a match and set fire to the heap that he had accumulated. - -"We can't get away from here any too soon, now, Bob," he said. "There'll -be some furious chaps out here, when that fire gets to crackling and -smoking. We don't care to be about here at that time. They are too many -for us." - -The boys scrambled down the bank, got into the canoe, and pushed off. As -they paddled away, the light of the fire gleamed in the mouth of the -cave. As soon as they had gotten clear of the reefs, they did not stop to -reconnoitre the camp, but pushed by at full speed. It was a race against -fire--and they little dreamed of its swiftness, nor of the hidden force -which they had let loose. - -Along the shore they sped, speaking not a word till they had got the -village in sight and their arms were cracking in the joints. Then they -paused a moment for breath, for their little craft was out of sight of -the camp now, in the dull morning light. - -Tom, who had the stern paddle, had looked back from time to time, but if -there was any light to be seen through the bushes it was very slight. The -spot was hidden now, too, by the intervening point of land. - -"I don't know whether I see a light or not," he said. "There's a lot of -smoke, though, and I can imagine, anyway, that I see a gleam of fire in -the midst of it." - -The words were scarcely out of his mouth before he swung the canoe around -with one quick sweep of his paddle. - -"Look, Bob! Look!" he cried. "What have we done?" - -The sight that met their eyes was amazing. - -A sheet of flame shot suddenly into the sky. It looked like a tiny -volcano, belching up fire and débris and pushing up through the midst of -it a great black canopy of smoke. This was followed by the report of an -explosion that echoed and reëchoed through the village, reverberating on -the rocks across the harbour, and filling the whole country around with -its noise--at once startling and terrifying. Then the light as suddenly -went out, a shower of burning sticks and shreds of blazing canvas drifted -lazily down through the air, and a cloud of smoke hung over the spot. - -Tom and Bob trembled like rushes. It seemed as though every particle of -strength had left them. There could be but one conclusion. They had blown -up the camp. Harvey and all his crew were, perhaps, killed. - -Bob was the first to speak. - -"Come, Tom," he said. "We must get to camp before we are seen. Brace up -and try to paddle." - -Somehow or other they got to camp and dragged the canoe ashore. They -carried the box up to the tent and locked it up in the big chest. Bob's -hand trembled so he could hardly put the key into the lock. - -Tom seated himself, dejectedly, on the edge of one of the bunks, the -picture of despair. - -"I guess I may as well go and give myself up first as last," he said. "I -suppose I'll have to go to jail, if they're killed. What can there have -been in the cave? I didn't see anything to explode, did you?" - -"No," answered Bob, "unless it was something over in that pile of stuff -in one corner. I didn't examine it, but they must have had something -stored or hidden underneath there, either kerosene or gunpowder. By Jove! -Tom, I remember now hearing Captain Sam Curtis say he had missed a keg of -blasting-powder that he had bought for the Fourth of July, and he said he -thought some of the sailors down the island had stolen it. That's where -it went to; it was hidden in that corner." - -"That doesn't help matters much, if they're all dead," said Tom. "I'll be -to blame, just the same. Oh, Bob, what shall I do?" - -"Whatever you do," answered Bob, "I stand my share of it, just as much as -you. I'm just as guilty as you are. But don't go to pieces that way, Tom. -We don't know yet whether they are hurt or not. The best thing we can do -is to get down there as quick as ever we can. Shall we take the canoe and -make a race for it?" - -"I can't do it," answered Tom. "I haven't got the strength,--and, to be -honest, Bob, the courage. It's taken every bit of strength and nerve out -of me. Bob, I tell you, I'm afraid we've killed them,--and I, for one, -don't dare to go and look." - -And Tom hid his face in his hands, while the tears trickled through his -fingers. - -"I don't believe they're killed," said Bob, stoutly. "They were some -distance away from the cave, you know. Come, we'll go with the crowd, for -the whole town must be out by this time." - -And so he half-persuaded, half-dragged Tom away from the tent, and they -started for the hotel. - -The explosion had, indeed, aroused every one. Men were running to and -fro, and the greatest excitement prevailed. The news quickly spread that -some frightful accident had happened at Harvey's camp, and Tom and Bob -heard expressions of sympathy for them on all sides, from many who had -been the victims of their tricks, and who had time and again wished the -island rid of them. A rumour spread among the crowd of villagers--no one -knew where it originated--that a keg of powder, which the campers had -left to dry near the fire, had exploded, and blown them all to pieces. -This was only one of a number of wild rumours that were noised about that -morning in the confusion and uncertainty. It was generally believed that -the crew must have been killed. - -Tom and Bob hung on to the edge of the excited crowd, which had assembled -in front of the hotel, and listened to these various expressions with -horror. Then, when the crowd moved on for the camp, they followed, with -sinking hearts. - -It was a strange procession that went down along the shore that morning. -There were cottage-owners, who had grievances against the crew; -villagers, who had been tormented and tricked by them time and again; and -fishermen, who had lost many a tide's fishing, because their dories had -been found sunk alongside the wharf, with heaping loads of stones aboard. -Yet, now that disaster had befallen the crew, they were one and all -willing to condone the offences, and anxious to render what help they -could. - -They went on rapidly. Tom and Bob soon heard a cry from those in advance -that the tent was still standing. Then hope rose in Tom's heart, that -spurred him forward. - -He dashed ahead, rushed past the leaders, cutting through the woods where -the path made a circuit. There was the tent still standing, and -apparently uninjured by the storm of stones and débris that had rained -down about it. But the crew! Not the sound of a voice was to be heard. -Not a soul was stirring anywhere in the locality. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - JACK HARVEY INVESTIGATES - - -Tom's heart sank as he approached the tent, stepping over stones and -fragments of wood that lay all about. Pulling open the flap of the tent, -he looked anxiously inside. There lay the crew, to a man, stretched upon -the ground, motionless. A sudden fear seized on Tom that the shock had -killed them as they lay sleeping, and he reeled and clutched one of the -guy-ropes to keep from falling. - -The next minute the crowd of villagers had arrived, and several heads -were thrust inside the tent. Just at that moment one of the crew slowly -raised himself on an elbow and said, angrily: - -"What's all this fuss about? Aren't you people satisfied with trying to -blow us up, without coming around and making such a rumpus and keeping us -awake?" - -It was Jack Harvey. The others of the crew, taking their cue from him, -made a pretence of rousing themselves up from sleep, yawned and rubbed -their eyes, and asked what was wanted. - -Then, perceiving for the first time that there were several stalwart -fishermen in the party, and not daring to go too far, Harvey added, in a -sneering tone: - -"Oh, we're obliged to you all for coming down here. It wasn't curiosity -on your part--of course not. You came down because you thought we were -hurt, and we're much obliged to you. Of course we are. We're glad to see -you, moreover, now we're awake. Wait a minute, and we will stir up the -fire and boil a pot of coffee." - -This was maddening to the rescuers. Some of the fishermen suggested -pitching in and giving the crew a sound thrashing; but, so Squire -Brackett said, "there was really no ground for such a proceeding, though -he, for one, would be more than glad to do it." They could blame -themselves for trying to help a pack of young hyenas like these. For his -part, he was going back home to bed. "They'll drown themselves out in the -bay if let alone," he commented. However, he ventured the query to -Harvey: "Guess you boys had a little powder stored around here, didn't -you?" - -"Guess again, squire," answered Harvey, roughly. "Maybe we had a fort -with cannon mounted on it,--and maybe we'd like to go to sleep again, if -you people would let us. We're not trespassing. We've got permission to -camp here, so don't try to go bullying us, squire." - -This was the satisfaction, then, that the rescuers got at the hands of -the crew. They had come, burying their grievances, and with hearts full -of sympathy and kindness for the unfortunate boys, and they had -encountered only the same reckless crew, that mocked them for their -pains. So they turned away again, angry and disappointed, and nursing -their wrath for a day to come. - -And then, as the sound of the last of their footsteps died away through -the woods, Jack Harvey, chuckling with vast satisfaction to himself, -said: "Wasn't that fine, though? Wasn't old Brackett and the others -furious?" - -"Wild!" exclaimed Joe Hinman. "But I don't think, after all, Jack, that -it paid. We ought to have treated them better, after they had come all -the way down here to help us." - -"Pshaw!" answered Harvey. "Don't you go getting squeamish, Joe. For my -part, I'm mad enough at somebody to fight the whole village. There's our -cave that it took us weeks to dig, and hidden in the only spot around -here that couldn't be discovered, gone to smash, with everything we had -in it. Those two guns that the governor bought me were worth a pretty -price, let me tell you. They must have gone clear into the bay, for I -can't even find a piece of the stock of either one of them." - -"It looks to me as though somebody did discover the cave, after all," -said Joe Hinman. "You can't make me believe that it blew itself up." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed Harvey--and then he paused abruptly; for, of a -sudden, there came sharply to his mind the white face of Tom Harris, -peering in at the tent door, with a haggard, ghastly expression. He -recalled how Tom had started back and nearly fallen at the sight of the -crew lying still. - -"He was the first one at the tent, too," muttered Harvey to himself. - -"What's that?" asked Joe Hinman. - -"Nothing," said Harvey. "But you may be right, Joe. You may be right, -after all. Come, let's all go out and look over the ground once more. -There may be a few things yet, to save from the wreck." - -The explosion, strangely enough, had not injured a single member of the -crew. Not a piece of the wreckage had struck the tent. Pieces of rock and -bits of branches and boards lay on every hand about the camp, and a -stone, torn from the bank, had crashed down on the bowsprit of the -_Surprise_, breaking it short off, carrying away rigging and sails. There -was also a hole broken in the yacht's deck by a falling piece of ledge. - -The crew, awakened from sound slumber by the awful crash and by the -shower of earth and stones, had rushed out, frightened half out of their -wits, and at an utter loss at first to know what had happened. The full -discovery of what had occurred only served to deepen the mystery. How it -had happened no one could tell. To be sure, they knew what had escaped -the notice of Tom and Bob, that four lanterns in a corner of the cave -were filled with kerosene oil, and that in another corner, in a hole -under the floor, covered with a few pieces of board and a thin sprinkling -of earth, were two kegs of blasting-powder. - -It had been a narrow escape for them. A hole was torn in the bank big -enough to hold several yachts the size of the _Surprise_. Not a vestige -remained to show that a cave had ever been dug there. Several boulders -had been dislodged from the bank and carried bodily down to the water's -edge, besides the one that had hit the bowsprit of the _Surprise_. Of the -stuff that Tom and Bob had placed carefully outside the cave, not a scrap -remained. Every bit of it must have been blown into the sea. But not a -rock nor so much as a stick had struck the tent. Beyond being dazed for -some moments by the shock of the explosion, not one of the crew was hurt. - -When they had made a second and unavailing search for anything that might -have escaped the destruction, and some half-hour after the villagers had -departed, the crew went back to the tent and laid themselves down again -for a morning's nap. They were soon off to sleep, save one. - -As often as he closed his eyes, Jack Harvey could see, in his mind's eye, -Tom Harris come again to the door of the tent; and he could see him start -back and almost fall. Could Tom Harris have had anything to do with the -explosion? And if so, how? It hardly seemed possible, but Harvey could -not put the idea out of his head. Tom's frightened face looked in at him, -in his troubled sleep that morning, and, long before his crew were awake -again and stirring, he rose and stole out of the tent to the shore, where -the cave had been. - -And so, while Tom and Bob rolled in on to their bunks that morning, -thankful in their hearts that no harm had come to the crew, Jack Harvey -was down there by the shore, examining the ground over and over again, -every inch of it, from the place where the entrance to the cave had been -to the place where the canoe had been made fast. Much of the bank had -been torn away there, but where the canoe had been moored there was a -spot for some few feet that was undisturbed. Jack Harvey, after studying -the spot carefully, went back to camp. If he had found anything that -surprised him, he did not, for the present, mention it to his crew. - -Jack Harvey was a curious mixture of good and bad qualities. His parents -were wealthy, but uneducated and unrefined. They allowed him to have all -the money he wished to spend, and permitted him to do pretty much as he -pleased about everything. Harvey's father had been a miner, and had -"struck it rich," after knocking about the California gold-fields for -nearly a score of years. Because he had managed to get along well in the -world without any education, and without the influence of any restraint, -such as society imposes, he had a theory that it was the best thing for a -boy to work out his own upbringing. As a consequence, his son was rarely -thwarted in anything. Left to himself, Harvey, though not naturally bad, -fell in with a rough, lawless class of boys, read only the cheapest kind -of books, which inspired him to lead an idle, good-for-nothing life, and, -as a result, went wild. - -He was strong and, among his associates, a leader. They gladly awarded -him this distinction, as they were, for the most part, poor, and he spent -his allowance freely. He was captain of a ball nine, for which he bought -the uniforms and the necessary equipment; captain of his yacht's crew, -and, in all things, their acknowledged leader. His companions came -generally to be known as Harvey's crew. - -Tom and Bob had a mere speaking acquaintance with him, as they all -attended the same school at home,--from which, however, Harvey was more -often truant than present. Beyond that association they had nothing to do -with him. There were four members of the yacht's crew, although that term -was applied by the people of the town to some dozen or more boys. Of -these four, Joe Hinman was a thin, hatchet-faced, shrewd-looking boy, -whose father was employed by a railroad in some capacity that kept him -much away from home; George Baker and Allan Harding were cousins, whose -parents had a rather doubtful reputation, as dealers in second-hand goods -and articles pawned, at a little shop in an obscure quarter of the town. -Tim Reardon had no parents that he knew of, and earned an uncertain -living, doing chores and working at odd jobs through the winter. In the -summer, he was usually to be found aboard Harvey's yacht, where he was -fairly content to do the drudgery, for the sake of the livelihood and the -fun of yachting and camping. - -It was not the sort of companionship that a wise and careful parent would -have chosen for his son, but they sufficed for Harvey, and no one -interfered with him. These boys did as he said, and that was what he -wanted. - -Nearly every one in the entire village had gone down to Harvey's camp in -the next hour following the explosion. Curiously enough, however, Henry -Burns was not of this number. He had jumped out of bed at the crash and -the shock, and had hastily dressed and rushed down-stairs, ready to go -with the crowd. For once, however, Mrs. Carlin got ahead of him. - -"Why, Henry Burns," she had exclaimed, catching sight of him as he dodged -out of the door. "Where do you think you are going at this hour of the -night, and you that was feeling so bad only a few hours ago. You're not -going off through those woods to-night, not if I know it. You can just -take yourself back to bed, if you don't want to be laid up with a sick -spell." - -And Henry Burns, now that attention was thus publicly attracted to him, -did not dare to steal out later and join the others, lest Mrs. Carlin -should hear of it, and, perchance, become suspicious of him. So he went -back unwillingly to bed, but not to sleep. He was wide-awake when the -angry party returned. Listening from his window, he heard their -description of the explosion and their impudent reception by Harvey's -crew; and proceeded to draw his own conclusion from it all. - -The more he thought of it, the more his suspicion grew that, in some way, -Tom or Bob, or both, had had a hand in the thing. Tom, indeed, had -expressed his intention to Henry Burns of spying on the camp in his hunt -to find the missing box; and, although it seemed a most unlikely hour for -him to have gone down there, Henry Burns wisely conjectured that that was -what he must have done. - -Accordingly, shortly after Henry Burns had arisen that morning, and after -he had gathered from a few villagers who were abroad some fuller details -of the night's adventures, he made his way to the camp on the point. -There were no signs of life about the camp, and, softly opening the flap -of the tent, he peered within. Tom and Bob lay stretched out, sound -asleep. - -Henry Burns stepped noiselessly inside. He called them by name in a low -tone, but they did not awaken. - -"Last night's excitement was too much for one of them, at least, I -guess," was his comment. And then he added: "If my suspicions are true, -their fun lasted later than mine, and was far more exciting--but I'll -find that out." - -There was a camp-stool beside each bunk, upon which Tom and Bob had -thrown their clothes before turning in. Henry Burns quietly removed the -clothing from these chairs, made them into a bundle, and, tucking the -bundle under his arm, walked out of the tent and lay down on the grass, -just outside. - -It seemed to him as though another hour had passed before he heard a -creaking of one of the bunks, and a voice, which he recognized as Bob's, -said: "Hulloa, there, Tom, wake up!" - -"Ay, ay," growled Tom, sleepily, but made no move. - -Again Bob's voice: "Say, Tom?" - -No answer. - -"Tom--hulloa, old fellow--come, let's get up. It's late." - -"All right, all right, Bob, so it is." And Tom roused up on an elbow and -rubbed his eyes. Then he gave a prodigious yawn. - -"Whew!" he exclaimed. "What a night I had of it. I don't wonder we slept -late, do you?" - -"Well, hardly," answered Bob. "My! But I can hear that explosion go off -now, it seems to me. And wasn't that an awful sight when the flame shot -up against the sky? I'll never forget it as long as I live." - -"We'll have to keep our eyes on Harvey after this for awhile," said Tom. -"Hulloa!" he exclaimed, suddenly, as they tumbled out on to the floor. -"Where are our clothes? We left them right here when we turned in, didn't -we?" - -The boys looked at each other and stared in astonishment. - -"Of course we did," answered Bob. - -"What can it mean?" gasped Tom. - -"Hope to die if I can guess," said Bob. "It's plain enough, though, that -some one has been in here while we were asleep and cleaned out our -wardrobe. Not a thing left. You don't suppose that Harvey--" - -"Nonsense," interrupted Tom. "It's that young scoundrel of a Joe Warren. -He's always up to his monkey-shines. It's some of his doings. He was the -one, mind you, that proposed yesterday that we carry our change of good -clothing up to his cottage for safe-keeping. Here we are, now, without a -rag to put on." - -"I suppose he thinks we'll have to march up to his cottage in blankets, -like Indians," said Bob. "Well, if it comes to that, I'll stay right here -till night. You don't catch me parading around in a blanket in the -daytime, to be laughed at by everybody." - -"We'll have to pay him up for this," said Tom. - -At this moment Henry Burns appeared at the doorway. - -"I have some cheap second-hand clothes here," he said. "They're pretty -well worn out, and you can have them for a small consideration, seeing -that you need them so bad. I want the money for my poor mother, who's -sick at home with the smallpox." - -"Scoundrel!" yelled Tom. - -"Pirate!" muttered Bob. - -They rushed fiercely at Henry Burns, who, however, smiling serenely, -still held on tightly to the bundle of clothing. - -"Pay me my price for them, and you can have them all," he said. - -"How much?" asked Tom. - -"Wait till we try them on and see if they still fit," said Bob. - -"My price," answered Henry Burns, depositing the bundle on a chair and -seating himself upon an end of one of the bunks, "is that you tell me how -you came so near to blowing up Jack Harvey's camp last night." - -It was a long shot on his part, but it went straight to the mark. There -was an awkward silence for almost a minute. Finally Tom said: - -"There's no use trying to keep a secret from him, Bob. He knows half -already. We may as well tell him all, and see what he thinks of it." - -"Fire away, Tom," said Bob. "No one was injured, anyway, so no great harm -can come of it." - -So Tom related to Henry Burns the story of the night's adventure. Henry -listened with the greatest interest. - -"I'd have given a good deal," he said, "to see Jack Harvey when he found -his cave blown up, with all their spoils along with it." - -When the story was finished, however, he was inclined to treat the matter -more seriously than they had supposed he would. - -"I'm afraid it's a bad scrape to be in," he said at length. "From what I -have heard about our friend Harvey, I judge he is not one of the kind to -let a thing of this sort go without paying somebody back for it. And I -believe he is as sure to find out who blew up that cave as I am that I am -sitting here." - -"How can that be?" asked Bob. - -"I can't say," replied Henry Burns; "but if you keep your eyes open, you -will see that he suspects you. I'll warrant if we could see Jack Harvey -now, we should see him out examining every inch of the shore, looking at -the rocks on the beach for any paint that might be scraped off your -canoe, and all such things as that. He is a shrewd one, and, when he has -once satisfied himself that you and Tom wrecked his cave, why, I wouldn't -give a fig for your camp here,--that is, unless you propose to stay at -home all the time to guard it." - -Strange to say, if they could have seen Jack Harvey just then, they would -have witnessed a most startling confirmation of Henry Burns's words. For -Jack Harvey, at that moment, was at the shore once more. He was examining -every inch of it. He was scrutinizing every rock along the beach. He was -out among the ledges, looking carefully along their sides. He was -searching here, and he was searching there,--but what he found he neither -confided to his crew nor to any one else, but kept locked for the present -in his own breast. - -"I believe Henry is right," said Tom. "And it isn't the most pleasant -prospect to think that our camp may be overhauled at any time, whenever -we happen to be away, and perhaps disappear altogether some dark night, -if we happen to be caught out on the bay or down the island. But what to -do I don't see, for the life of me,--except to keep as quiet as possible -about it." - -"I may not be right," suggested Henry Burns, "but my advice would be to -do just the opposite,--that is, when you once feel certain that Harvey is -hunting for you. - -"Tell Harvey," continued Henry, "that you blew up his camp, and how you -did it, and why. Tell him what you saw in that cave. Ask him point-blank -if he would want the villagers to know what you saw in there. Strike a -bargain with him to call it even. He will be glad to do it; whereas, if -he finds you and Bob out, without your knowing what he is up to, he will -watch night and day for a chance to harm you." - -"The fact is," added Henry Burns, as he arose to go, "what with Jack -Harvey and Colonel Witham on the war-path after you, you are likely to -have quite a lively summer before you get through. So keep your eyes open -and look out. And remember, when in trouble, always apply to H. A. Burns, -care Colonel Witham--always ready to serve you." And Henry Burns walked -away, whistling. - -Tom and Bob went about their breakfast preparations, looking rather -serious for a time; but a hearty meal made them look at the matter -somewhat less seriously. - -"Henry Burns is quite apt to be right about things, so the Warrens say," -commented Tom, after awhile, as they were finishing their meal. "But I -guess he likes to talk some, too, just to make an impression. I don't see -how Harvey can find out who blew up his cave in a hundred years, if we -only keep quiet and don't give it away ourselves." - -"I'm not so sure," answered Bob. "Those things do get out." - -Jack Harvey, in the meantime, having completed a careful survey of the -shore, and either finding or not finding what he sought for, went back to -his camp and crew. Toward noon, however, he left his camp, and a little -later Tom saw him coming up along the shore. - -When he came to where the canoe lay on the beach, Harvey paused and -examined it closely. Then, as though to test its weight, he lifted it up -on his broad shoulders, and then set it down on the beach again, this -time bottom up. - -Tom and Bob started down to the shore at this, but, before either they or -Harvey had spoken, they had seen plainly that which, perhaps, Harvey had -looked for, a long broad scratch upon the bottom of the canoe, near the -middle, where the fresh paint had been scraped off. - -"Hulloa, there," said Harvey, as they approached. "That's a fine canoe -you've got there. Guess I'll have to get the governor to buy me one. I -saw your tent yesterday, but didn't have a chance to come around. You -fellows got ahead of me, by coming over last night--with the crowd." - -"Yes," answered Bob. "We expected to find you all blown into the sea. -What was the matter over at your camp?" - -"Why, between you and me," replied Harvey, eying them cautiously as he -spoke, "I think some one of the crew did it, as a joke. They're up to -that sort of thing, you know. They'd just as lieve do it as not, any one -of them. Like as not that young Tim Reardon did it, because I make him -lug water, and don't let up on him when he has lazy spells. To tell you -the truth, we had a little powder stored away in a hole under a tree, and -I guess one of them touched it off." - -Harvey tried to speak carelessly; but there was an angry light in his -eyes and an expression around his mouth which would not be concealed, and -which boded no good for somebody, and this was not lost on Tom and Bob. - -"Come up to the camp, won't you?" asked Tom. Harvey first declined, as -though it had not been his intention to stop, and then accepted, and the -three went toward the tent. On the way there Tom found a chance to say to -Bob, "I guess Henry Burns was right, wasn't he, Bob?" And Bob answered, -"Yes." - -"Snug quarters you have here," said Harvey, as they entered the tent. -"Tight and dry,--and bunks, too. We can't beat these accommodations -aboard the _Surprise_. And here's camp-chairs, like a steam-yacht or a -cottage. You'll be having pictures on the walls next, and a carpet on the -floor,--and then you won't allow each other to have mud on your boots." - -Harvey was still watching them sharply as he spoke, and may have made the -last remark with a purpose, inasmuch as the boots of both Tom and Bob -were begrimed and smeared with the clay from the bank near Harvey's camp, -and their clothes, for that matter, were muddy in spots. - -"Sure enough," answered Tom, "we have things as shipshape as we can. -We've got a camp-kit here that can't be beaten on the island. Maybe you -would be interested to have a look at it." So saying, Tom deliberately -unlocked the big packing-case and threw back the cover. - -"There," cried Tom, pointing to the box that had been stolen, "what do -you think of that?" - -Harvey drew back quickly, and looked as though he were about to strike -Tom a blow, while his face flushed angrily. Bob sprang quickly from his -seat on one of the bunks, and he and Tom stood confronting Harvey. If the -latter had intended to strike a blow, he changed his mind and did not do -it. Instead, he gave a half-laugh and said: - -"That's what I came up to see you about. The fact is, I have known you -fellows blew up our cave ever since I saw your face"--looking at Tom--"at -the door of our tent last night. Then I found, too, where your canoe had -landed on the edge of the shore, and just where that big scratch was -made. The paint is on the rocks yet. Now I don't think you fellows used -me square, though I know you did it because you thought we stole your -box--" - -"Which you did," interrupted Tom. - -Again the quick flush in Harvey's face, and again the gesture as though -he would strike Tom a blow; but he did not do it, as he had refrained -before. - -"No, there's where you are wrong," he said; "though I don't deny that one -of the crew took it,--not knowing it was yours. They wouldn't one of them -take anything from you." - -"Which is not true," said Tom, quietly. - -This was more than Harvey could stand. With clenched fist, he rushed at -Tom, aiming a heavy blow at his face, and crying, as he did so: "I lie, -do I? Then take that!" - -Tom partially avoided the blow by stepping back and guarding his face -with one arm. The blow fell short, striking him near the shoulder. At the -same time, however, he tripped over the packing-case, and that, with the -force of the blow, sent him over backwards, so that he fell all in a heap -in one corner of the tent. - -Harvey darted for the door, to make his escape; but Bob sprang at him and -the two clinched. Harvey was larger and more than a match for either one -of them, and, with a quick twist, threw Bob violently to the floor. But -the latter clung to him and brought him down, too. Then, before Harvey -could break Bob's hold, Tom had recovered himself and thrown himself upon -him. He rolled Harvey over, and the next moment he and Bob had him -securely pinned to the floor. - -"Now," said Tom, as they held him fast, "we are not going to hurt you, -Jack Harvey, because we are no such cowards; but I've got something to -say to you which it will be for your advantage to listen to. - -"In the first place, let me tell you that you are a coward and as good as -a thief. You didn't steal our box because one of your crew did it for you -and saved you the trouble; but you knew it was stolen from us, and would -have taken it yourself if you had had the chance. You need not tell us -that your crew would not steal from us, for we know better, and so do -you. In the second place, I want to tell you that we blew up your cave -without intending to do more than burn some of the things in it. The rest -we took out,--though it doesn't make much difference now what our -intentions were. - -"And, last of all, let me tell you that neither you nor your crew are -going to try to be revenged on us. Why? Because you don't dare to. It -wouldn't be healthy for any of you, if it became known in the village -what was in that cave, and nobody knows that better than you. Not that -Bob and I intend to tell, ever, unless you give us cause to. But let me -tell you that it won't do for you to play any tricks on us. - -"Please don't forget that neither you nor a single one of your crew dares -to disturb so much as a rope around this camp. Now you can get up." - -Harvey rose, white with rage, and stood for a moment, as though undecided -whether or not to continue the unequal combat; but his better judgment -prevailed, and he walked slowly out of the tent, pausing at the door long -enough to say: - -"You need not have any fear of our troubling you or your camp. You have -been too smart for us, and we shall steer clear of you after this. - -"In fact," he added, sneeringly, "any little thing we can do for you at -any time, just let us know. We shall think a great deal of two such smart -fellows as you, I assure you." And so saying, he left them. - -"Sorry we can't say as much for you," Bob called out after him, and was -half-sorry for the words the next moment; for it was foolish to increase -an enmity which could only lead to trouble. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - SQUIRE BRACKETT'S DOG - - -The island got a respite of at least a week, after the explosion, from -excitement of any sort. A calm like that of the primeval days before the -"boom" pervaded all the settlement. But it was not to endure. One morning -a little fishing-schooner, which had fallen into the hands of Squire -Brackett, through a mortgage which he had foreclosed upon a poor skipper -across the bay, and which was now lying at anchor in the harbour, was -found painted with broad stripes of blood red, and flying the skull and -cross-bones at the masthead, a veritable pirate craft. - -The squire was never able to discover whether the authors of this piece -of mischief were the boys or some of his own townsmen, who, indignant at -his seizure of the only means of livelihood belonging to the unfortunate -skipper, had roundly denounced Squire Brackett for his meanness. However, -the incident resulted in the squire leaving on the boat one day for the -city of Benton to make a purchase. - -What the squire purchased he brought back with him the next day. And, as -it is a matter of passing interest how his purchase arrived at the island -and how brief a time it remained there, it shall be here recorded. By the -same boat there came to the village an individual whose arrival made no -stir, but who remained long enough to create the greatest excitement the -village had ever known. - -The arrival of the steamer from Benton was an event of great interest -daily, for it brought not only mysterious packages, bundles, and messages -from fathers whose business kept them in the city, but now and then a new -face, which was duly scrutinized and commented upon by the summer -colonists before its possessor had crossed the gangplank. - -So that on this day when Squire Brackett returned to his native isle -there were many gathered upon the wharf, though, it is hardly necessary -to say, not for the purpose of welcoming his return. Yet one might -readily believe the squire thought otherwise; since, as the steamer -neared the wharf, this self-important individual, arrayed in a suit of -shining black, with a great deal of staring shirt-front, and with an -enormous slouch-hat surmounting his ponderous head, seemed the most -conspicuous person aboard. - -The squire stood nearest the gangway, and, indeed, it looked from a -distance as though the other passengers, in recognition of the greatness -of this island magnate, had drawn respectfully back a little distance, to -wait till he should have gone ashore ere they approached the railing. - -As the steamer came nearer, however, the reason for this seeming -deference on their part became apparent. It was plainly not due so much -to any awe inspired by the squire as it was to fear,--fear of the -squire's purchase. The squire's purchase was as ugly and vicious looking -a bulldog as ever walked on four legs. The squire held the dog by a stout -piece of cord, which was wound several times about his wrist. - -The dog and the squire, being each in equally ill-humour, may have found -their companionship agreeable. Certain it was that the squire was the -only person whom the dog did not snarl and snap at. It growled and -snapped at every one, and even snarled and showed its teeth at the -good-natured cook aboard the steamer, who had offered it a scrap of meat. - -This surliness on the part of his new acquisition had particularly -pleased the squire, who argued from it that here was an incorruptible -beast, that would meet in the same spirit any such advances upon the part -of strangers when it should be duly installed as guardian of his -farmhouse. - -The squire would be magnanimous on this occasion, however, and, despite -the fact that the crowd on the wharf looked to him, as it always did in -his eyes, like invaders of his domain, he gave a bow accompanied by a -sweeping gesture of his hand, presumably intended to be a patronizing -greeting, which should include everybody, and nobody in particular, at -once. - -Then the steamer made its landing. It was not always an easy matter here, -for the tide at certain times ran swift, and seemed to strive fiercely to -drive the boat away from the wharf. Therefore, when the steamer was as -yet at some distance from the wharf, a deck-hand at the bow skilfully let -fly a coil of small rope, which unwound in the air and was caught by a -man standing on the wharf. To an end of this rope was attached the usual -heavy hawser, which was then drawn on to the wharf by means of the small -rope, and the bight thrown over a spiling. In like manner the other big -hawser was drawn up astern on to the wharf. - -When things were done shipshape, it was the rule of the steamer that the -small rope should be coiled again and at once thrown back to the boat -while one end was still fast to the wharf, so that when the hawser was -cast off from the spiling it could be drawn aboard by the small rope, -without its splashing down into the water and getting wet. - -But things were more often done hurriedly than shipshape at the Southport -landing. The steamer's crew had all they could do usually to land freight -and get it out quickly enough, so that the boat could go on down the bay -without losing time. The line thrown to the wharf was usually caught by -the village storekeeper, who had little time to spare, or by whatever man -or boy happened to be standing near at hand. The boat's rule was seldom -obeyed. Scarcely any one ever took the trouble to coil up the small rope -and throw it back. When the hawsers were cast off they fell into the -water, regardless of the fact that they thereby got wet and became -heavier, dragging the small ropes after them, and were hauled aboard as -the boat steamed away. - -The steamer having, on this occasion, been made fast to the wharf and the -gangplank put out, Squire Brackett crossed it, dragging his purchase -behind him,--the purchase skulking very unwillingly across the plank and -showing its teeth at the crowd upon the wharf. - -The squire hated and despised boys, and made it a point to ignore them -whenever it was possible. For this very reason they delighted to annoy -him by hailing him whenever they met him. Young Joe Warren had a way of -driving the squire nearly into fits by pretending to mistake him for one -Captain Kendrick, who was the bitterest enemy the squire had, and then -always apologizing for his mistake by explaining to the squire that he -could not tell them apart. - -"Good morning, Squire Brackett, glad to see you back again!" cried Henry -Burns, in the heartiest fashion imaginable, as the squire stepped on to -the wharf. - -"Humph! Morning--morning," grunted the squire, as he eyed Henry Burns -suspiciously. - -Henry Burns smiled most affably, as though the squire had been his -dearest friend and adviser. - -"Why, how do you do, squire?" said George Warren, cordially. - -Squire Brackett scowled angrily at him, but answered, "How d'ye do?" as -short as he could. - -Just then young Joe made his appearance. - -"How are you, Captain Kendrick?" he bawled, loud enough to be heard all -over the wharf. - -The crowd began to smile, and young Joe added, hastily: - -"Oh, I beg pardon, Squire Brackett--always take you for Cap'n -Kendrick--strange how you do look so much alike." - -"You little idiot," yelled the choleric squire, "I'd Cap'n Kendrick you -with a rawhide, if I had the say of you,--insulting an honest man with a -name like that,--every one of you ought to be in State prison. And you, -you're the worst one of all, Jack Harvey," pointing to the latter, who -had just come upon the wharf. "And you, too!" shaking his fist at Tom and -Bob. "You're sly, but you'll get caught yet. You're a pack of young -rascals, every one of you. Don't any of you come around my house, if you -don't want to be chewed up. Here, you brute! Quit that!" - -The dog had snapped viciously at a child that ran past, causing her to -scream with fear. - -Just then the freight-agent called out to the squire: - -"You'll have to come in here and see about this freight of yours," he -said. "It's all mixed up. And don't bring that dog in here, or the crew -may take him for a piece of freight and run a truck against him." - -At one corner of the freight-house on the wharf was a big iron ring, to -which the squire tied the dog. - -"I wouldn't advise anybody to meddle with him," he said; but the advice -seemed hardly necessary, for the dog showed its teeth and sprang savagely -at any one who ventured to come near. - -There were some expressions of indignation that such a dangerous brute -should be brought to the island. - -Every one did keep as far out of the dog's way as possible, excepting Tim -Reardon, who, after a whispered consultation with Jack Harvey, after -which the latter disappeared behind the freight-house, seated himself -just out of the dog's reach, and caused that animal to froth at the mouth -and nearly strangle itself in trying to get loose, by pointing a finger -at the dog and making a loud hissing noise between his teeth. - -Not content with this form of annoyance, Tim Reardon varied it now and -again by darting a hand out at the dog, as though in an attempt to seize -him by the throat. To which the maddened animal, with true bulldog -ferocity, responded with savage rushes as far as the rope would permit, -his wide-open jaws fairly dripping with rage and disappointment. - -If there was any design on the boy's part to distract the dog's attention -from what Jack Harvey was doing at the corner of the freight-house, to -which the dog was tied, it succeeded admirably. Moreover, it is certain -that, when Harvey reappeared, Tim stopped teasing the brute, and he and -Harvey walked around to the rear of the freight-house. - -The freight-house was situated almost at the end of the wharf on its -seaward side, so near to the edge of the wharf that there was only room -for a single person to walk along on the outside, and that at the risk of -losing one's balance and falling off the wharf. The ring to which the dog -was tied was on the side near the end, and was not visible to those -standing on the front of the wharf. Any one going around to the further -side of the freight-house at this moment might have seen Harvey and Tim -standing there,--Harvey nearest the ring and holding a knife in his hand. - -The steamer in landing had made a complete circuit in the harbour, and -had come alongside the wharf with her head pointing out into the bay, so -that now, as Captain Chase called out "All aboard," and gave orders to -cast off bow and stern lines, the boat was ready to steam directly away -from the wharf. The gangplanks were drawn in. There was a tinkling of -bells; a great commotion as the steamer's wheels began to revolve -rapidly; a general waving of handkerchiefs from the wharf to those who -were bound farther down the bay; the steamer began to glide away from the -wharf, when suddenly somebody shrieked: - -"The dog! The dog! Run! Run! He's broken loose." - -And before the crowd had time to scatter, the dog, infuriated with the -tormenting it had received at the hands of Tim Reardon, dashed toward it. -Men, women, and children fled in terror. Squire Brackett, who came -running out of the freight-house, did not dare face the dog, but dodged -back into the freight-house and slammed the door shut, in a cold sweat of -fear. - -The boys, most of them, rushed for points of safety, clambering up the -ends of the spiling that jutted above the floor of the wharf, and young -Joe and Tom Harris, being at the very edge of the wharf, and having no -other means of escape, and nothing to defend themselves with, dropped off -the wharf into the water and swam to shore. Several of the other boys and -some men scrambled about for clubs to ward off the brute's fierce rush. - -Among these latter was Henry Burns. Realizing on the instant that to -attempt to flee was worse than hopeless, he had glanced about for -something to defend himself with, and had seized upon a broken piece of -oar. Grasping it with both hands, he stood, calmly awaiting the attack. -The dog, seeing him right in his path, rushed at him, and when within a -yard of the boy suddenly gave a spring, as though to seize him by the -throat. - -Henry Burns, summoning all his strength, aimed a terrific sweeping blow -at the dog, but it missed its mark. Meeting no obstruction, the force of -the blow swung the boy completely around, so that he lost his balance and -fell sprawling upon the wharf, while the piece of oar flew from his hands -and landed far out in the water. - -A strange thing had happened. The crowd, pausing breathlessly in the -midst of flight, had seen with horror the dog spring at Henry Burns; but -the animal's leap had a most extraordinary termination. All at once the -dog was jerked violently backward through the air, and fell heavily on -the wharf, yelping with surprise and fright. Then it was dragged rapidly -across the wharf, and the crowd yelled with derision as they saw that the -rope by which the dog had been tied to the ring had been unfastened or -cut from the ring, and had been fastened to the rope which had been -thrown from the steamer, and the other end of which was made fast to the -steamer's hawser. - -As the boat steamed away it drew the rope after it. There was no possible -escape for the dog. Struggling as best it could, barking and yelping, and -snapping madly at the rope, it braced itself for one instant on the edge -of the wharf, and then was dragged over and fell, still struggling, to -the water below. The steamer kept on its way a short distance, and then -stopped. The rope was drawn in by a deck-hand and the dog hauled to the -railing of the steamer, but it was not taken aboard, for nobody on board -wanted a dead dog. The deck-hand cut the rope, and the body splashed into -the water. - -Thus perished the squire's bulldog, unmourned, save for the squire -himself, who raged about the wharf, looking for some boy whom he might -accuse of the trick, and vowing untold vengeance upon the perpetrators of -it. But, one and all, they had wisely dispersed, the guilty and the -innocent alike, and the squire was soon left alone in his wrath. - -Who had done the thing? The crowd did not know, for it had been too -excited to notice that Jack Harvey and Tim Reardon had emerged from -behind the freight-house just at the critical moment when the dog had -sprung at Henry Burns. - -As for Henry Burns, he was the hero of the hour. - -There had been on the whole so much excitement attending the squire's -arrival that few had noticed a stranger who had come ashore soon after -Squire Brackett. He had not waited on the wharf, but had gone directly to -the hotel. There Henry Burns met him later; for the man sat at Colonel -Witham's table, as that was the only one then available. - -The new arrival was the sort of guest to please the colonel, for he was -extremely quiet. He walked only with the aid of a cane, and then, -apparently, with great effort, stopping frequently to rest. He told them -he had been very ill; that his health had broken down with overwork, and -he had accordingly tried cruising along the coast. His friends had left -him up the river some days before, and would call for him. - -He was a man a little under middle age, of medium height and thick-set, -with black hair and a pale, smooth-shaven face. He was evidently somewhat -a man of the world and had travelled abroad, for, seated before the -fireplace in the office that evening, he talked for some time of his -travels. - -But there were other things of more interest to the boarders than this -quiet, reserved stranger, who did not play cards and who hobbled about -with a cane. There was, above all, a morning paper from town, which -bristled with startling head-lines, descriptive of a robbery of the -residence of one of the richest men in the town. It told how the thieves, -three in number, had entered the house where Mr. Curtis, the owner, was -sleeping alone, in the absence of his family; how they had put a pistol -to his head and made him get up and open a safe, from which they had -taken several hundred dollars in money and a jewel-case containing a -diamond necklace and other gems to the value of several thousand dollars. - -The jewels, it said, were the property of Mrs. Curtis, and most of them -had been bridal presents. A reward of $500 was offered for their return -or for information leading to the arrest of any one of the robbers. - -The article stated further that Mr. Curtis was positive he could identify -the man who subsequently bound and gagged him, his mask having but -partially concealed his face. He was, he said, a man of about medium -height, with black hair, black moustache, and heavy black beard, -broad-shouldered, thick-set, and unusually active and powerful. - -All this, as it was read aloud, threw the guests into the greatest -possible excitement, as a great part of them were from the very town and -knew the Curtis family, by reputation if not personally. - -It did not, of course, interest the stranger guest, for he nodded in his -chair and nearly dozed off several times during the reading. Still, when -the guests had dispersed, he picked up the paper from a chair and took it -with him to his room. - -It was the very next night following that of his arrival that Henry Burns -met with a surprise. - -On the night in question there was a full moon about half-past ten -o'clock, and, as Henry had agreed with Tom and Bob to meet them at their -tent, he opened his window, stepped out on to the ledge and started to -climb to the roof. - -Mackerel had struck in at the western bay, and the boys had planned to -paddle down the island that night, carry their canoe across the short -strip of land that saved the island from being cut into almost equal -halves by the sea, launch it again in the western bay, and paddle around -to where the Warren boys' sloop lay anchored in Fish Hawk's Cove. Then -they were all to try for mackerel early in the morning. - -Henry Burns stepped softly out, grasped the lightning-rod, and, with a -quickness that would have amazed the worthy Mrs. Carlin, scrambled to the -ledge over the top of his window. There he paused a moment for breath, -and then climbed up the lightning-rod, hand over hand, and gained the -roof. - -He had proceeded then across the roof but a little ways, when he heard -suddenly, almost directly beneath him, the sound of footsteps. Some one -was coming up the stairs that led to the roof. - -Henry Burns had barely time to conceal himself behind a chimney when the -trap-door in the roof was softly opened, and he saw the head and -shoulders of a man emerge through the opening. Henry Burns lay flat on -the roof, in the dark shadow cast by the chimney. The moon shone full in -the man's face, and Henry Burns saw, to his amazement, that it was the -stranger guest. The sickly, weak expression in the man's face was gone, -and in its stead there was a sinister, bold look, which seemed far more -natural to his powerful physique. - -Suddenly the man, with the strength and ease of an athlete, sprang -lightly out on to the roof. He still carried his cane, but he had no use -for it, save to clutch it in one hand more after the manner of a cudgel -than a cane. - -Henry Burns, for once in his life, was afraid. It was all so strange and -incomprehensible. - -Once upon the roof, the man straightened himself up, threw out his chest -and squared back his broad shoulders. He was erect in stature, without -the suggestion of a stoop. He seemed to exult in the freedom of the -place, like one who had been kept in some confinement. When he walked -across the roof to the edge facing the sea, there was no suggestion of -any limp in his gait. It was quick and firm, but noiseless and almost -catlike. - -What did it mean? Henry Burns thought of the robbery. Could the man have -had anything to do with that? Why had he pretended to be weak and ill? -Why had he come to this out-of-the-way place, pretending that he was an -invalid? Surely he could have no designs upon any one on the island. -There was no house there that offered inducement to a robber, if the man -were one. - -It must be that his coming was an attempt to hide himself away--to -secrete himself. But why? The description of the robber that had bound -Mr. Curtis--did that tally with the appearance of this man? Broad -shoulders, medium height, active, powerful,--all these agreed. But the -black moustache and heavy beard. The stranger's face was smoothly shaven. -That transformation, however, could have been quickly effected. - -One thing was certain. It would not be well that this man, a pretended -invalid, but strong, and armed with a heavy cane, that had suddenly -become transformed from a cripple's staff to a cudgel, who could but have -some dark motive in thus disguising and secreting himself, should find -himself watched and his secret discovered. Henry Burns crouched closer in -the shadow of the chimney, and hardly dared to breathe. The evil that he -had so accidentally uncovered in the man, his own helplessness compared -with the other's strength, and the dangerous situation, there upon the -house-top, made him afraid. If they had been upon the ground he would -have feared less. - -The man scanned the moonlit waters of the bay long and earnestly. His -survey done, he paced a few times back and forth, swinging the cane, and -then, stealing noiselessly to the doorway, disappeared down the stairs, -closing the trap-door after him. - -Henry Burns lost little time in descending to the ground. On the way to -the boys' camp that night he made two resolves: first, that he would keep -to himself, for the present, at least, the stranger's secret; second, -that, whatever that secret was, he would find it out if any clue was to -be had upon that island. The second resolution, he thought, rather -included the first, since, the greater the number of those who knew of -the stranger's secret, the greater the chances of his suspicions being -aroused. - -Another thing that disturbed Henry Burns not a little was the knowledge -that his excursions over the roof were now attended with greater risk -than ever. It would not do to encounter the stranger there unexpectedly. -What might not the man, suddenly aroused, and desperate, as Henry Burns -believed him to be, do to him, if he found himself discovered? A fall -from such a height must mean instant death, and who was there to suspect -that he had not fallen, if he should be found next day lying upon the -ground? - -In the future he must know whether the roof were occupied or not before -he ventured upon it, and especially must he be careful when returning -late at night. - -Henry Burns resolved to keep the man's secret for a time, for the reason -that he was firmly convinced he had not come to the island to commit any -wrong there, but to hide away. The island offered every advantage for the -latter, and no inducement for the former. The man's design certainly was -to secrete himself. Still, Henry Burns had no intention of letting the -man escape from the island. He would watch also for those friends that -the man had said were to come for him with their yacht, and he would make -sure that they did not sail away again. Though but a boy, the stranger's -secret was in dangerous hands, if he had but known it. And yet luck was -to effect more than Henry Burns's scheming. - -Tom and Bob were waiting impatiently when Henry Burns arrived at the -tent. They launched the canoe, the three embarked, and soon left the tent -and then the village behind. They glided swiftly along the picturesque -shore till they came at length to the narrows; here they carried the -canoe across and launched it again in the western bay. In an hour from -the time they had left the tent, they had come alongside the sloop -_Spray_ in Fish Hawk's Cove, and the Warren boys had sleepily made room -for them in the cabin. - -It was crowded for them all there, and it may have been for that reason -that Henry Burns did not sleep soundly,--either that, or because of the -figure of a man that he could not drive from his mind, and that appeared -to him, half-dreaming and half-awake, as a figure that hobbled along, -stooping and bent, but which suddenly sprang up before him, lithe and -threatening, and brandishing in his hand a cudgel that looked like a -cane. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - THE HAUNTED HOUSE - - -At four o'clock next morning, when Arthur Warren tried to rouse the other -boys, they were loath to turn out. It was warm inside, under the -blankets, and the sea air outside was cool and damp. Out in the cockpit -Arthur lighted an oil-stove, which they always carried aboard, made the -coffee in a big pot, and set it on to boil. Then he called the sleepers -in the cabin again. - -"Come you, Art, shut up out there! How do you expect any one can sleep, -with you bawling out in that fashion?" - -This was from George Warren, whose voice denoted that he was only about -half-awake. - -"Don't want you to sleep any more," answered Arthur. "Want you to get up -and fish." - -"Don't care to fish," said George, still only half-awake. - -"Well," persisted Arthur, "may I inquire what you did come over here -for?" - -"Certainly you may. I came over here to sleep. I like the air over here. -Now, please don't disturb us any more, Arthur. You can be decent, you -know, when you've a mind to be." And with this request, drowsily mumbled, -George pulled the blanket comfortably about him and settled back for -another nap. - -At this juncture, however, his brother poked his head in at the -companionway and yelled at the top of his lungs: - -"Hulloa, there! Hulloa, I say! There's a school of mackerel breaking off -the point. Wake up, every lazy lubber aboard!" - -"Say, Art, you're a mean scoundrel," said George Warren, emerging once -more from the blankets. "You know there isn't a mackerel in sight. I'll -be just fool enough to look out of the window, though, so you can laugh, -so get ready." And George looked sleepily out of the little cabin window. - -He had no sooner done so, however, than he sprang up, exclaiming, -excitedly: - -"There they are, sure enough. Boys, get up! Get up! There's a school of -mackerel breaking off the point, as sure as we're alive." - -The boys needed no further urging. They dressed and scrambled out on -deck. Not far away from the sloop could be seen plainly that tiny -chop-sea which is caused by the breaking of a school of mackerel. The -calm surface of the water was broken there by a series of miniature -ripples which could not be mistaken. The fish were there, but would they -bite? - -"They are coming this way," said Arthur. "We can soon reach them with the -throw-bait. We shall not have to leave the sloop." - -Hastily they got the bait out. It was a bucket filled with scraps of fish -and clams, chopped fine and mixed with salt water. Taking a long-handled -dipper, Arthur half-filled it with the bait and threw it as far as he -could out toward the school of fish. - -The mackerel seized upon it greedily. From the sloop the boys could see -them dart through the water after it as it slowly sank. The water was -fairly alive with fish, ravenously hungry. - -"Hurrah!" cried Arthur. "They're hungry as sharks. Get the lines out, -quick." - -In a twinkling every boy had a line overboard; but, to their -disappointment, not a fish would bite. They still seized the throw-bait -that was cast out, but not one of them would take a baited hook. - -"If that isn't a regular mackerel trick, I'll eat my bait," said George -Warren. "Cap'n Sam said mackerel would often act that way, though I never -saw them when they wouldn't bite before. He says they will play around a -boat for hours and not touch a hook, and, all of a sudden, they'll -commence and bite as though they were starving." - -The boy's words were unexpectedly verified at this moment by a sudden -twitch at his line and by corresponding twitches at all the other lines. -The fish had begun biting in earnest. The next moment the boys had three -or four aboard, handsome fellows, striped green and black, changing to a -bluish shade, and soon the cockpit seemed alive with them. - -It was new sport for Tom and Bob, but they soon learned to tend two -lines, one in each hand; to drop one and haul the other in at a bite, and -to slat the mackerel off the hook with a quick snap, instead of stopping -to take them off by hand. - -The mackerel bit fiercely, sometimes at the bare hook even, like fish -gone crazy. It seemed as though they might go on catching them all day -long, for the water was alive with them; but all at once the fish stopped -biting as abruptly as they had begun. They still played around the boat, -but not a fish would touch a hook. - -"We may as well put up our lines, boys. They are through biting for this -morning," said Arthur Warren. "Besides, we have more fish now than we -know what to do with." - -There was no doubt of that. They had caught several hundred of the -fish--enough to supply the village. - -"We'll make friends with every one in town," said George Warren. "These -are the first mackerel of the season, and we will give away all we cannot -use." - -"I feel as though I could eat about four now," said young Joe. - -"I can eat at least six," said Henry Burns. - -"We'll try you and see," said Arthur, producing an enormous frying-pan -from a locker and a junk of pork from another. "Tom, you're the boss cook -of the crowd. You fry the fish while the rest of us clean up the boat, -make things shipshape, and get ready to sail." - -"Ay, ay, sir," said Tom, rolling up his sleeves. "Let's see, four apiece -is how many?" - -And soon the appetizing odour of the frying fish, mingled with that of -the steaming coffee, saluted most temptingly the nostrils of the six -hungry boys. - -It was several hours after this, when the yacht was bowling along in the -western bay, near the head of the island, before a fresh southerly -breeze, that young Joe said: - -"I know how we can play a stupendous joke on everybody in the village." - -Joe being the youngest of the brothers, and of the party, and it being -therefore necessary that he should be occasionally squelched, George -merely said: - -"You don't think of anything, Joe, but playing jokes." - -"All right," retorted Joe, "seeing you are all so wildly enthusiastic, -I'll just keep it to myself." - -"Nonsense, Joe, don't be huffy," said Arthur, whose curiosity was -aroused. "Tell us what it is, and if it is any good we'll try it, won't -we, boys?" - -There being an unanimously affirmative reply, young Joe proceeded. - -"Well," said he, "there's no risk at all about this. You know the old -farmhouse on the bluff across the cove? Everybody in the village believes -it is haunted. I found that out yesterday, when I was in Cap'n Sam's -store. The house hasn't been lived in for two years, and not a soul in -the village has dared to go near it at night in all that time. If any of -them had to stay over there all night, they would sleep out in the woods -rather than go into the house. - -"You see, the house belonged to a man by the name of Randall, Captain -Randall, who lived there with his wife. This was a little more than two -years ago. He owned a little fishing-smack, in which he went short trips -down the coast. One night in a storm he drove in on to the bluff; the -smack was pounded to pieces, and he was drowned. His wife died not long -after. - -"Since then, the villagers have thought the house haunted. They hear -shrieks from there during the night, and think they see strange lights in -the windows. They were discussing it in the store yesterday. Cap'n Sam -declared that, only a few nights ago, when he was coming across the cove -from Billy Cook's, he saw the ghost of Captain Randall pass out of the -back door of the old house and disappear in the woods. - -"Billy Cook, who lives up the cove, was in the store, too. He said he and -his wife hear screams come from there often in the night, especially when -it is storming; and two other villagers said they had seen lights in the -windows long after midnight. - -"That new boarder at Colonel Witham's was in there, too, Henry. He said -he knew houses were haunted, and told several stories about ghosts, which -he said were true. But I believe he knew they were lies, and he was only -amusing himself; but that's nothing to do with the matter. The villagers -seemed to believe all that he said. - -"Now, what I propose is, that we manufacture some brand-new ghosts for -them, some they have never seen before. There are some red and green -lights up at the cottage, that were left over from the Fourth of July, -which we can burn inside the house, after letting out a few screeches -that will arouse the village. Then we'll wrap sheets around us and run -past the windows, while the lights are burning. We'll have something -wrapped in white to fling off the cliff, too, in a flare of light. - -"Then we'll run down through the woods and take everything with us. And -if we don't have some fun the next day listening to the ghost-stories -about the village, why, my name isn't Joe, that's all." - -"That's not such a bad scheme, Joe," said George. - -"It's a daisy," said Henry Burns, "and easily done. What's to hinder our -going up there to-night and taking up the lights and the sheets and -looking the place over? I never was inside the old house myself, though I -have been close to it at night, and never saw or heard of any ghosts. We -can carry a lantern up with us and light it after we get inside. If any -one sees the light from the village he will think it's the ghosts walking -again." - -"I don't like so much of this running around in the night," said Tom, -flexing his biceps. "A fellow must have sleep to keep in condition, but I -guess they can count on us in this case, can't they, Bob? It's too good -to be missed." - -"You bet!" replied Bob. "We can turn in and sleep this afternoon. Count -me in, for one." - -"Then," said George, "suppose we all start from our cottage at ten -o'clock to-night. We'll launch the rowboat from the beach and slip across -and look things over." - -So it was agreed. - -The yacht had long turned the head of the island and was beating down -alongshore in the eastern bay. Presently they rounded the bluff and came -into the cove. It was nearly noon. - -High up on the bluff, and several rods back from the edge of the cliffs, -was the old farmhouse; it stood out conspicuously, though at some -distance from the water-front, for the land rose quite sharply and the -house occupied the top of the eminence. Around it, on all sides except -that facing the village, was a dark, heavy growth of hemlocks and pines. -It was a mysterious, shadowy place, even by day; but when darkness set in -about it, standing off solitary and alone, as it did, from the rest of -the village, with the waters lying between, it is little wonder that -superstition inhabited it with ghosts and that it was a spot to be -shunned. - -At the outermost end of the cliffs that protruded into the bay, a ravine, -where the ledge at some time had been rent apart, led from the water up -toward the cottage, affording a precarious pathway. There was a natural -stairway of rock for some distance from the water's edge, and at the end -nearest the old house a series of clumsy wooden stairs led up from the -ravine to the surface of the bluff. These were now old and rather -rickety; but a light person, at some risk, could still use them. - -The villagers, as a rule, avoided the house and this pathway to the -bluff. If they had occasion to go ashore there, they usually landed -farther up the cove at a beach, and walked through the woods at a -distance from the house. No one cared to go very near it. - -When the sloop had come to anchor in the cove opposite the Warren -cottage, the boys took a boatload of mackerel ashore, besides a basketful -in the canoe. They carried them around to every cottage in the village, -and even to the hotel, though, as George Warren remarked, they would have -to get Colonel Witham out of bed some night in a hurry to make up for it. - -Certainly the village, supping that night on their catch, was inclined to -forget and forgive them many a prank that had been stored up for future -punishment. - -When Henry Burns made his exit across the roof that night, he made a -careful survey before climbing out on it to see that the stranger was not -there. There were no signs of him, and Henry got away safely. Tom and Bob -were at the Warren cottage when he arrived. Everything was in readiness, -and they all set out for the shore. - -"These clouds in the sky are favourable," said Tom. "If it was as bright -as it was last night, we might have to postpone our trip. This mackerel -sky, through which the moon shines dimly, is just the thing." - -"Everything seems to be favourable," added George, as they hurried down -the bank to the beach. - -And yet not quite everything, for, when they had reached the shore and -came to look for the boat, it was not there. - -"That's too bad," cried young Joe. "And we left it here at five o'clock, -too, after washing it out thoroughly, because we had brought the mackerel -ashore in it." - -"Who could have stolen it?" asked Tom. - -"No one," replied Joe. "Nobody ever has a boat stolen in this harbour. -Some one who wanted to cross the cove has borrowed it. We shall find it -all right in the morning,--but that don't help us out now. It's provoking -enough, and strange, too, after all, that the one who took it didn't step -up to the cottage and let us know, as the cottage is so near. But boats -are almost common property here; any man in the harbour would lend us his -boat in a minute." - -"We must do the next best thing," said Arthur, "and take one from the -slip at the wharf. No one will want his boat at this hour." - -"Though some one does seem to want ours," broke in Joe. "Curious, isn't -it, that whoever it is should come around into the cove and get our boat, -when there are any number at the slip?" - -It certainly was rather strange. - -Following Arthur's suggestion, the boys proceeded to the slip and -embarked in a big dory, the property of Captain Sam. Then they rowed -quickly across the cove. - -It took them but a few minutes to reach the other shore, for the cove was -smooth as glass. They headed for the bluff, and pointed directly into the -black, shadowy hole which they knew to be the natural landing-place. It -was a peculiar, narrow little dock, completely rock-bound, except for the -passage leading into it. It lay entirely in the shadow, but they had -landed there before, and knew just where to steer for a shelf, or ledge, -of rock that made a natural slip. - -Still, their familiarity with the place did not prevent them from bumping -suddenly into a rowboat that lay moored there. They pushed it aside to -make a landing, and found to their amazement that it was their own. - -"Hulloa!" cried George, springing out on to the broad, shelving ledge; -"that is queerer still. Here's the old _Anna_, and what in the world is -she doing here? Who can have brought her? And what for? There's something -strange about it. Why, there isn't a man in the village that would dare -go near the haunted house at night, and yet somebody is over here now, -for some reason." - -If it were possible for Henry Burns to be excited ever, he was so now. - -"Get in here, quick, George," he said, "and don't make any noise. I think -I know what it means, and I'll tell you just as soon as we get out of -here. We can't get away any too soon, either." - -"Why not take the _Anna_ out with us?" said young Joe, "and pay somebody -off for running away with it? He would only have to walk a few miles -around the cove to get back again--" - -"No, no, leave the boat where it is," said Henry Burns. "And let's get -out of here quick." - -"Why, what's the matter with you, Henry?" asked George, jumping back into -the boat and giving it a vigorous shove off. "Any one would think to see -you that some one was being murdered up there." - -Henry Burns's earnestness was sufficient to convince them, however, that -something serious was involved in their actions, and they made haste to -get out into the cove again. - -"Row for the beach above, boys," continued Henry Burns, "and we will go -up to the old house through the woods. I think I know who is up there in -the house, and if I am right it means that we may make an important -discovery. The man who I think is up there is Mr. Kemble." - -"What! The cripple?" asked Tom. - -"This is another one of Henry Burns's jokes," said George. "You're having -lots of fun with us, aren't you, Henry?" - -"I tell you I am in earnest," said Henry Burns. "We won't burn any lights -to-night, and you better make up your mind to that, right off. There's -more serious business ahead of us." - -And then, when they had landed on the beach and had drawn the boat -noiselessly up on the shore, Henry Burns told them of the adventure he -had had on the roof of the hotel. How he had seen the stranger throw off -his disguise of weakness, and become, suddenly, a man of strength and -action; how he believed the man to be somehow connected with the thieves -who had committed the robbery, and how he believed that the man was now -up there in the haunted house, though for what purpose he could not tell. -It might be he had something to conceal there. - -"Cracky!" exclaimed Tom, when Henry Burns had finished his story. "This -beats ghost hunting all hollow; but we are by no means certain that it is -this stranger who is up there." - -"No, but I believe as Henry does, that it is he," said George Warren. -"Who else would have any object in being up there this hour of the night? -We know from what Henry saw that the man is dangerous, that he seems to -be in hiding--" - -"And that if he should catch one of us spying on him up there in the old -house, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot," interrupted young Joe, who would -rather have risked the meeting with a legion of ghosts than with one real -live thief, armed and desperate. - -"That's true enough," answered Henry Burns; "but we must not give him -that opportunity, if it is he, which, of course, we're by no means sure -of. At any rate, we want to see and not be seen by whoever is there, and -we cannot go any too quietly." - -Then, as the tide was rising, and they might be gone some time, they -lifted the dory and carried it up out of the reach of high water, after -which they began the ascent of the hill. There was not a breath of wind -stirring, and there was not a sound of life in the woods. The tide crept -in softly, and not even a wave could be heard on the shore. - -Out through the trees they could see, as they climbed, glimpses of the -water, calm and placid as a mill-pond, lit up dimly by the moonlight -shining through a patchwork of clouds that covered all the sky. Beyond -this the darkness of the village was accentuated by a light here and -there, glimmering from the window of some cottage. - -Then they came to the brow of the hill, and could see the haunted house -through the trees. They approached cautiously. It looked gloomier than -ever, with its sagging, moss-grown roof, its shattered window-panes, and -the door in the side hanging awry from a single hinge. - -In what once had been the dooryard there were a few straggling clumps of -bushes, and thistles and burdocks grew in rank profusion. - -It was a sight to dampen the ardour of stouter hunters than this band of -boys. But when, added to all this, there suddenly flashed across one of -the windows a ray of light, faint and flickering, but discernible to them -all, and which the next instant disappeared, they halted irresolutely and -debated what they should do. - -It was finally determined that Henry Burns and Bob White should go on -ahead to the old house, while the rest waited at a little distance till -they should reconnoitre. The two set off at once, while the others waited -behind a clump of trees. They did not have to wait long, for the two -returned shortly, telling them to come on softly. When within a few rods -of the house they dropped on their hands and knees and crept along. - -All at once the two ahead stopped and whispered to the others to listen. -They heard noises that seemed to come from the cellar, which sounded as -though some one was digging in the earth. Then, as they came within range -of a long, shallow cellar window, they saw the rays of a lantern. - -They crept up closely and peered in through the pane. There, in the damp, -dingy, cobwebbed cellar of the haunted house, dimly lighted by the rays -of a lantern, which stood on an old wooden bench, a man was working. He -had his coat off and was digging in the ground with a spade, throwing up -shovelfuls of the hard clay. - -The rays of light from the lantern were not diffused evenly throughout -the cellar, but shot out in one direction, toward the spot where the man -was at work; and this because it was neither the ordinary ship's lantern, -nor yet a house lantern, but a small dark lantern, such as a burglar -might carry on his person, with a sliding shutter in front. - -The man's sleeves were rolled up, displaying arms that were corded with -muscle, and on which the veins stood out as he worked. He handled the -spade awkwardly enough, but made up in strength for his lack of skill. -Presently he paused and looked up, and they saw that it was, as Henry -Burns had prophesied, the stranger guest. - -A curious occupation for one who was cruising for his health! Indeed, he -looked so little like a man that was weak and ill, and so much like one -that was powerful and reckless and devoid of fear, as the light of the -lantern caused his figure to stand out in relief against the darkness, -that, though they were six and he but one, had he seen them and sprung -up, they would have fled in terror. - -Then, as he stooped down to grasp the lantern, they drew quickly back -from the window. It was well they did so, for, taking up the lantern, the -man flashed it upon the window-panes, and then, turning it in all -directions, threw the rays of light in all parts of the cellar and out -through a window opposite. Then he set it down again; and it was evident -his suspicions had not been aroused, for he resumed his digging. - -After a few minutes he threw down the spade and produced from the -darkness a small tin box, which they had not seen before, which he -deposited in the hole he had dug. Then he shovelled the earth back upon -it, stamping it in with his feet, and so refilled the hole. The remaining -loose earth he scattered about the cellar. - -The boys waited no longer, but crept back to the edge of the woods. In a -few minutes they saw a faint flash of light through one of the windows in -the floor above, and presently they saw the man come out of the door in -the front of the house. He had extinguished the lantern and was still -carrying the spade. As he walked quickly down the path to the -landing-place, he left the path and hid the spade beneath some -underbrush, after which he disappeared over the edge of the cliff. -Finally they saw him out in the middle of the cove, pulling vigorously -for the other shore. - -"Well," said Henry Burns, as they watched him out of sight, "there are -lots of sick men whom I would rather meet over here in the night-time -than that same Mr. Kemble." - -"He's as strong as a lion," said young Joe. "Did you see the veins stand -out on his arms as he worked? I felt like making for the woods every time -he straightened himself up, with that spade in his hand." - -"I don't believe any of us felt any too comfortable," said Tom, "though -I'm sure I shouldn't be afraid to meet him in the daytime, with Bob and -one of the rest of us. It's the influence of the night-time that -frightened us. And he seemed to be right in his element in it." - -"Let's dig that box up and get away from here and discuss the matter -afterward," said George. "It's getting late, and we don't want mother to -worry. I'll get the spade." And he ran and brought it. - -They went into the haunted house then, groping their way in the darkness, -for they had left their own lantern in the dory. They made their way to -the kitchen and found the cellar door, with some difficulty. Then, lest -the old stairs should be unsafe, they went down one at a time. - -It was an easy matter to unearth the box, though they worked in utter -darkness. When they had secured it, they refilled the hole and then -stamped the earth down as they had found it. This being done, they were -glad enough to get away from the house, to replace the spade beneath the -underbrush, where the man had hidden it, and hurry down to the shore. -Launching the dory, they embarked, Henry Burns carrying the box, and, -with George and Arthur Warren at the oars, they had soon crossed the cove -and landed on the beach. - -There, too, was the _Anna_, drawn high up on shore, where the stranger -had left it. It was a large and heavy boat, and it must have required -enormous strength in one man to drag it there. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - SETTING A TRAP - - -When the boys had at length gathered around the table in the -old-fashioned kitchen of the Warren cottage and had drawn the -window-shades, they proceeded to examine the box. It was an ordinary -shallow tin box, such as a business man might keep odds and ends of -papers and cash in. It was fastened with a small padlock. After trying to -unlock this with every key they could find in the house, and without -success, young Joe produced a file, and with this filed through the small -staple in the box. - -When the cover was thrown back there was disclosed a layer of fine -cotton, like jewellers' cotton, and when this was lifted out there came -from the box a myriad of tiny flashes of light. The inside of the box was -fairly ablaze. Countless little flashes of light danced and twinkled -there. - -"Hooray!" cried George Warren. "We have the stolen jewels, and no -mistake. Just see how these sparkle." And he lifted up a necklace of -diamonds, that blazed in the light of the lamp like a ring of fire. They -sparkled and gleamed like little stars, as the boys passed them from hand -to hand. - -"Mercy on us!" cried a pleasant voice, all of a sudden; and Mrs. Warren, -who had been awakened by the sound of their voices and had hastily -dressed, entered the kitchen. "Is this den the cave of the forty -thieves?" she asked, smiling, and then, as she caught sight of the -glittering gems, she exclaimed, anxiously: "Why, boys, what on earth does -all this mean?" - -"It means, mother," answered George, "that Henry Burns has done what the -detectives have been trying to do ever since the robbery at Benton. Here -are the stolen diamonds, and Henry will take them to town to-morrow and -claim the reward." - -"Only on one condition," interrupted Henry Burns. "I don't stir one step -to secure the reward until it is agreed that it shall be evenly divided -between us all. You fellows have just as much claim upon it as I, and, -unless every one of you solemnly swears to take his share, I shall never -take one cent of it." - -And every one of them knew that he meant exactly what he said. - -Early next morning Henry Burns and George Warren stood upon the wharf, -awaiting the arrival of the boat for Mayville. The boat connected there -with a train that would arrive in Benton during the forenoon. Henry Burns -carried in one hand a small satchel. - -"I had hard work to persuade old Witham to let me go," said Henry Burns. -"He didn't see what I wanted to go poking off to Benton for. Said I -better stay here and save my money. As it is, I've got to go and call on -an aged aunt of Mrs. Carlin and spend the night there. Well, I guess I -can manage to amuse myself, even there. I'm likely to see a few other -people before I get back, eh, George?" - -"I know one man who won't turn you out-of-doors, when you produce those -diamonds," answered George. - -"Well, George," returned the other, "you mustn't lose sight of this -stranger, although I almost know he won't attempt to leave the island for -several days. I remember that yesterday he got a letter, and I have no -doubt it was from his confederates, saying when they would arrive. They -are coming in a sailboat, for he has said so. Now, if they were coming -to-night or to-morrow, he would not have hidden that box over there in -the old house. You may be sure he did not expect them for a day or -two,--but still you boys must keep him in sight, for one never knows what -is going to happen. - -"If he goes over to the bluff, you know what to do. You must get Captain -Sam, the constable, to have him arrested at once. By to-morrow night I'll -be back with everything arranged to capture the whole three. I think you -and I will see lively times around this harbour before many days are -over." - -"Speak of the evil one and he appears," said George Warren. "And, as true -as I live, here comes Mr. Kemble. You do the talking, Henry, for I feel -as though I should give him cause for suspicion if I said a single word -to him." - -"Leave him to me," replied Henry Burns. "He's playing a bold game, and so -must we;" and, as the stranger guest hobbled down to the wharf, groaning -and wincing, as though racked with pain, Henry Burns gave him a cheery -greeting. - -"Good morning, Mr. Kemble," said he. "I see you're out bright and early. -I declare, you have begun to look better already than you did the night -you arrived." - -"Oh, I'm very miserable--very miserable," answered Mr. Kemble, most -dejectedly. "My rheumatism is something awful. I'd give everything I -possess in the world if I could run around and be as active as you young -men." - -"You will, I'm sure, in a few days," answered Henry Burns. - -"How's that?" asked the man, turning upon Henry Bums sharply, while a -strange look, that he could not conceal, stole over his face. - -George Warren turned away precipitately, and, taking a fishing-reel from -his pocket, dropped a line over the side of the wharf. - -"There's something peculiar in this island air," continued Henry Burns, -looking Mr. Kemble full in the eye, with the most innocent expression on -his face. "No matter how bad a person feels when he first comes here, it -puts new life into him. The first thing he knows he begins to feel like -rowing boats, and going fishing, and all that sort of thing. I come here -sick every summer, and I go away feeling strong." - -"Well," replied Mr. Kemble, uneasily, but looking relieved, "I hope it -may do as much for me. If it does, I'll buy a cottage here." - -"You won't find any cottages to sell, I'm afraid," said Henry Burns. "But -there are several old farmhouses that could be bought cheap, and they -make over as good as new." - -"Humph! I'm not looking for old farmhouses," said Mr. Kemble, gruffly; -and then, as the whistle of the boat sounded suddenly from behind the -bluff, he added, "But I must be getting back to the hotel. I'm not -feeling well to-day, at all." - -"Any errand I can do for you in the city?" Henry Burns called after him. - -But Mr. Kemble was hobbling away as fast as he could, and did not heed. - -"I fancy he would feel worse if he could see what I've got in this -satchel," chuckled Henry Burns, as Mr. Kemble went on toward the hotel, -somewhat faster than he had come down. "Did you notice how suddenly he -had to leave when he heard the boat's whistle?" - -"Yes,--but what on earth were you thinking of, Henry, talking as you did -to him?" said George. "It scared him in an instant when you told him he -would be running around in a few days as lively as any of us. I almost -believe he half-suspects something." - -"How can he?" replied the other. "Perhaps my remark about his running -around in a few days may have startled him at first. That was a sudden -jolt to his guilty conscience. But, upon reflection, he decided it was -only a coincidence. Then he did look a little queer when I spoke of -farmhouses, didn't he?" - -"He certainly did," said George. "What possessed you to do it? You might -upset everything." - -"No," answered Henry Burns. "He don't suspect us. By the way, do you -remember how we got into this thing in the beginning?" - -"Why, what do you mean?" - -"If I remember rightly," said Henry Burns, speaking with a slight drawl, -"we started out last evening to have some fun. My little chat with our -friend is the nearest approach to fun that this scrape has afforded me so -far." - -"That may have been fun for you," said George. "To my mind it was very -much like playing with fire; but here's the steamer. You've got my note -of introduction to father?" - -"Yes, I've got everything all right. Now keep your eyes open and expect -me to-morrow night." And Henry Burns crossed the gangplank to the -steamer. - -The train from Mayville to Benton reached its destination at eleven -o'clock, and at that hour in the forenoon Henry Burns walked briskly out -of the station. Half an hour later he stood in the waiting-room at the -wealthy banking-house of Curtis & Earle. - -"Well, what do you want, young man?" asked an important and decidedly -officious attendant, bustling up to him. - -"This is Mr. Curtis, I presume," answered Henry Burns, blandly, but with -the faintest suspicion of a twinkle in his eye. - -"No, it isn't," said the man, abruptly, and looking a little foolish as -several other attendants tittered audibly. "And, what's more, you cannot -see Mr. Curtis, for he is just preparing to leave for the day." - -"But I must see him," insisted Henry Burns. "I've got some very important -information for him. Have the kindness to take this in to him," and he -handed the surprised attendant a card upon which he had written in a -clear but boyish hand: - - _Henry Allen Burns - Private Detective_ - -The attendant took the card, read it with a grin, looked at the boy, as -if puzzled what to make of him, shrugged his shoulders and left the room. -Presently he returned. - -"Mr. Curtis would be greatly obliged if you would call to-morrow," he -said. "He is going out of town to-day." - -"I must see him at once," said Henry Burns, firmly. - -"Impossible--" but at this moment the door of the banker's private office -opened, and a voice said: "Show Mr. Burns in." - -Henry Burns entered. He saw before him a tall, well-built man, smooth -shaven, with black, piercing eyes, and a firm, decisive mouth. He had on -his hat and gloves, and carried a light coat on his arm, as though about -to leave his office. - -"You will oblige me by stating your business as quickly as possible, -young man," he said, "as I am about to take a train out of the city. - -"I see by your card," he continued, gravely, "that you are a private -detective. I suppose you are aware that I am a busy man, engaged in -important affairs, and have no time in office hours for pleasantries." - -"If I had said an amateur detective I should have been more correct, sir, -since this is my first case," answered Henry Burns, calmly. "It is so -very curious, however, that I feel certain it cannot fail to interest -you." - -"But will you tell me why it should interest me, and not keep me -waiting?" exclaimed the banker, in a tone of impatience. Evidently he did -not for a moment connect the boyish figure before him with any possible -recovery of his lost jewels. - -"I will," replied Henry Burns, speaking deliberately. "Last night some -other boys and I watched a man bury a small tin box in the cellar of a -deserted house. When the man went away we dug it up. I have the box here; -would you like to see it?" - -Henry Burns calmly opened the satchel. - -But the banker sprang up from the chair in which he had seated himself, -and exclaimed, excitedly: - -"What do you mean--let me see it--quick!" - -Henry Burns passed him the box, and with nervous fingers the banker broke -the twine with which the boys had secured it. The next instant he had -drawn the necklace from the box and held it up, while his hands trembled. - -"They're Alice's diamonds, as I hope to live," he cried, unmindful of -Henry Burns's presence for the moment. "And the rings and the -brooch--everything--everything is here." - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the best detectives in this country are working on -the case, but I had already begun to despair of ever seeing the jewels -again. They are exceedingly valuable, but, besides that, as they were -wedding presents to my wife from me, we both prize them far beyond their -real worth. - -"But be seated. I shall postpone my trip out of town, you may be sure. -And now let me hear the story of your discovery." - -In the calm, graphic manner characteristic of him, Henry Burns told the -story of the night's adventure. - -"Splendid!" exclaimed the banker, as the boy concluded. "You have indeed -acted as efficiently as the best detective could have done. We are bound -to capture the robbers. Burton must know of this at once." - -He rang for an attendant, and, after writing a note, dispatched him with -it. At the expiration of about half an hour the attendant returned, and -ushered into the room a man of medium height, of light complexion, with -steel-blue eyes, and a face that impressed Henry Burns at once as -denoting great daring and coolness. The banker introduced him as Mr. -Miles Burton, of a secret detective bureau. - -"Here's a young man, Burton," said the banker, smiling, "who, I take it, -has some inclinations for your line of work. In fact, here is pretty -convincing proof of it." And the banker pointed to the box of jewels. - -Mr. Miles Burton looked nonplussed. He stared at the box in amazement for -a minute, and gave a low whistle. Then he laughed and said: "I have -always maintained that luck is a great factor in detective service, -though I am ready to give a man his due for a good piece of work. In -either case, you have my congratulations, young man, for a half a -thousand dollars is just as good whether it comes by luck or shrewdness, -or both." - -The detective listened with the keenest attention as Henry Burns repeated -the story he had told the banker. He made him give the minutest details -of Mr. Kemble's personality, at the same time suggesting features which -Henry Burns corroborated. - -"It's just as I thought from the start, and just as I told you, Mr. -Curtis," he said. "The man is undoubtedly George Craigie, who is known -among his class as the 'Actor,' because of his cleverness in -impersonating one character, and then utterly dropping out of sight and -appearing as some other person. We want him on a score of charges, two -bank robberies, attempted murder, several house burglaries, and other -things. His picture is in the Rogues' Gallery, but he has the art of -changing his expression and appearance so completely that, although I -have seen him twice since that was taken, at neither of those times did -his countenance resemble his photograph. However, I feel positive from -what this young man tells me that it is none other than he. And as for -his confederates, I can readily guess who they are. They are two Boston -men, and are, no doubt, on their way to the island now in the yacht. In -this case, we cannot act any too soon; and I shall ask Detective Burns, -who is familiar with the ground, to be my right-hand man in the -expedition." - -"You can count on me," replied Henry Burns, with a smile at the title -conferred upon him, and who was, truth to tell, vastly flattered. "I can -answer, moreover, for several good assistants, if you need them." - -"Well," said Mr. Miles Burton, rising to go, "I will meet you at the -train that leaves here to-morrow afternoon. By to-morrow night I hope to -have some men on Grand Island who will give a pleasant little surprise to -Messrs. Craigie & Co.;" and, bowing courteously, he took his leave. - -"There's a surprising lack of jealousy in that man Burton," remarked the -banker, when he had gone. "He is disappointed to have the robbers slip -through his hands, and a little chagrined, I know, to have them caught -through the aid of a party of boys; but he took pains not to show it, -and, what's more, he will always give you the credit for it when he -speaks of it. That's the kind of a man he is. He is as smart as a steel -trap, too, is Burton, and has done me good service twice before. - -"But let us not wait longer. I am going to take you home with me to -dinner, and have you spend the night at my house. We shall feel more -secure, I assure you," he continued, smiling, "with a detective under our -roof." - -Henry Burns declined, saying he was not dressed for such hospitality, but -the keen eye of the banker had long before taken note of his neat and -gentlemanly appearance, and, moreover, liked the looks of the boy's -clear-cut features, and the way he had of looking one fair in the eye, -with a calm but manly and courageous glance. So he waived the boy's -objections, and they entered the banker's carriage and were driven to the -finest home Henry Burns had ever visited. - -Perhaps they didn't make him at home there when Mr. Curtis had told the -story of the finding of the jewels hidden in the cellar; and perhaps -Henry Burns, to his confusion, wasn't embraced by the banker's wife, and -perhaps he wasn't made a hero of by the banker's two pretty daughters, -who shuddered at the story of the man in the cellar, and who made Henry -Burns tell it over and over again. - -In short, he was treated with such wholesome and charming hospitality as -to set him to wondering, after it was all over and he had gone to bed, -whether he had not missed something in his solitary life, brought up -without the love of father, mother, sister or brother, in a home where -noise and cheerfulness were outlawed. - -He was up bright and early the next day, and he and the banker went to -see Mr. Warren, who was let into the secret, and the reward of five -hundred dollars was, through him, placed to the credit of the boys. Then -there was the aged aunt of Mrs. Carlin to call upon, and the time passed -quickly till it was time for the afternoon train. - -It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when Henry Burns boarded the -train in the company of Miles Burton. - -"Now," said the detective, as the train rattled noisily on its way, "I -have been in Mayville and know several parties there, but the island is -new to me. However, you can explain it to me from this map," and Mr. -Burton unrolled a map of the bay and island from his pocket. "I shall -pick up three of my men, whom I have ordered to meet us, in Mayville. One -of them came all the way down from New York with me to help me work up -this case. It is my opinion he traced this man Craigie to Mayville and -lost track of him there. The man must have vanished, as he has done so -often before. - -"We will go over to the island to-night in a launch. Then we shall need -some one to guide us to what you call the haunted house." - -"I will meet you in the road by Captain Hervey's house, right at the very -head of the island," said Henry Burns. "It is the first house you come to -on landing at the outermost point. You cannot miss it." - -"But how will you get there? It is a long trip up the island." - -"I will come on my bicycle." - -"Capital! You will go direct to the island, then, by the night boat, -arriving there, you say, at six o'clock. You will see just how the land -lies, so you can tell us, when we meet again. And you will instruct your -friends to keep close to Craigie, so he won't be over there at the house -to meet us on our arrival. We want to do the welcoming for him, and not -have him do it for us. Two of the men I shall bring are somewhat familiar -with the island and know one or two parties there; though I am not sure -they know where the haunted house is. - -"One of you boys must have a boat always in readiness somewhere up the -cove, on which you say this house fronts, so that, the minute this man -meets his confederates aboard the yacht, one of you can slip across the -cove and let us know of it, in case we have missed them. - -"Act carefully, and everything will be well; but once give them cause for -suspicion and they are dangerous men to deal with. I have a little score -of my own to pay them,--but that's a long story, and I'll save it for -another time. Now let's go over this map, so I'll be sure of my ground." - -When the train left Mayville, Miles Burton, with a hurried handshake, -left Henry Burns. It was a little after six o'clock when the latter -stepped ashore at Southport, where the boys were waiting for him, upon -the wharf. - -"Everything is all right," said George Warren, in answer to Henry Burns's -question. "He was not on the roof at all during last night, for we -divided up into watches and kept a lookout from Tom's tent. He evidently -knows about what time his friends are to arrive." - -"How is Colonel Witham?" asked Henry Burns. "Has he pined away any during -my absence?" - -"Not any to notice," replied Tom Harris, "but he has gone away, down the -island, to be gone two days. You must stop with us to-night at the tent, -and the boys are all coming over to the tent now to eat one of Bob's -prime lobster stews." - -So the crowd marched on Bob, and found him down on the beach to the right -of the tent, presiding over an enormous kettle, which was hung over the -glowing coals of a fire of driftwood, and from which there arose such a -savoury odour of stew that, in a burst of enthusiasm, they seized upon -the stalwart young cook, and, raising him on their shoulders, bore him -with hilarious shouts three times around the fire, much to the apparent -discomfiture of the quiet Bob. - -Then they sat about the fire while Tom brought some tin plates and spoons -from the tent and acted as waiter, and Bob produced a pot of hot coffee -and some bread. It seemed as though nothing had ever tasted so good. They -called for stew till Bob's stout right arm almost ached with wielding the -long-handled tin dipper that served them for a ladle. - -The sun sank while they sat about the glow of coals, and, by and by, the -moon rose slowly over the distant cape and poured a flood of soft light -over the waters of the bay. They remembered that night long afterward, -for its soft lights and its silent, mystical beauty. The moon was at its -full, and the tide crept up on the beach almost to the bed of coals that -remained from the fire and still showed red. The islands far off across -the bay seemed to have drifted nearer in to shore, and showed clear and -distinct. - -Henry Burns's story of the day's adventures lost nothing of its interest, -told down there on the shore by the firelight and under the stars. His -account of his visit to the banker's, and how he had gained admittance to -Mr. Curtis's private office, filled them with glee. - -"I should have liked to see him when he opened that box," said young Joe. -"Didn't he look surprised, though, Henry?" - -"Rather," said Henry Burns. - -"And the banker's daughters,--were they pretty, Henry?" asked Tom. - -"I didn't notice particularly," said Henry Burns. - -"Henry never does notice those things," said Arthur, dryly. - -"Oh, no, never!" said young Joe. - -"You fellows will notice something, if you don't let up," said Henry -Burns, getting a little red in spite of himself. - -Then he told them all that he had learned from Mr. Miles Burton about the -man Kemble, who was not Kemble at all, but one Craigie, and a desperate -man; and all about the plans that were now to be put into operation to -capture Craigie and whosoever should come to meet him. - -The money, too, that had come to each one of them, as his share of the -reward, seemed like a fortune, while no expedition that they had ever -heard or read of seemed half so full of mystery and danger as that upon -which they were now entering. - -Sometime between ten and eleven o'clock Henry Burns left them, and, -proceeding to the hotel, unlocked a door in the basement, got out his -bicycle, and rode away. In a little more than half an hour afterward he -had dismounted from his wheel at Captain Hervey's house, four miles from -the hotel, on the western side of the island, near the head. The house -was closed, as the captain and his family were away at sea. Down at the -shore was an old boat-house, where Henry Burns left his bicycle. He sat -on the edge of a bluff overhanging a landing-place for boats, and waited -for the launch. He could see her lights already, out on the bay, and it -was not long before the little craft had come to shore. Four men -disembarked, and the launch steamed away again. - -"Hello, Private Detective Burns," said Miles Burton, laughing, as he came -up the ladder from the landing. Then he added, as he introduced the -others to the boy, "This is a rival to Inspector Byrnes of New York. - -"We owe him a good turn, Mason," continued Miles Burton, "for finding -Craigie for us." - -The man addressed as Mason was the detective that had followed Craigie as -far as Mayville. - -"Yes," he replied, shaking hands with Henry Burns, "we've been after him -a long time." - -The other two men, whose names were Stapleton and Watkins, also shook -hands with the boy. They were sharp-eyed, athletic-looking men, whose -appearance on the island boded no good to one Craigie, alias Kemble. - -Under the guidance of Henry Burns they all set off down the road for a -distance, then turned from it and made their way through the fields and -patches of woods toward the bluff. It was hard walking there in the -darkness, through thickets and over little knolls, with which some of the -pastures were dotted, and it was nearly one o'clock in the morning when -they reached the old haunted house. - -The house looked even less inviting than ever in the waning moonlight, -with its sagging roof, dull and broken window-panes, and doors unhinged. -Still, to those free from superstition and not fearful of ghosts, it -offered a sufficient shelter on a summer night, and they entered at a -rear doorway, after making a cautious reconnoisance to make certain that -there was no one within. - -Then, having shown them where the jewels had been buried, and pointing -out the location of a spring of good water near the house, Henry Burns -left the four detectives to accommodate themselves to their lodgings and -went down to the shore. There in the shadow of a bluff he found Tom and -Bob waiting for him in the canoe, as they had agreed. - -When the canoe grated on the sand in front of the tent, Henry Burns, worn -out with his travels, was fast asleep. So Tom and Bob, by way of a joke, -lifted up the canoe with its sleeping occupant and carried it to the door -of their tent. They thrust it inside as far as it would go, laid Henry -Burns out flat in the bottom of it, made him comfortable with blankets, -without waking him from his heavy sleep, and let him slumber on. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE - - -The inhabitants of the peaceful town of Southport would have viewed the -old haunted house with more concern than ever if they had known of the -four ghosts that haunted it now, by day and night. They were stalwart, -able-bodied looking ghosts, and their habits were strangely like what -might have been expected of four live men. Sometimes, as they sat in one -of the front garret rooms, by a window that overlooked the town and the -whole expanse of the cove lying between it and the bluff, as well as the -bay beyond, a well-worn pack of cards was produced by one of the spirits, -and the four joined in a game. Or, again, a bag was brought forth, and -the spirits ate heartily of the contents thereof. - -It might have been noticed, too, that through it all a certain careful -vigilance on the part of the ghosts was observed, as though they feared -that if surprised by a chance visitor they would have some trouble in -vanishing. - -Every few minutes throughout the day they made by turns a careful survey -of the cove and also of the bay, sweeping it with a powerful field-glass. -No more than two of the ghosts ever took their sleep at the same time, -and that, too, during the day. When night came they all redoubled their -vigilance and remained awake and alert. As darkness shut down they left -the house, one of them going out on the bluff and hiding in a cleft of -the rock, where he could overlook the cove and the bay, the others hiding -in the woods near the house, and keeping watch on all its approaches. - -They were very patient and very careful; for two of them, who would have -answered to the names of Burton and Mason, knew that the men for whom -they watched, and who they knew would surely come within a brief time -now, were the men for whom they had hunted for years, and by whose -capture they should win other rewards and settle scores of long standing. - -Curiously enough, for the next two days and nights a perfect contagion of -watching seemed to have spread through the village. Mr. Kemble, as he was -known to all, was a most annoyed man, and concealed his annoyance only -with difficulty. If, by chance, he hobbled up the road of an afternoon, -and wandered off into the woods or fields, he was sure to come upon some -one of the boys, who seemed surprised enough to see him, and was sure to -remain with him till he returned to the hotel. - -If he hired a horse and went up the island for a drive, he was sure to -fall in most unexpectedly with Henry Burns, spinning along on his wheel, -and could not shake him off. If he felt strong enough to get into a -rowboat and start out, weakly, across the cove, groaning at the effort it -cost him, he invariably fell in with Tom and Bob, gliding along quietly -in their canoe, and they would insist on accompanying him, and pointing -out to him the beauties of the scenery along the shores. - -He would have considered far more seriously the attention they paid to -his movements by night, if he had but known of them. If he could have -seen six pairs of eyes, striving to discern him as he appeared on the -hotel roof, or have known of the youths who watched lest he cross the -cove under cover of night, to say nothing of those who awaited his coming -on the bluff itself, he might have worried more than he did, and perhaps -have played a shrewder game. - -But neither did he nor any one else, other than they who watched, know of -it. And so it was that when, a little before sunset on the third day -after the arrival of the ghosts in the haunted house, and while Mr. -Kemble sat on the front piazza of the hotel, looking through a -field-glass off on to the bay, admiring its beauties with Mrs. Carlin, -who thought him such an unfortunate man,--and while, as he looked, he saw -the very yacht for which he had waited anxiously for days, he surely -believed that there was no one in the village who would regard it with -other than the usual curiosity that fishermen and yachtsmen have for a -strange craft. - -In this, unfortunately for him, he was mistaken. There were others -besides him who, on seeing the sail emerge from between the islands, -regarded it with equal interest and even more excitement. Henry Burns, -being deeply interested in it, came and sat down beside Mrs. Carlin long -enough to hear Mr. Kemble remark that he believed the yacht was the -_Eagle_, with his friends; in which case he should spend the night aboard -with them, and leave the harbour early in the morning, if the wind -availed. - -Henry Burns then quietly took his departure, sauntering along until some -cottages shut him out from the view of the hotel, and then starting off -on a run as hard as ever he could toward the Warren cottage. He paused -long enough at the cottage to communicate the news to young Joe, who was -the first one he met, and then, calling out that he would return as -quickly as he could, he ran through the woods down to the shore. - -Going up the cove some distance, Henry Burns launched a rowboat and -pulled rapidly across, landing some ways above the bluff. Then he struck -down through the woods for the haunted house. - -When Henry Burns returned a few minutes later, two of the detectives were -with him. The three rowed across the cove and proceeded to the Warren -cottage. There the plan of operation, as it had been mapped out by Miles -Burton, was told by Henry Burns. Burton and Mason were to make the arrest -at the haunted house. It was extremely unlikely that more than two of the -robbers would come for the box of jewels,--perhaps Craigie alone. At all -events, the detectives would take chances against more than two coming, -and, if the three came, it would make no difference to them. They would -take them all by surprise, and could arrest a dozen if necessary. If two -of the boys chose to go over to the bluff, they could do so, but Miles -Burton would not advise them to take the risk. - -The other two detectives were to wait in boats for the man who should be -left in the yacht, and arrest him at the proper time. If any of the boys -chose to accompany these men, they could do so at their risk, but Miles -Burton had sent warning for them to take no chances. Needless to say, his -advice on this score was thrown away. He might as well have advised the -boys not to breathe till it was all over. Their blood was up, and they -were one and all determined to take part in the capture. - -So it was decided that Bob and Henry Burns and George should go over to -the bluff; that Tom and one of the detectives should take the canoe and -lie in the shadow of the shore, in wait near the tent; while Arthur and -Joe, with the other detective, should go around the bluff in a rowboat, -on a pretence of fishing, and lie in concealment there behind the rocks. - -During all this time the yacht, a white-hulled, sloop-rigged, trim -vessel, was rapidly nearing the village. It came in fast, with a -southeasterly breeze astern, which blew fresh and which bade fair not to -die down with the setting of the sun. The yacht attracted some attention -among the people of the town, where fishing-boats were more commonly seen -than elegant pleasure-craft. Its topmast was uncommonly tall, and the -club topsail, which was still set, was somewhat larger than usual in a -craft of its burden. In fact, it was apparent to the experienced eye -that, with all its light sails set, the yacht would be enveloped in a -perfect cloud of canvas. It carried two jibs, besides the forestaysail, -but these were now furled. - -"That craft carries sail enough to beat the _Flying Dutchman_," said -Captain Sam, who had joined the group on the veranda that was watching -the graceful yacht coming in, with a tiny froth of foam at its bows. -"Looks as though she could stand up under it, though. Seems to be pretty -stiff." - -"Yes, she is considered pretty fast," assented Mr. Kemble. "She has taken -a few races around Boston and Marblehead way, against some yachts that -carried even more sail. She belongs to a friend of mine, a Mr. Brooks of -Boston. He's a broker there, and can afford to have as fast a craft as -there is made." - -"Fast!" returned Captain Sam. "Any one can see that with half an eye. -Give her five minutes start, and nothing in this bay could ever come -within hailing-distance of her again." - -Captain Sam little knew the relief and satisfaction that his remark -afforded Mr. Kemble. - -"She won't want all that sail to-morrow, though," continued Captain Sam. -"The wind is coming around to the eastward for a storm of some kind. -Looks more like rain than wind, but there will be wind, too,--enough to -do all the sailing any one wants. You say you'll sail to-morrow, do you, -Mr. Kemble, rain or shine? Well, that boat will stand it all right. She -looks as though she would just like a good blow, and nothing better." - -If Mr. Kemble knew of any instances where the yacht _Eagle_, alias _The -Cloud_, alias _Fortune_, had proved her marvellous speed to the chagrin -of certain officers of the law, and had demonstrated her ability to run -away from pursuers in both light and heavy weather, he refrained, for -reasons best known to himself, from mentioning them. He gave, instead, a -quiet assent to the truth of Captain Sam's praise. - -While tea was being served at the hotel, the yacht entered the cove, and, -rounding to gracefully with a little shower of spray, dropped anchor -about midway between the wharf and the bluff opposite. The sails were -furled, with, strangely enough, the exception of the mainsail, which was -not even lowered. She would doubtless drop this sail later, unless, by -any chance, she should decide to put out again during the night. - -The men who had brought the yacht across the bay did not come ashore. A -thin column of smoke that presently wreathed out of a funnel in the cabin -indicated that the yachtsmen were cooking a meal in the galley aboard. - -They were thorough yachtsmen, Mr. Kemble explained, as he paid his bill -and said good-bye to Colonel Witham and Mrs. Carlin. They hardly ever -left the yacht, he said, except to buy provisions, or some other errand -of necessity. Mr. Kemble did not specify what other errands of necessity -he had in mind. - -The colonel saw just how it was, he said. He was sorry, moreover, to lose -Mr. Kemble as a guest. In fact, he was the kind of guest that just suited -the colonel, as he went early to bed, minded his own business, and was -quiet. Good qualities in a summer boarder, in the colonel's estimation. - -There was no one to bid Mr. Kemble good-bye, save the colonel and Mrs. -Carlin, as he had made few acquaintances. Henry Burns would have bid him -a pleasant voyage if he had been there, but Henry Burns was not to be -found. - -"He will be sorry not to have been here to say good-bye to you," Mrs. -Carlin explained, politely. "He often expressed the greatest sympathy for -your lameness. I cannot imagine where he is, and he has had no supper, -either." - -"Bright boy, bright boy, that," responded Mr. Kemble. "Lives just out of -Boston, does he? Must look him and his aunt up this fall, and see if I -can't get my friend, Brooks, the broker, interested in him. Well, -good-bye," and, hobbling away, quite briskly for him, Mr. Kemble followed -a boy who carried his satchel down to the wharf, and was rowed out to the -yacht. A voice from the cabin bade him welcome, and he disappeared down -the companionway. - -Early that evening, and shortly after Mr. Kemble had gone aboard the -_Eagle_, for such was the name painted freshly in gilt on the yacht's -stern, Miles Burton and the three boys, Bob, Henry Burns, and George, -held a consultation in the shadow of the woods near the haunted house. -Mason, in the meantime, was hidden near the head of the rickety old -stairs at the landing on the bluff, watching for any movement aboard the -_Eagle_. - -Miles Burton's commands were brief and explicit. "There is an old closet -in the cellar," he said, "just about opposite where the box was buried. -Mason and I will hide there. We have oiled the hinges of the door so that -it moves noiselessly. You boys better keep close here in the woods till -you hear from us. Then you can make as much noise as you want to and come -in at the capture. There ought not to be so very much excitement about -it, for we shall have them before they know what's the matter." - -It certainly seemed as though the detective could not be mistaken, but -the sequel would show. - -Mason remained at his post, and Miles Burton and the boys sat together in -the shadow of the woods. It was wearisome waiting, and there was a -chilliness in the night air which had crept into it with the east wind. -When eleven o'clock had come and the moon should have shone over the -cape, a bank of clouds drifted up just ahead of it and half-obscured its -light. As the moon arose these clouds drifted higher in the sky, still -just preceding it, and the heavens grew but little brighter. Still it was -not absolutely dark, for most of the stars were as yet unhidden. - -Twelve o'clock came, and then one, and then a half-hour went by. At just -half-past one o'clock by the detective's watch they saw the figure of -Mason stealing swiftly up the path. - -"It's time to make ready now," he said to Burton, as he joined the party. -"They'll be at the landing soon. As near as I can make out, there's -Chambers and French, besides Craigie. It's the men we want all right. -Chambers is rowing, and he will probably stay in the boat while the other -two come ashore." - -Then, bidding the boys to preserve the utmost silence, the two detectives -left them, and a moment later the boys saw them disappear through the -doorway of the haunted house. - -There was little need of warning the boys to make no noise. From what the -detectives had said, they knew that the men they had to deal with were -desperate adventurers, who would not balk at any means to escape capture. - -So they lay close in the underbrush and peered through the trees down -toward the landing. The night was still, save for the rustling of a light -wind through the trees. The breeze had held through, as Captain Sam had -prophesied, though it had abated somewhat, ready, however, to increase -with the next turn of the tide a few hours later. - -They could hear noises across in the village: a solitary cart rattling -along the country road, the tinkle of a distant cow-bell in a pasture, -and here and there a dog barking. Presently the sound of oars grinding in -the rowlocks came to their ears, and a few moments later the sound of a -boat gently grating on the edge of the stone landing. There was as yet no -sound of voices. - -"Whew!" muttered Bob White. "This waiting here for something to happen -gives me a creepy feeling. I only wish we knew that they weren't armed to -the teeth and could only pitch in and run the risk of a good fight. I'd -like to try a good football tackle, just to keep my nerves from going to -pieces." - -"I wouldn't care much to be waiting for them down in that cellar," said -Henry Burns. "They're likely to prove ugly customers when they find -themselves trapped,--but I'll risk Miles Burton to keep his head. He's -the kind of man for this sort of thing--" - -"Sh-h-h," interrupted George Warren, softly. "I hear their voices. -There's two of them, I think, talking. Yes, here they come. Lie low, -now." - -A head appeared at the top of the ladder, and then a man sprang up on to -the brow of the bluff. It was the man whom they had known as Mr. Kemble, -but whom they now knew as Craigie. He was followed by another man, -somewhat taller than he. - -The two came up the path together, talking earnestly. At a certain point -in the path they paused, and Craigie stepped aside and found the spade -where he had hidden it in the brush. Then they went on toward the haunted -house. The boys' hearts beat fast and hard as the men passed close by -where they lay hidden. Surely two men who would lie in wait in the old -house for these two must possess good nerve and courage. For the boys' -part, they were glad to be outside. - -"Listen," whispered Henry Burns, softly; "the tall one is downright angry -with our friend Kemble. He's pitching into him for something." - -It was evident that Craigie's newly arrived friend was in a bad humour. -He spoke angrily, and no longer in a low tone, but gruff and loud enough -to be heard some distance away. - -"What a fool you must have been, Craigie," they heard him say, "to hide -the jewels away in this tumble-down old place, when you could have hidden -them well enough on your own person. It's all well enough to say they're -safer here, but such an act might have attracted attention." - -"It might," whispered Henry Burns. - -"And here we are," continued the tall man, "fooling away our time in this -outlandish hole, climbing ledges and stumbling through woods, when we -ought to be out in the middle of the bay by this time, clear of this -place. There was the wind, holding on through the night, just opportune -for us, and all you needed to do was to step aboard, if you had been -ready, and off we should have gone, without dropping a sail." - -"Well, well, French," answered Craigie, impatiently, but trying to -mollify his companion, "we've got time enough. Don't worry about that. -You would have blamed me bad enough if the jewels had been found on me. -Supposing I had had to tell you they'd been stolen, what would you have -done? Would you have believed it, or would you say I had stolen them from -you myself?" - -"Believe it!" cried the other. "Why, you know I wouldn't believe it. I -know you too well for that. What would I do? What would Ed Chambers do? I -tell you what we would do. After that job,--after coming way down here -for you,--why, man, we'd hunt you to the end of the earth, if you got -away with those jewels, but we'd have you and the jewels, too." - -With this angry utterance, the tall man laid a heavy hand on the other's -shoulder. - -"Nonsense, man," returned the other, impatiently, shaking off his grasp. -"What a way to talk about nothing. You're in a precious bad humour, seems -to me. You know right well I wouldn't go back on you and Ed." - -"I know nothing of the sort," snarled the other "I know you, I tell you. -I know you left us when things got hot, and took the jewels that we -risked our necks for. Don't I know that we shouldn't have seen or heard -of you again till we had hunted for you--which we would have done--if -that man Mason hadn't got so close up on to you that you didn't dare try -to get out of here alone." - -"Well, have it so, have it so, then, since you are bound to quarrel," -said Craigie, sullenly; and the boys heard no more. The two men passed -beyond hearing and entered the haunted house. - -"I don't intend to miss this," whispered Henry Burns, for once thoroughly -excited. "There's going to be the worst kind of trouble when that big -black-looking fellow finds the box gone. Burton's going to let them dig -for it--he told me so. Said he was curious to see what they would do." - -"Rather he would have that sort of fun than I," said Bob. "It's a good -deal like watching a keg of powder blow up. I say we'd better stay right -here, as Burton advised, till we hear from them. We might upset the whole -thing." - -"I don't mind saying I'm scared clear down to my boots," said George, -"but I'm going to see the thing through. I'll go if you will, Henry." - -So the two left Bob in the woods, close by the path to the shore, and -crept up on their hands and knees to that same cellar window through -which they had before witnessed the hiding of the box. - -By the light of a lantern placed on the cellar floor they saw the two -men. Craigie had removed his coat, and was digging in the earth where he -had hidden the box. He worked vigorously, throwing up spadefuls of the -soil with quick, nervous jerks. His tall companion looked on with an -expression of mingled anger and contempt on his face. - -As the box failed to come to light after some minutes of hard work, the -drops of perspiration stood out in great beads on Craigie's face, and he -redoubled his efforts with the spade. - -"It's down deeper than I thought I buried it," he muttered, with a sort -of nervous laugh. - -"You're a fool!" was all the other said. - -"Have it so," said Craigie, and resumed his work. - -The man was troubled, although he scarcely dared admit it, even to -himself. He had already dug far deeper than he had before, and yet no -signs of the box. The spade trembled slightly in his hands. He widened -the hole and dug furiously. - -"Going to dig over the whole cellar, I suppose," sneered the other, and -clenched his fists nervously. - -Craigie did not reply. Perhaps the truth was beginning to dawn on his -mind, for he half-paused and cast a quick, anxious glance at his -companion. His face was ghastly white in the dim lantern light. He -continued his digging. - -All at once he uttered a cry. The boys, staring in with faces close to -the window-pane, saw the tall man leap forward and deal him a heavy blow. - -"Do you think I am tricked by you?" he cried. "You know it isn't there. -You knew it all the time. But you don't fool me. You don't escape to -enjoy it." - -Craigie reeled under the blow and staggered back against the wall. If the -other had followed up his advantage instantly, the fight must have been -his; but one moment was enough for his companion. Still grasping the -spade, he struck out with it as the man French rushed upon him again, and -the other, receiving the full force of the blow, fell to the floor. - -The next instant, without waiting to see whether his companion were dead -or alive, Craigie shattered the lantern with a single blow and darted for -the cellar stairs. At the same moment the detectives threw open the door -and rushed out into the cellar. They were just too late. One man, indeed, -lay unconscious at their feet, but the other had already reached the -cellar stairs, and was at the outer door in a moment more. - -Down in the woods, by the path to the landing, Bob saw a sight that sent -the hot blood to his cheeks. He had heard shots from the cellar, fired by -the detectives after the fleeing Craigie, and wondered what they meant. -Now, to his dismay, he saw Craigie at full speed flying along the path -toward him. - -He scrambled to his feet, though his heart beat furiously, and he -trembled so that for a moment he clung to a tree for support. Then he -thought of Tom, and it gave him courage. Standing as he had stood often -before on the football field at home, when, as right tackle, he had saved -many a goal, he waited breathlessly. Then as Craigie dashed up, he sprang -out, tackled him about the legs, and the two fell heavily to the ground. - -He was half-stunned by the fall, but he had breath enough to cry for -help, and clung like a drowning man to his antagonist. Well for him then -that, in his flight, Craigie had dropped the weapon he carried. They -rolled over and over for a moment, and then the man had Bob in his grasp. - -"Let me go!" he cried, fiercely. "Let me go, I say!" Bob felt his -strength going, as the powerful arms tightened about him. - -All at once, however, the other's grasp loosened. Craigie felt himself -borne backward, as two boyish figures rushed out of the darkness and -threw themselves upon him. Then a weapon gleamed at his head, and Miles -Burton stood over him. - -"Hold on," cried Craigie. "You've got me this time, though you had to get -a boy to do it for you." - -"It's all the same to me," replied Miles Burton, coolly. "We've got you, -that's the main thing. Here, Mason, here's our man." - -Mason, running up, stooped over the prostrate form for a moment, there -was the sharp snap of steel, and Craigie lay helpless with a pair of -handcuffs fastened to his wrists. - -"Where's French?" he asked, sullenly. - -"Where you left him," said Mason. "It was a bad cut you gave him. He -won't run away. That's certain." - -"Serve him right," said the other. - -"Hark! What's that?" cried Miles Burton, as the sound of two pistol-shots -came up from the water. "They seem to be having trouble down there, too. -You wait here, Mason, and I'll get down to the shore." - -He ran to the steps, followed by the three boys. Down the rickety stairs -they scrambled, and quickly stood on the ledge of the little landing, -looking off on to the water. - -What they saw was the yacht _Eagle_, not far from the bluff, under full -mainsail, standing out of the cove. At some distance astern was the -rowboat, in which were Arthur and Joe at the oars. The detective stood at -the bow with a smoking revolver in his hand. Not far distant, across the -cove, was the canoe containing the other detective and Tom. The detective -also had just fired. Miles Burton and the boys could see no one aboard -the sloop, but still it sailed steadily on its course. The canoe vainly -tried to head it off, but the yacht, obedient to an unseen hand at the -wheel, quickly came about and went off on the other tack, soon putting a -hopeless distance between it and its pursuers. - -They could not see the man aboard, for the reason that he lay flat in the -cockpit, and, with one arm upraised, directed the course of the yacht. - -"What a pity! What a pity!" said Miles Burton, talking softly to himself. -"How could it have happened? I would rather have lost the other two than -that man Chambers. He's the most dangerous man of the three, and the man -I wanted most." - -His face showed the keenest disappointment, but he had learned -self-control in his business, and refrained from speaking above his -ordinary tone of voice. - -"How did it happen, Watkins?" he asked, as the rowboat came in to the -landing for them. - -"It's all our fault, Burton," said the other, bitterly. "Stapleton and I -should have closed in the moment we heard the first shots; and we should -have got aboard the yacht and waited. But I was not sure but what -Chambers would land and go up the bluff to the rescue of his comrades, -and so I waited to see what he would do. I might have known him better. -These fellows are always looking out for number one, and that's a safe -rule to go by. - -"All at once we saw him come out from the shadow of the bluff, rowing as -hard as ever he could for the yacht. We were after him then, both -Stapleton and I. And I'm certain of one thing. No one could have got us -out to that yacht faster than these boys. They rowed like men. But, you -see, he had but a few strokes of the oars to pull, compared with us. And -he got to the yacht when we were still some rods away. - -"I never dreamed but what we had him then, for his anchor was down. But -what did he do but spring aboard, not stopping to see what became of his -rowboat, rush forward as quick as a cat, whisk out a knife, and cut his -hawser before you could say 'Scat.' Then he jumped aft mighty quick, -grabbed the wheel as cool as anything you ever saw, and had her under -headway in no time. - -"He took long chances, standing up when he went about, and dodging down -again, at first. Then when we came close he got down in the bottom of the -boat, just as you saw him, and the best we could do was to fire where we -thought he ought to be. He dodged back and forth between our boats, -tacking right and left as quick as anything I ever saw, and just slipped -by us. He couldn't have done it in any ordinary boat, but that yacht just -spun around like a weather-vane, and seemed to gain headway as she went -about, instead of losing anything. - -"I never saw anything so beautiful, if I do say it. Look at her now, just -eating away there to windward and leaving this harbour out of sight." - -The yacht was, indeed, flying along like the wind. Chambers had got more -sail on her now, and they could see him, coolly sitting at the wheel and -waving a hand in derision back at them. - -"Confound it!" said Burton. "Here we are on an island, with no way of -getting a telegram started till the morning boat lands over at Mayville. -That will be many hours yet, and I fear he'll give us the slip for good -and all. What luck, that it should have been he, the only seaman of the -three, who was left with the boat. Neither of the others could have done -what he did. He's probably studied these waters some, enough to find his -way down here, and it will be a hard task ever picking him up again." - -"Yes, but a man can't conceal a yacht," said George Warren. "I'd know her -anywhere. You can telegraph a description, and the whole coast will be on -the watch. You can describe exactly how she looks." - -"Can I?" laughed Miles Burton. "Yes, I can, but that's all the good it's -likely to do. He'll have her so changed over, if he gets a day to himself -down among those islands, that the man who built her wouldn't recognize -her. It won't be the first time he has done it. He carries a full -equipment aboard, a different set of sails, different fitting spars, -different gear of all kinds, and paint to change her colour. Once let him -get in near a sheer bluff, where he can lay alongside, with some trees -growing close to the water's edge, so he can rig a tackle and heel her -way over, and he will have a yacht of a different colour before she's -many hours older. He did the thing up in Long Island Sound for several -years, and changed her name a half a dozen times into the bargain. He's -done some smuggling up along the Canadian border, too, I'm told, and -there isn't a better nor a more daring seaman anywhere in this world. -However, we'll do the best we can. Lend a hand, now, all of you; we've -got to get that wounded man down over the bluff, or down through the -woods, and row him across the cove, where we can get a doctor to dress -that wound of his. He's not dangerously hurt, I believe, but he's faint -and sick, and we must work spry." - -A half-hour later, at the wharf across the cove, before the eyes of an -excited crowd, composed of villagers, cottagers, and hotel guests, who -had gathered hurriedly at the sound of the firing, there was landed a -strange boat-load,--the strangest that had ever come ashore at the -harbour. Imagine the amazement of Colonel Witham upon beholding his -favourite guest, Mr. Kemble, bundled unceremoniously out of the rowboat, -with manacles upon his wrists. Imagine the concern of the villagers when -the man French, his wound clumsily swathed in bandages and his face pale -and distressed, was lifted ashore and carried bodily up the slip to the -nearest shelter. Nothing like it had ever happened before, not in all the -island's history. - -"And you say you knew that man was a burglar for two or three days, and -let him stay in the house and didn't tell us?" demanded Mrs. Carlin, -wrathfully, of Henry Burns. - -"Yes'm," said Henry Burns. - -"Well, if you're not the worst boy I ever had the care of. Here we might -all have been murdered and robbed, and you'd be as guilty as he. And to -think I sat and talked with him there, and shook hands with him when he -went away. Henry Burns, you'll go to bed an hour earlier for a week for -this. And you deserve worse punishment than that." - -Henry Burns assumed his most penitent expression. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - AN UNPLEASANT DISCOVERY - - -Two weeks had passed by. Craigie and French were in jail awaiting trial, -and the sensational arrest had run its course in the papers. Messages had -sped here and there, and the police of many cities and towns were -watching day and night for the missing Chambers. But watchers' efforts -were futile. If the sea had opened and swallowed him up, the man could -not have disappeared more completely. Not one of the harbours along the -coast sighted him, nor did he run to any for shelter. It had come on -stormy the morning he sailed away, and something like a gale had set in -the next night. So that there were some who believed it more than likely -that the yacht _Eagle_ had foundered, with only one man to handle her. - -Be this as it may, yacht and man had utterly disappeared. Several times -it was thought she was sighted by some pursuer, but it always turned out -to be some other craft. Chambers had made good his escape. And he alone -knew to what use he intended to put that freedom. - -The bright August sun glared in through the canvas tent on a hot -afternoon. It fell warm upon Tom, who, divested of his jersey and bared -to the waist, stood in the centre of the tent, performing a series of -movements with a pair of light wooden dumb-bells. A fine specimen of -sturdy young manhood was Tom, lithe and quick in action. A skin clear and -soft, bright eyes, muscles that knotted into relief when flexed and -rounded into nice proportion when relaxed, quick, decisive movements, all -told of athletics and an abstinence from pipes and tobacco. - -"It's your turn," he said, presently, to Bob, after he had counted off -several hundred numbers. Tossing his chum the dumb-bells, he slipped on -his jersey again, and, reclining at ease on one of the bunks, watched Bob -go through the same drill. - -"Bob, I'm envious of you," he said. "You are blacker by several shades -than I am. I'll have to take it out of you with the gloves." - -"It's pretty hot," said Bob, "but come on." - -"Heat doesn't bother a man when he is in training," said Tom. "It's the -flabby fellows that get sun-strokes. Sun does one good when he's hardened -to it." - -He fished out a pair of old boxing-gloves, that looked as though they had -seen hard service, from the chest, and then he and Bob went at it, as -though they had been the most bitter enemies, instead of the most -inseparable of friends. They led and countered and pummelled each other -till the perspiration poured down their faces and they had begun to -breathe hard. - -"Time!" cried Tom. "That's enough for to-day. I think you had just a -shade the better of it, old chap. Now let's cool off in the canoe. You -know what's on the programme this afternoon." - -"I should say I did," answered Bob; "and I'll be hungry enough for it by -the time things are ready." - -They carried their canoe down to the shore, and in a moment were paddling -down the island toward the narrows. But they were not destined to go -alone. Turning a point of ledge some little distance below Harvey's camp, -they came all at once upon Arthur and Joe Warren, walking along the -beach. - -"Take us in there, Tom," cried Joe. - -"I can take one of you," answered Tom, pointing the canoe inshore with a -turn of his paddle. - -Arthur caught the end of the canoe as it came up alongside a ledge on -which the boys stood, and steadied the frail craft. - -"Might as well let us both in," he said. "The more the merrier." - -"The more the riskier, too," said Tom; "but if you fellows will take the -chance of a ducking, I'm willing. Water won't spoil anything I've got on. -Climb in easy, now, and sit cross-legged, so if we tip over you'll slide -out head-first, clear of the thwarts." - -The canoe was brought to within nearly an inch of the water's edge by the -addition of the two to its burden. Tom gave a strong push with his -paddle, and the heavily laden craft glided away from the shore. - -There was an extra paddle, which Arthur wielded after a fashion, and it -did not take long to come within sight of the narrows. There upon the -shore were gathered some fifty or sixty persons. Over against a ledge a -fire of driftwood blazed. When they had gotten in nearer they could see a -smaller fire at a little distance from the other. Over this was hung a -monster iron kettle, and bending over it and superintending the cooking -of its contents was a familiar figure. It was Colonel Witham, and he was -making one of his famous chowders. - -At the same time that the occupants of the canoe discerned the colonel, -he in turn espied them, and also noted a circumstance which they did not. -A half-mile or more distant from them a big, ocean-going tugboat was -passing down the bay, without a tow and under full steam. - -"There come those mischief-makers," said the colonel, muttering to -himself. "I'm blessed if the canoe isn't filled with them. If there's an -inch of that canoe out of water, there's no more." Then, as he noted the -tug steaming past, an idea came to him that made him chuckle. - -"Kicks up a big sea, that craft does,--as much as a steamboat," he said. -"Perhaps they'll see it and perhaps not. If they don't just let one of -those waves catch them unawares. There'll be a spill." The colonel, -chuckling with great satisfaction, went on stirring the chowder. - -The possibility of a wave from a chance steamer had, indeed, not been -thought of by Tom or any of the others. The water was motionless all -about them, but rolling in rapidly toward them were a series of waves big -enough to cause trouble, if they did but know it. - -The colonel watched the unequal race between the waves and the -heavily-laden canoe with interest. He looked out at them every other -minute from the corner of his eye. He was afraid lest others on shore -should see their danger and warn them. - -"Let them spill over," he said. "They can all swim like fish, and a -ducking will do them good." So he stirred vigorously, watching them all -the while. - -"That stuff won't need any pepper if he cooks it," remarked young Joe, -looking ahead at the colonel. - -"Lucky for us it's not his own private picnic," said Tom, "or we -shouldn't get much of it. Even as it is, it sort of takes my appetite -away to see him stirring that chowder." - -"I'll risk your appetite--" The words were hardly out of Arthur's mouth -when precisely what Colonel Witham had been hoping for came to pass. All -at once Tom, seated in the stern, saw the water suddenly appear to drop -down and away from the canoe. The canoe was for an instant drawn back, -then lifted high on the ridge of a wave and thrown forward, with a sharp -twist to one side. Tom gave one frantic sweep with his paddle, in an -effort to swing the canoe straight before the wave, but it was too late. -The canoe was overloaded, and as the weight of the four boys was thrown -suddenly to one side the sensitive thing lost its equilibrium and -capsized. - -In a moment the four boys were struggling in the water. Thanks to Tom's -precaution, they all went out headforemost, and came to the surface clear -of the canoe, blowing and sputtering. A cry went up from the shore, and -for a moment Colonel Witham was seized with a sudden fear. What if any of -them should be drowned, and he, to vent a petty spite, had given no -warning? In his excitement he failed to notice that he had spilled some -pepper into the ladle which he held in one hand. - -Two rowboats were hastily started out from the beach, and, impelled by -strong arms, surged toward the canoe. - -Tom was prompt to act. He and Bob had had many a drill at this sort of -thing. Each of the boys was a good swimmer, and soon they were all -clinging to the canoe, which had completely overturned. The boys were in -about the same positions as they had occupied in the canoe, Tom at one -end, Bob at the other, and the other two clinging each to one side. - -"Quick, boys, let's right her before the boats get here," cried Tom. - -Under his directions the two Warren boys now took their positions both on -the same side of the canoe, with himself and Bob at the ends. Then all -four took long breaths, treaded water vigorously, and lifted. The canoe -rose a little and rolled over sluggishly, two-thirds full of water. - -While the others supported it, Tom bailed the canoe nearly dry with a -bailing-dish, which he always kept tied to a thwart for just such an -emergency. Then he climbed in over one end, and Bob followed over the -other. The Warren boys clung to the gunwales until one of the boats from -the shore picked them up. The paddles were recovered for Tom and Bob, and -the three craft proceeded to shore. - -There, stretching themselves out on the hot sands before the blaze, they -waited for their clothing to dry on them. They were much liked by the -boys and girls of the village, and were at once a part of a jolly group, -each of which party had a separate detail to recount in the capsizing of -the canoe as they had seen it. - -All at once the picnickers were startled by a howl of rage from Colonel -Witham. All eyes were turned upon him. He was executing the most -extraordinary contortions and dance-steps that could be imagined. An -Indian chief, excelling all his tribe at a war-dance, could not have -outdone the grotesque movements of the colonel. - -"What ails the man?" cried Captain Sam. "He must have gone clean crazy." -And he started for the colonel on the run. - -But before he could reach him another accident happened. In his dancing -about, the colonel trod most unexpectedly on a small log of wood, his -heels flew out from under him, and down he came with a mighty splash in a -little pool of sea-water that had been left in a hollow of rock by the -last receding tide. - -There the colonel lay, like an enormous turtle, helpless for a moment -with rage and astonishment, and all the while sputtering fiercely and -crying out. - -"What on earth ails you, colonel?" asked Captain Sam, hurrying to his -assistance. "You haven't gone crazy, have you?" And he helped the colonel -to his feet with a great effort. - -"Pepper!" roared the purple-faced colonel. "Pepper!" - -"Pepper!" cried Captain Sam. "What about pepper?" - -"Everything about it!" sputtered the colonel. "It's in the chowder! Taste -it and see." - -"What's that?" cried Captain Sam. "If those young scamps have peppered -the chowder I'll thrash every one of them myself. Here, let me see," and, -picking up the ladle which the colonel had dropped, he cautiously tasted -the chowder. - -"Why, there's no pepper in it," he said. "It's just right. I don't taste -any pepper." - -As, indeed, he did not, the colonel having got it all. - -"You must have a strong imagination, colonel," he said. - -"Imagination!" bellowed the colonel. "Imagination! I just wish your -tongue was stuck full of a million red-hot needles and your mouth was -filled with hornets, that's all I wish. Where's the boy that put that -pepper into that spoon? Where is he? Show him to me and I'll make an -example of him right here. I'll put him head first into the chowder by -the heels." - -As no one had put the pepper into the ladle, no culprit could be found to -show to the colonel; and as the colonel could not select a victim out of -a score or more of boys who were present, he could only vent his rage to -no purpose, while the villagers, who had laughed themselves nearly sick -over the colonel's antics, gave him what sympathy they could feign. - -It ended in the colonel's taking himself off in a great fury, declaring -that any one who pleased could make the chowder, and he hoped it would -choke them all, and that fish-bones innumerable would stick in the -throats of whoever ate it. - -The colonel's departure, however, far from putting any damper on the -occasion, seemed rather to afford the party a relief; and his mishap made -no small part of their amusement, as they went on with the preparations -for the feasting. - -Captain Sam, who could turn his hand to anything, took the position left -vacant by the colonel, and declared he could bring the chowder to -completion in a way vastly superior to the colonel's. And indeed it was a -decided improvement in the appearance of things to see the good-natured -captain standing over the steaming kettle and cracking jokes with every -pretty girl that went by. - -The preparations for the clambake went merrily on. A huge pile of -driftwood was brought up from the shore and heaped on the fire by the -ledge. There were pieces of the spars of vessels, great junks of -shapeless timber that had once been ship-knees and pieces of keels, -timbers that had drifted down from the mills away up the river, now -thrown up on shore after miles and miles of aimless tossings, and crates -and boxes that had gone adrift from passing steamers and come in with -weeks of tides. The flames consumed them all with a fine roaring and -crackling, and, dying down at length after an hour or two, left at a -white heat beneath the ashes a bed of large flat rocks that had been -carefully arranged. - -Several of the boys, with brooms made of tree branches, swept the hot -stones clean of ashes; clean as an oven they made it. Then they brought -barrels of clams, big fat fellows, with the blue yet unfaded from their -shells, and poured them out on the hot stones, whence there arose a -tremendous steaming and sizzling. - -Quickly they pitched damp seaweed over the clams, from a stack heaped -near, covering them completely to the depth of nearly a foot. Then on -this, wherever they saw the steam escaping, they shovelled the clean -coarse gravel of the beach, so that the great broad seaweed oven was -nearly air-tight. - -Then they heaped the hot ashes in a mound and buried therein potatoes and -corn with the thick green husks left on it. - -The women, meantime, had not been idle, for in a grove that skirted the -beach they had spread table-cloths on the long tables that always stood -there, winter and summer, fastened into the ground with stakes driven -firm. If all that great steaming bed of clams and the chowder in the -mammoth kettle had suddenly vanished or burned up, or had some other -catastrophe destroyed it, there would still have been left a feast for an -army in what was spread on the snowy tables from no end of fat-looking -baskets. - -There were roast chickens and ducks, sliced cold meats, and country -sausages. There were pies enough to make a boy's head swim,--apple, -mince, pumpkin, squash, berry, custard, and lemon,--in and out of season; -chocolate cakes and raisin cakes and cakes of all sizes and forms. There -were preserves and pickles and a dozen and one other messes from country -cupboards, for the good housewives of Grand Island were generous souls, -and used to providing for a hearty lot of seafaring husbands and sons and -brothers, and, moreover, this picnic at the Narrows was a yearly event, -for which they made preparation long ahead, and looked forward to almost -as much as they did to Christmas and New Year. - -Never were tables more temptingly spread, and when, late in the -afternoon, the benches around these tables were filled with expectant and -hungry picnickers, it was a sight worth going miles to see. - -Captain Sam pronounced the chowder done, and the great kettle, hung from -a stout pole, was borne in triumph by him and Arthur Warren to the grove -near the tables. Somebody else pronounced the clams done, and the gravel -was carefully scraped off from the seaweed, and the seaweed lifted from -the clams, and the great stone oven with its steaming contents laid bare. -The very fragrance from it was a tonic. - -Bowls of the chowder and big plates of the clams were carried to the -tables. There were dishes of the hot corn piled high; potatoes that came -to table black as coals, and which, being opened, revealed themselves -white as newly popped corn. There was a mingled odour of foods, piping -hot, and over all the grateful aroma from half a dozen coffee-pots. - -"Cracky! do they expect us to eat all this?" exclaimed young Joe, as he -surveyed the prospect. "I wonder where it is best to begin--and what to -leave out." - -"Don't try to eat it all, Joe," said Arthur. "Give somebody else a -chance, too. You know the night you went to Henry Burns's party you ate -so many nuts and raisins you woke up dreaming that somebody was trying to -tie you into a square knot, and when you got fully awake you wished -somebody would, and I had to get up and pour Jamaica ginger into you. -Don't try to eat more than enough for three ordinary persons this time, -Joe, and you'll be all right." - -Young Joe tried to smile, with a slice of chicken in one hand and a -spoonful of preserves in the other, and a mouthful of both. His -reputation at the table had been made long before that day, and had gone -abroad, and here was the opportunity of a lifetime, for every -good-hearted motherly-looking housewife within reaching distance was -passing him food. - -"I hope there's a seat for me," said Henry Burns, who came hurrying up. -He and George Warren had made the run down the island on bicycles. - -"Come on, both of you," cried the crowd. "There's always room for you," -and made places for them at once. - -"It seems too bad not to invite those other campers up on the shore," -said one of the women. "I'm sure they haven't had anything as good as -this for all summer." - -"What! Harvey's crew?" queried a chorus of voices, in astonishment. -"Well, you don't live near enough to where they are camping to be -bothered by them. If you did, you wouldn't want them." - -"We don't mind some kind of jokes so much," continued one of the -villagers, at which Tom and Bob and Henry Burns and the Warren boys tried -to look unconscious, "but when it comes to taking things that don't -belong to them and continually creating a disturbance, we think it is -going a little too far. Perhaps it might do them good to get them over -here and repay them with kindness, but some of us are not just in the -mood for trying it." - -"Besides," said another, "it's too late now, if we wanted to, for I saw -them starting out about half an hour ago in their yacht, and wondered -where they could be trying to go, with wind enough to barely stir them. -Some mischief, like as not, they're up to. No good errand, I'll be -bound." - -Which was quite true. - -However, in most surprising contradiction to the speaker's assertion, -there suddenly appeared along the shore Harvey and all his crew, walking -close to the water's edge, but plainly to be seen. - -"Well, those boys must have changed their minds quickly," said the man -who had spoken before. "It is not more than half an hour, surely, since I -saw them all starting out in the yacht. I guess they found there was not -enough wind." - -Perhaps, however, there had been wind enough for the purpose of Harvey -and his crew. There was enough, at all events, to carry them up past the -village and back again to their mooring-place. If they had had any object -in doing that, there had been wind enough to satisfy them. They seemed, -moreover, in high spirits when they returned from this brief voyage, and -laughed heartily as they made the yacht snug for the night. - -Now they went whistling past the picnic party, all of them in line, and -went down along the shore till they were lost to view in the woods. - -"Hope they're not going down my way," said some one. "They're up to -altogether too much mischief around here; that is, I know well enough -it's them, but I can't ever succeed in catching them at it. I'd make it -hot for them if I could." - -But Harvey and his crew had surely no designs on the property of any one -down the island, for they had not gone far in the grove of woods before -Harvey called a halt, and they all sat down and waited. It was rapidly -growing dusk, and they waited until it had grown quite dark. Then they -arose, cut across through the grove toward the Narrows again, but keeping -out of sight all the while, both of chance villagers who might be passing -along the road, and of the crowd about the picnic fire. - -When they had come to the Narrows, Harvey again called a halt, and stole -ahead to see if the coast was clear. The island was a narrow strip of -land here, with the bay on either hand coming in close to the roadway, -but by keeping close to the water's edge, and dodging behind some low -cedars, provided the campers were all about the fire, they might pass -unobserved. This they managed successfully, for, the driftwood fire -having been renewed, the picnic party were seated about it, singing and -telling stories. - -Harvey and his crew went on up through the woods to their own camp, where -two of them remained, while Harvey and George Baker and Allan Harding -took their yacht's tender and rowed rapidly on up toward the town. After -they had started, Joe Hinman and Tim Reardon stole down through the woods -again, and kept watch for a long time on the group about the fire. They -did not return to their camp till the sound of a horn, some hour and a -half later, signified to them that Harvey and the others had returned -from their mission, whatever it was. - -The driftwood fire began to blaze low as the evening wore on, and by nine -o'clock the greater number of the picnickers had said "Good night" and -started on their journey home. Some of them had come from away down at -the foot of the island, and still others from the little settlement at -the head. These now harnessed in their horses, which had been allowed to -feed near the grove, and drove away, their flimsy old wagons rattling -along the road like so many wrecks of vehicles. - -Around the fire, however, there still lingered a group of fishermen and -village folk, telling stories and gossiping over their pipes. - -"I wonder whatever became of that fellow Chambers," said one. "He was the -slickest one of the lot, so that Detective Burton said. Do you recall how -he sailed away that morning, as cool as you please, with the pistols -popping all around his head?" - -The subject had never ceased to be the one great topic of interest in the -village of Southport. - -"I reckon he'll never be seen around these parts again," remarked -another. "Like as not he's up in Long Island Sound long before this. Or -maybe the yacht's hauled up somewhere, and he's got clear out of the -country. There's no telling where those fellows will travel to, if -they're put to it, according to what I read in the papers." - -"It's mighty mysterious," said Captain Sam. "For my part, I think it's -queer nobody's sighted him somewhere along the coast. A man don't sail -for days without somebody seeing him. He ought to be heard from along -Portland way, that is, if he ever left this bay, which I ain't so sure -of, after all." - -This remark seemed to amuse most of the group. - -"Seems as though you expected you might see him and that crack yacht some -night sailing around here like the _Flying Dutchman_," said one, at which -the others took their pipes out and chuckled. "You'll have to get out -your old _Nancy Jane_ and go scouring the bay after him, Cap'n Sam. If he -ever saw her coming after him, he'd haul down his sail pretty quick and -invite you to come aboard." - -"Well," replied Captain Sam, good-naturedly, "there's no accounting for -the strange things of the sea, as you ought to know, Bill Lewis, with the -deep-water voyages you've been on. Still, I'm free to say I don't see how -that 'ere craft can have got out of here and gone clear up Boston way or -New York, without so much as a sail being sighted by all them as has been -watching for her. I don't try to explain where he may be, but I stick to -my idea that there's something mighty queer about it." - -"He may be at the bottom of this 'ere bay," said the man addressed as -Bill Lewis. "Stranger things than that have happened, and he was but one -man in a big boat on a coast he couldn't have known but little of. -There's many a reef for him to hit in the night, and the day he escaped -was stormy. For that matter, I give it up, too. He was a slick one, -that's all I can say." - -And so they rolled this strange and mysterious bit of gossip over, while -the fire burned to coals and the coals died away to ashes. - -"Tom," said Bob, as they launched the canoe from the shelving beach some -time after ten o'clock, "it's too glorious a night to go right home to -bed. What do you say to a short paddle, just a mile or so out in the bay, -to settle that terrible mixture of pie and clams that we've eaten? We'll -sleep all the sounder for it." - -"Perhaps 'twill save our lives," replied Tom. "I ate more than I've eaten -in the last week. Let's take it easy, though. I don't feel like hard -work." - -So they paddled leisurely out for about a mile, enjoying the brilliant -starlight and watching the dark waters of the bay flash into gleams of -phosphoric fire at every stroke of the paddle. It was like an enchanted -journey, gliding along through the still night, amid pools of sparkling -gems. - -It was nearing eleven when they drove the bow of their canoe in gently -upon the sand at their landing-place and stepped out upon the shore. - -"One, two, three--pick her up," said Tom, as each grasped a thwart of the -canoe, ready to swing it up on to their shoulders. Up it came, fairly on -to the shoulders of Bob, who had the bow end, but Tom, who never fumbled -at things, seemed somehow to have made a bad mess of it. His end of the -canoe dropped clumsily to the ground, twisting Bob's head uncomfortably -and surprising that young gentleman decidedly. - -"What's the matter, Tom?" he asked, laughing good-naturedly, as he turned -to his companion. But Tom for a moment answered never a word. He stood -staring ahead like one in a dream. Bob, amazed, looked in the same -direction. - -"Bob," whispered Tom, huskily, "do you see--it's gone--it isn't there. Do -you see--the camp--the old tent--it's gone, as sure as we're standing -here." - -They rushed forward to where the tent had been but a few hours before -that afternoon, and stood there dismayed. There in the open air were -their bunks, their camp-stools, their camp-kit, and the great chest; but -the tent that had sheltered them had disappeared. Around about the spot -were holes where the stakes that had held it had been hastily wrenched -out, but not a scrap of canvas nor a piece of rope that had guyed it were -to be seen. Only the poles that had been its frame lay upon the ground. -Their tent had utterly vanished. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - A CRUISE AROUND THE ISLAND - - -"Well, Bob," said Tom, as they seated themselves on the bunks to collect -their wits and think the situation over, "we know who did it, of course. -The next thing is to prove it." - -"It won't be so easy," responded Bob. "Jack Harvey hasn't done this thing -without first planning out how he could dispose of the tent without -attracting the slightest attention. He planned it in a good time, too, -when half the village was away at the clambake." - -"Yes," said Tom, "and that's what he sailed out on that short trip for, -to look in at our tent without exciting any suspicion. He found out that -there wasn't anybody around it, and then he and the others came down past -our fire on purpose for us to see them and to prove by every one there -that they were in another part of the island when our camp was stolen. He -did it, though, and he's covered it up well. We'll have hard work to -prove it against him." - -"I'll be madder to-morrow, when I'm not so sleepy." said Bob. "Let's go -on up to the Warren cottage now, and wait till to-morrow before doing -anything. It isn't going to rain to-night, and the stuff will not be -harmed out here without a covering." - -So they travelled up to the Warren cottage, greatly to the surprise of -the Warren boys, who had gone to bed and were sound asleep when they got -there, and greatly to the concern of good Mrs. Warren, whose indignation -did more to comfort them than anything else in the world could have. -There was always room for more in the spacious old cottage, and they were -soon stowed away in bed, quickly forgetting their troubles in sleep. - -"You'll stay right here for the rest of the summer," said Mrs. Warren the -next morning at breakfast. "You can bring your camp stuff up and store it -in the shed, and I guess it will be safe there from Jack Harvey or -anybody else. It's a crying shame, but you're welcome here, so don't feel -too bad about it. I don't think the boys will be sorry to have you here." - -"I guess we won't," cried the Warren boys, in chorus. "But we'll get that -tent yet, I think," said George Warren. "I don't believe Jack Harvey -would dare destroy it. He's got it hidden somewhere, depend upon it. And -we must find out where that place is." - -"I wish I could believe it," said Tom, "but I'm afraid his experience -with our box taught him a lesson. It is my belief that he has taken the -tent and sunk it out in the bay, weighted with stones, so it will never -come to light. However, we will start out after breakfast to see if any -one in the village saw him or his crew anywhere near the tent while we -were away." - -The search through the village for a clue proved, unfortunately, as -fruitless as Tom had feared. Not a soul had seen Harvey or any one of his -crew about the camp during the evening, nor, for that matter, anybody -else. The disappearance remained as mysterious as though the wind had -borne the tent away out to sea. - -"Say the word," said Captain Sam, when he heard of it, "and I'll go over -to Mayville and get warrants for the whole crew. We'll have them up and -examine every one of them. We can't have things of that sort going on -around this village." - -"I don't want to do it," said Tom. "At least, not yet awhile. I don't -like to suspect Harvey or any of his crew of actually stealing the tent. -It may be they have taken it just to annoy us for a night or two, and we -shall get it back again. I'd rather take it as a practical joke for a few -days, at any rate, than to have any boy arrested. I can't believe they -would steal it for good, intending to keep it. Let's wait and see." - -"You'll never see your tent, then, I'm thinking," said Captain Sam, "for -I don't believe Harvey has the least idea of bringing it back. And the -longer we wait the harder it will be catching him. However, do as you -think best. I'll go down to-morrow and look their camp over, anyway, on -my own hook. I have the right to do that. I'm a constable, and I'll look -their camp over on general principles." - -"You'll not find anything, I fear," said Tom. - -"Fellows," said George Warren, as they all sat around the open fire that -evening, "we haven't been on a cruise for a long time. What do you say to -starting out in the _Spray_ to-morrow for a trip around the island? It -will take one, two, or three days, according to the wind, and Henry Burns -says he can go. We'll take along a fly-tent and some blankets, and part -of us can sleep on shore, so we won't be crowded." - -"Great!" cried Bob. "It comes in a good time for us, when we're without a -home--oh, I didn't mean that," he added, hastily, as Mrs. Warren looked -reproachfully at him. "This is a better home than our camp was, to be -sure. I mean, while our affairs are so upset, while we don't know whether -we shall be camping to-morrow or living here. It may help to straighten -matters out, and, if by chance Harvey and his crew feel like putting the -tent back, this will give them the opportunity." - -"Then we'll get the lines ready," said George. "There's lots of small cod -at the foot of the island,--and we might take a run across to the islands -below, where there's lots of bigger ones. We'll plan to be gone two days -or a week, just as it happens, and put in plenty of flour and biscuit and -some canned stuff, in case we can't get fish." - -"How happens it that Henry Burns can get off so easily?" asked Tom. - -"Oh, they've let up on him a good deal since the capture of Craigie," -answered George. "Now that the papers have said so much about him and the -rest of us, and the people at the hotel have made so much of him, Mrs. -Carlin has come to the conclusion that he isn't so much of a helpless -child as she thought he was. She lets him do pretty much as he likes now, -and so Colonel Witham don't bother him, either. He will be over by and -by, and we'll make sure he can go." - -Henry Burns put in an appearance soon after, and the subject of the -voyage was duly discussed in all its phases, and settled. The next -forenoon found them all aboard the little yacht _Spray_, getting -everything shipshape and storing away some provisions and water. - -"Looks as though we were going on a long voyage," said young Joe, as his -eyes rested fondly on several cans of lunch-tongue and two large mince -pies which Mrs. Warren had generously provided, besides several tins of -beef and a small keg of water. - -"Well, Joe," said Arthur, "you know, having you with us to help eat up -stuff is equivalent to going on a long voyage. And then, one never knows -on a trip of this kind when he is going to get back." - -Which was certainly true, if anything ever was. - -They made a great point aboard the _Spray_, these Warren boys, of having -every rope and sail and cleat in perfect condition; no snarled ropes, no -torn canvas, and no loose bolts nor cleats to give way in a strain; and -they began now, as usual, to see that everything was in shipshape -condition before they cast off from their moorings and headed out of the -harbour. - -The little yacht was, therefore, as trim as any craft could be when they -set sail on their voyage, with Mrs. Warren waving good-bye to them from -the front piazza. - -"I never feel as free anywhere in the world as I do out aboard the -_Spray_ on a trip like this," said George Warren, stretching himself out -comfortably on the house of the cabin, while Arthur held the tiller. -"It's the best fun there is down here, after all." - -"Well, I don't know, a canoe isn't so bad," said Bob. "You can't take so -many, to be sure, but when Tom and I get off on that and go down among -the islands for a day or two, sleeping underneath it on the beaches at -night and cooking on the shore as we go along, we feel pretty much like -Crusoes ourselves, eh, Tom?" - -"Indeed we do," answered Tom. "It's the next best thing, surely, to -sailing a boat." - -"By the way, Tom," asked Arthur, "where did you leave the canoe? Not -where any one could get that, I hope." - -"No, that's safe and snug," replied Tom. "It's locked up in your shed, -and your mother has the key. That's one thing we shall find all right -when we get back." - -The wind was blowing lightly from the northwest, and, as they were -starting out to make the circuit of the island by way of the northern end -first, they had to beat their way up along the coast against a head wind. - -"This little boat isn't such a bad sailer," said George Warren, -admiringly, gazing aloft at a snug setting topsail. "For a boat of its -size, I guess she goes to windward as well as any. There's only one thing -the matter with her. She's small, and when she's reefed down under three -reefs, with the choppy seas we have in this bay, she don't work well to -windward, and that's a fault that might be dangerous, if there were not -so many harbours around this coast to run to in a storm." - -"I suppose some day we'll have a bigger one, don't you?" queried Joe. - -"Yes, when we can earn it, father says," replied George. "That don't look -so easy, though. A fellow can't earn much when he's studying." - -"What's that up there on the ledges?" interrupted young Joe, pointing -ahead to some long reefs that barely projected above the surface of the -water. - -"They are seals--can't you see?" replied Arthur. "The wind is right, and -we'll sail close up on to them before they know it. We can't shoot, -because we haven't any gun aboard, but we'll just take them by surprise." - -The little _Spray_, running its nose quietly past the point of the first -ledge and sailing through a channel sown with the rocks on either hand, -came as a surprise to a colony of the sleek creatures, sunning themselves -on the dry part of the ledges. They floundered clumsily off the rocks and -splashed into the water, like a lot of schoolboys caught playing hookey, -and only when the whole pack had slipped off into the sea did they utter -a sound, a series of short, sharp barks, as here and there a curious head -bobbed up for a moment, and then dived quickly below again. - -"They have as much curiosity as a human being," said George Warren. "Just -watch them steal those quick glances at us, and then bob under water -again. The fishermen around here shoot them whenever they get a chance, -because they eat the salmon out of the nets, but I never could bear to -take a shot at one. They seem so intelligent, like a lot of tame dogs. I -don't believe in shooting creatures much, anyway, unless you want them -for food, or unless they are wild, savage animals." - -"That don't apply to ducks, I hope," said Tom. "We want to take you up -into the woods with us some fall, and have you do some shooting of that -kind,--ducks and partridges and perhaps a deer or two." - -"No, I'd like that first rate," answered George. "It's this senseless -shooting of creatures that you don't want after they are shot that I -don't believe in. I don't believe in shooting things just for the sake of -killing them. Actual hunting in the woods for game that you live on is -another thing. It's a healthful, vigorous sport that takes one into clean -surroundings and does one good." - -They chatted on, discussing this and that, till the yacht at length -turned the head of the island and ran along past Bryant's Cove. - -"We won't forget that harbour in a hurry," they said, as they sailed by. - -The wind was gradually dying down with the sun, and would not carry them -much farther that night, though they were soon running before it, as they -rounded the uppermost point and headed away for the foot of the island, -some thirteen miles away. - -"We'll have just about wind enough to run along to Dave Benson's place," -said George. "It's two miles down, but the wind and tide are both in our -favour,--what there is of them. We can buy some green corn of Dave, and -he will let us pull his lobster-pots and charge us only five cents for -each lobster. Things are cheap down here, if you buy them of the -fishermen. A little money means a good deal to them. A little flour and -tea and sugar at the village store, and they live mighty comfortably on -what they catch and what they raise on their farms. They don't know what -it means to be poor, as the poor in our city do." - -"Yes, and they live a happy life, for the most part," said Henry Burns. -"They get a good share of their living out of the sea, and I've always -noticed that seafaring people are generally very well contented with -their lot. You never hear them grumbling, as men do that work hard on -farms. The sea seems to inspire them more; at least, it seems so to me." - -"What does 'inspire' mean, please, Henry?" queried young Joe, winking at -Bob. "It sounds like a very nice word." - -"Inspiration means a strong desire and ambition to do something, and a -conviction that one cannot fail," answered Henry Burns. "For instance, I -might feel myself inspired to knock an idea into your head, just like -this." And Henry Burns administered a sound cuff on that young -gentleman's head. "That's a very crude example," added Henry Burns. -"Perhaps I can give you a better one, if you would like." - -"No, I thank you," said young Joe. "That will do very well for the -present. I think I understand." - -Dave Benson's place was a weather-beaten old house set in the midst of a -corn and bean patch, close by a little creek that ran in from the western -bay. It had an air of dilapidation, but, withal, of comfort about it. -There was a little garden, some hake were drying on flakes beyond the -house, a rowboat and a dory were pulled up on the beach a little way up -the creek, and the indispensable sailboat, built by Dave himself in the -winter months, was lying a little offshore in the shelter of a projecting -hook of land. - -"Hulloa, Dave," shouted George Warren, as a tall, sunburned figure, gaunt -but powerful, emerged from the door of the house and peered out across -the water at them. - -"Hulloa," he said, laconically. "You all ain't been over much to see us -lately." - -"No, but we thought we would make a call to-day," said George. "Will you -come out and get us? We left the tender behind. We're going around the -island." - -For answer the man shoved his dory off the beach, stepped in, and sculled -out to them with one oar out over the stern. - -"Climb in here sort of easy like, now," said he, "and I guess I can take -the whole of you ashore at one load. If you two ain't used to this -craft," he added, addressing Tom and Bob, "you want to look out some, for -its tippery and no mistake, though there ain't no better boat when you -know how to behave in it." - -"I guess it's something like our canoe," said Tom. "We're used to that, -so I think we'll manage. Perhaps you never saw a canoe." - -"Not as I know of," returned the other. "Though I do recall seeing what I -thought must be one, from what I've heard, going along the shore down -below here about an hour ago." - -"It couldn't have been a canoe," said Bob, "for ours is the only one on -the island, and that is locked up safe at home in the Warren's shed." - -"Mebbe not," replied Dave Benson. "I ain't sure at all. I just noticed -there was two boys in it, and they were on their knees and pushing it -along with what you call paddles, I think." - -Tom and Bob looked at each other blankly. - -"It can't be possible," said Tom, at length. "I left ours locked up safe -enough. Dave's made a mistake." - -"Got any corn?" asked Arthur. - -"Yes, there's some growing out there, I reckon. You can go out and pick -what you want and gimme what you like for it. It's good and sweet, I -reckon." - -"And lobsters, how about them?" asked young Joe. - -"Well, I haven't pulled the pots to-day," said Dave. "You can go and do -that, too, I reckon. There ought to be some there. I baited them all -fresh with cunners and sculpins last night." - -"Let me go and pull them," said Bob. "I never caught a lobster. Come on, -Joe, you can show me how and I'll do the work." - -"Did you ever handle a dory?" asked Dave. - -"No," answered Bob, "but I'm used to a canoe." - -"And did you ever pull a lobster-pot?" - -"No, never saw one." - -"Then you want to look out," said Dave, and took himself off into his -house, leaving the boys to themselves. - -Bob got another oar, and, with young Joe in the stern, rowed out a few -rods toward some ledges, where Dave had indicated that the lobster-pots -were set. - -"Did you ever pull a lobster-pot, Joe?" asked Bob, as they came in sight -of half a dozen small wooden buoys, about as big as ten-pins, floating at -a short distance from one another, with ropes attached. - -"No, I never did," replied Joe; "but I've seen it done and it looks easy. -You just lift the pot aboard the boat and open a trap-door and take out -the lobsters. Only you want to look out how you take hold of one of them, -that's all. It's all right if you take him by the back." - -On shore, seated on a huge stick of timber, washed ashore long ago and -half-imbedded in the sand, the other boys watched the proceedings with -interest. - -"Bob will do it all right, of course," said George, winking slyly at -Arthur. "It's a simple enough trick, only it is harder in a dory than in -a boat with a keel to it, for a dory slides off so." - -"Just like a canoe," said Tom. - -"By the way," he added, "is a lobster-pot heavy?" - -"That's the deceptive part of it," replied George. "It's a great big cage -made of laths with a bottom of boards, and it comes to the surface easy -because the water buoys it up. It's the lifting it out that fools one. -It's got three or four big stones in it to weigh it down, and you have -got to bring it out of water with a sudden lift or it will stick -half-way." - -In the meantime, Bob, having grasped one of the floating buoys, proceeded -to haul in the slack of the rope, which was quite long, to allow for the -tide, which was now low. - -"It comes up easy," he said to Joe, as he drew it up slowly to the -surface, hand over hand. "Here she comes now. Wait till it lands on the -gunwale and then lean over on the other side, so we won't capsize." Bob -grasped the slats of the big cage and lifted manfully. - -The lobster-pot came up all right, as George had explained, till, just at -the point where it should have left the water, it stopped suddenly and -stuck like a bar of lead. Unluckily, Bob had not counted on that extra -weight of stone inside, nor on the loss of the buoyancy of the water. At -the same instant, moreover, young Joe, seeing the cage strike the -gunwale, shifted over to the other side of the dory. This settled the -matter. The pot lodged half-way over one gunwale, hung there for a -moment, long enough to careen the crank thing down on its side; Bob and -Joe both lost their balance and slid the same way, the dory filled with -water, and boys and lobster-pot slumped into the sea. - -The boys on shore set up a roar at the mishap of their comrades, while -long Dave Benson, emerging once more from his cabin door, was heard to -chuckle as he strode down to the shore and shoved off his rowboat. - -"It's just like a canoe, exactly," he muttered, "just like it--only it's -so different." And he doubled up at the oars and laughed silently. - -Bob and Joe, coming to the surface, puffing and blowing water, were -pleased to note the sympathy displayed for them in four boyish forms, -rolling off the log and holding on to their sides with laughter. Nor did -the keenness of this sympathy abate the whole evening long, for every now -and then one of them might be heard to repeat the language of Dave -Benson, as he glanced significantly at the others, "It's just like a -canoe--only it's so different." - -However, Bob and Joe, being duly scrubbed down and invested in a change -of duck clothing from the locker of the _Spray_, did not relish any the -less the supper that awaited them, of broiled live lobster, cooked over a -glowing bed of coals on the beach, and corn that was as sweet as Dave -Benson had promised. They took their chaffing as good fellows and -comrades are bound to do, only vowing inwardly to bide their time for -revenge. - -Then, as night was coming on, they set up their fly-tent on a clean, dry -part of the beach, well beyond the reach of the tide, spread down their -blankets, and Tom and Bob and Henry Burns turned in to sleep there, -leaving the little cabin of the _Spray_ for the Warren boys. - -"Bob," said Tom, "did you hear what Dave Benson said as he brought in the -capsized dory, with the lobsters, too?" - -"He said it was 'just like a canoe, only--'" - -"Oh, you dry up, Tom," exclaimed Bob. "Your turn will come next, so don't -rub it in." - -And they went off soundly to sleep. - -The next morning, when they awoke, they found that the wind had altered -and was beginning to blow up from the southward. They must, therefore, -beat their way down to the foot of the island, some ten miles distant, -against a head wind and sea, for a southerly always rolled in more or -less of a sea after it had blown for an hour or so. - -"Come again," called out Dave Benson, as they left his cabin astern, and -he stood waving them farewell with his weather-beaten hat. - -"I'd just like to know what he meant when he said he saw a canoe out -here," said Tom. "I know ours is all right, but he certainly did describe -a canoe, when he spoke about its being paddled, and ours is the only one -I know of around here." - -"Yes, and he saw it last night, or, rather, yesterday afternoon," said -Bob, "and nobody would have disturbed ours in broad daylight, at any -rate." - -But about an hour later, they came suddenly to the conclusion that Dave -Benson knew what he was talking about, when Henry Burns exclaimed all at -once: "Why, there it is now. Dave Benson was right, after all. That's a -canoe, down about a mile ahead, just off that white line of beach, and -there are two paddling it." - -The boys looked in amazement. There could be no mistaking it. Henry Burns -had surely spied a canoe. They could make it out quite plainly, pitching -slightly in the sea, with apparently some one at either end. - -"Quick, get the glass, Joe," cried George Warren, who had the tiller. -"It's in the locker in the cabin, you know. That will show us just who it -is." - -Young Joe dived below and reappeared the next instant, bringing a small -telescope. - -"Here," he said, handing it to Tom, "take a look at them." - -Tom adjusted the focus of the glass and sighted the craft ahead, then -exclaimed, excitedly: "Yes, it's them, sure enough. It's Harvey and Joe -Hinman and it's the canoe. We've got them, too, if the _Spray_ can only -catch them. We're sure to get the canoe, at any rate, for they can't run -far or fast with that on their shoulders, if they see us and take to the -shore. We know what it is to try to hurry with that." - -"That we do," returned Bob. "Let me have a look, Tom." - -"Cracky!" he exclaimed, as he put the glass down almost as soon as he had -sighted it. "Who'd have thought they would have had the nerve to get that -in broad daylight? They must know they are sure to be seen in it, too. -What on earth can Harvey be thinking of?" - -"We'll set the club topsail and the other jib in a hurry," said George, -"and perhaps we can overhaul them before they see us." - -They got the extra sail on in a twinkling and laid the course of the -_Spray_ a little closer into the wind. Fifteen minutes went by, and they -had made rapid progress in overhauling the canoe. They made short tacks, -so as not to be seen by the paddlers, if possible, by keeping so far as -they could in a line with the stern of the canoe. - -Presently, however, the boy who was wielding the stern paddle turned and -looked back, and they could see plainly that it was Harvey. - -He must have seen them, too, and been vastly surprised, for, carrying -across the strip of land at the Narrows, he had surely expected to meet -no familiar yacht in the western bay. The occupants of the canoe turned -their craft more in toward shore, though not directly, and, at least so -it seemed to the boys, began paddling desperately, as though they hoped -to escape. - -If they had thought they could run away from the _Spray_ in this way, -they soon found out their mistake, for the Spray continued rapidly to -overhaul them. - -Turning squarely in toward the shore, Harvey and Joe Hinman soon reached -it, jumped out, and drew the canoe far up on the beach. Their next move -surprised the crew of the Spray. Leaving the canoe in full sight on the -beach, Harvey and Joe Hinman walked deliberately away, without so much as -looking back at their pursuers. - -"That's a mighty strange performance," exclaimed George Warren. "I don't -understand that at all." - -There was no place to run the _Spray_ in close to shore, so they rounded -to some thirty feet out, and Tom and Bob, hastily throwing off their -clothes, dived overboard and swam to the beach. - -Tom was the first to reach the canoe; but, as he came upon it and turned -it over, he uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"They've fooled us this time, sure enough," he said to Bob, who came -panting up. "It isn't our canoe." - -The canoe, in fact, was new. - -It was enough like theirs to be its mate, both as to size and colour, but -there was not a scratch upon it nor upon the paddles. The canoe could not -have been used more than once or twice since it had left the maker's -hands. - -"The joke is on us," cried Bob to the boys in the _Spray_. "It's another -canoe. Harvey's 'governor,' as he calls him, must have bought it for him -and sent it down on the boat yesterday. He doesn't seem to be afraid to -trust us with his property, which is more than we would do with him." - -"Perhaps he would rather trust the canoe with us than to trust himself -with all of us just at this time," replied Tom. "I feel like taking it -along with us, to make him give up our tent, but I'm afraid that wouldn't -do. We can't prove that he has it, either." - -Harvey and Joe Hinman had clearly left the canoe to its fate, so there -was nothing to do but to swim aboard the _Spray_ again, and the voyage -down the island was resumed. - -"There's one thing about it," said Tom, as he scrambled into his clothing -once more, "if Jack Harvey is as reckless and as careless in that canoe -as he is in his yacht it will be washed up on shore some day without him. -Not that I hope it will happen, but I look to see it." - -"I don't think he was born to be drowned," said Henry Burns. - -Toward noon they came in sight of the southern extremity of the island, -or the extremities, to speak more accurately, for the end of the island -here was divided into a succession of thin points of land of various -shapes, affording a number of small, rockbound harbours, snug and -secluded, and each making good shelter for small vessels. - -They selected one of these, and, as they knew the waters to be filled -with a species of small cod, they determined to lay up here for the -afternoon and night, starting out again the next morning. They brought -the _Spray_ well in to the head of the harbour which they selected, so -that it was almost wholly land-locked when they dropped anchor and furled -their sails. - -Toward evening the wind decreased, dying out almost entirely. Big banks -of clouds piling up in the northwest told them that they might expect the -breeze from that quarter in the morning. - -It was getting dusk and they were cooking their supper in the little -cabin of the _Spray_, when young Joe, looking out of the companionway, -exclaimed: "Why, here comes company; another yacht's going to lie in here -for the night, too." - -Looking out, they saw a big black sloop coming slowly into the harbour. -She had come up from the southward before the wind, and had only her -mainsail set. There was hardly breeze enough to bring her in. She drifted -in slowly, with one man at her wheel, and, as she came within hailing -distance, young Joe, going forward, swung his cap and shouted, "Ahoy." - -The man at the wheel did not respond, but, strangely enough, at the sound -of young Joe's voice the yacht slowly turned again, heading completely -about, and stood out of the harbour again. - -"Doesn't seem to like our company," said Henry Burns. - -"Guess he'll have to have it, whether he wants it or not," said George -Warren. "There's not wind enough to take him out again, as he will find -when he gets the set of the tide at the entrance." - -If the helmsman aboard the strange yacht had really intended to quit the -harbour again, he found the tide to be as George Warren had said. After -vainly trying to make out for a few moments, he left the wheel, ran -forward, and the next moment they heard the splash of his anchor. Then -the sail dropped and the man went below. - -"Whoever they are aboard there, they don't seem inclined to be sociable," -said Henry Burns. "Well, they don't have to be, if they don't want to." - -"Guess they're afraid we'll keep them awake," said George Warren. "They -are fishermen, by the looks. See, she carries no topmast, so she is not a -pleasure yacht, though she looks from here like a fast boat. They make -them good models now, since Burgess began it." - -"I guess that's so," said Arthur Warren. "Those fishermen like to sleep -nights, after a hard day's work, without being disturbed. I remember one -night we laid up in a harbour and began singing college songs, and a crew -of them rowed over to us and threatened to lick us if we didn't keep -quiet. This fellow doesn't want to be disturbed." - -"I'll hail him, anyway, if he comes on deck again," said Henry Burns, -"and find out where he is from. I like to know my neighbours." - -But the man aboard the strange yacht was not inclined to be neighbourly. -He did not appear on deck again. A thin wreath of smoke curled out of the -funnel in his cabin, and they knew he was getting a meal. That was the -only sign of life aboard. - -Sometime that night--he did not know the hour--Henry Burns awoke, -conscious of some sound that had disturbed his light slumbers. Presently -he became aware that it was the sound of a sail being hoisted. Getting up -softly without disturbing his companions, he crept out of the cabin and -looked across the water. The moon was shining, and he could see a lone -figure aboard the strange yacht, getting the boat under way. - -Henry Burns saw him go forward and labour for awhile at the anchor rope. -Then, for a wind had arisen, the man ran aft to the wheel, and Henry -Burns saw the strange yacht go sailing out of the harbour. - -"That's a queer thing to do," muttered Henry Burns. "There's something -strange about it. He tried to get out before, the minute he saw us. -Cracky! You don't suppose---- No, that's nonsense. I'm getting altogether -too suspicious ever since I came across that man Craigie upon the roof of -the hotel." - -And Henry Burns went back to his bunk again. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - STORM DRIVEN - - -When they awoke next morning the wind was blowing heavily from the -northwest, and, while the sun was as yet shining brightly, the sky was -darkened here and there with banks of clouds, which moved with great -rapidity, driven by violent currents. Inside the snug harbour the water -was calm, but, looking out beyond on the bay, they could see its surface -broken already into big waves. - -"Looks like a nasty day outside," remarked George Warren. "I wonder -whether we ought to lie in here to-day, or take the chance of clearing -the foot of the island before it gets heavier." - -"I'd hate to stay here another whole day," said Joe. - -"Do you think it's going to blow much harder, George?" inquired Tom. - -"I can't say for certain," replied the other, "but it looks as though the -wind was going to increase right along." - -"But don't you think we could get around the foot of the island before it -got much worse?" asked Arthur. "There is only about a mile to run before -we get under the lee of the islands in the other bay." - -"Of course, if we can reach the eastern bay all right, we shall be in -smooth water then," said George, "for the island will shut off the wind -to a great extent, and there won't be much sea. Well, if you fellows are -willing to take the chance, I am. I guess it won't get any worse than the -night we ran to Bryant's Cove. The _Spray_ stood that all right." - -Breakfast being finished, they double-reefed the mainsail of the little -yacht, and did not set the jib, as they would be running with the wind -about on their quarter and would not need it. Then they stood out of the -harbour into the bay. - -They were almost immediately in rough water, and the very first plunge of -the yacht into the heavy sea sent the spray flying over them. Young Joe -and Arthur went scurrying into the cabin for the oilskins, of which they -had a good supply, and the boys prepared themselves for wet weather. - -"We'll get it right along now," said George, "until we can clear that -point about a mile ahead there. The _Spray_ does the best she can, but -she does throw the water bad in a heavy sea. It isn't her fault. And -there's one good thing about her; you can't tip her over. She will stand -up till the mast and sail are blown out of her." - -The boys now realized how deceptive wind and water viewed from a distance -always are. Gusts of wind that were seen from shore to blacken the water -and send the spray flying from the crests of waves, were found now to be -of far greater violence than they had supposed. Viewed from the harbour, -the waves had not seemed to be of unusual size, but, now that they threw -the little yacht about like a toy, they assumed a more terrific aspect. - -The wind increased, and the _Spray_ rolled dangerously in the seas. - -"She won't stand this," said George, at length. "We have got to put the -third reef in and do it quick." - -They got the yacht into the wind for a moment, lowered the sail, and tied -in a few reef-points; but the yacht would not hold in the wind, and they -had to be content with a few knots tied at twice or three times the usual -distance. - -"We're blowing offshore at a great rate," exclaimed George, "but I can't -help it. I can't hold her up any higher. She won't stand it." - -"Then we cannot make the point," said Arthur. - -"I am afraid not," returned George. "I don't like the prospect of getting -out into that bay, either, but I'm afraid we are in for it. I had no idea -there was any such a sea running, nor anything like this wind." - -The prospect was, indeed, not encouraging. Across the wide stretch of bay -for some eighteen miles the sea was one mass of whitecaps, a tumbling -confusion of waves, which already broke aboard the yacht, covering the -boys with spray and necessitating the use of bailing-dish and boat-sponge -to keep the water from standing in the cockpit. - -"We've got to get that topping-lift up higher, Arthur," said George -Warren, as the yacht rolled heavily, bringing the boom down dangerously -near the waves. - -His brother sprang to the halyards at the warning, but it was a moment -too late. At that instant a wave, rolling higher than any they had yet -encountered, raised the _Spray_ on its crest and hurled it forward, at -the same time causing the little craft to yaw so that the boom was buried -for a moment deep in the seas. That moment was enough. There was a sharp -snap as the boom, splintered in two in the middle, emerged from the -waves, a useless thing. The yacht nearly broached to, while the next -oncoming wave broke fairly aboard, filling the cockpit half-full of -water. - -They thought it was all over with them then, but they kept their heads -and saved themselves. Henry Burns and Arthur Warren, at the risk of going -overboard, managed to get the broken boom aboard, after they had let the -halyards run, and lashed it astern, so that the yacht was utterly without -sail. At the same time Tom and Bob, who knew little about handling a -yacht, but were ready for any emergency, bailed furiously with pails to -clear the boat of water. - -Fortunately, the hatch had been shut, and the deluge of water had not -gone into the cabin, or the boat must have foundered. As it was, she -rolled heavily till they had bailed the cockpit dry again. - -"That does settle it, with a vengeance," said George Warren, when they -had recovered a little from the shock. "We have got to run for it now, -clear across this bay. I think we can do it all right, but you fellows -will have to bail lively. That won't be the only sea we take aboard." - -"Where do we run to?" asked Henry Burns. - -"That's the worst of it," replied George Warren. "I'm not sure, by any -means, whether we get blown out to the shoals, or whether we can head -over to the eastward any, ever so slightly, and strike the Gull Island -Thoroughfare. If we can land under the lee of Gull Island, we may be able -to do something. The first thing, though, is to get there." - -It was no easy thing to hold the yacht on its course, even with no sail -to drive it up to windward. Every wave threatened to throw it broadside -on, and it required now and again the united efforts of George and Arthur -Warren to steady it. Then a wave would come aboard astern, rolling in and -nearly filling the cockpit. Several times it did this, and at each and -every time it seemed as though the little yacht was going down. They -bailed desperately then, every one of them falling to except George -Warren. - -To their credit, though, not one of them lost his courage. Their faces -were drawn and set, but they had confidence that the little _Spray_ would -somehow bring them through. - -Toward the middle of the afternoon they had got the Thoroughfare well in -sight, big Gull Island lying nearly dead ahead and the smaller Gull -Islands lying away to the eastward. - -"If we can manage to get a scrap of sail on her just as we pass the end -of Gull Island," said George Warren, "I think we can swing her in and not -capsize. We've got to keep headway on, though, or one of these big -rollers will get under us and tip us over. We shall have a few rods to -run broadside on, for, as we are running now, and the best we can head, -we cannot come nearer than that to the island." - -"I'll give her a scrap of sail that she can carry," exclaimed Arthur, and -dived into the companionway, shutting the door quickly to keep the seas -out. He returned in a moment, bringing a hand-saw. With this he severed -clean the broken half of the boom, tying the ends of the rigging to the -short stub that was left. This left the sail a huge, clumsy bag, that -would evidently not hoist up but a foot or so on the mast, but might -possibly be of some service in the emergency. - -A torrent of rain now began to pour, falling so dense as almost to shut -out the islands ahead. Their outlines became obscured, making the effort -to run into the Thoroughfare a more difficult and dangerous one. -Moreover, the wind continued to increase. - -"Now, fellows," said George Warren, as they came abreast of the end of -Big Gull Island, "everybody up to windward and hold on hard. She's going -to lay over when she gets these seas broadside. Hoist the sail, Arthur, -just as we begin to head in." - -Arthur sprang to the halyards, but they were tangled and did not pull -true. Try as best he could, the sail would hoist but a little ways on the -mast. It bagged out like a huge balloon, holding the wind and nearly -capsizing them. Henry Burns, handling the main-sheet, let it run just in -time to save them. Still the sail gave them headway, and, carefully -managed, would answer to fetch them in. - -Twice they had to head off fairly before the wind again, at the onrush of -some enormous wave, but they got quickly on their course again, and, -rolling frightfully, with the boys clinging far out to windward, the -little yacht all at once felt the relief which the sheltering extremity -of Gull Island afforded from the awful strain. Almost before they knew -it, they were in smooth water once more, riding easily at the entrance to -the Thoroughfare. - -"Whew!" cried George Warren, as he dropped the tiller and shook his -hands, which were numb and aching from the strain and the cold rain. -"That was a ride for life that I don't care to repeat again in a hurry. -Didn't the little _Spray_ do well, though, eh, Arthur? She had a good -excuse to founder if she hadn't been staunch. If she was only a little -larger she wouldn't have minded this at all." - -"We did come flying across that bay and no mistake," said Tom. "I thought -we were going to founder twice or three times, though." - -"Looks as though we were stranded here for some days, that's the worst of -it," said George Warren. "This storm has just begun, by the looks of it. -It's a lonesome hole, too, down in this reach. Nobody ever comes here, -except a few fishermen in the fall and spring. The Thoroughfare is all -right, but it doesn't lead to any particular place in the course of -vessels, so it isn't a regular thoroughfare really, like those over to -the eastward more. Now and then a yacht goes through, just for the sail, -but one has got to know the channel very well, for it isn't charted -accurately,--at least, so Cap'n Sam says." - -"Well," returned Arthur, "we are not making a race against time, so I -don't see as it matters much whether we stay here or some other part of -the bay. We'll just lie snug aboard here to-night, and then to-morrow -we'll get out and explore. There are some fishermen's shanties around on -the other side of some of those smaller islands, and we ought to be able -to build up a fire in one of them and live there till the storm is over, -so we won't have to stay in this little cabin all the time." - -"I'll be glad enough to go down there for awhile now," said Henry Burns, -"and get dry and warm. Come on, Bob, let's you and me start some coffee -and biscuit going. You do the cooking, because you know how, and I'll -look on. I'll get the dishes out, anyway." - -There was scarcely room in the cabin of the _Spray_ for more than four of -them to sit and eat, so they threw the mainsail over the stub of the boom -and made a shelter out of it against the rain. There, just outside the -cabin, Tom and Bob sat as they all ate supper, with the rain pouring down -all around and spattering in under the edges of the canvas. It was -uncomfortable and dreary at best, and they were all glad when time came -to turn in, which they did by all crowding into the cabin, where they -could at least keep dry, although stowed away like sardines. - -"Ouch!" exclaimed Henry Burns, as he awoke next morning, feeling stiff -and sore. "I feel as though I was creased and starched and ironed, and -every time I move I take out a crease. It will take me half a day to -straighten out again, I've got so many kinks in my neck and back." - -They were all cramped and lame from the uncomfortable positions in which -they had lain, for on fair nights they had been accustomed to make up two -bunks just outside the cabin, in the cockpit. It was still raining hard, -but as soon as they had had breakfast they set out to seek for new -quarters. - -With the scrap of a sail set, and with the use of the sweeps with which -the yacht was provided, they worked their way about a quarter of a mile -along into the Thoroughfare, till they got abreast of one of the smaller -of the Gull Islands. The shores of this were very bold, the rocks going -down sheer, without any outlying reefs or ledges, so that they were able -to run the yacht close alongside, making her fast at bow and stern with -ropes carried out on land. - -"It seems good to stretch one's legs again," said Bob, as they all sprang -out on to the rocks. They were indeed glad to be on land once more. - -The island on which they now were was about three-quarters of a mile long -and about half a mile wide, quite densely wooded with a growth of spruce -and young birches. From a little elevation they could look out to sea -toward the southward. - -"The shanties are on the other side, if I remember rightly," said George -Warren. "I was down here once in the fishing season. We may as well -strike directly across to the south shore. That's where the fishermen -build their weirs for the salmon that run in along the islands." - -They tramped across through the woods in the pouring rain. It was a -relief to get even the shelter that the trees afforded from the driving -storm. Presently they came in sight of the fishermen's cabins, a cluster -of four standing in a clearing at the edge of the woods, facing the sea. -One of the huts was somewhat larger than the other three, and toward this -they directed their steps. - -"I don't just like to break into other people's property," said George -Warren, advancing toward the door, hatchet in hand, "but it only means -forcing a staple, and we can replace that without any harm being done. -It's the only--hulloa! Why, somebody's been here before us. The door is -ajar." - -Somebody had, indeed, forced the door, and had not taken pains to -refasten it. The staple, which had been drawn, lay on the ground by the -door, just where it had been dropped. The boys threw open the door and -stepped inside. - -The one room, for a shanty of the kind, was fairly commodious. Along the -two ends were ranged tiers of bunks, three at either end, making just -enough for them. - -"Looks as though they were built expressly for us," remarked Henry Burns. - -The bunks were rough, clumsily made affairs, a few boards knocked -together, with a thin layer of hay thrown in at the bottom of each; but -with the blankets from the yacht they would be comfortable. - -In the centre of the room was a large sheet-iron stove, with a funnel -running up through the roof. In one corner of the room--there was only -one room in the cabin--was a sort of cupboard, on the shelves of which -were piled a few tin dishes. A rusty axe was apparently the only tool -left on the premises. - -There was a scrap of kindling and one or two dry sticks of wood beside -the stove, and with this they started a fire. Driftwood lined the shore, -and a number of dead spruces, which had not yet rotted, furnished them -with an ample supply of fuel. They piled the stove full, and soon had a -fire roaring that turned the stove red-hot and which sent out a grateful -warmth throughout the cabin. - -"That will dry us out in good shape," exclaimed Arthur, as the steam came -from his wet clothing. "We'll have this old shanty as comfortable as a -parlour. This is a better house than Crusoe ever had." - -It was, in fact, a comfortable shelter against the storm. The roof and -sides were shingled, so that it kept out the rain, and though the wind, -which by this time was blowing a gale, shook it till it rattled, it stood -firm. - -After the boys had brought in a supply of firewood, enough to last them -through the evening, and had stowed it near the stove to dry, they set -out again for the yacht, and brought back each a blanket, the yacht's two -lanterns, and a supply of food. - -"It's lucky we put a good supply aboard," said young Joe, as they stowed -the stuff away on the cabin shelves. "Looks as though we were in for a -couple of days here, at least. It wouldn't have been any fun to have to -fish for our suppers in this storm." - -"You would never have survived it, Joe," returned Arthur, "though you did -eat enough at that picnic to last you several days." - -"Well, here's a funny thing," cried Henry Burns, who had been rummaging -about in the cupboard. "The parties who were here before us didn't -believe in starving. And they didn't believe in living on fishermen's -fare, either." And Henry Burns brought forth three empty wine-bottles and -a half-emptied jar of imported preserves. "Here are some tins that -contained turkey and some kinds of game," he added. "The fishermen don't -buy that sort of canned stuff. It must have been a party of yachtsmen -that used this place last." - -"They might have had the fairness to fasten the door after them, whoever -they were," said George Warren. - -"Perhaps the wine accounts for that," said Henry Burns. - -"I'm glad they left us some preserves," said young Joe. - -They slept soundly in the shanty that night, with the wind howling about -their ears and the rain dashing against the single window and beating -like mad upon the roof. Nor did the storm abate the following day, nor -the next night. Not till the third morning did the sunlight welcome them -as they awoke, but then it poured through every chink and crack in the -shanty, as though to make amends for the length of its absence. - -When the woods had dried sufficiently so they could venture abroad, they -set out to hunt for a young spruce that would do for a boom for the -_Spray_. After cutting several and finding they had been deceived in -their length, they finally secured one which would do. Then they brought -up the stub of the boom from the yacht and got the exact measure of the -old one from the sail, which they disentangled from the snarl of rigging, -and spread out. - -"I am afraid Captain Sam would laugh at this spar-making effort of mine," -said George Warren, as he trimmed away at the slender trunk of spruce, -from which he had peeled the bark; "but it will do to take us on our -cruise again. And what's the use of going on a cruise if you don't have -adventures?" - -When he had fashioned the stick as well as his one tool--a hatchet from -the locker of the _Spray_--would admit of, he unscrewed the jaws from the -old boom, fastened them upon the new, and the boom was done. - -Then they set about mending several tears in the mainsail, with a needle -and twine, also from the yacht's locker, and by noon everything was in -readiness for rigging the sail once more. This proved the most difficult -task of all, for they found that it is one thing to know the running -rigging of a sailboat, and another thing to reeve it when it has been -displaced. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that they had the -job completed, and then, as the wind was dying out, they decided it was -useless to attempt to set sail till the following morning. - -In the meantime, Henry Burns, finding that he was of no service in the -work of rigging the yacht, had volunteered to get a mess of fish for -supper. Accordingly he set out, equipped with a short alder pole and line -and a basket, to try for some cunners and small cod off the ledges on the -seaward side of the island. He succeeded in getting a fairly good catch, -and then continued along the shore in search of mussels, as the tide was -several hours ebbed. - -His search brought him at length to the northernmost extremity of the -island, where he sat down on the beach to rest. Then, as he started to -resume his walk, he noticed that the receding tide had left bare a narrow -sand-bar, that connected the island on which the cabins stood and the -adjacent island, so that he could now pass from one to the other almost -dry-shod. - -Fondness for exploring was ever Henry Burns's ruling passion, so he set -out across the sand-bar to the neighbouring island, and was pleased to -find that the mussel-beds were far more plenty there than he had found -them before. This island was not so large as the other Gull Island. It -was not more than a half-mile long and about a quarter of a mile across -in its widest part. It had, however, the same characteristic of the -other, in that its shores were abrupt, and deep water lay all around it. - -There was but one small strip of beach, extending out into mud-flats, -where Henry Burns could gather mussels; but he soon filled his basket -here, and, setting it down in the shade of an overhanging rock, climbed -the ledge that now barred his way, and started to make a circuit of the -island along the edge of its steep banks. - -Henry Burns had a habit of day-dreaming as he walked, unless he happened -to be in search of some particular thing, when he was the most alert of -youths. So, as he walked, his mind was far away just then, back in the -town of Medford, where he pictured to himself familiar objects, and -wondered what was happening there. - -So it happened that he passed a certain tree close by the shore, only -half-noticing that the end of a stout hawser was tied to it, and not -paying any attention to it. When he had gone on a rod or two, it suddenly -struck him that this was an odd thing, as the hawser was new, and so he -went back to look at it. There was a short length of the rope dangling -from where it had been made fast about the tree-trunk, and he noticed -upon examination that the free end had been severed cleanly by the stroke -of a knife. - -"That's odd," said Henry Burns. "Fishermen don't usually waste a good -piece of hawser like that. Some one was extravagant and in a hurry, or -impatient--By Jove! You don't suppose--" - -Henry Burns had lost his preoccupied air in a moment. Following the line -from the rope to the edge of the bank, he scrambled carefully down over -the face of the ledge to the water's edge. - -Henry Burns was not surprised to discover that the rock was smeared all -over with spots of black paint. Moreover, if further evidence were needed -that some one had been at work there, there lay in a niche of the ledge -an empty keg in which paint had been mixed. - -But what elated Henry Burns still more was a discovery he made by a -closer examination of the ledge just under water. There at a depth of -from one to two feet under water were rough, jagged edges of the rock -which had been in contact with some object--an object that had left upon -their surface unmistakable smearings or scrapings of paint which was -white. - -"Hooray!" cried Henry Burns, excitedly, for him. "There it is--the old -and the new. There's where he rubbed against the ledge as he made fast, -and here's the evidence all about on these rocks of his new disguise. And -there, right close to the bank, are the trees to which he fastened his -tackle. If it isn't just as Miles Burton said, to the letter, then -there's no trusting one's eyes." - -Henry Burns lay flat on a shelving bit of rock, with his face close to -the water, and peered down to the bed below. The water was not very -clear, but he could discern distinctly a deep, narrow trench in the hard -sand, which might have been made by the keel of a boat, if the boat had -touched bottom at low water. - -Any one observing Henry Burns at this moment would have been puzzled -indeed. He suddenly sprang up, tore off his jacket and trousers, bared -himself in the quickest possible time, and, poising for one brief moment -on the brink of the water, dived in. He swam to the bottom with two -strokes, clutched at something that lay on the bottom, grasped it in his -right hand, came to the surface, and, drawing himself out on land once -more, stuffed the object into his trousers pocket and scrambled into his -clothing again, as though his life depended on his haste. Then he started -on a run for the sand-bar, crossed it, paused never a moment for his -basket of fish and clams, and dashed back to the shanty as fast as his -legs could carry him. - -It was not constitutional with Henry Burns, however, to continue long in -a state of excitement, and by the time he had regained his companions his -composure had returned. Still, they were familiar enough with him to -perceive that something unusual had happened. - -"What's the matter, Henry?" exclaimed George Warren. "We saw you running -along the beach up there as if somebody was after you. We didn't know but -what you had found another burglar." - -"No," replied Henry Burns, "it was the same one." - -It was their turn now to become excited. - -"You don't mean really----" began George Warren. - -"Yes, I do," interrupted Henry Burns. "Say, do you remember the strange -black yacht that came into the harbour at the foot of Grand Island the -other night, and that was in such a hurry to get out again when it saw -us? Well, that was Chambers, and the yacht was the _Eagle_." - -"Well, but she was black," said George Warren, "and she had no topmast. -The _Eagle_ was white." - -"Yes, but don't you recall what Burton said about Chambers, what a hand -he was for changing a yacht over so she'd look like a different craft? -Well, that's what he has done, and I've found the place where he did it. -There's the white paint back there on the edges of the rocks where the -yacht rubbed alongside, and the rock is all covered with spots of black -paint." - -Henry Burns rapidly recounted what he had discovered, including the end -of hawser made fast to the tree. - -"But that isn't all," exclaimed Henry Burns, triumphantly, as he fished a -hand into his right trousers pocket. "See here, what do you make of this? -I saw it shining down in the water just where the stern of the yacht must -have laid." - -Henry Burns drew forth a glittering object from his pocket and held it up -to their gaze. - -It was a gilt letter "E." - -"'E' for '_Eagle_,'" cried Henry Burns. "This letter got away from him. -It's clear as daylight now. Say, fellows, let's start for Southport early -in the morning. That man Chambers is in the bay. He's up to something, -and we want to get them after him quick." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - THE MAN IN THE BOAT - - -"Fellows," said Jack Harvey, one afternoon, a few days following the -return of the _Spray_ from its cruise, "I have decided to enter that -free-for-all race over at Bellport. I've just heard that Ed Perkins isn't -going to race the _Ella_, after all; and, with her out of the race, we -stand a good show. Let's get the stuff aboard and start while there's a -wind." - -"Who'll stay here and watch the camp?" asked Allan Harding. - -"Well, I guess you'd better, now you speak of it," responded Harvey, -quickly. "There ought to be somebody here, sure. Camps have a way of -disappearing around here, you know, Allan," giving a huge wink as he -spoke. - -"I'd just as lieve stay, all right," returned Allan, a little out of -humour, in spite of his assurance. "But you can't win the race without -me, you know. You always said I was lucky--and there's a good deal of -luck in racing, after all." - -"Well, we'll try to win without luck, that's all," said Harvey. "And, -mind, we depend on you to have the camp still standing here when we get -back. I shouldn't think it would be nice to get back and find one's camp -gone, eh, Allan?" - -"No," replied the other, shortly. - -The crew lost no time in stowing their blankets and camp-kit aboard the -_Surprise_, and, leaving Allan Harding sullenly on guard, they sailed -away for Bellport. - -"Looks as though something was missing thereabouts," chuckled Harvey, as -they sailed past the spot where Tom's and Bob's camp had stood. "Doesn't -it strike you there used to be something there that's gone now?" - -This piece of humour on Harvey's part seemed to tickle the crew vastly, -for they shouted with derision as they sailed by. - -"Guess they must have got tired of camping there," roared Harvey, at -which the others roared the louder. - -Bellport, whither they were bound, lay about four miles down the coast of -the mainland below Mayville. It was not so large a place as Southport, -but was a favourite resort for yachtsmen, as the bay there was free of -islands, and for ten or more miles there was a good sailing course. - -The yacht _Surprise_ did not reach Bellport till late that night, but -Harvey and his crew were up bright and early the next morning, as the -race was to come off at ten o'clock, and they wished to have everything -ready for it. - -"Hulloa, Harvey!" called a voice from a sloop a few rods away, as the -captain of the _Surprise_ came on deck. - -"Hulloa, Jeff!" answered Harvey. - -The speaker was Jeff Hackett, who ran a small sloop from the foot of -Grand Island over to the mainland once a day to carry the mails. - -"Are you in this race, too?" queried Jeff. - -"Rather think I am," responded Harvey. "Think I've got any chance?" - -"Looks to me as though you had," answered the other. "There are only -eight yachts going to start. The others backed out because they didn't -think the handicapping was fair. It's all right, though. You will have to -give us fellows a trifle allowance, by just a rough measurement on the -water-line; but you'll get the same from the _Bertha_ and the _Anna -Maud_. They are the only boats that are bigger than yours. You want to -get measured right away, too, or it will be too late." - -Harvey had soon complied with the requirements of the regatta committee, -as the committee of summer guests chosen to act as judges were pleased to -style themselves, and shortly before the hour for the race the yacht -_Surprise_ sailed out of the harbour at Bellport, and stood off and on -before the starting-line with the others. - -Harvey was in high feather, for, by his own estimate of the situation, he -had a fair chance of winning. He knew most of the boats, either by -reputation, or from having seen them sail, and the others he was able to -judge of in a great measure by their general appearance. - -The prize to be sailed for was a handsome silver cup, for which a -subscription had been taken up among the summer residents of Bellport. - -The _Bertha_, which conceded the greatest time allowance to Harvey's -boat, was a handsome sloop, about four feet longer than the _Surprise_, -and carrying heavy sail. She had never been considered a fast boat of her -size, but, owing to the discrepancy in lengths, had to allow the -_Surprise_ several minutes over the complete course of ten miles. This, -as the _Surprise_ was really fast for her size and rig, would make it -quite an even race. - -The _Bertha_ was under charter by a party of young men from Benton, who -had engaged a sailing-master to pilot her for them during the summer. -This made them an object of contempt in Harvey's eyes, and he wished all -the more to "take the conceit out of them," as he expressed it. - -The _Anna Maud_ was a big catboat, thirty-three feet long, carrying an -enormous mainsail, and reputed to be one of the fastest boats of her size -in the bay. She was owned and sailed by Captain Silas Tucker, a native of -one of the islands at the foot of the western bay, that formed part of -the main thoroughfare leading out to sea. He was generally accorded the -distinction of being the best skipper on this part of the coast. - -All the other boats, except one, were smaller than the _Surprise_. That -one was the Sally, a sloop of exactly the same length as the _Surprise_, -and apparently able to sail about on equal terms with her. - -The starting-signal was to be a gunshot, the gun to be fired five minutes -after a first warning shot. In the interval after the first shot the -yachts could manoeuvre about the starting-line, ready to cross when the -second shot was fired. As soon as the second shot was fired, it was -allowable for a yacht to cross the line, and all yachts were to be timed -one minute after the second gun, whether they had actually crossed the -line or not. So that it was to the advantage of all nine craft to be as -near the starting-line as possible at the signal, and under headway and -also up to windward as far as possible. - -Harvey's boldness stood him in good stead here. And, moreover, he -certainly did know the working of his yacht to a nicety. After the -warning gun had been fired, he made his calculations carefully, allowing -for the tide which was running out to sea. The race was to be five miles -straight out to windward, and a run home, off the wind. The ebb-tide, and -the southerly breeze rolling a sea in to meet it, made an ugly chop, and -the boats thrashed around, throwing the spray clear aboard. - -Just before the second gun the relative positions of the four largest -yachts were as follows: farthest up to windward was the _Surprise_; abeam -of her, and a short distance to leeward, was the _Bertha_; then the _Anna -Maud_, and then the _Sally_. The _Sally_, like the Surprise, had an -amateur skipper, a youth of about Harvey's age. - -The _Sally_ was a new boat, not long out of the shipyard, in fact. She -was perhaps the prettiest craft there. Her hull was beautifully modelled, -with a graceful overhang, bow and stern; her sails snow-white, and mast -and spars were glistening. She steered with a wheel of ornamental -mahogany and brass, and here and there about her cabin and furnishings -brass and mahogany had been used, regardless of expense. - -"Willie Grimes has us all beat for beauty," remarked Harvey, as they -neared the line, "but that boat is too new for racing; that is, he's too -scared for fear something will happen to her. Most everybody is that way. -I used to be scared of the _Surprise_ all the time for fear something -would knock a bit of paint off somewhere. It takes about a year to get -over that. He handles her as though he was afraid something was going to -break. Just watch me take advantage of that." - -Harvey had seen that the _Anna Maud_ and the _Bertha_ would cross the -line a moment ahead of him, but he did not mind that so much, thinking -his time allowance would give him more than a good chance for the race, -anyway. He had selected the _Sally_ for his particular antagonist, and -now prepared to get what advantage he could from the start. - -Easing his sheet a trifle, he headed off the wind somewhat, allowing the -two larger yachts to sail almost directly across his bows. Rushing out -just astern of them, and heading diagonally for the starting-line, under -full headway, Harvey bore down on the _Sally_, as though he meant -deliberately to run her down. - -If young Willie Grimes had not been so taken by surprise and so alarmed -at this move of Harvey's, he would have perceived that the manoeuvre was -only done to try his nerve; he would have realized that as good a sailor -as Harvey would not deliberately foul another yacht, when that must lose -him the race, as well as the boat he fouled. - -But Harvey had reckoned on the other's apprehension for his new boat, and -the move was successful. Just at the point where a moment more would have -sent his boom crashing aboard the other yacht as he headed up into the -wind, Harvey threw his yacht quickly about, Joe Hinman hauled in rapidly -on the main-sheet, Tim Reardon trimmed in the jibs, and away went the -_Surprise_ over the line, footing after the two other boats as fast as -full sail would carry her. - -At that same moment Willie Grimes, fearful of a collision, threw the -_Sally_ completely off the wind, so that when he had recovered his nerve -and realized that he had been imposed upon, he was so far below the boat -that marked the limit of the starting-line that he had to make another -tack to reach it. Before this, the last gun had been fired to mark the -taking of the time, and the luckless _Sally_ crossed the line with one -full minute counting against her. - -The youth's face burned with indignation, and he had hard work to keep -the tears from springing to his eyes. - -"Bye-bye, Willie," sang out Harvey, looking back and waving his cap -derisively. "Better courage next time. You don't want to mind a little -paint, you know." - -But the other had regained his spirits and paid no heed. "That's what -yachtsmen call 'jockeying,' I guess," he said, quietly, to his two -companions in the boat. "It's within the rules, so I suppose we cannot -complain. That's like Harvey, from all I hear. He might have given us a -fair show, though, as he knows this is my first summer running a boat by -myself. Perhaps we won't be far astern of him at the finish, at that." - -"You did that slick, Jack," said Joe Hinman, admiringly. "We stand a good -chance of winning this race, I think, with the allowance we get." - -"Didn't he scoot, though, when he saw us coming?" laughed Harvey. -"Thought his new boat was wrecked that time, sure. I've seen that trick -played in big yacht races, but I never saw it work better than it did -to-day, if I do say it." - -The yachts were now strung out in line along the course, tacking back and -forth, and making for a small naphtha launch anchored down the bay at the -five-mile mark. They made a picturesque sight, laying well over under all -their canvas and throwing the water high over their bows. - -It was soon evident that the _Bertha_, take it all in all, was the best -boat for working up to windward in rough water and a good breeze. The -_Anna Maud_ was a very broad, beamy boat, and had a marvellous reputation -for running free, but now she seemed to feel the waves more than the -_Bertha_, pounding heavily and drenching every one aboard. - -The _Bertha_ took the seas cleaner and headed up higher. She was -evidently gaining slowly but steadily. Moreover, although she carried an -enormous club-topsail and a mainsail of big area, she heeled over the -least of any of the boats. She had been built for heavy weather, and this -was exactly the breeze she sailed best in. - -The _Surprise_ and _Sally_ were, however, holding their own remarkably -well, and it would not be clear for some time which would come out the -winner. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Jack Harvey, suddenly, in a tone of evident surprise. -"What on earth--or, rather, on water--is Cap'n Silas doing? Look where he -is standing. I've been looking for the last few minutes to see him tack, -but there he keeps on away off toward shore." - -The _Anna Maud_ had, strange to say, gone way off the course, apparently -heading well over to the westward. - -"Why, Jack, don't you know," said Joe Hinman, "how we've noticed the tide -over along that shore? It makes a swing in there and runs like a -mill-sluice. Don't you remember one night how we tried to row against it, -and what a time we had?" - -"That's true," responded Jack Harvey, "and Cap'n Sile Tucker is clever -enough to take advantage of it. He knows more about sailing in one minute -than that captain of the _Bertha_ does in a week. But there must be -something more in it than the tide alone. I'll tell you, the wind is -changing. It's heading more and more from the westward, and Captain Sile -will get the full benefit of the slant when he gets down about a mile -further. He knows what he's doing. We'll just head over and follow him." - -"Seems to me it's taking long chances to go so much off the course," -remarked George Baker. - -"Of course it is taking chances," responded Harvey, quickly. "You have -got to take chances in a contest of this kind. The fellows that take the -chances are the ones that win. But it isn't taking any great chances, -following Cap'n Tucker. I tell you he knows these waters better than any -man in the bay. He wouldn't go over there unless he knew he was going to -make something by it. Why, he has sailed that big catboat of his up and -down along this coast for the last twenty years and more, that and other -boats. The skipper in the _Bertha_ comes from away up beyond Millville. -He can sail his boat all right, but he don't know this coast like Captain -Sile." - -Harvey, accordingly, stood over to the westward, in the wake of the _Anna -Maud_. - -Only one other boat followed him. That was the _Sally_. - -"I don't know what they are standing away over there for," said Willie -Grimes to his companions. "I don't know whether it is the best thing to -do or not. It may be that they know something about the tide over there. -But I know one thing, and that is, wherever Jack Harvey goes I'm going to -follow. I wouldn't care if every other yacht here beat me if I could only -beat him. You never can tell, you know. Something may happen to him yet." - -The wisdom of Captain Silas Tucker's departure from the straight course -soon became apparent. The tide, indeed, at this point made a sweep -inshore, for some reason, flowing far swifter in near the land than it -did offshore. Again, too, the wind had slanted a little, and the yachts -that had taken this course were soon in a better position relative to the -stake-boat than the others. - -Slowly the _Anna Maud_ drew ahead of the _Bertha_, the captain of the -latter boat realizing the advantage which the others were gaining too -late to change his own course. As they neared the mark, even the -_Surprise_ and the _Sally_ were leading the _Bertha_, which now seemed to -be hopelessly out of the race. - -The race, indeed, seemed narrowed down to these three yachts, with a -slight advantage in the _Anna Maud's_ favour. - -"Hooray!" cried Harvey, "we are holding the _Anna Maud_ in fine style. -She's gaining ever so little, not enough thus far to cover our time -allowance. They say she is fast off the wind, but so are we. That's the -best point of the _Surprise_. She sails better running free than any boat -of her size I ever saw." - -"Cracky!" cried young Tim, "I hope we take that silver cup back to camp -with us. We'll march through the streets with it, if we get it." - -"Yes, if we get it," replied Harvey. "It don't do to be too sure, -though." - -Now the _Anna Maud_ was rounding the stake-boat and coming back over the -course, not quite before the wind, owing to the slant to the westward -that it had taken, but with her sheet well out. - -"The wind is in our favour," said Harvey, gleefully. "There's just enough -slant to it so our jibs will help us some. They will draw a little, and -that gives us an advantage over that catboat. Let that sheet go, now, -Joe, the minute we turn the mark." - -A moment later the _Surprise_ rounded the stake-boat, with a good lead -over the _Sally_, and still near enough astern of the _Anna Maud_ to give -her a good race. - -"Up with that centreboard, now, George--lively," cried Harvey. "It's a -big board, and we don't want to drag it a minute longer than we have to. -It counts a whole lot with this tide running against it. What's the -matter? What are you waiting for? Up with it!" - -"Why, hang the thing!" exclaimed George Baker, "I'm trying to get it up -as hard as ever I can. It won't come. It's stuck." - -"What's that?" cried Harvey. "Stuck? Nonsense! Here, you, Joe, hold this -wheel a moment. I'll have it up in a hurry." - -He sprang forward, brushing George Baker out of the way impatiently. - -"Let me get hold there," he said. - -Harvey seized the iron rod, which was fastened to the centreboard, and -gave a strong pull. But the centreboard did not budge. He took a firmer -hold and pulled with all his strength. It was of no avail. The board had -stuck fast in its box. - -"I'll have it up or break something," cried Harvey, beside himself with -anger, and again he grasped the rod with both hands and gave a furious -wrench. There was a most unexpected and baffling verification of his -threat, for the rod, broken off short at its connection with the -centreboard, did come up, so suddenly that Harvey sprawled over -backwards, still grasping the rod with both hands clenched, and rolled -over on the floor of the cockpit. - -There was no such thing as getting the centreboard up now. It was down to -stay. - -Harvey, white with rage, sprang to his feet and hurled the rod into the -sea. Then he took his seat sullenly at the wheel again. - -"That settles it," he said, as soon as he could speak for anger. "We -haven't a ghost of a chance now. I shouldn't wonder, even, if the _Sally_ -overhauled us." And he looked back helplessly at the yacht astern. - -Slowly but surely the _Anna Maud_ forged ahead. The distance between her -and the _Surprise_ grew ever farther and farther. - -"That's queer," said Captain Silas Tucker, looking back at Harvey's -yacht. "I thought she was going to give us a harder run home than that. -I've heard the boat was good off the wind, but she doesn't seem to be -doing well. It's first prize for us this trip, and easily won. Well, your -Uncle Silas hasn't sailed around these parts all his life for nothing." - -Slowly but surely, too, the _Sally_ was creeping up close astern of the -_Surprise_, to the wild delight of Willie Grimes and his comrades. - -"If I can only beat Jack Harvey," he kept saying, "I don't care about the -other yacht's beating us." - -"If Willie Grimes beats us, I'll run him down and sink him some day," -muttered Harvey, grinding his teeth. - -It was still a close race between these two as the finish-line was -neared. The _Sally_ had crept up until she was almost abeam of the -_Surprise_, and was gaining, ever so slowly, but surely. Harvey, dogged -to the last, waited until the _Sally_ was nearly abreast of him, and -then, as a last resort, tried once more to bully the race from his less -experienced rival. - -Throwing his wheel over slightly, he tried the tactic of crowding the -other off the course. - -But Willie Grimes was bound to win or sink this time. He kept his own -boat off just enough to avoid the possibility of Harvey's fouling him, -maintaining the same relative distance between them, and all the while -drawing ahead. - -The judges, watching the close finish through their glasses, perceived -this trick of Harvey's, and were ready to disqualify him in case of any -accident. But their determination was unnecessary. Less than a dozen rods -from the finish-line the _Sally_ had sailed clear of the _Surprise_, and -now cut in on to the course, leaving Harvey astern, and crossed the line -a rod to the good. - -Then, as a storm of cheers rang out from the assembled boats, as a -fluttering of handkerchiefs and waving of parasols, a tossing of hats and -shrieking of whistles, saluted the victory of Willie Grimes over him, -Harvey did not deign to cross the line. Angrily he swung out of the -course, and stood over, without a word, for the town of Bellport. - -"Takes his licking hard, doesn't he, Willie?" called out a voice, and a -chorus of laughter mocked at Harvey's wrath as he sailed away. - -The _Anna Maud_ had won the race, but the honours were as much for the -_Sally_ as for the winner. They took substantial form, moreover, for, one -of the committee, vowing the _Sally_ should have a second prize, if he -had to buy one himself, as there had not been any offered, the suggestion -met with a ready response; and the owner and crew of the _Sally_ rejoiced -that night in the unexpected award of a handsome compass for their cabin. - -"Now," said Harvey, as the _Surprise_ neared the landing at Bellport, "I -want to get out of this town just as quick as I step foot in it. I don't -intend to stay here and have those chaps and those girls laugh at me. -They've got altogether too good a chance. You fellows have got to stay -here and take the _Surprise_ up to Billy Coombs's marine railway. She'll -have to be hauled out for a day and the ballast come out of her around -that centreboard box. Tell him to put a new iron in, and you can pay for -it, Joe, and I'll pay you when you come back to camp." - -"But where are you going?" asked the others. - -"I am going to foot it down the road for seven miles to Hackett's Cove, -and wait for Jeff Hackett to come down," answered Harvey. "Then I'll go -across to the foot of the island with him in his sloop. I'd walk farther -than that to get clear of the crowd that will be ashore here soon; but, -for that matter, I want to get back to the island to-night, anyway. -There's a dance in the old town hall at Carter's Harbour, and I'll get -there in time for that." - -"He's all cut up over Willie Grimes's beating him," said Joe Hinman, as -Harvey sprang out on the landing and walked rapidly away. "He won't get -over it for a week. Well, we shall have to catch it for him when the -boats come in. However, we didn't sail the boat. That's one comfort." - -Late that afternoon, Jack Harvey, hot and dusty with his long walk, -waited impatiently, seated on a pile of timber by the shore, for the -arrival of Jeff Hackett's sloop. Five o'clock came, and then six, and no -sloop in sight. Harvey strolled up to the village store and bought some -crackers and cheese for his supper. - -"So you're waiting for Jeff Hackett's sloop to take you across to the -island, are you?" said the storekeeper. "Well, you'll wait till morning -now, I reckon. Wish I'd known you wanted to go over sooner. You see, Jeff -engaged Tom Crosby to make his trip this afternoon for him, and he's been -gone an hour now. You must have seen Tom's boat off there." - -"I did," replied Harvey, shortly, "but I had no idea he was going across. -What can I do, now?" - -"Nothing that I see," said the storekeeper, "except to take it -comfortable here to-night, and go over with Jeff in the morning." - -Harvey strode angrily out and walked down to the shore again. - -A rod or two out a fisherman was rowing in a small boat. - -"Here, you, where are you going?" sang out Harvey. - -The man looked up, surprised, but did not answer. - -"I say, there, where are you going? Can't you hear?" cried Harvey, -roughly. - -The man stopped rowing. "What's that to you?" he answered. - -Harvey laughed. "You've got me there," he said. "I didn't mean to be -rude--but I've been disappointed. I didn't know but you might be going to -row across to the island, and I thought perhaps you might like to earn a -dollar. I'll help row, too, if you like. I want to go, the worst way." - -The man hesitated for a moment, started as though he were going to row -away, and then paused again. - -"Where do you belong?" he asked. - -"Over on the island," said Harvey. "I'm camping there." - -"What's that?" said the man, putting his hand to his ear. "Say it again." - -"I'm camping out over on the island," repeated Harvey. - -The man looked stealthily in at him from under his eyebrows. "Camping -there!" he muttered to himself, and began backing water slowly with his -oars. - -"I'll take you across for--for a dollar," he said. - -"Good!" cried Harvey. "Come on, lively, then. It's a good five miles, and -I'm in a hurry to get across." - -The man, however, was in no hurry. He came in slowly, as though perhaps -he might still be considering the matter, whether he should take this -passenger aboard or not. He worked the boat inshore, finally, and Harvey -sprang aboard. - -"You are going to help row," said the man. - -"Yes," answered Harvey. "Didn't I say I would?" He took his seat toward -the stern of the boat, where there were rowlocks for an extra pair of -oars. - -The man at the bow oars was a thick, heavy-set, middle-aged man, burned -dark by sun and wind. He was roughly dressed in ill-fitting clothes, that -looked as though they might have come from the dunnage-bag of a fisherman -who had been long at sea. They were patched in one or two places with -cloth that did not match the original garments. He wore a red, -cheap-looking handkerchief tied loosely about his neck, and a rough beard -of several weeks' growth heightened the effect of his swarthy complexion. - -They rowed for some time in silence, making good headway, for the wind -had gone down with the sun, and the man in the bow pulled a powerful -stroke, making even the sturdy efforts of Jack Harvey seem like child's -play. - -The sun sank behind the hills and the shadows deepened across the water, -fading out at length into the darkness that settled over all the bay. A -few lights glimmered out from the shore of the island, some three miles -distant, and the stars appeared in the sky. - -"Lucky I fell in with you, just as I did," said Harvey, as he slowed up -his stroke. "Lucky for both of us, I take it. I should have been stuck -there all night if I hadn't met you; and I don't suppose you mind picking -up a dollar, as long as you were going this way." - -"No," said the man, though there was a queer expression on his face. "I -don't mind,--and the fishing isn't any too good these days." - -"Got a smack, have you?" inquired Harvey. - -"No," answered the other. "I don't own any boat myself. But I sail with a -man as owns his own boat, and I come in for a fair share of the fish." - -"Where does she lie?" asked Harvey. - -The man waited a moment before answering. "She's down among the islands -somewhere," he said, finally. "She'll be in for me to-night or to-morrow. -I've been visiting some relations of mine back of Bellport a few miles. -So you're a summer visitor at the island, are you?" - -"Yes," replied Harvey, "I spend my summers there." - -"Pretty quiet place, isn't it?" said the man. - -"Mostly," returned Harvey, "but not so quiet this year. We've had some -exciting times there." - -"Yes?" said the man. "How's that?" - -He had slowed up, himself, in his rowing now. And if by chance the -conversation had turned whither he had intended it should, there was no -way that Harvey should know of that, for his back was toward the man and -he could not see his face. - -"Why," continued Harvey, "they caught the men that stole the Curtis -diamonds over there; that is, they got two of them. A third one escaped. -He was the worst of the three, they say." - -The man in the bow had paused in his rowing. - -"The worst one got away, did he?" said he. - -"He did," said Harvey. "It seemed one of them had the diamonds hidden in -a house that every one thought was haunted. He was stopping at the hotel -as a regular guest. And no one suspected him but Henry Burns. Then, when -his confederates came, the detectives were lying in wait for them in the -cellar. They nearly beat the detectives, though, at that. For they -smashed the lanterns out--that is, one of them did, and made a run for -it. The other one was hurt." - -"Did he die?" asked the man, quickly. - -"No," replied Harvey. "He's all right, waiting trial along with the other -one. We got him, too, just as he was nearly down to shore, where the -other man was waiting to take him off in a boat. The third man escaped in -his yacht. We only captured two." - -The man in the bow had drawn his oars in, now, so that they rested along -the side of the boat. His hands worked nervously together, and he -half-rose in his seat. - -"Who's 'we'?" he asked, huskily. "Who did it--did you have a hand in it?" - -If, by chance, this moment was a crisis in the life of Jack Harvey, and -if, by chance, he was in greater danger at this moment than he had ever -been before in all his life, there was no shadow of it across his mind. -He answered with a laugh: - -"No, not I. No such luck. If there's anything like that going on, I'm -sure to miss it. No, 'twas the other camp and a crowd I have no liking -for that did it all, that got all the glory and all the fun and the -money, too. The reward, I mean. I'd rather have been there at the -capture, though, than get the money for it. And I don't know why, but I -felt rather sorry for the two chaps that got caught, bad as they were." - -A good speech for you, Jack Harvey, if you did but know it! - -"So you missed all the fun, did you?" said the man, quietly. "That was -too bad; too bad." - -He had put his oars into the water once more now, and resumed his rowing. -He did not pause to rest again, but pulled long and steadily. Evidently -he did not care to row and talk too, for he lapsed into silence now, and -Harvey could not draw him into conversation again. At the end of another -hour they had come close to the Grand Island shore, and shortly they had -pulled alongside a ledge, where Harvey could jump out. The man started to -row away. - -"Here, hold on, there," cried Harvey. "Don't you want your dollar? You've -earned it, fair enough." - -The man came slowly back to shore. - -"Indeed," he said, as he stretched out his hand, "I ought not to forget -that, with the fishing as bad as it is." And then he added, quietly, as -he started to row away again, "And it's worth a dollar to you to get -here, isn't it?" - -"Indeed it is," replied Harvey. - -"Indeed it is," said the man to himself. - -Then he rowed down the shore for about a mile farther, turned into a -sheltered cove, rowed his boat alongside a black sloop that lay moored -there, climbed aboard, dragged the boat aboard, and waited for an hour or -so, till a faint breeze stole across the water. Then he hoisted sail on -the sloop and drifted slowly out of the cove; drifted slowly away from -the island, and was swallowed up in the night. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - GOOD FOR EVIL - - -The yacht _Spray_, arriving home again in the harbour of Southport, two -days following the discovery made by Henry Burns, had created somewhat of -a sensation: first, because, on account of the storm, there had been felt -considerable alarm for the little boat, and, second, because of the story -that the boys had to tell. - -The finding of the letter "E" confirmed their story, so that there could -be no room for doubt that the yacht _Eagle_ had been secreted there in -the Thoroughfare and refitted. The question now was, had the man who had -done this left the bay and gone on his voyage, or had he chosen, for some -purpose or other, to linger in some part of the great bay till a later -time. - -Henry Burns now told the story of the man they had seen at the foot of -Grand Island, how he had sailed in and out of the harbour so -mysteriously, how he seemed to avoid them, and how there had apparently -been none other than he aboard the black yacht. - -Most of the people of the village were inclined to the belief that the -man Chambers had gone out to sea as soon as he had altered his yacht so -that it would escape detection in such harbours as he would be obliged to -make. There was no possible reason why he should return, they said, and -every reason in the world why he should get away from that part of the -coast as soon as he could. - -There were plenty of black yachts, they argued, that would answer the -general description of the yacht seen by the boys at the foot of the -island; and, as for sailing out and away in the night, that was a thing -commonly done among fishermen, to take advantage of wind and tide when it -was important that they should reach a certain port on time. - -Still, there were one or two yachts that set out cruising about the bay, -on the chance of running into the mysterious craft, and they cruised -about for a week or more. Every strange sail that looked as though it -might belong to a yacht of the size of the _Eagle_ was pursued, until it -had either outsailed the pursuers and disappeared, or until a nearer view -had proven that it was not the hunted craft. - -By the end of two weeks the village was well satisfied that Chambers and -the yacht _Eagle_ were far away, and had ceased to think of him, except -as a group gathered of an evening about the village grocery-store and -talked of that for lack of something better. - -In the meantime, when the excitement was at its height, the Warren boys -in their yacht, and Tom and Bob in their canoe, took a hand in the -search. Even Henry Burns took an occasional spin on his bicycle down to -the foot of the island of an evening, and wandered along the shore in the -hope of catching a glimpse once more of the sail he had seen that night -in the harbour. Just what he expected to do in case he should see it, he -did not know, himself; still, it might be that he could spread the alarm -and start some of the boats out after any suspicious craft that he saw. - -For the time being it was in all the air. Nobody talked of anything else. -It was really more because people dearly love a mystery than that they -actually believed the _Eagle_ was still in the bay; but the talk sufficed -to keep the boys at fever-heat, and Henry Burns firmly believed that he -had seen the _Eagle_ that night. - -Tom and Bob were indefatigable for ten days in searching on their own -account. They would take their canoe in the afternoon, paddle down five -or six miles along the shore of the island, land in some lonely spot, -haul the canoe on shore, and then continue along on foot for a mile or -two, coming up cautiously to some cove with which they had become -familiar in their trips through the summer, only to find it empty of -sails, or some fishing-boat lying snug for the night, and which could by -no means be mistaken for the craft of which they were in search. - -Again, they would paddle down to the Narrows, carry the canoe over into -the western bay, leave it hidden until sundown, and then go down along -the shore on that side of the island, repeating their walk along the -shore. Some days they left the canoe hidden for the night away down the -island, and came back to the village afoot along the road, going after it -afoot the next night, and retracing their search of the night before, -thus varying the search in a dozen different ways. - -But the result was always the same. It seemed this time as though the -_Eagle_, if it had, indeed, ever lingered in the bay, had gone for good. -What might have been the result if those who sailed in search of the -mysterious craft had known that the description they now had of her was -at fault, can never be known. Be that as it might, the exact yacht that -Henry Burns and his friends had seen down at the foot of the island no -longer existed. In its place there sailed--somewhere, on some waters--a -handsome, black yacht, with a tall, slender, glistening topmast, white -sails, and gleaming brass, in place of the dingy, dirty fisherman. She -was as fine and handsome, and as polished as to deck and fittings, as the -_Eagle_ had been of yore, only her colour remained as it had been -changed--black. - -Was this boat the _Eagle_? Those who sailed the bay in quest of her had -no means of knowing, for if they ever did get sight of her it was but a -far, fleeting, shadowy glance. They never came within miles of her, this -fleet, beautiful, and disappearing yacht. Across her stern in letters of -gold was the name _Sprite_. It may have been most appropriate, for now -and then a distant view of her tempted some bay craft to follow; but it -was like a dog pursuing a bird on the wing. She always drifted on and on, -out of reach, and disappeared. - -Since the night when the man that rowed Jack Harvey across the bay had -climbed aboard this yacht and sailed southward, the yacht had never -ventured near Grand Island, nor within miles and miles of it. If the man -Chambers had any plan which he meant to execute, it did not suit his -purpose to attempt it at this time. He had, perhaps, achieved all he -desired now, in familiarizing himself with the waters of this coast. - -Of all those who joined in the search for the strange yacht, there was -none more enthusiastic nor persistent than Jack Harvey. No sooner had his -own yacht been brought back from Bellport by the crew, than he stocked up -with a week's provisions and began cruising day and night. To be sure, it -was a most uncertain chase, but Harvey was willing to take chances that -others would not; and if he should by mistake intercept some respectable -craft for a few brief moments, he would rely on his assurance to carry -him through and explain matters. - -Harvey had, moreover, a critical eye for a good boat, and had noted the -_Eagle_, when it had been in the harbour, with more than passing -interest, and was certain now that he should know her again, even with a -change of rig. Besides, he had the description furnished by Henry Burns -and the other boys of the yacht they had seen, which corresponded in size -with the _Eagle_. - -He had never been so aroused about anything before in all his life. The -adventure that Henry Burns and the others had had with the two men that -had been caught was an experience after his own heart. He would have -given his whole summer's fun to take part in that capture. But all the -glory of that had been denied him; now he made a resolve that if any one -succeeded in finding the vanished yacht it should be he. - -His activity was not destined to go all for naught, either, for on at -least one occasion he was satisfied in his own mind that he had met with -the yacht,--yes, and nearly come to close quarters with the man that -sailed it. - -It was miles below Grand Island, for Harvey had for some days made up his -mind that the man he sought had left the bay, since he had scoured it -east and west and north and south in vain. It was down among some islands -that lay out of the much travelled part of the bay, and not far from the -Gull Island Thoroughfare. It was, in fact, just at the outer rim of the -bay, where several channels through a chain of islands led out to sea. -There were three of the crew aboard besides Harvey, only little Tim being -left ashore to guard the camp. - -They had been cruising all evening among these islands, for it was a part -of the coast with which Harvey was very familiar. They were carrying no -lights, for the chances of being run down here were small, and, besides, -it was a part of Harvey's plan to be able to approach any chance craft -unobserved. - -It had come on rainy, and the crew were for putting in at some harbour -and lying snug, but Harvey would not hear of it. He had sailed until near -midnight for about a week, and did not like to give it up. - -However, as a concession to his crew, and as it bade fair to blow up a -nasty sea before many hours, Harvey had consented to beat back and forth -under the lee of a small unnamed island, keeping a lookout down the bay -for the little distance they could see through the rain. - -It seemed that some other craft was also willing to take the risk of -sailing without lights, for, along about ten o'clock, a yacht, that might -or might not be the one for which they sought, was beating up toward the -island, with all dark on board. All at once the man that sat at the wheel -left his boat for a moment to itself, so that it headed up into the wind -with sails flapping, while he darted down into the cabin. - -He was gone only for a moment, but in that brief moment that he was below -a light flashed in the cabin,--only a fleeting gleam of light, and then -all was dark again. - -This gleam of light, transient as it was, had sufficed, however, for the -sharp lookout aboard the _Surprise_. - -Harvey seized Joe Hinman by the shoulder and whispered, as he steered the -_Surprise_ out from behind the end of the island: "Did you see that, Joe? -Did you see it? There's something coming up. Everybody keep quiet now!" - -There was an excited group that crouched silently in the cockpit of the -_Surprise_ as she swung out from under the lee of the island and headed -straight for the spot where they had seen the flash of light, running -almost before the wind. - -Whatever the craft was, it seemed as if they must surely catch it, -leaping out as they had from the darkness. All at once they saw the dark -outline of a yacht almost dead ahead, and saw for a moment the shadow of -its sails, a faint blur through the rain. - -Then the yacht veered about suddenly, and they saw the white crush of -water as it heeled over, and, running with the wind on its quarter, was -gone, like a boat that had vanished. So sudden and so silent was the -manoeuvre that they could hardly realize that the yacht had, indeed, -turned like a flash and run away. They followed for a moment, but, seeing -how useless it was, Harvey soon gave up the chase and went back to -harbour, beaten but not discouraged. - -"That was the man we want," he said, as they came to in the nearest -harbour that night. "No other craft would have gone off its course that -way. And to think we were almost upon him." - -"Yes, but I don't see what good it would have done us to have come up -with him, if it was the man," replied Allan Harding. "We could only have -taken a look aboard. What else could we have done?" - -"I'll tell you what," answered Harvey, emphatically. "It would have done -a lot of good. I tell you that wherever and whenever I meet that yacht, -whether it's night or day, I'm going to run alongside, and you fellows -and I are going aboard. I've been doing things to be ashamed of long -enough,--not that I'm ashamed of them, either, as I know of. Only they -have been things that I didn't dare tell of afterward, and I'm sort of -tired of it. I tell you, I want to do something for once that I can boast -of and that people won't hate me for. That's why I'm so anxious about -this, if you must know it." - -"Whew!" cried Joe Hinman. "That's something new for you, Jack. I didn't -suppose your conscience ever troubled you." - -"It don't," said Harvey, angrily. - -But perhaps it did. - -By the end of a few days more, Harvey had given up the search, convinced -that they had seen the last of the black yacht, if, indeed, they had seen -it at all. - -"I give up," he said. "I'm beaten, and that's all there is to it." - -And so the idea of ever seeing the strange yacht again was given up by -all. The yachts came back to harbour, and the impression became general -that they had all been fooled; that what they had sought was a delusion. - -Tom and Bob were the last to give up. Partly because they liked these -long paddles together and the long walks along the island roads, and -partly because they had helped start the renewed hunt for the yacht -_Eagle_, and did not like to admit that they had made a mistake. - -So they did not wholly discontinue their evening paddles nor their lonely -rambles along the shore. It was good exercise, at all events, they -argued. - -One evening they started right after supper, while it was yet light, -paddled down along the shore to the Narrows, carried across, and paddled -down the island for some three miles. Then they landed and hid their -canoe, as was their custom, and stretched themselves out on the beach to -rest and enjoy the lights far out on the water. - -It was a clear starlight night, with the bay still and restful, save for -a quick gust of wind that came now and then, only to blur its surface for -a moment and leave it smooth again. - -"I guess we have tried this thing about often enough, haven't we, Bob?" -asked Tom, finally. "We don't seem to be a success as man-hunters." - -"I'm about ready to quit," answered Bob, yawning and stretching. "The -fact is, we really get enough exercise through the day. Here we've been -swimming, bicycling, helping the Warrens get up driftwood, paddled over -to the cape, all in one day,--and here we are at it again at night. Yes, -I think it's time we gave this up." - -"Then supposing we do call it off," said Tom. "I've had paddling enough -for one day. What do you say to going up along the beach for a mile or -two, and then taking the shortest cut home and coming down for the canoe -to-morrow? I think I'm kind of tired, myself, though I didn't notice it -when we started out." - -"All right, that suits me," replied Bob. "I don't mind saying that I'm a -bit tired, too. That last mile came hard, and no mistake." - -So they rose and sauntered along the beach toward the Narrows, till they -had come to within about half a mile of it, and then sat down once more -for a brief rest before going home. - -"It seems almost too bad to go home to bed such a beautiful night as -this," said Bob. "These are the kind of nights that make me wish we had -the old tent back again, so we could lie on our bunks and look out on the -water, as we used to do before we went to sleep." - -The night was indeed singularly calm and peaceful. The bay was still, and -the water as it came up the beach with the tide made only a small -rustling, creeping sound, as it covered the sand inch by inch. As for the -island, it always seemed asleep after nightfall, and to-night there was -scarcely a sound of life anywhere to break the stillness. - -But then, all at once, as they sat there looking out upon the water, out -of the silence there arose a cry, faint and smothered, but a cry for -help. - -Then all was still again. - -They sprang to their feet, startled, almost frightened for a brief moment -at the strange cry, coming from they knew not where. - -Again the cry came, this time more distinctly, from somewhere out on the -water. They heard the words, "Help! Help!" uttered in a choking voice, as -of a man drowning. - -The boys rushed down to the water's edge and peered out over the bay, -straining their eyes to see whence the sound came. - -"Hulloa! Hulloa! Where are you? What's the matter? Call again!" cried -Tom. - -They listened, and in a moment the voice came again weirdly over the -water, though they could not distinguish this time the words. - -"Why, there it is," cried Bob, all at once, pointing as he spoke. "Don't -you see it, Tom? I declare, but it's queer we didn't see it before. Look, -there's something floating only about an eighth of a mile out,--and -there's something moving a little distance from it. Why, Tom, I'll tell -you what it is. It's a canoe--it's Jack Harvey--and he's upset--he's -drowning. Just look, where I am pointing." - -"Yes, I see," exclaimed Tom, excitedly. "I just saw a splash. He's upset, -sure enough, and struggling. I say, Bob, we've got to swim out. Our canoe -is too far. Keep up! We're coming!" he called, and began hurriedly to -strip off his clothing. - -In a moment the two boys were in the water, striking out wildly toward -the object that seemed to be a canoe floating in the water. - -"Hold on there, Bob," cried Tom, presently. "We mustn't try to be too -fast. We'll only waste our strength. We'll need it all when we get there. -Let's calm down, now, and not get excited. We've got to keep our heads." - -Then, as they surged ahead, with long, powerful strokes, the voice again -came, calling chokingly for help. There could be no mistaking it now. It -was Jack Harvey. - -"Quick!" he cried, "quick! I can't hold on long. I'm hurt." - -They quickened their strokes, and in a moment more came in plain sight of -Harvey, struggling feebly to keep above water. - -"Hold on for a moment, Jack," said Tom, as they came up to him. "Don't -grab us, now. Let us do the work. You just keep on paddling, what you -can, and we'll save you." - -"I won't grab you," gasped Harvey. "Just get on each side of me and let -me put my hands on your shoulders for a moment, till I get my strength -back. I've swallowed a lot of water." - -The two swam up close, and Harvey reached up and rested a hand on each -shoulder. - -"Swim for the canoe now," said Tom. "We'll let him get hold of the end of -that and cling on for a few moments till he gets his breath. He'll be all -right, I think." - -Reaching the overturned canoe, they helped him to clasp one end of it, -and then supported him there, as they began to push it toward shore by -swimming with their feet and with a single hand each. - -For a few moments Harvey managed to hold on, but then his strength seemed -to fail him and his hands slipped their hold. - -"I can't hold on," he gasped. "Something's hurting me." - -"Then lie over on your back and float," said Tom. "Just lie still and -we'll swim you in." - -Harvey groaned at the effort it cost him, but did as he was told, and -they left the canoe and struck out with him for the shore. - -It was not such a long swim that they had before them, but they had -exhausted their strength more than they knew in their excitement, and -Harvey was well-nigh helpless. - -Before they had swum a rod farther, their breath began to come hard and -their shoulders ached until it seemed as though they would crack. - -Still they kept on. - -"We'll make it all right, Tom?" said Bob, finally, panting the words out. - -"We've got to," said Tom. "We're bound to do it. Let's swim on our backs -for a spell. Jack, we're going to change the stroke. Don't get scared. -We're going to stick by you." - -The words seemed to rouse Harvey, who had apparently almost lost -consciousness. - -"Let me go," he gasped, faintly. "Let me go, I say. I don't want you -fellows to drown, too. Let me----" - -And then he seemed suddenly to lose control of himself, and clutched -frantically at them, with the frenzy of a drowning man. - -They struck themselves loose from him, and he sank under water, but came -to the surface again, exhausted and helpless. Tom seized him then by the -hair. He lay motionless, as though dead, and they took hold once more and -struck out again for the shore. - -When they had reached it--they scarcely knew how--and felt the sand again -under their feet, they had barely strength enough to drag Harvey a little -ways out of the water, and lay by his side on the beach, groaning with -every breath they drew. - -This was from sheer exhaustion, caused by exerting themselves far beyond -their natural strength. They were not strangled with swallowing water, so -that after they had lain there flat on the beach for some five minutes -they had regained their strength sufficiently to be able to arise and -lift the half-unconscious Harvey completely out of the water and carry -him up on the bank. Then they sat down and rested once more, sitting by -Harvey's side and chafing his hands. They lifted him up, although the -effort cost them all their strength, held him head downwards for a moment -to get the water out of him, then doubled his arms upon his breast and -extended them, over and over again, alternately, as they had learned was -the way to restore a man rescued from drowning. - -Harvey, who had never fully lost consciousness, revived under their -treatment, till at length they perceived that he was out of danger, and -needed now as quickly as possible warmth and shelter. - -There was no house near by, and it was clear that whatever was done for -Harvey must be done by them. - -"We can't carry him, that's certain," said Bob, finally. "We've got to -get our canoe and paddle him up as far as the Narrows in that. Then we -can get his crew over, and we can all carry him up to their camp." - -So Bob set out on a weary trot down along the shore to where they had -hidden their canoe. Tom waited by Harvey, trying to keep him warm, or, -rather, to restore warmth to him, by rubbing; but Harvey was chilled -through and through and shivered pitifully. It was fully an hour, and -seemed ten to Tom, before Bob appeared in sight again. - -They lifted Harvey into the canoe and set out for the Narrows. Poor Bob -was well-nigh exhausted, and it was Tom who did about all the paddling. -They reached the Narrows, however, after what seemed an endless journey, -driving their paddles through the water with arms that almost refused to -obey the wills that forced them to work. - -When they had reached the Narrows, Tom set out for Harvey's camp, leaving -Bob to wait with Harvey. Tom had not gone more than half a mile, however, -when he ran into the entire crew, who had become alarmed at Harvey's long -absence, knowing that he had gone out in the canoe, and had started out -in search of him. - -Tom's white face, pallid with weariness, filled them with terror, as he -rushed up to them and sank down on a knoll, breathless. - -"Why, it's Tom Harris," exclaimed Joe Hinman. "For Heaven's sake, what is -it? Did you see Jack? Is he drowned?" - -He rattled off the questions excitedly, before Tom could find breath to -answer. - -"He's all right, I guess," Tom said, in a moment. "He isn't drowned. He's -over there the other side of the Narrows; Bob's with him. He is most dead -with cold, though. You better get him over to camp quick or he will die." - -They were off like mad, on the run for the Narrows, before he had -finished. - -Tom waited to rest a few moments more, and then set off slowly for -Harvey's camp. "There's enough of them to bring him," he said. "I guess -Bob and I have done about all we can to-night." - -When he had reached Harvey's camp, however, he waited only to rest and -warm himself by the brands of a fire which the campers had left, before -he began to make what preparations he could to receive the boys when they -should return with Harvey. - -There was a big pile of wood at hand, and he started the fire up afresh, -after having first pushed the brands nearer the tent, so that the fire -would send a comforting warmth inside. Then he brought out a pair of -blankets and put them near the fire to warm through. He hung a kettle of -water on the stick provided for it, and rummaged through the campers' -stock for the coffee. - -Presently the sound of voices told him that the crew were at hand. -Stepping to the door of the tent, he saw the strange group approaching. -They had not taken Harvey from the canoe, but had let him lie there, -while they lifted the canoe and carried it along, two boys at either end, -bearing the weight with a stick stretched underneath to support it. -Alongside plodded Bob, holding to the gunwale, to assist in steadying it. -They approached and set the canoe down, just outside the tent door. - -"Get his clothes off quick, now," cried Tom. "I have the hot blankets -ready to wrap him in, and some coffee when he is able to take it." - -In a twinkling Harvey was stripped and rolled snugly in the blankets, -while Tom busied himself in rushing up with cloths heated hot, and -applying them to the soles of his feet. After a time he lifted Harvey up -and poured a few spoonfuls of the coffee down his throat. This seemed to -revive Harvey, for he opened his eyes, muttered something that was -unintelligible, and sank back to sleep. - -"He's all right now," said Tom, passing his hand over Harvey. "He is -getting warm again. He'll be all right now when he gets his sleep out." - -Tom and Bob were thoroughly tired. They lay stretched out before the fire -on blankets for a time, too weary to more than barely reply to the -questions of the crew as to the mishap that had befallen Harvey. - -Presently Tom rose up and said: "Well, Bob, it's late, and we've got to -be getting started or we'll never get back to the cottage." - -"We shall be down again to-morrow to see how Harvey is," he added, -turning to the crew, who sat a little apart, somewhat abashed by the turn -of affairs and the consciousness of the debt of gratitude they now owed -to the boys whom they had wronged. "We'll send a doctor down if you want -us to, but I don't think there's any need of it. He'll be all right by -morning. Good night." - -They were about taking their departure when Harvey struggled for a moment -with the clothing that enveloped him, lifted his head slightly from the -ground, and said, weakly, "Hold on." - -"What is it?" asked Tom, as they stepped inside the tent again and sat -down beside him. - -"Don't go," said Harvey, huskily. "Please don't go. I want you to stay -here to-night,--that is, if you will. I've--I've got something--something -to say to you in the morning. I can't say it now. I'm too weak. But I -want the crew to hear it in the morning." - -Tom and Bob looked at each other in astonishment. Then they nodded, and -Tom replied to Harvey: - -"All right, Jack. We'll stay. Go to sleep now. You're all right." - -The crew quickly spread some boughs for them, and brought more blankets -from the yacht. - -"Tom," said Bob, as they stood alone for a moment, while the crew were -busily engaged, "it looks like our revenge." - -And then, before they had the blankets half-wrapped about them, they were -sinking off to sleep,--to sleep in Harvey's camp, alongside Harvey's -crew. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - A TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP - - -It was late the following morning when Tom and Bob awoke. The sun was -well up, and the light was streaming into the tent. Their eyes opened on -unfamiliar objects and on strange surroundings. - -"It gave me the strangest feeling," said Tom, telling Henry Burns about -it some time later. "At first, before I was fully awake, I had forgotten -where I was, and I thought I was back in our own tent upon the point. -Then it flashed over me that that was gone, and the next moment I -remembered that I was down there in Harvey's camp, and you can't imagine -what a queer feeling it gave me." - -Harvey and the crew had already arisen, and Tom and Bob could hear the -crackling of a fire outside, where they were preparing breakfast. Harvey -had awakened apparently as strong as ever, unharmed by his terrible -experience of the night before. - -"Hello, Bob," said Tom, as they looked across the tent at each other. "Do -you know where you are? Isn't this a queer scrape? I wonder what will -come of it." - -"Hello," answered Bob, yawning and stretching. "Oh, but how I did sleep. -I feel as though I had slept about a week. I never was so tired in my -life. Say, this is queer, isn't it? Who'd ever have thought we would be -sleeping here, of all places." - -They arose and stepped outside. - -The crew paused in their work and looked up, while Harvey advanced to -meet his guests. - -"Hello," he said. "We thought we'd let you have your sleep out. You must -have been played out." - -"Hello," answered Tom and Bob. "We thought you were far worse off than -we," continued Bob, "but you seem to have come out of it all right." - -Harvey had by this time come up to them. He paused, hesitatingly, for a -moment, while his face flushed. Then he put out his hand. - -"Will you shake hands with me?" he asked. - -Tom and Bob, for answer, extended each his right hand and grasped that of -Harvey. - -"Thank you," said Harvey, simply. "I don't deserve it, I know." - -There may have been the faintest suspicion of moisture about his eyes. - -"Come over here," he said, and led the way to a big log that lay near the -fire, close by where the crew now stood. "I want to say something to you, -and so do the fellows, too." - -There was an embarrassing moment as Tom and Bob seated themselves on the -log, while the crew stood awkwardly by. They seemed uncertain what to do -or say to these brave young fellows, whom they now knew had risked their -lives to save their leader. With boy-like reticence, they were too -ashamed to speak. Harvey broke the silence. - -"The fellows and I don't know hardly what to say to you," he said. "The -crew want to tell you how ashamed we all are for the way we have treated -you, and they want to thank you for what you did for me; but they can't -begin to tell what they feel,--and no more can I,--but they want me to -speak for them, too, as I've been their captain in all we've done, as -well as aboard the yacht. - -"They know what you did for me," continued Harvey. "I told them the whole -story this morning. There never was anything braver than what you did, -and they all know it now as well as I do. They know you were as near -drowning as I was, at the last, and you wouldn't give up and let me go, -but stuck to me till the end, and couldn't have saved your own lives if -there had been another rod to go. - -"I wouldn't be here now, if it wasn't for you--" - -"Well, you would have done the same for us, and so would the crew," said -Tom, eager to spare the other's mortification as much as possible, and -feeling his heart kindling toward his late enemy. - -"I don't know whether I should or not," replied Harvey. "I don't think -I'm so much of a coward, even if I _have_ been doing things that look -that way. But that doesn't make our position any the better. It isn't -what we would have done for you in the same danger that counts. It's what -we have been doing to you ever since you landed on the island that makes -our case so bad." - -"I tell you," Harvey exclaimed, vehemently, as he arose from the log, -"we've been a lot of fools and we've been thinking all the time that we -were smart. It just came to me like a flash, as I thought I was going -down out there, all the mean things I've been doing and what a fool I've -been. I knew it all the time, too, I guess, only I didn't care. But you -fellows have just brought it home to us hard, and we are going to try to -square things up all that we can. - -"Now, first," continued Harvey, taking a long breath and speaking -earnestly, "we're sorry we stole that box of yours from off the wharf. We -knew it was yours all the time, too, though I said we didn't. Of course -we couldn't help knowing. We don't blame you, either, for blowing up the -cave--" - -"We didn't intend really to blow it up," interrupted Tom. "That was my -idea, to burn up some of the stuff, just to get even, and we were nearly -scared to death when the explosion came off. We thought you were all -killed." - -"Well, I believe you now," said Harvey, "although I didn't before. I can -see just how it happened, too. The fact is, we had some powder and -kerosene there, hidden away. That's what caused it. Well, anyway, we -don't blame you for setting the fire, and we shouldn't blame you now, if -you had meant to blow up the cave, too. We deserved it." - -"We're sorry it happened, anyway," said Bob. - -"Now," added Harvey, "there's another thing, and that's the tent. Of -course you knew we took it, although you couldn't prove it. You hadn't -any doubt about it, had you?" - -"Well," replied Tom, "we did kind of think so, although we couldn't be -sure." - -"Of course you thought so," said Harvey, "because nobody else would have -done it. However, you are going to get the tent back all right." - -"Hooray!" cried Bob. - -"You're not half so glad as I am," exclaimed Harvey. "You bet I'm glad we -didn't harm it. It's safe and sound, and you wouldn't guess where it is -in a hundred years. It's up in the old haunted house, stuffed away in the -garret, under the eaves. We didn't dare keep it and we didn't want to -destroy it. In fact, we had decided to put it back on the point some day, -after we had kept it as long as we wanted to." - -"We'll set it up again this afternoon," cried Tom. - -"No, you won't," answered Harvey, quickly. "We're going to do that for -you, that is, if you will let us. We want to put it up in as good shape -as it was before. We'll feel better about it then, eh, fellows?" - -"That's right," responded Joe Hinman. And the others nodded assent. - -"Now, one thing more," said Harvey. "You saw what we had in the cave. -There were some things that belonged to Spencer, and one of the first -things I do to-day will be to go up there and settle up with him. Then -I'll feel as though I was ready to start fair again. - -"And now if you fellows will sit down and have some breakfast with us, -then we'll sail up right after it and get the tent and have it up for you -just as quick as we can. We can't do it any too quick to suit us." - -So Tom and Bob seated themselves with their new-found friends. George -Baker, who had the fry-pan all heated and a big dish of batter mixed, -proceeded to fry a mess of flapjacks, while Joe Hinman poured the coffee. -All the old enmity had vanished in a night, and they laughed and joked as -they sat about the campfire like friends of long standing. - -Then, when they had finished, and had shaken hands once more all around, -and Tom and Bob had departed for the Warren cottage to explain their -strange absence, and to acquaint the Warrens with the new turn of -affairs, Harvey and his crew got sail on the _Surprise_ and headed up -alongshore for the haunted house. - -"There," cried George Warren, as the boys appeared in sight a little -later, "didn't I tell you, mother, not to worry about Tom and Bob? You -ought to know them by this time. They know how to take care of -themselves." - -"Well, the next time you go off for all night," exclaimed Mrs. Warren, a -little impatiently for her, "I wish you would let me know about it -beforehand. I don't like to have to worry about you, and I can't help it -if you start off in that canoe and don't come back." - -"I don't blame you for not liking it," replied Tom, "and we'll try not do -it again. But we really couldn't help this. We met with an adventure." - -"What, you didn't see the _Eagle_, did you?" cried George Warren. - -"No, you're wide of the mark," laughed Tom. "We've given up that hunt for -good. No, we had a different sort of an adventure altogether. Where do -you suppose we slept last night?" - -"With Henry Burns," said young Joe. - -"No." - -"Down on the beach?" said Arthur. - -"No." - -"Give it up," said George. - -"Well, you wouldn't guess in a hundred times trying," said Tom, "so I'll -tell you. It was in Jack Harvey's camp." - -"Harvey's camp!" exclaimed the three brothers, in chorus. - -"Yes, sir, Harvey's camp." - -"I didn't know they were off on a cruise," said George. "Oh, I see, -you've been getting even, have you? And how about the camp? Is it still -there? What have you done with that?" - -"It's still down there," laughed Tom. "We didn't do anything to it at -all. In fact, the crew were all there, and Harvey, too. We stayed there -because they invited us. And, what's more, we have just had breakfast -with them all." - -The Warrens stared at Tom in amazement. - -"Had breakfast with Harvey and his crew! Oh, say, you fellows, quit -fooling now, and tell us where you have been." - -"Well," said Tom, "listen and we'll tell you the whole story. We've been -having our revenge." - -And Tom related the story of the night's adventures. - -Good Mrs. Warren fairly hugged them with delight when they had concluded. - -"That's just splendid," she cried. "That's a splendid revenge. That's the -kind that counts for most. But I want to hear Jack Harvey tell the story -now. I know you haven't told half about the rescue. I want to hear him -tell how brave you were." - -"He'll exaggerate it," said Bob. "He's our friend, you know, now." - -"Well, I'm glad enough you are all friends," exclaimed Mrs. Warren. "You -must go and tell Henry Burns." - -When Jack Harvey and his crew had returned from the haunted house, and -had anchored off the point and had brought the tent ashore, they found -assembled there to greet them the entire group of comrades, the Warren -boys, Henry Burns, and Tom and Bob. - -There was a general hand-shaking all around, and then they all set to -work to pitch the tent. It didn't take long to do it, either, for Tom and -Bob had saved the poles that had supported the canvas, and there were -hands enough to jump at every rope and bring it taut into place. And -everybody went at it in such good spirit, and everybody was so pleased -and so willing to lend a hand, that the tent was up in its old place -again almost as quick as it had come down. - -Then they rushed off in high spirits to the Warren cottage for the -camp-kit and the boxes and the blankets and all the camp equipment, and -packed it down on their shoulders as fast as they had ever done anything -in all their lives. - -And Mrs. Warren did hear the story of the rescue from Jack Harvey's own -lips, and was prouder than ever of her boys' friends, Tom and Bob. - -Then, when everything was shipshape, and Harvey and his crew were about -to take their departure, he said: "We want all you fellows to come down -to-morrow evening and take supper with us, the whole of you. You see, -I've just got my allowance from the governor, and he's mighty generous to -me, more than I deserve. It comes in just at the right time. You'll be -sure and come, all of you?" - -"We'll be there," answered Henry Burns. - -"Indeed we will," said young Joe. - -"And remember Joe counts for two when it comes to the supper-table," said -George. - -"We'll have enough," said Harvey. - -"We'll go along with you to your camp," said Tom, "and get our canoe. -That is, unless you'd like to use it awhile," he added, slyly. - -"Not much," replied Harvey, with a laugh. "I've had enough canoeing to -last me for a few days. But I'm glad I took that paddle, though, for all -the narrow escape I had. It was the best accident I ever had in all my -life." - -"Canoeing isn't always as easy as it looks," said Bob, as they walked -along. "By the way, we haven't even asked you how you came to upset. It's -because we have had so much else to talk about and think about." - -"Why," said Harvey, "there isn't much to tell. I don't hardly know how it -happened, myself. I went to change my position in the canoe, as I was -cramped with kneeling in one position so long. I suppose I lost my -balance a little, but I was overboard so quick I don't know, myself, just -how it did happen. I must have wrenched myself as I went over, for the -minute I tried to swim I felt a pain in my side." - -"That's the way with a canoe," said Tom. "It doesn't always tip over. -Moreover it just slides out from under one, without even capsizing at -all. That's usually when one is kneeling or sitting up on a thwart, and -the centre of gravity is high in it. When one is low down in a canoe it -is rare an accident ever happens. We never have had a bad spill in -several years of canoeing, except when we got caught in the storm this -summer, and that was because a paddle broke." - -They had now reached the camp, and Tom and Bob launched their canoe and -paddled away. They did not return to their own camp, however, but headed -down the island. When they had reached the Narrows they carried across -into the other bay, and then started down along the shore at a good clip. -They were in search of Harvey's canoe. - -Several miles down they found it, lodged gently on a projecting ledge. It -was uninjured, beyond a little scraping of paint from the canvas, and -they took it in tow and returned to the Narrows. They carried both canoes -across, and then, when they had paddled up toward Harvey's camp a way, -they took his canoe up on shore and left it. - -That night, when Harvey's camp was asleep, they paddled down quietly, got -the canoe, and towed it out to the yacht _Surprise_. They lifted it -aboard and left it there, for Harvey to find in the morning. - -"There's just as much fun in that kind of a joke, after all, if one only -looks at it that way," said Tom, as they paddled home to bed. - -"My! but it seems good to be back in the old tent once more, eh, Tom?" -exclaimed Bob, as they turned in. - -"Good? Good's no name for it," returned his chum. "The Warren cottage is -fine, but I like to hear those waves creeping up on the beach as though -they were coming clear into the tent. It just puts me to sleep." - -The next moment bore truth to this assertion. - -The next afternoon, as the sun was just sinking down through the trees -beyond Harvey's camp, a band of six boys marched along the shore and -through the woods, singing as they went. If they had not known every inch -of the way as they did know it, a beacon-light on the shore would have -guided them. - -All afternoon Harvey and his crew had worked, making preparations to -receive them. They had gathered wood, lugged water, brought stuff down -from the village, brought in the lantern from the yacht to aid in the -illumination, and had, indeed, laid themselves out to do honour to their -guests. - -Harvey extended a hand to welcome them, one by one, as they came up. - -"That was a fine joke you played on us last night," he said, warmly, as -Tom and Bob appeared. "If you fellows keep piling it on, you'll have me -buried under a debt of gratitude that I never can attempt to pay." - -"Looks as though you had made a good start at it," said Bob, pointing to -one of the benches, where a huge supply of food lay heaped. - -"Well," replied Harvey, "just watch Joe now. He's going to give us a -treat. If any one knows how to broil a chicken over the coals, it's Joe." - -Joe, thus distinguished, had raked over a bed of glowing coals, the -product of a heap of ship's timbers, nearly consumed, and was preparing -to lay out the aforesaid chickens, split for broiling, upon a big wire -broiler. - -"There's half a dozen of them," said Harvey, "and they're the best that -the island affords. You needn't be afraid--we didn't confiscate them, -either. We're all done with that sort of thing." - -"Don't they smell good!" said young Joe, gleefully. - -Soon they had a great dish of the chickens on the table, flanked by a -heaping plate of potatoes, baked in ashes, a pot or two of jelly, several -loaves of bread, and coffee that filled the woods with fragrance. - -Then they fell to and ate like wolves. If young Joe had any the best of -it, it was hard to see,--and nobody cared, anyway, for every one did his -level best. - -And then, when they had eaten, they sat and sang, roaring away at the top -of their lungs, for it was a fair place for noise and no one to be -disturbed; only the fish-hawks high in their nests and the seals away out -on the ledges to wonder at the unusual disturbance. Then, as the fire -blazed, they told stories of fishing, of hunting, of the search for the -strange yacht, and a hundred other things, more than ever fascinating, -heard under the stars, in the shadow of the woods, in the sight and sound -of the sea, by the firelight. - -It was a night long to be remembered, although as yet they did not dream -of those events soon to happen, which would be far more memorable, and of -which this evening by the camp-fire was but the beginning. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - THE FIRE - - -It was nearly midnight when the boys came over the hill, and the -half-moon was just sinking out of sight. They strolled down past the -hotel, whistling a college tune in chorus. The hotel stood out, a big, -black, indefinite object in the enveloping darkness, for the lights had -been out for nearly two hours, and the guests were supposed to be all -abed. - -"Hulloa!" exclaimed Henry Burns, pointing to a faint gleam that shone -from a basement window. "John Carr has forgotten to put out his lamps in -the billiard-room. Old Witham will give him fits when he finds them -burning in the morning. Wait a moment, and I'll just slip in through this -window and put them out for him. If the colonel should find them, just as -likely as not he would discharge John for wasting five cents' worth of -oil." - -So saying, Henry Burns, with the best of intentions, shoved up the sash -and crawled into the billiard-room in the basement. - -The boys stood around the window, waiting for him to return, but one and -all thrust their heads into the open window as Henry Burns suddenly gave -a whistle of surprise. - -"Say, fellows," he called, turning the lights up stronger instead of -extinguishing them. "Look what John Carr's done. He's left all the balls -and cues out, instead of locking them up. Wouldn't the colonel be -furious? I'll tell you what we'll do. Old Witham always drives us out of -the billiard-room, so we'll just stop and play one game now and I'll make -it all right with John Carr. He wouldn't care, and he will be glad enough -to have things put to rights, so Witham won't find them out in the -morning." - -George Warren, as the eldest of the brothers, demurred at first. "We've -been up to enough pranks this summer," he said, "and we don't want to get -into any more trouble." - -"But we're not going to do any harm," persisted Henry Burns. "We'll only -play one game, just for the lark of playing at this time of night, and to -get ahead of old Witham; and then we'll put everything away shipshape and -put out the lights, and no harm done." - -It did not take much argument to influence them; and in a moment they -were all inside, each equipped with a cue, and engaged in the forbidden -game. The time passed faster than they knew, and one o'clock found them -there still. - -But, late as it was, a most unusual hour for any Southport dweller to be -astir and abroad, there were at least three individuals who were not abed -and asleep; and with these three we shall have to do in turn. - -It so happened on this morning that Squire Brackett had important -business that took him across to Cape Revere, on the mainland; and, as no -steamer was due to run across till afternoon, and he must be there in the -morning, he had arranged to sail over, taking advantage of the ebb-tide, -which served strongest shortly after midnight. He was sleepy and surly as -he came down the road, but paused a moment in his haste as he caught the -gleam of light and heard the sound of subdued voices from the half-opened -basement window. - -Squire Brackett stole up softly and peered inside. - -"Aha!" he exclaimed, under his breath. "So that's the way the young -rascals treat Colonel Witham, is it? I'll just see about that in the -morning. I fancy Colonel Witham will have something to say about this -breaking and entering. I'd call him down now and trap them at their game, -if it wasn't that I'd lose a tide and a twenty-dollar bargain by it." - -And the squire tiptoed craftily away, chuckling maliciously to himself at -the thought of how he would aid in punishing the boys on the morrow. - -The second man of the three who were to figure in the night's adventure -had set out some two hours ago from afar down the island on the obscure -western side. If any of the boys had seen him rowing in from a yacht -anchored just off shore, had seen him land on the beach and drag his boat -well up on it with supreme strength, and had seen him set off through the -fields and along the strips of beaches of the coves, if any of the boys -had seen all this and had looked carefully into his forbidding face, with -its malign, evil expression, it is probable that that boy might and would -have seen a striking resemblance to that same individual whom he had seen -in flight on a certain evening, and have wondered and feared what -business could bring him back to the scene of former danger at this hour. - -Not being seen by them, nor by anybody else, the man slunk along, now -running, as a clear stretch of field opened up before him, now thrusting -his way through clumps of alders, now skirting the shore of some little -inlet. - -At length he struck fairly across the island, directly toward the very -town from which, a few weeks ago, he had made so hurried an exit. Coming -finally in view of the hotel, he squatted down in the grass and surveyed -the prospect long and carefully before approaching nearer. - -Squire Brackett, going on down to the hotel, would not have been so much -at ease had he felt the presence of this evil figure, crouching within a -few feet of him as he went by, and following stealthily in his footsteps, -pausing as he paused, and watching him wonderingly as he peered into the -window at the boys. - -Now, as the squire went on his way, the man, himself, crawled up to the -window and cast a quick glance within. - -What he saw clearly startled him, for he had expected to find the hotel -in utter darkness. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then quickly drew -away from the window. - -"So much the better," he muttered. "They won't stop me, and if only some -one has seen them there they'll get the blame." - -Stealing around to the second window distant from where the light came, -the man took a short piece of iron from a coat pocket and proceeded to -pry the window open. Its flimsy lock broke easily under the pressure, and -he sprang inside. He may have known where he should find himself, for in -the darkness he appeared at home. It was the hotel's storeroom, and was -crowded with a litter of boxes and barrels; loose straw lay in profusion, -and a barrel or two of oil stood in one corner. - -It was scarce a moment from the time the man had entered till he sprang -out again. But now his manner was altered. No longer proceeding with -caution, he started on a run for the fields whence he had come, holding -his arms hard to his sides as he ran. - -Up the long slope of the hill he dashed, breathing hard, rather, it would -seem, from some deep excitement than from the exertion. So he went on -without interruption for nearly a mile. Had he seemed less beset by some -fear that drove him recklessly on, and been more mindful of his road, he -might have avoided the third person who was abroad this night, and who -now suddenly loomed large in it. - -Plunging desperately along through the rough pasture, following an -uncertain path as it wound in and among clumps of cedars and alders, the -man all at once ran full tilt into another man, or, rather, a large, -heavy-set youth, and, clutching at each other, they both fell sprawling -upon the ground. - -"Hulloa!" exclaimed Jack Harvey, for he it was, "you seem in a confounded -hurry, my friend, and that's something new on this island, I'll be bound. -Why don't you--" but, as they scrambled up together, Jack Harvey -grumbling, but inclined to treat the incident as a rough joke, the man -lunged out heavily at him with his fist and struck him full in the face. - -Jack Harvey was no coward. He clinched with the man, and they reeled for -a moment in a fierce embrace. But the man had muscles of iron, and, -nerved to desperation, more than matched Harvey. Presently he threw the -youth to the ground, and as Harvey struggled to his feet again he dealt -him a blow between the eyes that stretched him flat, and for a moment -stunned him. - -Before Harvey had regained his feet and collected his senses, the man was -off, running harder now than ever. - -When Harvey finally stood upright, his first impulse was to set out in -pursuit of his mysterious adversary. On second thought he paused a moment -to consider the matter. - -Who could the stranger be, and where could he be going? There was one -thing Jack Harvey did know. He knew every living soul on all the island, -man and boy, and this man was not of them. There was not a fisherman -along this part of the coast with whom Harvey had not cast a line or -raced with his yacht, the _Surprise_. He had looked the man fair in the -face twice in their struggle, and thought for the moment that he had -never seen him before. - -He had come from some other island, or the mainland, then, and, as was -evident, he was in desperate haste to return. He must, then, have a boat, -presumably a sailboat, waiting for him, and that boat must be moored -somewhere along the western shore of the island. The man's haste and fear -of being delayed argued that he had been up to some bad business, -"Thieving at the hotel, perhaps," said Harvey. - -And then Harvey, knowing every bush and tree and nook and corner, and -every rock and cove on all the shores of the island, ran over quickly in -his mind the inlets along the coast, to pick out the most likely spot he -knew of where a man might choose to moor his yacht and steal ashore; and -the proof of his accurate knowledge was that the mental picture he drew -of the place was that very cove toward which the stranger was now -travelling, and where there lay snugly at anchor the strange yacht. - -With this clearly in mind, Jack Harvey resolved to follow in pursuit, -although the man had now some ten minutes the start. Harvey had the -advantage, however, that, whereas the man knew only the general direction -he must take, to Harvey every inch of the way was as familiar as the -ground around his own camp. For instance, he knew, when the way led -through Captain Coombs's grove of woods, that through the centre, the -most direct way, it was boggy and hard travelling, and that one could -save from one to three minutes by skirting along the end nearest the -town, and going through there in a smoothly travelled path. - -Again, and most profitable of all, there was full five minutes to be -gained by swimming the narrow opening of Gull Cove, instead of following -the line of the shore in the way it spread out in the shape of a huge -pear. At the point which the stem of the pear would represent, the -passage from the bay into the cove, it was only a matter of two rods -wide. - -Jack Harvey did not even stop to remove his trousers, blue blouse, and -tennis shoes, but plunged in and swam across. - -What he had gained by this was soon apparent, for, as he ascended the top -of a low bank on the farther shore, he saw running along the beach, not -many rods distant, the man whom he was pursuing. - -Now the chase had become simplified and was easy for the rest of the way. -There could be no doubt of the man's destination. Jack Harvey, covering -himself with rock and tree, made no effort to come up with him, but took -his time in following, knowing where he should ultimately find him. - -Presently Harvey left the shore, ascended the bank to a roadway which led -down the island, followed it for a few rods, cut across a narrow strip of -field, seated himself deliberately upon a gnarled tree-trunk, and looked -out upon a tiny inlet that was just discernible through the bushes. - -There, of a certainty, lay a pretty sloop at anchor, and presently there -came to Harvey's ears the creaking of the halyards and of the ropes in -the blocks as the mainsail fluttered up. - -"He's in a tearing rush to get away, sure enough," muttered Harvey. "Now -he is getting up the anchor, and slatting it up in lively style, too. But -he is a stronger man than I am, there's no mistake about that," and -Harvey felt of two lumps on his head that bore witness to the man's -violence. - -"If I only had Joe Hinman and Allan Harding here now he wouldn't sail -away so easily. But that's neither here nor there. I'll know that elegant -hull, however, and I'll know that slick-setting suit of sails anywhere in -all this bay, and I'll get even with him yet. The _Surprise_ couldn't -catch that boat in a race in a hundred years, but I'll catch him napping -somewhere between here and Portland, or I have sailed this bay for -nothing." - -The yacht, its sails filling to the light morning airs, sailed slowly out -from its place of hiding and faded away into the darkness. - -Jack Harvey, waiting a moment longer to rest, started off on an easy -jog-trot back to camp. "For," said he to himself, "the _Surprise_ must up -anchor and after that fellow before daylight. We'll catch him first, and -then find out what he has been up to. Perhaps he is another-- - -"Why, by Jove!" exclaimed Harvey, suddenly, "what a fool I am! How could -I ever have forgotten for a moment where I saw that face once before? The -man in the rowboat! Whoop! And that yacht is the _Eagle_, as sure as my -name is Harvey. And that man is Chambers. And to think I came across the -bay with him, alone at night!" - -The cold drops of perspiration stood out on Harvey's forehead at the very -thought of it. - -Over hills and through woods ran Harvey, his arms pressed close to his -sides and his head down. He had gone about a mile in this way when, upon -emerging from a dense clump of bushes and ascending at the same time a -little hill, he paused to survey the prospect ahead. - -The sight that met his eyes astounded him. Up against the black morning -sky there streamed a broad flaring of red, irregular and uncertain. Now -it streamed up in a widely diffused glare. Again it darted up in a series -of sharp streaks of red. - -"Heavens!" cried Harvey. "It's the hotel and it's all on fire! Now I know -it's Chambers, for certain. Now I know why he struck me down. Now I know -what we'll hunt him for and what we'll catch him for." - -Harvey, redoubling his speed, raced for his camp. - -While this strange chase of Harvey after the man had been going on, even -more exciting things had been happening at the hotel. - -Shortly before the time the man had run into Harvey in the pasture and -knocked him down, the boys had finished an absorbing game of billiards, -had put cues and balls carefully away, extinguished the lights, and left -the hotel. - -They were in high spirits at their harmless adventure, as they walked a -short distance together, and then separated. - -"I think I'll go along with you," said Henry Burns to Tom and Bob, "if -you'll give me that spare blanket to put down on the floor." And the boys -locked arms with him in answer, as they said good night to the Warrens. -They were soon inside the tent, and, too weary to undress, threw -themselves down with their clothes on to sleep. - -But scarcely had they closed their eyes when the sound of persons running -hard roused them, and they recognized the voices of the Warren boys, -calling to them in excited tones. - -The next moment the tent was burst open, and George and Joe Warren thrust -their heads inside. - -"Get up! Get up, boys, quick!" they cried, and Arthur, appearing the next -instant, added his voice to the others. "Hurry!" they screamed. "The -hotel's afire and the flames are pouring out of the basement windows. -We've got to give the alarm, and there's no time to be lost." - -Tom and Bob and Henry Burns groaned in anguish; but the three sprang up -and darted out of the door. - -"Could we have done it? Oh, how could it have happened?" moaned Bob, as -his teeth fairly chattered with excitement. - -"I don't see how," answered Arthur Warren. "I put the lights out myself, -and we didn't light a match in all the time we were there." - -"Never mind," said Henry Burns. "We've got to give the alarm. We've got -to see that everybody gets out, and let the rest take care of itself." - -And they started on the run for the hotel. The fire was already plain to -be seen, for the flames were gaining the most rapid headway, and a dense -cloud of smoke mixed with flame poured out of the basement windows. - -They rushed madly up the hotel steps, found the doors locked, smashed in -one of the big front windows opening into the parlour, and one and all -crawled inside, screaming "Fire!" at the top of their lungs. - -Almost the first person they encountered was Colonel Witham, rushing down -the front stairs to the office, his red face looking apoplectic with -excitement. - -"What's this?" he yelled, as he came down-stairs two steps at a time. -"Some more of your practical joking, I'll be bound." But then, as he -breathed a choking cloud of smoke that by this time had begun to pour in -from the direction of the parlour, he changed his tone. - -"Good for you, boys!" he cried. "I guess you've saved us this time. -Scatter through the halls now, quick. You can do it quicker than I can. -We mustn't let any one burn to death." - -The colonel was, indeed, out of breath and nearly helpless, and could be -of little assistance. - -The boys needed no urging. They ran from one end of the long halls to the -other, up-stairs and down, pounding on every door and startling the -inmates of the rooms from sleep. - -The guests, rushing out on each floor into darkened halls, and smelling -the all-pervading smoke, were ready to jump from windows in panic; but -the boys ran quickly among them, explained just where the fire was, just -what the particular danger was, and guided them all to escape. - -Thanks to them, not a life was lost, although there were several narrow -escapes. Once when the guests had assembled and a count was taken to see -that no one was missing, some one exclaimed: "Well, where's Mrs. Newcome? -Has any one seen her?" - -Then there was a rush and a scurrying for the second floor, but the -guests were met on the stairs by Joe Warren and Tom Harris, carrying the -little old lady in their arms. They had knocked at her door and had -received no response, and so, hurling themselves at the flimsy door, had -burst it in, and found her on the floor in a dead faint. - -"Perhaps this will kind of square accounts with the poor old lady," said -Joe Warren, as they laid her gently down at a safe distance from the -fire. "She used to complain that we made more noise than a band of wild -Indians, and were always disturbing her afternoon naps, but I guess she -won't complain of our disturbing this nap." Then the boys left her in the -care of the guests, and hurried back to the fire. - -The fire had gained rapid headway, and there was no hope of saving the -new part of the hotel, at least. The old-fashioned town fire-engine came -rattling up in charge of Captain Sam, but, though the guests and -villagers and the boys all took turns at the pumps, the machine could do -little more than throw a feeble stream up as high as the base of the -second-story windows. The water-supply of the hotel, which was pumped by -a windmill at a distance, was of more avail, but it was helpless against -the headway that the flames had gained. - -Soon the whole front end of the hotel collapsed, sending up a fierce -cloud of smoke, ashes, and sparks. - -"Lucky we're not in there now," exclaimed one of the guests. "By the way, -has anybody stopped to think that we should all probably have been burned -to death if it hadn't been for these boys that we've been complaining of -all summer? Guess we'll owe them a vote of thanks, at least, when this is -over." - -"We can't be too thankful that everybody's saved," said another. - -"That all may be," growled Colonel Witham, "but I can't see so much to be -thankful for in watching a twenty-five thousand dollar hotel burn to -pieces, and I've got the lease of it--" But his sentence was interrupted -by a piercing wail that came from the scene of the fire, and, following -the sound of the noise, one and all looked up in time to see a large, -handsome tiger cat leap from a window from which smoke was pouring to a -narrow ledge which was as yet untouched by the flames. There it crouched, -crying with fear. - -"Oh, it's poor Jerry! It's my poor Jerry!" cried a thin, piping voice, -and old Mrs. Newcome, roused from her faint, came forward, trembling and -waving her hands helplessly. "Oh, can't somebody save him?" she cried. -"He knows more than lots of these boys. Why don't somebody do something?" - -"Can't erzactly see as anybody's goin' ter risk his life for a fool cat," -muttered one of the villagers. "There ain't no ladder'll reach up there. -Guess Jerry's a goner, and lucky it ain't a baby." - -Waving her hands wildly and moaning, Jerry's old mistress was a pathetic -sight, as Henry Burns went up and spoke to her. - -"I'm afraid I can't do much," he said, "but I'll try. You just wait here, -and don't take on so. I know some things about climbing around this hotel -that the others don't." And he gave a quiet smile. Then he suddenly -darted across to the old hotel, and, before any one could stop him, -disappeared up the stairs. Wholly unmindful of the fact that a human -being was risking his life for that of a dumb animal, old Mrs. Newcome -took fresh hope and screamed shrilly, in words intended to encourage the -terrified Jerry. - -All at once the crowd of guests and villagers saw a boy's slight figure -at the edge of the hotel roof in relief against the sky. - -"Who's that?" they screamed. "I thought every one was safely out," cried -one to another. - -"It's that Burns boy, and he's going to save Jerry," piped old Mrs. -Newcome. "He's--" - -A howl of indignation drowned her voice, and a chorus of voices rose up -to Henry Burns, demanding that he return. - -But, helpless now to prevent, they saw him coolly divest himself of his -coat, seize hold of a lightning-rod, and go hand over hand quickly to the -top. Then he stood for a moment on the only remaining wall of the hotel, -for the rest of the roof, though not yet aflame, had caved in and broken -partly away from the end wall. - -Along this narrow strip of wall crept Henry Burns; but when he had come -to the end of it there was a sheer drop of ten feet down to the ledge -where the cat crouched, wailing and lashing its tail. - -"Go back! Go back!" screamed those below. "You can't do anything." - -But Henry Burns, paying not the least attention, reached one hand into -his pocket, drew from it a piece of rope, which he proceeded to lower -till it dangled within reach of the unfortunate Jerry. - -"Grab it, Jerry! Grab it!" piped old Mrs. Newcome; and, whether in answer -to the familiar voice or from an appreciation of the situation, Jerry -fastened his claws into the rope, clawed at it furiously till all four -feet were fast, and so, miaowing shrilly, was drawn up to safety by Henry -Burns. - -Back along the wall he crawled, and, sliding down the lightning-rod, was -once more on the roof of the old hotel. Then, with Mrs. Newcome's cat -perched on his shoulder, he shortly reappeared below, amid the cheering -of the crowd. - -"I'll never say you boys are bad again and ought to be horsewhipped," -sobbed old Mrs. Newcome, as she fondled her pet. - -But she got no farther, for a moment later the end wall, on which Henry -Burns had stood shortly before, was seen to sway violently. Then, with a -wrenching and tearing, as of beams split apart, and with grinding of -timbers, it collapsed upon the roof of the old hotel, and a few minutes -later that, too, was all ablaze, and there was nought to be done by any -one but to stand helplessly and see the flames devour everything. - -When morning lighted up the spot where on the previous day the hotel had -stood, the pride of the village and the boast of Colonel Witham, the sun -shone only on a charred and blackened heap of ruins. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE FLIGHT - - -Southport, rudely awakened from sleep as it had been, and awake all the -rest of the night by so unusual and stirring an event as a fire, was too -much excited to go back to its slumbers, but stayed awake through the -morning hours to discuss it. A group of villagers hung around the -grocery-store all day long, adjourning only now and then to journey to -the spot where the hotel had been, where they stood solemnly -contemplating the ruins, with all-absorbing interest in the twisted and -distorted fragments that still bore some resemblance to whatever part -they had constituted in the structure of the building. - -There were dozens of theories advanced as to how the fire had started. -The oil had exploded from spontaneous combustion; rats had set the blaze -by gnawing at matches, and so on through the list of ordinary causes of -fires; but as for Colonel Witham, with his customary suspicion of all -human nature, he was sure of one theory, because it was his own, and that -was, that the hotel had been set on fire. This he doggedly asserted and -as stubbornly maintained. The hotel could not have set itself afire; -therefore, some one must have done it. This was as plain as daylight to -the colonel. - -He fiercely questioned John Carr as to whether any lights had been left -burning, but John Carr was loud and persistent in his assurances that the -hotel had been as dark as Egypt when he had retired for the night. - -But throughout all the discussion, that ranged through cottages, along -the streets, and that spread throughout the length and breadth of the -island, there were six boys who were silent, who took no part in it, but -who kept away from wherever a group was gathered. - -They were a serious-looking lot of boys as they assembled on the shore in -front of the tent; so much of anxiety and apprehension showing -unconcealed in their faces that one happening upon their council might -have read therein a key to the mystery. It would have been a mistaken -clue, of course, but it would have sufficed for the village and for -Colonel Witham. - -For a few moments not one of them spoke, though each boyish brain was -turning the one awful subject over and over, vainly seeking the answer -for a problem that defied all attempts at solution. - -Finally Bob broke the awful silence. - -"How could it have happened?" he exclaimed. At which there was a -universal whistle and a shaking of heads. - -"You see," continued Bob, "it's absolutely necessary for us to decide in -our own minds, the first thing, whether it was our fault or not. Because, -if it was, I suppose we've got to own up to it sometime or other, and we -may as well do it first as last." - -"Better now, if at all, than later," said Tom. "They might have some -mercy on us now, being grateful that they didn't burn up." - -"All but Colonel Witham," said young Joe. "Catch him being grateful for -anything, with his hotel in ashes." - -"Keep quiet, Joe!" exclaimed George Warren, sharply. - -The very mention of Colonel Witham's name was irritating. It was only too -certain that no mercy could be expected from the colonel. - -"But," said Arthur Warren, "we're not to blame, so why should we consider -that at all? You remember," he continued, turning to Henry Burns, "how we -waited after I had blown the last lamp out and the room was absolutely -dark, and we had to stand still a moment till our eyes got accustomed to -the darkness before we could find our way to the window?" - -"I remember that," answered Henry Burns; "and not one of us lighted any -matches all the time we were there, because the lamps were all burning -dimly when we went in; but," he added, somewhat desperately for him, -"that is not going to save us the moment an investigation begins, if they -have one. The first time they begin to question one of us we're done for. -The moment they know we were in there last night, that will settle -everything in their minds." - -"And what then?" asked young Joe. - -"Well," said Henry Burns, more calmly, "it means that we've got a -twenty-five thousand dollar hotel to pay for." - -The proposition was so absurd that they burst out laughing; but it was a -short-lived and bitter merriment, and they could just as easily have -cried. - -"What would our fathers say?" said Arthur Warren. "Ours told us we'd have -to make our pocket-money go a long way this summer, because he rigged the -boat all over for us. There couldn't any of us pay for the hotel in all -our lives." - -"Perhaps they'd send us to jail," suggested young Joe. - -This happy remark was received with howls of indignation, and the -originator of it was invited to clear out if he couldn't keep quiet. - -"They couldn't send us to jail," said Arthur, gravely, "for, at the -worst, we could convince them that it was accidental. We may be -nuisances, but we're not criminals. Wouldn't it be better, on the whole," -he concluded, "to make a clean breast of it to father, and do whatever he -says is best?" - -"I'd do it in a minute," said George Warren, "but when I know we didn't -set the fire, even accidentally, I hate to put all that trouble and worry -on father; because, you see, we might not be able to convince him -absolutely that we may not, in some way that we don't know of, have been -responsible. Of course, if it comes to it, we'll tell him all,--and he'll -believe it, too. That is, he'll believe that we are telling what we think -is right, for we've always done that way, because he puts confidence in -us." - -"Then," said Bob, "we've got to keep out of the way for awhile till this -thing blows over some. Everybody that sees us now will stop and ask us -how we first saw the fire and all about it." - -"They've done that already to us," said George Warren. "And, luckily, we -could say truthfully that we first saw the fire from our cottage piazza. -And we said we ran down to your camp and roused you boys. Now that is all -right for a touch-and-go conversation, but suppose they see fit to follow -it up, we'll soon find ourselves either obliged to lie or to confess." - -"Then what are we going to do?" asked Tom. - -"Take a fishing-trip," suggested young Joe. - -They looked at young Joe savagely, for each knew in his own heart that it -was running away from danger,--but it was significant that not a boy -objected. - -"We've been planning one for a week or more," urged Joe, in extenuation -of his plan. "And we needn't stay long. We can come back in a day or two -and then start right out again, so as not to attract attention by being -gone too long." - -"I suppose a little trip down among the islands wouldn't be so bad for -our health," said Henry Burns, dryly; but it was clear he had no great -liking for the plan. - -And so, in a vain endeavour to escape from what seemed to them a most -unfair and cruel predicament, and without realizing that it was the worst -thing they could do, the boys agreed to start early on the following -morning in the _Spray_ for a cruise. - -Much surprised was Mrs. Warren when informed of their plan. - -"And just as everybody is telling what brave boys you were," she said. -"They all say that half the guests would have lost their lives if it -hadn't been for you." - -This was worse than punishment, and the boys groaned inwardly, for Mrs. -Warren had taught her boys to respect her, and they valued her good -opinion more than anything else in the world. They went off to bed soon -after supper, "so as to get an early start in the morning," they said. - -It was early that same evening, while the boys were at tea, that Squire -Brackett stepped ashore from his sailboat in a perfect fever of -excitement. - -"I knew it and I said it," he muttered to himself, slapping one hard fist -into the palm of the other hand. "When I saw that blaze across the water -this morning, and knew that it couldn't be anything else than the hotel, -I says to myself, 'Those boys have done it, with some of their -monkey-shines,' and that's just the way of it. By Jingo! but won't -Colonel Witham jump out of his skin when I tell him what I saw through -that window. - -"P'r'aps them 'ere boys won't be' so much inclined to tying other -people's dogs to ropes and drowning them when they get caught for setting -fire to a fine hotel!" - -And so, nearly bursting with the magnitude of his secret, and bristling -with more than his usual importance, Squire Brackett hurried up from the -landing and lost no time in finding Colonel Witham and escorting him in -great haste to his own home. - -There on the veranda of Squire Brackett's house sat the two worthies, -while the squire poured out his news into the eager colonel's ear. - -"Whew!" exclaimed Colonel Witham, when he had heard it all. "We've got -them at last and no mistake. What's more," he added, jumping from his -chair and stamping vigorously on the piazza floor, "I'll prosecute them, -every mother's son, to the extent of the law. It's breaking and entering, -too,--forcing their way into my hotel at night,--and the fire was caused -by their criminal act. That's serious business, as they'll find before I -get through with them. Blow me if I don't take the boat for Mayville this -very night, and see Judge Ellis and get the warrants for Captain Sam to -serve first thing in the morning!" - -"I'll go with you, colonel," cried Squire Brackett. "We'll be back here -before midnight, and be all ready at daylight to arrest them. Reckon -we'll surprise folks a little." - -And so, chuckling maliciously together, the squire and the colonel waited -eagerly for the whistle of the little bay steamer, upon hearing which -they walked arm and arm down to the wharf and went aboard, with their -heads together, in great satisfaction. - -Their trip must have been greatly to their liking, for some hours later -found them coming ashore again, evidently in a most agreeable state of -mind; and as they bade each other good night on the veranda of the -squire's cottage, the colonel might have been heard once more to exclaim, -exultantly: "We've got 'em this time, squire! They can't get away." And -so strode away, caressing in one hand some crisp, official-looking -papers, which boded no good in their contents to six boys whose names the -colonel had given with evil delight to the judge at Mayville. - -Very early next morning good-hearted Captain Sam might have been seen at -the door of his home, his fist clenched and his face burning with -indignation. Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett stood by the stoop. - -"Now look here, colonel," exclaimed Captain Sam, hotly, "you surely ain't -going to ask me to serve these papers on them innocent young lads? -There's some mistake, somehow, and the way for us to do is to get them up -here and just give them a talking to; ask them all the questions you -want. I've watched them boys for a good many summers now, ever since they -was little shavers no bigger'n mackerel, and I tell you they wouldn't do -no wicked thing like setting fire to a hotel full of people, and there -ain't nobody on this island mean enough to believe it." - -"We didn't come here asking you for advice," sneered the squire. "You're -a constable of this village, sworn to do your duty, and your duty is to -serve these warrants, the same being legally drawn and signed by the -judge. That's all your part, and all we ask of you to do. We take all the -consequences." - -"Well, it's a shame. It ain't the right thing to do, squire, as you ought -to know, having a boy of your own. But, as you say, it's my duty if you -insist, and I'll do it,--but it's the hardest job I ever done in all my -life." - -"Let's go down to the tent first," said Colonel Witham. "There's always -two of them down there, and sometimes more. If Henry Burns is there, I -just want to get my hands on him. I suspect he's been fooling me all -along and playing his tricks on me, when I thought him in his room -asleep." - -The dew was still heavy on the grass and the sun had not lifted its face -above the distant cape when the three men walked down to the tent upon -the point. Not a sound broke the early morning quiet, save the cawing of -some crows in a group of pines, and the lazy swash of the sluggish -rollers breaking on the shore. - -"They're fast asleep," whispered Squire Brackett. "We'll give them a -little surprise--just a little surprise." And he gave a hard chuckle. - -Captain Sam, at this same instant, casting his eyes offshore and hastily -surveying the bay with the quick, comprehensive glance of an old sailor, -gave a sudden start, and, for a moment, an exclamation of surprise -escaped him. - -"What is it?" asked Colonel Witham. "Did you remark anything, Captain -Sam?" - -"Nothing," answered Captain Sam. "I was just a-muttering to myself." - -And at this moment the squire threw open the flap of the tent, saying, as -he did so, "If you boys will--" - -But as he and Colonel Witham poked their heads through the opening, the -sentence was abruptly cut short. - -"Empty!" gasped the colonel. - -"Gone!" cried the squire. - -The tent was, indeed, deserted. - -"Where can they be?" asked Colonel Witham. - -"I know," answered the squire. "Up at the Warrens, of course. They are -there half the time. It simply means we capture them all at once and save -trouble. Come on, Captain Sam, you don't seem to be in much of a hurry to -do your duty, as you're sworn to do." - -Captain Sam was, indeed, in no hurry. He loitered behind, stopped to tie -his shoes, dragged one foot along after the other slower than he had ever -done before, while every now and then, as he followed in the footsteps of -the colonel and the squire, he cast a hasty glance over his shoulder out -on the bay. What he saw must have pleased him, for on each occasion a -broad smile spread over his face and a mischievous twinkle kindled in his -eyes. - -The colonel and the squire strode along impatiently, pausing now and then -for Captain Sam to catch up with them; but as they drew near to the -Warren cottage Captain Sam quickened his steps and halted them. - -"You two will have to stay here," he said, with an authority he had not -shown before. "I'm commissioned with the serving of these warrants, and -I'm going to do it; but Mrs. Warren is a nice, motherly little woman, and -I don't propose to have three of us bursting in on them like a press-gang -and frightening her to death. I'm just going to break the news to her as -best I know how, and I don't want no interfering." - -So saying, and with face set into a reluctant resolve, the captain walked -on alone, leaving the colonel and the squire much taken aback, and too -much astonished by the sudden declaration of authority to attempt to -dispute it. - -What Captain Sam said to Mrs. Warren only she and he knew. There were no -boys called in to listen to what was said. There were no boys there to -see how Mrs. Warren's face paled and how the tears rolled down her -cheeks, nor to hear Captain Sam's words of burning indignation as he -tried to comfort her. No boys came to gather about her chair, to assure -her it was all a dreadful mistake. There were no boys to face the colonel -and the squire and declare their own innocence. - -But out on the bay, with all her white sails set to catch the morning -breeze, the yacht _Spray_ was beating down toward a distant goal among -the islands. And aboard her were six boys, whose hearts were heavy and -whose faces were drawn with an ever present anxiety. For a time they cast -apprehensive looks back at the disappearing village, but as the morning -wore on and no pursuing sail appeared, they became more cheerful; and to -forget so far as they could the real cause of their flight, they talked -hopefully of the fish they expected to catch and the swimming and other -sport along the white sands of the island beaches. - -But although no familiar craft as yet followed where they sailed, there -was, far in the lead of them and some miles down along the island, a -yacht they all knew, and in whose mission, had they but known it, their -deepest interests, their very fate, in fact, lay. - -Jack Harvey had lost little time in reaching his camp. While he ran the -fire blazed brighter and brighter, sending an angry glare over the waters -of the bay and lighting up the country around. Looking back now and then, -he could see men and women running about in the light of the fire, and -the frantic, though unavailing, efforts of the village fire department to -stay the flames. - -"Seems funny," he muttered to himself, "to be running away from a fire, -and the greatest fire we ever had on this island at that. I never did -such a thing before, but I guess there'll be something more exciting -ahead than a fire before we get through." - -Harvey found his camp deserted, as he had expected. Not a sign of life -showed about the place. - -"They're all up to the fire," said Harvey; "but I'll bring them soon -enough, though I reckon they'll be mad at first to have to leave when the -fire is just at its best." - -And he began ransacking the camp, rolling up blankets, tying them into -compact bundles and hurrying down to the shore with them, where he -deposited them in a rowboat. - -He made a pile of the rude dishes that the camp afforded, a saucepan, a -fry-pan, tin dippers, and a few tin plates, tying them all together in a -bundle and rattling them all down to the shore in great haste. - -Finally he got a boatload of the stuff, and, jumping in, sculled the -little craft out to the _Surprise_. Leaping aboard, he rushed down into -the cabin, threw open a locker, drew forth a big tin horn, which he -raised to his lips, and blew four loud, long blasts in succession. - -"The hurry signal will surprise them, I reckon," he exclaimed; "but -they've always answered it before, and I guess they'll come,--even from a -fire." And Harvey began stowing the stuff away aboard the yacht. Then he -proceeded to untie the stops in the mainsail, and was thus engaged when a -voice hailed him from the shore. - -"Halloo, Jack!" came the call. "What's the matter? Why aren't you up to -the fire? What's up?" - -"Wait a minute," answered Harvey. "I'm coming ashore. Are the others on -the way?" - -"Yes," answered the boy on shore, who proved to be Joe Hinman; "but they -don't like it a bit. It's a shame to lose this fire, Jack. Why, you ought -to see Colonel Witham. He's the craziest man I ever saw, running around -and begging everybody he sees to rush into the blaze and save his old -office furniture." - -"Well, Joe," said Harvey, as he stepped out of the small boat on to the -beach, beside the other, "we've got some work cut out for us that beats -watching a fire all to pieces. I'll tell you all about it, but there -isn't one half-minute to lose now. Believe me, you fellows won't regret -it,--hello, here are the others!" - -The three other members of the crew, George Baker, Allan Harding, and Tim -Reardon, burst out of the woods into the clearing, gasping from running, -and amazed beyond expression that Harvey should have called them from the -fire. - -"Fellows," said Harvey, "I'll tell you the whole story just as soon as we -get aboard and up sail. This is the greatest thing we ever did in all our -lives; but it's the minutes that count now, and we have got to get under -way the quickest we ever did yet." - -And then, as the boys hesitated, and Joe Hinman ventured the question, -with something of suspicion in his tone that he could not all conceal, -"Why, Jack, there's no trouble, is there--no trouble--about the fire?" it -suddenly dawned on Harvey that this sudden departure did have a queer -look to it, and that he was, indeed, open to their suspicion. - -"Yes," he cried, "there is trouble, and it's about this fire; but it -isn't our trouble. The trouble is for the man that set it,--and we are -going to make it for him. We're going to catch him. Now will you hurry?" - -"Will we?" exclaimed George Baker. "Just watch us!" - -And every boy made a dash for the camp to secure anything he might need -on a cruise down the bay. - -Harvey and Joe Hinman seized two big jugs and made off for the spring, -whence they returned quickly. Then the entire crew piling into the small -boat, they were soon aboard the _Surprise_. - -The anchor was up in a twinkling. The sails were never spread in such -time. Almost as quickly as it takes to tell it, the yacht _Surprise_ was -under way, and with Harvey at the wheel was standing out of the little -harbour. - -Then, as they left the glare of the fire upon the waters astern, but -still flaming like a giant beacon against the sky, Harvey, with his crew -about him, narrated his extraordinary adventure with the strange man, and -asserted his conviction that the man was none other than the same -Chambers who had fled from the island not long before. - -"That is a fast boat, and we can never catch her in plain sailing," said -Allan Harding. "She is full half again as big as we, and she would sail -around us a dozen times and then walk away from us without half-trying." - -"I know that," said Harvey, "and that is just why I am so anxious to -catch up with him before he gets out of the western bay into the open -sea. If we don't get him in the bay we shall lose him. Now let's overhaul -everything, and be sure that something doesn't break just as we come to -the pinch." - -There was little to be done, however, on that score; for, however -carelessly they lived ashore, they had the true yachtsman's spirit aboard -the _Surprise_, and kept her shipshape. Then they set the club and jib -topsails, for there was not much air stirring, and they drew the tender -up close astern, so it would drag as little as possible. - -"We have one advantage," said Harvey. "We can depend upon it, he knows -enough not to try the open bay and sail down toward the Gull Islands. The -first part of the way is clear sailing enough, but when you get down just -off the islands you come to the shallows, and a man has to follow the -marks to get clear and safely out to sea. And then, too, the alarm is -going to be sent out just as soon as a boat from the village can get over -to the mainland. They won't lose any time about that,--and Chambers is -sharp enough to know it. He knows the whole bay down below there will be -alive with boats, just as soon as they get the news wired down to them. - -"Depend upon it, Chambers will try to fool them. I think he will come -through the Thoroughfare at this eastern end of Grand Island, which he -must have studied out on the charts. He will not dare to try the -Thoroughfare to-night, however, and if we can only beat down to somewhere -below the Thoroughfare to-night we shall be well to windward of him in -the morning, and he will think we are a boat coming in from outside, -while he will still be beating into the wind, if it holds from the -south'ard, the way it is blowing now." - -"That's right," said Joe Hinman. "He cannot make the passage out through -the Thoroughfare in the night, unless he knows the way better than I -think he does. It is a bad run in the dark, even for a man that was born -around here. We have done it only once or twice ourselves." - -"You fellows turn in now, all but Tim," said Harvey, "and get some sleep. -We two can run her for awhile. I'll call you, Joe, in about an hour or -two, to handle her while I get forty winks, but, mind, everybody will be -called sharp the minute we clear Tom's Island, for no knowing what we -shall see then at any minute. Chambers will lie up in Seal Cove for an -hour or two, I reckon, if he has got down that far. I only wish I was -sure of it. We'd go ashore and take a run across the island and catch him -napping-- - -"By the way, George," exclaimed Harvey, "how do you feel? It's mighty -lucky you happened to be taken with that colic in the night, just at the -right time, and that I started out to rouse up old Sanborn to get some -ginger for you. All this would never have happened if it hadn't been for -you." - -"Why, I'm all right," answered George Baker. "I could hardly walk when we -first saw the fire, but I just made up my mind I wasn't going to miss it, -and so I started out. When the sparks began to fly I forgot all about the -pain, and I hadn't thought of it since. It's all gone now, anyway." - -Two hours later they were nearing the southern end of Grand Island and -coming in sight of a chain, or cluster, of smaller islands, through which -an obscure and little used passage ran from the western bay to the outer -sea. Jack Harvey had sent young Tim into the cabin to snatch a wink of -sleep, and Joe had come up, heavy and dull. - -"I'll go without my sleep this once," said Harvey. "Here, Joe, hold her a -minute. I'll get a bit of rest right here on deck, with one eye open." - -It was growing light fast now, and they strained their eyes for a sail. - -"I guess we are in time," said Harvey, as they came abreast of Tom's -Island. "He is not in sight. We'll head out to sea a bit more, and cut -into the Thoroughfare farther down, for the tide will be high in an hour, -and we can cross Pine Island Bar. Then, if he has taken the channel on -the other side of Tom's Island, we can still head him off,--unless he -went through in the night." - -And Harvey, having relinquished the tiller to Joe, stretched himself out -at full length on the seat to rest. - -Thus they sailed for a short cut into the Thoroughfare at a point where -they could command the farther of the two channels. - -And, as they sailed, so sailed another and a larger sloop, beating its -way out to sea through the farther channel. A man, powerfully built, and -with a hard, desperate look in his eyes, sat at the wheel,--and he was -all alone. The yacht cut a clean path through the smooth waters of the -Thoroughfare, and, as the man looked at the coast-line along which he was -passing rapidly, he muttered: "It's a clear passage; a safe run to sea. -And, once there, who's to say I was ever in these waters? I said I'd have -revenge on this town for what I've lost, if it took all summer, and I've -done it. The blaze did me good as it lit the sky. Twenty minutes more and -I'll be clear of this, and good-bye to this coast for ever." - -But even as he said it a smaller sloop turned the head of an island half -a mile ahead, and came down the Thoroughfare, running off the wind. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE PURSUIT - - -Great was the rage of Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett when they -discovered that the boys had escaped. - -"But it will be only so much the worse for them in the end," said the -squire. "The fact of their running away is a confession of guilt, and -will count hard against them when we once get them into court. - -"Colonel," he continued, gazing off on to the bay, "I believe that's them -now, about two miles down along the shore. Cap'n Sam, you're a sure judge -of a sail. Isn't that the _Spray_ beating down along the island, just off -Billy Jones's beach?" - -Captain Sam took a most deliberate observation, turned a chew of tobacco -twice in his cheek, and then remarked, laconically: - -"That's the _Spray_, sure's a gun. There is no mistaking the queer set of -that gaff-topsail. It always was a bad fit, and it sticks out just as -crooked like, two miles away, as it does close on. Y-a-a-s, there's the -youngsters, and no mistake." - -Captain Sam did not see fit, however, though a constable, sworn to do his -duty, as the others had suggested, to explain that he had seen the -_Spray_ for the last hour or more, and that he had been conscious all -along of the precious time they were losing. But a sharp observer might -have detected him chuckling down deep in his throat as the colonel and -the squire stormed and raged. - -"Well, what are we going to do?" cried Squire Brackett. "We're losing -valuable time here. That little boat eats fast into the wind, they say, -and we have got to get started pretty quick if we expect to overhaul her -between now and dark. - -"Come! What do you say, Cap'n Sam? You know the boats in the harbour -better than I do. Whose is the best one to go after them with?" - -"Wa-al," drawled Cap'n Sam, "if I do say it, I suppose the _Nancy Jane_ -is about as good as any in a long thrash to windward,--if she does belong -to me. She's big and she's roomy, and there's a comfortable cabin in her -for you and the colonel--for I suppose you'll want to go along." - -"Go along!" exclaimed Colonel Witham. "I should say we did--eh, squire? -When these 'ere warrants are served I want to be there to see it done, -and so does the squire, I reckon." - -"That's what I do," responded Squire Brackett. "We'll go along with you, -sure enough." - -"Then you want to be getting some grub aboard right away," said Captain -Sam, with a fine show of energy and haste, "while I break the news to my -wife. She'll put me up a bite to last a day or two. You can't tell, you -know, when you start off on one of these 'ere cruises, where you'll end -up nor how long you'll be out,--so you want to come prepared to stay." - -And then, as the colonel and the squire hurried off down the road, he -turned back for a moment to Mrs. Warren, who stood weeping, and said, -with rough good-heartedness: - -"Now, don't you go to taking on, Mrs. Warren. There's some mistake here. -Depend upon it. I've known them youngsters ever since they was no -bigger'n short lobsters, and I know they ain't got nothing bad enough in -'em to go to setting a hotel afire. - -"P'r'aps there might have been some little accident," he added, more -conservatively. "Accidents always is happening, you know, and we're all -of us liable to 'em. I've got to do my duty, Mrs. Warren, bein' as I am a -constable of this town, sworn to obey my orders as I get 'em, signed and -sealed from the court; but I'm goin' to stand by them boys, all the same. - -"So you just go and get your husband down here, quick as ever you -can,--and we'll settle this 'ere difficulty pretty soon, I reckon. - -"And see here," he said, in conclusion, "if Mr. Warren gets here by -to-morrow noon, that'll be time enough. And that gives you a chance to -take the boat up to-day if you hurry, and bring Mr. Warren back with you. -I'll sorter guarantee we don't fetch up here again till to-morrow -afternoon, so don't you worry." And with a sly twinkle in his gray eyes -the captain took his leave, and rolled along lazily toward his home. - -He was still eating a hearty breakfast when the colonel and the squire -burst in upon him, hot with impatience. But the captain was provokingly -deliberate, and finished a few more huge slices of bread and a biscuit or -two, and two cups of coffee and a few of his wife's doughnuts, before he -would budge an inch. - -"The boys can't escape," he said, by way of assurance to the impatient -pair. "They can't go across the Atlantic in a little sardine-box like -that, if it has got a mast and a bowsprit and a cabin to it. We're bound -to fetch up with them quick enough. Have a cup of coffee, colonel! -Squire, sit down and drink a cup of coffee! Mrs. Curtis knows how to make -it, if anybody does." - -But the colonel and the squire refused impatiently, and by dint of -nagging and voluble persuasion they got Captain Sam started, and the -three went down to the shore. - -The news had spread abroad by this time,--thanks to the colonel and the -squire,--and quite a number of villagers and cottagers had gathered to -see them off. - -What they said was not complimentary to the worthy two, for the boys, in -spite of their pranks, were universally liked, and the whole village had -not done with praising them for their bravery at the fire. - -"Why don't you go and arrest Jack Harvey and his crew?" cried one of the -villagers. "Looks mighty queer to have them clear out, every one of them, -the morning of the blaze. Dan French, he saw them standing out by his -point early that morning while the fire was blazing its hardest. Reckon -that looks a sight queerer than it does to wait a whole day." - -"Well! Well! I guess they had a hand in it," cried Colonel Witham, as he -stepped into the yacht's tender. "We'll hunt them up, too, later on. They -are all mixed up in it, I've no doubt. Wait till we get the boys we are -after now, and we'll make them confess the whole thing." - -It certainly did look suspicious, this flight from both camps and from -the Warren cottage, just after the fire; and the villagers, however well -disposed they might be in the boys' favour, or however much inclined to -show leniency, could not explain it away. - -"They must have been up to some of their pranks," they said to one -another, "and somehow got the hotel on fire. Colonel Witham must be -right,--and, besides, Squire Brackett says he's got the proof. He must -know something bad, or he would not be so certain." - -And to this conclusion, reluctant as they might be to come to it, there -fitted, in startling corroboration, the coincidence of their being the -first to discover the fire,--the first to give the alarm. - -And the villagers sympathized all the more, for this conclusion, with -Mrs. Warren, as she took the boat for home that morning, bravely keeping -back her tears, and receiving courageously their kindly assurances, -though her heart was breaking. - -The _Nancy Jane_ was a heavy fishing-boat, of the centreboard type, big -and beamy and shallow of build, able to "carry sail" in the worst of -weather, but not so marvellously fast as one might have been led to -believe by the recommendation of her owner. However, it was quite true -that she could overhaul the _Spray_--only give her time enough, and -provided no accident should happen. - -"She's got a bit of water in her," said Captain Sam. "So make yourselves -comfortable, gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable, while I pump her -out. She'll sail faster and point up better with the water out of her, -and we'll all be more comfortable." - -And the colonel and the squire made themselves anything but comfortable, -fretting and fuming at the delay. - -The captain took it leisurely, however, yanked the pump for ten minutes -or more, to the accompaniment of short puffs of his pipe, and then -pronounced her dry as "Dry Ledge at low tide." - -The colonel and the squire were neither of them sailors; so they could -only wait on Captain Sam's pleasure. He finally made sail on the _Nancy -Jane_, got up anchor, brought her "full and by," and they began the long -zigzag chase down the bay in the teeth of the wind. - -The breeze freshened as they drew out of the shelter of the island shore, -and down between the nearer islands Captain Sam could see the line of -breeze show black upon the water. - -"Looks like a right smart blow by afternoon," he said. - -Colonel Witham looked up apprehensively. - -"It doesn't get dangerous, does it?" he asked. - -Captain Sam laughed dryly. - -"Guess you're not much on sailing, colonel, are you?" he asked, by way of -reply. "Bless you! We don't get a dangerous blow in the bay once in a -summer. No, you need not worry about that. There's no danger; but I -wouldn't wonder if we had a bit of a chop-sea when the wind freshens." - -The colonel looked more at ease. - -"No," he said, "I'm no sailor. I manage to make the voyage down the river -to the island, but that is as much seagoing as I have ever wanted, and -this will be my first real ocean experience." - -"Not what you'd hardly call an ocean experience, either," said Captain -Sam, grinning from ear to ear. "No," and he said the words over to -himself as though they afforded him no end of amusement, "a slat to -windward from the point to Gull Island ain't just what one would call an -ocean experience, though it does shake a body up now and then in a blow." - -Dinner-hour came, and they had the _Spray_ well in sight, some miles -ahead and pitching hard. - -"We'll eat a snack," said Captain Sam, who was never so happy and hearty -as when he had his hand on the wheel of the _Nancy Jane_. "Colonel, have -one of Mrs. Curtis's fresh doughnuts, just fried this morning, make you -feel like a schoolboy." - -But the colonel, pale of face, declined. - -"I--I don't seem to feel very hungry just this moment," he stammered. -"Late breakfast, you know. Er--by the way, is it going to blow much -harder, do you think?" - -"No great shakes," responded the captain. "Guess there may be another -capful or two of wind in them 'ere light clouds out yonder. It may -freshen a bit, but that's all right. That's just what we want. The harder -it blows the more the _Spray_ will pitch and get knocked back. It's the -kind of a breeze that the _Nancy Jane_ likes, plenty of wind and a rough -sea. The wind is bound to go down by sunset. It's the way these -southerlies act." - -"By sundown!" groaned the colonel. "That's hours yet, and I'm sure we'll -tip clear over if this boat leans much more." - -"Built to sail on her beam," explained Captain Sam. But at this moment -the _Nancy Jane's_ bow snipped off the whitecap of a roller somewhat -larger than its predecessor, and the spray flew in, drenching the colonel -from head to foot. - -He yelled with terror. "We're upsetting, sure!" he cried. "Let's turn her -about, Captain Sam, while there is time, and start again when it's -lighter." - -"Nonsense!" said Captain Sam, with a grin. "You're a bit shaken up, but -you'll feel better by and by. Just go into the cabin and lie down a -little while. That may make you feel better." - -Perhaps it had been so many years since Captain Sam had experienced the -awful misery of seasickness that he did not realize that the worst thing -the colonel could do was to go down into the dark, damp, musty-smelling -cabin of the old fishing-sloop. Perhaps he really did think that the -colonel would feel better for it. But whatever his motive was, it had a -sudden and deadly effect on Colonel Witham. Indeed, he had scarcely stuck -his head into the stuffy cabin, had certainly no more than gotten fully -within, before he staggered out again, with an agonized expression on his -face, and sank, limp and shivering, to a seat, with his head over the -rail. - -"Oh! Oh!" he groaned. "I think I'm going to die. I'm awfully sick; never -felt so bad in all my life. Can't you put me ashore, Captain -Sam--anywhere, anywhere? I don't care where, even if it is a deserted -island. I'd wait there a week if I could only get on shore." And the -colonel groaned and shivered. - -It was obvious there was no way of going ashore, however, as they were -some miles distant from it. There was nothing for the unhappy colonel to -do but to make the best--or the worst--of it. - -"Cheer up, colonel," said Captain Sam, pulling out the stub of a black -clay pipe, lighting it, and puffing away enjoyably. "I've seen 'em just -as sick as you are one hour, and chipper enough to eat raw pork and climb -the mast the next. You will be feeling fine before long,--won't he, -squire?" - -But as the squire evidently had his doubts in the matter, owing -particularly to the fact that he was not too much at ease himself, his -response was rather faint; and the captain was left to the entertainment -of his own society. He enjoyed himself for the next hour or two with a -sort of monologue, in which he proceeded to analyze audibly the relative -chances of the little yacht ahead and the _Nancy Jane_. - -"They are doing surprisingly well for a small craft in windward work," he -muttered. "They handle her well. Still, the _Nancy Jane_ is eating up on -them. I say about sundown we shall be able to run alongside--Hulloa! If -they are not changing their course to run down the Little Reach! Thought -they knew better than that. Why, it's what they call a 'blind alley' in -the cities. Well, I'm surprised. They know the bay pretty well, too; and, -only to think, they go to running in to a thoroughfare which really is -nothing more than a long cove. They'll fetch up at the end of it in an -hour or two, and there's no way out." - -The captain's voice almost seemed to express disappointment that the -chase should end so tamely. - -"Colonel," he cried. "Squire. It will be all over in a few hours now. -They're running into a trap." - -But the colonel and the squire were beyond interest in the pursuit. - -The yacht _Spray_ had, indeed, started its sheets, and now, with the wind -on its beam, was running off toward a group of small islands, or ledges, -on a course nearly at right angles with that which it had been taking. - -The boys had watched the _Nancy Jane_ anxiously for the last few hours. - -"They are steadily coming up on us," George Warren had said. "Too bad we -could not have got a few hours more start. We might have given them the -slip then when night shut down." - -"But we are not sure that they are after us, are we?" asked young Joe. - -"No, but it looks pretty certain," replied his brother George. "There's -nothing particular to start the _Nancy Jane_ down here, and she is -Captain Sam's boat and he is the town constable." - -"Then what had we better do?" queried Tom. "There is not much use running -away, if we are sure to be caught inside of a few hours. We'd a sight -better turn about and start back, as though we had finished our sail. -That would look less like running away." - -It was noticeable that, having once set out to escape, they accepted the -situation now fully, without more pretence. - -"We have got to decide before long," said Henry Burns. "The _Nancy Jane_ -is overhauling us fast." - -"George," said Arthur Warren, "I know one chance, if you want to try it, -and if you are willing to risk the _Spray_,--and I think it would save -us." - -"What is it, Arthur?" asked George. "If it is any good, I'm for trying -it. I can't see as we have anything great to risk, with a twenty-five -thousand dollar fire charged to us." - -"What is it, Arthur?" exclaimed the others, excitedly. It did not seem -possible there could be any chance of escape open, but they jumped -eagerly at anything that offered a faint hope. - -"Well," said Arthur, in his deliberate manner, "you know the small -opening between Spring and Heron Islands at the foot of Little Reach? -Nobody ever ran a sailboat through there because it's choked up with -ledges. But you remember when the mackerel struck in to the Reach there -last August, we all went down in the _Spray_ for a week's fishing. Well, -one day Joe and I took the tender and worked our way clear through -between Spring and Heron Islands to the bay outside. Now the _Spray_, -with the centreboard up, does not draw very much more water than the -tender, and by dropping the sails and all poling through, I think we can -work her in clear to the other side." - -"We'll try it," said George Warren. "It is the only chance we have, so -we've really no choice." - -And he put the tiller up and threw the _Spray_ off the wind, while Arthur -and Joe started the sheets. It was this sudden manoeuvre which had -startled Captain Sam. - -They soon passed the entrance to Little Reach, two barren ledges shelving -down into the water, and were well down the Reach when Captain Sam and -the _Nancy Jane_ headed into it. - -"There they go," cried Captain Sam, "like an ostrich sticking its head -into the sand. Well, what can you expect of boys, anyway? We'll overhaul -them faster than ever now, because this big mainsail draws two to their -one this way of the wind, and the jibs aren't doing anything to speak of, -the wind varies so in here." - -It was smooth water inside Little Reach, and, as there was now scarcely -any motion to the _Nancy Jane_ as she skimmed along by the quiet shores, -the colonel and the squire began to revive a little, sufficient at least -to regain their interest in the pursuit. - -They were about a mile and a half down the Reach, and the _Spray_, not -quite half a mile ahead, was apparently at the end of her cruise. - -"They are at the end now," cried Captain Sam, whose blood was up when it -came to a race between the _Nancy Jane_ and another, though smaller, -craft. "We've got 'em like mice in a box." - -"By George! look there, colonel--look, squire!" he exclaimed, excitedly. -"They have given it up. There go the sails. It's all over. They may scoot -ashore, but the island on either side is nothing more than a rock. Well, -I vow! But I didn't think they would quit so tamely after a game race." - -"We'll make 'em smart for what we have suffered to-day, eh, colonel?" -growled the squire. - -The colonel grunted assent. He was not yet sufficiently himself to be -very aggressive. - -"What on earth are they doing?" said Captain Sam, a few moments later. -"Looks as though they were trying to hide away among the rocks, like a -mink in a hole. They'll have the _Spray_ aground if they jam her in among -those ledges." - -The _Spray_, however, slipped in among the rocks, and was shut out from -the view of the pursuers. - -"Let 'em hide," said Captain Sam, contemptuously. "That is a boyish -trick. We'll be up with them now in fifteen minutes." - -But the _Spray_, hidden from view of Captain Sam and the colonel and the -squire, was not running itself upon the rocks nor poking its nose, -ostrich-like, among the ledges. - -The instant the sails were dropped young Joe sprang out on the bowsprit -and lay flat, holding a pole, with which he took soundings as the others -pushed and poled with the sweeps of the yacht. - -They ran the bow gently on to rocks a dozen times, but a warning yell -from Joe stopped them, and they turned and twisted and wormed and worried -their way in among the ledges, turning about where a larger craft would -have had no room to turn, and slipping over reefs that just grazed the -bottom of the little _Spray_, and which with two inches lower tide would -have held them fast. - -"It's just the right depth of water," said Arthur, exultantly. "Luck is -with us this time, for certain. An hour later and we could not have done -it. But we're going through. There is only the bar ahead now. If we clear -that we are free of everything." - -Just ahead, where two thin spits of sand ran off on either end of the two -islands into shoal water, was a narrow, shallow passage, where the water -was so clear that it looked scarcely more than a few inches in depth, as -it rippled over the bar. - -"All out!" cried Arthur, as the _Spray_ grated gently on the bottom, "We -will lighten her all we can," and they sprang overboard into water -scarcely above their knees. - -"Now, Joe," said Arthur, "you and Henry take the head-line out over the -bows and go ahead and pull for all you are worth. George and I will get -alongside and push, and keep her in the channel, and Tom and Bob can get -aft and push. We have got to rush her over that shallow place, and we -must not let her stop, for if she once hangs in the centre we cannot -budge her. The _Spray_ is not a ninety-footer, but she's got enough pig -iron in her for ballast to hold her high and dry if she once sticks." - -The boys seized hold quickly, and the _Spray_, lightened of her load, -slid along, at first sluggishly, and then gathering speed, as the twelve -strong, brown, boyish arms pulled and tugged and pushed. - -"Jump her, now, boys! Jump her!" cried Arthur, as they neared the shoal. -"We're doing it. Don't let her stop, now! Oh, she mustn't stop! We've got -to put her over or die." - -And the little _Spray_ seemed to feel the thrill and joy of freedom -throughout its timbers; for at the words it surged forward with a rush, -as though it would take the bar at a flying leap. The white sands reached -up from the bottom, and the whole bar seemed to be rising up to hold the -boat prisoner, as the water shoaled. But the little _Spray_ kept on. - -It hung for one brief, breathless moment almost balanced on the middle of -the bar, and the white sands thought they had it fast; but the next -moment it slid gently from their grasp, gave a sort of spring as it felt -itself slipping free, and the next moment rode easily in clear water, -just over the bar. - -The next instant six exultant boys, their faces blazing with excitement -and exertion, had scrambled aboard, falling over one another in their -eagerness to seize the halyards. - -They hoisted the sails on the _Spray_ again in a way that would have made -Captain Sam himself sing their praises, and now, with evening coming on, -there was just enough breeze left in among the rocks to waft them gently -along out of the inlet. - -They watched breathlessly, as they neared the entrance to the outer bay, -for a glimpse of the _Nancy Jane_; but the _Nancy Jane_, good boat though -she was, was just a moment too late. Scarcely had they turned the little -bluff and were hidden behind it, on their way whither they might choose, -when the _Nancy Jane_ rounded to at the entrance to the channel. - -"It's all done," Captain Sam had exclaimed, as he threw the wheel of the -_Nancy Jane_ over and came up into the wind, but when he looked to see -the _Spray_, she was not there. Not so much as a scrap of a sail nor the -merest fragment of a hull, absolutely nothing. - -Captain Sam was so dumfounded he could only gasp and stare vacantly at -the place where, by all rights, the _Spray_ ought to be. - -The colonel and the squire, who had no preconceived ideas about the -passage between the islands, solved the problem at once; but not so the -captain. - -"They've gone through there, you idiot," exclaimed the squire, growing -red in the face. "Where else can they be? They can't fly, can they?" - -The captain groaned, as one whose pride had been cruelly smitten. - -"To think," he muttered, "that I've sailed these waters, man and boy, for -forty years, only to be fooled by a parcel of schoolboys from the city. -Why, every boy in Southport knows you can't run a sailboat through -between Heron and Spring Islands. There ain't enough water there at high -tide to drown a sheep." - -"Well, it seems they got through easy enough," answered the colonel. - -"That's it! That's it!" responded the captain, warmly. "They do say as -how fools rush in where angels don't durst to go, and sometimes the fools -blunder through all right. And here's these boys gone and done what I'd a -sworn a million times couldn't be done." - -"Yes, and we probably can get through, too, if we only go ahead and try, -instead of lying here like jellyfish," exclaimed the squire. "Cap'n Sam, -seems as though you weren't so dreadful anxious to catch up with them -youngsters as you might be. P'r'aps you might have told Mrs. Warren back -there a few things that might explain this 'ere delay." - -"Yes, and if them boys can go through there, I, for one, don't see what's -to hinder us," chimed in the colonel. "Cap'n Sam, I don't see what we're -a-hanging back for." - -And so, his pride humbled, and too mortified to stand by his own better -judgment, Captain Sam reluctantly yielded to their importunities, and -pointed the nose of the _Nancy Jane_ in toward the opening amid the -rocks. - -"It can't be done," he said, doggedly, "but if you say that I am not -trying to do my duty as a sworn officer of the town, I'll just show you. -Only don't blame me if we're hung up here hard and fast for twelve -hours." - -The _Nancy Jane_, like a horse that is being driven into danger that it -somehow apprehends, seemed almost intelligent in its reluctance to enter -the stretch of reef-strewn water. It bumped and scraped its way from one -rock to another, balked at this ledge and that, and, finally, after an -extra amount of pushing and pulling by the three men, jammed itself fast -on a reef studded with barnacles and snail-shells, and refused to budge -one way or another. In vain they tried to bulldoze and cajole, to push -and to pull, to plead with and to denounce the obstinate _Nancy Jane_. -Stolid and deaf alike to entreaty and expostulation, the boat squatted -down upon the reef like an ugly fat duck, comfortably disposed for the -night and refusing to be disturbed. - -"I told you so!" roared the captain, now aroused to his rights as -skipper, and finding himself thus exasperatingly vindicated as to the -impassability of the channel. "We're hung up fast for the night, for the -next twelve hours, till next flood. Then, if Lem Cobb is living in his -fishing-shack on Spring Island, and will lend us a hand and a few pieces -of joist to pry with, mebbe we'll get off, and mebbe we won't." - -The colonel and the squire boiled inwardly; but as it was apparent they -had only themselves to blame, they felt it useless to engage in -discussion with the indignant captain. So they wisely remained silent, -and left him to consume his wrath alone. - -"Well," he said, finally, "I for one am curious to see just where those -young rascals are; and if you're of the same mind you can satisfy your -curiosity by coming ashore with me." And the captain waded off to the -rocks of Spring Island and clambered up the bank, closely followed by the -colonel and the squire. - -"There they go, slipping along as slick as eels," exclaimed the captain, -as he and his panting companions achieved the ascent of the highest bit -of rock on Spring Island and looked down the bay. "They're off down among -the islands," he continued, "and here we stand like natural-born idiots -and bite our fingers. If ever I get into a mess like this again, I'll -resign my office of constable and hire out to Noddy Perkins for a -clam-digger." But the colonel and the squire, too angry and chagrined for -words, stayed not to listen to the captain's denunciation. - -They turned and walked rapidly in the direction of the fishing-shack, the -only shelter the island afforded; while the captain, standing out in -relief upon the rock, like some disappointed Napoleon, was the last -solitary object that the boys saw as, looking astern from the _Spray_, -the little island faded from their view into the twilight. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - AMONG THE ISLANDS - - -The yacht _Spray_, with six jubilant boys aboard, sailed slowly away from -Heron and Spring Islands, shaping its course for a group of outer islands -of some considerable size, about two miles away. It was nearly seven -o'clock, but the southerly breeze had not wholly died with the going down -of the sun, and the tide, which had just begun to ebb, was favourable. - -"I think we can get across to-night," said George Warren. "This wind is -going to hold for some hours yet and maybe all night; and we know our way -into Cold Harbour at any hour of the twenty-four. I don't think Captain -Sam will start to run out of the Little Reach at all to-night, for when -the tide drops there are some bad ledges all along that thoroughfare, -and, besides, he won't want to run the risk of drifting out here in the -bay, in case the wind should drop. We shall have twelve hours start of -him, anyway, and once among the islands we can keep out of sight for -days." - -"I'd have given something to see the colonel and the squire when they -found we had slipped away from them at the very moment they thought they -had us," said young Joe. "Didn't they look funny, standing up there on -the rock, watching us sail away?" - -"Captain Sam has my sympathy," said Henry Burns, dryly, and the very -thought of the disappointed trio arguing it out together sent the boys -into fits of laughter. They fairly rolled over on the seats and hugged -one another. - -"It's the richest joke of the season," said young Joe. - -And so, for the time being, in their elation, the consciousness that they -were runaways, fleeing from possible arrest, was forgotten. The stars -came out, and a lighthouse far and near gave them their course. The water -gleamed with phosphorescence, and the yacht _Spray_ left a wake of -gleaming silver and gold and flashing jewels. By and by the moon came up -out of the sea and threw a radiant path across the waters, and the -islands ahead stood out in huge black shadow. - -It was glorious sailing, with the soft summer night air blowing in their -faces; and they sang as they sailed, and yo-hoed all the sea choruses -they knew, and felt so free and irresponsible that the yacht _Spray_, as -though it absorbed some of their spirit, rolled along in a merry, -swinging fashion, rocking gently from billow to billow, dipping and -tossing in time to the music. - -The still shores of Eagle Island rang with their songs as they rounded to -in Cold Harbour somewhere near midnight, and came to anchor close to -shore in the deep water, within the shadow of the hemlocks that rose up, -tall and black, almost from the water's edge, where the tide swashed -gently against the rocks. High up in the thick branches of the great -trees some fish-hawks, startled by the unwonted noise, rose up from their -nests and uttered shrill, piercing screams of fright. And this was their -only welcome, for on all the island there was no other sign of life. - -"It's fairly certain they won't pursue us to-night," said George. "But it -won't do to be caught napping. We've got to set watch regularly every -night now, and we might as well begin to-night. Somebody's got to walk -out on the point of rocks yonder and look out for sails. Two will be -enough till morning. We will split the time from now till six into two -three-hour watches." - -"I'll begin it," said Bob. - -"My next," said Tom, not to be outdone by his chum. - -Bob rowed ashore in the little tender, and set off at once for a point of -rocks some half-mile distant, which commanded a view of the bay. The -others were sound asleep by the time he was half-way there. - -When Tom awoke, about seven hours later, it was broad daylight and the -sun was streaming into the hatchway. He scrambled out in a hurry as Bob's -voice hailed him from the deck. - -"Hulloa! Hulloa!" came the voice. "Are you fellows going to sleep all -day?" - -"Why didn't you come back and rouse me to take my turn?" asked Tom, -reproachfully. - -"Well, I wasn't sleepy," answered Bob, "and it grew light soon, and I got -to watching a mink fishing for his family, and carrying cunners to them -along the rocks, and I thought I'd let you sleep. It's tough to wake up, -you know, when one has just dropped off. Come on, we'll take a swim now. -The water is fine." - -Tom bared a muscular young form, and he and Bob dived off the rail of the -_Spray_, making such a splashing and commotion in the water and bellowing -so like young sea-lions, that the others gave up trying to turn over for -another nap, and came sprawling out of the cabin, diving overboard, one -after another, to join them. Then they had a race ashore, which was won -by Tom, with Bob and Henry Burns a close second; after which they lay on -the beach sunning themselves, and then swam back to the yacht for -breakfast. - -"There's not a sail in sight, and the whole bay is as smooth as glass," -Bob had announced on his arrival; and, as not a breath of wind was yet -stirring, there was no need of setting watch for the present. So they all -sat down to hot coffee and griddle-cakes, and ate like wolves. - -After breakfast they went ashore to explore the island, roaming about -like young savages, leaving their clothing piled in a heap in the tender. -Every now and then, as the humour seized them, they raced down to the -shore, wherever they were, ran along on the fine white beaches, and -cooled themselves in the clear, still water. - -They had it all to themselves, for nobody lived on this small island, the -fishermen on the mainland or neighbouring larger islands coming over in -the late summer only, to cut the grass and make the hay. - -Then they went back to the tender and dressed, and Henry Burns, daunted -at nothing, tried to climb one of the giant hemlocks to a fish-hawk's -nest, but gave it up when the birds screamed in his ears and beat at him -with their powerful wings. - -They had dug some clams at the low tide in the forenoon and put them -away, covered with wet seaweed. Now, shortly after their noon luncheon, -as the tide flooded, they got out the lines from a locker in the _Spray_ -and tried the fishing in Cold Harbour. There were plenty of small harbour -fish, flounders out in the middle where the water was muddy, and cunners -and small rock-cod in among the ledges. They soon caught a basket of -these, cleaned them, and put them away, covered with seaweed, like the -clams. - -Then, toward the end of the afternoon, as the bay was still calm, they -set out along the shore and gathered driftwood, which they threw in a -great pile on a flat, clean ledge. As supper-time came, they set this -heap afire and let it burn for an hour or two, until the great flat ledge -was at a white heat. Then they made a broom of some branches of hemlock, -and swept the ledge clean of ashes, and brought the clams and poured them -out on the ledge, covering them all with clean, damp seaweed till there -rose clouds of steam, and, after a time, an appetizing odour. - -The fish they cooked in much the same way, wrapping them in big green -leaves and setting them upon the hot stones to bake. - -Then, as evening came on, they built the fire anew close by, for a fire -is the cheeriest of companions in a strange place, and sat feasting on -steamed clams and fish, with a great pot of coffee filling all the air -with a most delicious fragrance. They lolled about the fire and ate, till -even slim Henry Burns said he felt like an alderman. They told stories by -the firelight, and stretched out at ease till sleep nearly overtook them -as they lay there; for the day had been brimful of exertion. By and by, -long after the stars were out, and a gentle breeze from the south, coming -up softly from among the islands, just rippled the water, they rowed out -to the _Spray_, Tom returning ashore again to begin the night's watch. - -Then, later in the night, came George Warren's turn to watch, and he -stayed it out till morning, for, with all the fun of the day, there was -something that would keep turning over and over in his brain, and which -took away the sleepy feeling and left in its stead a feeling of -unhappiness; a sense of something wrong. His father would have said it -was conscience, but George wrestled long and hard through the morning -hours to avoid recognizing it as that, for conscience would say, if -recognized, that it was all wrong, what they were doing,--and George -Warren wanted to think he was having a good time. - -These moody thoughts began to dissipate, however, with the coming of the -warm golden glow in the east; and when the sun was at length up, and the -boys had had their morning swim, and sat about a fire awaiting breakfast, -George Warren seemed himself again. - -But the breakfast was rudely interrupted by a series of whoops from young -Joe, who had taken his brother's place on guard at the end of the point -of rocks, and who now came running down alongshore, crying out that there -was a sail that looked like the _Nancy Jane_ coming out from around the -islands across the bay, and they all raced back to have a look at it. - -"It's the _Nancy Jane_, sure enough," said Henry Burns. "It's her big -mainsail, with the high peak. She's making slow headway, though, with -this breath of wind. However, we shall have to be off at once, if we are -going to try to escape." - -It was noticeable that Henry Burns said "if." - -However, as no one felt like proposing to give up, they lost no time in -getting aboard the _Spray_, and had sail on and the anchor up in what -Captain Sam would have called a jiffy. Heading out into the open bay that -lay between them and the outer islands, they bade good-bye to Cold -Harbour and began a long, slow beat to windward, in the light breeze. - -"There's more wind coming, down between the islands," said Bob. "There's -a line of breeze about two miles to the southward, and we shall catch it -a good half-hour before the _Nancy Jane_." - -"That's so; it will give us a fine start," said Arthur. - -But, somehow, no one seemed wildly enthusiastic over their prospects. -However, as they caught the fresher breeze, and the little _Spray_ stood -stiffly up into it and ate away to windward, their spirits rose. Then, as -the islands came plainly into view and they drew nearer and nearer to the -first, big Saddle Island, with its low range of little hills dropping -down in the centre in the shape of a horse's back, the excitement became -intense; for the _Nancy Jane_ had not rounded the point of Eagle Island, -and it seemed as though they might be out of sight behind Saddle Island -before they could be seen by those aboard the pursuing yacht. - -"Go it, old _Spray_! Good little boat!" cried young Joe, as the yacht -glided swiftly up into the shadow of the island. "We're going to make it, -and, once behind old Saddle, who's to know which way we have gone?" - -"Five minutes more of this sailing, and we shall fool Captain Sam once -more," said Bob. - -The five minutes were nearly up. They had but another leg to run to round -the head of Saddle Island. They stood out till they had one and all -declared that they could clear it on the next tack; they were all ready -to go about. George Warren stood with one hand on the tiller and the -other ready to grasp the main-sheet. Joe and Arthur Warren were waiting -impatiently to trim the jib-sheets, and then--and then George Warren took -their breaths away. - -All at once he jammed the tiller over, threw the _Spray_ clear off the -wind, let the main-sheet run, and before they scarcely knew what had -happened, instead of standing in to round the head of Saddle Island, the -little _Spray_ was running dead before the wind and heading squarely back -for the point around which the _Nancy Jane_ must soon come in sight. - -It was so quickly done that at first they thought there was some mistake, -and Arthur and Joe and Bob rushed to the stern to help bring her around -again; but George Warren, with a firm, set look on his face, stood them -off. - -"Oh, I say, George, you're not going to give it up now, are you?" cried -young Joe, who had been in high spirits not a moment before. - -"That's what," responded his brother, quietly. "I've thought it all out -at last, and I've come to the conclusion we are doing the cowardly thing -to run away. We have got to face the thing, and we may as well do it -first as last. Besides, we didn't set out to run away when we started." - -"That's a fact," said Tom. "We have sort of drifted into this running -away business without realizing what we were doing. Now the best thing we -can do is to go back and have it out with Colonel Witham." - -"It's not Colonel Witham that I hate to face," said George. "It's father -and mother. And the part they'll feel worst about is that we did not stay -and talk it over with them." - -"That's so," added Arthur. "What a lot of loons we were to come down -here." - -"Shall I pull the centreboard up?" asked Henry Burns. - -"You bet!" answered George Warren. "And we'll take a leaf out of your -book, Henry, and we won't worry over what cannot be helped. We're doing -the right thing now, anyway, so there's that much to feel good about." - -"There's the _Nancy Jane_," said Henry Burns. - -Sure enough, Captain Sam's pride was just turning the point, and Captain -Sam, looking at the _Spray_ coming down free and pointing its nose right -at him, could hardly believe his eyes. - -"It's them, all right," he assured the squire and the colonel. "They are -coming back; tired of being runaways, I guess. Well, I thought they would -get sick of it after a night or two away from home. They ain't the kind -of boys to enjoy running away." - -"Humph!" snorted the colonel. - -"They're a lot of young scamps and scapegraces," snarled the squire. - -Getting aground and spending a night in a bed that the colonel swore was -stuffed with pig iron and seaweed had not improved their tempers. - -"Well, anyhow," responded Captain Sam, "they are coming back of their own -accord, and that is something in their favour." - -The colonel and the squire only sneered. - -Meanwhile the little _Spray_ came running down the wind in merry style, -and the end of the next hour found her swinging up into the wind, with -sails flapping, while the _Nancy Jane_ ran alongside. - -The colonel and the squire were at last avenged. - -Full of wrath was the one, and brimming with wrathful satisfaction was -the other. - -"So we have caught you at last, have we?" exclaimed Squire Brackett. - -"We seem to have sort of caught ourselves, squire," answered George -Warren. - -"Well, never mind about being smart," said the colonel, hotly. "You are -under arrest for burning my hotel down. Perhaps that will take some of -the smartness out of you." - -"Under arrest!" George Warren's face paled. "It isn't right," he added. -"We didn't do it nor have any hand in it." - -"Guess you won't attempt to deny that you were in the billiard-room, will -you?" broke in Squire Brackett. "Because, bein' as I saw you all in -there, it might not do you any good to swear as how you wasn't." - -"Don't you dare accuse us of trying--" But young Joe got no further. - -"Be quiet, Joe," said George Warren, calmly. And then, turning to the -colonel, he said: - -"We are not going to deny anything, Colonel Witham. That is why we are -coming back of our own accord. We have got nothing to conceal, and we are -going to tell everything just as it happened." - -"That is just about what we are arresting you for," said the squire, -sneeringly. "We calculate you'll have to tell everything." - -"Hold on there a minute, squire," cried Captain Sam. "Let's not be too -hard on these boys. There may be some mistake, as they say. I hold these -'ere warrants, and I don't see as there is any necessity of serving of -'em just yet. If these boys will give me their word to go along straight -as they can sail for Mayville, and agree to appear when wanted before -Judge Ellis, why, I guess maybe the warrants will keep till--say, just as -we go in the door. Or perhaps Judge Ellis will consent that they come -before him of their own accord, without serving these warrants at all, -considering as they are only boys." - -It is needless to say that Captain Sam's legal experience was of the most -limited sort. - -"Bully for you, Captain Sam!" cried Bob. "You're a brick,--and you won't -regret it." And a yell of thanks from the others gave Captain Sam a warm -glow under his blue shirt. - -The squire and the colonel were loud and furious in their denunciation of -such a course. - -"It's against the law," cried the colonel; and he vowed he would make it -hot for Captain Sam when Judge Ellis found his orders were not obeyed. -But Captain Sam knew better than they of the warm corner in the judge's -heart, and knew, moreover, that his old friend of years, the judge, would -never reprimand him for a breach of duty of this sort. So he shut his -lips firmly and let the squire and the colonel boil away as best they -might between themselves. - -The captain shortened sail on the _Nancy Jane_, so that the two boats -kept along near together, heading back for Southport. - -It was a sorry crew aboard the _Spray_ as the little craft silently -followed in the wake of the _Nancy Jane_. They might have been in -dreamland as they sailed all that day, for scarcely a word was spoken; -and when night dropped down and the boys, all but George Warren, piled -into the cabin to sleep, it was scarcely more quiet than by day. - -Very late that night, as the _Spray_ and the _Nancy Jane_ ran into -Southport harbour and brought up for a few moments alongside the wharf, -to let a serious-looking man, and a tearful woman aboard, the boys were -still sleeping soundly; and George Warren and his father and mother sat -alone together till the sun rose, while the _Spray_, following the _Nancy -Jane_, ran along up the island and then stood across to Mayville, where -Judge Ellis would hold his court that morning. - -"I don't need you to make any denial about the fire," Mr. Warren had -said, when he stepped aboard the _Spray_ and put his hand on his eldest -son's shoulder. "I know you boys would not do such a thing as that; but I -fear your recklessness has gotten you into serious trouble, and Colonel -Witham seems inclined to press the matter to the extreme. So I want to -hear everything from beginning to end." - -And George Warren told him all. - - -There was another boat coming sluggishly up the bay that night, far -astern of the _Spray_, a handsome big sloop, beautifully modelled and -with finely tapered, shining yellow spars. But she carried little sail, -was reefed, in fact, though the breeze was very light; and she moved -through the water so like a dead thing, or like a creature crippled by a -wound, that a sailor would have seen at once that there had been some -mishap aboard, some injury to hull or spars that held her back. - -The youth at the wheel of this strange, big sloop bore a striking -resemblance to Jack Harvey, though the yacht was not the _Surprise_, but -bigger and far more elegant. And the crew--yes, they were surely Harvey's -crew--George and Allan and Tim and Joe,--and they addressed the boy at -the wheel as "Jack." - -And the _Surprise_--where was she? - -Four days had passed since, on that morning following the fire, the -_Surprise_ had turned the point of the island that marked an entrance to -the thoroughfare where, a half-mile to leeward, a big black sloop was -coming fast up the wind. - -"There he is!" Harvey had cried. "Come, boys, get into shape now; but -stay below till I give the word,--all but you, Joe,--and when I yell you -pile out and get aboard that sloop the quickest you ever did anything in -all your lives. He will fight, and we have got to act quick." - -If the thick-set, ill-visaged man who sat at the wheel of the black sloop -felt any concern at the sudden appearance of this new craft, dead ahead -and coming down the narrow thoroughfare toward him, his alarm must have -abated as on its near approach the apparent number of its occupants -became disclosed. - -"She looks harmless enough," he muttered, between his teeth. "Pshaw! -There's only a couple of boys aboard. But it did give me a start for a -moment." And he slapped a hand at his jacket pocket. - -"He's taking long chances, if he did but know it," said Harvey, as the -big sloop came about after a tack close in shore. "That boat cannot more -than clear those ledges by an inch, if it does that. It's a regular stone -field where he's sailing. The channel here winds like a cow-path in a -pasture. However, if he can clear there, we can, so we'll begin to crowd -him." - -It was no easy matter now to close in on a boat beating across the -thoroughfare and not arouse suspicion. To follow him, tack by tack, and -point so as to head him off every time he went about, must inevitably put -him on his guard long before the time came to strike, and might even -allow him, by clever sailing, to slip by. - -With his cap pulled down over his eyes, so that the stranger could not by -any chance identify him as the youth he had knocked down in the pasture -the night of the fire, and his head bent low, Jack Harvey watched the -man's every move, and calculated every inch of the way. - -"Three more tacks will bring him up to us," he said. "And there's shoal -water to starboard and some ledges just beyond them. He's got to meet us -about in that spot," and Harvey laid his own course according to his -calculation and held to it steadily. - -It must have served to allay the man's suspicions, if he still had any, -but now, as he came about on the third tack, he viewed the oncoming -_Surprise_ with anger. - -"Keep away, there!" he cried, in a fierce, violent tone. "Keep off! Can't -you see you're going to foul me if you don't keep off?" - -"Ready to jump, now, Joe," said Harvey, in a low voice. "I'm going to run -him down. It's the only way to be sure, though it may wreck us. - -"Fellows," he called, softly, to the boys below, "all ready, now. You -know what you've got to do the moment she strikes." - -The man at the wheel had risen to his feet, and he shook one fist -threateningly, while his other hand clutched the wheel, throwing his -sloop off as far as he could. - -"Curse you!" he cried. "You're running me down. Keep off, I say, or I'll -blow your stupid head off your shoulders." - -The next moment Harvey, with a sudden turn of the tiller, threw the -_Surprise_ full tilt at the oncoming sloop. There was a sharp crash of -splintering wood, the tearing of head-sails, and a shock that shook the -yachts from keel to topmast, as the _Surprise_ rammed the big black sloop -just by the foremast stays, snapping her own bowsprit short off and -making an ugly hole in her own planking. - -Leaping just as the boats crashed, and holding a coil of rope on his arm, -Joe Hinman landed on the top of the big sloop's cabin in the very midst -of the confusion. A moment more and he had made a few quick turns about -the mast, lashing the two yachts fast together at the moment when Harvey, -followed by the rest of his crew, who came swarming out of the cabin, -sprang aboard the strange sloop. - -"I'll shoot the first boy that steps a foot on this boat," cried the man; -but the words were scarce out of his mouth before they were upon him. He -had been in danger before and knew how to make the most of his chances, -and he stood, desperate but cool, as they made their rush. - -There was a shot, and Jack Harvey, who was leading, gave a cry of pain, -for a bullet just grazed his left shoulder. He stumbled and fell full at -the feet of the man as another shot was fired and young Tim thought his -right hand was gone. - -The next moment Harvey had the man by the legs, while Allan Harding and -George Baker and Joe made a rush for him. The man fell heavily, Joe -Hinman clinging with both hands to one wrist, so that he could not fire -again. They rolled over and over in the cockpit for a moment, the boys -and he. Twice the man got to his knees and twice they dragged him down -again; till, at length, young Tim, whose hand was not shot away, but only -slightly wounded, managed to run in and deal the man a blow with the end -of an oar, which stunned him for a moment, so that they got him flat and -had bound the loose end of a halyard about him before he came fully to -his senses. Then, as they proceeded to complete the job and tie him fast, -hand and foot, he recognized Harvey for the first time. - -"Hulloa!" he exclaimed. "Why, where have I seen you before? You're not -the chap in the pasture, are you?" - -"The same," said Harvey. - -"Well, the game's up," said the man, coolly. "'Twas a mistake, and I knew -it the moment after I had done it. I was a fool to hit you that night. -It's my temper, that's what has beat me. It gets away from me sometimes. -I dare say if I had gone along about my business you wouldn't have -followed me, eh?" - -"Probably not," answered Harvey. "That is why I am glad you knocked me -down," and then, taking a quick glance over the side of the boat, he -cried: - -"Joe! Allan! George! Out with the sweeps, lively! We're going aground." - -Harvey sprang to the wheel, hauling in on the main-sheet as he did so. - -But it was too late. There was a gentle shock that shook the sloop from -end to end, a dull, grating sound, and the next moment the big sloop -rested firmly on a jagged rock of the reach, listing as she hung, and -wrenching the bilge so that she made water rapidly. - -"Whew!" cried Harvey. "Here's a mess. We're wrecked, and badly, too. How -in the world are we ever going to get out of this?" - -It was, indeed, a serious problem. The _Surprise_, her bow planks ripped -open by the collision, had sunk within a few minutes, and now lay on -bottom, with her deck covered. The big sloop, hard aground and full of -iron ballast, was not a thing to be moved easily. - -"This is a scrape and no mistake," said Harvey. "Here we are, where a -boat may pick us up in a day or a week, but more likely not for a week. -We've got our man, but the reefs have got us. Well, we have got to figure -out some way to get out of it ourselves." - -But first they took account of their wounds, which had, now that the -excitement was over, begun to sting and smart. They found that neither -Harvey's nor Tim's wound was at all serious, mere surface flesh-wounds. -The back of young Tim's hand was bare of skin for the length of three -inches across, and Harvey's shoulder bled badly till it was cleansed and -bandaged, but it was the price of victory, and they accounted it cheap. -All of them had honourable scars of battle, bruises and scratches without -number, and every one of them was proud of his, and wouldn't have had one -less for the world. - -Taking their prisoner, securely bound, they all rowed ashore to survey -their surroundings, build a fire and get breakfast, and make plans for -getting away. - -"There's only one thing to be done," said Harvey, after they had finished -breakfast and sat by the shore, surveying the wrecks of the yachts. "The -_Surprise_ is done for. We can't raise her. But the big sloop is not so -badly hurt but what we can repair her, if we can only float her. The -first thing we have got to do, when the tide goes out, is to get all that -pig iron out of her, and that's a day's job, at the least. Then we may -beach her at high tide and patch her up. It's a big contract, though." - -That day they brought the spare sails of the sloop ashore and pitched a -tent with them; and, when the tide was low enough for them to work, they -began the hard labour of lightening the big sloop of its ballast. - -They worked all that tide like beavers, and by night the yacht was light. -They camped on shore that night, standing watch by turns over their -prisoner. - -The next day at low water they found the worst of the leaks in the sloop, -and made shift to patch them up temporarily with strips of canvas tacked -on and daubed with paint, which they found in the sloop's locker, and by -recaulking some of the seams with oakum. By the next high tide, with hard -pumping, she was sufficiently lightened to float clear of the reef, -though still leaking badly, and they got her around to a clear, steeply -shelving strip of beach, where they rested her more easily when the tide -fell, and so could work on the repairs to better advantage. - -Another night in camp ashore, and the next day they floated the sloop off -again at high tide and loaded about half of her ballast in again. - -"That will keep her right side up till we can get back to Southport," -said Harvey. "I think we can make it, if we carry short sail, so as not -to strain her and open up those places where we have patched her. We will -try it, anyway, for I have half an idea that our running off so soon -after the fire may have made talk about us, and the quicker we get back -and put an end to that the better." - -So that afternoon they began their voyage home again, looking very -serious as the mast of the yacht _Surprise_, sticking out of water, faded -from their view, but swelling with pride and satisfaction as they peered -in now and then at a form that lay secure on one of the cabin bunks. - -They sailed all that night, for the breeze held fair and light, and by -daybreak of the following morning they came into the harbour of -Southport. - -Harvey and Joe Hinman rowed ashore, soon after they came to their old -moorings off the camp, to see how the land lay; but came back on the run -in about twenty minutes, and made the water boil as they rowed out to the -yacht. - -"We're off for Mayville," cried Harvey. "We'll put on more sail, too, if -it pulls the bottom out of her. Why, what do you think! Who's arrested -for the fire?" - -And he told the news, to the amazement of young Tim and George Baker and -Allan Harding. - -"I've got a score to pay to Tom Harris and Bob White," he exclaimed. - -"Why, they saved your life, Jack," said young Tim. - -"That's what," said Harvey. "I owe them one for that. Here's a chance to -get square, if we can only make it in time." - -"And only to think," muttered the man in the cabin, as he looked out at -the stalwart but boyish figure at the wheel, "that I had that young -fellow in the same boat with me at night in the middle of Samoset Bay! -Well, if I had only done as I set out to, then, I wouldn't be here now, -that's all. But how is a man to look ahead so far?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE TRIAL - - -What one man knew in Mayville was every man's property. Gossip always -spread through the town like wildfire. So it happened that on the morning -of the arrival of the _Nancy Jane_ and the _Spray_ there was a buzzing -and a shaking of heads and a wagging of tongues; and before long the -whole town knew that something of vast importance was about to take place -up at Squire Ellis's court. - -"It's those young fellows that set the hotel afire over across at -Southport," said a certain tall, gaunt individual, who happened to be the -centre of an excited group on one of the street corners, near the town -pump. "I hear as how Squire Barker is going to defend them, but they do -say he's got no case, because I heard Lem Stevens say as he heard Squire -Brackett declare he saw them young chaps down in the billiard-room of the -hotel along about midnight, and the fire started pretty quick after -that." - -"Well, guess they'll catch it if Squire Brackett is on their trail," -volunteered another of the group. "He ain't given to showing kindness to -anybody, much less to a lot of firebugs." - -"I don't believe they ever done it, anyway," ventured a third. "They -don't seem like that kind, from all I can learn, and they do say as how -they pitched in and saved a lot of Colonel Witham's boarders from being -burned in their beds, when the flames was a-spreadin' fast." - -And so the gossip waged, this way and that, while impatient knots of -idlers hung around the entrance to Squire Ellis's court, waiting for ten -o'clock, when proceedings should begin. - -Shortly before the old town clock beat out the ten solemn strokes that -proclaimed the formal sitting of justice, a whisper ran along the line of -loiterers, "Here he comes. It's the judge." And that person of great -importance, a short, thick-set man, with a quick, nervous step, an -energetic, sharp manner, but, withal, a kindly eye, entered the -court-room. The next moment the clock announced his punctuality. - -The crowd swarmed into the court-room, stuffy and hot enough already, and -the air vibrated with expectancy. - -Proceeding up the long village street at this moment was a little group, -headed by Captain Sam, not wholly unimpressed with the importance of his -own part in the affair, the boys and Mrs. Warren following, and, not far -in the rear, the colonel and the squire. Just as they reached the -court-room door, Captain Sam halted the little party for a moment, and, -not without reluctance, said: "Well, boys, I suppose I'll have to serve -these 'ere warrants before we go inside. I'm free to say I'm sorry to do -it, but they're the orders of this 'ere honourable court, and they must -be obeyed by me, a sworn officer of the law." - -And having disposed of this somewhat painful formality, Captain Sam -opened the door and the party were in court. - -Presently they were joined by Squire Barker, a sober, elderly, -clerical-looking lawyer, dressed in a somewhat rusty suit of black, -serious-minded, whose lugubrious manner was not calculated to infuse a -spirit of cheer into hearts that were sinking. - -The county attorney, who was to conduct the case for the people of the -State, a youthful attorney, of comparatively recent admission to -practice, bustled about as became a functionary with the burden of an -important matter upon his shoulders. - -The court-room, save for the buzzing of innumerable flies upon the -uncleaned window-panes, was still as a church when His Honour announced -that the court was now open for whatsoever matters the county attorney -had to bring before it. - -After the usual formality of acquainting His Honour officially of the -matter in hand, which matter His Honour was already as much acquainted -with as a thousand and one busy tongues of gossip could make him, the -likewise formal answer of "Not guilty" was returned, and, without further -delay, Colonel Witham was called to the stand. - -The colonel, fully awake to his opportunity, took the stand rather -pompously, thrust a well-filled, expansive waistband to the front, whence -there dangled from a waistcoat pocket a ponderous gold chain, plentifully -adorned with trinkets, in the handling of which, as he testified, a large -seal ring on a finger of his right hand was ostentatiously displayed. - -Yes,--in answer to questions,--he was the lessee of the Bayview Hotel on -the 10th of September last, on which day it was burned to the ground; -and, if he did say it, there was no better conducted hotel along the -shores of Samoset Bay. - -Suggestion by His Honour that he please answer the questions as put, and -reserve his own personal opinions and convictions to himself, received by -the colonel with evident surprise and some little loss of dignity. - -Then the colonel detailed, so far as he knew them, the events of the -night of the fire; how he was first aroused by the cry of "Fire!" and how -the first persons he encountered--within his very hotel, in fact--were -the accused; how the smoke was even then pouring up from the basement -windows, and that upon investigation he had found the whole basement -floor to be on fire, so that it was already far beyond control. - -Then there followed a detailed account of the fire, of the destruction of -this section and that, and, finally, the utter collapse and ruin of the -entire structure, with all that it had contained. The colonel did the -scene full justice in his description, making an unmistakable impression -on the minds of the assembled townsfolk. - -Asked if he had seen any suspicious characters in or about the hotel on -the day or night of the fire, the colonel said he had not; nor had any -stranger who had not been subsequently accounted for come ashore from the -steamers on that day. - -Leaving at length the subject of the fire, County Attorney Perkins came -down to the subject of the attempt to serve the warrants upon the boys at -the camp and at the Warren cottage, the failure, the subsequent pursuit -of the boys down the bay in the _Nancy Jane_, and the final surrender of -the yacht _Spray_ in the middle of the bay. - -It was clear that this part of the evidence would have great weight with -the court. After the attorney's questions he put several of his own, -regarding the escape from Little Reach, and whether it must have been -clear to the boys in the yacht that they were being pursued. - -It was this testimony that made Mr. Warren breathe hardest, and put his -hand to his head with a troubled look. - -Squire Barker's cross-examination was brief, but he made two telling -points, which might have their influence. One was, that the boys had been -very brave on the night of the fire, and had undoubtedly saved many -lives. This the colonel reluctantly had to admit. The other, and far more -important point, was the bringing out that early on the morning of the -fire the colonel had seen that the yacht _Surprise_ was absent from her -moorings, whereas the colonel had seen her lying there the afternoon -preceding. - -"Was it not common talk in the village that Harvey and his crew were -missing the very morning after the fire?" inquired Squire Barker. - -"It was," answered the colonel. - -"And did you not see all of the accused about the village for the entire -day following the fire?" - -"Yes." - -There was a buzz in the court-room, which indicated that this point had -told. - -"And is it not true," continued Squire Barker, "that this Jack Harvey and -his crew have not yet returned, are still missing?" - -The colonel said he believed such was the case. - -Asked why he had not secured their arrest, he responded that he felt sure -he was on the right track, as he would prove by his witness, Squire -Brackett. - -And Squire Brackett, nothing loath, was the next witness. Having brought -out, what everybody knew, that the squire was a property owner and a man -of importance in his own village, the county attorney asked: - -"And where were you shortly after midnight on the night of September -10th?" - -"I was passing the Hotel Bayview on my way to the shore." - -"What did you see as you neared the hotel?" - -"I saw a light in the billiard-room window, and went to the window and -looked in." - -"Did you see any one in there?" - -"I did." - -"And who were they?" - -"These accused," and the squire named in turn each of the six boys and -pointed them out in court. - -They, feeling the eyes of all turned toward them, the awful stillness of -the court-room for the moment following the squire's declaration, and -oppressed more than ever by the hot, choking atmosphere of the stuffy -little court, turned white and red by turns, wished that the floor would -open beneath their feet and swallow them, and felt a burning sensation in -their throats as though they were stifling. - -"And how soon did you see flames coming up from the location of the -hotel?" - -"I could not say exactly; it might have been half an hour. I was out in -the bay in my sloop." - -"Had you seen any suspicious characters in the village on that day?" - -"I had not." - -Then the squire also recounted the events of the pursuit of the yacht -_Spray_, the escape through Little Reach, and the subsequent surrender of -the boys. - -From Squire Barker it was brought out, as in the testimony of the -colonel, the fact that after Harvey and his crew in the yacht _Surprise_ -had suddenly set sail on the very morning of the fire, they had not been -seen nor heard of since. This, the squire admitted, was common knowledge -throughout the village. - -Then there came to the stand Captain Sam, standing awkwardly, with a hard -clutch on the rail in front of him, as if he were afraid of the -court-house suddenly dipping and rolling on a breaker and spilling him -overboard. - -No, he had no objection to removing his tobacco in deference to the -Court, and did so; but forgot that august presence before he had been -testifying long, and took another and a bigger chew. - -Did he know the accused? - -Reckoned he did, with a haw-haw that shook the court-room. - -Had he pursued them in his sloop the _Nancy Jane_, in an endeavour to -serve the warrants? - -He had, and they worked their boat like sailors, if he did say it. - -"And were you assisted in your pursuit by Colonel Witham and Squire -Brackett?" - -"Assisted!" drawled Captain Sam, and grinning from ear to ear. "Well, I -dunno how much assisting you'd be pleased to call it, being as they were -sick as a boy that had eaten a peck of green apples, and was sprawling -around in the bottom of the boat like a couple of halibut just catched." - -Which, being pronounced by Captain Sam with the utmost gravity, produced -such a decided impression on the audience of fisher-people and -sailor-folk, that there was a roar throughout the court-room, at which -His Honour announced that any such further interruption would be followed -by the clearing of the room. - -The squire and the colonel turned red in the face and looked rather -foolish, inwardly wishing that Captain Sam was at the bottom of the bay. - -Captain Sam, under further questioning, told again the story of that -afternoon's sailing, mentioning casually that the colonel had requested -to be set ashore when the _Nancy Jane_ was out in the middle of the bay, -which request, as Captain Sam explained, there being no land near by -excepting that straight down under water, he was unable to grant. - -Another titter through the court-room, the colonel and the squire -blushing redder than ever. - -It was embarrassing enough to Captain Sam to tell how he had put the -_Nancy Jane_ aground in Little Reach, for he knew there was scarce a man -or boy within the sound of his voice who wouldn't vow to himself that, if -he had been in Captain Sam's place, he would have known better. It was -really mortifying. - -Squire Barker made the most of this, not because it could help his -clients, but because it served in its way to put one of the people's -witnesses in a ridiculous light, and because it gave him a chance to show -how smart a cross-examiner he could be, thereby elevating himself in the -eyes and admiration of his townsfolk. - -"So you got aground where these young men took their boat through all -right, did you?" queried Squire Barker. - -"I got aground," snapped Captain Sam, sharply. - -"And these young men took their boat through safe and sound?" - -"I don't know," roared Captain Sam. "I didn't see them." - -"But you saw them just a few minutes before that, didn't you?" - -"Guess I did." - -"And when you got to the entrance they were nowhere in sight, and -therefore must have sailed through; they couldn't have dragged the -_Spray_ over the rocks?" - -"Suppose not." - -The colonel and the squire were rather enjoying this, and had plucked up -spirits enough to titter with the rest at the discomfiture of Captain -Sam. - -"Then you tried to imitate these young men and go through as they did, -but you didn't seem to know the channel, and so got aground?" - -"Channel!" roared Captain Sam, bellowing out the word in a rage and -shaking a fist at the squire. "Channel, did you say? Haven't I told you -there wasn't enough channel there to wash a sheep in? Didn't I tell these -two thick-headed numskulls"--pointing to the colonel and the -squire--"that we'd get aground if we went in there? And didn't they snarl -at me like two old women, and accuse me of letting them 'ere boys get -away? Didn't I know we'd get aground in there, and didn't these two -seasick old pussy-cats make me go ahead and do it?" - -Captain Sam, beside himself with indignation, roared this out so his -voice could be heard far out in the street. In vain the court rapped for -order. The whole court-room was convulsed, and, finally, His Honour, -overcome with the situation, leaned back in his chair and laughed too. - -Only the colonel and the squire, the butt of all the merriment, looked -alternately at the floor and the ceiling, and mopped their faces with -handkerchiefs as red as their cheeks. - -At length, when order was restored, Judge Ellis said: "Captain Sam, you -are excused. You are in contempt of court. The case will proceed without -testimony from you." - -At which Captain Sam, feeling that he had in a measure vindicated his -name and reputation, got down from the stand in a somewhat better frame -of mind. - -There followed several of the hotel guests, who had been duly summonsed -to tell what they knew of the early stages of the fire, and whether they -had seen any suspicious characters about the hotel or the village on that -day. They made it very clear, together with the testimony of some of the -villagers, that there had been no strange person seen in the town either -on that day or the preceding or the following day, all of which argued, -of course, that, if the fire was set, it was set by some one in the town, -who was more or less known to every one. - -On the other hand, it was definitely established by Squire Barker that -Harvey and his crew had set sail in the _Surprise_ while the hotel was -still blazing furiously, for there were two of the villagers who lived -down the island several miles from the hotel who testified to seeing the -_Surprise_ beating down alongshore about daylight. - -This was highly important, and yet the one essential thing was lacking, -nor could it be supplied by any evidence at hand, that Harvey or any one -of his crew had been seen about the hotel that night. - -It was noon now, and time for recess. So His Honour announced an -adjournment to half-past two that afternoon, and the crowd swarmed -out-of-doors, leaving the flies in undisputed possession of the unclean -windows. - -It was hard for the boys to realize that at last they were under -restraint; that they were not free to follow the crowd of villagers and -their friends. The seriousness of the situation assumed an even more -depressing aspect. - -"Do you think he will hold them?" asked Mr. Warren, anxiously, of Squire -Barker, as the little party, under the nominal charge of Captain Sam, sat -in the anteroom of the court-house, trying to partake of a luncheon which -had been provided, but for which nobody seemed to have any appetite. - -"Well, I can't say," answered the squire, wisely. "But I'm a little -afraid of it. I'm just a little afraid. You see, their getting into the -hotel and being there just before the fire can't be denied. And I suppose -that His Honour will hold that it was really breaking and entering to get -into the hotel in the night-time in the way they did. And then, even -though it may have been accidental, the setting the fire, still, as it -followed and grew out of their unlawful act, they can be held for setting -the hotel on fire." - -This sentence, somewhat involved as it was, but delivered with sageness -and an ominous shake of the head, set the boys to breathing hard, and -more than one of them found himself swallowing a lump in his throat. - -"But there isn't the slightest evidence that we set the fire," said young -Joe. - -"Yes," answered the squire; "there's what they call circumstantial -evidence, and that is, the fact of your being in there just before it was -discovered. It may not be enough to convict on, but the question that's -bothering now is, will it be enough to hold you over on, and I'm bound to -say it does look just a little bad. However, we won't give up. We'll -fight it out to the last." - -But just what there was to fight it out on, not one of them could for the -life of him suggest. - -The minutes, which seemed like hours, dragged wearily on, and the air in -the stuffy little court-house seemed to grow denser and more unendurably -stifling. One o'clock. Two o'clock. The hum of returning villagers became -more loud. The hour for the resumption of the session was only thirty -minutes away. - -Suddenly there was the sound of light, quick, nervous footsteps along the -hallway, the door was pushed open, and in there bounced a little old -lady, whose thin face beamed and flushed with excitement under a bonnet, -fashionably but rather youthfully trimmed with bright flowers, dressed in -a gown quaintly cut, but giving evidence of the means of the wearer, and -bearing on one arm a small basket and in the other hand a chatelaine-bag. - -"Why, it's Mrs. Newcome!" exclaimed Mrs. Warren, jumping up excitedly, -and glad even of this interruption. "What can have brought you here?" - -"Isn't this a wicked shame!" cried the little old lady, paying no -attention to Mrs. Warren's question. "It's just the cruellest thing I -ever heard of, bringing these boys here. I'll tell the judge that, too, -if they'll let me. Where is that old scamp, Colonel Witham, and that old -mischief-maker, Squire Brackett? If I don't give them a piece of my mind! -I told Jerry about it all the way over, and you ought to have heard him -growl. Here he is; just listen how angry he is." - -And Mrs. Newcome, unfastening the cover of the basket which she had been -carrying, disclosed to view the aforesaid Jerry, lying within on a -cushion. The cat, in corroboration of his mistress's declaration, -certainly did growl and snarl and then yowl dolorously; but whether as an -endorsement of old Mrs. Newcome's indignation, or whether giving vent to -his own at being whisked about in a basket on a boiling hot day, no one -but he could say positively. - -"These boys didn't set that fire," snapped the old lady, decisively; "and -I just want to do what I can for them. I couldn't leave Jerry behind. He -gets so lonesome without me. So I brought him along. And now, Mr. Warren, -I suppose you know I'm not the poorest person that comes down here to -spend summers, and I've got some property around these parts, too--some -land in this very town. And if there's any what-do-you-call-it to pay--" - -"Any bail?" suggested the squire. - -"That's it--bail. That's the word. If there's any of that to pay, I've -got the securities right here," and Mrs. Newcome shook the chatelaine-bag -vigorously. - -"You are very kind," said Mr. Warren, amused in spite of himself. "But -I'm hoping we shall not have need of bail." - -But in the midst of it there came the ringing voice of the crier in the -court-room adjoining, and the little party all filed into court again, -old Mrs. Newcome bringing up the rear, with the basket on her arm, whence -there emerged now and then a stifled wail, in spite of her whispered -admonitions. - -"We have closed our case," said the prosecuting attorney. And the defence -was begun. - -"George Warren!" called Squire Barker, and George, paling slightly at the -ordeal, but doing his best to keep up a stout heart, took the stand. - -He told his story with a frankness that was convincing, keeping nothing -back; and at the close Squire Barker asked: "And did you, or did you see -anybody else set a fire that night?" - -"Certainly not," he answered. And there was no doubt that he had made a -good impression. - -But there were certain ugly facts that were made to stick out more -embarrassingly on the prosecuting attorney's cross-examination. - -"You will admit," he asked, "that you left on the second day following -the fire, because you did not care to be questioned about it?" - -"Yes, because we knew that our being in the hotel that night would look -suspicious, if it were known," answered George Warren. - -"Then you were going to conceal that fact, if you could?" - -"Yes--I think we were--for awhile, at least." - -"And so you ran away?" - -"We didn't start out with the idea of running away." - -"But you did run from the _Nancy Jane_ when you found she was following -and pursuing you?" - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"I really can't tell you," said George Warren. "I realize now it was a -foolish thing to do. But it was not because we were guilty." - -"But you were all in the basement of the hotel a few moments before the -fire started?" - -"Yes, we were." - -"That is all," said the prosecuting attorney, and George left the stand. - -Henry Burns, called next, did the best he could for his comrades. - -"If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," he said. "You see, it was my -suggestion that got us in there. I was the first to go inside, and the -others came only after I had urged them." - -But Squire Barker knew that this avowal, honest as it was, could not help -them in the eyes of the law. So, having asked a few perfunctory -questions, he turned the witness over to the prosecuting attorney. The -latter brought out about the same points that he had made in the -testimony of George Warren, and that was all. - -It was quite clear that Squire Barker was only calling the boys from a -sense of duty to them, to let them make the best impression they might -upon the mind of the judge. It was the only suit he had to play. - -Then followed Arthur and Joe, and at length Tom and Bob. - -The squire was at the end of his resources now, as far as evidence could -go. It remained but for him to do his duty in the minds of his clients -and his townsmen, and he did it--to his own satisfaction, at least, in -his address to the court. He painted the heroism of the boys at the fire -in colours glowing as the flames. He enlarged upon the probability and -the presumption of innocence. And he paid his respects to the colonel and -the squire in a few stinging sentences that turned the eyes of the -assembled audience upon them in indignation. - -And when he was all done and the court-room turned with expectancy toward -the prosecuting attorney, the latter simply said: - -"Your Honour, the people will submit their case without argument." - -And so, with startling abruptness, the case had come to its crisis. There -was nothing left but for the law to act. - -There succeeded a deathlike stillness in the court-room. His Honour sat -for some moments, with his eyes cast down upon his desk. He seemed loath -to speak. Finally he arose and, with some effort, said, gently: - -"In all my experience as attorney and as judge I have never before been -placed in a position so distasteful to me nor so distressing. The case of -these young men is most unfortunate. Their stories impress me as honestly -told. Their characters are clearly such as are opposed to any such wanton -destruction as is here alleged. And yet the circumstances are such that I -should be blind to the duty of my office if I failed to hold them for -trial. I hope that when their case shall come to trial this fall that -they will have gathered evidence that shall show conclusively their -innocence. In the meantime, deeply as I regret it, it becomes my painful -duty to order that they be held." - -Again an utter stillness in the court-room, broken only by the sobbing of -a woman. The entire court-room waited silently for the next move, amazed -at the suddenness of the conclusion. Six boys set their teeth hard and -tried to look undismayed, but the face of each spoke only too plainly of -his distress. - -Then all at once the patter of feet broke the silence in the court-room, -and a slight boyish figure, poorly dressed and unkempt, darted up the -aisle, into the august presence of the court, and sought refuge in the -seat next to that occupied by Mr. Warren. - -A court officer, who had been stationed at the door, lumbered in after -the boyish figure. - -"Officer," cried Squire Ellis, irritably, "how came you to let this lad -into the court-room? What does this mean? Put him out." - -"If you please, Your Honour," said the officer, very red in the face, "I -drove him away from the door once, but he dodged in past me again before -I could stop him." - -"Remove him from the room at once," said the court, sharply. - -The officer advanced. - -But Tim Reardon--for it was he--had in the meantime seized upon Mr. -Warren, and, though labouring under an excitement so intense as almost to -deprive him wholly of the power of speech, communicated something to him -of the greatest importance. Mr. Warren, in turn, having repeated this -communication to Squire Barker, the latter hastily arose. - -"Your Honour," he began, "this young man brings evidence of the most -startling character, and which will, I am sure, reverse Your Honour's -decision. He--" - -But here a sound from the street outside was borne in upon the -court-room, which caused the squire to pause for a moment, while he and -every person in the room listened in amazement. - -The noise outside increased, and now there came the sound of many voices, -men and women and boys and girls shouting out some piece of news, and -then a loud cheering. The tumult rapidly grew, until it seemed as if all -in a moment the entire village was marching upon the court-house. - -Despite the loud rapping for order of the court officers and the sharp -order of the court for silence, many in the court-room rushed to the -windows and looked out. A strange sight met their eyes. A procession was -coming up the street, in the midst of which, his hands bound behind his -back, a man was walking, while, grasping him by either arm as they walked -beside him, were Jack Harvey and Joe Hinman. - -Into the court-room the procession burst like an avalanche. The room had -seemed somewhat crowded before, but now at least fifty or sixty more men -wedged themselves in, with Harvey and his crew and the strange man still -in the centre of them. The rest of the crowd that followed, not being -able to force themselves into the court-room, seated themselves on the -stairs just outside, and formed a long line out into the street. - -His Honour, powerless to stay this astonishing inrush of the townspeople, -waited till the crowd had resolved itself into something like order, and -then, rapping for silence, demanded to know the cause of this invasion of -and assault upon the dignity of the court. - -There was a moment's silence and delay, and then a broad-shouldered youth -pushed his way through the crowd and walked toward the witness-stand. - -"Here!" cried His Honour. "Officer, stop that young man. Let the business -of this court proceed in its regular order. Mr. Barker, does the court -understand that you ask to have the case reopened on the ground of newly -discovered evidence?" - -"Yes, Your Honour," replied the squire, gravely. - -"And this young man, do you wish to make him your witness?" - -"I do, Your Honour," answered Squire Barker. "Although I am not certain -as to just what he has to testify to, I wish to have him made our -witness." - -"State your name to the court," said Squire Barker, as the youth ascended -the witness-stand. - -"Jack Harvey." - -"And am I correctly informed that you have important testimony to give -before this court in this case?" - -"I have the man that set the fire," replied Harvey. - -"And can you produce him?" - -"He is here in this room," answered Harvey. - -And at this moment the crowd parted and allowed to pass a man who walked -doggedly forward, with eyes downcast, hands firmly bound behind his back, -while with him walked the remaining members of Harvey's crew. - -"Is this the man whom you say set the fire?" queried Squire Barker. - -"Yes," said Harvey. - -"And how do you know he set the fire?" - -"He's confessed it, because he knew there was no way out of it for him. -Haven't you?" demanded Harvey, turning to the man. - -The other nodded his head sullenly. - -The uproar that greeted this acknowledgment was deafening. It was several -moments before order could be restored in the court-room, and then the -news borne rapidly to those outside gave rise to a second tumult, which -again stopped the proceedings of the court. - -Then, when order had been finally restored, Harvey narrated the -extraordinary events that had followed the meeting of the man in the -pasture, down to his capture and confession; a confession that included -the admission that he was none other than the man Chambers, and that he -had set fire to the hotel for revenge. - -There never was anything like the scene that followed in all the history -of court procedure in the county from time out of mind. It did not take -the court long, however, to declare that the youthful prisoners, whom he -had felt it his solemn duty to hold for trial, were honourably cleared, -and were free to go at liberty. It did not take long, considering the -fact that the prisoner pleaded guilty, to hold him for trial. Nor did it -take long for good-hearted Judge Ellis to descend from the bench and -shake hands with the boys, each and every one of them, and congratulate -them upon their complete exoneration. - -Once outside the court-room, however, what a storm and tumult of -congratulation awaited them. The first thing they knew there was a rush -for them, and up on the shoulders of a crowd of excited fishermen they -went, and were borne along, amid cheering. And Harvey, too, though he -struggled against it, was borne aloft, while the news of his brave -capture of the man Chambers was shouted out to all in the town. - -In the midst of it all two figures were espied, slinking along toward the -boat-landing, anxious to escape notice. A din of yells and catcalls and -hisses told them they were discovered, and the colonel and the squire, -sorry pictures of dismay and humiliation, quickened their steps and made -their escape, thankful enough to escape unharmed from the indignant -villagers. - -"Harvey," said George Warren, as he stood grasping the other's hand about -two hours later, as the boys formed a little group on the deck of the -steamer that was heading for Southport, "you have more than evened the -thing up. Tom and Bob saved you from drowning; but you have saved us all -from disgrace, and I'm not sure but what I'd rather drown than go through -a disgraceful ordeal like this again." - -"No," said Harvey, clasping the hand of the other warmly. "I'm still the -one that's in debt. They saved me from more than drowning. They saved me -from disgrace, too." - -"Let's call it even, anyway," said Henry Burns, "and shake hands all -around." - -Some weeks later, as Henry Burns and George Warren sat on the veranda of -the Warren cottage, looking out across the cove, a graceful yacht turned -the headland and came up into the harbour. - -"She looks familiar," said Henry Burns. "Where have we seen her before? -Why, it's the _Eagle_, or the _Sprite_, or whatever her real name may be. -I wonder what she's doing here. She was seized by the county and her -owners advertised for. I wonder if they can have been discovered." - -"Let's go down and take a look at her," said George Warren. "She is the -prettiest thing that ever came into this harbour." - -As they walked down to the shore a boat put off from the yacht and a man -pulled in to land. - -"Can you tell me where I can find either Henry Burns or Jack Harvey?" he -inquired, addressing the two boys. - -"I don't know about Harvey," answered Henry Bums, "but I can inform you -about the other person. What do you want of him?" - -"Here's a note for you, if you mean that you're Henry Burns," said the -man. - -"That's funny," said Henry Burns. "It's the first note I've got since -I've been here. I wonder who can have written it." - -Henry Burns deliberately tore open the envelope and unfolded a letter. He -glanced hastily at the contents, stopped short, and gave a cry of -surprise. - -"George," he said, solemnly, "will you hit me once, good and hard, so I -can tell whether I am dreaming or not?" - -"I hardly think there's any need of that," answered the other, laughing. -"You seem to be about as wide-awake as usual." - -"Well," said Henry Burns, "if you won't hit me, just read that letter to -me aloud, anyway. Perhaps I'll believe it if I hear you read it." - -"It seems to be addressed to you and Jack Harvey both," said George -Warren. "Perhaps I need his permission, too, to read it." - -"No you don't. Go ahead," demanded Henry Burns. - -The letter read as follows: - - "Mayville. - - "Henry Burns and Jack Harvey, - - "_My dear Young Men:_--You have each of you proved yourselves heroes in - the events of the last few weeks. To you, Henry Burns, I am indebted - for the rescue of my devoted Jerry, my pet and companion of many years. - To you and your companions, I am, indeed, indebted for my own life. To - you, Jack Harvey, I am indebted for the saving from disgrace of these - young friends of mine. As you may know, the yacht captured from the man - Chambers was condemned by the county officials, advertised, and finally - put up at auction and sold, her former owner, if there ever was another - besides Chambers, not having claimed her. She was, I am informed, a - very expensive boat; but as there were few bidders among the fishermen, - I was enabled to bid off the boat at a figure easily within my means. - This letter is to inform you that I have presented the yacht to you, to - be owned equally by you two. The papers will be made out later and sent - to your parents or guardians. Hoping that you will enjoy many happy - days aboard her, I remain, - - "Sincerely yours, - "Anna Newcome. - - "P. S. Don't upset her and get drowned." - -"Henry, old fellow," cried George Warren. "Let me congratulate you. You -are the two luckiest--" - -But Henry Burns was running as fast as his legs could carry him in the -direction of Harvey's camp. - - - THE END. - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - - - THE LITTLE COLONEL BOOKS - (Trade Mark) - - _By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_ - - Each, 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative, per vol. $1.50 - - - The Little Colonel Stories. - (Trade Mark) - - - Illustrated. - -Being three "Little Colonel" stories in the Cosy Corner Series, "The -Little Colonel," "Two Little Knights of Kentucky," and "The Giant -Scissors," put into a single volume. - - - The Little Colonel's House Party. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by Louis Meynell. - - - The Little Colonel's Holidays. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman. - - - The Little Colonel's Hero. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel at Boarding School. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel in Arizona. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel's Christmas Vacation. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - -Since the time of "Little Women," no juvenile heroine has been better -beloved of her child readers than Mrs. Johnston's "Little Colonel." - - - Joel: a Boy of Galilee. - -By Annie Fellows Johnston. Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman. - -New illustrated edition, uniform with the Little Colonel Books, 1 vol., - large 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 - -A story of the time of Christ, which is one of the author's best-known -books, and which has been translated into many languages, the last being -Italian. - - - Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads. A sketch of Country Life and - Country Humor. By Annie Fellows Johnston. With a frontispiece - by Ernest Fosbery. - - Large 16mo, cloth, gilt top $1.00 - -"'Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads' is the most delightful, most -sympathetic and wholesome book that has been published in a long while. -The lovable, cheerful, touching incidents, the descriptions of persons -and things are wonderfully true to nature."--_Boston Times._ - - - In the Desert of Waiting: The Legend of Camelback Mountain. - The Three Weavers: A Fairy Tale for Fathers and Mothers as Well as for - Their Daughters. By Annie Fellows Johnston. - - Each one volume, tall 16mo, cloth decorative $0.60 - -There has been a constant demand for publication in separate form of -these two stories, which were originally included in two of the "Little -Colonel" books, and the present editions, which are very charmingly -gotten up, will be delightful and valued gift-books for both old and -young. - -"'The Three Weavers' is the daintiest fairy-story I ever read," wrote one -critic, and the _Louisville Post_ calls "In the Desert of Waiting" a -"gem, an exquisite bit of work. Mrs. Johnston is at her best in this web -of delicate fancy, woven about the deep centre truth." Those who have -read the stories as they originally appeared will be glad to find them -published individually. - - - Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads. A sketch of Country Life and - Country Humor. By Annie Fellows Johnston. With a frontispiece - by Ernest Fosbery. - - Large 16mo, cloth, gilt top $1.00 - -"'Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads' is the most delightful, most -sympathetic and wholesome book that has been published in a long while. -The lovable, cheerful, touching incidents, the descriptions of persons -and things, are wonderfully true to nature."--_Boston Times._ - - - The Rival Campers; or, The Adventures of Henry Burns. By Ruel P. Smith. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated by A. B. Shute $1.50 - -Here is a book which will grip and enthuse every boy reader. It is the -story of a party of typical American lads, courageous, alert, and -athletic, who spend a summer camping on an island off the Maine coast. - -"The best boys' book since 'Tom Sawyer.'"--_San Francisco Examiner._ - -"Henry Burns, the hero, is the 'Tom Brown' of America."--_N. Y. Sun._ - - - The Rival Campers Afloat; or, The Prize Yacht Viking. By Ruel P. Smith, - author of "The Rival Campers." - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 - -This book is a continuation of the adventures of "The Rival Campers" on -their prize yacht _Viking_. Every reader will be enthusiastic over the -adventures of Henry Burns and his friends on their sailing trip. They -have a splendid time, fishing, racing, and sailing, until an accidental -collision results in a series of exciting adventures, culminating in a -mysterious chase, the loss of their prize yacht, and its recapture by -means of their old yacht, _Surprise_, which they raise from its watery -grave. - - - The Young Section-hand; or, The Adventures of Allan West. By Burton E. - Stevenson, author of "The Marathon Mystery," etc. - - 12mo, cloth, illustrated by L. J. Bridgman $1.50 - -Mr. Stevenson's hero is a manly lad of sixteen, who is given a chance as -a section-hand on a big Western railroad, and whose experiences are as -real as they are thrilling. - -"It appeals to every boy of enterprising spirit, and at the same time -teaches him some valuable lessons in honor, pluck, and -perseverance."--_Cleveland Plain Dealer._ - - - The Young Train Despatcher. By Burton E. Stevenson, author of "The - Young Section-hand," etc. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 - -A new volume in the "Railroad Series," in which the young section-hand is -promoted to a train despatcher. Another branch of railroading is -presented, in which the young hero has many chances to prove his -manliness and courage in the exciting adventures which befall him in the -discharge of his duty. - - - Jack Lorimer. By Winn Standish. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative. Illustrated by A. B. Shute $1.50 - -Jack Lorimer, whose adventures have for some time been one of the leading -features of the Boston Sunday _Herald_, is the popular favorite of -fiction with the boys and girls of New England, and, now that Mr. -Standish has made him the hero of his book, he will soon be a favorite -throughout the country. - -Jack is a fine example of the all-around American high-school boy. He has -the sturdy qualities boys admire, and his fondness for clean, honest -sport of all kinds will strike a chord of sympathy among athletic youths. - - - The Roses of Saint Elizabeth. By Jane Scott Woodruff, author of "The - Little Christmas Shoe." - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in color by - Adelaide Everhart. $1.00 - -This is a charming little story of a child whose father was caretaker of -the great castle of the Wartburg, where Saint Elizabeth once had her -home, with a fairy-tale interwoven, in which the roses and the ivy in the -castle yard tell to the child and her playmate quaint old legends of the -saint and the castle. - - - Gabriel and the Hour Book. By Evaleen Stein. - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated - in colors by Adelaide Everhart $1.00 - -Gabriel was a loving, patient, little French lad, who assisted the monks -in the long ago days, when all the books were written and illuminated by -hand, in the monasteries. It is a dear little story, and will appeal to -every child who is fortunate enough to read it. - - - The Enchanted Automobile. Translated from the French by Mary J. - Safford. - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in colors by - Edna M. Sawyer $1.00 - -The enchanted automobile was sent by the fairy godmother of a lazy, -discontented little prince and princess to take them to fairyland, where -they might visit their old story-book favorites. - -Here they find that Sleeping Beauty has become a famously busy queen; -Princess Charming keeps a jewelry shop; where she sells the jewels that -drop from her lips; Hop-o'-My-Thumb is a farmer, too busy even to see the -children, and Little Red Riding Hood has trained the wolf into a trick -animal, who performs in the city squares. - -They learn the lesson that happy people are the busy people, and they -return home cured of their discontent and laziness. - - - Beautiful Joe's Paradise; or, The Island of Brotherly Love. A sequel to - "Beautiful Joe." By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful - Joe," "For His Country," etc. With fifteen full-page plates and - many decorations from drawings by Charles Livingston Bull. - - One vol., library 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 - -"Will be immensely enjoyed by the boys and girls who read -it."--_Pittsburg Gazette._ - -"Miss Saunders has put life, humor, action, and tenderness into her -story. The book deserves to be a favorite."--_Chicago Record-Herald._ - -"This book revives the spirit of 'Beautiful Joe' capitally. It is fairly -riotous with fun, and as a whole is about as unusual as anything in the -animal book line that has seen the light. It is a book for juveniles--old -and young."--_Philadelphia Item._ - - - 'Tilda Jane. By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful Joe," etc. - - One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth, decorative cover, $1.50 - -"No more amusing and attractive child's story has appeared for a long -time than this quaint and curious recital of the adventures of that -pitiful and charming little runaway. - -"It is one of those exquisitely simple and truthful books that win and -charm the reader, and I did not put it down until I had finished -it--honest! And I am sure that every one, young or old, who reads will be -proud and happy to make the acquaintance of the delicious waif. - -"I cannot think of any better book for children than this. I commend it -unreservedly."--_Cyrus Townsend Brady._ - - - The Story of the Graveleys. By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful - Joe's Paradise," "'Tilda Jane," etc. - - Library 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated by E. B. Barry $1.50 - -Here we have the haps and mishaps, the trials and triumphs, of a -delightful New England family, of whose devotion and sturdiness it will -do the reader good to hear. From the kindly, serene-souled grandmother to -the buoyant madcap, Berty, these Graveleys are folk of fibre and -blood--genuine human beings. - - - PHYLLIS' FIELD FRIENDS SERIES - - _By LENORE E. MULETS_ - - Six vols., cloth decorative, illustrated by Sophie Schneider. - Sold separately, or as a set. - Per volume $1.00 - Per set 6.00 - - - Insect Stories. - Stories of Little Animals. - Flower Stories. - Bird Stories. - Tree Stories. - Stories of Little Fishes. - - In this series of six little Nature books, it is the author's intention - so to present to the child reader the facts about each particular - flower, insect, bird, or animal, in story form, as to make delightful - reading. Classical legends, myths, poems, and songs are so introduced - as to correlate fully with these lessons, to which the excellent - illustrations are no little help. - - - THE WOODRANGER TALES - - _By G. WALDO BROWNE_ - - - The Woodranger. - The Young Gunbearer. - The Hero of the Hills. - With Rogers' Rangers. - - Each 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth, decorative cover, illustrated, - per volume $1.25 - Four vols., boxed, per set 5.00 - - "The Woodranger Tales," like the "Pathfinder Tales" of J. Fenimore - Cooper, combine historical information relating to early pioneer days - in America with interesting adventures in the backwoods. Although the - same characters are continued throughout the series, each book is - complete in itself, and, while based strictly on historical facts, is - an interesting and exciting tale of adventure. - - - Born to the Blue. By Florence Kimball Russel. - - 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.25 - -The atmosphere of army life on the plains breathes on every page of this -delightful tale. The boy is the son of a captain of U. S. cavalry -stationed at a frontier post in the days when our regulars earned the -gratitude of a nation. - -The author is herself "of the army," and knows every detail of the life. -Her descriptions are accurate, which adds to the value and interest of -the book. - - - Pussy-Cat Town. By Marion Ames Taggart. - -Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in colors $1.00 - -"Pussy-Cat Town" is a most unusual, delightful cat story. Ban-Ban, a pure -Maltese who belonged to Rob, Kiku-san, Lois's beautiful snow-white pet, -and their neighbors Bedelia the tortoise-shell, Madame Laura the widow, -Wutz Butz the warrior, and wise old Tommy Traddles, were really and truly -cats, and Miss Taggart has here explained the reason for their mysterious -disappearance all one long summer. - - - The Sandman: His Farm Stories. By William J. Hopkins. With fifty - illustrations by Ada Clendenin Williamson. - - Large 12mo, decorative cover $1.50 - - "An amusing, original book, written for the benefit of very small - children. It should be one of the most popular of the year's books for - reading to small children."--_Buffalo Express._ - - "Mothers and fathers and kind elder sisters who take the little ones to - bed and rack their brains for stories will find this book a - treasure."--_Cleveland Leader._ - - - The Sandman: More Farm Stories. By William J. Hopkins. - - Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 - -Mr. Hopkins's first essay at bedtime stories has met with such approval -that this second book of "Sandman" tales has been issued for scores of -eager children. Life on the farm, and out-of-doors, is portrayed in his -inimitable manner, and many a little one will hail the bedtime season as -one of delight. - - - THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES - - The most delightful and interesting accounts possible of - child-life in other lands, filled with quaint sayings, doings, - and adventures. - - Each 1 vol., 12mo, decorative cover, cloth, with six or - more full-page illustrations in color. - - Price per volume $0.60 - - _By MARY HAZELTON WADE (unless otherwise indicated)_ - - - Our Little African Cousin - Our Little Armenian Cousin - Our Little Brown Cousin - Our Little Canadian Cousin By Elizabeth R. Macdonald - Our Little Chinese Cousin By Isaac Taylor Headland - Our Little Cuban Cousin - Our Little Dutch Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little English Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little Eskimo Cousin - Our Little French Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little German Cousin - Our Little Hawaiian Cousin - Our Little Indian Cousin - Our Little Irish Cousin - Our Little Italian Cousin - Our Little Japanese Cousin - Our Little Jewish Cousin - Our Little Korean Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike - Our Little Mexican Cousin By Edward C. Butler - Our Little Norwegian Cousin - Our Little Panama Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike - Our Little Philippine Cousin - Our Little Porto Rican Cousin - Our Little Russian Cousin - Our Little Scotch Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little Siamese Cousin - Our Little Spanish Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet - Our Little Swedish Cousin By Claire M. Coburn - Our Little Swiss Cousin - Our Little Turkish Cousin - - - THE GOLDENROD LIBRARY - -The Goldenrod Library contains only the highest and purest -literature,--stories which appeal alike both to children and to their -parents and guardians. - -Each volume is well illustrated from drawings by competent artists, -which, together with their handsomely decorated uniform binding, showing -the goldenrod, usually considered the emblem of America, is a feature of -their manufacture. - - Each one volume, small 12mo, illustrated, decorated cover, - paper wrapper $0.35 - - - LIST OF TITLES - - - Aunt Nabby's Children. By Frances Hodges White. - Child's Dream of a Star, The. By Charles Dickens. - Flight of Rosy Dawn, The. By Pauline Bradford Mackie. - Findelkind. By Ouida. - Fairy of the Rhone, The. By A. Comyns Carr. - Gatty and I. By Frances E. Crompton. - Great Emergency, A. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Helena's Wonderworld. By Frances Hodges White. - Jackanapes. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Jerry's Reward. By Evelyn Snead Barnett. - La Belle Nivernaise. By Alphonse Daudet. - Little King Davie. By Nellie Hellis. - Little Peterkin Vandike. By Charles Stuart Pratt. - Little Professor, The. By Ida Horton Cash. - Peggy's Trial. By Mary Knight Potter. - Prince Yellowtop. By Kate Whiting Patch. - Provence Rose, A. By Ouida. - Rab and His Friends. By Dr. John Brown. - Seventh Daughter, A. By Grace Wickham Curran. - Sleeping Beauty, The. By Martha Baker Dunn. - Small, Small Child, A. By E. Livingston Prescott. - Story of a Short Life, The. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Susanne. By Frances J. Delano. - Water People, The. By Charles Lee Sleight. - Young Archer, The. By Charles E. Brimblecom. - - - COSY CORNER SERIES - - It is the intention of the publishers that this series shall contain - only the very highest and purest literature,--stories that shall not - only appeal to the children themselves, but be appreciated by all those - who feel with them in their joys and sorrows. - - The numerous illustrations in each book are by well-known artists, and - each volume has a separate attractive cover design. - - Each 1 vol., 16mo, cloth $0.50 - - _By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_ - - - The Little Colonel. (Trade Mark) - -The scene of this story is laid in Kentucky. Its heroine is a small girl, -who is known as the Little Colonel, on account of her fancied resemblance -to an old-school Southern gentleman, whose fine estate and old family are -famous in the region. - - - The Giant Scissors. - -This is the story of Joyce and of her adventures in France. Joyce is a -great friend of the Little Colonel, and in later volumes shares with her -the delightful experiences of the "House Party" and the "Holidays." - - - Two Little Knights of Kentucky. Who Were the Little Colonel's - Neighbors. - -In this volume the Little Colonel returns to us like an old friend, but -with added grace and charm. She is not, however, the central figure of -the story, that place being taken by the "two little knights." - - - Mildred's Inheritance. - -A delightful little story of a lonely English girl who comes to America -and is befriended by a sympathetic American family who are attracted by -her beautiful speaking voice. By means of this one gift she is enabled to -help a school-girl who has temporarily lost the use of her eyes, and thus -finally her life becomes a busy, happy one. - - - Cicely and Other Stories for Girls. - -The readers of Mrs. Johnston's charming juveniles will be glad to learn -of the issue of this volume for young people. - - - Aunt 'Liza's Hero and Other Stories. - -A collection of six bright little stories, which will appeal to all boys -and most girls. - - - Big Brother. - -A story of two boys. The devotion and care of Steven, himself a small -boy, for his baby brother, is the theme of the simple tale. - - - Ole Mammy's Torment. - -"Ole Mammy's Torment" has been fitly called "a classic of Southern life." -It relates the haps and mishaps of a small negro lad, and tells how he -was led by love and kindness to a knowledge of the right. - - - The Story of Dago. - -In this story Mrs. Johnston relates the story of Dago, a pet monkey, -owned jointly by two brothers. Dago tells his own story, and the account -of his haps and mishaps is both interesting and amusing. - - - The Quilt That Jack Built. - -A pleasant little story of a boy's labor of love, and how it changed the -course of his life many years after it was accomplished. - - - Flip's Islands of Providence. - -A story of a boy's life battle, his early defeat, and his final triumph, -well worth the reading. - - - _By EDITH ROBINSON_ - - - A Little Puritan's First Christmas. - -A story of Colonial times in Boston, telling how Christmas was invented -by Betty Sewall, a typical child of the Puritans, aided by her brother -Sam. - - - A Little Daughter of Liberty. - -The author's motive for this story is well indicated by a quotation from -her introduction, as follows: - -"One ride is memorable in the early history of the American Revolution, -the well-known ride of Paul Revere. Equally deserving of commendation is -another ride,--the ride of Anthony Severn,--which was no less historic in -its action or memorable in its consequences." - - - A Loyal Little Maid. - -A delightful and interesting story of Revolutionary days, in which the -child heroine, Betsey Schuyler, renders important services to George -Washington. - - - A Little Puritan Rebel. - -This is an historical tale of a real girl, during the time when the -gallant Sir Harry Vane was governor of Massachusetts. - - - A Little Puritan Pioneer. - -The scene of this story is laid in the Puritan settlement at Charlestown. -The little girl heroine adds another to the list of favorites so well -known to the young people. - - - A Little Puritan Bound Girl. - -A story of Boston in Puritan days, which is of great interest to youthful -readers. - - - A Little Puritan Cavalier. - -The story of a "Little Puritan Cavalier" who tried with all his boyish -enthusiasm to emulate the spirit and ideals of the dead Crusaders. - - - _By OUIDA (Louise de la Ramée)_ - - - A Dog of Flanders: A Christmas Story. - -Too well and favorably known to require description. - - - The Nurnberg Stove. - -This beautiful story has never before been published at a popular price. - - - _By FRANCES MARGARET FOX_ - - - The Little Giant's Neighbours. - -A charming nature story of a "little giant" whose neighbours were the -creatures of the field and garden. - - - Farmer Brown and the Birds. - -A little story which teaches children that the birds are man's best -friends. - - - Betty of Old Mackinaw. - -A charming story of child-life, appealing especially to the little -readers who like stories of "real people." - - - Brother Billy. - -The story of Betty's brother, and some further adventures of Betty -herself. - - - Mother Nature's Little Ones. - -Curious little sketches describing the early lifetime, or "childhood," of -the little creatures out-of-doors. - - - How Christmas Came to the Mulvaneys. - -A bright, lifelike little story of a family of poor children, with an -unlimited capacity for fun and mischief. The wonderful never-to-be -forgotten Christmas that came to them is the climax of a series of -exciting incidents. - - - _By MISS MULOCK_ - - - The Little Lame Prince. - -A delightful story of a little boy who has many adventures by means of -the magic gifts of his fairy godmother. - - - Adventures of a Brownie. - -The story of a household elf who torments the cook and gardener, but is a -constant joy and delight to the children who love and trust him. - - - His Little Mother. - -Miss Mulock's short stories for children are a constant source of delight -to them, and "His Little Mother," in this new and attractive dress, will -be welcomed by hosts of youthful readers. - - - Little Sunshine's Holiday. - -An attractive story of a summer outing. "Little Sunshine" is another of -those beautiful child-characters for which Miss Mulock is so justly -famous. - - - _By MARSHALL SAUNDERS_ - - - For His Country. - -A sweet and graceful story of a little boy who loved his country; written -with that charm which has endeared Miss Saunders to hosts of readers. - - - Nita, the Story of an Irish Setter. - -In this touching little book, Miss Saunders shows how dear to her heart -are all of God's dumb creatures. - - - Alpatok, the Story of an Eskimo Dog. - -Alpatok, an Eskimo dog from the far north, was stolen from his master and -left to starve in a strange city, but was befriended and cared for, until -he was able to return to his owner. Miss Saunders's story is based on -truth, and the pictures in the book of "Alpatok" are based on a -photograph of the real Eskimo dog who had such a strange experience. - - - _By WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE_ - - - The Farrier's Dog and His Fellow. - -This story, written by the gifted young Southern woman, will appeal to -all that is best in the natures of the many admirers of her graceful and -piquant style. - - - The Fortunes of the Fellow. - -Those who read and enjoyed the pathos and charm of "The Farrier's Dog and -His Fellow" will welcome the further account of the adventures of Baydaw -and the Fellow at the home of the kindly smith. - - - The Best of Friends. - -This continues the experiences of the Farrier's dog and his Fellow, -written in Miss Dromgoole's well-known charming style. - - - Down in Dixie. - -A fascinating story for boys and girls, of a family of Alabama children -who move to Florida and grow up in the South. - - - _By MARIAN W. WILDMAN_ - - - Loyalty Island. - -An account of the adventures of four children and their pet dog on an -island, and how they cleared their brother from the suspicion of -dishonesty. - - - Theodore and Theodora. - -This is a story of the exploits and mishaps of two mischievous twins, and -continues the adventures of the interesting group of children in "Loyalty -Island." - - - _By CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS_ - - - The Cruise of the Yacht Dido. - -The story of two boys who turned their yacht into a fishing boat to earn -money to pay for a college course, and of their adventures while -exploring in search of hidden treasure. - - - The Lord of the Air - The Story of the Eagle - The King of the Mamozekel - The Story of the Moose - The Watchers of the Camp-fire - The Story of the Panther - The Haunter of the Pine Gloom - The Story of the Lynx - The Return to the Trails - The Story of the Bear - The Little People of the Sycamore - The Story of the Raccoon - - - _By OTHER AUTHORS_ - - - The Great Scoop. - -_By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL_ - -A capital tale of newspaper life in a big city, and of a bright, -enterprising, likable youngster employed thereon. - - - John Whopper. - -The late Bishop Clark's popular story of the boy who fell through the -earth and came out in China, with a new introduction by Bishop Potter. - - - The Dole Twins. - -_By KATE UPSON CLARK_ - -The adventures of two little people who tried to earn money to buy -crutches for a lame aunt. An excellent description of child-life about -1812, which will greatly interest and amuse the children of to-day, whose -life is widely different. - - - Larry Hudson's Ambition. - -_By JAMES OTIS_, author of "Toby Tyler," etc. - -Larry Hudson is a typical American boy, whose hard work and enterprise -gain him his ambition,--an education and a start in the world. - - - The Little Christmas Shoe. - -_By JANE P. SCOTT WOODRUFF_ - -A touching story of Yule-tide. - - - Wee Dorothy. - -_By LAURA UPDEGRAFF_ - -A story of two orphan children, the tender devotion of the eldest, a boy, -for his sister being its theme and setting. With a bit of sadness at the -beginning, the story is otherwise bright and sunny, and altogether -wholesome in every way. - - - The King of the Golden River: A Legend of Stiria. By JOHN RUSKIN - -Written fifty years or more ago, and not originally intended for -publication, this little fairy-tale soon became known and made a place -for itself. - - - A Child's Garden of Verses. - -_By R. L. STEVENSON_ - -Mr. Stevenson's little volume is too well known to need description. It -will be heartily welcomed in this new and attractive edition. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and - dialect as is). - ---Rearranged front matter (and moved illustrations) to a more-logical - streaming order. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rival Campers, by Ruel Perley Smith - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVAL CAMPERS *** - -***** This file should be named 40548-8.txt or 40548-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/4/40548/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Winfield</title> @@ -149,46 +149,7 @@ p.t15,div.t15,.t15 { margin-left:19em;text-indent:-3em; margin-top:0; margin-b span.jr4 { margin-right:4em; }</style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rival Campers, by Ruel Perley Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rival Campers - or, The Adventures of Henry Burns - -Author: Ruel Perley Smith - -Illustrator: A. B. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Rival Campers - or, The Adventures of Henry Burns - -Author: Ruel Perley Smith - -Illustrator: A. B. Shute - -Release Date: August 20, 2012 [EBook #40548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVAL CAMPERS *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE - RIVAL CAMPERS - Or, - THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY BURNS - - - By - Ruel P. Smith - - ILLUSTRATED BY - A. B. SHUTE - - BOSTON - L. C. PAGE & COMPANY - 1905 - - - _Copyright_, _1905_ - By L. C. Page & Company - (INCORPORATED) - - _All rights reserved_ - - - Published July, 1905 - - - _Second Impression_ - _Third Impression, July, 1906_ - - - _COLONIAL PRESS - Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. - Boston. U. S. A._ - - - WITH LOVE TO - _Ruel Stevenson Smith_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. The Camp 1 - II. To the Rescue 17 - III. A Surprise 32 - IV. A Night with Henry Burns 51 - V. A Hidden Cave 72 - VI. Jack Harvey Investigates 90 - VII. Squire Brackett's Dog 109 - VIII. The Haunted House 125 - IX. Setting a Trap 142 - X. A Midnight Adventure 160 - XI. An Unpleasant Discovery 181 - XII. A Cruise Around the Island 199 - XIII. Storm Driven 220 - XIV. The Man in the Boat 238 - XV. Good for Evil 259 - XVI. A Treaty of Friendship 278 - XVII. The Fire 290 - XVIII. The Flight 306 - XIX. The Pursuit 324 - XX. Among the Islands 343 - XXI. The Trial 364 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - "'Look, Bob! Look!' he cried. 'What have we done?'" - (_Frontispiece_) 86 - "'What's the matter with you?' roared the Colonel" 67 - "'You're the worst one of all, Jack Harvey'" 114 - "Craigie reeled under the blow and staggered back against the - wall" 173 - "Boys and lobster-pot slumped into the sea" 211 - "'Will you shake hands with me?' he asked" 279 - - - - - THE RIVAL CAMPERS - - - - - CHAPTER I. - THE CAMP - - -On a certain afternoon in the latter part of the month of June, the -little fishing village of Southport, on Grand Island in Samoset Bay, was -awakened from its customary nap by the familiar whistle of the steamboat -from up the river. Southport, opening a sleepy eye at the sound, made -deliberate preparation to receive its daily visitor, knowing that the -steamer was as yet some distance up the island, and not even in sight, -for behind the bluff around which the steamer must eventually come the -town lay straggling irregularly along the shore of a deeply indented -cove. - -A few loungers about the village grocery-store seemed roused to a renewed -interest in life, removed their pipes, and, with evident satisfaction at -this relief from island monotony, sauntered lazily down to the wharf. The -storekeeper and the freight-agent, as became men burdened with the -present responsibility of seeing that the steamer was offered all -possible assistance in making its landing, bustled about with importance. - -Soon a wagon or two from down the island came rattling into the village, -while from the hotel, a quarter of a mile distant, a number of guests -appeared on the veranda, curious to scrutinize such new arrivals as might -appear. From the summer cottages here and there flags were hastily run -up, and from one a salute was fired; all of which might be taken to -indicate that the coming of the steamer was the event of the day at -Southport--as, indeed, it was. - -Now another whistle sounded shrilly from just behind the bluff, and the -next moment the little steamer shoved its bow from out a jagged screen of -rock, while the chorused exclamation, "Thar she is!" from the assembled -villagers announced that they were fully awake to the situation. - -Among the crowd gathered on the wharf, three boys, between whom there -existed sufficient family resemblance to indicate that they were -brothers, scanned eagerly the faces of the passengers as the steamer came -slowly to the landing. The eldest of the three, a boy of about sixteen -years, turned at length to the other two, and remarked, in a tone of -disappointment: - -"They are not aboard. I can't see a sign of them. Something must have -kept them." - -"Unless," said one of the others, "they are hiding somewhere to surprise -us." - -"It's impossible," said the first boy, "for any one to hide away when he -gets in sight of this island. No, if they were aboard we should have seen -them the minute the steamer turned the bluff, waving to us and yelling at -the top of their lungs. There's something in the air here that makes one -feel like tearing around and making a noise." - -"Especially at night, when the cottagers are asleep," said the third boy. - -"Besides," continued the eldest, "their canoe is not aboard, and you -would not catch Tom Harris and Bob White coming down here for the summer -without it, when they spend half their time in it on the river at home -and are as expert at handling it as Indians,--and yet, they wrote that -they would be here to-day." - -It was evident the boys they were looking for were not aboard. The little -steamer, after a violent demonstration of puffing and snorting, during -which it made apparently several desperate attempts to rush headlong on -the rocks, but was checked with a hasty scrambling of paddle-wheels, and -was bawled at by captain and mates, was finally subdued and made fast to -the wharf by the deck-hands. The passengers disembarked, and the same -lusty, brown-armed crew, with a series of rushes, as though they feared -their captive might at any moment break its bonds and make a dash for -liberty, proceeded to unload the freight and baggage. Trucks laden with -leaning towers of baggage were trundled noisily ashore and overturned -upon the wharf. - -In the midst of the bustle and commotion the group of three boys was -joined by another boy, who had just come from the hotel. - -"Hulloa, there!" said the new boy. "Where's Tom and Bob?" - -"They are not aboard, Henry," said the eldest boy of the group. - -The new arrival gave a whistle of surprise. - -"How do you feel this afternoon, Henry?" asked the second of the -brothers. - -"Oh, very poorly--very miserable. In fact, I don't seem to get any -better." - -This lugubrious reply, strange to say, did not evoke the sympathy which a -listener might have expected. The boys burst into roars of laughter. - -"Poor Henry Burns!" exclaimed the eldest boy, giving the self-declared -invalid a blow on the chest that would have meant the annihilation of -weak lungs. "He will never be any better." - -"And he may be a great deal worse," said the second boy, slapping the -other on the back so hard that the dust flew under the blow. - -"Won't the boys like him, though?" asked the third and youngest -boy,--"that is, if they ever come." - -Henry Burns received these sallies with the utmost unconcern. If he -enjoyed the effect which his remarks had produced, it was denoted only by -a twinkle in his eyes. He was rather a slender, pale-complexioned youth, -of fourteen years. A physiognomist might have found in his features an -unusual degree of coolness and self-control, united with an abnormal -fondness for mischief; but Henry Burns would have passed with the -ordinary person as a frail boy, fonder of books than of sports. - -Just then the captain of the steamer put his head out of the pilot-house -and called to the eldest of the brothers: - -"I've got a note for you, George Warren. A young chap who said he was on -his way here in a canoe came aboard at Millville and asked me to give it -to you; and there was another young chap in a canoe alongside who asked -me to say they'd be here to-night." - -"Hooray!" cried George Warren, opening and reading the note. "It's the -boys, sure enough. They started at four o'clock this morning in the -canoe, and will be here to-night. Much obliged, Captain Chase." - -"Not a bit," responded the captain. "But let me tell you boys something. -You needn't look for these 'ere young chaps to-night, because they won't -get here. What's more," added the captain, as he surveyed the water and -sky with the air of one defying the elements to withhold a secret from -him, "if they try to cross the bay to-night you needn't look for them at -all. The bay is nothing too smooth now; but wait till the tide turns and -the wind in those clouds off to the east is let loose! There's going to -be fun out there, and that before many hours, too." - -With this dismally prophetic remark the captain gave orders to cast off -the lines, and the steamer was soon on its way down the bay. - -The three brothers, George, Arthur, and Joe Warren, and Henry Burns left -the wharf and were walking in the direction of the hotel, when a remark -from the latter stopped them short. - -"Did it occur to any of you," asked Henry Burns, speaking in a slightly -drawling tone, "that we shall never have a better opportunity to play a -practical joke on your friends than we have to-day--?" - -"What friends?" exclaimed George Warren, indignantly. - -"I thought you said Tom Harris and Bob White were coming down the river -to-day in a canoe," said Henry Burns, in the most innocent manner. - -"And so they are. And you think we would play a joke on them the first -day they arrive, do you? I believe you would get up in the night, Henry -Burns, to play a joke on your own grandmother. No, sirree, count me out -of that," said George Warren. "It will be time enough to play jokes on -them after they get here. I don't believe in treating friends in that -way." - -"Rather a mean thing to do, I think," said Arthur Warren. - -"I'm out of it," said Joe. - -"It doesn't occur to any of you to ask what the joke is, does it?" asked -Henry Burns, dryly. - -"Don't want to know," replied George. - -"Nor I, either," said Arthur. - -"Keep it to play on Witham," said Joe. - -"Then I'll enlighten you without your asking," continued Henry Burns, -nothing abashed. "You did not notice, perhaps, that though your friends, -Tom and Bob, did not come ashore to-day, their baggage did, and it is -back there on the wharf. Now I propose that we get John Briggs to let us -take his wheelbarrow, wheel their traps over to the point, pitch their -tent for them, and have everything ready by the time they get here. It's -rather a mean thing to do, I know, and not the kind of a trick I'd play -on old Witham; but there's nothing particular on hand in that line for -to-day." - -Henry Burns paused, with a sly twinkle in his eyes, to note the effect of -his words. - -"Capital!" roared George Warren, slapping Henry Burns again on the back, -regardless of the delicate state of that young gentleman's health. "We -might have known better than to take Henry Burns seriously." - -"Same old Henry Burns," said Arthur. "Take notice, boys, that he never is -beaten in anything he sets his heart on, and that his delicate health -will never, never be any better;" and he was about to imitate his elder -brother's example in the matter of a punch at Henry Burns, but the -latter, though of slighter build, grappled with him, and after a moment's -friendly wrestling laid him on his back on the greensward, thereby -illustrating the force of his remark as to Henry Burns's invincibility. - -The suggestion was at once followed. Within an hour the boys had wheeled -the baggage of the campers to a point of land overlooking the bay. - -"It's all here," said Henry Burns, finally, as two of the boys deposited -a big canvas bag, containing the tent, upon the grass, "except that one -box on the wharf, which looks as though it contained food." - -"We can let that stay there till we get things shipshape here, or get -Briggs to put it in the storehouse by and by," suggested young Joe. - -But if they could have foreseen then that the leaving of the box there -upon the wharf, seemingly such an inconsequential thing, was to be the -means of creating no end of trouble, it is quite possible that even young -Joe himself, though rather fond of his ease, would have brought it away -on his own shoulders; but it seemed of no consequence whether it should -be removed then or later, and so the box remained where it was. - -It required but a brief time to pitch the tent. It was a large, -square-shaped canvas, with high walls on two sides, so that a person of -medium height could stand erect there, and running to a peak at the top -in the usual "A" shape. Putting the frame, of two poles and a -cross-piece, together, and drawing the canvas over it as it lay on the -ground, the two larger boys raised it into position while the others -drove the pegs and stretched the guy-ropes. - -"Now, then," drawled Henry Burns, "if you care to, we can carry the joke -still further by cutting some poles and putting up the bunks." - -This proposition also meeting with approval, Henry Burns and the eldest -of the Warrens started for the woods, about a mile distant, to cut some -spruce poles, leaving the younger brothers to complete the pegging of the -tent, ditching it, and getting things in order. - -The spot which had been selected for the camping-ground was one of the -most beautiful on the island. It was a small point of land projecting -into the bay, with a sandy beach on either side. Its outermost extremity, -however, ended in a wall of ledge, which went down abruptly, so that the -water at high tide came up to within a few feet of the greensward, and at -low tide dropped down, rather than receded, leaving no bare rocks -exposed. - -A few spruce-trees grew on the point, sufficient to give shade, and in -the midst of a clump of them was a clear spring of water that was cool to -iciness during the hottest days. The point commanded a view of the entire -bay on the eastern side of the island, so that when the breeze came up -from the south, as it did almost daily through the summer, blowing fresh -and steadily, the billows over all its broad surface seemed to be aiming -their blows directly at it, while every breath of wind was laden with a -salt odour that was health-giving and inspiring. - -It was a choice bit of land that Bob's uncle had purchased several years -ago, when a few speculators had thought the island might be "boomed" as a -summer resort. The little fishing village of Southport, which numbered -then some twenty odd houses, had, indeed, been augmented by the "boom" by -about the same number of cottages; and adjoining the old tavern there had -been built a more imposing structure, the new and the old composing the -summer hotel. - -But the village had not "boomed." It remained the same peaceful, quiet, -quaint, and interesting village as of yore. Those cottagers who remained -after the boom died out were rather glad than otherwise that the -picturesque place had not been transformed into a fashionable resort. -They liked it for its tranquillity and quaintness, and soon came into -sympathy and friendliness with the villagers, who had parted with their -lands only with the greatest reluctance, and who viewed the new order of -things with a suspicion born of years of conservativeness. - -The gaiety of the place centred about the hotel, where, too, the greater -number of the guests were those who came year after year, and who would -as soon have thought of going to Jericho as to any other place than the -island. - -The leading citizen of the village was Squire James Brackett, and its -moving spirit one Captain Curtis, or "Cap'n Sam," as he was familiarly -known. The former owned the best house in the village, a big, rambling, -two-story farmhouse, perched on the hill overlooking the harbour. He was -a vessel-owner and a man of importance. He was the only man in the town -who had persistently refused to associate with the summer residents, -which some attributed to the fact that he feared lest their coming might -disturb his sway over town affairs. - -Captain Sam was a man of altogether different stamp. It is safe to say he -was on good terms with everybody on the island. He was for ever busy; the -first man to arise in the town, and the last to retire at night. In fact, -it is a fair assumption that, had Captain Sam deserted the island at an -early date in its history, the town might have eventually fallen so sound -asleep that it would not have awakened to this day. - -Captain Sam united in his activities the duties of storekeeper, coal and -ice merchant, musician, constable, and schoolmaster, the latter vocation -occupying his winter months. The energy of the village was concentrated -in this one man, who seemed tireless. He was on intimate terms with -everybody, and knew everybody's business. That he was rather good-looking -was the cause of some pangs of jealousy on the part of young Mrs. Curtis, -when business called her husband away among the housewives and maids of -the village. Finally, Captain Sam had a voice which defied walls and -distance. It was even told by some of the village humourists that he had -once stood at the head of the island and hailed a vessel sailing around -the extreme southern end, thirteen miles distant. - -Grand Island, lying in the middle of the bay, almost divides the upper -part of it into two big bodies of water, so that there are two great -thoroughfares for vessels, leading out to sea, the western being the more -generally used, for it is a more direct passage. The eastern bay is -filled with islands at the entrance to the sea. - -In the course of an hour, the boys who had gone to the woods returned to -the camp, bringing with them four spruce poles. These were quickly -trimmed of their branches, and cut to an even length of about seven feet. -Then, four stakes being driven into the ground on each side of the tent -under the walls, to form the legs of the bunks, the poles were mounted on -these and made fast. Then pieces of board were nailed across from pole to -pole, and on these were placed mattresses stuffed with dry hay from -Captain Sam's stable. - -"There," said young Joe, throwing himself on one of them, "is a spring -bed that can't be beaten anywhere. I know some think spruce boughs are -better, but they dry, and the needles fall off, and the bed gets hard. -These will last all summer." - -The pliant spruce poles were as good, indeed, as springs. - -In the meantime the younger boys had dug a trench completely around the -tent, extending to the edge of the bank on one side of the point, so that -a heavy rain could not flood the floor. In the rear of the tent they had -set a huge box belonging to the campers, made of a packing-case and -provided with a cover that lifted on leather hinges, and a padlock. It -was, presumably, filled with the camp outfit. In one corner of the tent, -on a box, they placed a large oil-stove and oven. The bedding was taken -inside, and everything made shipshape. The comfort of the prospective -campers seemed assured. - -Over the top of the tent they had also stretched a big piece of stout -cloth, made for the purpose, which was fastened to the ground at the ends -with guy-ropes and pegs, and which was to protect the tent against -leaking water in any long rainy period, and also serve as additional -shade in hot weather. - -The boys had done a hard afternoon's work. Pinning back the flaps of the -tent, they sat at the entrance and looked out across the bay. The wind, -which blew from the southeast, had not grown idle during the afternoon, -but had increased steadily, and now came strong and damp from off the -bay, rushing in at the opening of the tent and bulging it out so that it -tugged violently at the ropes. - -"It won't do to leave the tent-door unpinned," said Henry Burns. "It's -going to blow great guns to-night." So, closing the entrance and making -it fast, they went to the edge of the bank and sat there. - -"It's rough out there now," said George Warren, pointing to the bay, -which was one mass of foaming waves; "but it will be worse from now till -midnight. The wind is going to blow harder and the tide is just beginning -to run out." - -The tide indeed set strongly down the island shore, so that when it met -the wind and waves blown up from oceanward it made a rough and turbulent -chop sea. - -All at once as they sat there a sailboat rushed out from behind the -headland across the cove and thrashed its way through the white-capped -waves, heading down the island and throwing the spray at every plunge -into the seas. Those aboard had evidently a reckless disregard for their -own safety, for, although such few coasters as could be seen in the -distance were scudding for harbour, fearful of the approaching storm, -this craft carried not only full mainsail and forestaysail,--sail, too, -that was large for the boat at all times,--but a topsail and a jib. The -boat was hauled well into the wind and heeled over, so that the water -again and again came over the board into the cockpit. - -Perched upon the windward rail were three boys. A fourth, a boy evidently -near George Warren's age, stood at the wheel, seemingly the most -unconcerned of all. He was large of his age and powerfully built, and his -sleeves, rolled above the elbow, showed two brown and brawny arms. A -fifth boy, somewhat younger in appearance, lying in the bottom of the -boat, with feet braced against the side, held the main-sheet. - -The boat was a white sloop, about thirty feet in length over all, and -clearly fast and able. - -"I'll say one thing for Jack Harvey and his crew," exclaimed George -Warren, as the yacht rushed by the point, "although I think they're a -mean lot. They can handle a boat as well as any skipper on the island. -And as for fear, they don't know what it means." - -"Look!" he cried. "Do you see what they are doing?" as the yacht was -suddenly brought, quivering, into the wind and headed away from the -island on the other tack. "There's nothing in the world Jack Harvey's -doing that for except to frighten the hotel guests. He sees the crowd on -the piazza watching him, and is just making game of their fright. He'll -sail out there as long as he dares, or until his topmast goes, just to -keep them watching him." - -And so indeed it proved. An anxious crowd of summer guests at the hotel -had no sooner begun to rejoice at the boat's apparent safety, than they -saw it go about and head out into the bay once more. Then they breathed -easier as it headed about again, and came rushing in. Then as it once -more headed for the bay, they realized that what they were witnessing was -a sheer bit of folly and recklessness. Angry as they were, they could but -stand there and watch the yacht manoeuvre, the women crying out whenever -a flaw threw the yacht over so that the mainsail was wet by the waves; -the men angry at the bravado of the youthful yachtsmen, and vowing that -the yacht might sink and the crew go with it before they would lift a -hand to save one of them. All of which they knew they did not mean,--a -fact which only increased their irritation. - -"Ah!" said George Warren, as a big drop of rain suddenly splashed on his -cheek. "Perhaps this will drive them in, if the wind won't." It had, -indeed, begun to rain hard, and, although the crew of the yacht must have -been drenched through and through with the flying spray, the water from -the sky had, evidently, a more dampening effect on their spirits, for the -yacht was headed inshore, and soon ran into a cove about three-quarters -of a mile down the island, behind a point of land where, through the -trees, the indistinct outlines of a tent could be seen. - -And so, as it was now the time when the sun would have set upon the bay, -if it had not been shut out from sight by a heavy mass of clouds, and as -the wind came laden with rain, which dashed in the faces of those who -were out-of-doors to encounter it, the boys turned from the spot where -they had gathered and hurried for shelter, the brothers to their cottage, -and Henry Burns to the hotel. - -The tent, swayed by the fierce gusts of wind, tugged at its ropes; the -reckless crew of the white sloop had found shelter, and those vessels -that were out upon the bay eagerly sought the same. - -But in that part of the bay which rolled between the northern end of the -island and the mouth of the river, fifteen miles away, a greater piece of -recklessness was being enacted than was ever dared by Harvey and his -careless crew. There was none on shore there to witness it, for the -island at that extreme end was bare of settlement. - -A mile from the nearest land, seemingly at the mercy of a wild sea which -threatened every moment to engulf it, a small canoe slowly and stubbornly -fought its way toward the island shore. At a distance one would have -thought it a mere log, tossed about at random by the waves; and yet, one -watching it would have seen it slowly draw ahead, glide from under the -spray that broke constantly over its bow, and still make progress; -sometimes beaten back by billows that tumbled fast one upon another, but -gaining something through it all. - -There were two occupants of the craft, and, though but mere youths, none -could have handled the paddles more skilfully. Yet it was a question of -the great sea's strength against their endurance. What would happen -should they find that there came a time when they made no gain? If they -turned about, even supposing that were possible, the storm might drive -them across the bay once more, but their strength and courage would be -gone, and they could hardly hope to reach the shore. It was either the -island goal or nothing. - -One standing on the shore would scarce have seen them now. Darkness began -to hide them. But the island loomed up, dim and shadowy, before them, and -they struggled on against the storm. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - TO THE RESCUE - - -A person leaving the wharf at Southport would ordinarily take one of -three roads: the one directly ahead leading up through the village and -past the hotel; the one to the left passing by, though at some distance -from, the cottages that were scattered irregularly along the south shore -of the bay; the road to the right leading similarly to the cottages on -that shore. The shore there, however, made a deep sweep, bordering on a -cove of some considerable extent. - -From the shore in all directions the land sloped back, with a gradual -rise for about a mile. Cottages dotted the slope here and there. - -To the right of the wharf and the farthest away from it of any dwelling -was the Warren cottage. Somewhat hidden in a grove of spruce-trees, its -broad piazza commanded a fine view of the bay and the islands in the -distance. - -On this particular evening, however, there was little inducement of wind -or weather for one to linger there. The rain, driven by the wind through -fluttering tree-branches, dashed itself against the cottage windows as -though the drops were drawn, like moths, to the light which shone from -within; then fell in pools and was swept away by driving gusts. Nought to -be seen there now but sea and sky in wild commotion; darkness in all the -air, blackness over all the bay. - -But, despite the dreariness of the storm outside, there was pleasing -comfort within the cottage. The increasing darkness of the night, the -dashing rain and the noisy wind, like unwelcome guests, came only to the -threshold and gained no admittance. A fire of driftwood blazed in the big -stone fireplace, and the soft rays shed by a lamp suspended from the -ceiling further lighted up the cosy room. - -There were four occupants of the room. Mrs. Warren, a sweet-faced, cheery -little woman, and the three brothers, were seated about the fire. They -were conversing earnestly, and, as the talk progressed, it seemed as -though the influence of the storm was getting into the room. - -"It's no use, mother," said George Warren, who stood in front of the -fireplace, facing the others, "trying to make us think that Tom and Bob -did not start to cross the bay. Ever since the boys were out in the big -storm on Moosehead Lake they've been afraid of nothing. Tom Harris -declares his canoe will stand as rough a sea as a dory,--and, what's -more, the storm hadn't begun by the time they must have left the mouth of -the river." - -"Yes, but Captain Chase would warn them not to cross." - -"I've no doubt he did, mother; and, if he did, that might make it so much -the worse. If the boys had been in a sailboat they probably would have -listened to him; but the captain would sneer at that canoe, and would -like as not tell them it wasn't fit to cross the bay in at any time, much -less in rough water. And that would be just enough to put them on their -mettle. They'd make the attempt, even if they had to put back." - -"Yes, and Tom said in the note that they would be here to-night," broke -in young Joe. "And when he gave that to Captain Chase to bring, it showed -he meant to start, anyway." - -"But when the storm increased they would put back," urged Mrs. Warren. - -"No," answered George, "they must have gotten two-thirds of the way -across the bay before the worst of the storm broke. The storm seemed to -hold up for an hour or two during the latter part of the afternoon, and -then increased all of a sudden with the turn of the tide. The boys would -have gotten so far across that it would be too late to turn back, and -they would have to keep on." - -"And yet you boys want to imitate their recklessness!" cried Mrs. Warren, -impatiently. "Come, Arthur," and she turned to the boy who had remained -silent thus far during the discussion. "Help me convince your brothers of -their mistake. You don't agree with them, I am sure." - -The boy thus addressed, though a year younger than his elder brother, was -the one on whose judgment the mother more often relied. He was fully as -active as the other two, but his was a calmer temperament than theirs. -This confidence in him really extended to his brothers, though they joked -him on his moderate, studious ways, and called him the "professor," -because he was a little near-sighted and sometimes wore glasses. He came -forward now and stood by his mother's chair. - -"I can't help thinking, mother, that George and Joe are right," he said, -deliberately, while poor Mrs. Warren gasped with dismay. "You wouldn't -have us play the parts of cowards while the boys may be in danger, and -when we can perhaps save them. There isn't half the danger you imagine, -either. The wind is blowing now squarely from the east, and once we have -beaten out of the cove we can sail alongshore without heading out to sea. - -"Then, too," he continued, "the yacht is nearly new, and was fitted with -new rigging this year. We'll promise to sail only a little past the head -of the island and return, or run into Bryant's Cove and walk back. It's -no more than we ought to do for the best friends we've got. There's not -another sailboat in the harbour to-night that is as stiff as ours, except -Jack Harvey's, and it's out of the question to ask him. The other boats -went out to the races at Seal Harbour, or we would get Captain Sam to go -in his yacht. We can't ask Jack Harvey to go--that's certain." - -"Wouldn't he laugh at us, though!" said George. "He would offer to tow -our boat along, too, or something of that sort, just to be mean, and then -there'd be a nice row." - -Besieged on all sides, Mrs. Warren could but yield a partial consent. - -"You and George can go," she said, turning to Arthur, "but Joe must stay -with me. I can't spare you all to take such an awful risk." - -"I won't stay!" cried young Joe, hotly. "That is to say, I--I don't want -to," he hastened to add, as Mrs. Warren looked reproachfully at him. -"They need me to help sail the _Spray_,--don't you, fellows?" - -"There ought to be three to manage the boat in this wind," said George, -somewhat reluctantly. "I guess you'll have to let him go, mother--" - -But at this moment there was the sound of footsteps upon the piazza. Some -one walked around the house, gave a premonitory knock at the door, and -let himself in. - -It was Henry Burns. He was equipped for the storm, in oilskins, rubber -boots, and a tarpaulin hat. The water ran from his clothing in little -streams and made a series of pools on the polished wood floor. Declining -Mrs. Warren's offer of a seat, on the ground that he was too wet, Henry -Burns stood by the mantel near the fireplace, and, with tarpaulin -removed, still looked the pale and delicate student, despite his rough -garments. - -"Ahoy there, shipmates," he said, with great gravity, waving the -tarpaulin at the group. "You weren't thinking of cruising for your health -this evening, were you? Because, if you were, my health isn't as good as -it might be, and I think a little salt air would do it good." - -"Bravo!" cried George Warren. "You might know Henry Burns would be on -hand if there was any excitement going on. Never knew him to fail,--Joe, -you'll have to stay at home now and keep mother company. We don't need -more than three. Come, Arthur, hurry! We mustn't lose a minute longer." - -And while young Joe turned away, almost in tears at the verdict, the -other two boys scrambled about, hastily donning reefers, oilskins, and -heavy boots. Then they were gone with a rush and a bang of the door, and -Mrs. Warren and Joe composed themselves as best they could to await their -return. - -And could any of them have imagined then, looking forth through the -darkness and the storm, an overturned canoe pounding helplessly upon the -beach of that island shore, it surely would not have comforted the -watchers nor have given courage to those who went forth to rescue. - -Descending the bank to the shore of the cove, the boys quickly launched a -rowboat, the tender to the yacht, and, with Henry Burns seated in the -stern, tiller-ropes in hand, the brothers, about equal in strength, -pulled vigorously across the cove, where the sloop lay at anchor under -the lee of the bluff. It was no easy task to cross the cove in that sea; -and often Henry Burns turned the boat from its course and headed out -toward the entrance, to meet some enormous wave that, had it broken over -the side of the boat, would have filled and swamped it. - -The yacht _Spray_, sheltered as it was from the brunt of the storm, was -tossing about uneasily as the boys climbed aboard and made the tender -fast astern. It was a small craft, about twenty-five feet over all, with -the hull painted black. It was trim and was able for its size, but, safe -to say, not a fisherman in the village would have cared to put out in it -this night. Still, the boat had been built on an outer island of the bay -for fishing in heavy weather, and was seaworthy. - -There were three sets of reefing-points in the mainsail, and, after some -discussion, it was decided to reef the sail down to its smallest size. -While Henry Burns hoisted the sail slightly, the brothers hastily tied in -the reefs, and the halyards were then drawn taut at throat and peak and -made fast. The tender was tied to the buoy. There was no use trying to -tow it in that sea. Then, with George Warren at the tiller, Arthur and -Henry Burns cast off, and the voyage was begun. - -When Mr. Warren purchased the boat for his boys, he had it rigged with -especial care for an emergency. The main-sheet was rigged to run through -a double set of pulleys, so that the mainsail could be hauled with -comparative ease in a heavy gale. The sail he had cut down smaller than -the boat had been carrying, so there was less danger of her capsizing. -That very precaution was, however, to prove a source of trouble on this -particular night. - -Arthur Warren and Henry Burns now came aft, the iron centreboard was -dropped, and the yacht was almost instantly under headway, standing out -by the bluff and heading almost directly across the cove. Arthur Warren -held the main-sheet, while Henry Burns seated himself, with feet braced -against the centreboard-box, ready for any emergency. - -For a moment they were in comparatively smooth water, and then, as they -emerged from the lee of the headland, it seemed as though they had been -suddenly transported into another sea. The wind that struck them careened -the boat over violently, as they were as yet under but little headway. -Easing the yacht for a moment with the sheet, they righted somewhat, but -the prospect was not pleasing. The _Spray_ did not head into the wind -well, and they soon found they could not make even a straight course -across the harbour, with the slant of wind they had. - -"We may make something on the next tack," said George, "but it doesn't -look very encouraging." - -"Supposing you see how she comes about before we run in near shore," -suggested Arthur, after some minutes. - -In answer, George put the tiller hard down, after giving the little boat -a good headway. The yacht went sluggishly in stays, hung almost in the -eye of the wind for a moment, and then, failing to make headway against -the heavy seas, fell off once more and would not come about. - -"There's only one thing we can do, boys," said George. "We must run in -under the shelter of the wharf and shake out that last reef. The sail is -too small to reef down so close. I'm sure she will beat under a double -reef. It's the only thing left to do." - -It was the work of but a few minutes to carry out this plan. The third -reef was shaken out and the sail hoisted. Once more the yacht emerged -from shelter. The change for the better in its working was at once -apparent. It pointed higher into the wind, though careening over so that -the water came unpleasantly near the top of the high wash-boards. But the -yacht would stand this. The question now to be tested was, would she act -and come about under the still small sail she was carrying against the -force of such a sea. - -"Now, then," said George, as they neared the bluff again, "we will try -her once more. If she fails now we are beaten. We cannot carry more sail. -That's sure." - -He put the tiller down as he spoke, and the _Spray_, responding bravely, -headed into the seas. They strove angrily to overwhelm the little craft, -and dashed furiously against her bows, while the wind worried the -flapping sails as though it would tear them from boom and mast; but the -_Spray_ held on and came about nobly, and they were away again on the -other tack, standing across the harbour. - -It seemed an hour before they had beaten out where they dared to stand -past the bluff and head alongshore. They had left all shelter hopelessly -behind; on one side of them a wilderness of foaming waves rushed upon -them from the darkness; on the other side lay the lee shore, high and -rock-bound for the most part, but now and then broken by small stretches -of beach. Against the former, the seas broke with heavy crashings; upon -the other, with an ominous booming. - -But they headed off the wind a trifle, eased the sheet, made by the -point, and stood along the shore as near as they dared to run. It was -well for them that the little yacht was a good sea boat. Again and again, -as some wave, lifting its white crest above the others, threatened to -overwhelm them, the yacht was headed out to sea, and then the wave, -lifting the boat high on its crest and rolling rapidly from beneath it -till half the length of the yacht seemed poised in air, left it to fall -heavily upon the next oncoming wave, or, worse still, to plunge into a -watery gulf, there to be half-buried by the next big sea. - -But the yacht lived through it all and kept bravely on its course. Henry -Burns's arms ached with bailing out the cockpit, where the seas broke in -over the quarter, or came aboard in clouds of spray as they headed into -the wind. - -They dared not sail near the shore, and could see it but indistinctly, -save when some larger wave broke upon the beach and carved out a white -line of foam, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. So against the -cliffs that they passed they could see a sudden blur of white as a big -wave hurled itself to destruction. Beyond this all was blear and -indistinct. - -They were now within half a mile of the head of the island, and, looking -ahead into the darkness, which, with the rain, had greatly increased -within the last hour, like the beginning of a fog, they realized how -useless was the search they had begun. They could see but the merest -distance in any direction. The storm was steadily increasing, and already -a new condition confronted them. The wind was shifting to the southeast, -from east, so that their return was rendered impossible. It was worse -than folly to think of beating back in such a head sea. The wind on their -quarter was driving them along furiously. It was madness to dream of -keeping on past the head of the island. - -"We can't make Bryant's Cove any too soon to suit me," said George. "The -_Spray_ has got more wind now than she knows what to do with." - -The little boat was, indeed, burying her bows under at every plunge, and -trembled in all her timbers at the fearful strain. It was plain that she -had reached the limit of her seaworthiness. Bryant's Cove was a short -distance around the head of the island. Once there, they would be -sheltered from the storm. - -The boys had ceased to speak of a possible rescue of their friends. It -was a question of their own salvation now, and the instinct of -self-preservation asserted itself. Henry Burns peered eagerly ahead, but -looked only for the point of land behind which lay their safety. Suddenly -he turned and uttered a shrill cry of fright, such as no one had ever -heard from him before. - -"Luff her, George! Luff quick--quick, for your life!" he cried, and, -springing for the tiller, threw his weight against it ere the startled -helmsman could find strength to act. - -The yacht, with sails slatting, came into the wind amid a cloud of spray. -The boom, striking a wave, had nearly snapped in two. But it was not an -instant too soon. - -A black object that looked enormous rose suddenly out of the sea in front -of the _Spray_. The next wave lifted it high in the air, and hurled it -down upon them. It was a ship's yawl-boat, of immense size, fully as -large as the yacht itself. Down the watery declivity it shot, swift and -straight, like some sea-monster in pursuit of its quarry. - -But the little yacht had answered her helm well. There was a crash and a -splintering of wood, and the yawl drifted rapidly past and was lost in -the darkness. The yacht _Spray_, her bowsprit and fore-rigging torn away, -once more fell off the wind and was driven on by the storm. It was an -escape so narrow that a moment more and they had been dashed to pieces. - -Henry Burns was the first to regain his courage. - -"It's better the bowsprit than the rudder," he said, coolly. And his -courage gave them strength. A few minutes later they had passed the head -of the island and gained the lee of the land, and in fifteen minutes more -they had cast anchor in Bryant's Cove. - -"I am willing to do whatever you boys think is best," said George Warren, -as they lowered and furled the sail and made the yacht snug for the -night. "But I think it's of no use for us to make any search for the boys -along this shore. If they capsized in the bay to-night, neither they nor -their canoe would come ashore here. The canoe would be blown across the -bay; and they-- Well, we're bound to believe that they didn't start, or, -if they did, that they put back." - -"I don't see but what we have done all we can to-night," responded his -brother; "and, as we have got five miles of muddy road to travel, the -sooner we start the better. We could stay in the boat to-night, but we -must get back on mother's account. Depend upon it, she has worried every -single minute we have been gone, and I don't blame her, either. Now it's -all over, I don't mind saying I think we were fools to come out. But we -meant well, so perhaps the less said the better. We'll have to leave the -_Spray_ to herself till the storm goes down. Nobody will harm her." - -"I don't mind staying here to-night and looking after her," said Henry -Burns. "To be sure, old Witham doesn't know I have left the hotel, but I -tumbled my bed up before I came away, and he will only think I got up -early in the morning, if he wonders where I am." - -"No, no, old fellow. We won't let you stay. We won't hear of it," said -both brothers. "The sooner we all get home and get dry clothes on, the -better. There's no need of any of us staying. The _Spray_ won't sail out -of the cove of herself, and every one on the island knows her." - -So, as they had left the tender behind, they removed their clothing, tied -it into bundles, slung them around their necks, and, slipping overboard, -swam to shore. - -"If I ever was more glad to get on land alive than I am at present," said -Henry Burns, his teeth chattering with the cold, as he hastily scrambled -into his clothes, "I don't happen to remember it just at this instant. I -wonder if my aunt would send me down here again for my health if she -could see me now." - -There was something so ludicrous in the idea that the boys could not help -bursting into roars of laughter,--though they felt little enough like -merriment. - -"The more I think of it," said Henry Burns, "the more I believe the boys -are snug ashore at Millville, and that they haven't been within ten miles -of Grand Island to-night." - -"I think you are right, Henry," responded Arthur. - -"It must be so," said George. - -And yet not one of them dared to believe absolutely that what he said was -true. - -They started off across lots now, walking as rapidly as their wet and -heavy clothing would allow, to strike the road which led to the harbour. -Coming at length into this road, they had walked but a short distance, -and were at the top of a hill at a turn of the road where it left the -shore, when Henry Burns, pointing down along the shore, said: - -"We ought to remember that part of the bay as long as we live, for we -shall never be much nearer to death than we were right there." - -"Sure enough," responded Arthur, "it was just about off there that the -big yawl smashed our bowsprit off." - -"The yawl must have been driven ashore by this time," said George. "Wait -a minute and I will take a look." And he disappeared over the bank and -was lost in the bushes. The two boys seated themselves by the side of the -road to await his return, but started up with a horror in their hearts as -a shrill cry came up to them from the shore. There was that in the cry -that told them that George Warren had found other than the ship's -long-boat. They scarcely dared to think what. Then they, too, dashed down -the slope to the shore. - -When they reached his side, George Warren could scarcely speak from -emotion. - -"Look! Look!" he cried, in a trembling, choking voice, and pointed out -upon the beach where the tide had gone down. - -There were two strange objects there that the sea had buffeted in its -wild play that night, and then, as though grown tired of them, had cast -upon the shore, among the rocks and seaweed. - -One was the long-boat, no longer an object of danger, for the sea had -hurled it against a rock and stove its side in. The other was a canoe. -The sea had overturned it and tossed it upon the shore. Two of its -thwarts were smashed where it had been dropped down and pinioned upon a -rock--and the rock held it fast. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - A SURPRISE - - -With hearts beating quick and hard, they lifted the canoe from the rock, -fearful of what they might find beneath it; but there was nothing there. -Then they searched along the beach in the darkness as best they could, -peering anxiously into clumps of seaweed, and standing now and again -fixed with horror as some dim object, cast up by the sea, assumed in -shadowy outline the semblance of a human form. The shore was heaped here -and there with piles of driftwood and ends of logs that had come down -through countless tides and currents from the lumber-mills miles up the -river, and this stuff had lodged among the ledges and boulders at various -points along the beach. Here and there among these they hunted, groping -amid the seaweed, cold and chill to the touch, and suggesting to their -minds, already alert with dread, the most gruesome of discoveries which -they feared to make. - -That the boys had crossed the bay in the frail craft which they had just -found there seemed to be no possible doubt. Furthermore, they were now -led to believe that Tom and Bob, having once reached a point where they -could have found shelter, had chosen to keep on past the head of the -island in an effort to make the harbour of Southport. They must at least, -as the wind had blown, have reached a point opposite where the boys had -found the canoe, and have, perhaps, paddled some distance beyond. - -But it was clearly useless to continue the search further in the darkness -and storm. They lifted the canoe and carried it up from the beach, and -hid it in the bushes upon the bank. Then they went slowly back to the -road. - -"I tell you what we can do," said Arthur Warren. "I hate to go back to -the cottage without making one more search. Let's get a lantern and come -back. We shall not have to go far for one,--and we shall have done all we -can, then, though it is a bad night to see anything." - -The rain was, indeed, pouring in torrents and driving in sheets against -their faces. - -"Yes, we must do that much," said George. "And then--then we can come -back in the morning--" His voice choked, and he could not say more. They -went on down the muddy road in silence. - -Shortly below the hill, upon the road, was a big farmhouse, arriving at -which they turned into the yard. The house was in darkness, save one dim -light in a chamber; but they pounded at the door with the heavy brass -knocker till they heard the shuffling of feet in the entry, and a voice -inquired roughly what was wanted. They answered, and the door was opened -cautiously a few inches, where it was held fast by a heavy chain. An old -man's face peered out at them. The sight of the boys was evidently -reassuring, for, in a moment more, the man threw open the door and -invited them to walk in. - -"There be rough sailors come by some nights," he said, in a manner -apologizing for his suspicion. "I'm here alone, and"--he lowered his -voice to a husky whisper--"they do say that I have a bit of money hid -away in the old house. But it's a lie. It's a lie. It's the sea and the -garden I live on. There's not a bit of money in the old house. But what -brings you out in such a storm? You haven't lost your way, have you?" - -They told their story, while the old man sat in a chair, shaking his head -dubiously. When they told him of the finding of the canoe, and their -certainty that the boys had crossed in it, he declared that it could -never have lived to get to the island. - -"It must have come from down below," he said. "It could never have been -paddled across the bay against this sea. Two boys, d'ye say, paddled it? -No. No, my lads, never--upon my life, never. Two stout men in a dory, and -used to these waters, might have done it; but two lads in a cockle-shell -like that would never have reached the Head, let alone getting beyond -it." - -He seemed to regard them almost with suspicion, when they told him of how -they had sailed up along shore in search of their comrades, and was -perhaps inclined to believe their whole story as some kind of a hoax. -Certain it was he gave them little comfort, except to say he would look -alongshore in the morning. If any one had drowned offshore in the -evening, they might not come ashore till the next day, he said. - -But he got a battered lantern for them and handed it over with a -trembling hand, cautioning them to be careful of it, and to leave it by -the door on their way back. They heard him bolt the heavy door behind -them as they turned out of the yard into the road. A clock in the kitchen -had struck the hour of ten as they left the house. - -"Isn't it very probable, after all," said George, as they walked along, -"that the man may be right, and that this canoe we have found is one that -has been lost off some steamer?" - -"It seems to me perhaps as probable," answered Henry Burns, "as that the -boys should have attempted to keep on in the storm, having once reached a -place of safety." - -"I wish I could think so," said Arthur. "But I can't help fearing the -worst,--and if the boys are lost," he exclaimed bitterly, "I've seen all -I want to of this island for one summer. I'd never enjoy another day -here." - -"I won't believe it's their canoe until I have to," said George. "They -are not such reckless chaps as we have been making them out." - -And he tried to say this bravely, as though he really meant it. - -They tramped along the rest of the way to the shore in silence, for none -of them dared to admit to another that which he could not but believe. - -By the lantern's dim and flickering light they searched the beach again -for a half-mile along in the vicinity of where the canoe had come ashore. -But nothing rewarded their hunt. - -"The old man must be right," said George Warren. "The canoe must have -come ashore from some steamer. Let's go home, anyway. We've done all we -can." - -Heart-sick and weary, they began the tramp back to the cottage. At about -a mile from the old farmhouse, where they left the lantern, they turned -off from the road and made a cut across fields, till they came at length -to the shore of the cove opposite the Warren cottage. They could see -across the water the gleam of a large lantern which young Joe had hung on -the piazza for them; but the boat they had expected to find drawn up on -shore was gone. - -"Old Slade must be over in town," said Henry Burns; "and he won't be back -to-night, probably. So it's either walk two miles more around the cove or -swim out to the tender. We're all of us tired out. Shall we draw lots to -see who swims?" - -"I'll go, myself," volunteered George. "I'd rather swim that short -distance than do any more walking. I'm about done up, but I am good for -that much." And he threw off his clothing once more, and swam pluckily -out to the tender and brought it ashore. They pulled across the cove to -the shore back of the cottage, and, springing out, carried the boat high -up on land. - -They were at the cottage then in a twinkling; but, even before they had -reached the door, dear Mrs. Warren, who had heard their steps upon the -walk, was outside in the rain, hugging her boys who had braved the storm -and who had come back safe. She was altogether too much overcome at the -sight of them, it seemed, to inquire if they had found those in search of -whom they had set out. - -And then the dear little woman, having embraced and kissed them as though -they had been shipwrecked mariners, long given up for lost,--not -forgetting Henry Burns, who wasn't used to it, but who took it calmly all -the same, as he did everything else,--hurried them into the kitchen, -where young Joe had the big cook-stove all of a red heat, and where dry -clothing for the three from the extensive Warren wardrobe was warming by -the fire. - -A comical welcome they got from young Joe, who had been just as much -worried as Mrs. Warren, but who hadn't admitted it to his mother for a -moment, and had scornfully denied the existence of danger, and yet who -was every bit as relieved as she to see the boys safe. He tried not to -appear as though a great weight had been removed from his mind by their -return, but made altogether a most commendable failure. - -The big, roomy, old-fashioned kitchen--for the Warren cottage had -originally been a rambling old farmhouse, which they had remodelled and -modernized--had never seemed so cosy before. And the fire had never -seemed more cheery than it did now. And when they had scrambled into dry, -warm clothing, and Mrs. Warren had taken the teakettle from the hob, and -poured them each a steaming cup of tea, to "draw out the chill," they -forgot for the moment what they had been through and their sad discovery. - -In fact, it seemed as though Mrs. Warren and young Joe were strangely -indifferent to what had sent them forth, and were easily satisfied with -the opinions expressed by the boys, who had agreed not to mention the -finding of the canoe until something more definite was learned, that Tom -and Bob had in all probability not left the river. - -So easily satisfied, indeed, and so little affected by the fruitless -errand they had been on, that all at once Henry Burns, who had been eying -Mrs. Warren sharply for some moments, suddenly rose up from where he was -sitting, and rushed out of the kitchen, through the dining-room, into the -front part of the house. Wondering what had come over him, the others -followed. - -What they saw was a tableau, with Henry Burns as exhibitor. He had drawn -aside the heavy portiere with one hand, and stood pointing into the room -with the other. - -There, seated before the fireplace, were two boys so much like Tom and -Bob, whom they had given up for lost, that their own mothers, had they -been there, would have wept for joy at the sight of them. And then, what -with the Warren boys pounding them and hugging them, like young bears, to -make sure they were flesh and blood, and not the ghosts of Tom and Bob, -and with the cheers that fairly made the old rafters ring, and the -happiness of Mrs. Warren, who was always willing to adopt every boy from -far and near who was a friend of one of her boys,--what with all this, -there was altogether a scene that would have done any one's heart good, -and might have shamed the storm outside, if it had been any other kind of -a storm than a pitiless southeaster. - -Then, though the hour was getting late, they all sat about the big -fireplace, and Tom narrated the story of the shipwreck. - -But, just as he began, young Joe said, with mock gravity: - -"We haven't introduced Henry Burns to the boys yet. Henry, this is Tom -Harris, and this is Bob White." - -"I don't think we need an introduction to one who has risked his life for -us," said Tom Harris, heartily, as he and Bob sprang up to shake hands -with Henry Burns. But Henry Burns, carrying out the joke, bowed very -formally, and politely said he was extremely happy to make their -acquaintance. At which Tom and Bob, unfamiliar with the ways of Henry -Burns, stared in astonishment, which sent the Warren boys into roars of -laughter. - -The boys thus introduced to Henry Burns were handsome young fellows, -evidently about the same age,--in fact, each lacked but a few months of -fifteen,--thick-set and strongly built. The sons of well-to-do parents, -and neighbours, they had been inseparable companions ever since they -could remember. Tom Harris's father was the owner of extensive tracts in -the Maine woods, from which lumber was cut yearly and rafted down the -streams to his lumber-mills. In company with him on several surveying and -exploring expeditions, the boys had hunted and fished together, and had -paddled for weeks along the streams and on the lakes of the great Maine -wilderness. - -They had hunted and fished in the Parmachenee and the Rangeley Lake -region, and knew a great deal more of real camp life than most boys of -double their age. Further than this, they were schoolmates, and were so -equally matched in athletic sports, in which they both excelled, that -neither had ever been able to gain a decided victory over the other. Tom -was of rather light complexion, while Bob was dark, with curly, black -hair. - -It was through their friendship with the Warren boys, who lived not far -from them, in the same town, that they had decided to spend the summer -camping on Grand Island. - -As they all gathered around the cheerful blaze of the fire, Tom told the -story of the day's adventures. - -With so much of their camp kit as they needed for cooking along the -river, they had started from the town of Benton at about four o'clock -that morning, just as the tide began to ebb. Hardened as they were to the -use of the paddle, by the time the tide had ceased to ebb and slack water -ensued, they had left the city miles behind and were well down the river. - -Then the flood tide began to set strong against them, and a wind arose -that furrowed the river with waves that were not big enough to be -noticeable to larger craft, but which seriously impeded the progress of -the frail canoe. They kept steadily on, but made slow headway. - -At Millville, a few miles above the mouth of the river, where it -broadened out into the bay, they had met the steamer, and had hastily -scrawled the note which Captain Chase had brought to the Warren boys. - -Sure enough, Captain Chase had warned them of the impending storm, and, -furthermore, had offered to transport them and their canoe across the -bay; but they had declined his offer, wishing to paddle the entire -distance to the island. They had set their hearts on making the trip of -forty miles in one day; and partly for this reason, and partly because -Captain Chase had looked askance at their canoe, and had assured them -that it was not a fit craft for bay work in any weather, let alone in a -heavy sea, they had set out, toward the latter part of the afternoon, to -cross the fifteen miles of bay which lay between them and Grand Island. - -The storm which had threatened gradually closed in around them, but they -held on stubbornly, until, when too far across the bay to put back, it -rapidly gathered strength, and soon turned what had been a comparatively -safe pathway across the sea into a wilderness of waves, that at one -moment rose high above the bow of the canoe, dashing them with spray as -the sharp canoe cleaved them, and the next dropped down beneath them, -opening a watery trench, into which they plunged. - -They had seen storms like this, that came quick and sharp upon the lakes, -heaving up a sea almost in a moment, with squalls that swept down from -the hills. They had been safely through them before; but at those times -it had been a short, sharp battle for a half-hour at most, before they -could reach a friendly shore. But here it was different. Here were miles -of intervening water between them and the nearest land. This was no lake, -to be quickly within the shelter of some protecting point of land. - -But they had never for a moment lost courage nor despaired of coming -through all right. They struggled pluckily on, and might have gotten -safely to land without mishap, if they had been familiar with the shore -of the island. To a stranger, the shore about the head of the island -presented a sheer front of forbidding cliffs, rising abruptly from the -water, and against which, in a storm, the sea dashed furiously. - -There was apparently no place at which a boat could be landed; and yet, -hidden behind the very barrier of ledge that sheltered it, lay Bryant's -Cove, as quiet and sequestered a pool as any fugitive craft could wish to -find. Had the boys known of its existence, they would have landed there, -and have been at the Warren cottage before the _Spray_ had left the -harbour. - -As it was, there seemed to them to be no alternative but to keep on to a -point about half a mile farther along the shore, where they hoped to be -able to make a landing upon the beach. - -They had accomplished the distance, and were fast nearing a place where -they could land in safety, when a most unexpected and disastrous accident -happened. Suddenly, and without the slightest warning of its weakness, -the paddle which Bob was using snapped in two in his hands. At the same -moment a wave hit the canoe, and, with nothing with which to keep his -balance, Bob was thrown bodily from the canoe into the sea, upsetting the -canoe and spilling Tom out at the same time. - -The boys were able to grasp the canoe and cling on for a few minutes. -They were both good swimmers, and often, in smooth water, had practised -swimming, with the canoe upset, and were able to accomplish the feat of -righting it, bailing it with a dipper, which they always carried attached -to one of the thwarts by a cord, and then climbing aboard over the ends. -But it was useless to attempt such a thing in this boisterous sea. - -Indeed, it was more than they could do, even, to cling to the overturned -craft, for soon an enormous wave struck it a blow broadside and tore it -from their grasp. Then ensued a fight for life that seemed almost -hopeless. They were near to shore, but the sea seemed to delight in -mocking them; tossing them in at one moment, so that they could grasp at -seaweed that lay above the ledges, and then clutching at them and drawing -them relentlessly back. - -It was then that their athletic training stood them in good stead. Less -hardy constitutions and weaker muscles than theirs would have quickly -tired under the strain. Refraining from useless struggles to gain the -shore, they waited their opportunity, and strove merely for the moment to -keep themselves afloat. In this manner they were, several times, almost -cast up on shore. - -All at once Tom Harris felt a sharp pain in his right hand. Then he -realized, with a thrill of hope, that he had struck it upon a rock. It -was, indeed, a narrow reef that made out some distance from shore. They -had narrowly escaped being dashed upon it head-foremost. Tom waited and -gathered his strength as the next wave hurled him on its crest in the -direction of the ledge. Then, as the wave bore him with great force -against it, he broke the force of the shock with his hands, was thrown -roughly up against it, and managed to cling fast, with his fingers in a -niche of the rock, as the wave, receding, strove to drag him back again. - -Then, holding on with one hand, he managed somehow to grasp at Bob as he -was drifting by, and hold him fast and draw him in. Clinging to the ledge -as each succeeding wave broke over them, they waited till they had -regained their strength and recovered their wind, and then slowly worked -their way along the ledge to shore, and at length were safe, out of the -sea's fury. - -Then they had rested awhile, before setting out on foot. Their canoe they -could see at some distance out from shore, tossing about at the mercy of -the waves. It must of necessity come ashore in due time, but it might not -be for an hour, and they resolved not to wait for it, but to push on to -their destination, returning on the morrow to look for it. They followed -the shore for about a mile down the island, till they met a fisherman, -who told them how to get to the Warren cottage by the same route the -Warren boys and Henry Burns had taken a few hours later. - -They had crossed the cove in old Slade's boat, and, expecting to astonish -the Warren boys by their appearance, in the midst of the storm, had -found, to their dismay, that those whom they had expected to find safe at -home were imperilling their lives for them out in the bay. - -"Well, I must be up and moving," said Henry Burns, when Tom had concluded -his narrative. "I don't mind saying I'm a bit tired with this night's -work--and I guess you are, by the looks. I can sleep, too, now that I -know that you are not down among the mermaids at the bottom of Samoset -Bay." - -"Why don't you stay here with the boys to-night, Henry?" said Mrs. -Warren. "You cannot get into the hotel at this hour of the night, without -waking everybody up. Colonel Witham closes up early, you know." - -"No one but Henry Burns can, mother," said Joe Warren. "Henry has a -private staircase of his own." - -"It's a lightning-rod staircase, Mrs. Warren," explained Henry Burns. "I -use it sometimes after ten o'clock, for that is my bedtime, you know. -Mrs. Carlin--good soul--sends me off to bed regularly at that hour, no -matter what is going on; and so I have to make use of it occasionally." - -Mrs. Warren shook her head doubtfully. - -"You shouldn't do it, Henry," she said. "Although I know it is hard for a -strong, healthy boy to go off to bed every night at ten o'clock. Well, -that comes of being too strict, I suppose,--but do look out and don't -break your neck. It's a bad night to be climbing around." - -"Don't worry about Henry Burns, mother," said Arthur. "He wouldn't do it, -if he wasn't forced to it,--and he knows how to take care of himself, if -anybody does." - -"Well, good night," said Henry Burns. "And don't forget, I hold my -reception to-morrow night; and I extend to Tom and Bob a special -invitation to be present." And, with a knowing glance at George Warren, -Henry Burns took his departure. - -As the boys went off to bed that night, George Warren explained to them -that on the next night, the occasion being an entertainment in place of -the regular Wednesday night hop at the hotel, he and Henry Burns had -planned a joke on Colonel Witham, in which they were all to take part, -and, with this prospect in view, they dropped asleep. - -In the meantime Henry Burns, arriving at the hotel, and having learned by -previous experience that a lock on a rear door of the old part of the -hotel, which was not connected with the new by any door, could be -manipulated with the aid of a thin blade of a jack-knife, crept up to the -garret by way of a rickety pair of back stairs, and from thence emerged -upon the roof through a scuttle. Then, carefully making his way along the -ridge-pole to where the new part joined the old, he climbed a short -distance up a lightning-rod, to the roof of the new part. - -This was a large roof, nearly flat. He walked across, about midway of the -building, to where another rod, fastened at the top to a chimney, came -up. Clinging to this, Henry Burns disappeared over the edge of the roof, -found a resting-place for his foot on a projection which was directly -over his own window, and then lowered himself, like an acrobat, down the -rod to a veranda. Raising the window directly beside the rod, he slipped -inside, closed it softly, and in a few minutes more was abed and sound -asleep. - -While all Southport slept, the storm spent its force, and toward morning -gradually subsided. In the place of the beating rain there stole up -through the islands, in the early morning hours, great detached banks of -fog,--themselves like strange, white islands,--which shut out the bay -from the shore. They lay heavy over the water, and, as the boisterous -seas gradually gave way to the long, smooth waves that rolled in without -breaking, one might have fancied that the fog, itself, had a depressing -and tranquillizing influence upon the sea. - -Yet old fishermen would have ventured out then, without fear, for there -were signs, that might be read by the weather-wise, that a light west -wind was soon to be stirring that would scatter the fog at its first -advance, and sweep it back out to sea. - -But, brief as was the visitation of the fog, it sufficed to hide all -things from sight. And if a boat, in which one boy rowed vigorously, had -put forth from the camp of Jack Harvey, down in the woods, and had come -up along the shore to the wharf, and the box, which was a part of the -belongings of Tom Harris and Bob White, had been lowered from the wharf -into the boat and conveyed back to the camp and hidden away there,--if -all this had happened, it is safe to say that no one would have seen what -was done, nor would any one have been the wiser. - -Perhaps some such a thing might, indeed, have occurred, for when Tom and -Bob, Henry Burns, and the Warren boys met at the wharf the next -fore-noon, they found the box gone. They hunted everywhere, ransacked the -storehouse from one end to the other, but it was nowhere to be found. - -"And to think that it's all my fault," groaned young Joe, as they stood -at the edge of the wharf, after the unsuccessful search. "I might have -known John Briggs would forget to lock it up! It was left in the open -shed there, boys, protected from the rain, and he promised to look out -for it; but he must have forgotten. I spoke to him about it the last -thing last night, on our way home to the cottage." - -"Was it very valuable?" asked Henry Burns. - -"Ask Tom what he thinks," laughed Bob, while Tom tried to look -unconscious, but blushed furiously. - -"There's a pretty sister of mine," continued Bob, "that thinks so much of -us that she spent a week cooking up a lot of things for us to start our -camping with. There's a box full of the best stuff to eat you ever -tasted, that somebody will gobble up, I suppose, without once thinking or -caring about the one that made them. Pretty tough, isn't it, Tom?" - -Tom turned redder still, and felt of his biceps, as though he was -speculating what he would do to a certain person, if that person could -only be discovered and come up with. - -"I tell you what it is, boys," said George Warren; "things have had a -strange way of disappearing here this summer, as they never did before; -and, what's more, if Jack Harvey and his crew haven't stolen them, they -have at least got the credit for taking the most of it,--and you may -depend upon it, that box is down there in the woods, somewhere about that -camp." - -"Then what's to hinder our raiding the camp and getting it?" Tom broke -in, angrily. "Bob and I, with two of you, could make a good fight against -all of them." - -"No doubt of that, Tom," answered George Warren; "but there are two -things to be considered. First, we want to get the box back; and, second, -we are not absolutely certain that they have it. If they have it, you may -be certain that it is carefully hidden away, and we shouldn't recover it -by making an attack on them. We must find out where it is hidden first, -and then, if we cannot get it away otherwise, we will fight for it." - -"So it seems that we have two scores to settle now," said Henry Burns, -dryly. "We owe a debt now to Jack Harvey and his crew, and there's a -long-standing account with Colonel Witham, part of which we must pay -to-night. Be on hand early. The latch-string will be out at number -twenty-one." So saying, Henry Burns left them. - -Late that afternoon Tom and Bob, looking from the door of their tent -across the cove, saw a sight that was at once familiar and strange. It -was a canoe, in which were two occupants, and it was being paddled toward -their camp. The long seas, smooth though they were, still rolled in -heavily, and the light canoe tossed about on their crests like a mere -toy. Still, it did not take long for them to discover that the canoe was -their own. They had supposed it lost, though they had intended to set out -in search of it on the following morning. - -In the bow and stern, propelling the craft with paddles roughly -improvised from broken oars, were George and Arthur Warren. - -"Tom, old fellow," said Bob, as the canoe came dancing toward them, -"we've lost the box, but we've got the luck with us, after all. Not only -are we proof against drowning, but we own a canoe that refuses to be -wrecked." - -And then the bow of the canoe grated on the sandy shore. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A NIGHT WITH HENRY BURNS - - -Henry Burns, having neither father nor mother living, had been taken in -charge several years before this by an elderly maiden aunt, whose home -was in the city of Medford, Massachusetts. She was fairly well-to-do, -and, as there had been a moderate inheritance left in trust for the boy -by his parents, they were in comfortable circumstances. - -But Henry Burns was made, unfortunately, to realize that this does not -necessarily mean a home, with the happiness that the word implies. Good -Miss Matilda Burns, a sister of Henry's late father, never having known -the care of a family of her own, had devoted her life to the interests of -a half a score of missions and ladies' societies of different kinds, -until at length she had become so wrapped up in these that there was -really no room in her life left for the personality of a boy to enter. - -Henry Burns was a problem which she failed utterly to solve. Perhaps she -might have succeeded, if she had seen fit to devote less of her time to -her various societies, and more to the boy. But she deemed the former of -far more importance, and felt her duty for the day well performed, in the -matter of his upbringing, if she kept him out of mischief, saw that he -went off to school at the proper hour, and that he did not fall ill. - -To achieve two of these ends the most conveniently to her, Miss Matilda -exercised a restraint over Henry Burns which was entirely unnecessary and -altogether too severe. Henry Burns was naturally of a studious turn of -mind, and cared more for a quiet evening with a book than he did for -playing pranks about the neighbourhood at night. At the same time, he had -a healthy fondness for sports, and excelled in them. - -He was captain of his ball team, until Miss Matilda found it out and -ordered him to stop playing the game. She considered it too rough for -boys, having had no experience with boys of her own. And so on, with -swimming and several other of his healthful sports. They were altogether -too risky for Miss Matilda's piece of mind. It came about that Henry -Burns, in order to take part with his companions in their out-of-door -sports, found it necessary to play "hookey" and indulge in them without -her knowing it. He won a medal in a swimming-match, but never dared to -show it to Miss Matilda. - -Withal a healthy and athletic youth, he had a pale complexion, which -deceived Miss Matilda into the impression that he was sickly. He was -slight of build, too, which confirmed in her that impression. When once -her mind was made up, there was no convincing Miss Matilda. The family -doctor, called in by her for an examination, found nothing the matter -with him; but that did not avail to alter her opinion. The boy was -delicate, she said, and must not be allowed to overdo. - -Accordingly, she made life miserable for Henry Burns. She kept a watchful -eye over him, so far as her other duties would admit of, sent him off to -bed at nine o'clock, tried to dose him with home remedies, which Henry -Burns found it availed him best to carry submissively to his room and -then pitch out of the window, and, in short, so worried over, meddled -with, and nagged at Henry Burns, that, if he had been other than exactly -what he was, she would have succeeded in utterly spoiling him, or have -made him run away in sheer despair. - -Henry Burns never got excited about things. He had a coolness that defied -annoyances and disappointments, and a calm persistence that set him to -studying the best way out of a difficulty, instead of flying into a -passion over it. He had, in fact, without fully appreciating it, the -qualities of success. - -If, as was true, he was a problem to Miss Matilda, which she did not -succeed in solving, it was not so in the case of his dealings with her. -He made a study of her and of the situation in which he found himself, -and proceeded deliberately to take advantage of what he discovered. He -knew all her weaknesses and little vanities to a degree that would have -amazed her, and cleverly used them to his advantage, in whatever he -wanted to do. Fortunately for her, he had no inclination to bad habits, -and, if he succeeded in outwitting her, the worst use he made of it was -to indulge in some harmless joke, for he had, underlying his quiet -demeanour, an unusual fondness for mischief. - -What to do with Henry Burns summers had been a puzzle for some time to -Miss Matilda. She was accustomed, through these months, to visit an -encampment, or summer home, composed of several ladies' societies, and -the presence of a boy was a decided inconvenience. When, one day, she -learned that an old friend, one Mrs. Carlin, a fussy old soul after her -own heart, was engaged as housekeeper at the Hotel Bayview, at Southport, -on Grand Island, in Samoset Bay, she conceived the idea of sending Henry -Burns there in charge of Mrs. Carlin. - -So it came about that Henry Burns was duly despatched to Maine for the -summer, as a guest of Colonel Witham. He had a room on the second floor, -next to that occupied by the colonel, who was supposed also to exercise a -guardianship over him. As Colonel Witham's disposition was such that he -disliked nearly everybody, with the exception of Squire Brackett, and as -he had a particular aversion to boys of all ages and sizes, he did not -take pains to make life agreeable to Henry Burns. He was suspicious of -him, as he was of all boys. - -Boys, according to Colonel Witham's view of life, were born for the -purpose, or, at least, with the sole mission in life, of annoying older -people. Accordingly, the worthy colonel lost no opportunity of thwarting -them and opposing them,--"showing them where they belonged," he called -it. - -But this disagreeable ambition on the part of the colonel was not, -unfortunately, confined to his attitude toward boys. He exercised it -toward every one with whom he came in contact. Despite the fact that he -had a three years' lease of the hotel, he took absolutely no pains to -make himself agreeable to any of his guests. He looked upon them secretly -as his natural enemies, men and women and children whom he hoped to get -as much out of as was possible, and to give as little as he could in -return. - -He was noted for his meanness and for his surly disposition toward all. -Then why did he come there to keep a hotel? Because he had discovered -that guests would come, whether they were treated well or not. The place -had too many attractions of boating, swimming, sailing, and excellent -fishing, winding wood-roads, and a thousand and one natural beauties, to -be denied. Guests left in the fall, vowing they would not put up with the -colonel's niggardliness and petty impositions another year; but the -following season found them registered there again, with the same cordial -antipathy existing as before between them and their landlord. - -In person, Colonel Witham was decidedly corpulent, with a fiery red face, -which turned purple when he became angry--which was upon the slightest -occasion. - -"Here's another boy come to annoy me with his noise and tomfoolery," was -the colonel's inward comment, when Mrs. Carlin, the housekeeper, informed -him that Henry Burns was coming, and was to be under her charge. - -So the colonel gave him the room next to his, where he could keep an eye -on him, and see that he was in his room every night not later than ten -o'clock, for that was the hour Mrs. Carlin had set for that young -gentleman's bedtime. - -Henry Burns, having in due time made the acquaintance of the Warren boys, -as well as a few other youths of his age, had no idea of ending up his -evenings' entertainments at ten o'clock each and every night; so he set -about to discover some means of evading the espionage of the colonel and -Mrs. Carlin. It did not take him more than one evening of experimenting -to find that, by stepping out on to the veranda that ran past his own and -Colonel Witham's windows, he could gain the ascent to the roof by a -clever bit of acrobatics up a lightning-rod. Once there, he found he -could reach the ground by way of the old part of the hotel, in the manner -before described. It is only fair to Henry Burns to state that he did not -take undue advantage of this discovery, but kept on the whole as good -hours as most boys of his age. Still, if there was a clambake, or some -other moonlight jollification, at the extreme end of the island, where -Henry Burns had made friends among a little fishing community, he was now -and then to be seen, sometimes as the village clock was proclaiming a -much later hour than that prescribed by Mrs. Carlin, spinning along on -his bicycle like a ghost awheel. He was generally known and well liked -throughout the entire island. - -On the night following the arrival of Tom and Bob, the sounds of a -violin, a clarionet, and a piano, coming from the big parlour of the -Hotel Bayview, told that a dance was in progress. These dances, withal -the music was provided by the guests themselves, were extremely -irritating to Colonel Witham. They meant late hours for everybody, more -lights to be furnished, more guests late to breakfast on the following -morning, and, on the whole, an evening of noise and excitement, which -interfered more or less with his invariable habit of going to bed at a -quarter after ten o'clock every night of his life. - -They brought, moreover, a crowd of cottagers to the hotel, who were given -anything but a cordial welcome by Colonel Witham. He argued that they -spent no money at his hotel, and were, therefore, only in the way, -besides adding to the noise. - -The guests at the Bayview were, on the whole, accustomed to the ways of -Colonel Witham by experience, and really paid but little attention to -him. They went ahead, planned their own dances and card-parties, and left -him to make the best of it. - -This particular evening's entertainment was rather out of the ordinary, -inasmuch as it was given by a Mr. and Mrs. Wellington, of New York, in -honour of their daughter's birthday, and, on her account, invitations to -the spread, which was to be served after the dancing, were extended to -the young people of the hotel. In these invitations Henry Burns had, of -course, been included; but Mrs. Carlin and Colonel Witham were obdurate. -It was too late an hour for him; his eating of rich salads and ices was -not to be thought of; in short, he must decline, or they must decline for -him, and that was the end of it. - -"Never you mind, Henry," said good-hearted Bridget Carrington, who was -Mrs. Carlin's assistant, and with whom Henry Burns had made friendship. -"It's not you that'll be going without some of the salad and the -ice-cream, not if I know it. Sure, and Mrs. Wellington says you're to -have some, too. So just breathe easy, and there'll be a bit for you and a -little more, too, a-waitin' just outside the kitchen window about nine -o'clock. So go on now and say never a word." - -So Henry Burns, with the connivance of Bridget, and by the judicious -outlay of a part of his own pocket-money, in the matter of sweet things -and other delicacies dear to youthful appetites, had prepared and planned -for a small banquet of his own in his room, next to that of Colonel -Witham. - -"But how will you manage so that Colonel Witham won't hear us, as he will -be right alongside of us?" George Warren, who was a partner in Henry -Burns's enterprise, had asked. - -"Leave that to me," said Henry Burns. - -The evening wore on; the strains of the music sounded merrily along the -halls; dancing was in full swing,--everybody seemed to be enjoying the -occasion, save Colonel Witham. He had at least conceded to the occasion -the courtesy of a black frock coat and an immaculate white tie, but he -was plainly ill at ease. He stood in the office, the door of which was -open into the parlour, his hands twisting nervously behind his back, -while he glanced, with no good humour in his expression, now at the blaze -of lights in the parlour, and now at the clock, which, however, even -under his impatient gaze, only ticked along in its most provokingly -methodical fashion. - -The outer door opened and in walked young Joe Warren, recognized by -Colonel Witham as one of the plagues of his summer existence. - -"Good evening, Colonel Witham," said young Joe, with studied politeness, -and in a tone that ostensibly anticipated an equally cordial response. - -"Good evening!" snapped the colonel. - -"Good evening, Colonel Witham," chimed Arthur Warren, close at his -brother's heels. - -The colonel responded gruffly. - -"Good evening, colonel," came an equally cordial greeting from Tom and -Bob, and from George Warren, smiling at Colonel Witham, as though he had -extended them a hearty invitation to be present. - -The colonel snorted impatiently, while the colour in his red face -deepened. He did not respond to their salutations. - -The boys seated themselves comfortably in the office chairs, and listened -to the music. - -"You needn't think you're going to get Henry Burns to go off with you," -the colonel said, finally. "It's half-past nine now, and his bedtime is -ten o'clock. I wonder where he is." - -Arthur Warren chuckled quietly to himself. He could have told the colonel -just where Henry Burns was at that moment; that he was busily engaged in -conveying a certain basket of supplies from outside the kitchen window, -up a pair of back stairs, to his room on the second floor above. - -"You go and keep an eye on Colonel Witham," he had said to Arthur Warren, -"and if he starts to look for me, you go to the door and whistle." - -Which accounted for the sudden appearance of all the Warrens and Tom and -Bob in the presence of Colonel Witham. - -Fifteen minutes elapsed, and one by one they had all disappeared. - -"Good riddance," was the colonel's mental ejaculation when he found them -gone. - -Great would have been his amazement and indignation could he have but -seen them, a few minutes later, seated comfortably on the bed in Henry -Burns's room. It was approaching ten o'clock. - -"Where's Bob?" asked Henry Burns, as the boys quietly entered, and he -made the door fast behind them. - -"Hm!" said Tom, shaking his head regretfully. "It's a sad thing about -Bob. It's too bad, but I don't think he will be here, after all." - -"Why, what's the matter?" exclaimed Henry Burns, with surprise. "He isn't -hurt, is he? I saw him a few hours ago, and he seemed all right." - -"No, he isn't hurt,--at least, not the way you mean, Henry. The fact is, -he was dancing out on the piazza about half an hour ago with pretty -little Miss Wilson,--you know, the one in the cottage down on the -shore,--and the last I saw of Bob he was escorting her home. I'm afraid -we shall have to give him up for to-night." - -"That's too bad," said Henry Burns, solemnly, as though some grievous -misfortune had come upon Tom's chum. "And the worst of it is, it may last -all summer. Well, Bob will miss a very pleasant surprise-party to Colonel -Witham, to say nothing of the spread. That, by the way, is stowed away in -those baskets over behind the bed and the wash-stand,--but, first, we've -got to clear the coast of Colonel Witham." - -"We're yours to command, Henry," replied George Warren. "Tell us what to -do." - -"Well, in the first place," said Henry Burns, opening one of his windows -that led out on to the veranda, as he spoke, "the rest of you just listen -as hard as ever you can at my door, while George and I make a brief visit -to the colonel's room. If you hear footsteps, just pound on the wall, so -we can get back in time. It's pretty certain he won't be here, though, -until we are ready for him. He hasn't missed a night in weeks in getting -to bed exactly at a quarter past ten o'clock. He's as regular as a -steamboat; always on time. And he's a good deal like a steamboat, too, -for he snores like a fog-horn all night long." - -Henry Burns and George Warren disappeared through the window and were -gone but a moment, when they reappeared, each bearing in one hand a lamp -from the colonel's room. - -"The colonel is always talking about economy," explained Henry Burns, "so -I am not going to let him burn any oil to-night, if I can help it. My -lamps happen to need filling,--I've borrowed an extra one for this -occasion, and so, you see, I don't intend to waste any of the colonel's -oil by throwing it away. I'll see that not a drop of the colonel's oil is -wasted." - -Henry Burns carefully proceeded to pour the oil from each lamp which he -and George Warren had brought from the colonel's room into those in his -own room. - -"There," he said, "there's enough oil in each of those wicks to burn for -several minutes, so the colonel will have a little light to start in on. -But we don't want to return his lamps empty, and so I'll just fill them -up again. I'm sure the colonel would approve of this economy." - -And Henry Burns carefully refilled the colonel's lamps from his -water-pitcher. - -"It won't burn very well," he said. "But I'm sure it looks better." - -"Now, we'll just take these back again," he continued, addressing George -Warren. "And there's another little matter we want to arrange while we -are in there. The colonel is always finding fault with the housemaids. -Now we'll see if we can't improve on their work." - -Again the two boys disappeared, while the remaining three stood watch -against the colonel's sudden appearance. - -Once in the colonel's room, Henry Burns seized hold of the bedclothes and -threw them over the foot-board. Then he snatched out three of the slats -from the middle of the bed, replacing them with three slender sticks, -which he had brought from his own room. - -"Those will do to support the bedclothes and the mattress," he explained, -"though I'm really afraid they would break if any one who was kind of -heavy should put his weight on them." Then he carefully replaced the -mattress and the bedclothes, making up the colonel's bed again in the -most approved style, with his friend's assistance. - -"You take notice," he said to George Warren, as he opened a closet door -in the colonel's room, "that I am careful to destroy nothing of the -colonel's property. I might have sawed these slats in two, and left them -just hanging so they would support the bedclothes, and would not have -been any more trouble; but, being of a highly conscientious nature, I -carefully put the colonel's property away, where it can be found later -and restored." - -"I'm afraid the colonel wouldn't appreciate your thoughtfulness," said -George Warren. - -"Alas, I'm afraid not," said Henry Burns. "But that's often the reward of -those who try to look after another's interests. However, I'll put these -slats in this closet, shut and lock the door, and put the key here on the -mantelpiece, just behind this picture. It would be just as easy to hide -the key, but I don't think that would be right, do you?" - -"Certainly not," laughed George Warren. - -"There," said Henry Burns, taking a final survey of everything. "We've -done all we can, I'm sure, to provide for the colonel's comfort. If he -chooses to find fault with it, it will surely be from force of habit." -They took their departure by way of the colonel's window, closing it -after them, and quickly rejoined their companions in the next room. - -"I deeply regret," said Henry Burns to his guests, "that this banquet -cannot begin at once. But we should surely be interrupted by the colonel, -and, on the whole, I think it is best to wait until the colonel has taken -his departure for the night from that room,--which I feel sure he will -do, when the situation dawns fully upon him. - -"It also pains me," he added, "to be obliged to invite you all to make -yourselves uncomfortable in that closet for a short time. At least, you -will hear all that is going on in the colonel's room, for the partition -is thin between that and his room. So you will have to be careful and -make no noise. I feel quite certain that the colonel will make me a -sudden call soon after he retires, if not before, and he really wouldn't -approve of your being here. He's likely to have a decidedly unpleasant -way of showing his disapproval, too." - -"I think we can assure our kind and thoughtful host that we fully -appreciate the situation," said Arthur Warren, gravely, "and will be -pleased to comply with his suggestion to withdraw. Come on, boys, let's -get in. It's after ten now, and time is getting short." - -"You take the key with you," said Henry Burns, "and lock the door on the -inside. It's just an extra precaution; but I can say I don't know who has -the key, if anything happens. I won't know which one of you takes it." - -The four boys stowed themselves away in the stuffy closet, turned the key -in the lock, and waited. Henry Burns quickly divested himself of his -clothing, put a bowl of water beside his bed, placed a clean white -handkerchief near it, set a lamp near by on a chair, turned it down so -that it burned dim, unlocked his door so that it could be opened readily, -and jumped into bed. - -He did not have long to wait. Promptly at a quarter past ten o'clock the -heavy, lumbering steps of the corpulent colonel were heard, as he came up -the hallway. The colonel was puffing with the exertion which it always -cost him to climb the stairs, and muttering, as was his custom when -anything displeased him. - -"Suppose they'll bang away on that old piano half the night," he -exclaimed, as he passed Henry Burns's door. "And every light burning till -midnight. How do they expect me to make any money, if they go on this -way?" - -He opened the door to his room and went inside, locking it after him. -Henry Burns pressed his ear close to the wall and listened. - -The colonel, still talking angrily to himself, scratched a match and -lighted one of the lamps. Then he divested himself of his collar and tie, -threw his coat and waistcoat on a chair, and reseated himself, to take -off his boots. - -All at once they heard him utter a loud exclamation of disgust. - -"What on earth is the matter with that lamp?" he cried. "That comes of -having hired help from the city. Never look after things, unless you keep -right after them. How many times have I spoken about having these lamps -filled every day!" - -The colonel scratched a match. "Hulloa," he exclaimed, "it's full, after -all. Well, I see, the wick hasn't been trimmed. There's always something -wrong." The colonel proceeded to scrape the wick. Then he scratched -another match. The wick sputtered as he held the match to it. - -"Confound the thing!" yelled the colonel, now utterly out of temper. "The -thing's bewitched. Where's that other lamp? Oh, there it is. We'll see if -that will burn. I'll discharge that housemaid to-morrow." - -He scratched still another match, held it to the wick of the other lamp, -and was evidently satisfied with that, for they heard him replace the -lamp-chimney and go on with his undressing. - -In a few minutes more there came another eruption from the colonel. - -"There goes the other one," he yelled. "I know what's the matter. -Somebody's been fooling with those lamps. I'll make 'em smart for it." -The colonel unscrewed the part of the lamp containing the wick, took the -bowls of the lamps, one by one, over to his window, opened them, and -poured the contents of the lamps out upon the veranda. - -"Water!" he yelled. "Water! That's what's the matter. Oh, but I'd just -like to know whether it's that pale-faced Burns boy, or some of those -other young imps in the house. I'll find out. I'll make somebody smart -for this. Wasting my oil, too. I'll make 'em pay for it." - -The colonel set down the lamps, rushed out of his room into the hall for -the lamp that usually occupied a standard there. He did not find it, -because Henry Burns had taken the pains to remove it. The colonel made a -sudden dash for Henry Burns's door, rattled the door-knob and pounded, -and then, finding that in his confusion he had failed to discover that it -was unlocked, hurled it open and burst into the room. - -What the colonel saw was the pale, calm face of Henry Burns, peering out -at him from the bed, as that young gentleman lifted himself up on one -elbow. Around his forehead was bound the handkerchief, which he had -wetted in the bowl of water. The lamp burning dimly completed the picture -of his distress. - -"Hi, you there! You young--" The colonel checked himself abruptly, as -Henry Burns slowly raised himself up in bed and pressed one hand to his -forehead. "What's the matter with you?" roared the colonel, completely -taken aback by Henry Burns's appearance. - -"Oh, nothing," said Henry Burns, resignedly. "It's nothing." - -The colonel little realized how much of truthfulness there was in this -answer. - -"Did you want me for anything?" asked Henry Burns, in his softest voice. - -"No, I didn't," said the colonel, sullenly. "Somebody has been fooling -with my lamps, and I--I thought I would use yours, if you didn't mind." - -"Certainly," replied Henry Burns. "I may not need mine again for the rest -of the night." Again he pressed his hand dismally to his forehead. - -"I won't take it!" snapped the colonel. "You may need it again. Why don't -you tell Mrs. Carlin you've got a headache? She'll look after you. It's -eating too much--eating too much, that does it. I've always said it. Stop -stuffing two pieces of pie every day at dinner, and you won't have any -headache." - -With this parting injunction, the irate colonel abruptly took his -departure, slamming the door behind him. - -Henry Burns dived beneath the bedclothes and smothered his roars of -laughter. The colonel, disappointed in his quest for a lamp, and not -caring to search further in his present condition of undress, returned -once more to his room and finished undressing in the dark. - -"I'll make somebody smart for this to-morrow," he kept repeating. "Like -as not that little white-faced scamp in the next room had some hand in -it. I can't quite make him out. Well, I'll go to bed and sleep over it." - -The colonel rolled into bed. - -There was a crash and a howl of rage from the colonel. He floundered -about in a tangle of bedclothes for a moment, filling the room with his -angry ejaculations, and endeavouring, helplessly, for a moment, to -extricate himself from his uncomfortable position on the floor. Then he -arose, raging like a tempest, stumbling over a chair in his confusion, -and nearly sprawling on the floor again. - -He rang the electric button in his room till the clerk in the office -thought the house was on fire, and came running up, breathless, to see -what was the matter. - -"Fire! Who said there was any fire, you idiot!" shrieked the colonel, as -his clerk dashed into the room and ran plump into him. "There isn't any -fire," he cried. "Somebody's been breaking the furniture in here; tearing -down the beds, ruining the lamps. Get that room on the next floor, down -at the end of the hall, ready for me. I can't stay here to-night. Don't -stand there, gaping like a frog. Hurry up. Get Mrs. Carlin to fix that -bed up for me. She's gone to bed, do you say? Well, then, get somebody -else. Don't stand there. Go along!" - -The clerk hurried away, as much to prevent the colonel seeing the broad -grin on his face as to obey orders. The colonel, stumbling around in the -darkness, managed to partly dress himself; and, five minutes later, the -boys heard him go storming along the hall to the stairway, which he -mounted, and was seen no more that night. - -The closet door in Henry Burns's room swung softly open, and there rolled -out helplessly on the floor four boys, choking with suppressed laughter, -the tears fairly running down their cheeks. - -Henry Burns, calm as ever, quietly arose from bed, removed the bandage -from his brow, slid into his clothes, and remarked, softly, "I feel -better now." - -"Oh, don't, Henry," begged George Warren. "If you say any more I shall -die. I can't laugh now without its hurting me." - -"You need something to eat," said Henry Burns. Pinning a blanket up over -the transom to hide the light, and stopping his keyhole, to prevent any -ray of light from penetrating into the hallway, and throwing down a -blanket at the door-sill for the same purpose, Henry Burns lighted both -his lamps, carefully locked his door, and made ready to entertain his -guests. - -"It's not just according to the rules of etiquette," he said, producing a -package from the basket, "but we'll have to start on the ice-cream first -before it melts. Then we'll work back along the line, to salad and ginger -ale." - -He drew forth from the package, which proved to be a box filled with -chopped ice, a small brick of ice-cream. It was beginning to melt about -the edges, but they made short work of it. - -"Now," said Henry Burns, "if you please, we'll start all over again. Here -are the sandwiches." - -"It's the finest spread I ever had," said young Joe, appreciatively, as -he stowed away his fourth sandwich and helped himself to an orange. - -"Joe always goes on the principle that he may be cast away on a desert -island before he has another square meal," said Arthur, "so he always -fills up accordingly." - -"It's a good principle to go on," responded Henry Burns. "George, you -open the ginger ale." - -So they dined most sumptuously, and had gotten down to nuts and raisins, -when Henry Burns, whose ears were always on the alert, suddenly sprang -up, with a warning "Sh-h-h," and, quickly stepping across the room, -turned the lamps down, signalling at the same time for the boys to be -silent. - -Not one of the others had heard a sound; but now they were aware that -soft footsteps were pattering along the hallway. - -Presently some one came to Henry Burns's door, turned the knob, and -rapped very gently. - -Not a sound came from the room. - -Then a voice said: "Henry, Henry." - -There was no reply. - -"Strange," said the person outside; "I could have sworn that I heard his -voice as I came up. Well, I must have been mistaken. He seems to be sound -asleep. I guess his headache is better." - -They heard the footsteps die away again along the hallway. - -"Whew!" said Henry Burns; "that was a narrow escape. That was Mrs. -Carlin. Somebody must have told her I was sick. She sleeps all night with -one eye and one ear open, they say." - -"Well," said George Warren, "I reckon we'd better take it as a warning -that it's time to be going, anyway. It's eleven o'clock, I should say, -and we have got to get up early and overhaul the _Spray_. She's up at -Bryant's Cove yet, and we have got to bring her down and have a new -bowsprit put in, and reeve some new rigging. We've had a great time, -Henry. Count us in on the next feed, and give our regards to Colonel -Witham. Come on, boys." - -"Sorry to have to show you out the back way," said Henry Burns, "but the -front way would be dangerous now, and my lightning-rod staircase seems to -be the only way. It's a very nice way when one is used to it; but look -out and don't slip." - -By the time the last boy was on the roof, Henry Burns was half-undressed; -and by the time the last one had reached the ground, his light was out -and he was half-asleep. That was Henry Burns's way. When he did a thing, -he did it and wasted no time--whether it was working or playing or -sleeping. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - A HIDDEN CAVE - - -It was a little after eleven o'clock when Tom left the hotel. His mind -was so occupied with the events of the evening that he started at once -toward his camp, forgetting an intention he had earlier in the night of -visiting the locality of Jack Harvey's camp in search of the missing box. -He stopped every few minutes to laugh long and heartily, as, one by one, -the mishaps of Colonel Witham came to his mind. - -All at once he remembered the missing box. He had nearly reached his tent -by this time, but he stopped short. He called to mind the contents of the -box; among other things, a certain big cake, with frosting on it, and, -although he and Bob, as young athletes, were bound to hold such food in -little regard, there was one thing about it which particularly impressed -him just now, and that was the remembrance of how he had watched Bob's -sister, with her dainty little fingers, mould the frosting on the top, -and how she had slyly wondered--as if there could be any doubt of -it--whether they, meaning Tom, would think of her while they were eating -it. - -The thought of that cake falling into the hands of Jack Harvey and of Tim -Reardon and the others of Harvey's crew, and of the jokes they would -crack at Tom's expense, made his blood boil. He started in the direction -of Harvey's camp, then turned back to get Bob to accompany him,--and then -paused and went on again, saying to himself that he would not awaken his -chum at that hour of the night. He started off through the woods alone. - -The night was warm and pleasant, though it was quite dark, as there was -no moon. He passed by the cottages, and then turned into a foot-path that -followed the windings of the shore. The path led for some distance -through a thicket of alders and underbrush, from which at length it -emerged into an open field. Crossing this, Tom again entered a growth of -wood, the path winding among the roots of some old hemlocks and cedars. - -All at once he saw a light shining indistinctly through the trees, and -knew that it must be in the immediate vicinity of Harvey's camp. - -"So much the better, if they are up," muttered Tom. "If they're sitting -around that fire they are sure to be talking." He hurried on in the -direction of the light, still following the path. - -The fire soon became plainly visible. At a point where the path divided -he could see the white tent, lit up by a big fire of driftwood that -blazed in front of it. He could hear the sound of voices, and -distinguished that of Harvey above the others. There seemed to be some -insubordination in camp, for Harvey's tones were loud and angry. - -Tom concluded not to take the path to the left, which was the one leading -direct to the camp, but continued on for a distance along the main path. -It was well he did so, for presently he heard some one coming toward him. -The paths were at this point so near together that he could not -distinguish which one the person was taking; so he drew aside and -crouched in the bushes, which were very dense between the two paths. A -boy, whom he recognized as Tim Reardon, soon came in sight, and passed -close by the spot where Tom was concealed. He carried a pail in his hand, -and was evidently going to a spring near by for water. He was grumbling -to himself as he passed along. - -"I'm always the one!" he said. "Why don't he make some one else lug the -water part of the time? I'm not going to be bullied by any Jack Harvey, -and he needn't think I am." - -He kept on to the spring, however. Tom remained where he was, and Tim -soon returned, carrying the pail filled with water. Tom waited till he -saw Tim arrive at the camp and deposit the pail of water near the fire, -before he again emerged from the clump of bushes into the path that led -past the camp. He followed this cautiously. He could not as yet see -whether all the members of the crew were present about the camp-fire, and -he knew that to encounter any one of them at that hour near the camp -would not only put an end to all hopes of recovering the box, by -revealing to Harvey and his crew that he suspected them of having stolen -it, but that, once an alarm being given, he should have the whole crew at -his heels in a twinkling. - -Tom was sufficiently acquainted with the reputation of Harvey's crew to -know that it would go hard with him if they found him there. He stole -quietly along past the camp some little distance, and then, turning from -the path, got down on his hands and knees and crept toward the camp -through the bushes. - -Near the camp was a hemlock-tree, with large, broad, heavy branches, that -grew so low down on the trunk that some of them rested on the ground. It -offered a place of concealment, and Tom, at the imminent risk of being -discovered, reached it and crawled in between the branches. If the -campers had been expecting any one, and had been on the watch, he must -surely have been discovered, for several times branches cracked under -him, and once so loudly that he thought it was all up with him, expecting -them to come and see what had made the noise. But they took no notice of -it, either because they were accustomed to hearing noises in the woods, -of cattle or dogs, or thought nothing at all about it. - -From where he now lay, Tom could see the entire camp, and hear everything -the boys said. It was a picturesque spot which Harvey had chosen. The -land here ran out in one of those irregular points which was -characteristic of the shores of the island, and ended in a little, -low-lying bluff, that overlooked the bay. On the side nearer the village, -the shore curved in with a graceful sweep, making a perfect bow, and the -land for some distance back sloped gradually down to the beach. The beach -here was composed of a fine white sand, making an ideal landing-place for -rowboats. On the side farther from the village, the waterfront was of a -different character. It rounded out, instead of curving in, and the shore -was bold, instead of sloping. It was not easily approached, even by small -boats, as the water, for some distance out, was choked up with reefs and -ledges, which were barely covered at high tide, and at low water were -exposed here and there. - -This apparently unapproachable shore had been taken advantage of by -Harvey in a way which no one in the village had ever suspected. There was -a channel among the reefs, which a small sailboat could pursue, if one -were accurately acquainted with its windings. With this channel, which -they had discovered by chance, the campers had become thoroughly -familiar, at both low and high water. - -The point had been cleared of undergrowth, and most of the larger trees -had been cut down for some little distance back from the water. In the -rear of this clearing there were thick woods, extending into the island -for a mile or more. - -The campers had pitched a big canvas tent at the edge of the clearing, -where they lived in free and easy fashion, cooking mostly out-of-doors. -They scorned the idea of making bunks, as smacking too much of -civilization, and at night slept on boughs covered with blankets. They -lived out-of-doors in front of the tent when the weather was pleasant, -and, when it was stormy, they went aboard the yacht and did their cooking -in the cabin, over a small sheet-iron stove. - -It was altogether a romantic and picturesque sight that Tom saw as he -looked out from his hiding-place. At a little distance from the tent the -fire was blazing, while the members of the crew either sat around it or -lay, stretched out at full length, upon the ground. A pot of coffee was -placed on a flat stone by the side of the fire, near enough to get the -heat from it, and the delicious odour of it as it steamed made Tom -hungry. - -The members of Harvey's crew were utterly without restraint, saving that -which was imposed capriciously by Harvey himself. Harvey was not -naturally vicious. His mind had been perverted by the books he had read, -so that he failed to see that his acts of petty thievery were meannesses -and acts of cowardice of which he would some day be ashamed. - -He fashioned his conduct as much according to the books he read as -possible, and, if he had been but trained rightly, would have been proud -to do courageous things, instead of playing mean jokes, for he had at -heart much bravery. He rarely wore a hat, and was as bronzed as any -sailor. The sleeves of his flannel blouse were usually rolled up to the -elbows, showing on his forearms several tattooed designs in red and blue -ink. He was large and strong. - -The boys around the fire were telling stories and relating in turn -incidents of adventure that had taken place since their arrival on the -island. At the close of their story-telling, they arose and began making -preparations for a meal. Near by the fireplace they had built a rough -table, of stakes driven into the ground, and boards, with benches on -either side of it, fashioned in the same way. Two of the boys went to the -tent and brought out some tin dishes, and the steaming pot of coffee was -taken from the stone and set on the table. - -Then Joe Hinman, taking a long pole in his hand, went to the fire and -proceeded to scatter the brands about, while a shower of sparks rose up -and floated off into the forest. Presently Joe raked from among the -embers a dozen or more black, shapeless objects. These he placed one by -one on a block of wood and broke the clay--for such it was--with a -hatchet. The odour of cooked fish pervaded the camp and saluted Tom's -nostrils most temptingly. Inside of the lumps of clay were fish of some -kind, which Tom took to be cunners. As fast as they were ready, Tim -Reardon carried them to the table, where they were heaped up on a big -earthen platter. - -The boys then fell to and ate as though they were starving. Tom wondered -for some time if this could be their usual hour for supper; but -remembered that he had seen the _Surprise_ several miles off in the bay -that evening, and concluded that the evening meal had been long delayed. -The _Surprise_ now lay a few rods offshore, with a lantern hanging at her -mast. - -The boys continued to talk, as they ate, of tricks they had played and of -raids they had taken part in, down the island. In fact, the good citizens -of Southport would have given a good deal for the secrets Tom learned -from his hiding-place that night. Tom waited impatiently, however, for -some mention of the missing box. Could he be mistaken in suspecting them -of having taken it? No, he was sure not. That they were capable of doing -so, their own conversation left no room for doubt. Tom felt certain the -box was in their possession. - -But he began to feel that his errand of discovery to-night would be -fruitless. They must, he argued, have some sort of storehouse, where they -hid such plunder as this, but no one had as yet made the slightest -mention of it. It was clearly useless for him to grope about in the -vicinity of the camp at night, and he began to think it would be better -after all to wait until day and select a time for his search, if -possible, when all the members of the crew were off on the yacht. But -that might come too late, and Tom wondered what to do. - -All at once Joe Hinman made a remark that caused Tom to raise himself -upon his elbow and listen intently. - -"Boys," said Joe, "I've got a little surprise for you." - -The crew, one and all, stopped eating, rested their elbows on the table, -and looked at Joe curiously. - -"I'll bet it's a salmon from old Slade's nets," said George Baker. "Joe's -sworn for a week that he'd have one." - -"He's all right, is Joe," remarked Harvey, patronizingly. "There isn't -one of you that can touch Joe for smartness." - -Thus encouraged, Joe told how he had seen the box that had been a part of -Tom's and Bob's luggage left on the wharf the night it arrived; how he -had ascertained that it contained food, by prying up the cover; and how, -early on the following morning, he had rowed up under cover of the fog, -and had brought back the box to the camp. - -"It's down in the cave now," said Joe. Tom gave a start. "There's a -meat-pie in it that is good for a dinner to-morrow, and a big frosted -cake, if you fellows want it to-night." - -"Hooray!" cried Jack Harvey. "You and I will go and get it." Whereupon he -and Joe sprang up and made directly for the spot where Tom lay, passing -by so close that he could have reached out and touched them, and hurried -along the bank, down to the shore. - -Tom allowed them to get well in advance before he ventured to crawl from -his hiding-place and follow them. He saw them at length disappear over -the bank at a point where there grew a thick clump of cedars. He turned -from the path into the woods, made his way cautiously past the place -where he had seen them disappear, turned into the path again, and then -climbed down the bank, which was there very steep, holding on to the -bushes, and looked for the boys, but they were nowhere to be seen. - -Tom knew they could not have passed him. They had not reappeared over the -edge of the bank, and they were nowhere in sight along the shore. There -could be but one conclusion. The entrance to the cave must be located in -the clump of cedars. - -It seemed to Tom that he had waited at least a quarter of an hour, -though, in fact, it was not more than five minutes, when he saw the boys -reappear. Tom groaned as he saw the big cake in Joe's hand. Joe laid it -down on the ground, while he and Jack picked up several armfuls of loose -boughs lying about, and threw them up carelessly against the bank. Then -Joe took up the cake again, and they emerged from the cedars, climbed up -over the bank, and disappeared in the direction of their camp. - -Tom lost no time in scrambling to the spot. The hiding-place was -cunningly concealed. It was an awkward place to crawl to from any part of -the bank, and no one would have thought of trying to land there in a -boat. The entrance to the cave might have been left open, with little -chance of its ever being discovered. Tom threw aside the boughs -sufficiently to discover that beneath them was a sort of trap-door, made -of pieces of board carelessly nailed together. Then he replaced the -boughs and, without even attempting to lift the board door, regained the -path at the top of the bank. - -"There'll be time enough to explore that later," he muttered. "I'm not -the only one that will have lost something out of that cave before -morning, though." He made his way cautiously past the camp once more, and -then started on a run for his own camp. His hare and hounds practice at -school stood him in good stead, and he did not stop running till he had -come to the door of his tent. He unfastened the flap and entered, panting -for breath. Bob was sleeping soundly. He shook him, but Bob was loath to -awake, and resented being so roughly disturbed. - -"Wake up, Bob! Wake!" cried Tom, shaking him again. - -Bob opened his eyes. "Why, is it morning, Tom?" he asked. - -"No, it isn't, Bob, but it soon will be. I've found the box, Bob. -Harvey's got it, and I know where it is hidden,--down near his camp in a -cave." - -Bob shivered, for Tom had pulled the blanket off the bed, and the moist -sea air penetrated the tent. He dressed, stupidly, for he was not fully -rid of his drowsiness. - -The boys went down to the beach, and Bob washed his face in the salt -water. - -"I'm all right now, Tom, old fellow," he said, "but, honest, Tom, I feel -ugly enough at being waked up, not at you, though, to just enjoy a fight -with those fellows." - -"There's little prospect of that, if we are careful," answered Tom. "What -we want to do is to show them we are smart enough to get the box back, -and, perhaps, play them a trick of our own." - -Then they carried the canoe down to the shore, launched it, and set off. -It was about one o'clock in the morning. They paddled away from the tent -and down along the shore, noiselessly as Indians. Past the village and -past the cottages, and not a sign of life anywhere, not even a wisp of -smoke from a chimney. The canoe glided swiftly along, making the only -ripples there were on the glassy surface of the bay. - -As they came to the beach near Harvey's camp, they landed, and Tom crept -up over the bank to reconnoitre. He came back presently, reporting that -the crew were all sound asleep, and everything quiet around the camp. -Then they paddled quickly by the end of the bluff and along the bold -shore beyond, picking their way carefully among the reefs, as they could -not have done in these unknown waters with any other craft than the -buoyant canoe. - -They disembarked at the clump of cedars, and made the canoe fast to the -trunk of one that overhung the water. Tom took from the bow of the canoe -a lantern, and they scrambled up the bank. Throwing aside the boughs, -they disclosed the trap-door, which they lifted up. Tom lit the lantern -and they entered the cave. - -They found it much larger than the opening indicated. It was excavated -from the hard clay of which the bank was composed, and, though not high -enough for them to stand quite erect, it was about eight feet long and -five feet wide. - -It was filled with stuff of all sorts. There were spare topsails -and staysails,--possibly from coasters that had anchored in the -harbour,--sets of oars from ships' boats, several boxes of canned goods, -that the grocer of the village had hunted for far and wide, coils of -rope, two shotguns, carefully wrapped in pieces of flannel and well -oiled, to prevent the rust from eating them, four lanterns, two axes and -a hatchet, and odds and ends of all descriptions useful in and about a -camp or a yacht. - -The roof of the cave was shored up with boards, supported by joists. In -one corner of the cave was the box for which they sought, broken into, -and with the gorgeous cake gone; but that was all. The rest of the -contents were untouched. - -They took the box, carried it down to the shore and placed it in the -canoe. Tom started to return to the cave. - -"What are you going to do now, Tom?" queried Bob. "We don't want to take -anything of theirs, of course." - -"Not a thing," answered Tom. "We don't go in for that sort of business, -but I just want to show them that we have been here and had the -opportunity to destroy anything that we were of a mind to. Perhaps it -will teach them a good lesson. It will show them that we are as smart as -they are, anyway." - -So saying, Tom began to gather up the guns, the good sails, the boxes of -provisions, and other things of value, and carry them outside the cave, -setting them down on the bank at some distance from the mouth of it. - -"We won't destroy anything of value," said Tom. "But here are some odds -and ends of old stuff, some of these pieces of oars, empty crates, -bagging, and that sort of thing, which will make a good blaze, and which -would have to be thrown away some day. They are of no use to anybody. I -propose to make a bonfire of these in the cave, just to show Jack Harvey -that we have been here. He'll find all his stuff that's good for anything -put carefully outside the cave, and no harm come to it. But he'll be just -as furious to find his cave discovered and on fire, for all that." - -"All right," said Bob, "here goes." - -Bob was thinking of that cake. - -Tom took one of the axes and chopped a small hole in the top of the cave, -some distance above the door. - -"That will make a draught," he said, in answer to Bob's inquiry. - -Then he blew out the lantern and poured the oil with which it was filled -over the pile of rubbish. There was still a small heap of stuff in one -corner of the cave, some old boards, and a few pieces of sail, thrown -carelessly in a pile, as though of no value. They did not stop to bother -with these, as they seemed of no consequence, and they were in a hurry. - -Tom struck a match and set fire to the heap that he had accumulated. - -"We can't get away from here any too soon, now, Bob," he said. "There'll -be some furious chaps out here, when that fire gets to crackling and -smoking. We don't care to be about here at that time. They are too many -for us." - -The boys scrambled down the bank, got into the canoe, and pushed off. As -they paddled away, the light of the fire gleamed in the mouth of the -cave. As soon as they had gotten clear of the reefs, they did not stop to -reconnoitre the camp, but pushed by at full speed. It was a race against -fire--and they little dreamed of its swiftness, nor of the hidden force -which they had let loose. - -Along the shore they sped, speaking not a word till they had got the -village in sight and their arms were cracking in the joints. Then they -paused a moment for breath, for their little craft was out of sight of -the camp now, in the dull morning light. - -Tom, who had the stern paddle, had looked back from time to time, but if -there was any light to be seen through the bushes it was very slight. The -spot was hidden now, too, by the intervening point of land. - -"I don't know whether I see a light or not," he said. "There's a lot of -smoke, though, and I can imagine, anyway, that I see a gleam of fire in -the midst of it." - -The words were scarcely out of his mouth before he swung the canoe around -with one quick sweep of his paddle. - -"Look, Bob! Look!" he cried. "What have we done?" - -The sight that met their eyes was amazing. - -A sheet of flame shot suddenly into the sky. It looked like a tiny -volcano, belching up fire and debris and pushing up through the midst of -it a great black canopy of smoke. This was followed by the report of an -explosion that echoed and reechoed through the village, reverberating on -the rocks across the harbour, and filling the whole country around with -its noise--at once startling and terrifying. Then the light as suddenly -went out, a shower of burning sticks and shreds of blazing canvas drifted -lazily down through the air, and a cloud of smoke hung over the spot. - -Tom and Bob trembled like rushes. It seemed as though every particle of -strength had left them. There could be but one conclusion. They had blown -up the camp. Harvey and all his crew were, perhaps, killed. - -Bob was the first to speak. - -"Come, Tom," he said. "We must get to camp before we are seen. Brace up -and try to paddle." - -Somehow or other they got to camp and dragged the canoe ashore. They -carried the box up to the tent and locked it up in the big chest. Bob's -hand trembled so he could hardly put the key into the lock. - -Tom seated himself, dejectedly, on the edge of one of the bunks, the -picture of despair. - -"I guess I may as well go and give myself up first as last," he said. "I -suppose I'll have to go to jail, if they're killed. What can there have -been in the cave? I didn't see anything to explode, did you?" - -"No," answered Bob, "unless it was something over in that pile of stuff -in one corner. I didn't examine it, but they must have had something -stored or hidden underneath there, either kerosene or gunpowder. By Jove! -Tom, I remember now hearing Captain Sam Curtis say he had missed a keg of -blasting-powder that he had bought for the Fourth of July, and he said he -thought some of the sailors down the island had stolen it. That's where -it went to; it was hidden in that corner." - -"That doesn't help matters much, if they're all dead," said Tom. "I'll be -to blame, just the same. Oh, Bob, what shall I do?" - -"Whatever you do," answered Bob, "I stand my share of it, just as much as -you. I'm just as guilty as you are. But don't go to pieces that way, Tom. -We don't know yet whether they are hurt or not. The best thing we can do -is to get down there as quick as ever we can. Shall we take the canoe and -make a race for it?" - -"I can't do it," answered Tom. "I haven't got the strength,--and, to be -honest, Bob, the courage. It's taken every bit of strength and nerve out -of me. Bob, I tell you, I'm afraid we've killed them,--and I, for one, -don't dare to go and look." - -And Tom hid his face in his hands, while the tears trickled through his -fingers. - -"I don't believe they're killed," said Bob, stoutly. "They were some -distance away from the cave, you know. Come, we'll go with the crowd, for -the whole town must be out by this time." - -And so he half-persuaded, half-dragged Tom away from the tent, and they -started for the hotel. - -The explosion had, indeed, aroused every one. Men were running to and -fro, and the greatest excitement prevailed. The news quickly spread that -some frightful accident had happened at Harvey's camp, and Tom and Bob -heard expressions of sympathy for them on all sides, from many who had -been the victims of their tricks, and who had time and again wished the -island rid of them. A rumour spread among the crowd of villagers--no one -knew where it originated--that a keg of powder, which the campers had -left to dry near the fire, had exploded, and blown them all to pieces. -This was only one of a number of wild rumours that were noised about that -morning in the confusion and uncertainty. It was generally believed that -the crew must have been killed. - -Tom and Bob hung on to the edge of the excited crowd, which had assembled -in front of the hotel, and listened to these various expressions with -horror. Then, when the crowd moved on for the camp, they followed, with -sinking hearts. - -It was a strange procession that went down along the shore that morning. -There were cottage-owners, who had grievances against the crew; -villagers, who had been tormented and tricked by them time and again; and -fishermen, who had lost many a tide's fishing, because their dories had -been found sunk alongside the wharf, with heaping loads of stones aboard. -Yet, now that disaster had befallen the crew, they were one and all -willing to condone the offences, and anxious to render what help they -could. - -They went on rapidly. Tom and Bob soon heard a cry from those in advance -that the tent was still standing. Then hope rose in Tom's heart, that -spurred him forward. - -He dashed ahead, rushed past the leaders, cutting through the woods where -the path made a circuit. There was the tent still standing, and -apparently uninjured by the storm of stones and debris that had rained -down about it. But the crew! Not the sound of a voice was to be heard. -Not a soul was stirring anywhere in the locality. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - JACK HARVEY INVESTIGATES - - -Tom's heart sank as he approached the tent, stepping over stones and -fragments of wood that lay all about. Pulling open the flap of the tent, -he looked anxiously inside. There lay the crew, to a man, stretched upon -the ground, motionless. A sudden fear seized on Tom that the shock had -killed them as they lay sleeping, and he reeled and clutched one of the -guy-ropes to keep from falling. - -The next minute the crowd of villagers had arrived, and several heads -were thrust inside the tent. Just at that moment one of the crew slowly -raised himself on an elbow and said, angrily: - -"What's all this fuss about? Aren't you people satisfied with trying to -blow us up, without coming around and making such a rumpus and keeping us -awake?" - -It was Jack Harvey. The others of the crew, taking their cue from him, -made a pretence of rousing themselves up from sleep, yawned and rubbed -their eyes, and asked what was wanted. - -Then, perceiving for the first time that there were several stalwart -fishermen in the party, and not daring to go too far, Harvey added, in a -sneering tone: - -"Oh, we're obliged to you all for coming down here. It wasn't curiosity -on your part--of course not. You came down because you thought we were -hurt, and we're much obliged to you. Of course we are. We're glad to see -you, moreover, now we're awake. Wait a minute, and we will stir up the -fire and boil a pot of coffee." - -This was maddening to the rescuers. Some of the fishermen suggested -pitching in and giving the crew a sound thrashing; but, so Squire -Brackett said, "there was really no ground for such a proceeding, though -he, for one, would be more than glad to do it." They could blame -themselves for trying to help a pack of young hyenas like these. For his -part, he was going back home to bed. "They'll drown themselves out in the -bay if let alone," he commented. However, he ventured the query to -Harvey: "Guess you boys had a little powder stored around here, didn't -you?" - -"Guess again, squire," answered Harvey, roughly. "Maybe we had a fort -with cannon mounted on it,--and maybe we'd like to go to sleep again, if -you people would let us. We're not trespassing. We've got permission to -camp here, so don't try to go bullying us, squire." - -This was the satisfaction, then, that the rescuers got at the hands of -the crew. They had come, burying their grievances, and with hearts full -of sympathy and kindness for the unfortunate boys, and they had -encountered only the same reckless crew, that mocked them for their -pains. So they turned away again, angry and disappointed, and nursing -their wrath for a day to come. - -And then, as the sound of the last of their footsteps died away through -the woods, Jack Harvey, chuckling with vast satisfaction to himself, -said: "Wasn't that fine, though? Wasn't old Brackett and the others -furious?" - -"Wild!" exclaimed Joe Hinman. "But I don't think, after all, Jack, that -it paid. We ought to have treated them better, after they had come all -the way down here to help us." - -"Pshaw!" answered Harvey. "Don't you go getting squeamish, Joe. For my -part, I'm mad enough at somebody to fight the whole village. There's our -cave that it took us weeks to dig, and hidden in the only spot around -here that couldn't be discovered, gone to smash, with everything we had -in it. Those two guns that the governor bought me were worth a pretty -price, let me tell you. They must have gone clear into the bay, for I -can't even find a piece of the stock of either one of them." - -"It looks to me as though somebody did discover the cave, after all," -said Joe Hinman. "You can't make me believe that it blew itself up." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed Harvey--and then he paused abruptly; for, of a -sudden, there came sharply to his mind the white face of Tom Harris, -peering in at the tent door, with a haggard, ghastly expression. He -recalled how Tom had started back and nearly fallen at the sight of the -crew lying still. - -"He was the first one at the tent, too," muttered Harvey to himself. - -"What's that?" asked Joe Hinman. - -"Nothing," said Harvey. "But you may be right, Joe. You may be right, -after all. Come, let's all go out and look over the ground once more. -There may be a few things yet, to save from the wreck." - -The explosion, strangely enough, had not injured a single member of the -crew. Not a piece of the wreckage had struck the tent. Pieces of rock and -bits of branches and boards lay on every hand about the camp, and a -stone, torn from the bank, had crashed down on the bowsprit of the -_Surprise_, breaking it short off, carrying away rigging and sails. There -was also a hole broken in the yacht's deck by a falling piece of ledge. - -The crew, awakened from sound slumber by the awful crash and by the -shower of earth and stones, had rushed out, frightened half out of their -wits, and at an utter loss at first to know what had happened. The full -discovery of what had occurred only served to deepen the mystery. How it -had happened no one could tell. To be sure, they knew what had escaped -the notice of Tom and Bob, that four lanterns in a corner of the cave -were filled with kerosene oil, and that in another corner, in a hole -under the floor, covered with a few pieces of board and a thin sprinkling -of earth, were two kegs of blasting-powder. - -It had been a narrow escape for them. A hole was torn in the bank big -enough to hold several yachts the size of the _Surprise_. Not a vestige -remained to show that a cave had ever been dug there. Several boulders -had been dislodged from the bank and carried bodily down to the water's -edge, besides the one that had hit the bowsprit of the _Surprise_. Of the -stuff that Tom and Bob had placed carefully outside the cave, not a scrap -remained. Every bit of it must have been blown into the sea. But not a -rock nor so much as a stick had struck the tent. Beyond being dazed for -some moments by the shock of the explosion, not one of the crew was hurt. - -When they had made a second and unavailing search for anything that might -have escaped the destruction, and some half-hour after the villagers had -departed, the crew went back to the tent and laid themselves down again -for a morning's nap. They were soon off to sleep, save one. - -As often as he closed his eyes, Jack Harvey could see, in his mind's eye, -Tom Harris come again to the door of the tent; and he could see him start -back and almost fall. Could Tom Harris have had anything to do with the -explosion? And if so, how? It hardly seemed possible, but Harvey could -not put the idea out of his head. Tom's frightened face looked in at him, -in his troubled sleep that morning, and, long before his crew were awake -again and stirring, he rose and stole out of the tent to the shore, where -the cave had been. - -And so, while Tom and Bob rolled in on to their bunks that morning, -thankful in their hearts that no harm had come to the crew, Jack Harvey -was down there by the shore, examining the ground over and over again, -every inch of it, from the place where the entrance to the cave had been -to the place where the canoe had been made fast. Much of the bank had -been torn away there, but where the canoe had been moored there was a -spot for some few feet that was undisturbed. Jack Harvey, after studying -the spot carefully, went back to camp. If he had found anything that -surprised him, he did not, for the present, mention it to his crew. - -Jack Harvey was a curious mixture of good and bad qualities. His parents -were wealthy, but uneducated and unrefined. They allowed him to have all -the money he wished to spend, and permitted him to do pretty much as he -pleased about everything. Harvey's father had been a miner, and had -"struck it rich," after knocking about the California gold-fields for -nearly a score of years. Because he had managed to get along well in the -world without any education, and without the influence of any restraint, -such as society imposes, he had a theory that it was the best thing for a -boy to work out his own upbringing. As a consequence, his son was rarely -thwarted in anything. Left to himself, Harvey, though not naturally bad, -fell in with a rough, lawless class of boys, read only the cheapest kind -of books, which inspired him to lead an idle, good-for-nothing life, and, -as a result, went wild. - -He was strong and, among his associates, a leader. They gladly awarded -him this distinction, as they were, for the most part, poor, and he spent -his allowance freely. He was captain of a ball nine, for which he bought -the uniforms and the necessary equipment; captain of his yacht's crew, -and, in all things, their acknowledged leader. His companions came -generally to be known as Harvey's crew. - -Tom and Bob had a mere speaking acquaintance with him, as they all -attended the same school at home,--from which, however, Harvey was more -often truant than present. Beyond that association they had nothing to do -with him. There were four members of the yacht's crew, although that term -was applied by the people of the town to some dozen or more boys. Of -these four, Joe Hinman was a thin, hatchet-faced, shrewd-looking boy, -whose father was employed by a railroad in some capacity that kept him -much away from home; George Baker and Allan Harding were cousins, whose -parents had a rather doubtful reputation, as dealers in second-hand goods -and articles pawned, at a little shop in an obscure quarter of the town. -Tim Reardon had no parents that he knew of, and earned an uncertain -living, doing chores and working at odd jobs through the winter. In the -summer, he was usually to be found aboard Harvey's yacht, where he was -fairly content to do the drudgery, for the sake of the livelihood and the -fun of yachting and camping. - -It was not the sort of companionship that a wise and careful parent would -have chosen for his son, but they sufficed for Harvey, and no one -interfered with him. These boys did as he said, and that was what he -wanted. - -Nearly every one in the entire village had gone down to Harvey's camp in -the next hour following the explosion. Curiously enough, however, Henry -Burns was not of this number. He had jumped out of bed at the crash and -the shock, and had hastily dressed and rushed down-stairs, ready to go -with the crowd. For once, however, Mrs. Carlin got ahead of him. - -"Why, Henry Burns," she had exclaimed, catching sight of him as he dodged -out of the door. "Where do you think you are going at this hour of the -night, and you that was feeling so bad only a few hours ago. You're not -going off through those woods to-night, not if I know it. You can just -take yourself back to bed, if you don't want to be laid up with a sick -spell." - -And Henry Burns, now that attention was thus publicly attracted to him, -did not dare to steal out later and join the others, lest Mrs. Carlin -should hear of it, and, perchance, become suspicious of him. So he went -back unwillingly to bed, but not to sleep. He was wide-awake when the -angry party returned. Listening from his window, he heard their -description of the explosion and their impudent reception by Harvey's -crew; and proceeded to draw his own conclusion from it all. - -The more he thought of it, the more his suspicion grew that, in some way, -Tom or Bob, or both, had had a hand in the thing. Tom, indeed, had -expressed his intention to Henry Burns of spying on the camp in his hunt -to find the missing box; and, although it seemed a most unlikely hour for -him to have gone down there, Henry Burns wisely conjectured that that was -what he must have done. - -Accordingly, shortly after Henry Burns had arisen that morning, and after -he had gathered from a few villagers who were abroad some fuller details -of the night's adventures, he made his way to the camp on the point. -There were no signs of life about the camp, and, softly opening the flap -of the tent, he peered within. Tom and Bob lay stretched out, sound -asleep. - -Henry Burns stepped noiselessly inside. He called them by name in a low -tone, but they did not awaken. - -"Last night's excitement was too much for one of them, at least, I -guess," was his comment. And then he added: "If my suspicions are true, -their fun lasted later than mine, and was far more exciting--but I'll -find that out." - -There was a camp-stool beside each bunk, upon which Tom and Bob had -thrown their clothes before turning in. Henry Burns quietly removed the -clothing from these chairs, made them into a bundle, and, tucking the -bundle under his arm, walked out of the tent and lay down on the grass, -just outside. - -It seemed to him as though another hour had passed before he heard a -creaking of one of the bunks, and a voice, which he recognized as Bob's, -said: "Hulloa, there, Tom, wake up!" - -"Ay, ay," growled Tom, sleepily, but made no move. - -Again Bob's voice: "Say, Tom?" - -No answer. - -"Tom--hulloa, old fellow--come, let's get up. It's late." - -"All right, all right, Bob, so it is." And Tom roused up on an elbow and -rubbed his eyes. Then he gave a prodigious yawn. - -"Whew!" he exclaimed. "What a night I had of it. I don't wonder we slept -late, do you?" - -"Well, hardly," answered Bob. "My! But I can hear that explosion go off -now, it seems to me. And wasn't that an awful sight when the flame shot -up against the sky? I'll never forget it as long as I live." - -"We'll have to keep our eyes on Harvey after this for awhile," said Tom. -"Hulloa!" he exclaimed, suddenly, as they tumbled out on to the floor. -"Where are our clothes? We left them right here when we turned in, didn't -we?" - -The boys looked at each other and stared in astonishment. - -"Of course we did," answered Bob. - -"What can it mean?" gasped Tom. - -"Hope to die if I can guess," said Bob. "It's plain enough, though, that -some one has been in here while we were asleep and cleaned out our -wardrobe. Not a thing left. You don't suppose that Harvey--" - -"Nonsense," interrupted Tom. "It's that young scoundrel of a Joe Warren. -He's always up to his monkey-shines. It's some of his doings. He was the -one, mind you, that proposed yesterday that we carry our change of good -clothing up to his cottage for safe-keeping. Here we are, now, without a -rag to put on." - -"I suppose he thinks we'll have to march up to his cottage in blankets, -like Indians," said Bob. "Well, if it comes to that, I'll stay right here -till night. You don't catch me parading around in a blanket in the -daytime, to be laughed at by everybody." - -"We'll have to pay him up for this," said Tom. - -At this moment Henry Burns appeared at the doorway. - -"I have some cheap second-hand clothes here," he said. "They're pretty -well worn out, and you can have them for a small consideration, seeing -that you need them so bad. I want the money for my poor mother, who's -sick at home with the smallpox." - -"Scoundrel!" yelled Tom. - -"Pirate!" muttered Bob. - -They rushed fiercely at Henry Burns, who, however, smiling serenely, -still held on tightly to the bundle of clothing. - -"Pay me my price for them, and you can have them all," he said. - -"How much?" asked Tom. - -"Wait till we try them on and see if they still fit," said Bob. - -"My price," answered Henry Burns, depositing the bundle on a chair and -seating himself upon an end of one of the bunks, "is that you tell me how -you came so near to blowing up Jack Harvey's camp last night." - -It was a long shot on his part, but it went straight to the mark. There -was an awkward silence for almost a minute. Finally Tom said: - -"There's no use trying to keep a secret from him, Bob. He knows half -already. We may as well tell him all, and see what he thinks of it." - -"Fire away, Tom," said Bob. "No one was injured, anyway, so no great harm -can come of it." - -So Tom related to Henry Burns the story of the night's adventure. Henry -listened with the greatest interest. - -"I'd have given a good deal," he said, "to see Jack Harvey when he found -his cave blown up, with all their spoils along with it." - -When the story was finished, however, he was inclined to treat the matter -more seriously than they had supposed he would. - -"I'm afraid it's a bad scrape to be in," he said at length. "From what I -have heard about our friend Harvey, I judge he is not one of the kind to -let a thing of this sort go without paying somebody back for it. And I -believe he is as sure to find out who blew up that cave as I am that I am -sitting here." - -"How can that be?" asked Bob. - -"I can't say," replied Henry Burns; "but if you keep your eyes open, you -will see that he suspects you. I'll warrant if we could see Jack Harvey -now, we should see him out examining every inch of the shore, looking at -the rocks on the beach for any paint that might be scraped off your -canoe, and all such things as that. He is a shrewd one, and, when he has -once satisfied himself that you and Tom wrecked his cave, why, I wouldn't -give a fig for your camp here,--that is, unless you propose to stay at -home all the time to guard it." - -Strange to say, if they could have seen Jack Harvey just then, they would -have witnessed a most startling confirmation of Henry Burns's words. For -Jack Harvey, at that moment, was at the shore once more. He was examining -every inch of it. He was scrutinizing every rock along the beach. He was -out among the ledges, looking carefully along their sides. He was -searching here, and he was searching there,--but what he found he neither -confided to his crew nor to any one else, but kept locked for the present -in his own breast. - -"I believe Henry is right," said Tom. "And it isn't the most pleasant -prospect to think that our camp may be overhauled at any time, whenever -we happen to be away, and perhaps disappear altogether some dark night, -if we happen to be caught out on the bay or down the island. But what to -do I don't see, for the life of me,--except to keep as quiet as possible -about it." - -"I may not be right," suggested Henry Burns, "but my advice would be to -do just the opposite,--that is, when you once feel certain that Harvey is -hunting for you. - -"Tell Harvey," continued Henry, "that you blew up his camp, and how you -did it, and why. Tell him what you saw in that cave. Ask him point-blank -if he would want the villagers to know what you saw in there. Strike a -bargain with him to call it even. He will be glad to do it; whereas, if -he finds you and Bob out, without your knowing what he is up to, he will -watch night and day for a chance to harm you." - -"The fact is," added Henry Burns, as he arose to go, "what with Jack -Harvey and Colonel Witham on the war-path after you, you are likely to -have quite a lively summer before you get through. So keep your eyes open -and look out. And remember, when in trouble, always apply to H. A. Burns, -care Colonel Witham--always ready to serve you." And Henry Burns walked -away, whistling. - -Tom and Bob went about their breakfast preparations, looking rather -serious for a time; but a hearty meal made them look at the matter -somewhat less seriously. - -"Henry Burns is quite apt to be right about things, so the Warrens say," -commented Tom, after awhile, as they were finishing their meal. "But I -guess he likes to talk some, too, just to make an impression. I don't see -how Harvey can find out who blew up his cave in a hundred years, if we -only keep quiet and don't give it away ourselves." - -"I'm not so sure," answered Bob. "Those things do get out." - -Jack Harvey, in the meantime, having completed a careful survey of the -shore, and either finding or not finding what he sought for, went back to -his camp and crew. Toward noon, however, he left his camp, and a little -later Tom saw him coming up along the shore. - -When he came to where the canoe lay on the beach, Harvey paused and -examined it closely. Then, as though to test its weight, he lifted it up -on his broad shoulders, and then set it down on the beach again, this -time bottom up. - -Tom and Bob started down to the shore at this, but, before either they or -Harvey had spoken, they had seen plainly that which, perhaps, Harvey had -looked for, a long broad scratch upon the bottom of the canoe, near the -middle, where the fresh paint had been scraped off. - -"Hulloa, there," said Harvey, as they approached. "That's a fine canoe -you've got there. Guess I'll have to get the governor to buy me one. I -saw your tent yesterday, but didn't have a chance to come around. You -fellows got ahead of me, by coming over last night--with the crowd." - -"Yes," answered Bob. "We expected to find you all blown into the sea. -What was the matter over at your camp?" - -"Why, between you and me," replied Harvey, eying them cautiously as he -spoke, "I think some one of the crew did it, as a joke. They're up to -that sort of thing, you know. They'd just as lieve do it as not, any one -of them. Like as not that young Tim Reardon did it, because I make him -lug water, and don't let up on him when he has lazy spells. To tell you -the truth, we had a little powder stored away in a hole under a tree, and -I guess one of them touched it off." - -Harvey tried to speak carelessly; but there was an angry light in his -eyes and an expression around his mouth which would not be concealed, and -which boded no good for somebody, and this was not lost on Tom and Bob. - -"Come up to the camp, won't you?" asked Tom. Harvey first declined, as -though it had not been his intention to stop, and then accepted, and the -three went toward the tent. On the way there Tom found a chance to say to -Bob, "I guess Henry Burns was right, wasn't he, Bob?" And Bob answered, -"Yes." - -"Snug quarters you have here," said Harvey, as they entered the tent. -"Tight and dry,--and bunks, too. We can't beat these accommodations -aboard the _Surprise_. And here's camp-chairs, like a steam-yacht or a -cottage. You'll be having pictures on the walls next, and a carpet on the -floor,--and then you won't allow each other to have mud on your boots." - -Harvey was still watching them sharply as he spoke, and may have made the -last remark with a purpose, inasmuch as the boots of both Tom and Bob -were begrimed and smeared with the clay from the bank near Harvey's camp, -and their clothes, for that matter, were muddy in spots. - -"Sure enough," answered Tom, "we have things as shipshape as we can. -We've got a camp-kit here that can't be beaten on the island. Maybe you -would be interested to have a look at it." So saying, Tom deliberately -unlocked the big packing-case and threw back the cover. - -"There," cried Tom, pointing to the box that had been stolen, "what do -you think of that?" - -Harvey drew back quickly, and looked as though he were about to strike -Tom a blow, while his face flushed angrily. Bob sprang quickly from his -seat on one of the bunks, and he and Tom stood confronting Harvey. If the -latter had intended to strike a blow, he changed his mind and did not do -it. Instead, he gave a half-laugh and said: - -"That's what I came up to see you about. The fact is, I have known you -fellows blew up our cave ever since I saw your face"--looking at Tom--"at -the door of our tent last night. Then I found, too, where your canoe had -landed on the edge of the shore, and just where that big scratch was -made. The paint is on the rocks yet. Now I don't think you fellows used -me square, though I know you did it because you thought we stole your -box--" - -"Which you did," interrupted Tom. - -Again the quick flush in Harvey's face, and again the gesture as though -he would strike Tom a blow; but he did not do it, as he had refrained -before. - -"No, there's where you are wrong," he said; "though I don't deny that one -of the crew took it,--not knowing it was yours. They wouldn't one of them -take anything from you." - -"Which is not true," said Tom, quietly. - -This was more than Harvey could stand. With clenched fist, he rushed at -Tom, aiming a heavy blow at his face, and crying, as he did so: "I lie, -do I? Then take that!" - -Tom partially avoided the blow by stepping back and guarding his face -with one arm. The blow fell short, striking him near the shoulder. At the -same time, however, he tripped over the packing-case, and that, with the -force of the blow, sent him over backwards, so that he fell all in a heap -in one corner of the tent. - -Harvey darted for the door, to make his escape; but Bob sprang at him and -the two clinched. Harvey was larger and more than a match for either one -of them, and, with a quick twist, threw Bob violently to the floor. But -the latter clung to him and brought him down, too. Then, before Harvey -could break Bob's hold, Tom had recovered himself and thrown himself upon -him. He rolled Harvey over, and the next moment he and Bob had him -securely pinned to the floor. - -"Now," said Tom, as they held him fast, "we are not going to hurt you, -Jack Harvey, because we are no such cowards; but I've got something to -say to you which it will be for your advantage to listen to. - -"In the first place, let me tell you that you are a coward and as good as -a thief. You didn't steal our box because one of your crew did it for you -and saved you the trouble; but you knew it was stolen from us, and would -have taken it yourself if you had had the chance. You need not tell us -that your crew would not steal from us, for we know better, and so do -you. In the second place, I want to tell you that we blew up your cave -without intending to do more than burn some of the things in it. The rest -we took out,--though it doesn't make much difference now what our -intentions were. - -"And, last of all, let me tell you that neither you nor your crew are -going to try to be revenged on us. Why? Because you don't dare to. It -wouldn't be healthy for any of you, if it became known in the village -what was in that cave, and nobody knows that better than you. Not that -Bob and I intend to tell, ever, unless you give us cause to. But let me -tell you that it won't do for you to play any tricks on us. - -"Please don't forget that neither you nor a single one of your crew dares -to disturb so much as a rope around this camp. Now you can get up." - -Harvey rose, white with rage, and stood for a moment, as though undecided -whether or not to continue the unequal combat; but his better judgment -prevailed, and he walked slowly out of the tent, pausing at the door long -enough to say: - -"You need not have any fear of our troubling you or your camp. You have -been too smart for us, and we shall steer clear of you after this. - -"In fact," he added, sneeringly, "any little thing we can do for you at -any time, just let us know. We shall think a great deal of two such smart -fellows as you, I assure you." And so saying, he left them. - -"Sorry we can't say as much for you," Bob called out after him, and was -half-sorry for the words the next moment; for it was foolish to increase -an enmity which could only lead to trouble. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - SQUIRE BRACKETT'S DOG - - -The island got a respite of at least a week, after the explosion, from -excitement of any sort. A calm like that of the primeval days before the -"boom" pervaded all the settlement. But it was not to endure. One morning -a little fishing-schooner, which had fallen into the hands of Squire -Brackett, through a mortgage which he had foreclosed upon a poor skipper -across the bay, and which was now lying at anchor in the harbour, was -found painted with broad stripes of blood red, and flying the skull and -cross-bones at the masthead, a veritable pirate craft. - -The squire was never able to discover whether the authors of this piece -of mischief were the boys or some of his own townsmen, who, indignant at -his seizure of the only means of livelihood belonging to the unfortunate -skipper, had roundly denounced Squire Brackett for his meanness. However, -the incident resulted in the squire leaving on the boat one day for the -city of Benton to make a purchase. - -What the squire purchased he brought back with him the next day. And, as -it is a matter of passing interest how his purchase arrived at the island -and how brief a time it remained there, it shall be here recorded. By the -same boat there came to the village an individual whose arrival made no -stir, but who remained long enough to create the greatest excitement the -village had ever known. - -The arrival of the steamer from Benton was an event of great interest -daily, for it brought not only mysterious packages, bundles, and messages -from fathers whose business kept them in the city, but now and then a new -face, which was duly scrutinized and commented upon by the summer -colonists before its possessor had crossed the gangplank. - -So that on this day when Squire Brackett returned to his native isle -there were many gathered upon the wharf, though, it is hardly necessary -to say, not for the purpose of welcoming his return. Yet one might -readily believe the squire thought otherwise; since, as the steamer -neared the wharf, this self-important individual, arrayed in a suit of -shining black, with a great deal of staring shirt-front, and with an -enormous slouch-hat surmounting his ponderous head, seemed the most -conspicuous person aboard. - -The squire stood nearest the gangway, and, indeed, it looked from a -distance as though the other passengers, in recognition of the greatness -of this island magnate, had drawn respectfully back a little distance, to -wait till he should have gone ashore ere they approached the railing. - -As the steamer came nearer, however, the reason for this seeming -deference on their part became apparent. It was plainly not due so much -to any awe inspired by the squire as it was to fear,--fear of the -squire's purchase. The squire's purchase was as ugly and vicious looking -a bulldog as ever walked on four legs. The squire held the dog by a stout -piece of cord, which was wound several times about his wrist. - -The dog and the squire, being each in equally ill-humour, may have found -their companionship agreeable. Certain it was that the squire was the -only person whom the dog did not snarl and snap at. It growled and -snapped at every one, and even snarled and showed its teeth at the -good-natured cook aboard the steamer, who had offered it a scrap of meat. - -This surliness on the part of his new acquisition had particularly -pleased the squire, who argued from it that here was an incorruptible -beast, that would meet in the same spirit any such advances upon the part -of strangers when it should be duly installed as guardian of his -farmhouse. - -The squire would be magnanimous on this occasion, however, and, despite -the fact that the crowd on the wharf looked to him, as it always did in -his eyes, like invaders of his domain, he gave a bow accompanied by a -sweeping gesture of his hand, presumably intended to be a patronizing -greeting, which should include everybody, and nobody in particular, at -once. - -Then the steamer made its landing. It was not always an easy matter here, -for the tide at certain times ran swift, and seemed to strive fiercely to -drive the boat away from the wharf. Therefore, when the steamer was as -yet at some distance from the wharf, a deck-hand at the bow skilfully let -fly a coil of small rope, which unwound in the air and was caught by a -man standing on the wharf. To an end of this rope was attached the usual -heavy hawser, which was then drawn on to the wharf by means of the small -rope, and the bight thrown over a spiling. In like manner the other big -hawser was drawn up astern on to the wharf. - -When things were done shipshape, it was the rule of the steamer that the -small rope should be coiled again and at once thrown back to the boat -while one end was still fast to the wharf, so that when the hawser was -cast off from the spiling it could be drawn aboard by the small rope, -without its splashing down into the water and getting wet. - -But things were more often done hurriedly than shipshape at the Southport -landing. The steamer's crew had all they could do usually to land freight -and get it out quickly enough, so that the boat could go on down the bay -without losing time. The line thrown to the wharf was usually caught by -the village storekeeper, who had little time to spare, or by whatever man -or boy happened to be standing near at hand. The boat's rule was seldom -obeyed. Scarcely any one ever took the trouble to coil up the small rope -and throw it back. When the hawsers were cast off they fell into the -water, regardless of the fact that they thereby got wet and became -heavier, dragging the small ropes after them, and were hauled aboard as -the boat steamed away. - -The steamer having, on this occasion, been made fast to the wharf and the -gangplank put out, Squire Brackett crossed it, dragging his purchase -behind him,--the purchase skulking very unwillingly across the plank and -showing its teeth at the crowd upon the wharf. - -The squire hated and despised boys, and made it a point to ignore them -whenever it was possible. For this very reason they delighted to annoy -him by hailing him whenever they met him. Young Joe Warren had a way of -driving the squire nearly into fits by pretending to mistake him for one -Captain Kendrick, who was the bitterest enemy the squire had, and then -always apologizing for his mistake by explaining to the squire that he -could not tell them apart. - -"Good morning, Squire Brackett, glad to see you back again!" cried Henry -Burns, in the heartiest fashion imaginable, as the squire stepped on to -the wharf. - -"Humph! Morning--morning," grunted the squire, as he eyed Henry Burns -suspiciously. - -Henry Burns smiled most affably, as though the squire had been his -dearest friend and adviser. - -"Why, how do you do, squire?" said George Warren, cordially. - -Squire Brackett scowled angrily at him, but answered, "How d'ye do?" as -short as he could. - -Just then young Joe made his appearance. - -"How are you, Captain Kendrick?" he bawled, loud enough to be heard all -over the wharf. - -The crowd began to smile, and young Joe added, hastily: - -"Oh, I beg pardon, Squire Brackett--always take you for Cap'n -Kendrick--strange how you do look so much alike." - -"You little idiot," yelled the choleric squire, "I'd Cap'n Kendrick you -with a rawhide, if I had the say of you,--insulting an honest man with a -name like that,--every one of you ought to be in State prison. And you, -you're the worst one of all, Jack Harvey," pointing to the latter, who -had just come upon the wharf. "And you, too!" shaking his fist at Tom and -Bob. "You're sly, but you'll get caught yet. You're a pack of young -rascals, every one of you. Don't any of you come around my house, if you -don't want to be chewed up. Here, you brute! Quit that!" - -The dog had snapped viciously at a child that ran past, causing her to -scream with fear. - -Just then the freight-agent called out to the squire: - -"You'll have to come in here and see about this freight of yours," he -said. "It's all mixed up. And don't bring that dog in here, or the crew -may take him for a piece of freight and run a truck against him." - -At one corner of the freight-house on the wharf was a big iron ring, to -which the squire tied the dog. - -"I wouldn't advise anybody to meddle with him," he said; but the advice -seemed hardly necessary, for the dog showed its teeth and sprang savagely -at any one who ventured to come near. - -There were some expressions of indignation that such a dangerous brute -should be brought to the island. - -Every one did keep as far out of the dog's way as possible, excepting Tim -Reardon, who, after a whispered consultation with Jack Harvey, after -which the latter disappeared behind the freight-house, seated himself -just out of the dog's reach, and caused that animal to froth at the mouth -and nearly strangle itself in trying to get loose, by pointing a finger -at the dog and making a loud hissing noise between his teeth. - -Not content with this form of annoyance, Tim Reardon varied it now and -again by darting a hand out at the dog, as though in an attempt to seize -him by the throat. To which the maddened animal, with true bulldog -ferocity, responded with savage rushes as far as the rope would permit, -his wide-open jaws fairly dripping with rage and disappointment. - -If there was any design on the boy's part to distract the dog's attention -from what Jack Harvey was doing at the corner of the freight-house, to -which the dog was tied, it succeeded admirably. Moreover, it is certain -that, when Harvey reappeared, Tim stopped teasing the brute, and he and -Harvey walked around to the rear of the freight-house. - -The freight-house was situated almost at the end of the wharf on its -seaward side, so near to the edge of the wharf that there was only room -for a single person to walk along on the outside, and that at the risk of -losing one's balance and falling off the wharf. The ring to which the dog -was tied was on the side near the end, and was not visible to those -standing on the front of the wharf. Any one going around to the further -side of the freight-house at this moment might have seen Harvey and Tim -standing there,--Harvey nearest the ring and holding a knife in his hand. - -The steamer in landing had made a complete circuit in the harbour, and -had come alongside the wharf with her head pointing out into the bay, so -that now, as Captain Chase called out "All aboard," and gave orders to -cast off bow and stern lines, the boat was ready to steam directly away -from the wharf. The gangplanks were drawn in. There was a tinkling of -bells; a great commotion as the steamer's wheels began to revolve -rapidly; a general waving of handkerchiefs from the wharf to those who -were bound farther down the bay; the steamer began to glide away from the -wharf, when suddenly somebody shrieked: - -"The dog! The dog! Run! Run! He's broken loose." - -And before the crowd had time to scatter, the dog, infuriated with the -tormenting it had received at the hands of Tim Reardon, dashed toward it. -Men, women, and children fled in terror. Squire Brackett, who came -running out of the freight-house, did not dare face the dog, but dodged -back into the freight-house and slammed the door shut, in a cold sweat of -fear. - -The boys, most of them, rushed for points of safety, clambering up the -ends of the spiling that jutted above the floor of the wharf, and young -Joe and Tom Harris, being at the very edge of the wharf, and having no -other means of escape, and nothing to defend themselves with, dropped off -the wharf into the water and swam to shore. Several of the other boys and -some men scrambled about for clubs to ward off the brute's fierce rush. - -Among these latter was Henry Burns. Realizing on the instant that to -attempt to flee was worse than hopeless, he had glanced about for -something to defend himself with, and had seized upon a broken piece of -oar. Grasping it with both hands, he stood, calmly awaiting the attack. -The dog, seeing him right in his path, rushed at him, and when within a -yard of the boy suddenly gave a spring, as though to seize him by the -throat. - -Henry Burns, summoning all his strength, aimed a terrific sweeping blow -at the dog, but it missed its mark. Meeting no obstruction, the force of -the blow swung the boy completely around, so that he lost his balance and -fell sprawling upon the wharf, while the piece of oar flew from his hands -and landed far out in the water. - -A strange thing had happened. The crowd, pausing breathlessly in the -midst of flight, had seen with horror the dog spring at Henry Burns; but -the animal's leap had a most extraordinary termination. All at once the -dog was jerked violently backward through the air, and fell heavily on -the wharf, yelping with surprise and fright. Then it was dragged rapidly -across the wharf, and the crowd yelled with derision as they saw that the -rope by which the dog had been tied to the ring had been unfastened or -cut from the ring, and had been fastened to the rope which had been -thrown from the steamer, and the other end of which was made fast to the -steamer's hawser. - -As the boat steamed away it drew the rope after it. There was no possible -escape for the dog. Struggling as best it could, barking and yelping, and -snapping madly at the rope, it braced itself for one instant on the edge -of the wharf, and then was dragged over and fell, still struggling, to -the water below. The steamer kept on its way a short distance, and then -stopped. The rope was drawn in by a deck-hand and the dog hauled to the -railing of the steamer, but it was not taken aboard, for nobody on board -wanted a dead dog. The deck-hand cut the rope, and the body splashed into -the water. - -Thus perished the squire's bulldog, unmourned, save for the squire -himself, who raged about the wharf, looking for some boy whom he might -accuse of the trick, and vowing untold vengeance upon the perpetrators of -it. But, one and all, they had wisely dispersed, the guilty and the -innocent alike, and the squire was soon left alone in his wrath. - -Who had done the thing? The crowd did not know, for it had been too -excited to notice that Jack Harvey and Tim Reardon had emerged from -behind the freight-house just at the critical moment when the dog had -sprung at Henry Burns. - -As for Henry Burns, he was the hero of the hour. - -There had been on the whole so much excitement attending the squire's -arrival that few had noticed a stranger who had come ashore soon after -Squire Brackett. He had not waited on the wharf, but had gone directly to -the hotel. There Henry Burns met him later; for the man sat at Colonel -Witham's table, as that was the only one then available. - -The new arrival was the sort of guest to please the colonel, for he was -extremely quiet. He walked only with the aid of a cane, and then, -apparently, with great effort, stopping frequently to rest. He told them -he had been very ill; that his health had broken down with overwork, and -he had accordingly tried cruising along the coast. His friends had left -him up the river some days before, and would call for him. - -He was a man a little under middle age, of medium height and thick-set, -with black hair and a pale, smooth-shaven face. He was evidently somewhat -a man of the world and had travelled abroad, for, seated before the -fireplace in the office that evening, he talked for some time of his -travels. - -But there were other things of more interest to the boarders than this -quiet, reserved stranger, who did not play cards and who hobbled about -with a cane. There was, above all, a morning paper from town, which -bristled with startling head-lines, descriptive of a robbery of the -residence of one of the richest men in the town. It told how the thieves, -three in number, had entered the house where Mr. Curtis, the owner, was -sleeping alone, in the absence of his family; how they had put a pistol -to his head and made him get up and open a safe, from which they had -taken several hundred dollars in money and a jewel-case containing a -diamond necklace and other gems to the value of several thousand dollars. - -The jewels, it said, were the property of Mrs. Curtis, and most of them -had been bridal presents. A reward of $500 was offered for their return -or for information leading to the arrest of any one of the robbers. - -The article stated further that Mr. Curtis was positive he could identify -the man who subsequently bound and gagged him, his mask having but -partially concealed his face. He was, he said, a man of about medium -height, with black hair, black moustache, and heavy black beard, -broad-shouldered, thick-set, and unusually active and powerful. - -All this, as it was read aloud, threw the guests into the greatest -possible excitement, as a great part of them were from the very town and -knew the Curtis family, by reputation if not personally. - -It did not, of course, interest the stranger guest, for he nodded in his -chair and nearly dozed off several times during the reading. Still, when -the guests had dispersed, he picked up the paper from a chair and took it -with him to his room. - -It was the very next night following that of his arrival that Henry Burns -met with a surprise. - -On the night in question there was a full moon about half-past ten -o'clock, and, as Henry had agreed with Tom and Bob to meet them at their -tent, he opened his window, stepped out on to the ledge and started to -climb to the roof. - -Mackerel had struck in at the western bay, and the boys had planned to -paddle down the island that night, carry their canoe across the short -strip of land that saved the island from being cut into almost equal -halves by the sea, launch it again in the western bay, and paddle around -to where the Warren boys' sloop lay anchored in Fish Hawk's Cove. Then -they were all to try for mackerel early in the morning. - -Henry Burns stepped softly out, grasped the lightning-rod, and, with a -quickness that would have amazed the worthy Mrs. Carlin, scrambled to the -ledge over the top of his window. There he paused a moment for breath, -and then climbed up the lightning-rod, hand over hand, and gained the -roof. - -He had proceeded then across the roof but a little ways, when he heard -suddenly, almost directly beneath him, the sound of footsteps. Some one -was coming up the stairs that led to the roof. - -Henry Burns had barely time to conceal himself behind a chimney when the -trap-door in the roof was softly opened, and he saw the head and -shoulders of a man emerge through the opening. Henry Burns lay flat on -the roof, in the dark shadow cast by the chimney. The moon shone full in -the man's face, and Henry Burns saw, to his amazement, that it was the -stranger guest. The sickly, weak expression in the man's face was gone, -and in its stead there was a sinister, bold look, which seemed far more -natural to his powerful physique. - -Suddenly the man, with the strength and ease of an athlete, sprang -lightly out on to the roof. He still carried his cane, but he had no use -for it, save to clutch it in one hand more after the manner of a cudgel -than a cane. - -Henry Burns, for once in his life, was afraid. It was all so strange and -incomprehensible. - -Once upon the roof, the man straightened himself up, threw out his chest -and squared back his broad shoulders. He was erect in stature, without -the suggestion of a stoop. He seemed to exult in the freedom of the -place, like one who had been kept in some confinement. When he walked -across the roof to the edge facing the sea, there was no suggestion of -any limp in his gait. It was quick and firm, but noiseless and almost -catlike. - -What did it mean? Henry Burns thought of the robbery. Could the man have -had anything to do with that? Why had he pretended to be weak and ill? -Why had he come to this out-of-the-way place, pretending that he was an -invalid? Surely he could have no designs upon any one on the island. -There was no house there that offered inducement to a robber, if the man -were one. - -It must be that his coming was an attempt to hide himself away--to -secrete himself. But why? The description of the robber that had bound -Mr. Curtis--did that tally with the appearance of this man? Broad -shoulders, medium height, active, powerful,--all these agreed. But the -black moustache and heavy beard. The stranger's face was smoothly shaven. -That transformation, however, could have been quickly effected. - -One thing was certain. It would not be well that this man, a pretended -invalid, but strong, and armed with a heavy cane, that had suddenly -become transformed from a cripple's staff to a cudgel, who could but have -some dark motive in thus disguising and secreting himself, should find -himself watched and his secret discovered. Henry Burns crouched closer in -the shadow of the chimney, and hardly dared to breathe. The evil that he -had so accidentally uncovered in the man, his own helplessness compared -with the other's strength, and the dangerous situation, there upon the -house-top, made him afraid. If they had been upon the ground he would -have feared less. - -The man scanned the moonlit waters of the bay long and earnestly. His -survey done, he paced a few times back and forth, swinging the cane, and -then, stealing noiselessly to the doorway, disappeared down the stairs, -closing the trap-door after him. - -Henry Burns lost little time in descending to the ground. On the way to -the boys' camp that night he made two resolves: first, that he would keep -to himself, for the present, at least, the stranger's secret; second, -that, whatever that secret was, he would find it out if any clue was to -be had upon that island. The second resolution, he thought, rather -included the first, since, the greater the number of those who knew of -the stranger's secret, the greater the chances of his suspicions being -aroused. - -Another thing that disturbed Henry Burns not a little was the knowledge -that his excursions over the roof were now attended with greater risk -than ever. It would not do to encounter the stranger there unexpectedly. -What might not the man, suddenly aroused, and desperate, as Henry Burns -believed him to be, do to him, if he found himself discovered? A fall -from such a height must mean instant death, and who was there to suspect -that he had not fallen, if he should be found next day lying upon the -ground? - -In the future he must know whether the roof were occupied or not before -he ventured upon it, and especially must he be careful when returning -late at night. - -Henry Burns resolved to keep the man's secret for a time, for the reason -that he was firmly convinced he had not come to the island to commit any -wrong there, but to hide away. The island offered every advantage for the -latter, and no inducement for the former. The man's design certainly was -to secrete himself. Still, Henry Burns had no intention of letting the -man escape from the island. He would watch also for those friends that -the man had said were to come for him with their yacht, and he would make -sure that they did not sail away again. Though but a boy, the stranger's -secret was in dangerous hands, if he had but known it. And yet luck was -to effect more than Henry Burns's scheming. - -Tom and Bob were waiting impatiently when Henry Burns arrived at the -tent. They launched the canoe, the three embarked, and soon left the tent -and then the village behind. They glided swiftly along the picturesque -shore till they came at length to the narrows; here they carried the -canoe across and launched it again in the western bay. In an hour from -the time they had left the tent, they had come alongside the sloop -_Spray_ in Fish Hawk's Cove, and the Warren boys had sleepily made room -for them in the cabin. - -It was crowded for them all there, and it may have been for that reason -that Henry Burns did not sleep soundly,--either that, or because of the -figure of a man that he could not drive from his mind, and that appeared -to him, half-dreaming and half-awake, as a figure that hobbled along, -stooping and bent, but which suddenly sprang up before him, lithe and -threatening, and brandishing in his hand a cudgel that looked like a -cane. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - THE HAUNTED HOUSE - - -At four o'clock next morning, when Arthur Warren tried to rouse the other -boys, they were loath to turn out. It was warm inside, under the -blankets, and the sea air outside was cool and damp. Out in the cockpit -Arthur lighted an oil-stove, which they always carried aboard, made the -coffee in a big pot, and set it on to boil. Then he called the sleepers -in the cabin again. - -"Come you, Art, shut up out there! How do you expect any one can sleep, -with you bawling out in that fashion?" - -This was from George Warren, whose voice denoted that he was only about -half-awake. - -"Don't want you to sleep any more," answered Arthur. "Want you to get up -and fish." - -"Don't care to fish," said George, still only half-awake. - -"Well," persisted Arthur, "may I inquire what you did come over here -for?" - -"Certainly you may. I came over here to sleep. I like the air over here. -Now, please don't disturb us any more, Arthur. You can be decent, you -know, when you've a mind to be." And with this request, drowsily mumbled, -George pulled the blanket comfortably about him and settled back for -another nap. - -At this juncture, however, his brother poked his head in at the -companionway and yelled at the top of his lungs: - -"Hulloa, there! Hulloa, I say! There's a school of mackerel breaking off -the point. Wake up, every lazy lubber aboard!" - -"Say, Art, you're a mean scoundrel," said George Warren, emerging once -more from the blankets. "You know there isn't a mackerel in sight. I'll -be just fool enough to look out of the window, though, so you can laugh, -so get ready." And George looked sleepily out of the little cabin window. - -He had no sooner done so, however, than he sprang up, exclaiming, -excitedly: - -"There they are, sure enough. Boys, get up! Get up! There's a school of -mackerel breaking off the point, as sure as we're alive." - -The boys needed no further urging. They dressed and scrambled out on -deck. Not far away from the sloop could be seen plainly that tiny -chop-sea which is caused by the breaking of a school of mackerel. The -calm surface of the water was broken there by a series of miniature -ripples which could not be mistaken. The fish were there, but would they -bite? - -"They are coming this way," said Arthur. "We can soon reach them with the -throw-bait. We shall not have to leave the sloop." - -Hastily they got the bait out. It was a bucket filled with scraps of fish -and clams, chopped fine and mixed with salt water. Taking a long-handled -dipper, Arthur half-filled it with the bait and threw it as far as he -could out toward the school of fish. - -The mackerel seized upon it greedily. From the sloop the boys could see -them dart through the water after it as it slowly sank. The water was -fairly alive with fish, ravenously hungry. - -"Hurrah!" cried Arthur. "They're hungry as sharks. Get the lines out, -quick." - -In a twinkling every boy had a line overboard; but, to their -disappointment, not a fish would bite. They still seized the throw-bait -that was cast out, but not one of them would take a baited hook. - -"If that isn't a regular mackerel trick, I'll eat my bait," said George -Warren. "Cap'n Sam said mackerel would often act that way, though I never -saw them when they wouldn't bite before. He says they will play around a -boat for hours and not touch a hook, and, all of a sudden, they'll -commence and bite as though they were starving." - -The boy's words were unexpectedly verified at this moment by a sudden -twitch at his line and by corresponding twitches at all the other lines. -The fish had begun biting in earnest. The next moment the boys had three -or four aboard, handsome fellows, striped green and black, changing to a -bluish shade, and soon the cockpit seemed alive with them. - -It was new sport for Tom and Bob, but they soon learned to tend two -lines, one in each hand; to drop one and haul the other in at a bite, and -to slat the mackerel off the hook with a quick snap, instead of stopping -to take them off by hand. - -The mackerel bit fiercely, sometimes at the bare hook even, like fish -gone crazy. It seemed as though they might go on catching them all day -long, for the water was alive with them; but all at once the fish stopped -biting as abruptly as they had begun. They still played around the boat, -but not a fish would touch a hook. - -"We may as well put up our lines, boys. They are through biting for this -morning," said Arthur Warren. "Besides, we have more fish now than we -know what to do with." - -There was no doubt of that. They had caught several hundred of the -fish--enough to supply the village. - -"We'll make friends with every one in town," said George Warren. "These -are the first mackerel of the season, and we will give away all we cannot -use." - -"I feel as though I could eat about four now," said young Joe. - -"I can eat at least six," said Henry Burns. - -"We'll try you and see," said Arthur, producing an enormous frying-pan -from a locker and a junk of pork from another. "Tom, you're the boss cook -of the crowd. You fry the fish while the rest of us clean up the boat, -make things shipshape, and get ready to sail." - -"Ay, ay, sir," said Tom, rolling up his sleeves. "Let's see, four apiece -is how many?" - -And soon the appetizing odour of the frying fish, mingled with that of -the steaming coffee, saluted most temptingly the nostrils of the six -hungry boys. - -It was several hours after this, when the yacht was bowling along in the -western bay, near the head of the island, before a fresh southerly -breeze, that young Joe said: - -"I know how we can play a stupendous joke on everybody in the village." - -Joe being the youngest of the brothers, and of the party, and it being -therefore necessary that he should be occasionally squelched, George -merely said: - -"You don't think of anything, Joe, but playing jokes." - -"All right," retorted Joe, "seeing you are all so wildly enthusiastic, -I'll just keep it to myself." - -"Nonsense, Joe, don't be huffy," said Arthur, whose curiosity was -aroused. "Tell us what it is, and if it is any good we'll try it, won't -we, boys?" - -There being an unanimously affirmative reply, young Joe proceeded. - -"Well," said he, "there's no risk at all about this. You know the old -farmhouse on the bluff across the cove? Everybody in the village believes -it is haunted. I found that out yesterday, when I was in Cap'n Sam's -store. The house hasn't been lived in for two years, and not a soul in -the village has dared to go near it at night in all that time. If any of -them had to stay over there all night, they would sleep out in the woods -rather than go into the house. - -"You see, the house belonged to a man by the name of Randall, Captain -Randall, who lived there with his wife. This was a little more than two -years ago. He owned a little fishing-smack, in which he went short trips -down the coast. One night in a storm he drove in on to the bluff; the -smack was pounded to pieces, and he was drowned. His wife died not long -after. - -"Since then, the villagers have thought the house haunted. They hear -shrieks from there during the night, and think they see strange lights in -the windows. They were discussing it in the store yesterday. Cap'n Sam -declared that, only a few nights ago, when he was coming across the cove -from Billy Cook's, he saw the ghost of Captain Randall pass out of the -back door of the old house and disappear in the woods. - -"Billy Cook, who lives up the cove, was in the store, too. He said he and -his wife hear screams come from there often in the night, especially when -it is storming; and two other villagers said they had seen lights in the -windows long after midnight. - -"That new boarder at Colonel Witham's was in there, too, Henry. He said -he knew houses were haunted, and told several stories about ghosts, which -he said were true. But I believe he knew they were lies, and he was only -amusing himself; but that's nothing to do with the matter. The villagers -seemed to believe all that he said. - -"Now, what I propose is, that we manufacture some brand-new ghosts for -them, some they have never seen before. There are some red and green -lights up at the cottage, that were left over from the Fourth of July, -which we can burn inside the house, after letting out a few screeches -that will arouse the village. Then we'll wrap sheets around us and run -past the windows, while the lights are burning. We'll have something -wrapped in white to fling off the cliff, too, in a flare of light. - -"Then we'll run down through the woods and take everything with us. And -if we don't have some fun the next day listening to the ghost-stories -about the village, why, my name isn't Joe, that's all." - -"That's not such a bad scheme, Joe," said George. - -"It's a daisy," said Henry Burns, "and easily done. What's to hinder our -going up there to-night and taking up the lights and the sheets and -looking the place over? I never was inside the old house myself, though I -have been close to it at night, and never saw or heard of any ghosts. We -can carry a lantern up with us and light it after we get inside. If any -one sees the light from the village he will think it's the ghosts walking -again." - -"I don't like so much of this running around in the night," said Tom, -flexing his biceps. "A fellow must have sleep to keep in condition, but I -guess they can count on us in this case, can't they, Bob? It's too good -to be missed." - -"You bet!" replied Bob. "We can turn in and sleep this afternoon. Count -me in, for one." - -"Then," said George, "suppose we all start from our cottage at ten -o'clock to-night. We'll launch the rowboat from the beach and slip across -and look things over." - -So it was agreed. - -The yacht had long turned the head of the island and was beating down -alongshore in the eastern bay. Presently they rounded the bluff and came -into the cove. It was nearly noon. - -High up on the bluff, and several rods back from the edge of the cliffs, -was the old farmhouse; it stood out conspicuously, though at some -distance from the water-front, for the land rose quite sharply and the -house occupied the top of the eminence. Around it, on all sides except -that facing the village, was a dark, heavy growth of hemlocks and pines. -It was a mysterious, shadowy place, even by day; but when darkness set in -about it, standing off solitary and alone, as it did, from the rest of -the village, with the waters lying between, it is little wonder that -superstition inhabited it with ghosts and that it was a spot to be -shunned. - -At the outermost end of the cliffs that protruded into the bay, a ravine, -where the ledge at some time had been rent apart, led from the water up -toward the cottage, affording a precarious pathway. There was a natural -stairway of rock for some distance from the water's edge, and at the end -nearest the old house a series of clumsy wooden stairs led up from the -ravine to the surface of the bluff. These were now old and rather -rickety; but a light person, at some risk, could still use them. - -The villagers, as a rule, avoided the house and this pathway to the -bluff. If they had occasion to go ashore there, they usually landed -farther up the cove at a beach, and walked through the woods at a -distance from the house. No one cared to go very near it. - -When the sloop had come to anchor in the cove opposite the Warren -cottage, the boys took a boatload of mackerel ashore, besides a basketful -in the canoe. They carried them around to every cottage in the village, -and even to the hotel, though, as George Warren remarked, they would have -to get Colonel Witham out of bed some night in a hurry to make up for it. - -Certainly the village, supping that night on their catch, was inclined to -forget and forgive them many a prank that had been stored up for future -punishment. - -When Henry Burns made his exit across the roof that night, he made a -careful survey before climbing out on it to see that the stranger was not -there. There were no signs of him, and Henry got away safely. Tom and Bob -were at the Warren cottage when he arrived. Everything was in readiness, -and they all set out for the shore. - -"These clouds in the sky are favourable," said Tom. "If it was as bright -as it was last night, we might have to postpone our trip. This mackerel -sky, through which the moon shines dimly, is just the thing." - -"Everything seems to be favourable," added George, as they hurried down -the bank to the beach. - -And yet not quite everything, for, when they had reached the shore and -came to look for the boat, it was not there. - -"That's too bad," cried young Joe. "And we left it here at five o'clock, -too, after washing it out thoroughly, because we had brought the mackerel -ashore in it." - -"Who could have stolen it?" asked Tom. - -"No one," replied Joe. "Nobody ever has a boat stolen in this harbour. -Some one who wanted to cross the cove has borrowed it. We shall find it -all right in the morning,--but that don't help us out now. It's provoking -enough, and strange, too, after all, that the one who took it didn't step -up to the cottage and let us know, as the cottage is so near. But boats -are almost common property here; any man in the harbour would lend us his -boat in a minute." - -"We must do the next best thing," said Arthur, "and take one from the -slip at the wharf. No one will want his boat at this hour." - -"Though some one does seem to want ours," broke in Joe. "Curious, isn't -it, that whoever it is should come around into the cove and get our boat, -when there are any number at the slip?" - -It certainly was rather strange. - -Following Arthur's suggestion, the boys proceeded to the slip and -embarked in a big dory, the property of Captain Sam. Then they rowed -quickly across the cove. - -It took them but a few minutes to reach the other shore, for the cove was -smooth as glass. They headed for the bluff, and pointed directly into the -black, shadowy hole which they knew to be the natural landing-place. It -was a peculiar, narrow little dock, completely rock-bound, except for the -passage leading into it. It lay entirely in the shadow, but they had -landed there before, and knew just where to steer for a shelf, or ledge, -of rock that made a natural slip. - -Still, their familiarity with the place did not prevent them from bumping -suddenly into a rowboat that lay moored there. They pushed it aside to -make a landing, and found to their amazement that it was their own. - -"Hulloa!" cried George, springing out on to the broad, shelving ledge; -"that is queerer still. Here's the old _Anna_, and what in the world is -she doing here? Who can have brought her? And what for? There's something -strange about it. Why, there isn't a man in the village that would dare -go near the haunted house at night, and yet somebody is over here now, -for some reason." - -If it were possible for Henry Burns to be excited ever, he was so now. - -"Get in here, quick, George," he said, "and don't make any noise. I think -I know what it means, and I'll tell you just as soon as we get out of -here. We can't get away any too soon, either." - -"Why not take the _Anna_ out with us?" said young Joe, "and pay somebody -off for running away with it? He would only have to walk a few miles -around the cove to get back again--" - -"No, no, leave the boat where it is," said Henry Burns. "And let's get -out of here quick." - -"Why, what's the matter with you, Henry?" asked George, jumping back into -the boat and giving it a vigorous shove off. "Any one would think to see -you that some one was being murdered up there." - -Henry Burns's earnestness was sufficient to convince them, however, that -something serious was involved in their actions, and they made haste to -get out into the cove again. - -"Row for the beach above, boys," continued Henry Burns, "and we will go -up to the old house through the woods. I think I know who is up there in -the house, and if I am right it means that we may make an important -discovery. The man who I think is up there is Mr. Kemble." - -"What! The cripple?" asked Tom. - -"This is another one of Henry Burns's jokes," said George. "You're having -lots of fun with us, aren't you, Henry?" - -"I tell you I am in earnest," said Henry Burns. "We won't burn any lights -to-night, and you better make up your mind to that, right off. There's -more serious business ahead of us." - -And then, when they had landed on the beach and had drawn the boat -noiselessly up on the shore, Henry Burns told them of the adventure he -had had on the roof of the hotel. How he had seen the stranger throw off -his disguise of weakness, and become, suddenly, a man of strength and -action; how he believed the man to be somehow connected with the thieves -who had committed the robbery, and how he believed that the man was now -up there in the haunted house, though for what purpose he could not tell. -It might be he had something to conceal there. - -"Cracky!" exclaimed Tom, when Henry Burns had finished his story. "This -beats ghost hunting all hollow; but we are by no means certain that it is -this stranger who is up there." - -"No, but I believe as Henry does, that it is he," said George Warren. -"Who else would have any object in being up there this hour of the night? -We know from what Henry saw that the man is dangerous, that he seems to -be in hiding--" - -"And that if he should catch one of us spying on him up there in the old -house, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot," interrupted young Joe, who would -rather have risked the meeting with a legion of ghosts than with one real -live thief, armed and desperate. - -"That's true enough," answered Henry Burns; "but we must not give him -that opportunity, if it is he, which, of course, we're by no means sure -of. At any rate, we want to see and not be seen by whoever is there, and -we cannot go any too quietly." - -Then, as the tide was rising, and they might be gone some time, they -lifted the dory and carried it up out of the reach of high water, after -which they began the ascent of the hill. There was not a breath of wind -stirring, and there was not a sound of life in the woods. The tide crept -in softly, and not even a wave could be heard on the shore. - -Out through the trees they could see, as they climbed, glimpses of the -water, calm and placid as a mill-pond, lit up dimly by the moonlight -shining through a patchwork of clouds that covered all the sky. Beyond -this the darkness of the village was accentuated by a light here and -there, glimmering from the window of some cottage. - -Then they came to the brow of the hill, and could see the haunted house -through the trees. They approached cautiously. It looked gloomier than -ever, with its sagging, moss-grown roof, its shattered window-panes, and -the door in the side hanging awry from a single hinge. - -In what once had been the dooryard there were a few straggling clumps of -bushes, and thistles and burdocks grew in rank profusion. - -It was a sight to dampen the ardour of stouter hunters than this band of -boys. But when, added to all this, there suddenly flashed across one of -the windows a ray of light, faint and flickering, but discernible to them -all, and which the next instant disappeared, they halted irresolutely and -debated what they should do. - -It was finally determined that Henry Burns and Bob White should go on -ahead to the old house, while the rest waited at a little distance till -they should reconnoitre. The two set off at once, while the others waited -behind a clump of trees. They did not have to wait long, for the two -returned shortly, telling them to come on softly. When within a few rods -of the house they dropped on their hands and knees and crept along. - -All at once the two ahead stopped and whispered to the others to listen. -They heard noises that seemed to come from the cellar, which sounded as -though some one was digging in the earth. Then, as they came within range -of a long, shallow cellar window, they saw the rays of a lantern. - -They crept up closely and peered in through the pane. There, in the damp, -dingy, cobwebbed cellar of the haunted house, dimly lighted by the rays -of a lantern, which stood on an old wooden bench, a man was working. He -had his coat off and was digging in the ground with a spade, throwing up -shovelfuls of the hard clay. - -The rays of light from the lantern were not diffused evenly throughout -the cellar, but shot out in one direction, toward the spot where the man -was at work; and this because it was neither the ordinary ship's lantern, -nor yet a house lantern, but a small dark lantern, such as a burglar -might carry on his person, with a sliding shutter in front. - -The man's sleeves were rolled up, displaying arms that were corded with -muscle, and on which the veins stood out as he worked. He handled the -spade awkwardly enough, but made up in strength for his lack of skill. -Presently he paused and looked up, and they saw that it was, as Henry -Burns had prophesied, the stranger guest. - -A curious occupation for one who was cruising for his health! Indeed, he -looked so little like a man that was weak and ill, and so much like one -that was powerful and reckless and devoid of fear, as the light of the -lantern caused his figure to stand out in relief against the darkness, -that, though they were six and he but one, had he seen them and sprung -up, they would have fled in terror. - -Then, as he stooped down to grasp the lantern, they drew quickly back -from the window. It was well they did so, for, taking up the lantern, the -man flashed it upon the window-panes, and then, turning it in all -directions, threw the rays of light in all parts of the cellar and out -through a window opposite. Then he set it down again; and it was evident -his suspicions had not been aroused, for he resumed his digging. - -After a few minutes he threw down the spade and produced from the -darkness a small tin box, which they had not seen before, which he -deposited in the hole he had dug. Then he shovelled the earth back upon -it, stamping it in with his feet, and so refilled the hole. The remaining -loose earth he scattered about the cellar. - -The boys waited no longer, but crept back to the edge of the woods. In a -few minutes they saw a faint flash of light through one of the windows in -the floor above, and presently they saw the man come out of the door in -the front of the house. He had extinguished the lantern and was still -carrying the spade. As he walked quickly down the path to the -landing-place, he left the path and hid the spade beneath some -underbrush, after which he disappeared over the edge of the cliff. -Finally they saw him out in the middle of the cove, pulling vigorously -for the other shore. - -"Well," said Henry Burns, as they watched him out of sight, "there are -lots of sick men whom I would rather meet over here in the night-time -than that same Mr. Kemble." - -"He's as strong as a lion," said young Joe. "Did you see the veins stand -out on his arms as he worked? I felt like making for the woods every time -he straightened himself up, with that spade in his hand." - -"I don't believe any of us felt any too comfortable," said Tom, "though -I'm sure I shouldn't be afraid to meet him in the daytime, with Bob and -one of the rest of us. It's the influence of the night-time that -frightened us. And he seemed to be right in his element in it." - -"Let's dig that box up and get away from here and discuss the matter -afterward," said George. "It's getting late, and we don't want mother to -worry. I'll get the spade." And he ran and brought it. - -They went into the haunted house then, groping their way in the darkness, -for they had left their own lantern in the dory. They made their way to -the kitchen and found the cellar door, with some difficulty. Then, lest -the old stairs should be unsafe, they went down one at a time. - -It was an easy matter to unearth the box, though they worked in utter -darkness. When they had secured it, they refilled the hole and then -stamped the earth down as they had found it. This being done, they were -glad enough to get away from the house, to replace the spade beneath the -underbrush, where the man had hidden it, and hurry down to the shore. -Launching the dory, they embarked, Henry Burns carrying the box, and, -with George and Arthur Warren at the oars, they had soon crossed the cove -and landed on the beach. - -There, too, was the _Anna_, drawn high up on shore, where the stranger -had left it. It was a large and heavy boat, and it must have required -enormous strength in one man to drag it there. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - SETTING A TRAP - - -When the boys had at length gathered around the table in the -old-fashioned kitchen of the Warren cottage and had drawn the -window-shades, they proceeded to examine the box. It was an ordinary -shallow tin box, such as a business man might keep odds and ends of -papers and cash in. It was fastened with a small padlock. After trying to -unlock this with every key they could find in the house, and without -success, young Joe produced a file, and with this filed through the small -staple in the box. - -When the cover was thrown back there was disclosed a layer of fine -cotton, like jewellers' cotton, and when this was lifted out there came -from the box a myriad of tiny flashes of light. The inside of the box was -fairly ablaze. Countless little flashes of light danced and twinkled -there. - -"Hooray!" cried George Warren. "We have the stolen jewels, and no -mistake. Just see how these sparkle." And he lifted up a necklace of -diamonds, that blazed in the light of the lamp like a ring of fire. They -sparkled and gleamed like little stars, as the boys passed them from hand -to hand. - -"Mercy on us!" cried a pleasant voice, all of a sudden; and Mrs. Warren, -who had been awakened by the sound of their voices and had hastily -dressed, entered the kitchen. "Is this den the cave of the forty -thieves?" she asked, smiling, and then, as she caught sight of the -glittering gems, she exclaimed, anxiously: "Why, boys, what on earth does -all this mean?" - -"It means, mother," answered George, "that Henry Burns has done what the -detectives have been trying to do ever since the robbery at Benton. Here -are the stolen diamonds, and Henry will take them to town to-morrow and -claim the reward." - -"Only on one condition," interrupted Henry Burns. "I don't stir one step -to secure the reward until it is agreed that it shall be evenly divided -between us all. You fellows have just as much claim upon it as I, and, -unless every one of you solemnly swears to take his share, I shall never -take one cent of it." - -And every one of them knew that he meant exactly what he said. - -Early next morning Henry Burns and George Warren stood upon the wharf, -awaiting the arrival of the boat for Mayville. The boat connected there -with a train that would arrive in Benton during the forenoon. Henry Burns -carried in one hand a small satchel. - -"I had hard work to persuade old Witham to let me go," said Henry Burns. -"He didn't see what I wanted to go poking off to Benton for. Said I -better stay here and save my money. As it is, I've got to go and call on -an aged aunt of Mrs. Carlin and spend the night there. Well, I guess I -can manage to amuse myself, even there. I'm likely to see a few other -people before I get back, eh, George?" - -"I know one man who won't turn you out-of-doors, when you produce those -diamonds," answered George. - -"Well, George," returned the other, "you mustn't lose sight of this -stranger, although I almost know he won't attempt to leave the island for -several days. I remember that yesterday he got a letter, and I have no -doubt it was from his confederates, saying when they would arrive. They -are coming in a sailboat, for he has said so. Now, if they were coming -to-night or to-morrow, he would not have hidden that box over there in -the old house. You may be sure he did not expect them for a day or -two,--but still you boys must keep him in sight, for one never knows what -is going to happen. - -"If he goes over to the bluff, you know what to do. You must get Captain -Sam, the constable, to have him arrested at once. By to-morrow night I'll -be back with everything arranged to capture the whole three. I think you -and I will see lively times around this harbour before many days are -over." - -"Speak of the evil one and he appears," said George Warren. "And, as true -as I live, here comes Mr. Kemble. You do the talking, Henry, for I feel -as though I should give him cause for suspicion if I said a single word -to him." - -"Leave him to me," replied Henry Burns. "He's playing a bold game, and so -must we;" and, as the stranger guest hobbled down to the wharf, groaning -and wincing, as though racked with pain, Henry Burns gave him a cheery -greeting. - -"Good morning, Mr. Kemble," said he. "I see you're out bright and early. -I declare, you have begun to look better already than you did the night -you arrived." - -"Oh, I'm very miserable--very miserable," answered Mr. Kemble, most -dejectedly. "My rheumatism is something awful. I'd give everything I -possess in the world if I could run around and be as active as you young -men." - -"You will, I'm sure, in a few days," answered Henry Burns. - -"How's that?" asked the man, turning upon Henry Bums sharply, while a -strange look, that he could not conceal, stole over his face. - -George Warren turned away precipitately, and, taking a fishing-reel from -his pocket, dropped a line over the side of the wharf. - -"There's something peculiar in this island air," continued Henry Burns, -looking Mr. Kemble full in the eye, with the most innocent expression on -his face. "No matter how bad a person feels when he first comes here, it -puts new life into him. The first thing he knows he begins to feel like -rowing boats, and going fishing, and all that sort of thing. I come here -sick every summer, and I go away feeling strong." - -"Well," replied Mr. Kemble, uneasily, but looking relieved, "I hope it -may do as much for me. If it does, I'll buy a cottage here." - -"You won't find any cottages to sell, I'm afraid," said Henry Burns. "But -there are several old farmhouses that could be bought cheap, and they -make over as good as new." - -"Humph! I'm not looking for old farmhouses," said Mr. Kemble, gruffly; -and then, as the whistle of the boat sounded suddenly from behind the -bluff, he added, "But I must be getting back to the hotel. I'm not -feeling well to-day, at all." - -"Any errand I can do for you in the city?" Henry Burns called after him. - -But Mr. Kemble was hobbling away as fast as he could, and did not heed. - -"I fancy he would feel worse if he could see what I've got in this -satchel," chuckled Henry Burns, as Mr. Kemble went on toward the hotel, -somewhat faster than he had come down. "Did you notice how suddenly he -had to leave when he heard the boat's whistle?" - -"Yes,--but what on earth were you thinking of, Henry, talking as you did -to him?" said George. "It scared him in an instant when you told him he -would be running around in a few days as lively as any of us. I almost -believe he half-suspects something." - -"How can he?" replied the other. "Perhaps my remark about his running -around in a few days may have startled him at first. That was a sudden -jolt to his guilty conscience. But, upon reflection, he decided it was -only a coincidence. Then he did look a little queer when I spoke of -farmhouses, didn't he?" - -"He certainly did," said George. "What possessed you to do it? You might -upset everything." - -"No," answered Henry Burns. "He don't suspect us. By the way, do you -remember how we got into this thing in the beginning?" - -"Why, what do you mean?" - -"If I remember rightly," said Henry Burns, speaking with a slight drawl, -"we started out last evening to have some fun. My little chat with our -friend is the nearest approach to fun that this scrape has afforded me so -far." - -"That may have been fun for you," said George. "To my mind it was very -much like playing with fire; but here's the steamer. You've got my note -of introduction to father?" - -"Yes, I've got everything all right. Now keep your eyes open and expect -me to-morrow night." And Henry Burns crossed the gangplank to the -steamer. - -The train from Mayville to Benton reached its destination at eleven -o'clock, and at that hour in the forenoon Henry Burns walked briskly out -of the station. Half an hour later he stood in the waiting-room at the -wealthy banking-house of Curtis & Earle. - -"Well, what do you want, young man?" asked an important and decidedly -officious attendant, bustling up to him. - -"This is Mr. Curtis, I presume," answered Henry Burns, blandly, but with -the faintest suspicion of a twinkle in his eye. - -"No, it isn't," said the man, abruptly, and looking a little foolish as -several other attendants tittered audibly. "And, what's more, you cannot -see Mr. Curtis, for he is just preparing to leave for the day." - -"But I must see him," insisted Henry Burns. "I've got some very important -information for him. Have the kindness to take this in to him," and he -handed the surprised attendant a card upon which he had written in a -clear but boyish hand: - - _Henry Allen Burns - Private Detective_ - -The attendant took the card, read it with a grin, looked at the boy, as -if puzzled what to make of him, shrugged his shoulders and left the room. -Presently he returned. - -"Mr. Curtis would be greatly obliged if you would call to-morrow," he -said. "He is going out of town to-day." - -"I must see him at once," said Henry Burns, firmly. - -"Impossible--" but at this moment the door of the banker's private office -opened, and a voice said: "Show Mr. Burns in." - -Henry Burns entered. He saw before him a tall, well-built man, smooth -shaven, with black, piercing eyes, and a firm, decisive mouth. He had on -his hat and gloves, and carried a light coat on his arm, as though about -to leave his office. - -"You will oblige me by stating your business as quickly as possible, -young man," he said, "as I am about to take a train out of the city. - -"I see by your card," he continued, gravely, "that you are a private -detective. I suppose you are aware that I am a busy man, engaged in -important affairs, and have no time in office hours for pleasantries." - -"If I had said an amateur detective I should have been more correct, sir, -since this is my first case," answered Henry Burns, calmly. "It is so -very curious, however, that I feel certain it cannot fail to interest -you." - -"But will you tell me why it should interest me, and not keep me -waiting?" exclaimed the banker, in a tone of impatience. Evidently he did -not for a moment connect the boyish figure before him with any possible -recovery of his lost jewels. - -"I will," replied Henry Burns, speaking deliberately. "Last night some -other boys and I watched a man bury a small tin box in the cellar of a -deserted house. When the man went away we dug it up. I have the box here; -would you like to see it?" - -Henry Burns calmly opened the satchel. - -But the banker sprang up from the chair in which he had seated himself, -and exclaimed, excitedly: - -"What do you mean--let me see it--quick!" - -Henry Burns passed him the box, and with nervous fingers the banker broke -the twine with which the boys had secured it. The next instant he had -drawn the necklace from the box and held it up, while his hands trembled. - -"They're Alice's diamonds, as I hope to live," he cried, unmindful of -Henry Burns's presence for the moment. "And the rings and the -brooch--everything--everything is here." - -"Why," he exclaimed, "the best detectives in this country are working on -the case, but I had already begun to despair of ever seeing the jewels -again. They are exceedingly valuable, but, besides that, as they were -wedding presents to my wife from me, we both prize them far beyond their -real worth. - -"But be seated. I shall postpone my trip out of town, you may be sure. -And now let me hear the story of your discovery." - -In the calm, graphic manner characteristic of him, Henry Burns told the -story of the night's adventure. - -"Splendid!" exclaimed the banker, as the boy concluded. "You have indeed -acted as efficiently as the best detective could have done. We are bound -to capture the robbers. Burton must know of this at once." - -He rang for an attendant, and, after writing a note, dispatched him with -it. At the expiration of about half an hour the attendant returned, and -ushered into the room a man of medium height, of light complexion, with -steel-blue eyes, and a face that impressed Henry Burns at once as -denoting great daring and coolness. The banker introduced him as Mr. -Miles Burton, of a secret detective bureau. - -"Here's a young man, Burton," said the banker, smiling, "who, I take it, -has some inclinations for your line of work. In fact, here is pretty -convincing proof of it." And the banker pointed to the box of jewels. - -Mr. Miles Burton looked nonplussed. He stared at the box in amazement for -a minute, and gave a low whistle. Then he laughed and said: "I have -always maintained that luck is a great factor in detective service, -though I am ready to give a man his due for a good piece of work. In -either case, you have my congratulations, young man, for a half a -thousand dollars is just as good whether it comes by luck or shrewdness, -or both." - -The detective listened with the keenest attention as Henry Burns repeated -the story he had told the banker. He made him give the minutest details -of Mr. Kemble's personality, at the same time suggesting features which -Henry Burns corroborated. - -"It's just as I thought from the start, and just as I told you, Mr. -Curtis," he said. "The man is undoubtedly George Craigie, who is known -among his class as the 'Actor,' because of his cleverness in -impersonating one character, and then utterly dropping out of sight and -appearing as some other person. We want him on a score of charges, two -bank robberies, attempted murder, several house burglaries, and other -things. His picture is in the Rogues' Gallery, but he has the art of -changing his expression and appearance so completely that, although I -have seen him twice since that was taken, at neither of those times did -his countenance resemble his photograph. However, I feel positive from -what this young man tells me that it is none other than he. And as for -his confederates, I can readily guess who they are. They are two Boston -men, and are, no doubt, on their way to the island now in the yacht. In -this case, we cannot act any too soon; and I shall ask Detective Burns, -who is familiar with the ground, to be my right-hand man in the -expedition." - -"You can count on me," replied Henry Burns, with a smile at the title -conferred upon him, and who was, truth to tell, vastly flattered. "I can -answer, moreover, for several good assistants, if you need them." - -"Well," said Mr. Miles Burton, rising to go, "I will meet you at the -train that leaves here to-morrow afternoon. By to-morrow night I hope to -have some men on Grand Island who will give a pleasant little surprise to -Messrs. Craigie & Co.;" and, bowing courteously, he took his leave. - -"There's a surprising lack of jealousy in that man Burton," remarked the -banker, when he had gone. "He is disappointed to have the robbers slip -through his hands, and a little chagrined, I know, to have them caught -through the aid of a party of boys; but he took pains not to show it, -and, what's more, he will always give you the credit for it when he -speaks of it. That's the kind of a man he is. He is as smart as a steel -trap, too, is Burton, and has done me good service twice before. - -"But let us not wait longer. I am going to take you home with me to -dinner, and have you spend the night at my house. We shall feel more -secure, I assure you," he continued, smiling, "with a detective under our -roof." - -Henry Burns declined, saying he was not dressed for such hospitality, but -the keen eye of the banker had long before taken note of his neat and -gentlemanly appearance, and, moreover, liked the looks of the boy's -clear-cut features, and the way he had of looking one fair in the eye, -with a calm but manly and courageous glance. So he waived the boy's -objections, and they entered the banker's carriage and were driven to the -finest home Henry Burns had ever visited. - -Perhaps they didn't make him at home there when Mr. Curtis had told the -story of the finding of the jewels hidden in the cellar; and perhaps -Henry Burns, to his confusion, wasn't embraced by the banker's wife, and -perhaps he wasn't made a hero of by the banker's two pretty daughters, -who shuddered at the story of the man in the cellar, and who made Henry -Burns tell it over and over again. - -In short, he was treated with such wholesome and charming hospitality as -to set him to wondering, after it was all over and he had gone to bed, -whether he had not missed something in his solitary life, brought up -without the love of father, mother, sister or brother, in a home where -noise and cheerfulness were outlawed. - -He was up bright and early the next day, and he and the banker went to -see Mr. Warren, who was let into the secret, and the reward of five -hundred dollars was, through him, placed to the credit of the boys. Then -there was the aged aunt of Mrs. Carlin to call upon, and the time passed -quickly till it was time for the afternoon train. - -It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when Henry Burns boarded the -train in the company of Miles Burton. - -"Now," said the detective, as the train rattled noisily on its way, "I -have been in Mayville and know several parties there, but the island is -new to me. However, you can explain it to me from this map," and Mr. -Burton unrolled a map of the bay and island from his pocket. "I shall -pick up three of my men, whom I have ordered to meet us, in Mayville. One -of them came all the way down from New York with me to help me work up -this case. It is my opinion he traced this man Craigie to Mayville and -lost track of him there. The man must have vanished, as he has done so -often before. - -"We will go over to the island to-night in a launch. Then we shall need -some one to guide us to what you call the haunted house." - -"I will meet you in the road by Captain Hervey's house, right at the very -head of the island," said Henry Burns. "It is the first house you come to -on landing at the outermost point. You cannot miss it." - -"But how will you get there? It is a long trip up the island." - -"I will come on my bicycle." - -"Capital! You will go direct to the island, then, by the night boat, -arriving there, you say, at six o'clock. You will see just how the land -lies, so you can tell us, when we meet again. And you will instruct your -friends to keep close to Craigie, so he won't be over there at the house -to meet us on our arrival. We want to do the welcoming for him, and not -have him do it for us. Two of the men I shall bring are somewhat familiar -with the island and know one or two parties there; though I am not sure -they know where the haunted house is. - -"One of you boys must have a boat always in readiness somewhere up the -cove, on which you say this house fronts, so that, the minute this man -meets his confederates aboard the yacht, one of you can slip across the -cove and let us know of it, in case we have missed them. - -"Act carefully, and everything will be well; but once give them cause for -suspicion and they are dangerous men to deal with. I have a little score -of my own to pay them,--but that's a long story, and I'll save it for -another time. Now let's go over this map, so I'll be sure of my ground." - -When the train left Mayville, Miles Burton, with a hurried handshake, -left Henry Burns. It was a little after six o'clock when the latter -stepped ashore at Southport, where the boys were waiting for him, upon -the wharf. - -"Everything is all right," said George Warren, in answer to Henry Burns's -question. "He was not on the roof at all during last night, for we -divided up into watches and kept a lookout from Tom's tent. He evidently -knows about what time his friends are to arrive." - -"How is Colonel Witham?" asked Henry Burns. "Has he pined away any during -my absence?" - -"Not any to notice," replied Tom Harris, "but he has gone away, down the -island, to be gone two days. You must stop with us to-night at the tent, -and the boys are all coming over to the tent now to eat one of Bob's -prime lobster stews." - -So the crowd marched on Bob, and found him down on the beach to the right -of the tent, presiding over an enormous kettle, which was hung over the -glowing coals of a fire of driftwood, and from which there arose such a -savoury odour of stew that, in a burst of enthusiasm, they seized upon -the stalwart young cook, and, raising him on their shoulders, bore him -with hilarious shouts three times around the fire, much to the apparent -discomfiture of the quiet Bob. - -Then they sat about the fire while Tom brought some tin plates and spoons -from the tent and acted as waiter, and Bob produced a pot of hot coffee -and some bread. It seemed as though nothing had ever tasted so good. They -called for stew till Bob's stout right arm almost ached with wielding the -long-handled tin dipper that served them for a ladle. - -The sun sank while they sat about the glow of coals, and, by and by, the -moon rose slowly over the distant cape and poured a flood of soft light -over the waters of the bay. They remembered that night long afterward, -for its soft lights and its silent, mystical beauty. The moon was at its -full, and the tide crept up on the beach almost to the bed of coals that -remained from the fire and still showed red. The islands far off across -the bay seemed to have drifted nearer in to shore, and showed clear and -distinct. - -Henry Burns's story of the day's adventures lost nothing of its interest, -told down there on the shore by the firelight and under the stars. His -account of his visit to the banker's, and how he had gained admittance to -Mr. Curtis's private office, filled them with glee. - -"I should have liked to see him when he opened that box," said young Joe. -"Didn't he look surprised, though, Henry?" - -"Rather," said Henry Burns. - -"And the banker's daughters,--were they pretty, Henry?" asked Tom. - -"I didn't notice particularly," said Henry Burns. - -"Henry never does notice those things," said Arthur, dryly. - -"Oh, no, never!" said young Joe. - -"You fellows will notice something, if you don't let up," said Henry -Burns, getting a little red in spite of himself. - -Then he told them all that he had learned from Mr. Miles Burton about the -man Kemble, who was not Kemble at all, but one Craigie, and a desperate -man; and all about the plans that were now to be put into operation to -capture Craigie and whosoever should come to meet him. - -The money, too, that had come to each one of them, as his share of the -reward, seemed like a fortune, while no expedition that they had ever -heard or read of seemed half so full of mystery and danger as that upon -which they were now entering. - -Sometime between ten and eleven o'clock Henry Burns left them, and, -proceeding to the hotel, unlocked a door in the basement, got out his -bicycle, and rode away. In a little more than half an hour afterward he -had dismounted from his wheel at Captain Hervey's house, four miles from -the hotel, on the western side of the island, near the head. The house -was closed, as the captain and his family were away at sea. Down at the -shore was an old boat-house, where Henry Burns left his bicycle. He sat -on the edge of a bluff overhanging a landing-place for boats, and waited -for the launch. He could see her lights already, out on the bay, and it -was not long before the little craft had come to shore. Four men -disembarked, and the launch steamed away again. - -"Hello, Private Detective Burns," said Miles Burton, laughing, as he came -up the ladder from the landing. Then he added, as he introduced the -others to the boy, "This is a rival to Inspector Byrnes of New York. - -"We owe him a good turn, Mason," continued Miles Burton, "for finding -Craigie for us." - -The man addressed as Mason was the detective that had followed Craigie as -far as Mayville. - -"Yes," he replied, shaking hands with Henry Burns, "we've been after him -a long time." - -The other two men, whose names were Stapleton and Watkins, also shook -hands with the boy. They were sharp-eyed, athletic-looking men, whose -appearance on the island boded no good to one Craigie, alias Kemble. - -Under the guidance of Henry Burns they all set off down the road for a -distance, then turned from it and made their way through the fields and -patches of woods toward the bluff. It was hard walking there in the -darkness, through thickets and over little knolls, with which some of the -pastures were dotted, and it was nearly one o'clock in the morning when -they reached the old haunted house. - -The house looked even less inviting than ever in the waning moonlight, -with its sagging roof, dull and broken window-panes, and doors unhinged. -Still, to those free from superstition and not fearful of ghosts, it -offered a sufficient shelter on a summer night, and they entered at a -rear doorway, after making a cautious reconnoisance to make certain that -there was no one within. - -Then, having shown them where the jewels had been buried, and pointing -out the location of a spring of good water near the house, Henry Burns -left the four detectives to accommodate themselves to their lodgings and -went down to the shore. There in the shadow of a bluff he found Tom and -Bob waiting for him in the canoe, as they had agreed. - -When the canoe grated on the sand in front of the tent, Henry Burns, worn -out with his travels, was fast asleep. So Tom and Bob, by way of a joke, -lifted up the canoe with its sleeping occupant and carried it to the door -of their tent. They thrust it inside as far as it would go, laid Henry -Burns out flat in the bottom of it, made him comfortable with blankets, -without waking him from his heavy sleep, and let him slumber on. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE - - -The inhabitants of the peaceful town of Southport would have viewed the -old haunted house with more concern than ever if they had known of the -four ghosts that haunted it now, by day and night. They were stalwart, -able-bodied looking ghosts, and their habits were strangely like what -might have been expected of four live men. Sometimes, as they sat in one -of the front garret rooms, by a window that overlooked the town and the -whole expanse of the cove lying between it and the bluff, as well as the -bay beyond, a well-worn pack of cards was produced by one of the spirits, -and the four joined in a game. Or, again, a bag was brought forth, and -the spirits ate heartily of the contents thereof. - -It might have been noticed, too, that through it all a certain careful -vigilance on the part of the ghosts was observed, as though they feared -that if surprised by a chance visitor they would have some trouble in -vanishing. - -Every few minutes throughout the day they made by turns a careful survey -of the cove and also of the bay, sweeping it with a powerful field-glass. -No more than two of the ghosts ever took their sleep at the same time, -and that, too, during the day. When night came they all redoubled their -vigilance and remained awake and alert. As darkness shut down they left -the house, one of them going out on the bluff and hiding in a cleft of -the rock, where he could overlook the cove and the bay, the others hiding -in the woods near the house, and keeping watch on all its approaches. - -They were very patient and very careful; for two of them, who would have -answered to the names of Burton and Mason, knew that the men for whom -they watched, and who they knew would surely come within a brief time -now, were the men for whom they had hunted for years, and by whose -capture they should win other rewards and settle scores of long standing. - -Curiously enough, for the next two days and nights a perfect contagion of -watching seemed to have spread through the village. Mr. Kemble, as he was -known to all, was a most annoyed man, and concealed his annoyance only -with difficulty. If, by chance, he hobbled up the road of an afternoon, -and wandered off into the woods or fields, he was sure to come upon some -one of the boys, who seemed surprised enough to see him, and was sure to -remain with him till he returned to the hotel. - -If he hired a horse and went up the island for a drive, he was sure to -fall in most unexpectedly with Henry Burns, spinning along on his wheel, -and could not shake him off. If he felt strong enough to get into a -rowboat and start out, weakly, across the cove, groaning at the effort it -cost him, he invariably fell in with Tom and Bob, gliding along quietly -in their canoe, and they would insist on accompanying him, and pointing -out to him the beauties of the scenery along the shores. - -He would have considered far more seriously the attention they paid to -his movements by night, if he had but known of them. If he could have -seen six pairs of eyes, striving to discern him as he appeared on the -hotel roof, or have known of the youths who watched lest he cross the -cove under cover of night, to say nothing of those who awaited his coming -on the bluff itself, he might have worried more than he did, and perhaps -have played a shrewder game. - -But neither did he nor any one else, other than they who watched, know of -it. And so it was that when, a little before sunset on the third day -after the arrival of the ghosts in the haunted house, and while Mr. -Kemble sat on the front piazza of the hotel, looking through a -field-glass off on to the bay, admiring its beauties with Mrs. Carlin, -who thought him such an unfortunate man,--and while, as he looked, he saw -the very yacht for which he had waited anxiously for days, he surely -believed that there was no one in the village who would regard it with -other than the usual curiosity that fishermen and yachtsmen have for a -strange craft. - -In this, unfortunately for him, he was mistaken. There were others -besides him who, on seeing the sail emerge from between the islands, -regarded it with equal interest and even more excitement. Henry Burns, -being deeply interested in it, came and sat down beside Mrs. Carlin long -enough to hear Mr. Kemble remark that he believed the yacht was the -_Eagle_, with his friends; in which case he should spend the night aboard -with them, and leave the harbour early in the morning, if the wind -availed. - -Henry Burns then quietly took his departure, sauntering along until some -cottages shut him out from the view of the hotel, and then starting off -on a run as hard as ever he could toward the Warren cottage. He paused -long enough at the cottage to communicate the news to young Joe, who was -the first one he met, and then, calling out that he would return as -quickly as he could, he ran through the woods down to the shore. - -Going up the cove some distance, Henry Burns launched a rowboat and -pulled rapidly across, landing some ways above the bluff. Then he struck -down through the woods for the haunted house. - -When Henry Burns returned a few minutes later, two of the detectives were -with him. The three rowed across the cove and proceeded to the Warren -cottage. There the plan of operation, as it had been mapped out by Miles -Burton, was told by Henry Burns. Burton and Mason were to make the arrest -at the haunted house. It was extremely unlikely that more than two of the -robbers would come for the box of jewels,--perhaps Craigie alone. At all -events, the detectives would take chances against more than two coming, -and, if the three came, it would make no difference to them. They would -take them all by surprise, and could arrest a dozen if necessary. If two -of the boys chose to go over to the bluff, they could do so, but Miles -Burton would not advise them to take the risk. - -The other two detectives were to wait in boats for the man who should be -left in the yacht, and arrest him at the proper time. If any of the boys -chose to accompany these men, they could do so at their risk, but Miles -Burton had sent warning for them to take no chances. Needless to say, his -advice on this score was thrown away. He might as well have advised the -boys not to breathe till it was all over. Their blood was up, and they -were one and all determined to take part in the capture. - -So it was decided that Bob and Henry Burns and George should go over to -the bluff; that Tom and one of the detectives should take the canoe and -lie in the shadow of the shore, in wait near the tent; while Arthur and -Joe, with the other detective, should go around the bluff in a rowboat, -on a pretence of fishing, and lie in concealment there behind the rocks. - -During all this time the yacht, a white-hulled, sloop-rigged, trim -vessel, was rapidly nearing the village. It came in fast, with a -southeasterly breeze astern, which blew fresh and which bade fair not to -die down with the setting of the sun. The yacht attracted some attention -among the people of the town, where fishing-boats were more commonly seen -than elegant pleasure-craft. Its topmast was uncommonly tall, and the -club topsail, which was still set, was somewhat larger than usual in a -craft of its burden. In fact, it was apparent to the experienced eye -that, with all its light sails set, the yacht would be enveloped in a -perfect cloud of canvas. It carried two jibs, besides the forestaysail, -but these were now furled. - -"That craft carries sail enough to beat the _Flying Dutchman_," said -Captain Sam, who had joined the group on the veranda that was watching -the graceful yacht coming in, with a tiny froth of foam at its bows. -"Looks as though she could stand up under it, though. Seems to be pretty -stiff." - -"Yes, she is considered pretty fast," assented Mr. Kemble. "She has taken -a few races around Boston and Marblehead way, against some yachts that -carried even more sail. She belongs to a friend of mine, a Mr. Brooks of -Boston. He's a broker there, and can afford to have as fast a craft as -there is made." - -"Fast!" returned Captain Sam. "Any one can see that with half an eye. -Give her five minutes start, and nothing in this bay could ever come -within hailing-distance of her again." - -Captain Sam little knew the relief and satisfaction that his remark -afforded Mr. Kemble. - -"She won't want all that sail to-morrow, though," continued Captain Sam. -"The wind is coming around to the eastward for a storm of some kind. -Looks more like rain than wind, but there will be wind, too,--enough to -do all the sailing any one wants. You say you'll sail to-morrow, do you, -Mr. Kemble, rain or shine? Well, that boat will stand it all right. She -looks as though she would just like a good blow, and nothing better." - -If Mr. Kemble knew of any instances where the yacht _Eagle_, alias _The -Cloud_, alias _Fortune_, had proved her marvellous speed to the chagrin -of certain officers of the law, and had demonstrated her ability to run -away from pursuers in both light and heavy weather, he refrained, for -reasons best known to himself, from mentioning them. He gave, instead, a -quiet assent to the truth of Captain Sam's praise. - -While tea was being served at the hotel, the yacht entered the cove, and, -rounding to gracefully with a little shower of spray, dropped anchor -about midway between the wharf and the bluff opposite. The sails were -furled, with, strangely enough, the exception of the mainsail, which was -not even lowered. She would doubtless drop this sail later, unless, by -any chance, she should decide to put out again during the night. - -The men who had brought the yacht across the bay did not come ashore. A -thin column of smoke that presently wreathed out of a funnel in the cabin -indicated that the yachtsmen were cooking a meal in the galley aboard. - -They were thorough yachtsmen, Mr. Kemble explained, as he paid his bill -and said good-bye to Colonel Witham and Mrs. Carlin. They hardly ever -left the yacht, he said, except to buy provisions, or some other errand -of necessity. Mr. Kemble did not specify what other errands of necessity -he had in mind. - -The colonel saw just how it was, he said. He was sorry, moreover, to lose -Mr. Kemble as a guest. In fact, he was the kind of guest that just suited -the colonel, as he went early to bed, minded his own business, and was -quiet. Good qualities in a summer boarder, in the colonel's estimation. - -There was no one to bid Mr. Kemble good-bye, save the colonel and Mrs. -Carlin, as he had made few acquaintances. Henry Burns would have bid him -a pleasant voyage if he had been there, but Henry Burns was not to be -found. - -"He will be sorry not to have been here to say good-bye to you," Mrs. -Carlin explained, politely. "He often expressed the greatest sympathy for -your lameness. I cannot imagine where he is, and he has had no supper, -either." - -"Bright boy, bright boy, that," responded Mr. Kemble. "Lives just out of -Boston, does he? Must look him and his aunt up this fall, and see if I -can't get my friend, Brooks, the broker, interested in him. Well, -good-bye," and, hobbling away, quite briskly for him, Mr. Kemble followed -a boy who carried his satchel down to the wharf, and was rowed out to the -yacht. A voice from the cabin bade him welcome, and he disappeared down -the companionway. - -Early that evening, and shortly after Mr. Kemble had gone aboard the -_Eagle_, for such was the name painted freshly in gilt on the yacht's -stern, Miles Burton and the three boys, Bob, Henry Burns, and George, -held a consultation in the shadow of the woods near the haunted house. -Mason, in the meantime, was hidden near the head of the rickety old -stairs at the landing on the bluff, watching for any movement aboard the -_Eagle_. - -Miles Burton's commands were brief and explicit. "There is an old closet -in the cellar," he said, "just about opposite where the box was buried. -Mason and I will hide there. We have oiled the hinges of the door so that -it moves noiselessly. You boys better keep close here in the woods till -you hear from us. Then you can make as much noise as you want to and come -in at the capture. There ought not to be so very much excitement about -it, for we shall have them before they know what's the matter." - -It certainly seemed as though the detective could not be mistaken, but -the sequel would show. - -Mason remained at his post, and Miles Burton and the boys sat together in -the shadow of the woods. It was wearisome waiting, and there was a -chilliness in the night air which had crept into it with the east wind. -When eleven o'clock had come and the moon should have shone over the -cape, a bank of clouds drifted up just ahead of it and half-obscured its -light. As the moon arose these clouds drifted higher in the sky, still -just preceding it, and the heavens grew but little brighter. Still it was -not absolutely dark, for most of the stars were as yet unhidden. - -Twelve o'clock came, and then one, and then a half-hour went by. At just -half-past one o'clock by the detective's watch they saw the figure of -Mason stealing swiftly up the path. - -"It's time to make ready now," he said to Burton, as he joined the party. -"They'll be at the landing soon. As near as I can make out, there's -Chambers and French, besides Craigie. It's the men we want all right. -Chambers is rowing, and he will probably stay in the boat while the other -two come ashore." - -Then, bidding the boys to preserve the utmost silence, the two detectives -left them, and a moment later the boys saw them disappear through the -doorway of the haunted house. - -There was little need of warning the boys to make no noise. From what the -detectives had said, they knew that the men they had to deal with were -desperate adventurers, who would not balk at any means to escape capture. - -So they lay close in the underbrush and peered through the trees down -toward the landing. The night was still, save for the rustling of a light -wind through the trees. The breeze had held through, as Captain Sam had -prophesied, though it had abated somewhat, ready, however, to increase -with the next turn of the tide a few hours later. - -They could hear noises across in the village: a solitary cart rattling -along the country road, the tinkle of a distant cow-bell in a pasture, -and here and there a dog barking. Presently the sound of oars grinding in -the rowlocks came to their ears, and a few moments later the sound of a -boat gently grating on the edge of the stone landing. There was as yet no -sound of voices. - -"Whew!" muttered Bob White. "This waiting here for something to happen -gives me a creepy feeling. I only wish we knew that they weren't armed to -the teeth and could only pitch in and run the risk of a good fight. I'd -like to try a good football tackle, just to keep my nerves from going to -pieces." - -"I wouldn't care much to be waiting for them down in that cellar," said -Henry Burns. "They're likely to prove ugly customers when they find -themselves trapped,--but I'll risk Miles Burton to keep his head. He's -the kind of man for this sort of thing--" - -"Sh-h-h," interrupted George Warren, softly. "I hear their voices. -There's two of them, I think, talking. Yes, here they come. Lie low, -now." - -A head appeared at the top of the ladder, and then a man sprang up on to -the brow of the bluff. It was the man whom they had known as Mr. Kemble, -but whom they now knew as Craigie. He was followed by another man, -somewhat taller than he. - -The two came up the path together, talking earnestly. At a certain point -in the path they paused, and Craigie stepped aside and found the spade -where he had hidden it in the brush. Then they went on toward the haunted -house. The boys' hearts beat fast and hard as the men passed close by -where they lay hidden. Surely two men who would lie in wait in the old -house for these two must possess good nerve and courage. For the boys' -part, they were glad to be outside. - -"Listen," whispered Henry Burns, softly; "the tall one is downright angry -with our friend Kemble. He's pitching into him for something." - -It was evident that Craigie's newly arrived friend was in a bad humour. -He spoke angrily, and no longer in a low tone, but gruff and loud enough -to be heard some distance away. - -"What a fool you must have been, Craigie," they heard him say, "to hide -the jewels away in this tumble-down old place, when you could have hidden -them well enough on your own person. It's all well enough to say they're -safer here, but such an act might have attracted attention." - -"It might," whispered Henry Burns. - -"And here we are," continued the tall man, "fooling away our time in this -outlandish hole, climbing ledges and stumbling through woods, when we -ought to be out in the middle of the bay by this time, clear of this -place. There was the wind, holding on through the night, just opportune -for us, and all you needed to do was to step aboard, if you had been -ready, and off we should have gone, without dropping a sail." - -"Well, well, French," answered Craigie, impatiently, but trying to -mollify his companion, "we've got time enough. Don't worry about that. -You would have blamed me bad enough if the jewels had been found on me. -Supposing I had had to tell you they'd been stolen, what would you have -done? Would you have believed it, or would you say I had stolen them from -you myself?" - -"Believe it!" cried the other. "Why, you know I wouldn't believe it. I -know you too well for that. What would I do? What would Ed Chambers do? I -tell you what we would do. After that job,--after coming way down here -for you,--why, man, we'd hunt you to the end of the earth, if you got -away with those jewels, but we'd have you and the jewels, too." - -With this angry utterance, the tall man laid a heavy hand on the other's -shoulder. - -"Nonsense, man," returned the other, impatiently, shaking off his grasp. -"What a way to talk about nothing. You're in a precious bad humour, seems -to me. You know right well I wouldn't go back on you and Ed." - -"I know nothing of the sort," snarled the other "I know you, I tell you. -I know you left us when things got hot, and took the jewels that we -risked our necks for. Don't I know that we shouldn't have seen or heard -of you again till we had hunted for you--which we would have done--if -that man Mason hadn't got so close up on to you that you didn't dare try -to get out of here alone." - -"Well, have it so, have it so, then, since you are bound to quarrel," -said Craigie, sullenly; and the boys heard no more. The two men passed -beyond hearing and entered the haunted house. - -"I don't intend to miss this," whispered Henry Burns, for once thoroughly -excited. "There's going to be the worst kind of trouble when that big -black-looking fellow finds the box gone. Burton's going to let them dig -for it--he told me so. Said he was curious to see what they would do." - -"Rather he would have that sort of fun than I," said Bob. "It's a good -deal like watching a keg of powder blow up. I say we'd better stay right -here, as Burton advised, till we hear from them. We might upset the whole -thing." - -"I don't mind saying I'm scared clear down to my boots," said George, -"but I'm going to see the thing through. I'll go if you will, Henry." - -So the two left Bob in the woods, close by the path to the shore, and -crept up on their hands and knees to that same cellar window through -which they had before witnessed the hiding of the box. - -By the light of a lantern placed on the cellar floor they saw the two -men. Craigie had removed his coat, and was digging in the earth where he -had hidden the box. He worked vigorously, throwing up spadefuls of the -soil with quick, nervous jerks. His tall companion looked on with an -expression of mingled anger and contempt on his face. - -As the box failed to come to light after some minutes of hard work, the -drops of perspiration stood out in great beads on Craigie's face, and he -redoubled his efforts with the spade. - -"It's down deeper than I thought I buried it," he muttered, with a sort -of nervous laugh. - -"You're a fool!" was all the other said. - -"Have it so," said Craigie, and resumed his work. - -The man was troubled, although he scarcely dared admit it, even to -himself. He had already dug far deeper than he had before, and yet no -signs of the box. The spade trembled slightly in his hands. He widened -the hole and dug furiously. - -"Going to dig over the whole cellar, I suppose," sneered the other, and -clenched his fists nervously. - -Craigie did not reply. Perhaps the truth was beginning to dawn on his -mind, for he half-paused and cast a quick, anxious glance at his -companion. His face was ghastly white in the dim lantern light. He -continued his digging. - -All at once he uttered a cry. The boys, staring in with faces close to -the window-pane, saw the tall man leap forward and deal him a heavy blow. - -"Do you think I am tricked by you?" he cried. "You know it isn't there. -You knew it all the time. But you don't fool me. You don't escape to -enjoy it." - -Craigie reeled under the blow and staggered back against the wall. If the -other had followed up his advantage instantly, the fight must have been -his; but one moment was enough for his companion. Still grasping the -spade, he struck out with it as the man French rushed upon him again, and -the other, receiving the full force of the blow, fell to the floor. - -The next instant, without waiting to see whether his companion were dead -or alive, Craigie shattered the lantern with a single blow and darted for -the cellar stairs. At the same moment the detectives threw open the door -and rushed out into the cellar. They were just too late. One man, indeed, -lay unconscious at their feet, but the other had already reached the -cellar stairs, and was at the outer door in a moment more. - -Down in the woods, by the path to the landing, Bob saw a sight that sent -the hot blood to his cheeks. He had heard shots from the cellar, fired by -the detectives after the fleeing Craigie, and wondered what they meant. -Now, to his dismay, he saw Craigie at full speed flying along the path -toward him. - -He scrambled to his feet, though his heart beat furiously, and he -trembled so that for a moment he clung to a tree for support. Then he -thought of Tom, and it gave him courage. Standing as he had stood often -before on the football field at home, when, as right tackle, he had saved -many a goal, he waited breathlessly. Then as Craigie dashed up, he sprang -out, tackled him about the legs, and the two fell heavily to the ground. - -He was half-stunned by the fall, but he had breath enough to cry for -help, and clung like a drowning man to his antagonist. Well for him then -that, in his flight, Craigie had dropped the weapon he carried. They -rolled over and over for a moment, and then the man had Bob in his grasp. - -"Let me go!" he cried, fiercely. "Let me go, I say!" Bob felt his -strength going, as the powerful arms tightened about him. - -All at once, however, the other's grasp loosened. Craigie felt himself -borne backward, as two boyish figures rushed out of the darkness and -threw themselves upon him. Then a weapon gleamed at his head, and Miles -Burton stood over him. - -"Hold on," cried Craigie. "You've got me this time, though you had to get -a boy to do it for you." - -"It's all the same to me," replied Miles Burton, coolly. "We've got you, -that's the main thing. Here, Mason, here's our man." - -Mason, running up, stooped over the prostrate form for a moment, there -was the sharp snap of steel, and Craigie lay helpless with a pair of -handcuffs fastened to his wrists. - -"Where's French?" he asked, sullenly. - -"Where you left him," said Mason. "It was a bad cut you gave him. He -won't run away. That's certain." - -"Serve him right," said the other. - -"Hark! What's that?" cried Miles Burton, as the sound of two pistol-shots -came up from the water. "They seem to be having trouble down there, too. -You wait here, Mason, and I'll get down to the shore." - -He ran to the steps, followed by the three boys. Down the rickety stairs -they scrambled, and quickly stood on the ledge of the little landing, -looking off on to the water. - -What they saw was the yacht _Eagle_, not far from the bluff, under full -mainsail, standing out of the cove. At some distance astern was the -rowboat, in which were Arthur and Joe at the oars. The detective stood at -the bow with a smoking revolver in his hand. Not far distant, across the -cove, was the canoe containing the other detective and Tom. The detective -also had just fired. Miles Burton and the boys could see no one aboard -the sloop, but still it sailed steadily on its course. The canoe vainly -tried to head it off, but the yacht, obedient to an unseen hand at the -wheel, quickly came about and went off on the other tack, soon putting a -hopeless distance between it and its pursuers. - -They could not see the man aboard, for the reason that he lay flat in the -cockpit, and, with one arm upraised, directed the course of the yacht. - -"What a pity! What a pity!" said Miles Burton, talking softly to himself. -"How could it have happened? I would rather have lost the other two than -that man Chambers. He's the most dangerous man of the three, and the man -I wanted most." - -His face showed the keenest disappointment, but he had learned -self-control in his business, and refrained from speaking above his -ordinary tone of voice. - -"How did it happen, Watkins?" he asked, as the rowboat came in to the -landing for them. - -"It's all our fault, Burton," said the other, bitterly. "Stapleton and I -should have closed in the moment we heard the first shots; and we should -have got aboard the yacht and waited. But I was not sure but what -Chambers would land and go up the bluff to the rescue of his comrades, -and so I waited to see what he would do. I might have known him better. -These fellows are always looking out for number one, and that's a safe -rule to go by. - -"All at once we saw him come out from the shadow of the bluff, rowing as -hard as ever he could for the yacht. We were after him then, both -Stapleton and I. And I'm certain of one thing. No one could have got us -out to that yacht faster than these boys. They rowed like men. But, you -see, he had but a few strokes of the oars to pull, compared with us. And -he got to the yacht when we were still some rods away. - -"I never dreamed but what we had him then, for his anchor was down. But -what did he do but spring aboard, not stopping to see what became of his -rowboat, rush forward as quick as a cat, whisk out a knife, and cut his -hawser before you could say 'Scat.' Then he jumped aft mighty quick, -grabbed the wheel as cool as anything you ever saw, and had her under -headway in no time. - -"He took long chances, standing up when he went about, and dodging down -again, at first. Then when we came close he got down in the bottom of the -boat, just as you saw him, and the best we could do was to fire where we -thought he ought to be. He dodged back and forth between our boats, -tacking right and left as quick as anything I ever saw, and just slipped -by us. He couldn't have done it in any ordinary boat, but that yacht just -spun around like a weather-vane, and seemed to gain headway as she went -about, instead of losing anything. - -"I never saw anything so beautiful, if I do say it. Look at her now, just -eating away there to windward and leaving this harbour out of sight." - -The yacht was, indeed, flying along like the wind. Chambers had got more -sail on her now, and they could see him, coolly sitting at the wheel and -waving a hand in derision back at them. - -"Confound it!" said Burton. "Here we are on an island, with no way of -getting a telegram started till the morning boat lands over at Mayville. -That will be many hours yet, and I fear he'll give us the slip for good -and all. What luck, that it should have been he, the only seaman of the -three, who was left with the boat. Neither of the others could have done -what he did. He's probably studied these waters some, enough to find his -way down here, and it will be a hard task ever picking him up again." - -"Yes, but a man can't conceal a yacht," said George Warren. "I'd know her -anywhere. You can telegraph a description, and the whole coast will be on -the watch. You can describe exactly how she looks." - -"Can I?" laughed Miles Burton. "Yes, I can, but that's all the good it's -likely to do. He'll have her so changed over, if he gets a day to himself -down among those islands, that the man who built her wouldn't recognize -her. It won't be the first time he has done it. He carries a full -equipment aboard, a different set of sails, different fitting spars, -different gear of all kinds, and paint to change her colour. Once let him -get in near a sheer bluff, where he can lay alongside, with some trees -growing close to the water's edge, so he can rig a tackle and heel her -way over, and he will have a yacht of a different colour before she's -many hours older. He did the thing up in Long Island Sound for several -years, and changed her name a half a dozen times into the bargain. He's -done some smuggling up along the Canadian border, too, I'm told, and -there isn't a better nor a more daring seaman anywhere in this world. -However, we'll do the best we can. Lend a hand, now, all of you; we've -got to get that wounded man down over the bluff, or down through the -woods, and row him across the cove, where we can get a doctor to dress -that wound of his. He's not dangerously hurt, I believe, but he's faint -and sick, and we must work spry." - -A half-hour later, at the wharf across the cove, before the eyes of an -excited crowd, composed of villagers, cottagers, and hotel guests, who -had gathered hurriedly at the sound of the firing, there was landed a -strange boat-load,--the strangest that had ever come ashore at the -harbour. Imagine the amazement of Colonel Witham upon beholding his -favourite guest, Mr. Kemble, bundled unceremoniously out of the rowboat, -with manacles upon his wrists. Imagine the concern of the villagers when -the man French, his wound clumsily swathed in bandages and his face pale -and distressed, was lifted ashore and carried bodily up the slip to the -nearest shelter. Nothing like it had ever happened before, not in all the -island's history. - -"And you say you knew that man was a burglar for two or three days, and -let him stay in the house and didn't tell us?" demanded Mrs. Carlin, -wrathfully, of Henry Burns. - -"Yes'm," said Henry Burns. - -"Well, if you're not the worst boy I ever had the care of. Here we might -all have been murdered and robbed, and you'd be as guilty as he. And to -think I sat and talked with him there, and shook hands with him when he -went away. Henry Burns, you'll go to bed an hour earlier for a week for -this. And you deserve worse punishment than that." - -Henry Burns assumed his most penitent expression. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - AN UNPLEASANT DISCOVERY - - -Two weeks had passed by. Craigie and French were in jail awaiting trial, -and the sensational arrest had run its course in the papers. Messages had -sped here and there, and the police of many cities and towns were -watching day and night for the missing Chambers. But watchers' efforts -were futile. If the sea had opened and swallowed him up, the man could -not have disappeared more completely. Not one of the harbours along the -coast sighted him, nor did he run to any for shelter. It had come on -stormy the morning he sailed away, and something like a gale had set in -the next night. So that there were some who believed it more than likely -that the yacht _Eagle_ had foundered, with only one man to handle her. - -Be this as it may, yacht and man had utterly disappeared. Several times -it was thought she was sighted by some pursuer, but it always turned out -to be some other craft. Chambers had made good his escape. And he alone -knew to what use he intended to put that freedom. - -The bright August sun glared in through the canvas tent on a hot -afternoon. It fell warm upon Tom, who, divested of his jersey and bared -to the waist, stood in the centre of the tent, performing a series of -movements with a pair of light wooden dumb-bells. A fine specimen of -sturdy young manhood was Tom, lithe and quick in action. A skin clear and -soft, bright eyes, muscles that knotted into relief when flexed and -rounded into nice proportion when relaxed, quick, decisive movements, all -told of athletics and an abstinence from pipes and tobacco. - -"It's your turn," he said, presently, to Bob, after he had counted off -several hundred numbers. Tossing his chum the dumb-bells, he slipped on -his jersey again, and, reclining at ease on one of the bunks, watched Bob -go through the same drill. - -"Bob, I'm envious of you," he said. "You are blacker by several shades -than I am. I'll have to take it out of you with the gloves." - -"It's pretty hot," said Bob, "but come on." - -"Heat doesn't bother a man when he is in training," said Tom. "It's the -flabby fellows that get sun-strokes. Sun does one good when he's hardened -to it." - -He fished out a pair of old boxing-gloves, that looked as though they had -seen hard service, from the chest, and then he and Bob went at it, as -though they had been the most bitter enemies, instead of the most -inseparable of friends. They led and countered and pummelled each other -till the perspiration poured down their faces and they had begun to -breathe hard. - -"Time!" cried Tom. "That's enough for to-day. I think you had just a -shade the better of it, old chap. Now let's cool off in the canoe. You -know what's on the programme this afternoon." - -"I should say I did," answered Bob; "and I'll be hungry enough for it by -the time things are ready." - -They carried their canoe down to the shore, and in a moment were paddling -down the island toward the narrows. But they were not destined to go -alone. Turning a point of ledge some little distance below Harvey's camp, -they came all at once upon Arthur and Joe Warren, walking along the -beach. - -"Take us in there, Tom," cried Joe. - -"I can take one of you," answered Tom, pointing the canoe inshore with a -turn of his paddle. - -Arthur caught the end of the canoe as it came up alongside a ledge on -which the boys stood, and steadied the frail craft. - -"Might as well let us both in," he said. "The more the merrier." - -"The more the riskier, too," said Tom; "but if you fellows will take the -chance of a ducking, I'm willing. Water won't spoil anything I've got on. -Climb in easy, now, and sit cross-legged, so if we tip over you'll slide -out head-first, clear of the thwarts." - -The canoe was brought to within nearly an inch of the water's edge by the -addition of the two to its burden. Tom gave a strong push with his -paddle, and the heavily laden craft glided away from the shore. - -There was an extra paddle, which Arthur wielded after a fashion, and it -did not take long to come within sight of the narrows. There upon the -shore were gathered some fifty or sixty persons. Over against a ledge a -fire of driftwood blazed. When they had gotten in nearer they could see a -smaller fire at a little distance from the other. Over this was hung a -monster iron kettle, and bending over it and superintending the cooking -of its contents was a familiar figure. It was Colonel Witham, and he was -making one of his famous chowders. - -At the same time that the occupants of the canoe discerned the colonel, -he in turn espied them, and also noted a circumstance which they did not. -A half-mile or more distant from them a big, ocean-going tugboat was -passing down the bay, without a tow and under full steam. - -"There come those mischief-makers," said the colonel, muttering to -himself. "I'm blessed if the canoe isn't filled with them. If there's an -inch of that canoe out of water, there's no more." Then, as he noted the -tug steaming past, an idea came to him that made him chuckle. - -"Kicks up a big sea, that craft does,--as much as a steamboat," he said. -"Perhaps they'll see it and perhaps not. If they don't just let one of -those waves catch them unawares. There'll be a spill." The colonel, -chuckling with great satisfaction, went on stirring the chowder. - -The possibility of a wave from a chance steamer had, indeed, not been -thought of by Tom or any of the others. The water was motionless all -about them, but rolling in rapidly toward them were a series of waves big -enough to cause trouble, if they did but know it. - -The colonel watched the unequal race between the waves and the -heavily-laden canoe with interest. He looked out at them every other -minute from the corner of his eye. He was afraid lest others on shore -should see their danger and warn them. - -"Let them spill over," he said. "They can all swim like fish, and a -ducking will do them good." So he stirred vigorously, watching them all -the while. - -"That stuff won't need any pepper if he cooks it," remarked young Joe, -looking ahead at the colonel. - -"Lucky for us it's not his own private picnic," said Tom, "or we -shouldn't get much of it. Even as it is, it sort of takes my appetite -away to see him stirring that chowder." - -"I'll risk your appetite--" The words were hardly out of Arthur's mouth -when precisely what Colonel Witham had been hoping for came to pass. All -at once Tom, seated in the stern, saw the water suddenly appear to drop -down and away from the canoe. The canoe was for an instant drawn back, -then lifted high on the ridge of a wave and thrown forward, with a sharp -twist to one side. Tom gave one frantic sweep with his paddle, in an -effort to swing the canoe straight before the wave, but it was too late. -The canoe was overloaded, and as the weight of the four boys was thrown -suddenly to one side the sensitive thing lost its equilibrium and -capsized. - -In a moment the four boys were struggling in the water. Thanks to Tom's -precaution, they all went out headforemost, and came to the surface clear -of the canoe, blowing and sputtering. A cry went up from the shore, and -for a moment Colonel Witham was seized with a sudden fear. What if any of -them should be drowned, and he, to vent a petty spite, had given no -warning? In his excitement he failed to notice that he had spilled some -pepper into the ladle which he held in one hand. - -Two rowboats were hastily started out from the beach, and, impelled by -strong arms, surged toward the canoe. - -Tom was prompt to act. He and Bob had had many a drill at this sort of -thing. Each of the boys was a good swimmer, and soon they were all -clinging to the canoe, which had completely overturned. The boys were in -about the same positions as they had occupied in the canoe, Tom at one -end, Bob at the other, and the other two clinging each to one side. - -"Quick, boys, let's right her before the boats get here," cried Tom. - -Under his directions the two Warren boys now took their positions both on -the same side of the canoe, with himself and Bob at the ends. Then all -four took long breaths, treaded water vigorously, and lifted. The canoe -rose a little and rolled over sluggishly, two-thirds full of water. - -While the others supported it, Tom bailed the canoe nearly dry with a -bailing-dish, which he always kept tied to a thwart for just such an -emergency. Then he climbed in over one end, and Bob followed over the -other. The Warren boys clung to the gunwales until one of the boats from -the shore picked them up. The paddles were recovered for Tom and Bob, and -the three craft proceeded to shore. - -There, stretching themselves out on the hot sands before the blaze, they -waited for their clothing to dry on them. They were much liked by the -boys and girls of the village, and were at once a part of a jolly group, -each of which party had a separate detail to recount in the capsizing of -the canoe as they had seen it. - -All at once the picnickers were startled by a howl of rage from Colonel -Witham. All eyes were turned upon him. He was executing the most -extraordinary contortions and dance-steps that could be imagined. An -Indian chief, excelling all his tribe at a war-dance, could not have -outdone the grotesque movements of the colonel. - -"What ails the man?" cried Captain Sam. "He must have gone clean crazy." -And he started for the colonel on the run. - -But before he could reach him another accident happened. In his dancing -about, the colonel trod most unexpectedly on a small log of wood, his -heels flew out from under him, and down he came with a mighty splash in a -little pool of sea-water that had been left in a hollow of rock by the -last receding tide. - -There the colonel lay, like an enormous turtle, helpless for a moment -with rage and astonishment, and all the while sputtering fiercely and -crying out. - -"What on earth ails you, colonel?" asked Captain Sam, hurrying to his -assistance. "You haven't gone crazy, have you?" And he helped the colonel -to his feet with a great effort. - -"Pepper!" roared the purple-faced colonel. "Pepper!" - -"Pepper!" cried Captain Sam. "What about pepper?" - -"Everything about it!" sputtered the colonel. "It's in the chowder! Taste -it and see." - -"What's that?" cried Captain Sam. "If those young scamps have peppered -the chowder I'll thrash every one of them myself. Here, let me see," and, -picking up the ladle which the colonel had dropped, he cautiously tasted -the chowder. - -"Why, there's no pepper in it," he said. "It's just right. I don't taste -any pepper." - -As, indeed, he did not, the colonel having got it all. - -"You must have a strong imagination, colonel," he said. - -"Imagination!" bellowed the colonel. "Imagination! I just wish your -tongue was stuck full of a million red-hot needles and your mouth was -filled with hornets, that's all I wish. Where's the boy that put that -pepper into that spoon? Where is he? Show him to me and I'll make an -example of him right here. I'll put him head first into the chowder by -the heels." - -As no one had put the pepper into the ladle, no culprit could be found to -show to the colonel; and as the colonel could not select a victim out of -a score or more of boys who were present, he could only vent his rage to -no purpose, while the villagers, who had laughed themselves nearly sick -over the colonel's antics, gave him what sympathy they could feign. - -It ended in the colonel's taking himself off in a great fury, declaring -that any one who pleased could make the chowder, and he hoped it would -choke them all, and that fish-bones innumerable would stick in the -throats of whoever ate it. - -The colonel's departure, however, far from putting any damper on the -occasion, seemed rather to afford the party a relief; and his mishap made -no small part of their amusement, as they went on with the preparations -for the feasting. - -Captain Sam, who could turn his hand to anything, took the position left -vacant by the colonel, and declared he could bring the chowder to -completion in a way vastly superior to the colonel's. And indeed it was a -decided improvement in the appearance of things to see the good-natured -captain standing over the steaming kettle and cracking jokes with every -pretty girl that went by. - -The preparations for the clambake went merrily on. A huge pile of -driftwood was brought up from the shore and heaped on the fire by the -ledge. There were pieces of the spars of vessels, great junks of -shapeless timber that had once been ship-knees and pieces of keels, -timbers that had drifted down from the mills away up the river, now -thrown up on shore after miles and miles of aimless tossings, and crates -and boxes that had gone adrift from passing steamers and come in with -weeks of tides. The flames consumed them all with a fine roaring and -crackling, and, dying down at length after an hour or two, left at a -white heat beneath the ashes a bed of large flat rocks that had been -carefully arranged. - -Several of the boys, with brooms made of tree branches, swept the hot -stones clean of ashes; clean as an oven they made it. Then they brought -barrels of clams, big fat fellows, with the blue yet unfaded from their -shells, and poured them out on the hot stones, whence there arose a -tremendous steaming and sizzling. - -Quickly they pitched damp seaweed over the clams, from a stack heaped -near, covering them completely to the depth of nearly a foot. Then on -this, wherever they saw the steam escaping, they shovelled the clean -coarse gravel of the beach, so that the great broad seaweed oven was -nearly air-tight. - -Then they heaped the hot ashes in a mound and buried therein potatoes and -corn with the thick green husks left on it. - -The women, meantime, had not been idle, for in a grove that skirted the -beach they had spread table-cloths on the long tables that always stood -there, winter and summer, fastened into the ground with stakes driven -firm. If all that great steaming bed of clams and the chowder in the -mammoth kettle had suddenly vanished or burned up, or had some other -catastrophe destroyed it, there would still have been left a feast for an -army in what was spread on the snowy tables from no end of fat-looking -baskets. - -There were roast chickens and ducks, sliced cold meats, and country -sausages. There were pies enough to make a boy's head swim,--apple, -mince, pumpkin, squash, berry, custard, and lemon,--in and out of season; -chocolate cakes and raisin cakes and cakes of all sizes and forms. There -were preserves and pickles and a dozen and one other messes from country -cupboards, for the good housewives of Grand Island were generous souls, -and used to providing for a hearty lot of seafaring husbands and sons and -brothers, and, moreover, this picnic at the Narrows was a yearly event, -for which they made preparation long ahead, and looked forward to almost -as much as they did to Christmas and New Year. - -Never were tables more temptingly spread, and when, late in the -afternoon, the benches around these tables were filled with expectant and -hungry picnickers, it was a sight worth going miles to see. - -Captain Sam pronounced the chowder done, and the great kettle, hung from -a stout pole, was borne in triumph by him and Arthur Warren to the grove -near the tables. Somebody else pronounced the clams done, and the gravel -was carefully scraped off from the seaweed, and the seaweed lifted from -the clams, and the great stone oven with its steaming contents laid bare. -The very fragrance from it was a tonic. - -Bowls of the chowder and big plates of the clams were carried to the -tables. There were dishes of the hot corn piled high; potatoes that came -to table black as coals, and which, being opened, revealed themselves -white as newly popped corn. There was a mingled odour of foods, piping -hot, and over all the grateful aroma from half a dozen coffee-pots. - -"Cracky! do they expect us to eat all this?" exclaimed young Joe, as he -surveyed the prospect. "I wonder where it is best to begin--and what to -leave out." - -"Don't try to eat it all, Joe," said Arthur. "Give somebody else a -chance, too. You know the night you went to Henry Burns's party you ate -so many nuts and raisins you woke up dreaming that somebody was trying to -tie you into a square knot, and when you got fully awake you wished -somebody would, and I had to get up and pour Jamaica ginger into you. -Don't try to eat more than enough for three ordinary persons this time, -Joe, and you'll be all right." - -Young Joe tried to smile, with a slice of chicken in one hand and a -spoonful of preserves in the other, and a mouthful of both. His -reputation at the table had been made long before that day, and had gone -abroad, and here was the opportunity of a lifetime, for every -good-hearted motherly-looking housewife within reaching distance was -passing him food. - -"I hope there's a seat for me," said Henry Burns, who came hurrying up. -He and George Warren had made the run down the island on bicycles. - -"Come on, both of you," cried the crowd. "There's always room for you," -and made places for them at once. - -"It seems too bad not to invite those other campers up on the shore," -said one of the women. "I'm sure they haven't had anything as good as -this for all summer." - -"What! Harvey's crew?" queried a chorus of voices, in astonishment. -"Well, you don't live near enough to where they are camping to be -bothered by them. If you did, you wouldn't want them." - -"We don't mind some kind of jokes so much," continued one of the -villagers, at which Tom and Bob and Henry Burns and the Warren boys tried -to look unconscious, "but when it comes to taking things that don't -belong to them and continually creating a disturbance, we think it is -going a little too far. Perhaps it might do them good to get them over -here and repay them with kindness, but some of us are not just in the -mood for trying it." - -"Besides," said another, "it's too late now, if we wanted to, for I saw -them starting out about half an hour ago in their yacht, and wondered -where they could be trying to go, with wind enough to barely stir them. -Some mischief, like as not, they're up to. No good errand, I'll be -bound." - -Which was quite true. - -However, in most surprising contradiction to the speaker's assertion, -there suddenly appeared along the shore Harvey and all his crew, walking -close to the water's edge, but plainly to be seen. - -"Well, those boys must have changed their minds quickly," said the man -who had spoken before. "It is not more than half an hour, surely, since I -saw them all starting out in the yacht. I guess they found there was not -enough wind." - -Perhaps, however, there had been wind enough for the purpose of Harvey -and his crew. There was enough, at all events, to carry them up past the -village and back again to their mooring-place. If they had had any object -in doing that, there had been wind enough to satisfy them. They seemed, -moreover, in high spirits when they returned from this brief voyage, and -laughed heartily as they made the yacht snug for the night. - -Now they went whistling past the picnic party, all of them in line, and -went down along the shore till they were lost to view in the woods. - -"Hope they're not going down my way," said some one. "They're up to -altogether too much mischief around here; that is, I know well enough -it's them, but I can't ever succeed in catching them at it. I'd make it -hot for them if I could." - -But Harvey and his crew had surely no designs on the property of any one -down the island, for they had not gone far in the grove of woods before -Harvey called a halt, and they all sat down and waited. It was rapidly -growing dusk, and they waited until it had grown quite dark. Then they -arose, cut across through the grove toward the Narrows again, but keeping -out of sight all the while, both of chance villagers who might be passing -along the road, and of the crowd about the picnic fire. - -When they had come to the Narrows, Harvey again called a halt, and stole -ahead to see if the coast was clear. The island was a narrow strip of -land here, with the bay on either hand coming in close to the roadway, -but by keeping close to the water's edge, and dodging behind some low -cedars, provided the campers were all about the fire, they might pass -unobserved. This they managed successfully, for, the driftwood fire -having been renewed, the picnic party were seated about it, singing and -telling stories. - -Harvey and his crew went on up through the woods to their own camp, where -two of them remained, while Harvey and George Baker and Allan Harding -took their yacht's tender and rowed rapidly on up toward the town. After -they had started, Joe Hinman and Tim Reardon stole down through the woods -again, and kept watch for a long time on the group about the fire. They -did not return to their camp till the sound of a horn, some hour and a -half later, signified to them that Harvey and the others had returned -from their mission, whatever it was. - -The driftwood fire began to blaze low as the evening wore on, and by nine -o'clock the greater number of the picnickers had said "Good night" and -started on their journey home. Some of them had come from away down at -the foot of the island, and still others from the little settlement at -the head. These now harnessed in their horses, which had been allowed to -feed near the grove, and drove away, their flimsy old wagons rattling -along the road like so many wrecks of vehicles. - -Around the fire, however, there still lingered a group of fishermen and -village folk, telling stories and gossiping over their pipes. - -"I wonder whatever became of that fellow Chambers," said one. "He was the -slickest one of the lot, so that Detective Burton said. Do you recall how -he sailed away that morning, as cool as you please, with the pistols -popping all around his head?" - -The subject had never ceased to be the one great topic of interest in the -village of Southport. - -"I reckon he'll never be seen around these parts again," remarked -another. "Like as not he's up in Long Island Sound long before this. Or -maybe the yacht's hauled up somewhere, and he's got clear out of the -country. There's no telling where those fellows will travel to, if -they're put to it, according to what I read in the papers." - -"It's mighty mysterious," said Captain Sam. "For my part, I think it's -queer nobody's sighted him somewhere along the coast. A man don't sail -for days without somebody seeing him. He ought to be heard from along -Portland way, that is, if he ever left this bay, which I ain't so sure -of, after all." - -This remark seemed to amuse most of the group. - -"Seems as though you expected you might see him and that crack yacht some -night sailing around here like the _Flying Dutchman_," said one, at which -the others took their pipes out and chuckled. "You'll have to get out -your old _Nancy Jane_ and go scouring the bay after him, Cap'n Sam. If he -ever saw her coming after him, he'd haul down his sail pretty quick and -invite you to come aboard." - -"Well," replied Captain Sam, good-naturedly, "there's no accounting for -the strange things of the sea, as you ought to know, Bill Lewis, with the -deep-water voyages you've been on. Still, I'm free to say I don't see how -that 'ere craft can have got out of here and gone clear up Boston way or -New York, without so much as a sail being sighted by all them as has been -watching for her. I don't try to explain where he may be, but I stick to -my idea that there's something mighty queer about it." - -"He may be at the bottom of this 'ere bay," said the man addressed as -Bill Lewis. "Stranger things than that have happened, and he was but one -man in a big boat on a coast he couldn't have known but little of. -There's many a reef for him to hit in the night, and the day he escaped -was stormy. For that matter, I give it up, too. He was a slick one, -that's all I can say." - -And so they rolled this strange and mysterious bit of gossip over, while -the fire burned to coals and the coals died away to ashes. - -"Tom," said Bob, as they launched the canoe from the shelving beach some -time after ten o'clock, "it's too glorious a night to go right home to -bed. What do you say to a short paddle, just a mile or so out in the bay, -to settle that terrible mixture of pie and clams that we've eaten? We'll -sleep all the sounder for it." - -"Perhaps 'twill save our lives," replied Tom. "I ate more than I've eaten -in the last week. Let's take it easy, though. I don't feel like hard -work." - -So they paddled leisurely out for about a mile, enjoying the brilliant -starlight and watching the dark waters of the bay flash into gleams of -phosphoric fire at every stroke of the paddle. It was like an enchanted -journey, gliding along through the still night, amid pools of sparkling -gems. - -It was nearing eleven when they drove the bow of their canoe in gently -upon the sand at their landing-place and stepped out upon the shore. - -"One, two, three--pick her up," said Tom, as each grasped a thwart of the -canoe, ready to swing it up on to their shoulders. Up it came, fairly on -to the shoulders of Bob, who had the bow end, but Tom, who never fumbled -at things, seemed somehow to have made a bad mess of it. His end of the -canoe dropped clumsily to the ground, twisting Bob's head uncomfortably -and surprising that young gentleman decidedly. - -"What's the matter, Tom?" he asked, laughing good-naturedly, as he turned -to his companion. But Tom for a moment answered never a word. He stood -staring ahead like one in a dream. Bob, amazed, looked in the same -direction. - -"Bob," whispered Tom, huskily, "do you see--it's gone--it isn't there. Do -you see--the camp--the old tent--it's gone, as sure as we're standing -here." - -They rushed forward to where the tent had been but a few hours before -that afternoon, and stood there dismayed. There in the open air were -their bunks, their camp-stools, their camp-kit, and the great chest; but -the tent that had sheltered them had disappeared. Around about the spot -were holes where the stakes that had held it had been hastily wrenched -out, but not a scrap of canvas nor a piece of rope that had guyed it were -to be seen. Only the poles that had been its frame lay upon the ground. -Their tent had utterly vanished. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - A CRUISE AROUND THE ISLAND - - -"Well, Bob," said Tom, as they seated themselves on the bunks to collect -their wits and think the situation over, "we know who did it, of course. -The next thing is to prove it." - -"It won't be so easy," responded Bob. "Jack Harvey hasn't done this thing -without first planning out how he could dispose of the tent without -attracting the slightest attention. He planned it in a good time, too, -when half the village was away at the clambake." - -"Yes," said Tom, "and that's what he sailed out on that short trip for, -to look in at our tent without exciting any suspicion. He found out that -there wasn't anybody around it, and then he and the others came down past -our fire on purpose for us to see them and to prove by every one there -that they were in another part of the island when our camp was stolen. He -did it, though, and he's covered it up well. We'll have hard work to -prove it against him." - -"I'll be madder to-morrow, when I'm not so sleepy." said Bob. "Let's go -on up to the Warren cottage now, and wait till to-morrow before doing -anything. It isn't going to rain to-night, and the stuff will not be -harmed out here without a covering." - -So they travelled up to the Warren cottage, greatly to the surprise of -the Warren boys, who had gone to bed and were sound asleep when they got -there, and greatly to the concern of good Mrs. Warren, whose indignation -did more to comfort them than anything else in the world could have. -There was always room for more in the spacious old cottage, and they were -soon stowed away in bed, quickly forgetting their troubles in sleep. - -"You'll stay right here for the rest of the summer," said Mrs. Warren the -next morning at breakfast. "You can bring your camp stuff up and store it -in the shed, and I guess it will be safe there from Jack Harvey or -anybody else. It's a crying shame, but you're welcome here, so don't feel -too bad about it. I don't think the boys will be sorry to have you here." - -"I guess we won't," cried the Warren boys, in chorus. "But we'll get that -tent yet, I think," said George Warren. "I don't believe Jack Harvey -would dare destroy it. He's got it hidden somewhere, depend upon it. And -we must find out where that place is." - -"I wish I could believe it," said Tom, "but I'm afraid his experience -with our box taught him a lesson. It is my belief that he has taken the -tent and sunk it out in the bay, weighted with stones, so it will never -come to light. However, we will start out after breakfast to see if any -one in the village saw him or his crew anywhere near the tent while we -were away." - -The search through the village for a clue proved, unfortunately, as -fruitless as Tom had feared. Not a soul had seen Harvey or any one of his -crew about the camp during the evening, nor, for that matter, anybody -else. The disappearance remained as mysterious as though the wind had -borne the tent away out to sea. - -"Say the word," said Captain Sam, when he heard of it, "and I'll go over -to Mayville and get warrants for the whole crew. We'll have them up and -examine every one of them. We can't have things of that sort going on -around this village." - -"I don't want to do it," said Tom. "At least, not yet awhile. I don't -like to suspect Harvey or any of his crew of actually stealing the tent. -It may be they have taken it just to annoy us for a night or two, and we -shall get it back again. I'd rather take it as a practical joke for a few -days, at any rate, than to have any boy arrested. I can't believe they -would steal it for good, intending to keep it. Let's wait and see." - -"You'll never see your tent, then, I'm thinking," said Captain Sam, "for -I don't believe Harvey has the least idea of bringing it back. And the -longer we wait the harder it will be catching him. However, do as you -think best. I'll go down to-morrow and look their camp over, anyway, on -my own hook. I have the right to do that. I'm a constable, and I'll look -their camp over on general principles." - -"You'll not find anything, I fear," said Tom. - -"Fellows," said George Warren, as they all sat around the open fire that -evening, "we haven't been on a cruise for a long time. What do you say to -starting out in the _Spray_ to-morrow for a trip around the island? It -will take one, two, or three days, according to the wind, and Henry Burns -says he can go. We'll take along a fly-tent and some blankets, and part -of us can sleep on shore, so we won't be crowded." - -"Great!" cried Bob. "It comes in a good time for us, when we're without a -home--oh, I didn't mean that," he added, hastily, as Mrs. Warren looked -reproachfully at him. "This is a better home than our camp was, to be -sure. I mean, while our affairs are so upset, while we don't know whether -we shall be camping to-morrow or living here. It may help to straighten -matters out, and, if by chance Harvey and his crew feel like putting the -tent back, this will give them the opportunity." - -"Then we'll get the lines ready," said George. "There's lots of small cod -at the foot of the island,--and we might take a run across to the islands -below, where there's lots of bigger ones. We'll plan to be gone two days -or a week, just as it happens, and put in plenty of flour and biscuit and -some canned stuff, in case we can't get fish." - -"How happens it that Henry Burns can get off so easily?" asked Tom. - -"Oh, they've let up on him a good deal since the capture of Craigie," -answered George. "Now that the papers have said so much about him and the -rest of us, and the people at the hotel have made so much of him, Mrs. -Carlin has come to the conclusion that he isn't so much of a helpless -child as she thought he was. She lets him do pretty much as he likes now, -and so Colonel Witham don't bother him, either. He will be over by and -by, and we'll make sure he can go." - -Henry Burns put in an appearance soon after, and the subject of the -voyage was duly discussed in all its phases, and settled. The next -forenoon found them all aboard the little yacht _Spray_, getting -everything shipshape and storing away some provisions and water. - -"Looks as though we were going on a long voyage," said young Joe, as his -eyes rested fondly on several cans of lunch-tongue and two large mince -pies which Mrs. Warren had generously provided, besides several tins of -beef and a small keg of water. - -"Well, Joe," said Arthur, "you know, having you with us to help eat up -stuff is equivalent to going on a long voyage. And then, one never knows -on a trip of this kind when he is going to get back." - -Which was certainly true, if anything ever was. - -They made a great point aboard the _Spray_, these Warren boys, of having -every rope and sail and cleat in perfect condition; no snarled ropes, no -torn canvas, and no loose bolts nor cleats to give way in a strain; and -they began now, as usual, to see that everything was in shipshape -condition before they cast off from their moorings and headed out of the -harbour. - -The little yacht was, therefore, as trim as any craft could be when they -set sail on their voyage, with Mrs. Warren waving good-bye to them from -the front piazza. - -"I never feel as free anywhere in the world as I do out aboard the -_Spray_ on a trip like this," said George Warren, stretching himself out -comfortably on the house of the cabin, while Arthur held the tiller. -"It's the best fun there is down here, after all." - -"Well, I don't know, a canoe isn't so bad," said Bob. "You can't take so -many, to be sure, but when Tom and I get off on that and go down among -the islands for a day or two, sleeping underneath it on the beaches at -night and cooking on the shore as we go along, we feel pretty much like -Crusoes ourselves, eh, Tom?" - -"Indeed we do," answered Tom. "It's the next best thing, surely, to -sailing a boat." - -"By the way, Tom," asked Arthur, "where did you leave the canoe? Not -where any one could get that, I hope." - -"No, that's safe and snug," replied Tom. "It's locked up in your shed, -and your mother has the key. That's one thing we shall find all right -when we get back." - -The wind was blowing lightly from the northwest, and, as they were -starting out to make the circuit of the island by way of the northern end -first, they had to beat their way up along the coast against a head wind. - -"This little boat isn't such a bad sailer," said George Warren, -admiringly, gazing aloft at a snug setting topsail. "For a boat of its -size, I guess she goes to windward as well as any. There's only one thing -the matter with her. She's small, and when she's reefed down under three -reefs, with the choppy seas we have in this bay, she don't work well to -windward, and that's a fault that might be dangerous, if there were not -so many harbours around this coast to run to in a storm." - -"I suppose some day we'll have a bigger one, don't you?" queried Joe. - -"Yes, when we can earn it, father says," replied George. "That don't look -so easy, though. A fellow can't earn much when he's studying." - -"What's that up there on the ledges?" interrupted young Joe, pointing -ahead to some long reefs that barely projected above the surface of the -water. - -"They are seals--can't you see?" replied Arthur. "The wind is right, and -we'll sail close up on to them before they know it. We can't shoot, -because we haven't any gun aboard, but we'll just take them by surprise." - -The little _Spray_, running its nose quietly past the point of the first -ledge and sailing through a channel sown with the rocks on either hand, -came as a surprise to a colony of the sleek creatures, sunning themselves -on the dry part of the ledges. They floundered clumsily off the rocks and -splashed into the water, like a lot of schoolboys caught playing hookey, -and only when the whole pack had slipped off into the sea did they utter -a sound, a series of short, sharp barks, as here and there a curious head -bobbed up for a moment, and then dived quickly below again. - -"They have as much curiosity as a human being," said George Warren. "Just -watch them steal those quick glances at us, and then bob under water -again. The fishermen around here shoot them whenever they get a chance, -because they eat the salmon out of the nets, but I never could bear to -take a shot at one. They seem so intelligent, like a lot of tame dogs. I -don't believe in shooting creatures much, anyway, unless you want them -for food, or unless they are wild, savage animals." - -"That don't apply to ducks, I hope," said Tom. "We want to take you up -into the woods with us some fall, and have you do some shooting of that -kind,--ducks and partridges and perhaps a deer or two." - -"No, I'd like that first rate," answered George. "It's this senseless -shooting of creatures that you don't want after they are shot that I -don't believe in. I don't believe in shooting things just for the sake of -killing them. Actual hunting in the woods for game that you live on is -another thing. It's a healthful, vigorous sport that takes one into clean -surroundings and does one good." - -They chatted on, discussing this and that, till the yacht at length -turned the head of the island and ran along past Bryant's Cove. - -"We won't forget that harbour in a hurry," they said, as they sailed by. - -The wind was gradually dying down with the sun, and would not carry them -much farther that night, though they were soon running before it, as they -rounded the uppermost point and headed away for the foot of the island, -some thirteen miles away. - -"We'll have just about wind enough to run along to Dave Benson's place," -said George. "It's two miles down, but the wind and tide are both in our -favour,--what there is of them. We can buy some green corn of Dave, and -he will let us pull his lobster-pots and charge us only five cents for -each lobster. Things are cheap down here, if you buy them of the -fishermen. A little money means a good deal to them. A little flour and -tea and sugar at the village store, and they live mighty comfortably on -what they catch and what they raise on their farms. They don't know what -it means to be poor, as the poor in our city do." - -"Yes, and they live a happy life, for the most part," said Henry Burns. -"They get a good share of their living out of the sea, and I've always -noticed that seafaring people are generally very well contented with -their lot. You never hear them grumbling, as men do that work hard on -farms. The sea seems to inspire them more; at least, it seems so to me." - -"What does 'inspire' mean, please, Henry?" queried young Joe, winking at -Bob. "It sounds like a very nice word." - -"Inspiration means a strong desire and ambition to do something, and a -conviction that one cannot fail," answered Henry Burns. "For instance, I -might feel myself inspired to knock an idea into your head, just like -this." And Henry Burns administered a sound cuff on that young -gentleman's head. "That's a very crude example," added Henry Burns. -"Perhaps I can give you a better one, if you would like." - -"No, I thank you," said young Joe. "That will do very well for the -present. I think I understand." - -Dave Benson's place was a weather-beaten old house set in the midst of a -corn and bean patch, close by a little creek that ran in from the western -bay. It had an air of dilapidation, but, withal, of comfort about it. -There was a little garden, some hake were drying on flakes beyond the -house, a rowboat and a dory were pulled up on the beach a little way up -the creek, and the indispensable sailboat, built by Dave himself in the -winter months, was lying a little offshore in the shelter of a projecting -hook of land. - -"Hulloa, Dave," shouted George Warren, as a tall, sunburned figure, gaunt -but powerful, emerged from the door of the house and peered out across -the water at them. - -"Hulloa," he said, laconically. "You all ain't been over much to see us -lately." - -"No, but we thought we would make a call to-day," said George. "Will you -come out and get us? We left the tender behind. We're going around the -island." - -For answer the man shoved his dory off the beach, stepped in, and sculled -out to them with one oar out over the stern. - -"Climb in here sort of easy like, now," said he, "and I guess I can take -the whole of you ashore at one load. If you two ain't used to this -craft," he added, addressing Tom and Bob, "you want to look out some, for -its tippery and no mistake, though there ain't no better boat when you -know how to behave in it." - -"I guess it's something like our canoe," said Tom. "We're used to that, -so I think we'll manage. Perhaps you never saw a canoe." - -"Not as I know of," returned the other. "Though I do recall seeing what I -thought must be one, from what I've heard, going along the shore down -below here about an hour ago." - -"It couldn't have been a canoe," said Bob, "for ours is the only one on -the island, and that is locked up safe at home in the Warren's shed." - -"Mebbe not," replied Dave Benson. "I ain't sure at all. I just noticed -there was two boys in it, and they were on their knees and pushing it -along with what you call paddles, I think." - -Tom and Bob looked at each other blankly. - -"It can't be possible," said Tom, at length. "I left ours locked up safe -enough. Dave's made a mistake." - -"Got any corn?" asked Arthur. - -"Yes, there's some growing out there, I reckon. You can go out and pick -what you want and gimme what you like for it. It's good and sweet, I -reckon." - -"And lobsters, how about them?" asked young Joe. - -"Well, I haven't pulled the pots to-day," said Dave. "You can go and do -that, too, I reckon. There ought to be some there. I baited them all -fresh with cunners and sculpins last night." - -"Let me go and pull them," said Bob. "I never caught a lobster. Come on, -Joe, you can show me how and I'll do the work." - -"Did you ever handle a dory?" asked Dave. - -"No," answered Bob, "but I'm used to a canoe." - -"And did you ever pull a lobster-pot?" - -"No, never saw one." - -"Then you want to look out," said Dave, and took himself off into his -house, leaving the boys to themselves. - -Bob got another oar, and, with young Joe in the stern, rowed out a few -rods toward some ledges, where Dave had indicated that the lobster-pots -were set. - -"Did you ever pull a lobster-pot, Joe?" asked Bob, as they came in sight -of half a dozen small wooden buoys, about as big as ten-pins, floating at -a short distance from one another, with ropes attached. - -"No, I never did," replied Joe; "but I've seen it done and it looks easy. -You just lift the pot aboard the boat and open a trap-door and take out -the lobsters. Only you want to look out how you take hold of one of them, -that's all. It's all right if you take him by the back." - -On shore, seated on a huge stick of timber, washed ashore long ago and -half-imbedded in the sand, the other boys watched the proceedings with -interest. - -"Bob will do it all right, of course," said George, winking slyly at -Arthur. "It's a simple enough trick, only it is harder in a dory than in -a boat with a keel to it, for a dory slides off so." - -"Just like a canoe," said Tom. - -"By the way," he added, "is a lobster-pot heavy?" - -"That's the deceptive part of it," replied George. "It's a great big cage -made of laths with a bottom of boards, and it comes to the surface easy -because the water buoys it up. It's the lifting it out that fools one. -It's got three or four big stones in it to weigh it down, and you have -got to bring it out of water with a sudden lift or it will stick -half-way." - -In the meantime, Bob, having grasped one of the floating buoys, proceeded -to haul in the slack of the rope, which was quite long, to allow for the -tide, which was now low. - -"It comes up easy," he said to Joe, as he drew it up slowly to the -surface, hand over hand. "Here she comes now. Wait till it lands on the -gunwale and then lean over on the other side, so we won't capsize." Bob -grasped the slats of the big cage and lifted manfully. - -The lobster-pot came up all right, as George had explained, till, just at -the point where it should have left the water, it stopped suddenly and -stuck like a bar of lead. Unluckily, Bob had not counted on that extra -weight of stone inside, nor on the loss of the buoyancy of the water. At -the same instant, moreover, young Joe, seeing the cage strike the -gunwale, shifted over to the other side of the dory. This settled the -matter. The pot lodged half-way over one gunwale, hung there for a -moment, long enough to careen the crank thing down on its side; Bob and -Joe both lost their balance and slid the same way, the dory filled with -water, and boys and lobster-pot slumped into the sea. - -The boys on shore set up a roar at the mishap of their comrades, while -long Dave Benson, emerging once more from his cabin door, was heard to -chuckle as he strode down to the shore and shoved off his rowboat. - -"It's just like a canoe, exactly," he muttered, "just like it--only it's -so different." And he doubled up at the oars and laughed silently. - -Bob and Joe, coming to the surface, puffing and blowing water, were -pleased to note the sympathy displayed for them in four boyish forms, -rolling off the log and holding on to their sides with laughter. Nor did -the keenness of this sympathy abate the whole evening long, for every now -and then one of them might be heard to repeat the language of Dave -Benson, as he glanced significantly at the others, "It's just like a -canoe--only it's so different." - -However, Bob and Joe, being duly scrubbed down and invested in a change -of duck clothing from the locker of the _Spray_, did not relish any the -less the supper that awaited them, of broiled live lobster, cooked over a -glowing bed of coals on the beach, and corn that was as sweet as Dave -Benson had promised. They took their chaffing as good fellows and -comrades are bound to do, only vowing inwardly to bide their time for -revenge. - -Then, as night was coming on, they set up their fly-tent on a clean, dry -part of the beach, well beyond the reach of the tide, spread down their -blankets, and Tom and Bob and Henry Burns turned in to sleep there, -leaving the little cabin of the _Spray_ for the Warren boys. - -"Bob," said Tom, "did you hear what Dave Benson said as he brought in the -capsized dory, with the lobsters, too?" - -"He said it was 'just like a canoe, only--'" - -"Oh, you dry up, Tom," exclaimed Bob. "Your turn will come next, so don't -rub it in." - -And they went off soundly to sleep. - -The next morning, when they awoke, they found that the wind had altered -and was beginning to blow up from the southward. They must, therefore, -beat their way down to the foot of the island, some ten miles distant, -against a head wind and sea, for a southerly always rolled in more or -less of a sea after it had blown for an hour or so. - -"Come again," called out Dave Benson, as they left his cabin astern, and -he stood waving them farewell with his weather-beaten hat. - -"I'd just like to know what he meant when he said he saw a canoe out -here," said Tom. "I know ours is all right, but he certainly did describe -a canoe, when he spoke about its being paddled, and ours is the only one -I know of around here." - -"Yes, and he saw it last night, or, rather, yesterday afternoon," said -Bob, "and nobody would have disturbed ours in broad daylight, at any -rate." - -But about an hour later, they came suddenly to the conclusion that Dave -Benson knew what he was talking about, when Henry Burns exclaimed all at -once: "Why, there it is now. Dave Benson was right, after all. That's a -canoe, down about a mile ahead, just off that white line of beach, and -there are two paddling it." - -The boys looked in amazement. There could be no mistaking it. Henry Burns -had surely spied a canoe. They could make it out quite plainly, pitching -slightly in the sea, with apparently some one at either end. - -"Quick, get the glass, Joe," cried George Warren, who had the tiller. -"It's in the locker in the cabin, you know. That will show us just who it -is." - -Young Joe dived below and reappeared the next instant, bringing a small -telescope. - -"Here," he said, handing it to Tom, "take a look at them." - -Tom adjusted the focus of the glass and sighted the craft ahead, then -exclaimed, excitedly: "Yes, it's them, sure enough. It's Harvey and Joe -Hinman and it's the canoe. We've got them, too, if the _Spray_ can only -catch them. We're sure to get the canoe, at any rate, for they can't run -far or fast with that on their shoulders, if they see us and take to the -shore. We know what it is to try to hurry with that." - -"That we do," returned Bob. "Let me have a look, Tom." - -"Cracky!" he exclaimed, as he put the glass down almost as soon as he had -sighted it. "Who'd have thought they would have had the nerve to get that -in broad daylight? They must know they are sure to be seen in it, too. -What on earth can Harvey be thinking of?" - -"We'll set the club topsail and the other jib in a hurry," said George, -"and perhaps we can overhaul them before they see us." - -They got the extra sail on in a twinkling and laid the course of the -_Spray_ a little closer into the wind. Fifteen minutes went by, and they -had made rapid progress in overhauling the canoe. They made short tacks, -so as not to be seen by the paddlers, if possible, by keeping so far as -they could in a line with the stern of the canoe. - -Presently, however, the boy who was wielding the stern paddle turned and -looked back, and they could see plainly that it was Harvey. - -He must have seen them, too, and been vastly surprised, for, carrying -across the strip of land at the Narrows, he had surely expected to meet -no familiar yacht in the western bay. The occupants of the canoe turned -their craft more in toward shore, though not directly, and, at least so -it seemed to the boys, began paddling desperately, as though they hoped -to escape. - -If they had thought they could run away from the _Spray_ in this way, -they soon found out their mistake, for the Spray continued rapidly to -overhaul them. - -Turning squarely in toward the shore, Harvey and Joe Hinman soon reached -it, jumped out, and drew the canoe far up on the beach. Their next move -surprised the crew of the Spray. Leaving the canoe in full sight on the -beach, Harvey and Joe Hinman walked deliberately away, without so much as -looking back at their pursuers. - -"That's a mighty strange performance," exclaimed George Warren. "I don't -understand that at all." - -There was no place to run the _Spray_ in close to shore, so they rounded -to some thirty feet out, and Tom and Bob, hastily throwing off their -clothes, dived overboard and swam to the beach. - -Tom was the first to reach the canoe; but, as he came upon it and turned -it over, he uttered a cry of astonishment. - -"They've fooled us this time, sure enough," he said to Bob, who came -panting up. "It isn't our canoe." - -The canoe, in fact, was new. - -It was enough like theirs to be its mate, both as to size and colour, but -there was not a scratch upon it nor upon the paddles. The canoe could not -have been used more than once or twice since it had left the maker's -hands. - -"The joke is on us," cried Bob to the boys in the _Spray_. "It's another -canoe. Harvey's 'governor,' as he calls him, must have bought it for him -and sent it down on the boat yesterday. He doesn't seem to be afraid to -trust us with his property, which is more than we would do with him." - -"Perhaps he would rather trust the canoe with us than to trust himself -with all of us just at this time," replied Tom. "I feel like taking it -along with us, to make him give up our tent, but I'm afraid that wouldn't -do. We can't prove that he has it, either." - -Harvey and Joe Hinman had clearly left the canoe to its fate, so there -was nothing to do but to swim aboard the _Spray_ again, and the voyage -down the island was resumed. - -"There's one thing about it," said Tom, as he scrambled into his clothing -once more, "if Jack Harvey is as reckless and as careless in that canoe -as he is in his yacht it will be washed up on shore some day without him. -Not that I hope it will happen, but I look to see it." - -"I don't think he was born to be drowned," said Henry Burns. - -Toward noon they came in sight of the southern extremity of the island, -or the extremities, to speak more accurately, for the end of the island -here was divided into a succession of thin points of land of various -shapes, affording a number of small, rockbound harbours, snug and -secluded, and each making good shelter for small vessels. - -They selected one of these, and, as they knew the waters to be filled -with a species of small cod, they determined to lay up here for the -afternoon and night, starting out again the next morning. They brought -the _Spray_ well in to the head of the harbour which they selected, so -that it was almost wholly land-locked when they dropped anchor and furled -their sails. - -Toward evening the wind decreased, dying out almost entirely. Big banks -of clouds piling up in the northwest told them that they might expect the -breeze from that quarter in the morning. - -It was getting dusk and they were cooking their supper in the little -cabin of the _Spray_, when young Joe, looking out of the companionway, -exclaimed: "Why, here comes company; another yacht's going to lie in here -for the night, too." - -Looking out, they saw a big black sloop coming slowly into the harbour. -She had come up from the southward before the wind, and had only her -mainsail set. There was hardly breeze enough to bring her in. She drifted -in slowly, with one man at her wheel, and, as she came within hailing -distance, young Joe, going forward, swung his cap and shouted, "Ahoy." - -The man at the wheel did not respond, but, strangely enough, at the sound -of young Joe's voice the yacht slowly turned again, heading completely -about, and stood out of the harbour again. - -"Doesn't seem to like our company," said Henry Burns. - -"Guess he'll have to have it, whether he wants it or not," said George -Warren. "There's not wind enough to take him out again, as he will find -when he gets the set of the tide at the entrance." - -If the helmsman aboard the strange yacht had really intended to quit the -harbour again, he found the tide to be as George Warren had said. After -vainly trying to make out for a few moments, he left the wheel, ran -forward, and the next moment they heard the splash of his anchor. Then -the sail dropped and the man went below. - -"Whoever they are aboard there, they don't seem inclined to be sociable," -said Henry Burns. "Well, they don't have to be, if they don't want to." - -"Guess they're afraid we'll keep them awake," said George Warren. "They -are fishermen, by the looks. See, she carries no topmast, so she is not a -pleasure yacht, though she looks from here like a fast boat. They make -them good models now, since Burgess began it." - -"I guess that's so," said Arthur Warren. "Those fishermen like to sleep -nights, after a hard day's work, without being disturbed. I remember one -night we laid up in a harbour and began singing college songs, and a crew -of them rowed over to us and threatened to lick us if we didn't keep -quiet. This fellow doesn't want to be disturbed." - -"I'll hail him, anyway, if he comes on deck again," said Henry Burns, -"and find out where he is from. I like to know my neighbours." - -But the man aboard the strange yacht was not inclined to be neighbourly. -He did not appear on deck again. A thin wreath of smoke curled out of the -funnel in his cabin, and they knew he was getting a meal. That was the -only sign of life aboard. - -Sometime that night--he did not know the hour--Henry Burns awoke, -conscious of some sound that had disturbed his light slumbers. Presently -he became aware that it was the sound of a sail being hoisted. Getting up -softly without disturbing his companions, he crept out of the cabin and -looked across the water. The moon was shining, and he could see a lone -figure aboard the strange yacht, getting the boat under way. - -Henry Burns saw him go forward and labour for awhile at the anchor rope. -Then, for a wind had arisen, the man ran aft to the wheel, and Henry -Burns saw the strange yacht go sailing out of the harbour. - -"That's a queer thing to do," muttered Henry Burns. "There's something -strange about it. He tried to get out before, the minute he saw us. -Cracky! You don't suppose---- No, that's nonsense. I'm getting altogether -too suspicious ever since I came across that man Craigie upon the roof of -the hotel." - -And Henry Burns went back to his bunk again. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - STORM DRIVEN - - -When they awoke next morning the wind was blowing heavily from the -northwest, and, while the sun was as yet shining brightly, the sky was -darkened here and there with banks of clouds, which moved with great -rapidity, driven by violent currents. Inside the snug harbour the water -was calm, but, looking out beyond on the bay, they could see its surface -broken already into big waves. - -"Looks like a nasty day outside," remarked George Warren. "I wonder -whether we ought to lie in here to-day, or take the chance of clearing -the foot of the island before it gets heavier." - -"I'd hate to stay here another whole day," said Joe. - -"Do you think it's going to blow much harder, George?" inquired Tom. - -"I can't say for certain," replied the other, "but it looks as though the -wind was going to increase right along." - -"But don't you think we could get around the foot of the island before it -got much worse?" asked Arthur. "There is only about a mile to run before -we get under the lee of the islands in the other bay." - -"Of course, if we can reach the eastern bay all right, we shall be in -smooth water then," said George, "for the island will shut off the wind -to a great extent, and there won't be much sea. Well, if you fellows are -willing to take the chance, I am. I guess it won't get any worse than the -night we ran to Bryant's Cove. The _Spray_ stood that all right." - -Breakfast being finished, they double-reefed the mainsail of the little -yacht, and did not set the jib, as they would be running with the wind -about on their quarter and would not need it. Then they stood out of the -harbour into the bay. - -They were almost immediately in rough water, and the very first plunge of -the yacht into the heavy sea sent the spray flying over them. Young Joe -and Arthur went scurrying into the cabin for the oilskins, of which they -had a good supply, and the boys prepared themselves for wet weather. - -"We'll get it right along now," said George, "until we can clear that -point about a mile ahead there. The _Spray_ does the best she can, but -she does throw the water bad in a heavy sea. It isn't her fault. And -there's one good thing about her; you can't tip her over. She will stand -up till the mast and sail are blown out of her." - -The boys now realized how deceptive wind and water viewed from a distance -always are. Gusts of wind that were seen from shore to blacken the water -and send the spray flying from the crests of waves, were found now to be -of far greater violence than they had supposed. Viewed from the harbour, -the waves had not seemed to be of unusual size, but, now that they threw -the little yacht about like a toy, they assumed a more terrific aspect. - -The wind increased, and the _Spray_ rolled dangerously in the seas. - -"She won't stand this," said George, at length. "We have got to put the -third reef in and do it quick." - -They got the yacht into the wind for a moment, lowered the sail, and tied -in a few reef-points; but the yacht would not hold in the wind, and they -had to be content with a few knots tied at twice or three times the usual -distance. - -"We're blowing offshore at a great rate," exclaimed George, "but I can't -help it. I can't hold her up any higher. She won't stand it." - -"Then we cannot make the point," said Arthur. - -"I am afraid not," returned George. "I don't like the prospect of getting -out into that bay, either, but I'm afraid we are in for it. I had no idea -there was any such a sea running, nor anything like this wind." - -The prospect was, indeed, not encouraging. Across the wide stretch of bay -for some eighteen miles the sea was one mass of whitecaps, a tumbling -confusion of waves, which already broke aboard the yacht, covering the -boys with spray and necessitating the use of bailing-dish and boat-sponge -to keep the water from standing in the cockpit. - -"We've got to get that topping-lift up higher, Arthur," said George -Warren, as the yacht rolled heavily, bringing the boom down dangerously -near the waves. - -His brother sprang to the halyards at the warning, but it was a moment -too late. At that instant a wave, rolling higher than any they had yet -encountered, raised the _Spray_ on its crest and hurled it forward, at -the same time causing the little craft to yaw so that the boom was buried -for a moment deep in the seas. That moment was enough. There was a sharp -snap as the boom, splintered in two in the middle, emerged from the -waves, a useless thing. The yacht nearly broached to, while the next -oncoming wave broke fairly aboard, filling the cockpit half-full of -water. - -They thought it was all over with them then, but they kept their heads -and saved themselves. Henry Burns and Arthur Warren, at the risk of going -overboard, managed to get the broken boom aboard, after they had let the -halyards run, and lashed it astern, so that the yacht was utterly without -sail. At the same time Tom and Bob, who knew little about handling a -yacht, but were ready for any emergency, bailed furiously with pails to -clear the boat of water. - -Fortunately, the hatch had been shut, and the deluge of water had not -gone into the cabin, or the boat must have foundered. As it was, she -rolled heavily till they had bailed the cockpit dry again. - -"That does settle it, with a vengeance," said George Warren, when they -had recovered a little from the shock. "We have got to run for it now, -clear across this bay. I think we can do it all right, but you fellows -will have to bail lively. That won't be the only sea we take aboard." - -"Where do we run to?" asked Henry Burns. - -"That's the worst of it," replied George Warren. "I'm not sure, by any -means, whether we get blown out to the shoals, or whether we can head -over to the eastward any, ever so slightly, and strike the Gull Island -Thoroughfare. If we can land under the lee of Gull Island, we may be able -to do something. The first thing, though, is to get there." - -It was no easy thing to hold the yacht on its course, even with no sail -to drive it up to windward. Every wave threatened to throw it broadside -on, and it required now and again the united efforts of George and Arthur -Warren to steady it. Then a wave would come aboard astern, rolling in and -nearly filling the cockpit. Several times it did this, and at each and -every time it seemed as though the little yacht was going down. They -bailed desperately then, every one of them falling to except George -Warren. - -To their credit, though, not one of them lost his courage. Their faces -were drawn and set, but they had confidence that the little _Spray_ would -somehow bring them through. - -Toward the middle of the afternoon they had got the Thoroughfare well in -sight, big Gull Island lying nearly dead ahead and the smaller Gull -Islands lying away to the eastward. - -"If we can manage to get a scrap of sail on her just as we pass the end -of Gull Island," said George Warren, "I think we can swing her in and not -capsize. We've got to keep headway on, though, or one of these big -rollers will get under us and tip us over. We shall have a few rods to -run broadside on, for, as we are running now, and the best we can head, -we cannot come nearer than that to the island." - -"I'll give her a scrap of sail that she can carry," exclaimed Arthur, and -dived into the companionway, shutting the door quickly to keep the seas -out. He returned in a moment, bringing a hand-saw. With this he severed -clean the broken half of the boom, tying the ends of the rigging to the -short stub that was left. This left the sail a huge, clumsy bag, that -would evidently not hoist up but a foot or so on the mast, but might -possibly be of some service in the emergency. - -A torrent of rain now began to pour, falling so dense as almost to shut -out the islands ahead. Their outlines became obscured, making the effort -to run into the Thoroughfare a more difficult and dangerous one. -Moreover, the wind continued to increase. - -"Now, fellows," said George Warren, as they came abreast of the end of -Big Gull Island, "everybody up to windward and hold on hard. She's going -to lay over when she gets these seas broadside. Hoist the sail, Arthur, -just as we begin to head in." - -Arthur sprang to the halyards, but they were tangled and did not pull -true. Try as best he could, the sail would hoist but a little ways on the -mast. It bagged out like a huge balloon, holding the wind and nearly -capsizing them. Henry Burns, handling the main-sheet, let it run just in -time to save them. Still the sail gave them headway, and, carefully -managed, would answer to fetch them in. - -Twice they had to head off fairly before the wind again, at the onrush of -some enormous wave, but they got quickly on their course again, and, -rolling frightfully, with the boys clinging far out to windward, the -little yacht all at once felt the relief which the sheltering extremity -of Gull Island afforded from the awful strain. Almost before they knew -it, they were in smooth water once more, riding easily at the entrance to -the Thoroughfare. - -"Whew!" cried George Warren, as he dropped the tiller and shook his -hands, which were numb and aching from the strain and the cold rain. -"That was a ride for life that I don't care to repeat again in a hurry. -Didn't the little _Spray_ do well, though, eh, Arthur? She had a good -excuse to founder if she hadn't been staunch. If she was only a little -larger she wouldn't have minded this at all." - -"We did come flying across that bay and no mistake," said Tom. "I thought -we were going to founder twice or three times, though." - -"Looks as though we were stranded here for some days, that's the worst of -it," said George Warren. "This storm has just begun, by the looks of it. -It's a lonesome hole, too, down in this reach. Nobody ever comes here, -except a few fishermen in the fall and spring. The Thoroughfare is all -right, but it doesn't lead to any particular place in the course of -vessels, so it isn't a regular thoroughfare really, like those over to -the eastward more. Now and then a yacht goes through, just for the sail, -but one has got to know the channel very well, for it isn't charted -accurately,--at least, so Cap'n Sam says." - -"Well," returned Arthur, "we are not making a race against time, so I -don't see as it matters much whether we stay here or some other part of -the bay. We'll just lie snug aboard here to-night, and then to-morrow -we'll get out and explore. There are some fishermen's shanties around on -the other side of some of those smaller islands, and we ought to be able -to build up a fire in one of them and live there till the storm is over, -so we won't have to stay in this little cabin all the time." - -"I'll be glad enough to go down there for awhile now," said Henry Burns, -"and get dry and warm. Come on, Bob, let's you and me start some coffee -and biscuit going. You do the cooking, because you know how, and I'll -look on. I'll get the dishes out, anyway." - -There was scarcely room in the cabin of the _Spray_ for more than four of -them to sit and eat, so they threw the mainsail over the stub of the boom -and made a shelter out of it against the rain. There, just outside the -cabin, Tom and Bob sat as they all ate supper, with the rain pouring down -all around and spattering in under the edges of the canvas. It was -uncomfortable and dreary at best, and they were all glad when time came -to turn in, which they did by all crowding into the cabin, where they -could at least keep dry, although stowed away like sardines. - -"Ouch!" exclaimed Henry Burns, as he awoke next morning, feeling stiff -and sore. "I feel as though I was creased and starched and ironed, and -every time I move I take out a crease. It will take me half a day to -straighten out again, I've got so many kinks in my neck and back." - -They were all cramped and lame from the uncomfortable positions in which -they had lain, for on fair nights they had been accustomed to make up two -bunks just outside the cabin, in the cockpit. It was still raining hard, -but as soon as they had had breakfast they set out to seek for new -quarters. - -With the scrap of a sail set, and with the use of the sweeps with which -the yacht was provided, they worked their way about a quarter of a mile -along into the Thoroughfare, till they got abreast of one of the smaller -of the Gull Islands. The shores of this were very bold, the rocks going -down sheer, without any outlying reefs or ledges, so that they were able -to run the yacht close alongside, making her fast at bow and stern with -ropes carried out on land. - -"It seems good to stretch one's legs again," said Bob, as they all sprang -out on to the rocks. They were indeed glad to be on land once more. - -The island on which they now were was about three-quarters of a mile long -and about half a mile wide, quite densely wooded with a growth of spruce -and young birches. From a little elevation they could look out to sea -toward the southward. - -"The shanties are on the other side, if I remember rightly," said George -Warren. "I was down here once in the fishing season. We may as well -strike directly across to the south shore. That's where the fishermen -build their weirs for the salmon that run in along the islands." - -They tramped across through the woods in the pouring rain. It was a -relief to get even the shelter that the trees afforded from the driving -storm. Presently they came in sight of the fishermen's cabins, a cluster -of four standing in a clearing at the edge of the woods, facing the sea. -One of the huts was somewhat larger than the other three, and toward this -they directed their steps. - -"I don't just like to break into other people's property," said George -Warren, advancing toward the door, hatchet in hand, "but it only means -forcing a staple, and we can replace that without any harm being done. -It's the only--hulloa! Why, somebody's been here before us. The door is -ajar." - -Somebody had, indeed, forced the door, and had not taken pains to -refasten it. The staple, which had been drawn, lay on the ground by the -door, just where it had been dropped. The boys threw open the door and -stepped inside. - -The one room, for a shanty of the kind, was fairly commodious. Along the -two ends were ranged tiers of bunks, three at either end, making just -enough for them. - -"Looks as though they were built expressly for us," remarked Henry Burns. - -The bunks were rough, clumsily made affairs, a few boards knocked -together, with a thin layer of hay thrown in at the bottom of each; but -with the blankets from the yacht they would be comfortable. - -In the centre of the room was a large sheet-iron stove, with a funnel -running up through the roof. In one corner of the room--there was only -one room in the cabin--was a sort of cupboard, on the shelves of which -were piled a few tin dishes. A rusty axe was apparently the only tool -left on the premises. - -There was a scrap of kindling and one or two dry sticks of wood beside -the stove, and with this they started a fire. Driftwood lined the shore, -and a number of dead spruces, which had not yet rotted, furnished them -with an ample supply of fuel. They piled the stove full, and soon had a -fire roaring that turned the stove red-hot and which sent out a grateful -warmth throughout the cabin. - -"That will dry us out in good shape," exclaimed Arthur, as the steam came -from his wet clothing. "We'll have this old shanty as comfortable as a -parlour. This is a better house than Crusoe ever had." - -It was, in fact, a comfortable shelter against the storm. The roof and -sides were shingled, so that it kept out the rain, and though the wind, -which by this time was blowing a gale, shook it till it rattled, it stood -firm. - -After the boys had brought in a supply of firewood, enough to last them -through the evening, and had stowed it near the stove to dry, they set -out again for the yacht, and brought back each a blanket, the yacht's two -lanterns, and a supply of food. - -"It's lucky we put a good supply aboard," said young Joe, as they stowed -the stuff away on the cabin shelves. "Looks as though we were in for a -couple of days here, at least. It wouldn't have been any fun to have to -fish for our suppers in this storm." - -"You would never have survived it, Joe," returned Arthur, "though you did -eat enough at that picnic to last you several days." - -"Well, here's a funny thing," cried Henry Burns, who had been rummaging -about in the cupboard. "The parties who were here before us didn't -believe in starving. And they didn't believe in living on fishermen's -fare, either." And Henry Burns brought forth three empty wine-bottles and -a half-emptied jar of imported preserves. "Here are some tins that -contained turkey and some kinds of game," he added. "The fishermen don't -buy that sort of canned stuff. It must have been a party of yachtsmen -that used this place last." - -"They might have had the fairness to fasten the door after them, whoever -they were," said George Warren. - -"Perhaps the wine accounts for that," said Henry Burns. - -"I'm glad they left us some preserves," said young Joe. - -They slept soundly in the shanty that night, with the wind howling about -their ears and the rain dashing against the single window and beating -like mad upon the roof. Nor did the storm abate the following day, nor -the next night. Not till the third morning did the sunlight welcome them -as they awoke, but then it poured through every chink and crack in the -shanty, as though to make amends for the length of its absence. - -When the woods had dried sufficiently so they could venture abroad, they -set out to hunt for a young spruce that would do for a boom for the -_Spray_. After cutting several and finding they had been deceived in -their length, they finally secured one which would do. Then they brought -up the stub of the boom from the yacht and got the exact measure of the -old one from the sail, which they disentangled from the snarl of rigging, -and spread out. - -"I am afraid Captain Sam would laugh at this spar-making effort of mine," -said George Warren, as he trimmed away at the slender trunk of spruce, -from which he had peeled the bark; "but it will do to take us on our -cruise again. And what's the use of going on a cruise if you don't have -adventures?" - -When he had fashioned the stick as well as his one tool--a hatchet from -the locker of the _Spray_--would admit of, he unscrewed the jaws from the -old boom, fastened them upon the new, and the boom was done. - -Then they set about mending several tears in the mainsail, with a needle -and twine, also from the yacht's locker, and by noon everything was in -readiness for rigging the sail once more. This proved the most difficult -task of all, for they found that it is one thing to know the running -rigging of a sailboat, and another thing to reeve it when it has been -displaced. It was not until the middle of the afternoon that they had the -job completed, and then, as the wind was dying out, they decided it was -useless to attempt to set sail till the following morning. - -In the meantime, Henry Burns, finding that he was of no service in the -work of rigging the yacht, had volunteered to get a mess of fish for -supper. Accordingly he set out, equipped with a short alder pole and line -and a basket, to try for some cunners and small cod off the ledges on the -seaward side of the island. He succeeded in getting a fairly good catch, -and then continued along the shore in search of mussels, as the tide was -several hours ebbed. - -His search brought him at length to the northernmost extremity of the -island, where he sat down on the beach to rest. Then, as he started to -resume his walk, he noticed that the receding tide had left bare a narrow -sand-bar, that connected the island on which the cabins stood and the -adjacent island, so that he could now pass from one to the other almost -dry-shod. - -Fondness for exploring was ever Henry Burns's ruling passion, so he set -out across the sand-bar to the neighbouring island, and was pleased to -find that the mussel-beds were far more plenty there than he had found -them before. This island was not so large as the other Gull Island. It -was not more than a half-mile long and about a quarter of a mile across -in its widest part. It had, however, the same characteristic of the -other, in that its shores were abrupt, and deep water lay all around it. - -There was but one small strip of beach, extending out into mud-flats, -where Henry Burns could gather mussels; but he soon filled his basket -here, and, setting it down in the shade of an overhanging rock, climbed -the ledge that now barred his way, and started to make a circuit of the -island along the edge of its steep banks. - -Henry Burns had a habit of day-dreaming as he walked, unless he happened -to be in search of some particular thing, when he was the most alert of -youths. So, as he walked, his mind was far away just then, back in the -town of Medford, where he pictured to himself familiar objects, and -wondered what was happening there. - -So it happened that he passed a certain tree close by the shore, only -half-noticing that the end of a stout hawser was tied to it, and not -paying any attention to it. When he had gone on a rod or two, it suddenly -struck him that this was an odd thing, as the hawser was new, and so he -went back to look at it. There was a short length of the rope dangling -from where it had been made fast about the tree-trunk, and he noticed -upon examination that the free end had been severed cleanly by the stroke -of a knife. - -"That's odd," said Henry Burns. "Fishermen don't usually waste a good -piece of hawser like that. Some one was extravagant and in a hurry, or -impatient--By Jove! You don't suppose--" - -Henry Burns had lost his preoccupied air in a moment. Following the line -from the rope to the edge of the bank, he scrambled carefully down over -the face of the ledge to the water's edge. - -Henry Burns was not surprised to discover that the rock was smeared all -over with spots of black paint. Moreover, if further evidence were needed -that some one had been at work there, there lay in a niche of the ledge -an empty keg in which paint had been mixed. - -But what elated Henry Burns still more was a discovery he made by a -closer examination of the ledge just under water. There at a depth of -from one to two feet under water were rough, jagged edges of the rock -which had been in contact with some object--an object that had left upon -their surface unmistakable smearings or scrapings of paint which was -white. - -"Hooray!" cried Henry Burns, excitedly, for him. "There it is--the old -and the new. There's where he rubbed against the ledge as he made fast, -and here's the evidence all about on these rocks of his new disguise. And -there, right close to the bank, are the trees to which he fastened his -tackle. If it isn't just as Miles Burton said, to the letter, then -there's no trusting one's eyes." - -Henry Burns lay flat on a shelving bit of rock, with his face close to -the water, and peered down to the bed below. The water was not very -clear, but he could discern distinctly a deep, narrow trench in the hard -sand, which might have been made by the keel of a boat, if the boat had -touched bottom at low water. - -Any one observing Henry Burns at this moment would have been puzzled -indeed. He suddenly sprang up, tore off his jacket and trousers, bared -himself in the quickest possible time, and, poising for one brief moment -on the brink of the water, dived in. He swam to the bottom with two -strokes, clutched at something that lay on the bottom, grasped it in his -right hand, came to the surface, and, drawing himself out on land once -more, stuffed the object into his trousers pocket and scrambled into his -clothing again, as though his life depended on his haste. Then he started -on a run for the sand-bar, crossed it, paused never a moment for his -basket of fish and clams, and dashed back to the shanty as fast as his -legs could carry him. - -It was not constitutional with Henry Burns, however, to continue long in -a state of excitement, and by the time he had regained his companions his -composure had returned. Still, they were familiar enough with him to -perceive that something unusual had happened. - -"What's the matter, Henry?" exclaimed George Warren. "We saw you running -along the beach up there as if somebody was after you. We didn't know but -what you had found another burglar." - -"No," replied Henry Burns, "it was the same one." - -It was their turn now to become excited. - -"You don't mean really----" began George Warren. - -"Yes, I do," interrupted Henry Burns. "Say, do you remember the strange -black yacht that came into the harbour at the foot of Grand Island the -other night, and that was in such a hurry to get out again when it saw -us? Well, that was Chambers, and the yacht was the _Eagle_." - -"Well, but she was black," said George Warren, "and she had no topmast. -The _Eagle_ was white." - -"Yes, but don't you recall what Burton said about Chambers, what a hand -he was for changing a yacht over so she'd look like a different craft? -Well, that's what he has done, and I've found the place where he did it. -There's the white paint back there on the edges of the rocks where the -yacht rubbed alongside, and the rock is all covered with spots of black -paint." - -Henry Burns rapidly recounted what he had discovered, including the end -of hawser made fast to the tree. - -"But that isn't all," exclaimed Henry Burns, triumphantly, as he fished a -hand into his right trousers pocket. "See here, what do you make of this? -I saw it shining down in the water just where the stern of the yacht must -have laid." - -Henry Burns drew forth a glittering object from his pocket and held it up -to their gaze. - -It was a gilt letter "E." - -"'E' for '_Eagle_,'" cried Henry Burns. "This letter got away from him. -It's clear as daylight now. Say, fellows, let's start for Southport early -in the morning. That man Chambers is in the bay. He's up to something, -and we want to get them after him quick." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - THE MAN IN THE BOAT - - -"Fellows," said Jack Harvey, one afternoon, a few days following the -return of the _Spray_ from its cruise, "I have decided to enter that -free-for-all race over at Bellport. I've just heard that Ed Perkins isn't -going to race the _Ella_, after all; and, with her out of the race, we -stand a good show. Let's get the stuff aboard and start while there's a -wind." - -"Who'll stay here and watch the camp?" asked Allan Harding. - -"Well, I guess you'd better, now you speak of it," responded Harvey, -quickly. "There ought to be somebody here, sure. Camps have a way of -disappearing around here, you know, Allan," giving a huge wink as he -spoke. - -"I'd just as lieve stay, all right," returned Allan, a little out of -humour, in spite of his assurance. "But you can't win the race without -me, you know. You always said I was lucky--and there's a good deal of -luck in racing, after all." - -"Well, we'll try to win without luck, that's all," said Harvey. "And, -mind, we depend on you to have the camp still standing here when we get -back. I shouldn't think it would be nice to get back and find one's camp -gone, eh, Allan?" - -"No," replied the other, shortly. - -The crew lost no time in stowing their blankets and camp-kit aboard the -_Surprise_, and, leaving Allan Harding sullenly on guard, they sailed -away for Bellport. - -"Looks as though something was missing thereabouts," chuckled Harvey, as -they sailed past the spot where Tom's and Bob's camp had stood. "Doesn't -it strike you there used to be something there that's gone now?" - -This piece of humour on Harvey's part seemed to tickle the crew vastly, -for they shouted with derision as they sailed by. - -"Guess they must have got tired of camping there," roared Harvey, at -which the others roared the louder. - -Bellport, whither they were bound, lay about four miles down the coast of -the mainland below Mayville. It was not so large a place as Southport, -but was a favourite resort for yachtsmen, as the bay there was free of -islands, and for ten or more miles there was a good sailing course. - -The yacht _Surprise_ did not reach Bellport till late that night, but -Harvey and his crew were up bright and early the next morning, as the -race was to come off at ten o'clock, and they wished to have everything -ready for it. - -"Hulloa, Harvey!" called a voice from a sloop a few rods away, as the -captain of the _Surprise_ came on deck. - -"Hulloa, Jeff!" answered Harvey. - -The speaker was Jeff Hackett, who ran a small sloop from the foot of -Grand Island over to the mainland once a day to carry the mails. - -"Are you in this race, too?" queried Jeff. - -"Rather think I am," responded Harvey. "Think I've got any chance?" - -"Looks to me as though you had," answered the other. "There are only -eight yachts going to start. The others backed out because they didn't -think the handicapping was fair. It's all right, though. You will have to -give us fellows a trifle allowance, by just a rough measurement on the -water-line; but you'll get the same from the _Bertha_ and the _Anna -Maud_. They are the only boats that are bigger than yours. You want to -get measured right away, too, or it will be too late." - -Harvey had soon complied with the requirements of the regatta committee, -as the committee of summer guests chosen to act as judges were pleased to -style themselves, and shortly before the hour for the race the yacht -_Surprise_ sailed out of the harbour at Bellport, and stood off and on -before the starting-line with the others. - -Harvey was in high feather, for, by his own estimate of the situation, he -had a fair chance of winning. He knew most of the boats, either by -reputation, or from having seen them sail, and the others he was able to -judge of in a great measure by their general appearance. - -The prize to be sailed for was a handsome silver cup, for which a -subscription had been taken up among the summer residents of Bellport. - -The _Bertha_, which conceded the greatest time allowance to Harvey's -boat, was a handsome sloop, about four feet longer than the _Surprise_, -and carrying heavy sail. She had never been considered a fast boat of her -size, but, owing to the discrepancy in lengths, had to allow the -_Surprise_ several minutes over the complete course of ten miles. This, -as the _Surprise_ was really fast for her size and rig, would make it -quite an even race. - -The _Bertha_ was under charter by a party of young men from Benton, who -had engaged a sailing-master to pilot her for them during the summer. -This made them an object of contempt in Harvey's eyes, and he wished all -the more to "take the conceit out of them," as he expressed it. - -The _Anna Maud_ was a big catboat, thirty-three feet long, carrying an -enormous mainsail, and reputed to be one of the fastest boats of her size -in the bay. She was owned and sailed by Captain Silas Tucker, a native of -one of the islands at the foot of the western bay, that formed part of -the main thoroughfare leading out to sea. He was generally accorded the -distinction of being the best skipper on this part of the coast. - -All the other boats, except one, were smaller than the _Surprise_. That -one was the Sally, a sloop of exactly the same length as the _Surprise_, -and apparently able to sail about on equal terms with her. - -The starting-signal was to be a gunshot, the gun to be fired five minutes -after a first warning shot. In the interval after the first shot the -yachts could manoeuvre about the starting-line, ready to cross when the -second shot was fired. As soon as the second shot was fired, it was -allowable for a yacht to cross the line, and all yachts were to be timed -one minute after the second gun, whether they had actually crossed the -line or not. So that it was to the advantage of all nine craft to be as -near the starting-line as possible at the signal, and under headway and -also up to windward as far as possible. - -Harvey's boldness stood him in good stead here. And, moreover, he -certainly did know the working of his yacht to a nicety. After the -warning gun had been fired, he made his calculations carefully, allowing -for the tide which was running out to sea. The race was to be five miles -straight out to windward, and a run home, off the wind. The ebb-tide, and -the southerly breeze rolling a sea in to meet it, made an ugly chop, and -the boats thrashed around, throwing the spray clear aboard. - -Just before the second gun the relative positions of the four largest -yachts were as follows: farthest up to windward was the _Surprise_; abeam -of her, and a short distance to leeward, was the _Bertha_; then the _Anna -Maud_, and then the _Sally_. The _Sally_, like the Surprise, had an -amateur skipper, a youth of about Harvey's age. - -The _Sally_ was a new boat, not long out of the shipyard, in fact. She -was perhaps the prettiest craft there. Her hull was beautifully modelled, -with a graceful overhang, bow and stern; her sails snow-white, and mast -and spars were glistening. She steered with a wheel of ornamental -mahogany and brass, and here and there about her cabin and furnishings -brass and mahogany had been used, regardless of expense. - -"Willie Grimes has us all beat for beauty," remarked Harvey, as they -neared the line, "but that boat is too new for racing; that is, he's too -scared for fear something will happen to her. Most everybody is that way. -I used to be scared of the _Surprise_ all the time for fear something -would knock a bit of paint off somewhere. It takes about a year to get -over that. He handles her as though he was afraid something was going to -break. Just watch me take advantage of that." - -Harvey had seen that the _Anna Maud_ and the _Bertha_ would cross the -line a moment ahead of him, but he did not mind that so much, thinking -his time allowance would give him more than a good chance for the race, -anyway. He had selected the _Sally_ for his particular antagonist, and -now prepared to get what advantage he could from the start. - -Easing his sheet a trifle, he headed off the wind somewhat, allowing the -two larger yachts to sail almost directly across his bows. Rushing out -just astern of them, and heading diagonally for the starting-line, under -full headway, Harvey bore down on the _Sally_, as though he meant -deliberately to run her down. - -If young Willie Grimes had not been so taken by surprise and so alarmed -at this move of Harvey's, he would have perceived that the manoeuvre was -only done to try his nerve; he would have realized that as good a sailor -as Harvey would not deliberately foul another yacht, when that must lose -him the race, as well as the boat he fouled. - -But Harvey had reckoned on the other's apprehension for his new boat, and -the move was successful. Just at the point where a moment more would have -sent his boom crashing aboard the other yacht as he headed up into the -wind, Harvey threw his yacht quickly about, Joe Hinman hauled in rapidly -on the main-sheet, Tim Reardon trimmed in the jibs, and away went the -_Surprise_ over the line, footing after the two other boats as fast as -full sail would carry her. - -At that same moment Willie Grimes, fearful of a collision, threw the -_Sally_ completely off the wind, so that when he had recovered his nerve -and realized that he had been imposed upon, he was so far below the boat -that marked the limit of the starting-line that he had to make another -tack to reach it. Before this, the last gun had been fired to mark the -taking of the time, and the luckless _Sally_ crossed the line with one -full minute counting against her. - -The youth's face burned with indignation, and he had hard work to keep -the tears from springing to his eyes. - -"Bye-bye, Willie," sang out Harvey, looking back and waving his cap -derisively. "Better courage next time. You don't want to mind a little -paint, you know." - -But the other had regained his spirits and paid no heed. "That's what -yachtsmen call 'jockeying,' I guess," he said, quietly, to his two -companions in the boat. "It's within the rules, so I suppose we cannot -complain. That's like Harvey, from all I hear. He might have given us a -fair show, though, as he knows this is my first summer running a boat by -myself. Perhaps we won't be far astern of him at the finish, at that." - -"You did that slick, Jack," said Joe Hinman, admiringly. "We stand a good -chance of winning this race, I think, with the allowance we get." - -"Didn't he scoot, though, when he saw us coming?" laughed Harvey. -"Thought his new boat was wrecked that time, sure. I've seen that trick -played in big yacht races, but I never saw it work better than it did -to-day, if I do say it." - -The yachts were now strung out in line along the course, tacking back and -forth, and making for a small naphtha launch anchored down the bay at the -five-mile mark. They made a picturesque sight, laying well over under all -their canvas and throwing the water high over their bows. - -It was soon evident that the _Bertha_, take it all in all, was the best -boat for working up to windward in rough water and a good breeze. The -_Anna Maud_ was a very broad, beamy boat, and had a marvellous reputation -for running free, but now she seemed to feel the waves more than the -_Bertha_, pounding heavily and drenching every one aboard. - -The _Bertha_ took the seas cleaner and headed up higher. She was -evidently gaining slowly but steadily. Moreover, although she carried an -enormous club-topsail and a mainsail of big area, she heeled over the -least of any of the boats. She had been built for heavy weather, and this -was exactly the breeze she sailed best in. - -The _Surprise_ and _Sally_ were, however, holding their own remarkably -well, and it would not be clear for some time which would come out the -winner. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Jack Harvey, suddenly, in a tone of evident surprise. -"What on earth--or, rather, on water--is Cap'n Silas doing? Look where he -is standing. I've been looking for the last few minutes to see him tack, -but there he keeps on away off toward shore." - -The _Anna Maud_ had, strange to say, gone way off the course, apparently -heading well over to the westward. - -"Why, Jack, don't you know," said Joe Hinman, "how we've noticed the tide -over along that shore? It makes a swing in there and runs like a -mill-sluice. Don't you remember one night how we tried to row against it, -and what a time we had?" - -"That's true," responded Jack Harvey, "and Cap'n Sile Tucker is clever -enough to take advantage of it. He knows more about sailing in one minute -than that captain of the _Bertha_ does in a week. But there must be -something more in it than the tide alone. I'll tell you, the wind is -changing. It's heading more and more from the westward, and Captain Sile -will get the full benefit of the slant when he gets down about a mile -further. He knows what he's doing. We'll just head over and follow him." - -"Seems to me it's taking long chances to go so much off the course," -remarked George Baker. - -"Of course it is taking chances," responded Harvey, quickly. "You have -got to take chances in a contest of this kind. The fellows that take the -chances are the ones that win. But it isn't taking any great chances, -following Cap'n Tucker. I tell you he knows these waters better than any -man in the bay. He wouldn't go over there unless he knew he was going to -make something by it. Why, he has sailed that big catboat of his up and -down along this coast for the last twenty years and more, that and other -boats. The skipper in the _Bertha_ comes from away up beyond Millville. -He can sail his boat all right, but he don't know this coast like Captain -Sile." - -Harvey, accordingly, stood over to the westward, in the wake of the _Anna -Maud_. - -Only one other boat followed him. That was the _Sally_. - -"I don't know what they are standing away over there for," said Willie -Grimes to his companions. "I don't know whether it is the best thing to -do or not. It may be that they know something about the tide over there. -But I know one thing, and that is, wherever Jack Harvey goes I'm going to -follow. I wouldn't care if every other yacht here beat me if I could only -beat him. You never can tell, you know. Something may happen to him yet." - -The wisdom of Captain Silas Tucker's departure from the straight course -soon became apparent. The tide, indeed, at this point made a sweep -inshore, for some reason, flowing far swifter in near the land than it -did offshore. Again, too, the wind had slanted a little, and the yachts -that had taken this course were soon in a better position relative to the -stake-boat than the others. - -Slowly the _Anna Maud_ drew ahead of the _Bertha_, the captain of the -latter boat realizing the advantage which the others were gaining too -late to change his own course. As they neared the mark, even the -_Surprise_ and the _Sally_ were leading the _Bertha_, which now seemed to -be hopelessly out of the race. - -The race, indeed, seemed narrowed down to these three yachts, with a -slight advantage in the _Anna Maud's_ favour. - -"Hooray!" cried Harvey, "we are holding the _Anna Maud_ in fine style. -She's gaining ever so little, not enough thus far to cover our time -allowance. They say she is fast off the wind, but so are we. That's the -best point of the _Surprise_. She sails better running free than any boat -of her size I ever saw." - -"Cracky!" cried young Tim, "I hope we take that silver cup back to camp -with us. We'll march through the streets with it, if we get it." - -"Yes, if we get it," replied Harvey. "It don't do to be too sure, -though." - -Now the _Anna Maud_ was rounding the stake-boat and coming back over the -course, not quite before the wind, owing to the slant to the westward -that it had taken, but with her sheet well out. - -"The wind is in our favour," said Harvey, gleefully. "There's just enough -slant to it so our jibs will help us some. They will draw a little, and -that gives us an advantage over that catboat. Let that sheet go, now, -Joe, the minute we turn the mark." - -A moment later the _Surprise_ rounded the stake-boat, with a good lead -over the _Sally_, and still near enough astern of the _Anna Maud_ to give -her a good race. - -"Up with that centreboard, now, George--lively," cried Harvey. "It's a -big board, and we don't want to drag it a minute longer than we have to. -It counts a whole lot with this tide running against it. What's the -matter? What are you waiting for? Up with it!" - -"Why, hang the thing!" exclaimed George Baker, "I'm trying to get it up -as hard as ever I can. It won't come. It's stuck." - -"What's that?" cried Harvey. "Stuck? Nonsense! Here, you, Joe, hold this -wheel a moment. I'll have it up in a hurry." - -He sprang forward, brushing George Baker out of the way impatiently. - -"Let me get hold there," he said. - -Harvey seized the iron rod, which was fastened to the centreboard, and -gave a strong pull. But the centreboard did not budge. He took a firmer -hold and pulled with all his strength. It was of no avail. The board had -stuck fast in its box. - -"I'll have it up or break something," cried Harvey, beside himself with -anger, and again he grasped the rod with both hands and gave a furious -wrench. There was a most unexpected and baffling verification of his -threat, for the rod, broken off short at its connection with the -centreboard, did come up, so suddenly that Harvey sprawled over -backwards, still grasping the rod with both hands clenched, and rolled -over on the floor of the cockpit. - -There was no such thing as getting the centreboard up now. It was down to -stay. - -Harvey, white with rage, sprang to his feet and hurled the rod into the -sea. Then he took his seat sullenly at the wheel again. - -"That settles it," he said, as soon as he could speak for anger. "We -haven't a ghost of a chance now. I shouldn't wonder, even, if the _Sally_ -overhauled us." And he looked back helplessly at the yacht astern. - -Slowly but surely the _Anna Maud_ forged ahead. The distance between her -and the _Surprise_ grew ever farther and farther. - -"That's queer," said Captain Silas Tucker, looking back at Harvey's -yacht. "I thought she was going to give us a harder run home than that. -I've heard the boat was good off the wind, but she doesn't seem to be -doing well. It's first prize for us this trip, and easily won. Well, your -Uncle Silas hasn't sailed around these parts all his life for nothing." - -Slowly but surely, too, the _Sally_ was creeping up close astern of the -_Surprise_, to the wild delight of Willie Grimes and his comrades. - -"If I can only beat Jack Harvey," he kept saying, "I don't care about the -other yacht's beating us." - -"If Willie Grimes beats us, I'll run him down and sink him some day," -muttered Harvey, grinding his teeth. - -It was still a close race between these two as the finish-line was -neared. The _Sally_ had crept up until she was almost abeam of the -_Surprise_, and was gaining, ever so slowly, but surely. Harvey, dogged -to the last, waited until the _Sally_ was nearly abreast of him, and -then, as a last resort, tried once more to bully the race from his less -experienced rival. - -Throwing his wheel over slightly, he tried the tactic of crowding the -other off the course. - -But Willie Grimes was bound to win or sink this time. He kept his own -boat off just enough to avoid the possibility of Harvey's fouling him, -maintaining the same relative distance between them, and all the while -drawing ahead. - -The judges, watching the close finish through their glasses, perceived -this trick of Harvey's, and were ready to disqualify him in case of any -accident. But their determination was unnecessary. Less than a dozen rods -from the finish-line the _Sally_ had sailed clear of the _Surprise_, and -now cut in on to the course, leaving Harvey astern, and crossed the line -a rod to the good. - -Then, as a storm of cheers rang out from the assembled boats, as a -fluttering of handkerchiefs and waving of parasols, a tossing of hats and -shrieking of whistles, saluted the victory of Willie Grimes over him, -Harvey did not deign to cross the line. Angrily he swung out of the -course, and stood over, without a word, for the town of Bellport. - -"Takes his licking hard, doesn't he, Willie?" called out a voice, and a -chorus of laughter mocked at Harvey's wrath as he sailed away. - -The _Anna Maud_ had won the race, but the honours were as much for the -_Sally_ as for the winner. They took substantial form, moreover, for, one -of the committee, vowing the _Sally_ should have a second prize, if he -had to buy one himself, as there had not been any offered, the suggestion -met with a ready response; and the owner and crew of the _Sally_ rejoiced -that night in the unexpected award of a handsome compass for their cabin. - -"Now," said Harvey, as the _Surprise_ neared the landing at Bellport, "I -want to get out of this town just as quick as I step foot in it. I don't -intend to stay here and have those chaps and those girls laugh at me. -They've got altogether too good a chance. You fellows have got to stay -here and take the _Surprise_ up to Billy Coombs's marine railway. She'll -have to be hauled out for a day and the ballast come out of her around -that centreboard box. Tell him to put a new iron in, and you can pay for -it, Joe, and I'll pay you when you come back to camp." - -"But where are you going?" asked the others. - -"I am going to foot it down the road for seven miles to Hackett's Cove, -and wait for Jeff Hackett to come down," answered Harvey. "Then I'll go -across to the foot of the island with him in his sloop. I'd walk farther -than that to get clear of the crowd that will be ashore here soon; but, -for that matter, I want to get back to the island to-night, anyway. -There's a dance in the old town hall at Carter's Harbour, and I'll get -there in time for that." - -"He's all cut up over Willie Grimes's beating him," said Joe Hinman, as -Harvey sprang out on the landing and walked rapidly away. "He won't get -over it for a week. Well, we shall have to catch it for him when the -boats come in. However, we didn't sail the boat. That's one comfort." - -Late that afternoon, Jack Harvey, hot and dusty with his long walk, -waited impatiently, seated on a pile of timber by the shore, for the -arrival of Jeff Hackett's sloop. Five o'clock came, and then six, and no -sloop in sight. Harvey strolled up to the village store and bought some -crackers and cheese for his supper. - -"So you're waiting for Jeff Hackett's sloop to take you across to the -island, are you?" said the storekeeper. "Well, you'll wait till morning -now, I reckon. Wish I'd known you wanted to go over sooner. You see, Jeff -engaged Tom Crosby to make his trip this afternoon for him, and he's been -gone an hour now. You must have seen Tom's boat off there." - -"I did," replied Harvey, shortly, "but I had no idea he was going across. -What can I do, now?" - -"Nothing that I see," said the storekeeper, "except to take it -comfortable here to-night, and go over with Jeff in the morning." - -Harvey strode angrily out and walked down to the shore again. - -A rod or two out a fisherman was rowing in a small boat. - -"Here, you, where are you going?" sang out Harvey. - -The man looked up, surprised, but did not answer. - -"I say, there, where are you going? Can't you hear?" cried Harvey, -roughly. - -The man stopped rowing. "What's that to you?" he answered. - -Harvey laughed. "You've got me there," he said. "I didn't mean to be -rude--but I've been disappointed. I didn't know but you might be going to -row across to the island, and I thought perhaps you might like to earn a -dollar. I'll help row, too, if you like. I want to go, the worst way." - -The man hesitated for a moment, started as though he were going to row -away, and then paused again. - -"Where do you belong?" he asked. - -"Over on the island," said Harvey. "I'm camping there." - -"What's that?" said the man, putting his hand to his ear. "Say it again." - -"I'm camping out over on the island," repeated Harvey. - -The man looked stealthily in at him from under his eyebrows. "Camping -there!" he muttered to himself, and began backing water slowly with his -oars. - -"I'll take you across for--for a dollar," he said. - -"Good!" cried Harvey. "Come on, lively, then. It's a good five miles, and -I'm in a hurry to get across." - -The man, however, was in no hurry. He came in slowly, as though perhaps -he might still be considering the matter, whether he should take this -passenger aboard or not. He worked the boat inshore, finally, and Harvey -sprang aboard. - -"You are going to help row," said the man. - -"Yes," answered Harvey. "Didn't I say I would?" He took his seat toward -the stern of the boat, where there were rowlocks for an extra pair of -oars. - -The man at the bow oars was a thick, heavy-set, middle-aged man, burned -dark by sun and wind. He was roughly dressed in ill-fitting clothes, that -looked as though they might have come from the dunnage-bag of a fisherman -who had been long at sea. They were patched in one or two places with -cloth that did not match the original garments. He wore a red, -cheap-looking handkerchief tied loosely about his neck, and a rough beard -of several weeks' growth heightened the effect of his swarthy complexion. - -They rowed for some time in silence, making good headway, for the wind -had gone down with the sun, and the man in the bow pulled a powerful -stroke, making even the sturdy efforts of Jack Harvey seem like child's -play. - -The sun sank behind the hills and the shadows deepened across the water, -fading out at length into the darkness that settled over all the bay. A -few lights glimmered out from the shore of the island, some three miles -distant, and the stars appeared in the sky. - -"Lucky I fell in with you, just as I did," said Harvey, as he slowed up -his stroke. "Lucky for both of us, I take it. I should have been stuck -there all night if I hadn't met you; and I don't suppose you mind picking -up a dollar, as long as you were going this way." - -"No," said the man, though there was a queer expression on his face. "I -don't mind,--and the fishing isn't any too good these days." - -"Got a smack, have you?" inquired Harvey. - -"No," answered the other. "I don't own any boat myself. But I sail with a -man as owns his own boat, and I come in for a fair share of the fish." - -"Where does she lie?" asked Harvey. - -The man waited a moment before answering. "She's down among the islands -somewhere," he said, finally. "She'll be in for me to-night or to-morrow. -I've been visiting some relations of mine back of Bellport a few miles. -So you're a summer visitor at the island, are you?" - -"Yes," replied Harvey, "I spend my summers there." - -"Pretty quiet place, isn't it?" said the man. - -"Mostly," returned Harvey, "but not so quiet this year. We've had some -exciting times there." - -"Yes?" said the man. "How's that?" - -He had slowed up, himself, in his rowing now. And if by chance the -conversation had turned whither he had intended it should, there was no -way that Harvey should know of that, for his back was toward the man and -he could not see his face. - -"Why," continued Harvey, "they caught the men that stole the Curtis -diamonds over there; that is, they got two of them. A third one escaped. -He was the worst of the three, they say." - -The man in the bow had paused in his rowing. - -"The worst one got away, did he?" said he. - -"He did," said Harvey. "It seemed one of them had the diamonds hidden in -a house that every one thought was haunted. He was stopping at the hotel -as a regular guest. And no one suspected him but Henry Burns. Then, when -his confederates came, the detectives were lying in wait for them in the -cellar. They nearly beat the detectives, though, at that. For they -smashed the lanterns out--that is, one of them did, and made a run for -it. The other one was hurt." - -"Did he die?" asked the man, quickly. - -"No," replied Harvey. "He's all right, waiting trial along with the other -one. We got him, too, just as he was nearly down to shore, where the -other man was waiting to take him off in a boat. The third man escaped in -his yacht. We only captured two." - -The man in the bow had drawn his oars in, now, so that they rested along -the side of the boat. His hands worked nervously together, and he -half-rose in his seat. - -"Who's 'we'?" he asked, huskily. "Who did it--did you have a hand in it?" - -If, by chance, this moment was a crisis in the life of Jack Harvey, and -if, by chance, he was in greater danger at this moment than he had ever -been before in all his life, there was no shadow of it across his mind. -He answered with a laugh: - -"No, not I. No such luck. If there's anything like that going on, I'm -sure to miss it. No, 'twas the other camp and a crowd I have no liking -for that did it all, that got all the glory and all the fun and the -money, too. The reward, I mean. I'd rather have been there at the -capture, though, than get the money for it. And I don't know why, but I -felt rather sorry for the two chaps that got caught, bad as they were." - -A good speech for you, Jack Harvey, if you did but know it! - -"So you missed all the fun, did you?" said the man, quietly. "That was -too bad; too bad." - -He had put his oars into the water once more now, and resumed his rowing. -He did not pause to rest again, but pulled long and steadily. Evidently -he did not care to row and talk too, for he lapsed into silence now, and -Harvey could not draw him into conversation again. At the end of another -hour they had come close to the Grand Island shore, and shortly they had -pulled alongside a ledge, where Harvey could jump out. The man started to -row away. - -"Here, hold on, there," cried Harvey. "Don't you want your dollar? You've -earned it, fair enough." - -The man came slowly back to shore. - -"Indeed," he said, as he stretched out his hand, "I ought not to forget -that, with the fishing as bad as it is." And then he added, quietly, as -he started to row away again, "And it's worth a dollar to you to get -here, isn't it?" - -"Indeed it is," replied Harvey. - -"Indeed it is," said the man to himself. - -Then he rowed down the shore for about a mile farther, turned into a -sheltered cove, rowed his boat alongside a black sloop that lay moored -there, climbed aboard, dragged the boat aboard, and waited for an hour or -so, till a faint breeze stole across the water. Then he hoisted sail on -the sloop and drifted slowly out of the cove; drifted slowly away from -the island, and was swallowed up in the night. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - GOOD FOR EVIL - - -The yacht _Spray_, arriving home again in the harbour of Southport, two -days following the discovery made by Henry Burns, had created somewhat of -a sensation: first, because, on account of the storm, there had been felt -considerable alarm for the little boat, and, second, because of the story -that the boys had to tell. - -The finding of the letter "E" confirmed their story, so that there could -be no room for doubt that the yacht _Eagle_ had been secreted there in -the Thoroughfare and refitted. The question now was, had the man who had -done this left the bay and gone on his voyage, or had he chosen, for some -purpose or other, to linger in some part of the great bay till a later -time. - -Henry Burns now told the story of the man they had seen at the foot of -Grand Island, how he had sailed in and out of the harbour so -mysteriously, how he seemed to avoid them, and how there had apparently -been none other than he aboard the black yacht. - -Most of the people of the village were inclined to the belief that the -man Chambers had gone out to sea as soon as he had altered his yacht so -that it would escape detection in such harbours as he would be obliged to -make. There was no possible reason why he should return, they said, and -every reason in the world why he should get away from that part of the -coast as soon as he could. - -There were plenty of black yachts, they argued, that would answer the -general description of the yacht seen by the boys at the foot of the -island; and, as for sailing out and away in the night, that was a thing -commonly done among fishermen, to take advantage of wind and tide when it -was important that they should reach a certain port on time. - -Still, there were one or two yachts that set out cruising about the bay, -on the chance of running into the mysterious craft, and they cruised -about for a week or more. Every strange sail that looked as though it -might belong to a yacht of the size of the _Eagle_ was pursued, until it -had either outsailed the pursuers and disappeared, or until a nearer view -had proven that it was not the hunted craft. - -By the end of two weeks the village was well satisfied that Chambers and -the yacht _Eagle_ were far away, and had ceased to think of him, except -as a group gathered of an evening about the village grocery-store and -talked of that for lack of something better. - -In the meantime, when the excitement was at its height, the Warren boys -in their yacht, and Tom and Bob in their canoe, took a hand in the -search. Even Henry Burns took an occasional spin on his bicycle down to -the foot of the island of an evening, and wandered along the shore in the -hope of catching a glimpse once more of the sail he had seen that night -in the harbour. Just what he expected to do in case he should see it, he -did not know, himself; still, it might be that he could spread the alarm -and start some of the boats out after any suspicious craft that he saw. - -For the time being it was in all the air. Nobody talked of anything else. -It was really more because people dearly love a mystery than that they -actually believed the _Eagle_ was still in the bay; but the talk sufficed -to keep the boys at fever-heat, and Henry Burns firmly believed that he -had seen the _Eagle_ that night. - -Tom and Bob were indefatigable for ten days in searching on their own -account. They would take their canoe in the afternoon, paddle down five -or six miles along the shore of the island, land in some lonely spot, -haul the canoe on shore, and then continue along on foot for a mile or -two, coming up cautiously to some cove with which they had become -familiar in their trips through the summer, only to find it empty of -sails, or some fishing-boat lying snug for the night, and which could by -no means be mistaken for the craft of which they were in search. - -Again, they would paddle down to the Narrows, carry the canoe over into -the western bay, leave it hidden until sundown, and then go down along -the shore on that side of the island, repeating their walk along the -shore. Some days they left the canoe hidden for the night away down the -island, and came back to the village afoot along the road, going after it -afoot the next night, and retracing their search of the night before, -thus varying the search in a dozen different ways. - -But the result was always the same. It seemed this time as though the -_Eagle_, if it had, indeed, ever lingered in the bay, had gone for good. -What might have been the result if those who sailed in search of the -mysterious craft had known that the description they now had of her was -at fault, can never be known. Be that as it might, the exact yacht that -Henry Burns and his friends had seen down at the foot of the island no -longer existed. In its place there sailed--somewhere, on some waters--a -handsome, black yacht, with a tall, slender, glistening topmast, white -sails, and gleaming brass, in place of the dingy, dirty fisherman. She -was as fine and handsome, and as polished as to deck and fittings, as the -_Eagle_ had been of yore, only her colour remained as it had been -changed--black. - -Was this boat the _Eagle_? Those who sailed the bay in quest of her had -no means of knowing, for if they ever did get sight of her it was but a -far, fleeting, shadowy glance. They never came within miles of her, this -fleet, beautiful, and disappearing yacht. Across her stern in letters of -gold was the name _Sprite_. It may have been most appropriate, for now -and then a distant view of her tempted some bay craft to follow; but it -was like a dog pursuing a bird on the wing. She always drifted on and on, -out of reach, and disappeared. - -Since the night when the man that rowed Jack Harvey across the bay had -climbed aboard this yacht and sailed southward, the yacht had never -ventured near Grand Island, nor within miles and miles of it. If the man -Chambers had any plan which he meant to execute, it did not suit his -purpose to attempt it at this time. He had, perhaps, achieved all he -desired now, in familiarizing himself with the waters of this coast. - -Of all those who joined in the search for the strange yacht, there was -none more enthusiastic nor persistent than Jack Harvey. No sooner had his -own yacht been brought back from Bellport by the crew, than he stocked up -with a week's provisions and began cruising day and night. To be sure, it -was a most uncertain chase, but Harvey was willing to take chances that -others would not; and if he should by mistake intercept some respectable -craft for a few brief moments, he would rely on his assurance to carry -him through and explain matters. - -Harvey had, moreover, a critical eye for a good boat, and had noted the -_Eagle_, when it had been in the harbour, with more than passing -interest, and was certain now that he should know her again, even with a -change of rig. Besides, he had the description furnished by Henry Burns -and the other boys of the yacht they had seen, which corresponded in size -with the _Eagle_. - -He had never been so aroused about anything before in all his life. The -adventure that Henry Burns and the others had had with the two men that -had been caught was an experience after his own heart. He would have -given his whole summer's fun to take part in that capture. But all the -glory of that had been denied him; now he made a resolve that if any one -succeeded in finding the vanished yacht it should be he. - -His activity was not destined to go all for naught, either, for on at -least one occasion he was satisfied in his own mind that he had met with -the yacht,--yes, and nearly come to close quarters with the man that -sailed it. - -It was miles below Grand Island, for Harvey had for some days made up his -mind that the man he sought had left the bay, since he had scoured it -east and west and north and south in vain. It was down among some islands -that lay out of the much travelled part of the bay, and not far from the -Gull Island Thoroughfare. It was, in fact, just at the outer rim of the -bay, where several channels through a chain of islands led out to sea. -There were three of the crew aboard besides Harvey, only little Tim being -left ashore to guard the camp. - -They had been cruising all evening among these islands, for it was a part -of the coast with which Harvey was very familiar. They were carrying no -lights, for the chances of being run down here were small, and, besides, -it was a part of Harvey's plan to be able to approach any chance craft -unobserved. - -It had come on rainy, and the crew were for putting in at some harbour -and lying snug, but Harvey would not hear of it. He had sailed until near -midnight for about a week, and did not like to give it up. - -However, as a concession to his crew, and as it bade fair to blow up a -nasty sea before many hours, Harvey had consented to beat back and forth -under the lee of a small unnamed island, keeping a lookout down the bay -for the little distance they could see through the rain. - -It seemed that some other craft was also willing to take the risk of -sailing without lights, for, along about ten o'clock, a yacht, that might -or might not be the one for which they sought, was beating up toward the -island, with all dark on board. All at once the man that sat at the wheel -left his boat for a moment to itself, so that it headed up into the wind -with sails flapping, while he darted down into the cabin. - -He was gone only for a moment, but in that brief moment that he was below -a light flashed in the cabin,--only a fleeting gleam of light, and then -all was dark again. - -This gleam of light, transient as it was, had sufficed, however, for the -sharp lookout aboard the _Surprise_. - -Harvey seized Joe Hinman by the shoulder and whispered, as he steered the -_Surprise_ out from behind the end of the island: "Did you see that, Joe? -Did you see it? There's something coming up. Everybody keep quiet now!" - -There was an excited group that crouched silently in the cockpit of the -_Surprise_ as she swung out from under the lee of the island and headed -straight for the spot where they had seen the flash of light, running -almost before the wind. - -Whatever the craft was, it seemed as if they must surely catch it, -leaping out as they had from the darkness. All at once they saw the dark -outline of a yacht almost dead ahead, and saw for a moment the shadow of -its sails, a faint blur through the rain. - -Then the yacht veered about suddenly, and they saw the white crush of -water as it heeled over, and, running with the wind on its quarter, was -gone, like a boat that had vanished. So sudden and so silent was the -manoeuvre that they could hardly realize that the yacht had, indeed, -turned like a flash and run away. They followed for a moment, but, seeing -how useless it was, Harvey soon gave up the chase and went back to -harbour, beaten but not discouraged. - -"That was the man we want," he said, as they came to in the nearest -harbour that night. "No other craft would have gone off its course that -way. And to think we were almost upon him." - -"Yes, but I don't see what good it would have done us to have come up -with him, if it was the man," replied Allan Harding. "We could only have -taken a look aboard. What else could we have done?" - -"I'll tell you what," answered Harvey, emphatically. "It would have done -a lot of good. I tell you that wherever and whenever I meet that yacht, -whether it's night or day, I'm going to run alongside, and you fellows -and I are going aboard. I've been doing things to be ashamed of long -enough,--not that I'm ashamed of them, either, as I know of. Only they -have been things that I didn't dare tell of afterward, and I'm sort of -tired of it. I tell you, I want to do something for once that I can boast -of and that people won't hate me for. That's why I'm so anxious about -this, if you must know it." - -"Whew!" cried Joe Hinman. "That's something new for you, Jack. I didn't -suppose your conscience ever troubled you." - -"It don't," said Harvey, angrily. - -But perhaps it did. - -By the end of a few days more, Harvey had given up the search, convinced -that they had seen the last of the black yacht, if, indeed, they had seen -it at all. - -"I give up," he said. "I'm beaten, and that's all there is to it." - -And so the idea of ever seeing the strange yacht again was given up by -all. The yachts came back to harbour, and the impression became general -that they had all been fooled; that what they had sought was a delusion. - -Tom and Bob were the last to give up. Partly because they liked these -long paddles together and the long walks along the island roads, and -partly because they had helped start the renewed hunt for the yacht -_Eagle_, and did not like to admit that they had made a mistake. - -So they did not wholly discontinue their evening paddles nor their lonely -rambles along the shore. It was good exercise, at all events, they -argued. - -One evening they started right after supper, while it was yet light, -paddled down along the shore to the Narrows, carried across, and paddled -down the island for some three miles. Then they landed and hid their -canoe, as was their custom, and stretched themselves out on the beach to -rest and enjoy the lights far out on the water. - -It was a clear starlight night, with the bay still and restful, save for -a quick gust of wind that came now and then, only to blur its surface for -a moment and leave it smooth again. - -"I guess we have tried this thing about often enough, haven't we, Bob?" -asked Tom, finally. "We don't seem to be a success as man-hunters." - -"I'm about ready to quit," answered Bob, yawning and stretching. "The -fact is, we really get enough exercise through the day. Here we've been -swimming, bicycling, helping the Warrens get up driftwood, paddled over -to the cape, all in one day,--and here we are at it again at night. Yes, -I think it's time we gave this up." - -"Then supposing we do call it off," said Tom. "I've had paddling enough -for one day. What do you say to going up along the beach for a mile or -two, and then taking the shortest cut home and coming down for the canoe -to-morrow? I think I'm kind of tired, myself, though I didn't notice it -when we started out." - -"All right, that suits me," replied Bob. "I don't mind saying that I'm a -bit tired, too. That last mile came hard, and no mistake." - -So they rose and sauntered along the beach toward the Narrows, till they -had come to within about half a mile of it, and then sat down once more -for a brief rest before going home. - -"It seems almost too bad to go home to bed such a beautiful night as -this," said Bob. "These are the kind of nights that make me wish we had -the old tent back again, so we could lie on our bunks and look out on the -water, as we used to do before we went to sleep." - -The night was indeed singularly calm and peaceful. The bay was still, and -the water as it came up the beach with the tide made only a small -rustling, creeping sound, as it covered the sand inch by inch. As for the -island, it always seemed asleep after nightfall, and to-night there was -scarcely a sound of life anywhere to break the stillness. - -But then, all at once, as they sat there looking out upon the water, out -of the silence there arose a cry, faint and smothered, but a cry for -help. - -Then all was still again. - -They sprang to their feet, startled, almost frightened for a brief moment -at the strange cry, coming from they knew not where. - -Again the cry came, this time more distinctly, from somewhere out on the -water. They heard the words, "Help! Help!" uttered in a choking voice, as -of a man drowning. - -The boys rushed down to the water's edge and peered out over the bay, -straining their eyes to see whence the sound came. - -"Hulloa! Hulloa! Where are you? What's the matter? Call again!" cried -Tom. - -They listened, and in a moment the voice came again weirdly over the -water, though they could not distinguish this time the words. - -"Why, there it is," cried Bob, all at once, pointing as he spoke. "Don't -you see it, Tom? I declare, but it's queer we didn't see it before. Look, -there's something floating only about an eighth of a mile out,--and -there's something moving a little distance from it. Why, Tom, I'll tell -you what it is. It's a canoe--it's Jack Harvey--and he's upset--he's -drowning. Just look, where I am pointing." - -"Yes, I see," exclaimed Tom, excitedly. "I just saw a splash. He's upset, -sure enough, and struggling. I say, Bob, we've got to swim out. Our canoe -is too far. Keep up! We're coming!" he called, and began hurriedly to -strip off his clothing. - -In a moment the two boys were in the water, striking out wildly toward -the object that seemed to be a canoe floating in the water. - -"Hold on there, Bob," cried Tom, presently. "We mustn't try to be too -fast. We'll only waste our strength. We'll need it all when we get there. -Let's calm down, now, and not get excited. We've got to keep our heads." - -Then, as they surged ahead, with long, powerful strokes, the voice again -came, calling chokingly for help. There could be no mistaking it now. It -was Jack Harvey. - -"Quick!" he cried, "quick! I can't hold on long. I'm hurt." - -They quickened their strokes, and in a moment more came in plain sight of -Harvey, struggling feebly to keep above water. - -"Hold on for a moment, Jack," said Tom, as they came up to him. "Don't -grab us, now. Let us do the work. You just keep on paddling, what you -can, and we'll save you." - -"I won't grab you," gasped Harvey. "Just get on each side of me and let -me put my hands on your shoulders for a moment, till I get my strength -back. I've swallowed a lot of water." - -The two swam up close, and Harvey reached up and rested a hand on each -shoulder. - -"Swim for the canoe now," said Tom. "We'll let him get hold of the end of -that and cling on for a few moments till he gets his breath. He'll be all -right, I think." - -Reaching the overturned canoe, they helped him to clasp one end of it, -and then supported him there, as they began to push it toward shore by -swimming with their feet and with a single hand each. - -For a few moments Harvey managed to hold on, but then his strength seemed -to fail him and his hands slipped their hold. - -"I can't hold on," he gasped. "Something's hurting me." - -"Then lie over on your back and float," said Tom. "Just lie still and -we'll swim you in." - -Harvey groaned at the effort it cost him, but did as he was told, and -they left the canoe and struck out with him for the shore. - -It was not such a long swim that they had before them, but they had -exhausted their strength more than they knew in their excitement, and -Harvey was well-nigh helpless. - -Before they had swum a rod farther, their breath began to come hard and -their shoulders ached until it seemed as though they would crack. - -Still they kept on. - -"We'll make it all right, Tom?" said Bob, finally, panting the words out. - -"We've got to," said Tom. "We're bound to do it. Let's swim on our backs -for a spell. Jack, we're going to change the stroke. Don't get scared. -We're going to stick by you." - -The words seemed to rouse Harvey, who had apparently almost lost -consciousness. - -"Let me go," he gasped, faintly. "Let me go, I say. I don't want you -fellows to drown, too. Let me----" - -And then he seemed suddenly to lose control of himself, and clutched -frantically at them, with the frenzy of a drowning man. - -They struck themselves loose from him, and he sank under water, but came -to the surface again, exhausted and helpless. Tom seized him then by the -hair. He lay motionless, as though dead, and they took hold once more and -struck out again for the shore. - -When they had reached it--they scarcely knew how--and felt the sand again -under their feet, they had barely strength enough to drag Harvey a little -ways out of the water, and lay by his side on the beach, groaning with -every breath they drew. - -This was from sheer exhaustion, caused by exerting themselves far beyond -their natural strength. They were not strangled with swallowing water, so -that after they had lain there flat on the beach for some five minutes -they had regained their strength sufficiently to be able to arise and -lift the half-unconscious Harvey completely out of the water and carry -him up on the bank. Then they sat down and rested once more, sitting by -Harvey's side and chafing his hands. They lifted him up, although the -effort cost them all their strength, held him head downwards for a moment -to get the water out of him, then doubled his arms upon his breast and -extended them, over and over again, alternately, as they had learned was -the way to restore a man rescued from drowning. - -Harvey, who had never fully lost consciousness, revived under their -treatment, till at length they perceived that he was out of danger, and -needed now as quickly as possible warmth and shelter. - -There was no house near by, and it was clear that whatever was done for -Harvey must be done by them. - -"We can't carry him, that's certain," said Bob, finally. "We've got to -get our canoe and paddle him up as far as the Narrows in that. Then we -can get his crew over, and we can all carry him up to their camp." - -So Bob set out on a weary trot down along the shore to where they had -hidden their canoe. Tom waited by Harvey, trying to keep him warm, or, -rather, to restore warmth to him, by rubbing; but Harvey was chilled -through and through and shivered pitifully. It was fully an hour, and -seemed ten to Tom, before Bob appeared in sight again. - -They lifted Harvey into the canoe and set out for the Narrows. Poor Bob -was well-nigh exhausted, and it was Tom who did about all the paddling. -They reached the Narrows, however, after what seemed an endless journey, -driving their paddles through the water with arms that almost refused to -obey the wills that forced them to work. - -When they had reached the Narrows, Tom set out for Harvey's camp, leaving -Bob to wait with Harvey. Tom had not gone more than half a mile, however, -when he ran into the entire crew, who had become alarmed at Harvey's long -absence, knowing that he had gone out in the canoe, and had started out -in search of him. - -Tom's white face, pallid with weariness, filled them with terror, as he -rushed up to them and sank down on a knoll, breathless. - -"Why, it's Tom Harris," exclaimed Joe Hinman. "For Heaven's sake, what is -it? Did you see Jack? Is he drowned?" - -He rattled off the questions excitedly, before Tom could find breath to -answer. - -"He's all right, I guess," Tom said, in a moment. "He isn't drowned. He's -over there the other side of the Narrows; Bob's with him. He is most dead -with cold, though. You better get him over to camp quick or he will die." - -They were off like mad, on the run for the Narrows, before he had -finished. - -Tom waited to rest a few moments more, and then set off slowly for -Harvey's camp. "There's enough of them to bring him," he said. "I guess -Bob and I have done about all we can to-night." - -When he had reached Harvey's camp, however, he waited only to rest and -warm himself by the brands of a fire which the campers had left, before -he began to make what preparations he could to receive the boys when they -should return with Harvey. - -There was a big pile of wood at hand, and he started the fire up afresh, -after having first pushed the brands nearer the tent, so that the fire -would send a comforting warmth inside. Then he brought out a pair of -blankets and put them near the fire to warm through. He hung a kettle of -water on the stick provided for it, and rummaged through the campers' -stock for the coffee. - -Presently the sound of voices told him that the crew were at hand. -Stepping to the door of the tent, he saw the strange group approaching. -They had not taken Harvey from the canoe, but had let him lie there, -while they lifted the canoe and carried it along, two boys at either end, -bearing the weight with a stick stretched underneath to support it. -Alongside plodded Bob, holding to the gunwale, to assist in steadying it. -They approached and set the canoe down, just outside the tent door. - -"Get his clothes off quick, now," cried Tom. "I have the hot blankets -ready to wrap him in, and some coffee when he is able to take it." - -In a twinkling Harvey was stripped and rolled snugly in the blankets, -while Tom busied himself in rushing up with cloths heated hot, and -applying them to the soles of his feet. After a time he lifted Harvey up -and poured a few spoonfuls of the coffee down his throat. This seemed to -revive Harvey, for he opened his eyes, muttered something that was -unintelligible, and sank back to sleep. - -"He's all right now," said Tom, passing his hand over Harvey. "He is -getting warm again. He'll be all right now when he gets his sleep out." - -Tom and Bob were thoroughly tired. They lay stretched out before the fire -on blankets for a time, too weary to more than barely reply to the -questions of the crew as to the mishap that had befallen Harvey. - -Presently Tom rose up and said: "Well, Bob, it's late, and we've got to -be getting started or we'll never get back to the cottage." - -"We shall be down again to-morrow to see how Harvey is," he added, -turning to the crew, who sat a little apart, somewhat abashed by the turn -of affairs and the consciousness of the debt of gratitude they now owed -to the boys whom they had wronged. "We'll send a doctor down if you want -us to, but I don't think there's any need of it. He'll be all right by -morning. Good night." - -They were about taking their departure when Harvey struggled for a moment -with the clothing that enveloped him, lifted his head slightly from the -ground, and said, weakly, "Hold on." - -"What is it?" asked Tom, as they stepped inside the tent again and sat -down beside him. - -"Don't go," said Harvey, huskily. "Please don't go. I want you to stay -here to-night,--that is, if you will. I've--I've got something--something -to say to you in the morning. I can't say it now. I'm too weak. But I -want the crew to hear it in the morning." - -Tom and Bob looked at each other in astonishment. Then they nodded, and -Tom replied to Harvey: - -"All right, Jack. We'll stay. Go to sleep now. You're all right." - -The crew quickly spread some boughs for them, and brought more blankets -from the yacht. - -"Tom," said Bob, as they stood alone for a moment, while the crew were -busily engaged, "it looks like our revenge." - -And then, before they had the blankets half-wrapped about them, they were -sinking off to sleep,--to sleep in Harvey's camp, alongside Harvey's -crew. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - A TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP - - -It was late the following morning when Tom and Bob awoke. The sun was -well up, and the light was streaming into the tent. Their eyes opened on -unfamiliar objects and on strange surroundings. - -"It gave me the strangest feeling," said Tom, telling Henry Burns about -it some time later. "At first, before I was fully awake, I had forgotten -where I was, and I thought I was back in our own tent upon the point. -Then it flashed over me that that was gone, and the next moment I -remembered that I was down there in Harvey's camp, and you can't imagine -what a queer feeling it gave me." - -Harvey and the crew had already arisen, and Tom and Bob could hear the -crackling of a fire outside, where they were preparing breakfast. Harvey -had awakened apparently as strong as ever, unharmed by his terrible -experience of the night before. - -"Hello, Bob," said Tom, as they looked across the tent at each other. "Do -you know where you are? Isn't this a queer scrape? I wonder what will -come of it." - -"Hello," answered Bob, yawning and stretching. "Oh, but how I did sleep. -I feel as though I had slept about a week. I never was so tired in my -life. Say, this is queer, isn't it? Who'd ever have thought we would be -sleeping here, of all places." - -They arose and stepped outside. - -The crew paused in their work and looked up, while Harvey advanced to -meet his guests. - -"Hello," he said. "We thought we'd let you have your sleep out. You must -have been played out." - -"Hello," answered Tom and Bob. "We thought you were far worse off than -we," continued Bob, "but you seem to have come out of it all right." - -Harvey had by this time come up to them. He paused, hesitatingly, for a -moment, while his face flushed. Then he put out his hand. - -"Will you shake hands with me?" he asked. - -Tom and Bob, for answer, extended each his right hand and grasped that of -Harvey. - -"Thank you," said Harvey, simply. "I don't deserve it, I know." - -There may have been the faintest suspicion of moisture about his eyes. - -"Come over here," he said, and led the way to a big log that lay near the -fire, close by where the crew now stood. "I want to say something to you, -and so do the fellows, too." - -There was an embarrassing moment as Tom and Bob seated themselves on the -log, while the crew stood awkwardly by. They seemed uncertain what to do -or say to these brave young fellows, whom they now knew had risked their -lives to save their leader. With boy-like reticence, they were too -ashamed to speak. Harvey broke the silence. - -"The fellows and I don't know hardly what to say to you," he said. "The -crew want to tell you how ashamed we all are for the way we have treated -you, and they want to thank you for what you did for me; but they can't -begin to tell what they feel,--and no more can I,--but they want me to -speak for them, too, as I've been their captain in all we've done, as -well as aboard the yacht. - -"They know what you did for me," continued Harvey. "I told them the whole -story this morning. There never was anything braver than what you did, -and they all know it now as well as I do. They know you were as near -drowning as I was, at the last, and you wouldn't give up and let me go, -but stuck to me till the end, and couldn't have saved your own lives if -there had been another rod to go. - -"I wouldn't be here now, if it wasn't for you--" - -"Well, you would have done the same for us, and so would the crew," said -Tom, eager to spare the other's mortification as much as possible, and -feeling his heart kindling toward his late enemy. - -"I don't know whether I should or not," replied Harvey. "I don't think -I'm so much of a coward, even if I _have_ been doing things that look -that way. But that doesn't make our position any the better. It isn't -what we would have done for you in the same danger that counts. It's what -we have been doing to you ever since you landed on the island that makes -our case so bad." - -"I tell you," Harvey exclaimed, vehemently, as he arose from the log, -"we've been a lot of fools and we've been thinking all the time that we -were smart. It just came to me like a flash, as I thought I was going -down out there, all the mean things I've been doing and what a fool I've -been. I knew it all the time, too, I guess, only I didn't care. But you -fellows have just brought it home to us hard, and we are going to try to -square things up all that we can. - -"Now, first," continued Harvey, taking a long breath and speaking -earnestly, "we're sorry we stole that box of yours from off the wharf. We -knew it was yours all the time, too, though I said we didn't. Of course -we couldn't help knowing. We don't blame you, either, for blowing up the -cave--" - -"We didn't intend really to blow it up," interrupted Tom. "That was my -idea, to burn up some of the stuff, just to get even, and we were nearly -scared to death when the explosion came off. We thought you were all -killed." - -"Well, I believe you now," said Harvey, "although I didn't before. I can -see just how it happened, too. The fact is, we had some powder and -kerosene there, hidden away. That's what caused it. Well, anyway, we -don't blame you for setting the fire, and we shouldn't blame you now, if -you had meant to blow up the cave, too. We deserved it." - -"We're sorry it happened, anyway," said Bob. - -"Now," added Harvey, "there's another thing, and that's the tent. Of -course you knew we took it, although you couldn't prove it. You hadn't -any doubt about it, had you?" - -"Well," replied Tom, "we did kind of think so, although we couldn't be -sure." - -"Of course you thought so," said Harvey, "because nobody else would have -done it. However, you are going to get the tent back all right." - -"Hooray!" cried Bob. - -"You're not half so glad as I am," exclaimed Harvey. "You bet I'm glad we -didn't harm it. It's safe and sound, and you wouldn't guess where it is -in a hundred years. It's up in the old haunted house, stuffed away in the -garret, under the eaves. We didn't dare keep it and we didn't want to -destroy it. In fact, we had decided to put it back on the point some day, -after we had kept it as long as we wanted to." - -"We'll set it up again this afternoon," cried Tom. - -"No, you won't," answered Harvey, quickly. "We're going to do that for -you, that is, if you will let us. We want to put it up in as good shape -as it was before. We'll feel better about it then, eh, fellows?" - -"That's right," responded Joe Hinman. And the others nodded assent. - -"Now, one thing more," said Harvey. "You saw what we had in the cave. -There were some things that belonged to Spencer, and one of the first -things I do to-day will be to go up there and settle up with him. Then -I'll feel as though I was ready to start fair again. - -"And now if you fellows will sit down and have some breakfast with us, -then we'll sail up right after it and get the tent and have it up for you -just as quick as we can. We can't do it any too quick to suit us." - -So Tom and Bob seated themselves with their new-found friends. George -Baker, who had the fry-pan all heated and a big dish of batter mixed, -proceeded to fry a mess of flapjacks, while Joe Hinman poured the coffee. -All the old enmity had vanished in a night, and they laughed and joked as -they sat about the campfire like friends of long standing. - -Then, when they had finished, and had shaken hands once more all around, -and Tom and Bob had departed for the Warren cottage to explain their -strange absence, and to acquaint the Warrens with the new turn of -affairs, Harvey and his crew got sail on the _Surprise_ and headed up -alongshore for the haunted house. - -"There," cried George Warren, as the boys appeared in sight a little -later, "didn't I tell you, mother, not to worry about Tom and Bob? You -ought to know them by this time. They know how to take care of -themselves." - -"Well, the next time you go off for all night," exclaimed Mrs. Warren, a -little impatiently for her, "I wish you would let me know about it -beforehand. I don't like to have to worry about you, and I can't help it -if you start off in that canoe and don't come back." - -"I don't blame you for not liking it," replied Tom, "and we'll try not do -it again. But we really couldn't help this. We met with an adventure." - -"What, you didn't see the _Eagle_, did you?" cried George Warren. - -"No, you're wide of the mark," laughed Tom. "We've given up that hunt for -good. No, we had a different sort of an adventure altogether. Where do -you suppose we slept last night?" - -"With Henry Burns," said young Joe. - -"No." - -"Down on the beach?" said Arthur. - -"No." - -"Give it up," said George. - -"Well, you wouldn't guess in a hundred times trying," said Tom, "so I'll -tell you. It was in Jack Harvey's camp." - -"Harvey's camp!" exclaimed the three brothers, in chorus. - -"Yes, sir, Harvey's camp." - -"I didn't know they were off on a cruise," said George. "Oh, I see, -you've been getting even, have you? And how about the camp? Is it still -there? What have you done with that?" - -"It's still down there," laughed Tom. "We didn't do anything to it at -all. In fact, the crew were all there, and Harvey, too. We stayed there -because they invited us. And, what's more, we have just had breakfast -with them all." - -The Warrens stared at Tom in amazement. - -"Had breakfast with Harvey and his crew! Oh, say, you fellows, quit -fooling now, and tell us where you have been." - -"Well," said Tom, "listen and we'll tell you the whole story. We've been -having our revenge." - -And Tom related the story of the night's adventures. - -Good Mrs. Warren fairly hugged them with delight when they had concluded. - -"That's just splendid," she cried. "That's a splendid revenge. That's the -kind that counts for most. But I want to hear Jack Harvey tell the story -now. I know you haven't told half about the rescue. I want to hear him -tell how brave you were." - -"He'll exaggerate it," said Bob. "He's our friend, you know, now." - -"Well, I'm glad enough you are all friends," exclaimed Mrs. Warren. "You -must go and tell Henry Burns." - -When Jack Harvey and his crew had returned from the haunted house, and -had anchored off the point and had brought the tent ashore, they found -assembled there to greet them the entire group of comrades, the Warren -boys, Henry Burns, and Tom and Bob. - -There was a general hand-shaking all around, and then they all set to -work to pitch the tent. It didn't take long to do it, either, for Tom and -Bob had saved the poles that had supported the canvas, and there were -hands enough to jump at every rope and bring it taut into place. And -everybody went at it in such good spirit, and everybody was so pleased -and so willing to lend a hand, that the tent was up in its old place -again almost as quick as it had come down. - -Then they rushed off in high spirits to the Warren cottage for the -camp-kit and the boxes and the blankets and all the camp equipment, and -packed it down on their shoulders as fast as they had ever done anything -in all their lives. - -And Mrs. Warren did hear the story of the rescue from Jack Harvey's own -lips, and was prouder than ever of her boys' friends, Tom and Bob. - -Then, when everything was shipshape, and Harvey and his crew were about -to take their departure, he said: "We want all you fellows to come down -to-morrow evening and take supper with us, the whole of you. You see, -I've just got my allowance from the governor, and he's mighty generous to -me, more than I deserve. It comes in just at the right time. You'll be -sure and come, all of you?" - -"We'll be there," answered Henry Burns. - -"Indeed we will," said young Joe. - -"And remember Joe counts for two when it comes to the supper-table," said -George. - -"We'll have enough," said Harvey. - -"We'll go along with you to your camp," said Tom, "and get our canoe. -That is, unless you'd like to use it awhile," he added, slyly. - -"Not much," replied Harvey, with a laugh. "I've had enough canoeing to -last me for a few days. But I'm glad I took that paddle, though, for all -the narrow escape I had. It was the best accident I ever had in all my -life." - -"Canoeing isn't always as easy as it looks," said Bob, as they walked -along. "By the way, we haven't even asked you how you came to upset. It's -because we have had so much else to talk about and think about." - -"Why," said Harvey, "there isn't much to tell. I don't hardly know how it -happened, myself. I went to change my position in the canoe, as I was -cramped with kneeling in one position so long. I suppose I lost my -balance a little, but I was overboard so quick I don't know, myself, just -how it did happen. I must have wrenched myself as I went over, for the -minute I tried to swim I felt a pain in my side." - -"That's the way with a canoe," said Tom. "It doesn't always tip over. -Moreover it just slides out from under one, without even capsizing at -all. That's usually when one is kneeling or sitting up on a thwart, and -the centre of gravity is high in it. When one is low down in a canoe it -is rare an accident ever happens. We never have had a bad spill in -several years of canoeing, except when we got caught in the storm this -summer, and that was because a paddle broke." - -They had now reached the camp, and Tom and Bob launched their canoe and -paddled away. They did not return to their own camp, however, but headed -down the island. When they had reached the Narrows they carried across -into the other bay, and then started down along the shore at a good clip. -They were in search of Harvey's canoe. - -Several miles down they found it, lodged gently on a projecting ledge. It -was uninjured, beyond a little scraping of paint from the canvas, and -they took it in tow and returned to the Narrows. They carried both canoes -across, and then, when they had paddled up toward Harvey's camp a way, -they took his canoe up on shore and left it. - -That night, when Harvey's camp was asleep, they paddled down quietly, got -the canoe, and towed it out to the yacht _Surprise_. They lifted it -aboard and left it there, for Harvey to find in the morning. - -"There's just as much fun in that kind of a joke, after all, if one only -looks at it that way," said Tom, as they paddled home to bed. - -"My! but it seems good to be back in the old tent once more, eh, Tom?" -exclaimed Bob, as they turned in. - -"Good? Good's no name for it," returned his chum. "The Warren cottage is -fine, but I like to hear those waves creeping up on the beach as though -they were coming clear into the tent. It just puts me to sleep." - -The next moment bore truth to this assertion. - -The next afternoon, as the sun was just sinking down through the trees -beyond Harvey's camp, a band of six boys marched along the shore and -through the woods, singing as they went. If they had not known every inch -of the way as they did know it, a beacon-light on the shore would have -guided them. - -All afternoon Harvey and his crew had worked, making preparations to -receive them. They had gathered wood, lugged water, brought stuff down -from the village, brought in the lantern from the yacht to aid in the -illumination, and had, indeed, laid themselves out to do honour to their -guests. - -Harvey extended a hand to welcome them, one by one, as they came up. - -"That was a fine joke you played on us last night," he said, warmly, as -Tom and Bob appeared. "If you fellows keep piling it on, you'll have me -buried under a debt of gratitude that I never can attempt to pay." - -"Looks as though you had made a good start at it," said Bob, pointing to -one of the benches, where a huge supply of food lay heaped. - -"Well," replied Harvey, "just watch Joe now. He's going to give us a -treat. If any one knows how to broil a chicken over the coals, it's Joe." - -Joe, thus distinguished, had raked over a bed of glowing coals, the -product of a heap of ship's timbers, nearly consumed, and was preparing -to lay out the aforesaid chickens, split for broiling, upon a big wire -broiler. - -"There's half a dozen of them," said Harvey, "and they're the best that -the island affords. You needn't be afraid--we didn't confiscate them, -either. We're all done with that sort of thing." - -"Don't they smell good!" said young Joe, gleefully. - -Soon they had a great dish of the chickens on the table, flanked by a -heaping plate of potatoes, baked in ashes, a pot or two of jelly, several -loaves of bread, and coffee that filled the woods with fragrance. - -Then they fell to and ate like wolves. If young Joe had any the best of -it, it was hard to see,--and nobody cared, anyway, for every one did his -level best. - -And then, when they had eaten, they sat and sang, roaring away at the top -of their lungs, for it was a fair place for noise and no one to be -disturbed; only the fish-hawks high in their nests and the seals away out -on the ledges to wonder at the unusual disturbance. Then, as the fire -blazed, they told stories of fishing, of hunting, of the search for the -strange yacht, and a hundred other things, more than ever fascinating, -heard under the stars, in the shadow of the woods, in the sight and sound -of the sea, by the firelight. - -It was a night long to be remembered, although as yet they did not dream -of those events soon to happen, which would be far more memorable, and of -which this evening by the camp-fire was but the beginning. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - THE FIRE - - -It was nearly midnight when the boys came over the hill, and the -half-moon was just sinking out of sight. They strolled down past the -hotel, whistling a college tune in chorus. The hotel stood out, a big, -black, indefinite object in the enveloping darkness, for the lights had -been out for nearly two hours, and the guests were supposed to be all -abed. - -"Hulloa!" exclaimed Henry Burns, pointing to a faint gleam that shone -from a basement window. "John Carr has forgotten to put out his lamps in -the billiard-room. Old Witham will give him fits when he finds them -burning in the morning. Wait a moment, and I'll just slip in through this -window and put them out for him. If the colonel should find them, just as -likely as not he would discharge John for wasting five cents' worth of -oil." - -So saying, Henry Burns, with the best of intentions, shoved up the sash -and crawled into the billiard-room in the basement. - -The boys stood around the window, waiting for him to return, but one and -all thrust their heads into the open window as Henry Burns suddenly gave -a whistle of surprise. - -"Say, fellows," he called, turning the lights up stronger instead of -extinguishing them. "Look what John Carr's done. He's left all the balls -and cues out, instead of locking them up. Wouldn't the colonel be -furious? I'll tell you what we'll do. Old Witham always drives us out of -the billiard-room, so we'll just stop and play one game now and I'll make -it all right with John Carr. He wouldn't care, and he will be glad enough -to have things put to rights, so Witham won't find them out in the -morning." - -George Warren, as the eldest of the brothers, demurred at first. "We've -been up to enough pranks this summer," he said, "and we don't want to get -into any more trouble." - -"But we're not going to do any harm," persisted Henry Burns. "We'll only -play one game, just for the lark of playing at this time of night, and to -get ahead of old Witham; and then we'll put everything away shipshape and -put out the lights, and no harm done." - -It did not take much argument to influence them; and in a moment they -were all inside, each equipped with a cue, and engaged in the forbidden -game. The time passed faster than they knew, and one o'clock found them -there still. - -But, late as it was, a most unusual hour for any Southport dweller to be -astir and abroad, there were at least three individuals who were not abed -and asleep; and with these three we shall have to do in turn. - -It so happened on this morning that Squire Brackett had important -business that took him across to Cape Revere, on the mainland; and, as no -steamer was due to run across till afternoon, and he must be there in the -morning, he had arranged to sail over, taking advantage of the ebb-tide, -which served strongest shortly after midnight. He was sleepy and surly as -he came down the road, but paused a moment in his haste as he caught the -gleam of light and heard the sound of subdued voices from the half-opened -basement window. - -Squire Brackett stole up softly and peered inside. - -"Aha!" he exclaimed, under his breath. "So that's the way the young -rascals treat Colonel Witham, is it? I'll just see about that in the -morning. I fancy Colonel Witham will have something to say about this -breaking and entering. I'd call him down now and trap them at their game, -if it wasn't that I'd lose a tide and a twenty-dollar bargain by it." - -And the squire tiptoed craftily away, chuckling maliciously to himself at -the thought of how he would aid in punishing the boys on the morrow. - -The second man of the three who were to figure in the night's adventure -had set out some two hours ago from afar down the island on the obscure -western side. If any of the boys had seen him rowing in from a yacht -anchored just off shore, had seen him land on the beach and drag his boat -well up on it with supreme strength, and had seen him set off through the -fields and along the strips of beaches of the coves, if any of the boys -had seen all this and had looked carefully into his forbidding face, with -its malign, evil expression, it is probable that that boy might and would -have seen a striking resemblance to that same individual whom he had seen -in flight on a certain evening, and have wondered and feared what -business could bring him back to the scene of former danger at this hour. - -Not being seen by them, nor by anybody else, the man slunk along, now -running, as a clear stretch of field opened up before him, now thrusting -his way through clumps of alders, now skirting the shore of some little -inlet. - -At length he struck fairly across the island, directly toward the very -town from which, a few weeks ago, he had made so hurried an exit. Coming -finally in view of the hotel, he squatted down in the grass and surveyed -the prospect long and carefully before approaching nearer. - -Squire Brackett, going on down to the hotel, would not have been so much -at ease had he felt the presence of this evil figure, crouching within a -few feet of him as he went by, and following stealthily in his footsteps, -pausing as he paused, and watching him wonderingly as he peered into the -window at the boys. - -Now, as the squire went on his way, the man, himself, crawled up to the -window and cast a quick glance within. - -What he saw clearly startled him, for he had expected to find the hotel -in utter darkness. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then quickly drew -away from the window. - -"So much the better," he muttered. "They won't stop me, and if only some -one has seen them there they'll get the blame." - -Stealing around to the second window distant from where the light came, -the man took a short piece of iron from a coat pocket and proceeded to -pry the window open. Its flimsy lock broke easily under the pressure, and -he sprang inside. He may have known where he should find himself, for in -the darkness he appeared at home. It was the hotel's storeroom, and was -crowded with a litter of boxes and barrels; loose straw lay in profusion, -and a barrel or two of oil stood in one corner. - -It was scarce a moment from the time the man had entered till he sprang -out again. But now his manner was altered. No longer proceeding with -caution, he started on a run for the fields whence he had come, holding -his arms hard to his sides as he ran. - -Up the long slope of the hill he dashed, breathing hard, rather, it would -seem, from some deep excitement than from the exertion. So he went on -without interruption for nearly a mile. Had he seemed less beset by some -fear that drove him recklessly on, and been more mindful of his road, he -might have avoided the third person who was abroad this night, and who -now suddenly loomed large in it. - -Plunging desperately along through the rough pasture, following an -uncertain path as it wound in and among clumps of cedars and alders, the -man all at once ran full tilt into another man, or, rather, a large, -heavy-set youth, and, clutching at each other, they both fell sprawling -upon the ground. - -"Hulloa!" exclaimed Jack Harvey, for he it was, "you seem in a confounded -hurry, my friend, and that's something new on this island, I'll be bound. -Why don't you--" but, as they scrambled up together, Jack Harvey -grumbling, but inclined to treat the incident as a rough joke, the man -lunged out heavily at him with his fist and struck him full in the face. - -Jack Harvey was no coward. He clinched with the man, and they reeled for -a moment in a fierce embrace. But the man had muscles of iron, and, -nerved to desperation, more than matched Harvey. Presently he threw the -youth to the ground, and as Harvey struggled to his feet again he dealt -him a blow between the eyes that stretched him flat, and for a moment -stunned him. - -Before Harvey had regained his feet and collected his senses, the man was -off, running harder now than ever. - -When Harvey finally stood upright, his first impulse was to set out in -pursuit of his mysterious adversary. On second thought he paused a moment -to consider the matter. - -Who could the stranger be, and where could he be going? There was one -thing Jack Harvey did know. He knew every living soul on all the island, -man and boy, and this man was not of them. There was not a fisherman -along this part of the coast with whom Harvey had not cast a line or -raced with his yacht, the _Surprise_. He had looked the man fair in the -face twice in their struggle, and thought for the moment that he had -never seen him before. - -He had come from some other island, or the mainland, then, and, as was -evident, he was in desperate haste to return. He must, then, have a boat, -presumably a sailboat, waiting for him, and that boat must be moored -somewhere along the western shore of the island. The man's haste and fear -of being delayed argued that he had been up to some bad business, -"Thieving at the hotel, perhaps," said Harvey. - -And then Harvey, knowing every bush and tree and nook and corner, and -every rock and cove on all the shores of the island, ran over quickly in -his mind the inlets along the coast, to pick out the most likely spot he -knew of where a man might choose to moor his yacht and steal ashore; and -the proof of his accurate knowledge was that the mental picture he drew -of the place was that very cove toward which the stranger was now -travelling, and where there lay snugly at anchor the strange yacht. - -With this clearly in mind, Jack Harvey resolved to follow in pursuit, -although the man had now some ten minutes the start. Harvey had the -advantage, however, that, whereas the man knew only the general direction -he must take, to Harvey every inch of the way was as familiar as the -ground around his own camp. For instance, he knew, when the way led -through Captain Coombs's grove of woods, that through the centre, the -most direct way, it was boggy and hard travelling, and that one could -save from one to three minutes by skirting along the end nearest the -town, and going through there in a smoothly travelled path. - -Again, and most profitable of all, there was full five minutes to be -gained by swimming the narrow opening of Gull Cove, instead of following -the line of the shore in the way it spread out in the shape of a huge -pear. At the point which the stem of the pear would represent, the -passage from the bay into the cove, it was only a matter of two rods -wide. - -Jack Harvey did not even stop to remove his trousers, blue blouse, and -tennis shoes, but plunged in and swam across. - -What he had gained by this was soon apparent, for, as he ascended the top -of a low bank on the farther shore, he saw running along the beach, not -many rods distant, the man whom he was pursuing. - -Now the chase had become simplified and was easy for the rest of the way. -There could be no doubt of the man's destination. Jack Harvey, covering -himself with rock and tree, made no effort to come up with him, but took -his time in following, knowing where he should ultimately find him. - -Presently Harvey left the shore, ascended the bank to a roadway which led -down the island, followed it for a few rods, cut across a narrow strip of -field, seated himself deliberately upon a gnarled tree-trunk, and looked -out upon a tiny inlet that was just discernible through the bushes. - -There, of a certainty, lay a pretty sloop at anchor, and presently there -came to Harvey's ears the creaking of the halyards and of the ropes in -the blocks as the mainsail fluttered up. - -"He's in a tearing rush to get away, sure enough," muttered Harvey. "Now -he is getting up the anchor, and slatting it up in lively style, too. But -he is a stronger man than I am, there's no mistake about that," and -Harvey felt of two lumps on his head that bore witness to the man's -violence. - -"If I only had Joe Hinman and Allan Harding here now he wouldn't sail -away so easily. But that's neither here nor there. I'll know that elegant -hull, however, and I'll know that slick-setting suit of sails anywhere in -all this bay, and I'll get even with him yet. The _Surprise_ couldn't -catch that boat in a race in a hundred years, but I'll catch him napping -somewhere between here and Portland, or I have sailed this bay for -nothing." - -The yacht, its sails filling to the light morning airs, sailed slowly out -from its place of hiding and faded away into the darkness. - -Jack Harvey, waiting a moment longer to rest, started off on an easy -jog-trot back to camp. "For," said he to himself, "the _Surprise_ must up -anchor and after that fellow before daylight. We'll catch him first, and -then find out what he has been up to. Perhaps he is another-- - -"Why, by Jove!" exclaimed Harvey, suddenly, "what a fool I am! How could -I ever have forgotten for a moment where I saw that face once before? The -man in the rowboat! Whoop! And that yacht is the _Eagle_, as sure as my -name is Harvey. And that man is Chambers. And to think I came across the -bay with him, alone at night!" - -The cold drops of perspiration stood out on Harvey's forehead at the very -thought of it. - -Over hills and through woods ran Harvey, his arms pressed close to his -sides and his head down. He had gone about a mile in this way when, upon -emerging from a dense clump of bushes and ascending at the same time a -little hill, he paused to survey the prospect ahead. - -The sight that met his eyes astounded him. Up against the black morning -sky there streamed a broad flaring of red, irregular and uncertain. Now -it streamed up in a widely diffused glare. Again it darted up in a series -of sharp streaks of red. - -"Heavens!" cried Harvey. "It's the hotel and it's all on fire! Now I know -it's Chambers, for certain. Now I know why he struck me down. Now I know -what we'll hunt him for and what we'll catch him for." - -Harvey, redoubling his speed, raced for his camp. - -While this strange chase of Harvey after the man had been going on, even -more exciting things had been happening at the hotel. - -Shortly before the time the man had run into Harvey in the pasture and -knocked him down, the boys had finished an absorbing game of billiards, -had put cues and balls carefully away, extinguished the lights, and left -the hotel. - -They were in high spirits at their harmless adventure, as they walked a -short distance together, and then separated. - -"I think I'll go along with you," said Henry Burns to Tom and Bob, "if -you'll give me that spare blanket to put down on the floor." And the boys -locked arms with him in answer, as they said good night to the Warrens. -They were soon inside the tent, and, too weary to undress, threw -themselves down with their clothes on to sleep. - -But scarcely had they closed their eyes when the sound of persons running -hard roused them, and they recognized the voices of the Warren boys, -calling to them in excited tones. - -The next moment the tent was burst open, and George and Joe Warren thrust -their heads inside. - -"Get up! Get up, boys, quick!" they cried, and Arthur, appearing the next -instant, added his voice to the others. "Hurry!" they screamed. "The -hotel's afire and the flames are pouring out of the basement windows. -We've got to give the alarm, and there's no time to be lost." - -Tom and Bob and Henry Burns groaned in anguish; but the three sprang up -and darted out of the door. - -"Could we have done it? Oh, how could it have happened?" moaned Bob, as -his teeth fairly chattered with excitement. - -"I don't see how," answered Arthur Warren. "I put the lights out myself, -and we didn't light a match in all the time we were there." - -"Never mind," said Henry Burns. "We've got to give the alarm. We've got -to see that everybody gets out, and let the rest take care of itself." - -And they started on the run for the hotel. The fire was already plain to -be seen, for the flames were gaining the most rapid headway, and a dense -cloud of smoke mixed with flame poured out of the basement windows. - -They rushed madly up the hotel steps, found the doors locked, smashed in -one of the big front windows opening into the parlour, and one and all -crawled inside, screaming "Fire!" at the top of their lungs. - -Almost the first person they encountered was Colonel Witham, rushing down -the front stairs to the office, his red face looking apoplectic with -excitement. - -"What's this?" he yelled, as he came down-stairs two steps at a time. -"Some more of your practical joking, I'll be bound." But then, as he -breathed a choking cloud of smoke that by this time had begun to pour in -from the direction of the parlour, he changed his tone. - -"Good for you, boys!" he cried. "I guess you've saved us this time. -Scatter through the halls now, quick. You can do it quicker than I can. -We mustn't let any one burn to death." - -The colonel was, indeed, out of breath and nearly helpless, and could be -of little assistance. - -The boys needed no urging. They ran from one end of the long halls to the -other, up-stairs and down, pounding on every door and startling the -inmates of the rooms from sleep. - -The guests, rushing out on each floor into darkened halls, and smelling -the all-pervading smoke, were ready to jump from windows in panic; but -the boys ran quickly among them, explained just where the fire was, just -what the particular danger was, and guided them all to escape. - -Thanks to them, not a life was lost, although there were several narrow -escapes. Once when the guests had assembled and a count was taken to see -that no one was missing, some one exclaimed: "Well, where's Mrs. Newcome? -Has any one seen her?" - -Then there was a rush and a scurrying for the second floor, but the -guests were met on the stairs by Joe Warren and Tom Harris, carrying the -little old lady in their arms. They had knocked at her door and had -received no response, and so, hurling themselves at the flimsy door, had -burst it in, and found her on the floor in a dead faint. - -"Perhaps this will kind of square accounts with the poor old lady," said -Joe Warren, as they laid her gently down at a safe distance from the -fire. "She used to complain that we made more noise than a band of wild -Indians, and were always disturbing her afternoon naps, but I guess she -won't complain of our disturbing this nap." Then the boys left her in the -care of the guests, and hurried back to the fire. - -The fire had gained rapid headway, and there was no hope of saving the -new part of the hotel, at least. The old-fashioned town fire-engine came -rattling up in charge of Captain Sam, but, though the guests and -villagers and the boys all took turns at the pumps, the machine could do -little more than throw a feeble stream up as high as the base of the -second-story windows. The water-supply of the hotel, which was pumped by -a windmill at a distance, was of more avail, but it was helpless against -the headway that the flames had gained. - -Soon the whole front end of the hotel collapsed, sending up a fierce -cloud of smoke, ashes, and sparks. - -"Lucky we're not in there now," exclaimed one of the guests. "By the way, -has anybody stopped to think that we should all probably have been burned -to death if it hadn't been for these boys that we've been complaining of -all summer? Guess we'll owe them a vote of thanks, at least, when this is -over." - -"We can't be too thankful that everybody's saved," said another. - -"That all may be," growled Colonel Witham, "but I can't see so much to be -thankful for in watching a twenty-five thousand dollar hotel burn to -pieces, and I've got the lease of it--" But his sentence was interrupted -by a piercing wail that came from the scene of the fire, and, following -the sound of the noise, one and all looked up in time to see a large, -handsome tiger cat leap from a window from which smoke was pouring to a -narrow ledge which was as yet untouched by the flames. There it crouched, -crying with fear. - -"Oh, it's poor Jerry! It's my poor Jerry!" cried a thin, piping voice, -and old Mrs. Newcome, roused from her faint, came forward, trembling and -waving her hands helplessly. "Oh, can't somebody save him?" she cried. -"He knows more than lots of these boys. Why don't somebody do something?" - -"Can't erzactly see as anybody's goin' ter risk his life for a fool cat," -muttered one of the villagers. "There ain't no ladder'll reach up there. -Guess Jerry's a goner, and lucky it ain't a baby." - -Waving her hands wildly and moaning, Jerry's old mistress was a pathetic -sight, as Henry Burns went up and spoke to her. - -"I'm afraid I can't do much," he said, "but I'll try. You just wait here, -and don't take on so. I know some things about climbing around this hotel -that the others don't." And he gave a quiet smile. Then he suddenly -darted across to the old hotel, and, before any one could stop him, -disappeared up the stairs. Wholly unmindful of the fact that a human -being was risking his life for that of a dumb animal, old Mrs. Newcome -took fresh hope and screamed shrilly, in words intended to encourage the -terrified Jerry. - -All at once the crowd of guests and villagers saw a boy's slight figure -at the edge of the hotel roof in relief against the sky. - -"Who's that?" they screamed. "I thought every one was safely out," cried -one to another. - -"It's that Burns boy, and he's going to save Jerry," piped old Mrs. -Newcome. "He's--" - -A howl of indignation drowned her voice, and a chorus of voices rose up -to Henry Burns, demanding that he return. - -But, helpless now to prevent, they saw him coolly divest himself of his -coat, seize hold of a lightning-rod, and go hand over hand quickly to the -top. Then he stood for a moment on the only remaining wall of the hotel, -for the rest of the roof, though not yet aflame, had caved in and broken -partly away from the end wall. - -Along this narrow strip of wall crept Henry Burns; but when he had come -to the end of it there was a sheer drop of ten feet down to the ledge -where the cat crouched, wailing and lashing its tail. - -"Go back! Go back!" screamed those below. "You can't do anything." - -But Henry Burns, paying not the least attention, reached one hand into -his pocket, drew from it a piece of rope, which he proceeded to lower -till it dangled within reach of the unfortunate Jerry. - -"Grab it, Jerry! Grab it!" piped old Mrs. Newcome; and, whether in answer -to the familiar voice or from an appreciation of the situation, Jerry -fastened his claws into the rope, clawed at it furiously till all four -feet were fast, and so, miaowing shrilly, was drawn up to safety by Henry -Burns. - -Back along the wall he crawled, and, sliding down the lightning-rod, was -once more on the roof of the old hotel. Then, with Mrs. Newcome's cat -perched on his shoulder, he shortly reappeared below, amid the cheering -of the crowd. - -"I'll never say you boys are bad again and ought to be horsewhipped," -sobbed old Mrs. Newcome, as she fondled her pet. - -But she got no farther, for a moment later the end wall, on which Henry -Burns had stood shortly before, was seen to sway violently. Then, with a -wrenching and tearing, as of beams split apart, and with grinding of -timbers, it collapsed upon the roof of the old hotel, and a few minutes -later that, too, was all ablaze, and there was nought to be done by any -one but to stand helplessly and see the flames devour everything. - -When morning lighted up the spot where on the previous day the hotel had -stood, the pride of the village and the boast of Colonel Witham, the sun -shone only on a charred and blackened heap of ruins. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE FLIGHT - - -Southport, rudely awakened from sleep as it had been, and awake all the -rest of the night by so unusual and stirring an event as a fire, was too -much excited to go back to its slumbers, but stayed awake through the -morning hours to discuss it. A group of villagers hung around the -grocery-store all day long, adjourning only now and then to journey to -the spot where the hotel had been, where they stood solemnly -contemplating the ruins, with all-absorbing interest in the twisted and -distorted fragments that still bore some resemblance to whatever part -they had constituted in the structure of the building. - -There were dozens of theories advanced as to how the fire had started. -The oil had exploded from spontaneous combustion; rats had set the blaze -by gnawing at matches, and so on through the list of ordinary causes of -fires; but as for Colonel Witham, with his customary suspicion of all -human nature, he was sure of one theory, because it was his own, and that -was, that the hotel had been set on fire. This he doggedly asserted and -as stubbornly maintained. The hotel could not have set itself afire; -therefore, some one must have done it. This was as plain as daylight to -the colonel. - -He fiercely questioned John Carr as to whether any lights had been left -burning, but John Carr was loud and persistent in his assurances that the -hotel had been as dark as Egypt when he had retired for the night. - -But throughout all the discussion, that ranged through cottages, along -the streets, and that spread throughout the length and breadth of the -island, there were six boys who were silent, who took no part in it, but -who kept away from wherever a group was gathered. - -They were a serious-looking lot of boys as they assembled on the shore in -front of the tent; so much of anxiety and apprehension showing -unconcealed in their faces that one happening upon their council might -have read therein a key to the mystery. It would have been a mistaken -clue, of course, but it would have sufficed for the village and for -Colonel Witham. - -For a few moments not one of them spoke, though each boyish brain was -turning the one awful subject over and over, vainly seeking the answer -for a problem that defied all attempts at solution. - -Finally Bob broke the awful silence. - -"How could it have happened?" he exclaimed. At which there was a -universal whistle and a shaking of heads. - -"You see," continued Bob, "it's absolutely necessary for us to decide in -our own minds, the first thing, whether it was our fault or not. Because, -if it was, I suppose we've got to own up to it sometime or other, and we -may as well do it first as last." - -"Better now, if at all, than later," said Tom. "They might have some -mercy on us now, being grateful that they didn't burn up." - -"All but Colonel Witham," said young Joe. "Catch him being grateful for -anything, with his hotel in ashes." - -"Keep quiet, Joe!" exclaimed George Warren, sharply. - -The very mention of Colonel Witham's name was irritating. It was only too -certain that no mercy could be expected from the colonel. - -"But," said Arthur Warren, "we're not to blame, so why should we consider -that at all? You remember," he continued, turning to Henry Burns, "how we -waited after I had blown the last lamp out and the room was absolutely -dark, and we had to stand still a moment till our eyes got accustomed to -the darkness before we could find our way to the window?" - -"I remember that," answered Henry Burns; "and not one of us lighted any -matches all the time we were there, because the lamps were all burning -dimly when we went in; but," he added, somewhat desperately for him, -"that is not going to save us the moment an investigation begins, if they -have one. The first time they begin to question one of us we're done for. -The moment they know we were in there last night, that will settle -everything in their minds." - -"And what then?" asked young Joe. - -"Well," said Henry Burns, more calmly, "it means that we've got a -twenty-five thousand dollar hotel to pay for." - -The proposition was so absurd that they burst out laughing; but it was a -short-lived and bitter merriment, and they could just as easily have -cried. - -"What would our fathers say?" said Arthur Warren. "Ours told us we'd have -to make our pocket-money go a long way this summer, because he rigged the -boat all over for us. There couldn't any of us pay for the hotel in all -our lives." - -"Perhaps they'd send us to jail," suggested young Joe. - -This happy remark was received with howls of indignation, and the -originator of it was invited to clear out if he couldn't keep quiet. - -"They couldn't send us to jail," said Arthur, gravely, "for, at the -worst, we could convince them that it was accidental. We may be -nuisances, but we're not criminals. Wouldn't it be better, on the whole," -he concluded, "to make a clean breast of it to father, and do whatever he -says is best?" - -"I'd do it in a minute," said George Warren, "but when I know we didn't -set the fire, even accidentally, I hate to put all that trouble and worry -on father; because, you see, we might not be able to convince him -absolutely that we may not, in some way that we don't know of, have been -responsible. Of course, if it comes to it, we'll tell him all,--and he'll -believe it, too. That is, he'll believe that we are telling what we think -is right, for we've always done that way, because he puts confidence in -us." - -"Then," said Bob, "we've got to keep out of the way for awhile till this -thing blows over some. Everybody that sees us now will stop and ask us -how we first saw the fire and all about it." - -"They've done that already to us," said George Warren. "And, luckily, we -could say truthfully that we first saw the fire from our cottage piazza. -And we said we ran down to your camp and roused you boys. Now that is all -right for a touch-and-go conversation, but suppose they see fit to follow -it up, we'll soon find ourselves either obliged to lie or to confess." - -"Then what are we going to do?" asked Tom. - -"Take a fishing-trip," suggested young Joe. - -They looked at young Joe savagely, for each knew in his own heart that it -was running away from danger,--but it was significant that not a boy -objected. - -"We've been planning one for a week or more," urged Joe, in extenuation -of his plan. "And we needn't stay long. We can come back in a day or two -and then start right out again, so as not to attract attention by being -gone too long." - -"I suppose a little trip down among the islands wouldn't be so bad for -our health," said Henry Burns, dryly; but it was clear he had no great -liking for the plan. - -And so, in a vain endeavour to escape from what seemed to them a most -unfair and cruel predicament, and without realizing that it was the worst -thing they could do, the boys agreed to start early on the following -morning in the _Spray_ for a cruise. - -Much surprised was Mrs. Warren when informed of their plan. - -"And just as everybody is telling what brave boys you were," she said. -"They all say that half the guests would have lost their lives if it -hadn't been for you." - -This was worse than punishment, and the boys groaned inwardly, for Mrs. -Warren had taught her boys to respect her, and they valued her good -opinion more than anything else in the world. They went off to bed soon -after supper, "so as to get an early start in the morning," they said. - -It was early that same evening, while the boys were at tea, that Squire -Brackett stepped ashore from his sailboat in a perfect fever of -excitement. - -"I knew it and I said it," he muttered to himself, slapping one hard fist -into the palm of the other hand. "When I saw that blaze across the water -this morning, and knew that it couldn't be anything else than the hotel, -I says to myself, 'Those boys have done it, with some of their -monkey-shines,' and that's just the way of it. By Jingo! but won't -Colonel Witham jump out of his skin when I tell him what I saw through -that window. - -"P'r'aps them 'ere boys won't be' so much inclined to tying other -people's dogs to ropes and drowning them when they get caught for setting -fire to a fine hotel!" - -And so, nearly bursting with the magnitude of his secret, and bristling -with more than his usual importance, Squire Brackett hurried up from the -landing and lost no time in finding Colonel Witham and escorting him in -great haste to his own home. - -There on the veranda of Squire Brackett's house sat the two worthies, -while the squire poured out his news into the eager colonel's ear. - -"Whew!" exclaimed Colonel Witham, when he had heard it all. "We've got -them at last and no mistake. What's more," he added, jumping from his -chair and stamping vigorously on the piazza floor, "I'll prosecute them, -every mother's son, to the extent of the law. It's breaking and entering, -too,--forcing their way into my hotel at night,--and the fire was caused -by their criminal act. That's serious business, as they'll find before I -get through with them. Blow me if I don't take the boat for Mayville this -very night, and see Judge Ellis and get the warrants for Captain Sam to -serve first thing in the morning!" - -"I'll go with you, colonel," cried Squire Brackett. "We'll be back here -before midnight, and be all ready at daylight to arrest them. Reckon -we'll surprise folks a little." - -And so, chuckling maliciously together, the squire and the colonel waited -eagerly for the whistle of the little bay steamer, upon hearing which -they walked arm and arm down to the wharf and went aboard, with their -heads together, in great satisfaction. - -Their trip must have been greatly to their liking, for some hours later -found them coming ashore again, evidently in a most agreeable state of -mind; and as they bade each other good night on the veranda of the -squire's cottage, the colonel might have been heard once more to exclaim, -exultantly: "We've got 'em this time, squire! They can't get away." And -so strode away, caressing in one hand some crisp, official-looking -papers, which boded no good in their contents to six boys whose names the -colonel had given with evil delight to the judge at Mayville. - -Very early next morning good-hearted Captain Sam might have been seen at -the door of his home, his fist clenched and his face burning with -indignation. Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett stood by the stoop. - -"Now look here, colonel," exclaimed Captain Sam, hotly, "you surely ain't -going to ask me to serve these papers on them innocent young lads? -There's some mistake, somehow, and the way for us to do is to get them up -here and just give them a talking to; ask them all the questions you -want. I've watched them boys for a good many summers now, ever since they -was little shavers no bigger'n mackerel, and I tell you they wouldn't do -no wicked thing like setting fire to a hotel full of people, and there -ain't nobody on this island mean enough to believe it." - -"We didn't come here asking you for advice," sneered the squire. "You're -a constable of this village, sworn to do your duty, and your duty is to -serve these warrants, the same being legally drawn and signed by the -judge. That's all your part, and all we ask of you to do. We take all the -consequences." - -"Well, it's a shame. It ain't the right thing to do, squire, as you ought -to know, having a boy of your own. But, as you say, it's my duty if you -insist, and I'll do it,--but it's the hardest job I ever done in all my -life." - -"Let's go down to the tent first," said Colonel Witham. "There's always -two of them down there, and sometimes more. If Henry Burns is there, I -just want to get my hands on him. I suspect he's been fooling me all -along and playing his tricks on me, when I thought him in his room -asleep." - -The dew was still heavy on the grass and the sun had not lifted its face -above the distant cape when the three men walked down to the tent upon -the point. Not a sound broke the early morning quiet, save the cawing of -some crows in a group of pines, and the lazy swash of the sluggish -rollers breaking on the shore. - -"They're fast asleep," whispered Squire Brackett. "We'll give them a -little surprise--just a little surprise." And he gave a hard chuckle. - -Captain Sam, at this same instant, casting his eyes offshore and hastily -surveying the bay with the quick, comprehensive glance of an old sailor, -gave a sudden start, and, for a moment, an exclamation of surprise -escaped him. - -"What is it?" asked Colonel Witham. "Did you remark anything, Captain -Sam?" - -"Nothing," answered Captain Sam. "I was just a-muttering to myself." - -And at this moment the squire threw open the flap of the tent, saying, as -he did so, "If you boys will--" - -But as he and Colonel Witham poked their heads through the opening, the -sentence was abruptly cut short. - -"Empty!" gasped the colonel. - -"Gone!" cried the squire. - -The tent was, indeed, deserted. - -"Where can they be?" asked Colonel Witham. - -"I know," answered the squire. "Up at the Warrens, of course. They are -there half the time. It simply means we capture them all at once and save -trouble. Come on, Captain Sam, you don't seem to be in much of a hurry to -do your duty, as you're sworn to do." - -Captain Sam was, indeed, in no hurry. He loitered behind, stopped to tie -his shoes, dragged one foot along after the other slower than he had ever -done before, while every now and then, as he followed in the footsteps of -the colonel and the squire, he cast a hasty glance over his shoulder out -on the bay. What he saw must have pleased him, for on each occasion a -broad smile spread over his face and a mischievous twinkle kindled in his -eyes. - -The colonel and the squire strode along impatiently, pausing now and then -for Captain Sam to catch up with them; but as they drew near to the -Warren cottage Captain Sam quickened his steps and halted them. - -"You two will have to stay here," he said, with an authority he had not -shown before. "I'm commissioned with the serving of these warrants, and -I'm going to do it; but Mrs. Warren is a nice, motherly little woman, and -I don't propose to have three of us bursting in on them like a press-gang -and frightening her to death. I'm just going to break the news to her as -best I know how, and I don't want no interfering." - -So saying, and with face set into a reluctant resolve, the captain walked -on alone, leaving the colonel and the squire much taken aback, and too -much astonished by the sudden declaration of authority to attempt to -dispute it. - -What Captain Sam said to Mrs. Warren only she and he knew. There were no -boys called in to listen to what was said. There were no boys there to -see how Mrs. Warren's face paled and how the tears rolled down her -cheeks, nor to hear Captain Sam's words of burning indignation as he -tried to comfort her. No boys came to gather about her chair, to assure -her it was all a dreadful mistake. There were no boys to face the colonel -and the squire and declare their own innocence. - -But out on the bay, with all her white sails set to catch the morning -breeze, the yacht _Spray_ was beating down toward a distant goal among -the islands. And aboard her were six boys, whose hearts were heavy and -whose faces were drawn with an ever present anxiety. For a time they cast -apprehensive looks back at the disappearing village, but as the morning -wore on and no pursuing sail appeared, they became more cheerful; and to -forget so far as they could the real cause of their flight, they talked -hopefully of the fish they expected to catch and the swimming and other -sport along the white sands of the island beaches. - -But although no familiar craft as yet followed where they sailed, there -was, far in the lead of them and some miles down along the island, a -yacht they all knew, and in whose mission, had they but known it, their -deepest interests, their very fate, in fact, lay. - -Jack Harvey had lost little time in reaching his camp. While he ran the -fire blazed brighter and brighter, sending an angry glare over the waters -of the bay and lighting up the country around. Looking back now and then, -he could see men and women running about in the light of the fire, and -the frantic, though unavailing, efforts of the village fire department to -stay the flames. - -"Seems funny," he muttered to himself, "to be running away from a fire, -and the greatest fire we ever had on this island at that. I never did -such a thing before, but I guess there'll be something more exciting -ahead than a fire before we get through." - -Harvey found his camp deserted, as he had expected. Not a sign of life -showed about the place. - -"They're all up to the fire," said Harvey; "but I'll bring them soon -enough, though I reckon they'll be mad at first to have to leave when the -fire is just at its best." - -And he began ransacking the camp, rolling up blankets, tying them into -compact bundles and hurrying down to the shore with them, where he -deposited them in a rowboat. - -He made a pile of the rude dishes that the camp afforded, a saucepan, a -fry-pan, tin dippers, and a few tin plates, tying them all together in a -bundle and rattling them all down to the shore in great haste. - -Finally he got a boatload of the stuff, and, jumping in, sculled the -little craft out to the _Surprise_. Leaping aboard, he rushed down into -the cabin, threw open a locker, drew forth a big tin horn, which he -raised to his lips, and blew four loud, long blasts in succession. - -"The hurry signal will surprise them, I reckon," he exclaimed; "but -they've always answered it before, and I guess they'll come,--even from a -fire." And Harvey began stowing the stuff away aboard the yacht. Then he -proceeded to untie the stops in the mainsail, and was thus engaged when a -voice hailed him from the shore. - -"Halloo, Jack!" came the call. "What's the matter? Why aren't you up to -the fire? What's up?" - -"Wait a minute," answered Harvey. "I'm coming ashore. Are the others on -the way?" - -"Yes," answered the boy on shore, who proved to be Joe Hinman; "but they -don't like it a bit. It's a shame to lose this fire, Jack. Why, you ought -to see Colonel Witham. He's the craziest man I ever saw, running around -and begging everybody he sees to rush into the blaze and save his old -office furniture." - -"Well, Joe," said Harvey, as he stepped out of the small boat on to the -beach, beside the other, "we've got some work cut out for us that beats -watching a fire all to pieces. I'll tell you all about it, but there -isn't one half-minute to lose now. Believe me, you fellows won't regret -it,--hello, here are the others!" - -The three other members of the crew, George Baker, Allan Harding, and Tim -Reardon, burst out of the woods into the clearing, gasping from running, -and amazed beyond expression that Harvey should have called them from the -fire. - -"Fellows," said Harvey, "I'll tell you the whole story just as soon as we -get aboard and up sail. This is the greatest thing we ever did in all our -lives; but it's the minutes that count now, and we have got to get under -way the quickest we ever did yet." - -And then, as the boys hesitated, and Joe Hinman ventured the question, -with something of suspicion in his tone that he could not all conceal, -"Why, Jack, there's no trouble, is there--no trouble--about the fire?" it -suddenly dawned on Harvey that this sudden departure did have a queer -look to it, and that he was, indeed, open to their suspicion. - -"Yes," he cried, "there is trouble, and it's about this fire; but it -isn't our trouble. The trouble is for the man that set it,--and we are -going to make it for him. We're going to catch him. Now will you hurry?" - -"Will we?" exclaimed George Baker. "Just watch us!" - -And every boy made a dash for the camp to secure anything he might need -on a cruise down the bay. - -Harvey and Joe Hinman seized two big jugs and made off for the spring, -whence they returned quickly. Then the entire crew piling into the small -boat, they were soon aboard the _Surprise_. - -The anchor was up in a twinkling. The sails were never spread in such -time. Almost as quickly as it takes to tell it, the yacht _Surprise_ was -under way, and with Harvey at the wheel was standing out of the little -harbour. - -Then, as they left the glare of the fire upon the waters astern, but -still flaming like a giant beacon against the sky, Harvey, with his crew -about him, narrated his extraordinary adventure with the strange man, and -asserted his conviction that the man was none other than the same -Chambers who had fled from the island not long before. - -"That is a fast boat, and we can never catch her in plain sailing," said -Allan Harding. "She is full half again as big as we, and she would sail -around us a dozen times and then walk away from us without half-trying." - -"I know that," said Harvey, "and that is just why I am so anxious to -catch up with him before he gets out of the western bay into the open -sea. If we don't get him in the bay we shall lose him. Now let's overhaul -everything, and be sure that something doesn't break just as we come to -the pinch." - -There was little to be done, however, on that score; for, however -carelessly they lived ashore, they had the true yachtsman's spirit aboard -the _Surprise_, and kept her shipshape. Then they set the club and jib -topsails, for there was not much air stirring, and they drew the tender -up close astern, so it would drag as little as possible. - -"We have one advantage," said Harvey. "We can depend upon it, he knows -enough not to try the open bay and sail down toward the Gull Islands. The -first part of the way is clear sailing enough, but when you get down just -off the islands you come to the shallows, and a man has to follow the -marks to get clear and safely out to sea. And then, too, the alarm is -going to be sent out just as soon as a boat from the village can get over -to the mainland. They won't lose any time about that,--and Chambers is -sharp enough to know it. He knows the whole bay down below there will be -alive with boats, just as soon as they get the news wired down to them. - -"Depend upon it, Chambers will try to fool them. I think he will come -through the Thoroughfare at this eastern end of Grand Island, which he -must have studied out on the charts. He will not dare to try the -Thoroughfare to-night, however, and if we can only beat down to somewhere -below the Thoroughfare to-night we shall be well to windward of him in -the morning, and he will think we are a boat coming in from outside, -while he will still be beating into the wind, if it holds from the -south'ard, the way it is blowing now." - -"That's right," said Joe Hinman. "He cannot make the passage out through -the Thoroughfare in the night, unless he knows the way better than I -think he does. It is a bad run in the dark, even for a man that was born -around here. We have done it only once or twice ourselves." - -"You fellows turn in now, all but Tim," said Harvey, "and get some sleep. -We two can run her for awhile. I'll call you, Joe, in about an hour or -two, to handle her while I get forty winks, but, mind, everybody will be -called sharp the minute we clear Tom's Island, for no knowing what we -shall see then at any minute. Chambers will lie up in Seal Cove for an -hour or two, I reckon, if he has got down that far. I only wish I was -sure of it. We'd go ashore and take a run across the island and catch him -napping-- - -"By the way, George," exclaimed Harvey, "how do you feel? It's mighty -lucky you happened to be taken with that colic in the night, just at the -right time, and that I started out to rouse up old Sanborn to get some -ginger for you. All this would never have happened if it hadn't been for -you." - -"Why, I'm all right," answered George Baker. "I could hardly walk when we -first saw the fire, but I just made up my mind I wasn't going to miss it, -and so I started out. When the sparks began to fly I forgot all about the -pain, and I hadn't thought of it since. It's all gone now, anyway." - -Two hours later they were nearing the southern end of Grand Island and -coming in sight of a chain, or cluster, of smaller islands, through which -an obscure and little used passage ran from the western bay to the outer -sea. Jack Harvey had sent young Tim into the cabin to snatch a wink of -sleep, and Joe had come up, heavy and dull. - -"I'll go without my sleep this once," said Harvey. "Here, Joe, hold her a -minute. I'll get a bit of rest right here on deck, with one eye open." - -It was growing light fast now, and they strained their eyes for a sail. - -"I guess we are in time," said Harvey, as they came abreast of Tom's -Island. "He is not in sight. We'll head out to sea a bit more, and cut -into the Thoroughfare farther down, for the tide will be high in an hour, -and we can cross Pine Island Bar. Then, if he has taken the channel on -the other side of Tom's Island, we can still head him off,--unless he -went through in the night." - -And Harvey, having relinquished the tiller to Joe, stretched himself out -at full length on the seat to rest. - -Thus they sailed for a short cut into the Thoroughfare at a point where -they could command the farther of the two channels. - -And, as they sailed, so sailed another and a larger sloop, beating its -way out to sea through the farther channel. A man, powerfully built, and -with a hard, desperate look in his eyes, sat at the wheel,--and he was -all alone. The yacht cut a clean path through the smooth waters of the -Thoroughfare, and, as the man looked at the coast-line along which he was -passing rapidly, he muttered: "It's a clear passage; a safe run to sea. -And, once there, who's to say I was ever in these waters? I said I'd have -revenge on this town for what I've lost, if it took all summer, and I've -done it. The blaze did me good as it lit the sky. Twenty minutes more and -I'll be clear of this, and good-bye to this coast for ever." - -But even as he said it a smaller sloop turned the head of an island half -a mile ahead, and came down the Thoroughfare, running off the wind. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE PURSUIT - - -Great was the rage of Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett when they -discovered that the boys had escaped. - -"But it will be only so much the worse for them in the end," said the -squire. "The fact of their running away is a confession of guilt, and -will count hard against them when we once get them into court. - -"Colonel," he continued, gazing off on to the bay, "I believe that's them -now, about two miles down along the shore. Cap'n Sam, you're a sure judge -of a sail. Isn't that the _Spray_ beating down along the island, just off -Billy Jones's beach?" - -Captain Sam took a most deliberate observation, turned a chew of tobacco -twice in his cheek, and then remarked, laconically: - -"That's the _Spray_, sure's a gun. There is no mistaking the queer set of -that gaff-topsail. It always was a bad fit, and it sticks out just as -crooked like, two miles away, as it does close on. Y-a-a-s, there's the -youngsters, and no mistake." - -Captain Sam did not see fit, however, though a constable, sworn to do his -duty, as the others had suggested, to explain that he had seen the -_Spray_ for the last hour or more, and that he had been conscious all -along of the precious time they were losing. But a sharp observer might -have detected him chuckling down deep in his throat as the colonel and -the squire stormed and raged. - -"Well, what are we going to do?" cried Squire Brackett. "We're losing -valuable time here. That little boat eats fast into the wind, they say, -and we have got to get started pretty quick if we expect to overhaul her -between now and dark. - -"Come! What do you say, Cap'n Sam? You know the boats in the harbour -better than I do. Whose is the best one to go after them with?" - -"Wa-al," drawled Cap'n Sam, "if I do say it, I suppose the _Nancy Jane_ -is about as good as any in a long thrash to windward,--if she does belong -to me. She's big and she's roomy, and there's a comfortable cabin in her -for you and the colonel--for I suppose you'll want to go along." - -"Go along!" exclaimed Colonel Witham. "I should say we did--eh, squire? -When these 'ere warrants are served I want to be there to see it done, -and so does the squire, I reckon." - -"That's what I do," responded Squire Brackett. "We'll go along with you, -sure enough." - -"Then you want to be getting some grub aboard right away," said Captain -Sam, with a fine show of energy and haste, "while I break the news to my -wife. She'll put me up a bite to last a day or two. You can't tell, you -know, when you start off on one of these 'ere cruises, where you'll end -up nor how long you'll be out,--so you want to come prepared to stay." - -And then, as the colonel and the squire hurried off down the road, he -turned back for a moment to Mrs. Warren, who stood weeping, and said, -with rough good-heartedness: - -"Now, don't you go to taking on, Mrs. Warren. There's some mistake here. -Depend upon it. I've known them youngsters ever since they was no -bigger'n short lobsters, and I know they ain't got nothing bad enough in -'em to go to setting a hotel afire. - -"P'r'aps there might have been some little accident," he added, more -conservatively. "Accidents always is happening, you know, and we're all -of us liable to 'em. I've got to do my duty, Mrs. Warren, bein' as I am a -constable of this town, sworn to obey my orders as I get 'em, signed and -sealed from the court; but I'm goin' to stand by them boys, all the same. - -"So you just go and get your husband down here, quick as ever you -can,--and we'll settle this 'ere difficulty pretty soon, I reckon. - -"And see here," he said, in conclusion, "if Mr. Warren gets here by -to-morrow noon, that'll be time enough. And that gives you a chance to -take the boat up to-day if you hurry, and bring Mr. Warren back with you. -I'll sorter guarantee we don't fetch up here again till to-morrow -afternoon, so don't you worry." And with a sly twinkle in his gray eyes -the captain took his leave, and rolled along lazily toward his home. - -He was still eating a hearty breakfast when the colonel and the squire -burst in upon him, hot with impatience. But the captain was provokingly -deliberate, and finished a few more huge slices of bread and a biscuit or -two, and two cups of coffee and a few of his wife's doughnuts, before he -would budge an inch. - -"The boys can't escape," he said, by way of assurance to the impatient -pair. "They can't go across the Atlantic in a little sardine-box like -that, if it has got a mast and a bowsprit and a cabin to it. We're bound -to fetch up with them quick enough. Have a cup of coffee, colonel! -Squire, sit down and drink a cup of coffee! Mrs. Curtis knows how to make -it, if anybody does." - -But the colonel and the squire refused impatiently, and by dint of -nagging and voluble persuasion they got Captain Sam started, and the -three went down to the shore. - -The news had spread abroad by this time,--thanks to the colonel and the -squire,--and quite a number of villagers and cottagers had gathered to -see them off. - -What they said was not complimentary to the worthy two, for the boys, in -spite of their pranks, were universally liked, and the whole village had -not done with praising them for their bravery at the fire. - -"Why don't you go and arrest Jack Harvey and his crew?" cried one of the -villagers. "Looks mighty queer to have them clear out, every one of them, -the morning of the blaze. Dan French, he saw them standing out by his -point early that morning while the fire was blazing its hardest. Reckon -that looks a sight queerer than it does to wait a whole day." - -"Well! Well! I guess they had a hand in it," cried Colonel Witham, as he -stepped into the yacht's tender. "We'll hunt them up, too, later on. They -are all mixed up in it, I've no doubt. Wait till we get the boys we are -after now, and we'll make them confess the whole thing." - -It certainly did look suspicious, this flight from both camps and from -the Warren cottage, just after the fire; and the villagers, however well -disposed they might be in the boys' favour, or however much inclined to -show leniency, could not explain it away. - -"They must have been up to some of their pranks," they said to one -another, "and somehow got the hotel on fire. Colonel Witham must be -right,--and, besides, Squire Brackett says he's got the proof. He must -know something bad, or he would not be so certain." - -And to this conclusion, reluctant as they might be to come to it, there -fitted, in startling corroboration, the coincidence of their being the -first to discover the fire,--the first to give the alarm. - -And the villagers sympathized all the more, for this conclusion, with -Mrs. Warren, as she took the boat for home that morning, bravely keeping -back her tears, and receiving courageously their kindly assurances, -though her heart was breaking. - -The _Nancy Jane_ was a heavy fishing-boat, of the centreboard type, big -and beamy and shallow of build, able to "carry sail" in the worst of -weather, but not so marvellously fast as one might have been led to -believe by the recommendation of her owner. However, it was quite true -that she could overhaul the _Spray_--only give her time enough, and -provided no accident should happen. - -"She's got a bit of water in her," said Captain Sam. "So make yourselves -comfortable, gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable, while I pump her -out. She'll sail faster and point up better with the water out of her, -and we'll all be more comfortable." - -And the colonel and the squire made themselves anything but comfortable, -fretting and fuming at the delay. - -The captain took it leisurely, however, yanked the pump for ten minutes -or more, to the accompaniment of short puffs of his pipe, and then -pronounced her dry as "Dry Ledge at low tide." - -The colonel and the squire were neither of them sailors; so they could -only wait on Captain Sam's pleasure. He finally made sail on the _Nancy -Jane_, got up anchor, brought her "full and by," and they began the long -zigzag chase down the bay in the teeth of the wind. - -The breeze freshened as they drew out of the shelter of the island shore, -and down between the nearer islands Captain Sam could see the line of -breeze show black upon the water. - -"Looks like a right smart blow by afternoon," he said. - -Colonel Witham looked up apprehensively. - -"It doesn't get dangerous, does it?" he asked. - -Captain Sam laughed dryly. - -"Guess you're not much on sailing, colonel, are you?" he asked, by way of -reply. "Bless you! We don't get a dangerous blow in the bay once in a -summer. No, you need not worry about that. There's no danger; but I -wouldn't wonder if we had a bit of a chop-sea when the wind freshens." - -The colonel looked more at ease. - -"No," he said, "I'm no sailor. I manage to make the voyage down the river -to the island, but that is as much seagoing as I have ever wanted, and -this will be my first real ocean experience." - -"Not what you'd hardly call an ocean experience, either," said Captain -Sam, grinning from ear to ear. "No," and he said the words over to -himself as though they afforded him no end of amusement, "a slat to -windward from the point to Gull Island ain't just what one would call an -ocean experience, though it does shake a body up now and then in a blow." - -Dinner-hour came, and they had the _Spray_ well in sight, some miles -ahead and pitching hard. - -"We'll eat a snack," said Captain Sam, who was never so happy and hearty -as when he had his hand on the wheel of the _Nancy Jane_. "Colonel, have -one of Mrs. Curtis's fresh doughnuts, just fried this morning, make you -feel like a schoolboy." - -But the colonel, pale of face, declined. - -"I--I don't seem to feel very hungry just this moment," he stammered. -"Late breakfast, you know. Er--by the way, is it going to blow much -harder, do you think?" - -"No great shakes," responded the captain. "Guess there may be another -capful or two of wind in them 'ere light clouds out yonder. It may -freshen a bit, but that's all right. That's just what we want. The harder -it blows the more the _Spray_ will pitch and get knocked back. It's the -kind of a breeze that the _Nancy Jane_ likes, plenty of wind and a rough -sea. The wind is bound to go down by sunset. It's the way these -southerlies act." - -"By sundown!" groaned the colonel. "That's hours yet, and I'm sure we'll -tip clear over if this boat leans much more." - -"Built to sail on her beam," explained Captain Sam. But at this moment -the _Nancy Jane's_ bow snipped off the whitecap of a roller somewhat -larger than its predecessor, and the spray flew in, drenching the colonel -from head to foot. - -He yelled with terror. "We're upsetting, sure!" he cried. "Let's turn her -about, Captain Sam, while there is time, and start again when it's -lighter." - -"Nonsense!" said Captain Sam, with a grin. "You're a bit shaken up, but -you'll feel better by and by. Just go into the cabin and lie down a -little while. That may make you feel better." - -Perhaps it had been so many years since Captain Sam had experienced the -awful misery of seasickness that he did not realize that the worst thing -the colonel could do was to go down into the dark, damp, musty-smelling -cabin of the old fishing-sloop. Perhaps he really did think that the -colonel would feel better for it. But whatever his motive was, it had a -sudden and deadly effect on Colonel Witham. Indeed, he had scarcely stuck -his head into the stuffy cabin, had certainly no more than gotten fully -within, before he staggered out again, with an agonized expression on his -face, and sank, limp and shivering, to a seat, with his head over the -rail. - -"Oh! Oh!" he groaned. "I think I'm going to die. I'm awfully sick; never -felt so bad in all my life. Can't you put me ashore, Captain -Sam--anywhere, anywhere? I don't care where, even if it is a deserted -island. I'd wait there a week if I could only get on shore." And the -colonel groaned and shivered. - -It was obvious there was no way of going ashore, however, as they were -some miles distant from it. There was nothing for the unhappy colonel to -do but to make the best--or the worst--of it. - -"Cheer up, colonel," said Captain Sam, pulling out the stub of a black -clay pipe, lighting it, and puffing away enjoyably. "I've seen 'em just -as sick as you are one hour, and chipper enough to eat raw pork and climb -the mast the next. You will be feeling fine before long,--won't he, -squire?" - -But as the squire evidently had his doubts in the matter, owing -particularly to the fact that he was not too much at ease himself, his -response was rather faint; and the captain was left to the entertainment -of his own society. He enjoyed himself for the next hour or two with a -sort of monologue, in which he proceeded to analyze audibly the relative -chances of the little yacht ahead and the _Nancy Jane_. - -"They are doing surprisingly well for a small craft in windward work," he -muttered. "They handle her well. Still, the _Nancy Jane_ is eating up on -them. I say about sundown we shall be able to run alongside--Hulloa! If -they are not changing their course to run down the Little Reach! Thought -they knew better than that. Why, it's what they call a 'blind alley' in -the cities. Well, I'm surprised. They know the bay pretty well, too; and, -only to think, they go to running in to a thoroughfare which really is -nothing more than a long cove. They'll fetch up at the end of it in an -hour or two, and there's no way out." - -The captain's voice almost seemed to express disappointment that the -chase should end so tamely. - -"Colonel," he cried. "Squire. It will be all over in a few hours now. -They're running into a trap." - -But the colonel and the squire were beyond interest in the pursuit. - -The yacht _Spray_ had, indeed, started its sheets, and now, with the wind -on its beam, was running off toward a group of small islands, or ledges, -on a course nearly at right angles with that which it had been taking. - -The boys had watched the _Nancy Jane_ anxiously for the last few hours. - -"They are steadily coming up on us," George Warren had said. "Too bad we -could not have got a few hours more start. We might have given them the -slip then when night shut down." - -"But we are not sure that they are after us, are we?" asked young Joe. - -"No, but it looks pretty certain," replied his brother George. "There's -nothing particular to start the _Nancy Jane_ down here, and she is -Captain Sam's boat and he is the town constable." - -"Then what had we better do?" queried Tom. "There is not much use running -away, if we are sure to be caught inside of a few hours. We'd a sight -better turn about and start back, as though we had finished our sail. -That would look less like running away." - -It was noticeable that, having once set out to escape, they accepted the -situation now fully, without more pretence. - -"We have got to decide before long," said Henry Burns. "The _Nancy Jane_ -is overhauling us fast." - -"George," said Arthur Warren, "I know one chance, if you want to try it, -and if you are willing to risk the _Spray_,--and I think it would save -us." - -"What is it, Arthur?" asked George. "If it is any good, I'm for trying -it. I can't see as we have anything great to risk, with a twenty-five -thousand dollar fire charged to us." - -"What is it, Arthur?" exclaimed the others, excitedly. It did not seem -possible there could be any chance of escape open, but they jumped -eagerly at anything that offered a faint hope. - -"Well," said Arthur, in his deliberate manner, "you know the small -opening between Spring and Heron Islands at the foot of Little Reach? -Nobody ever ran a sailboat through there because it's choked up with -ledges. But you remember when the mackerel struck in to the Reach there -last August, we all went down in the _Spray_ for a week's fishing. Well, -one day Joe and I took the tender and worked our way clear through -between Spring and Heron Islands to the bay outside. Now the _Spray_, -with the centreboard up, does not draw very much more water than the -tender, and by dropping the sails and all poling through, I think we can -work her in clear to the other side." - -"We'll try it," said George Warren. "It is the only chance we have, so -we've really no choice." - -And he put the tiller up and threw the _Spray_ off the wind, while Arthur -and Joe started the sheets. It was this sudden manoeuvre which had -startled Captain Sam. - -They soon passed the entrance to Little Reach, two barren ledges shelving -down into the water, and were well down the Reach when Captain Sam and -the _Nancy Jane_ headed into it. - -"There they go," cried Captain Sam, "like an ostrich sticking its head -into the sand. Well, what can you expect of boys, anyway? We'll overhaul -them faster than ever now, because this big mainsail draws two to their -one this way of the wind, and the jibs aren't doing anything to speak of, -the wind varies so in here." - -It was smooth water inside Little Reach, and, as there was now scarcely -any motion to the _Nancy Jane_ as she skimmed along by the quiet shores, -the colonel and the squire began to revive a little, sufficient at least -to regain their interest in the pursuit. - -They were about a mile and a half down the Reach, and the _Spray_, not -quite half a mile ahead, was apparently at the end of her cruise. - -"They are at the end now," cried Captain Sam, whose blood was up when it -came to a race between the _Nancy Jane_ and another, though smaller, -craft. "We've got 'em like mice in a box." - -"By George! look there, colonel--look, squire!" he exclaimed, excitedly. -"They have given it up. There go the sails. It's all over. They may scoot -ashore, but the island on either side is nothing more than a rock. Well, -I vow! But I didn't think they would quit so tamely after a game race." - -"We'll make 'em smart for what we have suffered to-day, eh, colonel?" -growled the squire. - -The colonel grunted assent. He was not yet sufficiently himself to be -very aggressive. - -"What on earth are they doing?" said Captain Sam, a few moments later. -"Looks as though they were trying to hide away among the rocks, like a -mink in a hole. They'll have the _Spray_ aground if they jam her in among -those ledges." - -The _Spray_, however, slipped in among the rocks, and was shut out from -the view of the pursuers. - -"Let 'em hide," said Captain Sam, contemptuously. "That is a boyish -trick. We'll be up with them now in fifteen minutes." - -But the _Spray_, hidden from view of Captain Sam and the colonel and the -squire, was not running itself upon the rocks nor poking its nose, -ostrich-like, among the ledges. - -The instant the sails were dropped young Joe sprang out on the bowsprit -and lay flat, holding a pole, with which he took soundings as the others -pushed and poled with the sweeps of the yacht. - -They ran the bow gently on to rocks a dozen times, but a warning yell -from Joe stopped them, and they turned and twisted and wormed and worried -their way in among the ledges, turning about where a larger craft would -have had no room to turn, and slipping over reefs that just grazed the -bottom of the little _Spray_, and which with two inches lower tide would -have held them fast. - -"It's just the right depth of water," said Arthur, exultantly. "Luck is -with us this time, for certain. An hour later and we could not have done -it. But we're going through. There is only the bar ahead now. If we clear -that we are free of everything." - -Just ahead, where two thin spits of sand ran off on either end of the two -islands into shoal water, was a narrow, shallow passage, where the water -was so clear that it looked scarcely more than a few inches in depth, as -it rippled over the bar. - -"All out!" cried Arthur, as the _Spray_ grated gently on the bottom, "We -will lighten her all we can," and they sprang overboard into water -scarcely above their knees. - -"Now, Joe," said Arthur, "you and Henry take the head-line out over the -bows and go ahead and pull for all you are worth. George and I will get -alongside and push, and keep her in the channel, and Tom and Bob can get -aft and push. We have got to rush her over that shallow place, and we -must not let her stop, for if she once hangs in the centre we cannot -budge her. The _Spray_ is not a ninety-footer, but she's got enough pig -iron in her for ballast to hold her high and dry if she once sticks." - -The boys seized hold quickly, and the _Spray_, lightened of her load, -slid along, at first sluggishly, and then gathering speed, as the twelve -strong, brown, boyish arms pulled and tugged and pushed. - -"Jump her, now, boys! Jump her!" cried Arthur, as they neared the shoal. -"We're doing it. Don't let her stop, now! Oh, she mustn't stop! We've got -to put her over or die." - -And the little _Spray_ seemed to feel the thrill and joy of freedom -throughout its timbers; for at the words it surged forward with a rush, -as though it would take the bar at a flying leap. The white sands reached -up from the bottom, and the whole bar seemed to be rising up to hold the -boat prisoner, as the water shoaled. But the little _Spray_ kept on. - -It hung for one brief, breathless moment almost balanced on the middle of -the bar, and the white sands thought they had it fast; but the next -moment it slid gently from their grasp, gave a sort of spring as it felt -itself slipping free, and the next moment rode easily in clear water, -just over the bar. - -The next instant six exultant boys, their faces blazing with excitement -and exertion, had scrambled aboard, falling over one another in their -eagerness to seize the halyards. - -They hoisted the sails on the _Spray_ again in a way that would have made -Captain Sam himself sing their praises, and now, with evening coming on, -there was just enough breeze left in among the rocks to waft them gently -along out of the inlet. - -They watched breathlessly, as they neared the entrance to the outer bay, -for a glimpse of the _Nancy Jane_; but the _Nancy Jane_, good boat though -she was, was just a moment too late. Scarcely had they turned the little -bluff and were hidden behind it, on their way whither they might choose, -when the _Nancy Jane_ rounded to at the entrance to the channel. - -"It's all done," Captain Sam had exclaimed, as he threw the wheel of the -_Nancy Jane_ over and came up into the wind, but when he looked to see -the _Spray_, she was not there. Not so much as a scrap of a sail nor the -merest fragment of a hull, absolutely nothing. - -Captain Sam was so dumfounded he could only gasp and stare vacantly at -the place where, by all rights, the _Spray_ ought to be. - -The colonel and the squire, who had no preconceived ideas about the -passage between the islands, solved the problem at once; but not so the -captain. - -"They've gone through there, you idiot," exclaimed the squire, growing -red in the face. "Where else can they be? They can't fly, can they?" - -The captain groaned, as one whose pride had been cruelly smitten. - -"To think," he muttered, "that I've sailed these waters, man and boy, for -forty years, only to be fooled by a parcel of schoolboys from the city. -Why, every boy in Southport knows you can't run a sailboat through -between Heron and Spring Islands. There ain't enough water there at high -tide to drown a sheep." - -"Well, it seems they got through easy enough," answered the colonel. - -"That's it! That's it!" responded the captain, warmly. "They do say as -how fools rush in where angels don't durst to go, and sometimes the fools -blunder through all right. And here's these boys gone and done what I'd a -sworn a million times couldn't be done." - -"Yes, and we probably can get through, too, if we only go ahead and try, -instead of lying here like jellyfish," exclaimed the squire. "Cap'n Sam, -seems as though you weren't so dreadful anxious to catch up with them -youngsters as you might be. P'r'aps you might have told Mrs. Warren back -there a few things that might explain this 'ere delay." - -"Yes, and if them boys can go through there, I, for one, don't see what's -to hinder us," chimed in the colonel. "Cap'n Sam, I don't see what we're -a-hanging back for." - -And so, his pride humbled, and too mortified to stand by his own better -judgment, Captain Sam reluctantly yielded to their importunities, and -pointed the nose of the _Nancy Jane_ in toward the opening amid the -rocks. - -"It can't be done," he said, doggedly, "but if you say that I am not -trying to do my duty as a sworn officer of the town, I'll just show you. -Only don't blame me if we're hung up here hard and fast for twelve -hours." - -The _Nancy Jane_, like a horse that is being driven into danger that it -somehow apprehends, seemed almost intelligent in its reluctance to enter -the stretch of reef-strewn water. It bumped and scraped its way from one -rock to another, balked at this ledge and that, and, finally, after an -extra amount of pushing and pulling by the three men, jammed itself fast -on a reef studded with barnacles and snail-shells, and refused to budge -one way or another. In vain they tried to bulldoze and cajole, to push -and to pull, to plead with and to denounce the obstinate _Nancy Jane_. -Stolid and deaf alike to entreaty and expostulation, the boat squatted -down upon the reef like an ugly fat duck, comfortably disposed for the -night and refusing to be disturbed. - -"I told you so!" roared the captain, now aroused to his rights as -skipper, and finding himself thus exasperatingly vindicated as to the -impassability of the channel. "We're hung up fast for the night, for the -next twelve hours, till next flood. Then, if Lem Cobb is living in his -fishing-shack on Spring Island, and will lend us a hand and a few pieces -of joist to pry with, mebbe we'll get off, and mebbe we won't." - -The colonel and the squire boiled inwardly; but as it was apparent they -had only themselves to blame, they felt it useless to engage in -discussion with the indignant captain. So they wisely remained silent, -and left him to consume his wrath alone. - -"Well," he said, finally, "I for one am curious to see just where those -young rascals are; and if you're of the same mind you can satisfy your -curiosity by coming ashore with me." And the captain waded off to the -rocks of Spring Island and clambered up the bank, closely followed by the -colonel and the squire. - -"There they go, slipping along as slick as eels," exclaimed the captain, -as he and his panting companions achieved the ascent of the highest bit -of rock on Spring Island and looked down the bay. "They're off down among -the islands," he continued, "and here we stand like natural-born idiots -and bite our fingers. If ever I get into a mess like this again, I'll -resign my office of constable and hire out to Noddy Perkins for a -clam-digger." But the colonel and the squire, too angry and chagrined for -words, stayed not to listen to the captain's denunciation. - -They turned and walked rapidly in the direction of the fishing-shack, the -only shelter the island afforded; while the captain, standing out in -relief upon the rock, like some disappointed Napoleon, was the last -solitary object that the boys saw as, looking astern from the _Spray_, -the little island faded from their view into the twilight. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - AMONG THE ISLANDS - - -The yacht _Spray_, with six jubilant boys aboard, sailed slowly away from -Heron and Spring Islands, shaping its course for a group of outer islands -of some considerable size, about two miles away. It was nearly seven -o'clock, but the southerly breeze had not wholly died with the going down -of the sun, and the tide, which had just begun to ebb, was favourable. - -"I think we can get across to-night," said George Warren. "This wind is -going to hold for some hours yet and maybe all night; and we know our way -into Cold Harbour at any hour of the twenty-four. I don't think Captain -Sam will start to run out of the Little Reach at all to-night, for when -the tide drops there are some bad ledges all along that thoroughfare, -and, besides, he won't want to run the risk of drifting out here in the -bay, in case the wind should drop. We shall have twelve hours start of -him, anyway, and once among the islands we can keep out of sight for -days." - -"I'd have given something to see the colonel and the squire when they -found we had slipped away from them at the very moment they thought they -had us," said young Joe. "Didn't they look funny, standing up there on -the rock, watching us sail away?" - -"Captain Sam has my sympathy," said Henry Burns, dryly, and the very -thought of the disappointed trio arguing it out together sent the boys -into fits of laughter. They fairly rolled over on the seats and hugged -one another. - -"It's the richest joke of the season," said young Joe. - -And so, for the time being, in their elation, the consciousness that they -were runaways, fleeing from possible arrest, was forgotten. The stars -came out, and a lighthouse far and near gave them their course. The water -gleamed with phosphorescence, and the yacht _Spray_ left a wake of -gleaming silver and gold and flashing jewels. By and by the moon came up -out of the sea and threw a radiant path across the waters, and the -islands ahead stood out in huge black shadow. - -It was glorious sailing, with the soft summer night air blowing in their -faces; and they sang as they sailed, and yo-hoed all the sea choruses -they knew, and felt so free and irresponsible that the yacht _Spray_, as -though it absorbed some of their spirit, rolled along in a merry, -swinging fashion, rocking gently from billow to billow, dipping and -tossing in time to the music. - -The still shores of Eagle Island rang with their songs as they rounded to -in Cold Harbour somewhere near midnight, and came to anchor close to -shore in the deep water, within the shadow of the hemlocks that rose up, -tall and black, almost from the water's edge, where the tide swashed -gently against the rocks. High up in the thick branches of the great -trees some fish-hawks, startled by the unwonted noise, rose up from their -nests and uttered shrill, piercing screams of fright. And this was their -only welcome, for on all the island there was no other sign of life. - -"It's fairly certain they won't pursue us to-night," said George. "But it -won't do to be caught napping. We've got to set watch regularly every -night now, and we might as well begin to-night. Somebody's got to walk -out on the point of rocks yonder and look out for sails. Two will be -enough till morning. We will split the time from now till six into two -three-hour watches." - -"I'll begin it," said Bob. - -"My next," said Tom, not to be outdone by his chum. - -Bob rowed ashore in the little tender, and set off at once for a point of -rocks some half-mile distant, which commanded a view of the bay. The -others were sound asleep by the time he was half-way there. - -When Tom awoke, about seven hours later, it was broad daylight and the -sun was streaming into the hatchway. He scrambled out in a hurry as Bob's -voice hailed him from the deck. - -"Hulloa! Hulloa!" came the voice. "Are you fellows going to sleep all -day?" - -"Why didn't you come back and rouse me to take my turn?" asked Tom, -reproachfully. - -"Well, I wasn't sleepy," answered Bob, "and it grew light soon, and I got -to watching a mink fishing for his family, and carrying cunners to them -along the rocks, and I thought I'd let you sleep. It's tough to wake up, -you know, when one has just dropped off. Come on, we'll take a swim now. -The water is fine." - -Tom bared a muscular young form, and he and Bob dived off the rail of the -_Spray_, making such a splashing and commotion in the water and bellowing -so like young sea-lions, that the others gave up trying to turn over for -another nap, and came sprawling out of the cabin, diving overboard, one -after another, to join them. Then they had a race ashore, which was won -by Tom, with Bob and Henry Burns a close second; after which they lay on -the beach sunning themselves, and then swam back to the yacht for -breakfast. - -"There's not a sail in sight, and the whole bay is as smooth as glass," -Bob had announced on his arrival; and, as not a breath of wind was yet -stirring, there was no need of setting watch for the present. So they all -sat down to hot coffee and griddle-cakes, and ate like wolves. - -After breakfast they went ashore to explore the island, roaming about -like young savages, leaving their clothing piled in a heap in the tender. -Every now and then, as the humour seized them, they raced down to the -shore, wherever they were, ran along on the fine white beaches, and -cooled themselves in the clear, still water. - -They had it all to themselves, for nobody lived on this small island, the -fishermen on the mainland or neighbouring larger islands coming over in -the late summer only, to cut the grass and make the hay. - -Then they went back to the tender and dressed, and Henry Burns, daunted -at nothing, tried to climb one of the giant hemlocks to a fish-hawk's -nest, but gave it up when the birds screamed in his ears and beat at him -with their powerful wings. - -They had dug some clams at the low tide in the forenoon and put them -away, covered with wet seaweed. Now, shortly after their noon luncheon, -as the tide flooded, they got out the lines from a locker in the _Spray_ -and tried the fishing in Cold Harbour. There were plenty of small harbour -fish, flounders out in the middle where the water was muddy, and cunners -and small rock-cod in among the ledges. They soon caught a basket of -these, cleaned them, and put them away, covered with seaweed, like the -clams. - -Then, toward the end of the afternoon, as the bay was still calm, they -set out along the shore and gathered driftwood, which they threw in a -great pile on a flat, clean ledge. As supper-time came, they set this -heap afire and let it burn for an hour or two, until the great flat ledge -was at a white heat. Then they made a broom of some branches of hemlock, -and swept the ledge clean of ashes, and brought the clams and poured them -out on the ledge, covering them all with clean, damp seaweed till there -rose clouds of steam, and, after a time, an appetizing odour. - -The fish they cooked in much the same way, wrapping them in big green -leaves and setting them upon the hot stones to bake. - -Then, as evening came on, they built the fire anew close by, for a fire -is the cheeriest of companions in a strange place, and sat feasting on -steamed clams and fish, with a great pot of coffee filling all the air -with a most delicious fragrance. They lolled about the fire and ate, till -even slim Henry Burns said he felt like an alderman. They told stories by -the firelight, and stretched out at ease till sleep nearly overtook them -as they lay there; for the day had been brimful of exertion. By and by, -long after the stars were out, and a gentle breeze from the south, coming -up softly from among the islands, just rippled the water, they rowed out -to the _Spray_, Tom returning ashore again to begin the night's watch. - -Then, later in the night, came George Warren's turn to watch, and he -stayed it out till morning, for, with all the fun of the day, there was -something that would keep turning over and over in his brain, and which -took away the sleepy feeling and left in its stead a feeling of -unhappiness; a sense of something wrong. His father would have said it -was conscience, but George wrestled long and hard through the morning -hours to avoid recognizing it as that, for conscience would say, if -recognized, that it was all wrong, what they were doing,--and George -Warren wanted to think he was having a good time. - -These moody thoughts began to dissipate, however, with the coming of the -warm golden glow in the east; and when the sun was at length up, and the -boys had had their morning swim, and sat about a fire awaiting breakfast, -George Warren seemed himself again. - -But the breakfast was rudely interrupted by a series of whoops from young -Joe, who had taken his brother's place on guard at the end of the point -of rocks, and who now came running down alongshore, crying out that there -was a sail that looked like the _Nancy Jane_ coming out from around the -islands across the bay, and they all raced back to have a look at it. - -"It's the _Nancy Jane_, sure enough," said Henry Burns. "It's her big -mainsail, with the high peak. She's making slow headway, though, with -this breath of wind. However, we shall have to be off at once, if we are -going to try to escape." - -It was noticeable that Henry Burns said "if." - -However, as no one felt like proposing to give up, they lost no time in -getting aboard the _Spray_, and had sail on and the anchor up in what -Captain Sam would have called a jiffy. Heading out into the open bay that -lay between them and the outer islands, they bade good-bye to Cold -Harbour and began a long, slow beat to windward, in the light breeze. - -"There's more wind coming, down between the islands," said Bob. "There's -a line of breeze about two miles to the southward, and we shall catch it -a good half-hour before the _Nancy Jane_." - -"That's so; it will give us a fine start," said Arthur. - -But, somehow, no one seemed wildly enthusiastic over their prospects. -However, as they caught the fresher breeze, and the little _Spray_ stood -stiffly up into it and ate away to windward, their spirits rose. Then, as -the islands came plainly into view and they drew nearer and nearer to the -first, big Saddle Island, with its low range of little hills dropping -down in the centre in the shape of a horse's back, the excitement became -intense; for the _Nancy Jane_ had not rounded the point of Eagle Island, -and it seemed as though they might be out of sight behind Saddle Island -before they could be seen by those aboard the pursuing yacht. - -"Go it, old _Spray_! Good little boat!" cried young Joe, as the yacht -glided swiftly up into the shadow of the island. "We're going to make it, -and, once behind old Saddle, who's to know which way we have gone?" - -"Five minutes more of this sailing, and we shall fool Captain Sam once -more," said Bob. - -The five minutes were nearly up. They had but another leg to run to round -the head of Saddle Island. They stood out till they had one and all -declared that they could clear it on the next tack; they were all ready -to go about. George Warren stood with one hand on the tiller and the -other ready to grasp the main-sheet. Joe and Arthur Warren were waiting -impatiently to trim the jib-sheets, and then--and then George Warren took -their breaths away. - -All at once he jammed the tiller over, threw the _Spray_ clear off the -wind, let the main-sheet run, and before they scarcely knew what had -happened, instead of standing in to round the head of Saddle Island, the -little _Spray_ was running dead before the wind and heading squarely back -for the point around which the _Nancy Jane_ must soon come in sight. - -It was so quickly done that at first they thought there was some mistake, -and Arthur and Joe and Bob rushed to the stern to help bring her around -again; but George Warren, with a firm, set look on his face, stood them -off. - -"Oh, I say, George, you're not going to give it up now, are you?" cried -young Joe, who had been in high spirits not a moment before. - -"That's what," responded his brother, quietly. "I've thought it all out -at last, and I've come to the conclusion we are doing the cowardly thing -to run away. We have got to face the thing, and we may as well do it -first as last. Besides, we didn't set out to run away when we started." - -"That's a fact," said Tom. "We have sort of drifted into this running -away business without realizing what we were doing. Now the best thing we -can do is to go back and have it out with Colonel Witham." - -"It's not Colonel Witham that I hate to face," said George. "It's father -and mother. And the part they'll feel worst about is that we did not stay -and talk it over with them." - -"That's so," added Arthur. "What a lot of loons we were to come down -here." - -"Shall I pull the centreboard up?" asked Henry Burns. - -"You bet!" answered George Warren. "And we'll take a leaf out of your -book, Henry, and we won't worry over what cannot be helped. We're doing -the right thing now, anyway, so there's that much to feel good about." - -"There's the _Nancy Jane_," said Henry Burns. - -Sure enough, Captain Sam's pride was just turning the point, and Captain -Sam, looking at the _Spray_ coming down free and pointing its nose right -at him, could hardly believe his eyes. - -"It's them, all right," he assured the squire and the colonel. "They are -coming back; tired of being runaways, I guess. Well, I thought they would -get sick of it after a night or two away from home. They ain't the kind -of boys to enjoy running away." - -"Humph!" snorted the colonel. - -"They're a lot of young scamps and scapegraces," snarled the squire. - -Getting aground and spending a night in a bed that the colonel swore was -stuffed with pig iron and seaweed had not improved their tempers. - -"Well, anyhow," responded Captain Sam, "they are coming back of their own -accord, and that is something in their favour." - -The colonel and the squire only sneered. - -Meanwhile the little _Spray_ came running down the wind in merry style, -and the end of the next hour found her swinging up into the wind, with -sails flapping, while the _Nancy Jane_ ran alongside. - -The colonel and the squire were at last avenged. - -Full of wrath was the one, and brimming with wrathful satisfaction was -the other. - -"So we have caught you at last, have we?" exclaimed Squire Brackett. - -"We seem to have sort of caught ourselves, squire," answered George -Warren. - -"Well, never mind about being smart," said the colonel, hotly. "You are -under arrest for burning my hotel down. Perhaps that will take some of -the smartness out of you." - -"Under arrest!" George Warren's face paled. "It isn't right," he added. -"We didn't do it nor have any hand in it." - -"Guess you won't attempt to deny that you were in the billiard-room, will -you?" broke in Squire Brackett. "Because, bein' as I saw you all in -there, it might not do you any good to swear as how you wasn't." - -"Don't you dare accuse us of trying--" But young Joe got no further. - -"Be quiet, Joe," said George Warren, calmly. And then, turning to the -colonel, he said: - -"We are not going to deny anything, Colonel Witham. That is why we are -coming back of our own accord. We have got nothing to conceal, and we are -going to tell everything just as it happened." - -"That is just about what we are arresting you for," said the squire, -sneeringly. "We calculate you'll have to tell everything." - -"Hold on there a minute, squire," cried Captain Sam. "Let's not be too -hard on these boys. There may be some mistake, as they say. I hold these -'ere warrants, and I don't see as there is any necessity of serving of -'em just yet. If these boys will give me their word to go along straight -as they can sail for Mayville, and agree to appear when wanted before -Judge Ellis, why, I guess maybe the warrants will keep till--say, just as -we go in the door. Or perhaps Judge Ellis will consent that they come -before him of their own accord, without serving these warrants at all, -considering as they are only boys." - -It is needless to say that Captain Sam's legal experience was of the most -limited sort. - -"Bully for you, Captain Sam!" cried Bob. "You're a brick,--and you won't -regret it." And a yell of thanks from the others gave Captain Sam a warm -glow under his blue shirt. - -The squire and the colonel were loud and furious in their denunciation of -such a course. - -"It's against the law," cried the colonel; and he vowed he would make it -hot for Captain Sam when Judge Ellis found his orders were not obeyed. -But Captain Sam knew better than they of the warm corner in the judge's -heart, and knew, moreover, that his old friend of years, the judge, would -never reprimand him for a breach of duty of this sort. So he shut his -lips firmly and let the squire and the colonel boil away as best they -might between themselves. - -The captain shortened sail on the _Nancy Jane_, so that the two boats -kept along near together, heading back for Southport. - -It was a sorry crew aboard the _Spray_ as the little craft silently -followed in the wake of the _Nancy Jane_. They might have been in -dreamland as they sailed all that day, for scarcely a word was spoken; -and when night dropped down and the boys, all but George Warren, piled -into the cabin to sleep, it was scarcely more quiet than by day. - -Very late that night, as the _Spray_ and the _Nancy Jane_ ran into -Southport harbour and brought up for a few moments alongside the wharf, -to let a serious-looking man, and a tearful woman aboard, the boys were -still sleeping soundly; and George Warren and his father and mother sat -alone together till the sun rose, while the _Spray_, following the _Nancy -Jane_, ran along up the island and then stood across to Mayville, where -Judge Ellis would hold his court that morning. - -"I don't need you to make any denial about the fire," Mr. Warren had -said, when he stepped aboard the _Spray_ and put his hand on his eldest -son's shoulder. "I know you boys would not do such a thing as that; but I -fear your recklessness has gotten you into serious trouble, and Colonel -Witham seems inclined to press the matter to the extreme. So I want to -hear everything from beginning to end." - -And George Warren told him all. - - -There was another boat coming sluggishly up the bay that night, far -astern of the _Spray_, a handsome big sloop, beautifully modelled and -with finely tapered, shining yellow spars. But she carried little sail, -was reefed, in fact, though the breeze was very light; and she moved -through the water so like a dead thing, or like a creature crippled by a -wound, that a sailor would have seen at once that there had been some -mishap aboard, some injury to hull or spars that held her back. - -The youth at the wheel of this strange, big sloop bore a striking -resemblance to Jack Harvey, though the yacht was not the _Surprise_, but -bigger and far more elegant. And the crew--yes, they were surely Harvey's -crew--George and Allan and Tim and Joe,--and they addressed the boy at -the wheel as "Jack." - -And the _Surprise_--where was she? - -Four days had passed since, on that morning following the fire, the -_Surprise_ had turned the point of the island that marked an entrance to -the thoroughfare where, a half-mile to leeward, a big black sloop was -coming fast up the wind. - -"There he is!" Harvey had cried. "Come, boys, get into shape now; but -stay below till I give the word,--all but you, Joe,--and when I yell you -pile out and get aboard that sloop the quickest you ever did anything in -all your lives. He will fight, and we have got to act quick." - -If the thick-set, ill-visaged man who sat at the wheel of the black sloop -felt any concern at the sudden appearance of this new craft, dead ahead -and coming down the narrow thoroughfare toward him, his alarm must have -abated as on its near approach the apparent number of its occupants -became disclosed. - -"She looks harmless enough," he muttered, between his teeth. "Pshaw! -There's only a couple of boys aboard. But it did give me a start for a -moment." And he slapped a hand at his jacket pocket. - -"He's taking long chances, if he did but know it," said Harvey, as the -big sloop came about after a tack close in shore. "That boat cannot more -than clear those ledges by an inch, if it does that. It's a regular stone -field where he's sailing. The channel here winds like a cow-path in a -pasture. However, if he can clear there, we can, so we'll begin to crowd -him." - -It was no easy matter now to close in on a boat beating across the -thoroughfare and not arouse suspicion. To follow him, tack by tack, and -point so as to head him off every time he went about, must inevitably put -him on his guard long before the time came to strike, and might even -allow him, by clever sailing, to slip by. - -With his cap pulled down over his eyes, so that the stranger could not by -any chance identify him as the youth he had knocked down in the pasture -the night of the fire, and his head bent low, Jack Harvey watched the -man's every move, and calculated every inch of the way. - -"Three more tacks will bring him up to us," he said. "And there's shoal -water to starboard and some ledges just beyond them. He's got to meet us -about in that spot," and Harvey laid his own course according to his -calculation and held to it steadily. - -It must have served to allay the man's suspicions, if he still had any, -but now, as he came about on the third tack, he viewed the oncoming -_Surprise_ with anger. - -"Keep away, there!" he cried, in a fierce, violent tone. "Keep off! Can't -you see you're going to foul me if you don't keep off?" - -"Ready to jump, now, Joe," said Harvey, in a low voice. "I'm going to run -him down. It's the only way to be sure, though it may wreck us. - -"Fellows," he called, softly, to the boys below, "all ready, now. You -know what you've got to do the moment she strikes." - -The man at the wheel had risen to his feet, and he shook one fist -threateningly, while his other hand clutched the wheel, throwing his -sloop off as far as he could. - -"Curse you!" he cried. "You're running me down. Keep off, I say, or I'll -blow your stupid head off your shoulders." - -The next moment Harvey, with a sudden turn of the tiller, threw the -_Surprise_ full tilt at the oncoming sloop. There was a sharp crash of -splintering wood, the tearing of head-sails, and a shock that shook the -yachts from keel to topmast, as the _Surprise_ rammed the big black sloop -just by the foremast stays, snapping her own bowsprit short off and -making an ugly hole in her own planking. - -Leaping just as the boats crashed, and holding a coil of rope on his arm, -Joe Hinman landed on the top of the big sloop's cabin in the very midst -of the confusion. A moment more and he had made a few quick turns about -the mast, lashing the two yachts fast together at the moment when Harvey, -followed by the rest of his crew, who came swarming out of the cabin, -sprang aboard the strange sloop. - -"I'll shoot the first boy that steps a foot on this boat," cried the man; -but the words were scarce out of his mouth before they were upon him. He -had been in danger before and knew how to make the most of his chances, -and he stood, desperate but cool, as they made their rush. - -There was a shot, and Jack Harvey, who was leading, gave a cry of pain, -for a bullet just grazed his left shoulder. He stumbled and fell full at -the feet of the man as another shot was fired and young Tim thought his -right hand was gone. - -The next moment Harvey had the man by the legs, while Allan Harding and -George Baker and Joe made a rush for him. The man fell heavily, Joe -Hinman clinging with both hands to one wrist, so that he could not fire -again. They rolled over and over in the cockpit for a moment, the boys -and he. Twice the man got to his knees and twice they dragged him down -again; till, at length, young Tim, whose hand was not shot away, but only -slightly wounded, managed to run in and deal the man a blow with the end -of an oar, which stunned him for a moment, so that they got him flat and -had bound the loose end of a halyard about him before he came fully to -his senses. Then, as they proceeded to complete the job and tie him fast, -hand and foot, he recognized Harvey for the first time. - -"Hulloa!" he exclaimed. "Why, where have I seen you before? You're not -the chap in the pasture, are you?" - -"The same," said Harvey. - -"Well, the game's up," said the man, coolly. "'Twas a mistake, and I knew -it the moment after I had done it. I was a fool to hit you that night. -It's my temper, that's what has beat me. It gets away from me sometimes. -I dare say if I had gone along about my business you wouldn't have -followed me, eh?" - -"Probably not," answered Harvey. "That is why I am glad you knocked me -down," and then, taking a quick glance over the side of the boat, he -cried: - -"Joe! Allan! George! Out with the sweeps, lively! We're going aground." - -Harvey sprang to the wheel, hauling in on the main-sheet as he did so. - -But it was too late. There was a gentle shock that shook the sloop from -end to end, a dull, grating sound, and the next moment the big sloop -rested firmly on a jagged rock of the reach, listing as she hung, and -wrenching the bilge so that she made water rapidly. - -"Whew!" cried Harvey. "Here's a mess. We're wrecked, and badly, too. How -in the world are we ever going to get out of this?" - -It was, indeed, a serious problem. The _Surprise_, her bow planks ripped -open by the collision, had sunk within a few minutes, and now lay on -bottom, with her deck covered. The big sloop, hard aground and full of -iron ballast, was not a thing to be moved easily. - -"This is a scrape and no mistake," said Harvey. "Here we are, where a -boat may pick us up in a day or a week, but more likely not for a week. -We've got our man, but the reefs have got us. Well, we have got to figure -out some way to get out of it ourselves." - -But first they took account of their wounds, which had, now that the -excitement was over, begun to sting and smart. They found that neither -Harvey's nor Tim's wound was at all serious, mere surface flesh-wounds. -The back of young Tim's hand was bare of skin for the length of three -inches across, and Harvey's shoulder bled badly till it was cleansed and -bandaged, but it was the price of victory, and they accounted it cheap. -All of them had honourable scars of battle, bruises and scratches without -number, and every one of them was proud of his, and wouldn't have had one -less for the world. - -Taking their prisoner, securely bound, they all rowed ashore to survey -their surroundings, build a fire and get breakfast, and make plans for -getting away. - -"There's only one thing to be done," said Harvey, after they had finished -breakfast and sat by the shore, surveying the wrecks of the yachts. "The -_Surprise_ is done for. We can't raise her. But the big sloop is not so -badly hurt but what we can repair her, if we can only float her. The -first thing we have got to do, when the tide goes out, is to get all that -pig iron out of her, and that's a day's job, at the least. Then we may -beach her at high tide and patch her up. It's a big contract, though." - -That day they brought the spare sails of the sloop ashore and pitched a -tent with them; and, when the tide was low enough for them to work, they -began the hard labour of lightening the big sloop of its ballast. - -They worked all that tide like beavers, and by night the yacht was light. -They camped on shore that night, standing watch by turns over their -prisoner. - -The next day at low water they found the worst of the leaks in the sloop, -and made shift to patch them up temporarily with strips of canvas tacked -on and daubed with paint, which they found in the sloop's locker, and by -recaulking some of the seams with oakum. By the next high tide, with hard -pumping, she was sufficiently lightened to float clear of the reef, -though still leaking badly, and they got her around to a clear, steeply -shelving strip of beach, where they rested her more easily when the tide -fell, and so could work on the repairs to better advantage. - -Another night in camp ashore, and the next day they floated the sloop off -again at high tide and loaded about half of her ballast in again. - -"That will keep her right side up till we can get back to Southport," -said Harvey. "I think we can make it, if we carry short sail, so as not -to strain her and open up those places where we have patched her. We will -try it, anyway, for I have half an idea that our running off so soon -after the fire may have made talk about us, and the quicker we get back -and put an end to that the better." - -So that afternoon they began their voyage home again, looking very -serious as the mast of the yacht _Surprise_, sticking out of water, faded -from their view, but swelling with pride and satisfaction as they peered -in now and then at a form that lay secure on one of the cabin bunks. - -They sailed all that night, for the breeze held fair and light, and by -daybreak of the following morning they came into the harbour of -Southport. - -Harvey and Joe Hinman rowed ashore, soon after they came to their old -moorings off the camp, to see how the land lay; but came back on the run -in about twenty minutes, and made the water boil as they rowed out to the -yacht. - -"We're off for Mayville," cried Harvey. "We'll put on more sail, too, if -it pulls the bottom out of her. Why, what do you think! Who's arrested -for the fire?" - -And he told the news, to the amazement of young Tim and George Baker and -Allan Harding. - -"I've got a score to pay to Tom Harris and Bob White," he exclaimed. - -"Why, they saved your life, Jack," said young Tim. - -"That's what," said Harvey. "I owe them one for that. Here's a chance to -get square, if we can only make it in time." - -"And only to think," muttered the man in the cabin, as he looked out at -the stalwart but boyish figure at the wheel, "that I had that young -fellow in the same boat with me at night in the middle of Samoset Bay! -Well, if I had only done as I set out to, then, I wouldn't be here now, -that's all. But how is a man to look ahead so far?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE TRIAL - - -What one man knew in Mayville was every man's property. Gossip always -spread through the town like wildfire. So it happened that on the morning -of the arrival of the _Nancy Jane_ and the _Spray_ there was a buzzing -and a shaking of heads and a wagging of tongues; and before long the -whole town knew that something of vast importance was about to take place -up at Squire Ellis's court. - -"It's those young fellows that set the hotel afire over across at -Southport," said a certain tall, gaunt individual, who happened to be the -centre of an excited group on one of the street corners, near the town -pump. "I hear as how Squire Barker is going to defend them, but they do -say he's got no case, because I heard Lem Stevens say as he heard Squire -Brackett declare he saw them young chaps down in the billiard-room of the -hotel along about midnight, and the fire started pretty quick after -that." - -"Well, guess they'll catch it if Squire Brackett is on their trail," -volunteered another of the group. "He ain't given to showing kindness to -anybody, much less to a lot of firebugs." - -"I don't believe they ever done it, anyway," ventured a third. "They -don't seem like that kind, from all I can learn, and they do say as how -they pitched in and saved a lot of Colonel Witham's boarders from being -burned in their beds, when the flames was a-spreadin' fast." - -And so the gossip waged, this way and that, while impatient knots of -idlers hung around the entrance to Squire Ellis's court, waiting for ten -o'clock, when proceedings should begin. - -Shortly before the old town clock beat out the ten solemn strokes that -proclaimed the formal sitting of justice, a whisper ran along the line of -loiterers, "Here he comes. It's the judge." And that person of great -importance, a short, thick-set man, with a quick, nervous step, an -energetic, sharp manner, but, withal, a kindly eye, entered the -court-room. The next moment the clock announced his punctuality. - -The crowd swarmed into the court-room, stuffy and hot enough already, and -the air vibrated with expectancy. - -Proceeding up the long village street at this moment was a little group, -headed by Captain Sam, not wholly unimpressed with the importance of his -own part in the affair, the boys and Mrs. Warren following, and, not far -in the rear, the colonel and the squire. Just as they reached the -court-room door, Captain Sam halted the little party for a moment, and, -not without reluctance, said: "Well, boys, I suppose I'll have to serve -these 'ere warrants before we go inside. I'm free to say I'm sorry to do -it, but they're the orders of this 'ere honourable court, and they must -be obeyed by me, a sworn officer of the law." - -And having disposed of this somewhat painful formality, Captain Sam -opened the door and the party were in court. - -Presently they were joined by Squire Barker, a sober, elderly, -clerical-looking lawyer, dressed in a somewhat rusty suit of black, -serious-minded, whose lugubrious manner was not calculated to infuse a -spirit of cheer into hearts that were sinking. - -The county attorney, who was to conduct the case for the people of the -State, a youthful attorney, of comparatively recent admission to -practice, bustled about as became a functionary with the burden of an -important matter upon his shoulders. - -The court-room, save for the buzzing of innumerable flies upon the -uncleaned window-panes, was still as a church when His Honour announced -that the court was now open for whatsoever matters the county attorney -had to bring before it. - -After the usual formality of acquainting His Honour officially of the -matter in hand, which matter His Honour was already as much acquainted -with as a thousand and one busy tongues of gossip could make him, the -likewise formal answer of "Not guilty" was returned, and, without further -delay, Colonel Witham was called to the stand. - -The colonel, fully awake to his opportunity, took the stand rather -pompously, thrust a well-filled, expansive waistband to the front, whence -there dangled from a waistcoat pocket a ponderous gold chain, plentifully -adorned with trinkets, in the handling of which, as he testified, a large -seal ring on a finger of his right hand was ostentatiously displayed. - -Yes,--in answer to questions,--he was the lessee of the Bayview Hotel on -the 10th of September last, on which day it was burned to the ground; -and, if he did say it, there was no better conducted hotel along the -shores of Samoset Bay. - -Suggestion by His Honour that he please answer the questions as put, and -reserve his own personal opinions and convictions to himself, received by -the colonel with evident surprise and some little loss of dignity. - -Then the colonel detailed, so far as he knew them, the events of the -night of the fire; how he was first aroused by the cry of "Fire!" and how -the first persons he encountered--within his very hotel, in fact--were -the accused; how the smoke was even then pouring up from the basement -windows, and that upon investigation he had found the whole basement -floor to be on fire, so that it was already far beyond control. - -Then there followed a detailed account of the fire, of the destruction of -this section and that, and, finally, the utter collapse and ruin of the -entire structure, with all that it had contained. The colonel did the -scene full justice in his description, making an unmistakable impression -on the minds of the assembled townsfolk. - -Asked if he had seen any suspicious characters in or about the hotel on -the day or night of the fire, the colonel said he had not; nor had any -stranger who had not been subsequently accounted for come ashore from the -steamers on that day. - -Leaving at length the subject of the fire, County Attorney Perkins came -down to the subject of the attempt to serve the warrants upon the boys at -the camp and at the Warren cottage, the failure, the subsequent pursuit -of the boys down the bay in the _Nancy Jane_, and the final surrender of -the yacht _Spray_ in the middle of the bay. - -It was clear that this part of the evidence would have great weight with -the court. After the attorney's questions he put several of his own, -regarding the escape from Little Reach, and whether it must have been -clear to the boys in the yacht that they were being pursued. - -It was this testimony that made Mr. Warren breathe hardest, and put his -hand to his head with a troubled look. - -Squire Barker's cross-examination was brief, but he made two telling -points, which might have their influence. One was, that the boys had been -very brave on the night of the fire, and had undoubtedly saved many -lives. This the colonel reluctantly had to admit. The other, and far more -important point, was the bringing out that early on the morning of the -fire the colonel had seen that the yacht _Surprise_ was absent from her -moorings, whereas the colonel had seen her lying there the afternoon -preceding. - -"Was it not common talk in the village that Harvey and his crew were -missing the very morning after the fire?" inquired Squire Barker. - -"It was," answered the colonel. - -"And did you not see all of the accused about the village for the entire -day following the fire?" - -"Yes." - -There was a buzz in the court-room, which indicated that this point had -told. - -"And is it not true," continued Squire Barker, "that this Jack Harvey and -his crew have not yet returned, are still missing?" - -The colonel said he believed such was the case. - -Asked why he had not secured their arrest, he responded that he felt sure -he was on the right track, as he would prove by his witness, Squire -Brackett. - -And Squire Brackett, nothing loath, was the next witness. Having brought -out, what everybody knew, that the squire was a property owner and a man -of importance in his own village, the county attorney asked: - -"And where were you shortly after midnight on the night of September -10th?" - -"I was passing the Hotel Bayview on my way to the shore." - -"What did you see as you neared the hotel?" - -"I saw a light in the billiard-room window, and went to the window and -looked in." - -"Did you see any one in there?" - -"I did." - -"And who were they?" - -"These accused," and the squire named in turn each of the six boys and -pointed them out in court. - -They, feeling the eyes of all turned toward them, the awful stillness of -the court-room for the moment following the squire's declaration, and -oppressed more than ever by the hot, choking atmosphere of the stuffy -little court, turned white and red by turns, wished that the floor would -open beneath their feet and swallow them, and felt a burning sensation in -their throats as though they were stifling. - -"And how soon did you see flames coming up from the location of the -hotel?" - -"I could not say exactly; it might have been half an hour. I was out in -the bay in my sloop." - -"Had you seen any suspicious characters in the village on that day?" - -"I had not." - -Then the squire also recounted the events of the pursuit of the yacht -_Spray_, the escape through Little Reach, and the subsequent surrender of -the boys. - -From Squire Barker it was brought out, as in the testimony of the -colonel, the fact that after Harvey and his crew in the yacht _Surprise_ -had suddenly set sail on the very morning of the fire, they had not been -seen nor heard of since. This, the squire admitted, was common knowledge -throughout the village. - -Then there came to the stand Captain Sam, standing awkwardly, with a hard -clutch on the rail in front of him, as if he were afraid of the -court-house suddenly dipping and rolling on a breaker and spilling him -overboard. - -No, he had no objection to removing his tobacco in deference to the -Court, and did so; but forgot that august presence before he had been -testifying long, and took another and a bigger chew. - -Did he know the accused? - -Reckoned he did, with a haw-haw that shook the court-room. - -Had he pursued them in his sloop the _Nancy Jane_, in an endeavour to -serve the warrants? - -He had, and they worked their boat like sailors, if he did say it. - -"And were you assisted in your pursuit by Colonel Witham and Squire -Brackett?" - -"Assisted!" drawled Captain Sam, and grinning from ear to ear. "Well, I -dunno how much assisting you'd be pleased to call it, being as they were -sick as a boy that had eaten a peck of green apples, and was sprawling -around in the bottom of the boat like a couple of halibut just catched." - -Which, being pronounced by Captain Sam with the utmost gravity, produced -such a decided impression on the audience of fisher-people and -sailor-folk, that there was a roar throughout the court-room, at which -His Honour announced that any such further interruption would be followed -by the clearing of the room. - -The squire and the colonel turned red in the face and looked rather -foolish, inwardly wishing that Captain Sam was at the bottom of the bay. - -Captain Sam, under further questioning, told again the story of that -afternoon's sailing, mentioning casually that the colonel had requested -to be set ashore when the _Nancy Jane_ was out in the middle of the bay, -which request, as Captain Sam explained, there being no land near by -excepting that straight down under water, he was unable to grant. - -Another titter through the court-room, the colonel and the squire -blushing redder than ever. - -It was embarrassing enough to Captain Sam to tell how he had put the -_Nancy Jane_ aground in Little Reach, for he knew there was scarce a man -or boy within the sound of his voice who wouldn't vow to himself that, if -he had been in Captain Sam's place, he would have known better. It was -really mortifying. - -Squire Barker made the most of this, not because it could help his -clients, but because it served in its way to put one of the people's -witnesses in a ridiculous light, and because it gave him a chance to show -how smart a cross-examiner he could be, thereby elevating himself in the -eyes and admiration of his townsfolk. - -"So you got aground where these young men took their boat through all -right, did you?" queried Squire Barker. - -"I got aground," snapped Captain Sam, sharply. - -"And these young men took their boat through safe and sound?" - -"I don't know," roared Captain Sam. "I didn't see them." - -"But you saw them just a few minutes before that, didn't you?" - -"Guess I did." - -"And when you got to the entrance they were nowhere in sight, and -therefore must have sailed through; they couldn't have dragged the -_Spray_ over the rocks?" - -"Suppose not." - -The colonel and the squire were rather enjoying this, and had plucked up -spirits enough to titter with the rest at the discomfiture of Captain -Sam. - -"Then you tried to imitate these young men and go through as they did, -but you didn't seem to know the channel, and so got aground?" - -"Channel!" roared Captain Sam, bellowing out the word in a rage and -shaking a fist at the squire. "Channel, did you say? Haven't I told you -there wasn't enough channel there to wash a sheep in? Didn't I tell these -two thick-headed numskulls"--pointing to the colonel and the -squire--"that we'd get aground if we went in there? And didn't they snarl -at me like two old women, and accuse me of letting them 'ere boys get -away? Didn't I know we'd get aground in there, and didn't these two -seasick old pussy-cats make me go ahead and do it?" - -Captain Sam, beside himself with indignation, roared this out so his -voice could be heard far out in the street. In vain the court rapped for -order. The whole court-room was convulsed, and, finally, His Honour, -overcome with the situation, leaned back in his chair and laughed too. - -Only the colonel and the squire, the butt of all the merriment, looked -alternately at the floor and the ceiling, and mopped their faces with -handkerchiefs as red as their cheeks. - -At length, when order was restored, Judge Ellis said: "Captain Sam, you -are excused. You are in contempt of court. The case will proceed without -testimony from you." - -At which Captain Sam, feeling that he had in a measure vindicated his -name and reputation, got down from the stand in a somewhat better frame -of mind. - -There followed several of the hotel guests, who had been duly summonsed -to tell what they knew of the early stages of the fire, and whether they -had seen any suspicious characters about the hotel or the village on that -day. They made it very clear, together with the testimony of some of the -villagers, that there had been no strange person seen in the town either -on that day or the preceding or the following day, all of which argued, -of course, that, if the fire was set, it was set by some one in the town, -who was more or less known to every one. - -On the other hand, it was definitely established by Squire Barker that -Harvey and his crew had set sail in the _Surprise_ while the hotel was -still blazing furiously, for there were two of the villagers who lived -down the island several miles from the hotel who testified to seeing the -_Surprise_ beating down alongshore about daylight. - -This was highly important, and yet the one essential thing was lacking, -nor could it be supplied by any evidence at hand, that Harvey or any one -of his crew had been seen about the hotel that night. - -It was noon now, and time for recess. So His Honour announced an -adjournment to half-past two that afternoon, and the crowd swarmed -out-of-doors, leaving the flies in undisputed possession of the unclean -windows. - -It was hard for the boys to realize that at last they were under -restraint; that they were not free to follow the crowd of villagers and -their friends. The seriousness of the situation assumed an even more -depressing aspect. - -"Do you think he will hold them?" asked Mr. Warren, anxiously, of Squire -Barker, as the little party, under the nominal charge of Captain Sam, sat -in the anteroom of the court-house, trying to partake of a luncheon which -had been provided, but for which nobody seemed to have any appetite. - -"Well, I can't say," answered the squire, wisely. "But I'm a little -afraid of it. I'm just a little afraid. You see, their getting into the -hotel and being there just before the fire can't be denied. And I suppose -that His Honour will hold that it was really breaking and entering to get -into the hotel in the night-time in the way they did. And then, even -though it may have been accidental, the setting the fire, still, as it -followed and grew out of their unlawful act, they can be held for setting -the hotel on fire." - -This sentence, somewhat involved as it was, but delivered with sageness -and an ominous shake of the head, set the boys to breathing hard, and -more than one of them found himself swallowing a lump in his throat. - -"But there isn't the slightest evidence that we set the fire," said young -Joe. - -"Yes," answered the squire; "there's what they call circumstantial -evidence, and that is, the fact of your being in there just before it was -discovered. It may not be enough to convict on, but the question that's -bothering now is, will it be enough to hold you over on, and I'm bound to -say it does look just a little bad. However, we won't give up. We'll -fight it out to the last." - -But just what there was to fight it out on, not one of them could for the -life of him suggest. - -The minutes, which seemed like hours, dragged wearily on, and the air in -the stuffy little court-house seemed to grow denser and more unendurably -stifling. One o'clock. Two o'clock. The hum of returning villagers became -more loud. The hour for the resumption of the session was only thirty -minutes away. - -Suddenly there was the sound of light, quick, nervous footsteps along the -hallway, the door was pushed open, and in there bounced a little old -lady, whose thin face beamed and flushed with excitement under a bonnet, -fashionably but rather youthfully trimmed with bright flowers, dressed in -a gown quaintly cut, but giving evidence of the means of the wearer, and -bearing on one arm a small basket and in the other hand a chatelaine-bag. - -"Why, it's Mrs. Newcome!" exclaimed Mrs. Warren, jumping up excitedly, -and glad even of this interruption. "What can have brought you here?" - -"Isn't this a wicked shame!" cried the little old lady, paying no -attention to Mrs. Warren's question. "It's just the cruellest thing I -ever heard of, bringing these boys here. I'll tell the judge that, too, -if they'll let me. Where is that old scamp, Colonel Witham, and that old -mischief-maker, Squire Brackett? If I don't give them a piece of my mind! -I told Jerry about it all the way over, and you ought to have heard him -growl. Here he is; just listen how angry he is." - -And Mrs. Newcome, unfastening the cover of the basket which she had been -carrying, disclosed to view the aforesaid Jerry, lying within on a -cushion. The cat, in corroboration of his mistress's declaration, -certainly did growl and snarl and then yowl dolorously; but whether as an -endorsement of old Mrs. Newcome's indignation, or whether giving vent to -his own at being whisked about in a basket on a boiling hot day, no one -but he could say positively. - -"These boys didn't set that fire," snapped the old lady, decisively; "and -I just want to do what I can for them. I couldn't leave Jerry behind. He -gets so lonesome without me. So I brought him along. And now, Mr. Warren, -I suppose you know I'm not the poorest person that comes down here to -spend summers, and I've got some property around these parts, too--some -land in this very town. And if there's any what-do-you-call-it to pay--" - -"Any bail?" suggested the squire. - -"That's it--bail. That's the word. If there's any of that to pay, I've -got the securities right here," and Mrs. Newcome shook the chatelaine-bag -vigorously. - -"You are very kind," said Mr. Warren, amused in spite of himself. "But -I'm hoping we shall not have need of bail." - -But in the midst of it there came the ringing voice of the crier in the -court-room adjoining, and the little party all filed into court again, -old Mrs. Newcome bringing up the rear, with the basket on her arm, whence -there emerged now and then a stifled wail, in spite of her whispered -admonitions. - -"We have closed our case," said the prosecuting attorney. And the defence -was begun. - -"George Warren!" called Squire Barker, and George, paling slightly at the -ordeal, but doing his best to keep up a stout heart, took the stand. - -He told his story with a frankness that was convincing, keeping nothing -back; and at the close Squire Barker asked: "And did you, or did you see -anybody else set a fire that night?" - -"Certainly not," he answered. And there was no doubt that he had made a -good impression. - -But there were certain ugly facts that were made to stick out more -embarrassingly on the prosecuting attorney's cross-examination. - -"You will admit," he asked, "that you left on the second day following -the fire, because you did not care to be questioned about it?" - -"Yes, because we knew that our being in the hotel that night would look -suspicious, if it were known," answered George Warren. - -"Then you were going to conceal that fact, if you could?" - -"Yes--I think we were--for awhile, at least." - -"And so you ran away?" - -"We didn't start out with the idea of running away." - -"But you did run from the _Nancy Jane_ when you found she was following -and pursuing you?" - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"I really can't tell you," said George Warren. "I realize now it was a -foolish thing to do. But it was not because we were guilty." - -"But you were all in the basement of the hotel a few moments before the -fire started?" - -"Yes, we were." - -"That is all," said the prosecuting attorney, and George left the stand. - -Henry Burns, called next, did the best he could for his comrades. - -"If it's anybody's fault, it's mine," he said. "You see, it was my -suggestion that got us in there. I was the first to go inside, and the -others came only after I had urged them." - -But Squire Barker knew that this avowal, honest as it was, could not help -them in the eyes of the law. So, having asked a few perfunctory -questions, he turned the witness over to the prosecuting attorney. The -latter brought out about the same points that he had made in the -testimony of George Warren, and that was all. - -It was quite clear that Squire Barker was only calling the boys from a -sense of duty to them, to let them make the best impression they might -upon the mind of the judge. It was the only suit he had to play. - -Then followed Arthur and Joe, and at length Tom and Bob. - -The squire was at the end of his resources now, as far as evidence could -go. It remained but for him to do his duty in the minds of his clients -and his townsmen, and he did it--to his own satisfaction, at least, in -his address to the court. He painted the heroism of the boys at the fire -in colours glowing as the flames. He enlarged upon the probability and -the presumption of innocence. And he paid his respects to the colonel and -the squire in a few stinging sentences that turned the eyes of the -assembled audience upon them in indignation. - -And when he was all done and the court-room turned with expectancy toward -the prosecuting attorney, the latter simply said: - -"Your Honour, the people will submit their case without argument." - -And so, with startling abruptness, the case had come to its crisis. There -was nothing left but for the law to act. - -There succeeded a deathlike stillness in the court-room. His Honour sat -for some moments, with his eyes cast down upon his desk. He seemed loath -to speak. Finally he arose and, with some effort, said, gently: - -"In all my experience as attorney and as judge I have never before been -placed in a position so distasteful to me nor so distressing. The case of -these young men is most unfortunate. Their stories impress me as honestly -told. Their characters are clearly such as are opposed to any such wanton -destruction as is here alleged. And yet the circumstances are such that I -should be blind to the duty of my office if I failed to hold them for -trial. I hope that when their case shall come to trial this fall that -they will have gathered evidence that shall show conclusively their -innocence. In the meantime, deeply as I regret it, it becomes my painful -duty to order that they be held." - -Again an utter stillness in the court-room, broken only by the sobbing of -a woman. The entire court-room waited silently for the next move, amazed -at the suddenness of the conclusion. Six boys set their teeth hard and -tried to look undismayed, but the face of each spoke only too plainly of -his distress. - -Then all at once the patter of feet broke the silence in the court-room, -and a slight boyish figure, poorly dressed and unkempt, darted up the -aisle, into the august presence of the court, and sought refuge in the -seat next to that occupied by Mr. Warren. - -A court officer, who had been stationed at the door, lumbered in after -the boyish figure. - -"Officer," cried Squire Ellis, irritably, "how came you to let this lad -into the court-room? What does this mean? Put him out." - -"If you please, Your Honour," said the officer, very red in the face, "I -drove him away from the door once, but he dodged in past me again before -I could stop him." - -"Remove him from the room at once," said the court, sharply. - -The officer advanced. - -But Tim Reardon--for it was he--had in the meantime seized upon Mr. -Warren, and, though labouring under an excitement so intense as almost to -deprive him wholly of the power of speech, communicated something to him -of the greatest importance. Mr. Warren, in turn, having repeated this -communication to Squire Barker, the latter hastily arose. - -"Your Honour," he began, "this young man brings evidence of the most -startling character, and which will, I am sure, reverse Your Honour's -decision. He--" - -But here a sound from the street outside was borne in upon the -court-room, which caused the squire to pause for a moment, while he and -every person in the room listened in amazement. - -The noise outside increased, and now there came the sound of many voices, -men and women and boys and girls shouting out some piece of news, and -then a loud cheering. The tumult rapidly grew, until it seemed as if all -in a moment the entire village was marching upon the court-house. - -Despite the loud rapping for order of the court officers and the sharp -order of the court for silence, many in the court-room rushed to the -windows and looked out. A strange sight met their eyes. A procession was -coming up the street, in the midst of which, his hands bound behind his -back, a man was walking, while, grasping him by either arm as they walked -beside him, were Jack Harvey and Joe Hinman. - -Into the court-room the procession burst like an avalanche. The room had -seemed somewhat crowded before, but now at least fifty or sixty more men -wedged themselves in, with Harvey and his crew and the strange man still -in the centre of them. The rest of the crowd that followed, not being -able to force themselves into the court-room, seated themselves on the -stairs just outside, and formed a long line out into the street. - -His Honour, powerless to stay this astonishing inrush of the townspeople, -waited till the crowd had resolved itself into something like order, and -then, rapping for silence, demanded to know the cause of this invasion of -and assault upon the dignity of the court. - -There was a moment's silence and delay, and then a broad-shouldered youth -pushed his way through the crowd and walked toward the witness-stand. - -"Here!" cried His Honour. "Officer, stop that young man. Let the business -of this court proceed in its regular order. Mr. Barker, does the court -understand that you ask to have the case reopened on the ground of newly -discovered evidence?" - -"Yes, Your Honour," replied the squire, gravely. - -"And this young man, do you wish to make him your witness?" - -"I do, Your Honour," answered Squire Barker. "Although I am not certain -as to just what he has to testify to, I wish to have him made our -witness." - -"State your name to the court," said Squire Barker, as the youth ascended -the witness-stand. - -"Jack Harvey." - -"And am I correctly informed that you have important testimony to give -before this court in this case?" - -"I have the man that set the fire," replied Harvey. - -"And can you produce him?" - -"He is here in this room," answered Harvey. - -And at this moment the crowd parted and allowed to pass a man who walked -doggedly forward, with eyes downcast, hands firmly bound behind his back, -while with him walked the remaining members of Harvey's crew. - -"Is this the man whom you say set the fire?" queried Squire Barker. - -"Yes," said Harvey. - -"And how do you know he set the fire?" - -"He's confessed it, because he knew there was no way out of it for him. -Haven't you?" demanded Harvey, turning to the man. - -The other nodded his head sullenly. - -The uproar that greeted this acknowledgment was deafening. It was several -moments before order could be restored in the court-room, and then the -news borne rapidly to those outside gave rise to a second tumult, which -again stopped the proceedings of the court. - -Then, when order had been finally restored, Harvey narrated the -extraordinary events that had followed the meeting of the man in the -pasture, down to his capture and confession; a confession that included -the admission that he was none other than the man Chambers, and that he -had set fire to the hotel for revenge. - -There never was anything like the scene that followed in all the history -of court procedure in the county from time out of mind. It did not take -the court long, however, to declare that the youthful prisoners, whom he -had felt it his solemn duty to hold for trial, were honourably cleared, -and were free to go at liberty. It did not take long, considering the -fact that the prisoner pleaded guilty, to hold him for trial. Nor did it -take long for good-hearted Judge Ellis to descend from the bench and -shake hands with the boys, each and every one of them, and congratulate -them upon their complete exoneration. - -Once outside the court-room, however, what a storm and tumult of -congratulation awaited them. The first thing they knew there was a rush -for them, and up on the shoulders of a crowd of excited fishermen they -went, and were borne along, amid cheering. And Harvey, too, though he -struggled against it, was borne aloft, while the news of his brave -capture of the man Chambers was shouted out to all in the town. - -In the midst of it all two figures were espied, slinking along toward the -boat-landing, anxious to escape notice. A din of yells and catcalls and -hisses told them they were discovered, and the colonel and the squire, -sorry pictures of dismay and humiliation, quickened their steps and made -their escape, thankful enough to escape unharmed from the indignant -villagers. - -"Harvey," said George Warren, as he stood grasping the other's hand about -two hours later, as the boys formed a little group on the deck of the -steamer that was heading for Southport, "you have more than evened the -thing up. Tom and Bob saved you from drowning; but you have saved us all -from disgrace, and I'm not sure but what I'd rather drown than go through -a disgraceful ordeal like this again." - -"No," said Harvey, clasping the hand of the other warmly. "I'm still the -one that's in debt. They saved me from more than drowning. They saved me -from disgrace, too." - -"Let's call it even, anyway," said Henry Burns, "and shake hands all -around." - -Some weeks later, as Henry Burns and George Warren sat on the veranda of -the Warren cottage, looking out across the cove, a graceful yacht turned -the headland and came up into the harbour. - -"She looks familiar," said Henry Burns. "Where have we seen her before? -Why, it's the _Eagle_, or the _Sprite_, or whatever her real name may be. -I wonder what she's doing here. She was seized by the county and her -owners advertised for. I wonder if they can have been discovered." - -"Let's go down and take a look at her," said George Warren. "She is the -prettiest thing that ever came into this harbour." - -As they walked down to the shore a boat put off from the yacht and a man -pulled in to land. - -"Can you tell me where I can find either Henry Burns or Jack Harvey?" he -inquired, addressing the two boys. - -"I don't know about Harvey," answered Henry Bums, "but I can inform you -about the other person. What do you want of him?" - -"Here's a note for you, if you mean that you're Henry Burns," said the -man. - -"That's funny," said Henry Burns. "It's the first note I've got since -I've been here. I wonder who can have written it." - -Henry Burns deliberately tore open the envelope and unfolded a letter. He -glanced hastily at the contents, stopped short, and gave a cry of -surprise. - -"George," he said, solemnly, "will you hit me once, good and hard, so I -can tell whether I am dreaming or not?" - -"I hardly think there's any need of that," answered the other, laughing. -"You seem to be about as wide-awake as usual." - -"Well," said Henry Burns, "if you won't hit me, just read that letter to -me aloud, anyway. Perhaps I'll believe it if I hear you read it." - -"It seems to be addressed to you and Jack Harvey both," said George -Warren. "Perhaps I need his permission, too, to read it." - -"No you don't. Go ahead," demanded Henry Burns. - -The letter read as follows: - - "Mayville. - - "Henry Burns and Jack Harvey, - - "_My dear Young Men:_--You have each of you proved yourselves heroes in - the events of the last few weeks. To you, Henry Burns, I am indebted - for the rescue of my devoted Jerry, my pet and companion of many years. - To you and your companions, I am, indeed, indebted for my own life. To - you, Jack Harvey, I am indebted for the saving from disgrace of these - young friends of mine. As you may know, the yacht captured from the man - Chambers was condemned by the county officials, advertised, and finally - put up at auction and sold, her former owner, if there ever was another - besides Chambers, not having claimed her. She was, I am informed, a - very expensive boat; but as there were few bidders among the fishermen, - I was enabled to bid off the boat at a figure easily within my means. - This letter is to inform you that I have presented the yacht to you, to - be owned equally by you two. The papers will be made out later and sent - to your parents or guardians. Hoping that you will enjoy many happy - days aboard her, I remain, - - "Sincerely yours, - "Anna Newcome. - - "P. S. Don't upset her and get drowned." - -"Henry, old fellow," cried George Warren. "Let me congratulate you. You -are the two luckiest--" - -But Henry Burns was running as fast as his legs could carry him in the -direction of Harvey's camp. - - - THE END. - - - - - BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - - - THE LITTLE COLONEL BOOKS - (Trade Mark) - - _By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_ - - Each, 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative, per vol. $1.50 - - - The Little Colonel Stories. - (Trade Mark) - - - Illustrated. - -Being three "Little Colonel" stories in the Cosy Corner Series, "The -Little Colonel," "Two Little Knights of Kentucky," and "The Giant -Scissors," put into a single volume. - - - The Little Colonel's House Party. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by Louis Meynell. - - - The Little Colonel's Holidays. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman. - - - The Little Colonel's Hero. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel at Boarding School. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel in Arizona. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - - - The Little Colonel's Christmas Vacation. - (Trade Mark) - -Illustrated by E. B. Barry. - -Since the time of "Little Women," no juvenile heroine has been better -beloved of her child readers than Mrs. Johnston's "Little Colonel." - - - Joel: a Boy of Galilee. - -By Annie Fellows Johnston. Illustrated by L. J. Bridgman. - -New illustrated edition, uniform with the Little Colonel Books, 1 vol., - large 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 - -A story of the time of Christ, which is one of the author's best-known -books, and which has been translated into many languages, the last being -Italian. - - - Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads. A sketch of Country Life and - Country Humor. By Annie Fellows Johnston. With a frontispiece - by Ernest Fosbery. - - Large 16mo, cloth, gilt top $1.00 - -"'Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads' is the most delightful, most -sympathetic and wholesome book that has been published in a long while. -The lovable, cheerful, touching incidents, the descriptions of persons -and things are wonderfully true to nature."--_Boston Times._ - - - In the Desert of Waiting: The Legend of Camelback Mountain. - The Three Weavers: A Fairy Tale for Fathers and Mothers as Well as for - Their Daughters. By Annie Fellows Johnston. - - Each one volume, tall 16mo, cloth decorative $0.60 - -There has been a constant demand for publication in separate form of -these two stories, which were originally included in two of the "Little -Colonel" books, and the present editions, which are very charmingly -gotten up, will be delightful and valued gift-books for both old and -young. - -"'The Three Weavers' is the daintiest fairy-story I ever read," wrote one -critic, and the _Louisville Post_ calls "In the Desert of Waiting" a -"gem, an exquisite bit of work. Mrs. Johnston is at her best in this web -of delicate fancy, woven about the deep centre truth." Those who have -read the stories as they originally appeared will be glad to find them -published individually. - - - Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads. A sketch of Country Life and - Country Humor. By Annie Fellows Johnston. With a frontispiece - by Ernest Fosbery. - - Large 16mo, cloth, gilt top $1.00 - -"'Asa Holmes; or, At the Cross-Roads' is the most delightful, most -sympathetic and wholesome book that has been published in a long while. -The lovable, cheerful, touching incidents, the descriptions of persons -and things, are wonderfully true to nature."--_Boston Times._ - - - The Rival Campers; or, The Adventures of Henry Burns. By Ruel P. Smith. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated by A. B. Shute $1.50 - -Here is a book which will grip and enthuse every boy reader. It is the -story of a party of typical American lads, courageous, alert, and -athletic, who spend a summer camping on an island off the Maine coast. - -"The best boys' book since 'Tom Sawyer.'"--_San Francisco Examiner._ - -"Henry Burns, the hero, is the 'Tom Brown' of America."--_N. Y. Sun._ - - - The Rival Campers Afloat; or, The Prize Yacht Viking. By Ruel P. Smith, - author of "The Rival Campers." - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 - -This book is a continuation of the adventures of "The Rival Campers" on -their prize yacht _Viking_. Every reader will be enthusiastic over the -adventures of Henry Burns and his friends on their sailing trip. They -have a splendid time, fishing, racing, and sailing, until an accidental -collision results in a series of exciting adventures, culminating in a -mysterious chase, the loss of their prize yacht, and its recapture by -means of their old yacht, _Surprise_, which they raise from its watery -grave. - - - The Young Section-hand; or, The Adventures of Allan West. By Burton E. - Stevenson, author of "The Marathon Mystery," etc. - - 12mo, cloth, illustrated by L. J. Bridgman $1.50 - -Mr. Stevenson's hero is a manly lad of sixteen, who is given a chance as -a section-hand on a big Western railroad, and whose experiences are as -real as they are thrilling. - -"It appeals to every boy of enterprising spirit, and at the same time -teaches him some valuable lessons in honor, pluck, and -perseverance."--_Cleveland Plain Dealer._ - - - The Young Train Despatcher. By Burton E. Stevenson, author of "The - Young Section-hand," etc. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.50 - -A new volume in the "Railroad Series," in which the young section-hand is -promoted to a train despatcher. Another branch of railroading is -presented, in which the young hero has many chances to prove his -manliness and courage in the exciting adventures which befall him in the -discharge of his duty. - - - Jack Lorimer. By Winn Standish. - - Square 12mo, cloth decorative. Illustrated by A. B. Shute $1.50 - -Jack Lorimer, whose adventures have for some time been one of the leading -features of the Boston Sunday _Herald_, is the popular favorite of -fiction with the boys and girls of New England, and, now that Mr. -Standish has made him the hero of his book, he will soon be a favorite -throughout the country. - -Jack is a fine example of the all-around American high-school boy. He has -the sturdy qualities boys admire, and his fondness for clean, honest -sport of all kinds will strike a chord of sympathy among athletic youths. - - - The Roses of Saint Elizabeth. By Jane Scott Woodruff, author of "The - Little Christmas Shoe." - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in color by - Adelaide Everhart. $1.00 - -This is a charming little story of a child whose father was caretaker of -the great castle of the Wartburg, where Saint Elizabeth once had her -home, with a fairy-tale interwoven, in which the roses and the ivy in the -castle yard tell to the child and her playmate quaint old legends of the -saint and the castle. - - - Gabriel and the Hour Book. By Evaleen Stein. - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated - in colors by Adelaide Everhart $1.00 - -Gabriel was a loving, patient, little French lad, who assisted the monks -in the long ago days, when all the books were written and illuminated by -hand, in the monasteries. It is a dear little story, and will appeal to -every child who is fortunate enough to read it. - - - The Enchanted Automobile. Translated from the French by Mary J. - Safford. - - Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in colors by - Edna M. Sawyer $1.00 - -The enchanted automobile was sent by the fairy godmother of a lazy, -discontented little prince and princess to take them to fairyland, where -they might visit their old story-book favorites. - -Here they find that Sleeping Beauty has become a famously busy queen; -Princess Charming keeps a jewelry shop; where she sells the jewels that -drop from her lips; Hop-o'-My-Thumb is a farmer, too busy even to see the -children, and Little Red Riding Hood has trained the wolf into a trick -animal, who performs in the city squares. - -They learn the lesson that happy people are the busy people, and they -return home cured of their discontent and laziness. - - - Beautiful Joe's Paradise; or, The Island of Brotherly Love. A sequel to - "Beautiful Joe." By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful - Joe," "For His Country," etc. With fifteen full-page plates and - many decorations from drawings by Charles Livingston Bull. - - One vol., library 12mo, cloth decorative $1.50 - -"Will be immensely enjoyed by the boys and girls who read -it."--_Pittsburg Gazette._ - -"Miss Saunders has put life, humor, action, and tenderness into her -story. The book deserves to be a favorite."--_Chicago Record-Herald._ - -"This book revives the spirit of 'Beautiful Joe' capitally. It is fairly -riotous with fun, and as a whole is about as unusual as anything in the -animal book line that has seen the light. It is a book for juveniles--old -and young."--_Philadelphia Item._ - - - 'Tilda Jane. By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful Joe," etc. - - One vol., 12mo, fully illustrated, cloth, decorative cover, $1.50 - -"No more amusing and attractive child's story has appeared for a long -time than this quaint and curious recital of the adventures of that -pitiful and charming little runaway. - -"It is one of those exquisitely simple and truthful books that win and -charm the reader, and I did not put it down until I had finished -it--honest! And I am sure that every one, young or old, who reads will be -proud and happy to make the acquaintance of the delicious waif. - -"I cannot think of any better book for children than this. I commend it -unreservedly."--_Cyrus Townsend Brady._ - - - The Story of the Graveleys. By Marshall Saunders, author of "Beautiful - Joe's Paradise," "'Tilda Jane," etc. - - Library 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated by E. B. Barry $1.50 - -Here we have the haps and mishaps, the trials and triumphs, of a -delightful New England family, of whose devotion and sturdiness it will -do the reader good to hear. From the kindly, serene-souled grandmother to -the buoyant madcap, Berty, these Graveleys are folk of fibre and -blood--genuine human beings. - - - PHYLLIS' FIELD FRIENDS SERIES - - _By LENORE E. MULETS_ - - Six vols., cloth decorative, illustrated by Sophie Schneider. - Sold separately, or as a set. - Per volume $1.00 - Per set 6.00 - - - Insect Stories. - Stories of Little Animals. - Flower Stories. - Bird Stories. - Tree Stories. - Stories of Little Fishes. - - In this series of six little Nature books, it is the author's intention - so to present to the child reader the facts about each particular - flower, insect, bird, or animal, in story form, as to make delightful - reading. Classical legends, myths, poems, and songs are so introduced - as to correlate fully with these lessons, to which the excellent - illustrations are no little help. - - - THE WOODRANGER TALES - - _By G. WALDO BROWNE_ - - - The Woodranger. - The Young Gunbearer. - The Hero of the Hills. - With Rogers' Rangers. - - Each 1 vol., large 12mo, cloth, decorative cover, illustrated, - per volume $1.25 - Four vols., boxed, per set 5.00 - - "The Woodranger Tales," like the "Pathfinder Tales" of J. Fenimore - Cooper, combine historical information relating to early pioneer days - in America with interesting adventures in the backwoods. Although the - same characters are continued throughout the series, each book is - complete in itself, and, while based strictly on historical facts, is - an interesting and exciting tale of adventure. - - - Born to the Blue. By Florence Kimball Russel. - - 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated $1.25 - -The atmosphere of army life on the plains breathes on every page of this -delightful tale. The boy is the son of a captain of U. S. cavalry -stationed at a frontier post in the days when our regulars earned the -gratitude of a nation. - -The author is herself "of the army," and knows every detail of the life. -Her descriptions are accurate, which adds to the value and interest of -the book. - - - Pussy-Cat Town. By Marion Ames Taggart. - -Small quarto, cloth decorative, illustrated and decorated in colors $1.00 - -"Pussy-Cat Town" is a most unusual, delightful cat story. Ban-Ban, a pure -Maltese who belonged to Rob, Kiku-san, Lois's beautiful snow-white pet, -and their neighbors Bedelia the tortoise-shell, Madame Laura the widow, -Wutz Butz the warrior, and wise old Tommy Traddles, were really and truly -cats, and Miss Taggart has here explained the reason for their mysterious -disappearance all one long summer. - - - The Sandman: His Farm Stories. By William J. Hopkins. With fifty - illustrations by Ada Clendenin Williamson. - - Large 12mo, decorative cover $1.50 - - "An amusing, original book, written for the benefit of very small - children. It should be one of the most popular of the year's books for - reading to small children."--_Buffalo Express._ - - "Mothers and fathers and kind elder sisters who take the little ones to - bed and rack their brains for stories will find this book a - treasure."--_Cleveland Leader._ - - - The Sandman: More Farm Stories. By William J. Hopkins. - - Large 12mo, decorative cover, fully illustrated $1.50 - -Mr. Hopkins's first essay at bedtime stories has met with such approval -that this second book of "Sandman" tales has been issued for scores of -eager children. Life on the farm, and out-of-doors, is portrayed in his -inimitable manner, and many a little one will hail the bedtime season as -one of delight. - - - THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES - - The most delightful and interesting accounts possible of - child-life in other lands, filled with quaint sayings, doings, - and adventures. - - Each 1 vol., 12mo, decorative cover, cloth, with six or - more full-page illustrations in color. - - Price per volume $0.60 - - _By MARY HAZELTON WADE (unless otherwise indicated)_ - - - Our Little African Cousin - Our Little Armenian Cousin - Our Little Brown Cousin - Our Little Canadian Cousin By Elizabeth R. Macdonald - Our Little Chinese Cousin By Isaac Taylor Headland - Our Little Cuban Cousin - Our Little Dutch Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little English Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little Eskimo Cousin - Our Little French Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little German Cousin - Our Little Hawaiian Cousin - Our Little Indian Cousin - Our Little Irish Cousin - Our Little Italian Cousin - Our Little Japanese Cousin - Our Little Jewish Cousin - Our Little Korean Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike - Our Little Mexican Cousin By Edward C. Butler - Our Little Norwegian Cousin - Our Little Panama Cousin By H. Lee M. Pike - Our Little Philippine Cousin - Our Little Porto Rican Cousin - Our Little Russian Cousin - Our Little Scotch Cousin By Blanche McManus - Our Little Siamese Cousin - Our Little Spanish Cousin By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet - Our Little Swedish Cousin By Claire M. Coburn - Our Little Swiss Cousin - Our Little Turkish Cousin - - - THE GOLDENROD LIBRARY - -The Goldenrod Library contains only the highest and purest -literature,--stories which appeal alike both to children and to their -parents and guardians. - -Each volume is well illustrated from drawings by competent artists, -which, together with their handsomely decorated uniform binding, showing -the goldenrod, usually considered the emblem of America, is a feature of -their manufacture. - - Each one volume, small 12mo, illustrated, decorated cover, - paper wrapper $0.35 - - - LIST OF TITLES - - - Aunt Nabby's Children. By Frances Hodges White. - Child's Dream of a Star, The. By Charles Dickens. - Flight of Rosy Dawn, The. By Pauline Bradford Mackie. - Findelkind. By Ouida. - Fairy of the Rhone, The. By A. Comyns Carr. - Gatty and I. By Frances E. Crompton. - Great Emergency, A. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Helena's Wonderworld. By Frances Hodges White. - Jackanapes. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Jerry's Reward. By Evelyn Snead Barnett. - La Belle Nivernaise. By Alphonse Daudet. - Little King Davie. By Nellie Hellis. - Little Peterkin Vandike. By Charles Stuart Pratt. - Little Professor, The. By Ida Horton Cash. - Peggy's Trial. By Mary Knight Potter. - Prince Yellowtop. By Kate Whiting Patch. - Provence Rose, A. By Ouida. - Rab and His Friends. By Dr. John Brown. - Seventh Daughter, A. By Grace Wickham Curran. - Sleeping Beauty, The. By Martha Baker Dunn. - Small, Small Child, A. By E. Livingston Prescott. - Story of a Short Life, The. By Juliana Horatia Ewing. - Susanne. By Frances J. Delano. - Water People, The. By Charles Lee Sleight. - Young Archer, The. By Charles E. Brimblecom. - - - COSY CORNER SERIES - - It is the intention of the publishers that this series shall contain - only the very highest and purest literature,--stories that shall not - only appeal to the children themselves, but be appreciated by all those - who feel with them in their joys and sorrows. - - The numerous illustrations in each book are by well-known artists, and - each volume has a separate attractive cover design. - - Each 1 vol., 16mo, cloth $0.50 - - _By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_ - - - The Little Colonel. (Trade Mark) - -The scene of this story is laid in Kentucky. Its heroine is a small girl, -who is known as the Little Colonel, on account of her fancied resemblance -to an old-school Southern gentleman, whose fine estate and old family are -famous in the region. - - - The Giant Scissors. - -This is the story of Joyce and of her adventures in France. Joyce is a -great friend of the Little Colonel, and in later volumes shares with her -the delightful experiences of the "House Party" and the "Holidays." - - - Two Little Knights of Kentucky. Who Were the Little Colonel's - Neighbors. - -In this volume the Little Colonel returns to us like an old friend, but -with added grace and charm. She is not, however, the central figure of -the story, that place being taken by the "two little knights." - - - Mildred's Inheritance. - -A delightful little story of a lonely English girl who comes to America -and is befriended by a sympathetic American family who are attracted by -her beautiful speaking voice. By means of this one gift she is enabled to -help a school-girl who has temporarily lost the use of her eyes, and thus -finally her life becomes a busy, happy one. - - - Cicely and Other Stories for Girls. - -The readers of Mrs. Johnston's charming juveniles will be glad to learn -of the issue of this volume for young people. - - - Aunt 'Liza's Hero and Other Stories. - -A collection of six bright little stories, which will appeal to all boys -and most girls. - - - Big Brother. - -A story of two boys. The devotion and care of Steven, himself a small -boy, for his baby brother, is the theme of the simple tale. - - - Ole Mammy's Torment. - -"Ole Mammy's Torment" has been fitly called "a classic of Southern life." -It relates the haps and mishaps of a small negro lad, and tells how he -was led by love and kindness to a knowledge of the right. - - - The Story of Dago. - -In this story Mrs. Johnston relates the story of Dago, a pet monkey, -owned jointly by two brothers. Dago tells his own story, and the account -of his haps and mishaps is both interesting and amusing. - - - The Quilt That Jack Built. - -A pleasant little story of a boy's labor of love, and how it changed the -course of his life many years after it was accomplished. - - - Flip's Islands of Providence. - -A story of a boy's life battle, his early defeat, and his final triumph, -well worth the reading. - - - _By EDITH ROBINSON_ - - - A Little Puritan's First Christmas. - -A story of Colonial times in Boston, telling how Christmas was invented -by Betty Sewall, a typical child of the Puritans, aided by her brother -Sam. - - - A Little Daughter of Liberty. - -The author's motive for this story is well indicated by a quotation from -her introduction, as follows: - -"One ride is memorable in the early history of the American Revolution, -the well-known ride of Paul Revere. Equally deserving of commendation is -another ride,--the ride of Anthony Severn,--which was no less historic in -its action or memorable in its consequences." - - - A Loyal Little Maid. - -A delightful and interesting story of Revolutionary days, in which the -child heroine, Betsey Schuyler, renders important services to George -Washington. - - - A Little Puritan Rebel. - -This is an historical tale of a real girl, during the time when the -gallant Sir Harry Vane was governor of Massachusetts. - - - A Little Puritan Pioneer. - -The scene of this story is laid in the Puritan settlement at Charlestown. -The little girl heroine adds another to the list of favorites so well -known to the young people. - - - A Little Puritan Bound Girl. - -A story of Boston in Puritan days, which is of great interest to youthful -readers. - - - A Little Puritan Cavalier. - -The story of a "Little Puritan Cavalier" who tried with all his boyish -enthusiasm to emulate the spirit and ideals of the dead Crusaders. - - - _By OUIDA (Louise de la Ramee)_ - - - A Dog of Flanders: A Christmas Story. - -Too well and favorably known to require description. - - - The Nurnberg Stove. - -This beautiful story has never before been published at a popular price. - - - _By FRANCES MARGARET FOX_ - - - The Little Giant's Neighbours. - -A charming nature story of a "little giant" whose neighbours were the -creatures of the field and garden. - - - Farmer Brown and the Birds. - -A little story which teaches children that the birds are man's best -friends. - - - Betty of Old Mackinaw. - -A charming story of child-life, appealing especially to the little -readers who like stories of "real people." - - - Brother Billy. - -The story of Betty's brother, and some further adventures of Betty -herself. - - - Mother Nature's Little Ones. - -Curious little sketches describing the early lifetime, or "childhood," of -the little creatures out-of-doors. - - - How Christmas Came to the Mulvaneys. - -A bright, lifelike little story of a family of poor children, with an -unlimited capacity for fun and mischief. The wonderful never-to-be -forgotten Christmas that came to them is the climax of a series of -exciting incidents. - - - _By MISS MULOCK_ - - - The Little Lame Prince. - -A delightful story of a little boy who has many adventures by means of -the magic gifts of his fairy godmother. - - - Adventures of a Brownie. - -The story of a household elf who torments the cook and gardener, but is a -constant joy and delight to the children who love and trust him. - - - His Little Mother. - -Miss Mulock's short stories for children are a constant source of delight -to them, and "His Little Mother," in this new and attractive dress, will -be welcomed by hosts of youthful readers. - - - Little Sunshine's Holiday. - -An attractive story of a summer outing. "Little Sunshine" is another of -those beautiful child-characters for which Miss Mulock is so justly -famous. - - - _By MARSHALL SAUNDERS_ - - - For His Country. - -A sweet and graceful story of a little boy who loved his country; written -with that charm which has endeared Miss Saunders to hosts of readers. - - - Nita, the Story of an Irish Setter. - -In this touching little book, Miss Saunders shows how dear to her heart -are all of God's dumb creatures. - - - Alpatok, the Story of an Eskimo Dog. - -Alpatok, an Eskimo dog from the far north, was stolen from his master and -left to starve in a strange city, but was befriended and cared for, until -he was able to return to his owner. Miss Saunders's story is based on -truth, and the pictures in the book of "Alpatok" are based on a -photograph of the real Eskimo dog who had such a strange experience. - - - _By WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE_ - - - The Farrier's Dog and His Fellow. - -This story, written by the gifted young Southern woman, will appeal to -all that is best in the natures of the many admirers of her graceful and -piquant style. - - - The Fortunes of the Fellow. - -Those who read and enjoyed the pathos and charm of "The Farrier's Dog and -His Fellow" will welcome the further account of the adventures of Baydaw -and the Fellow at the home of the kindly smith. - - - The Best of Friends. - -This continues the experiences of the Farrier's dog and his Fellow, -written in Miss Dromgoole's well-known charming style. - - - Down in Dixie. - -A fascinating story for boys and girls, of a family of Alabama children -who move to Florida and grow up in the South. - - - _By MARIAN W. WILDMAN_ - - - Loyalty Island. - -An account of the adventures of four children and their pet dog on an -island, and how they cleared their brother from the suspicion of -dishonesty. - - - Theodore and Theodora. - -This is a story of the exploits and mishaps of two mischievous twins, and -continues the adventures of the interesting group of children in "Loyalty -Island." - - - _By CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS_ - - - The Cruise of the Yacht Dido. - -The story of two boys who turned their yacht into a fishing boat to earn -money to pay for a college course, and of their adventures while -exploring in search of hidden treasure. - - - The Lord of the Air - The Story of the Eagle - The King of the Mamozekel - The Story of the Moose - The Watchers of the Camp-fire - The Story of the Panther - The Haunter of the Pine Gloom - The Story of the Lynx - The Return to the Trails - The Story of the Bear - The Little People of the Sycamore - The Story of the Raccoon - - - _By OTHER AUTHORS_ - - - The Great Scoop. - -_By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL_ - -A capital tale of newspaper life in a big city, and of a bright, -enterprising, likable youngster employed thereon. - - - John Whopper. - -The late Bishop Clark's popular story of the boy who fell through the -earth and came out in China, with a new introduction by Bishop Potter. - - - The Dole Twins. - -_By KATE UPSON CLARK_ - -The adventures of two little people who tried to earn money to buy -crutches for a lame aunt. An excellent description of child-life about -1812, which will greatly interest and amuse the children of to-day, whose -life is widely different. - - - Larry Hudson's Ambition. - -_By JAMES OTIS_, author of "Toby Tyler," etc. - -Larry Hudson is a typical American boy, whose hard work and enterprise -gain him his ambition,--an education and a start in the world. - - - The Little Christmas Shoe. - -_By JANE P. SCOTT WOODRUFF_ - -A touching story of Yule-tide. - - - Wee Dorothy. - -_By LAURA UPDEGRAFF_ - -A story of two orphan children, the tender devotion of the eldest, a boy, -for his sister being its theme and setting. With a bit of sadness at the -beginning, the story is otherwise bright and sunny, and altogether -wholesome in every way. - - - The King of the Golden River: A Legend of Stiria. By JOHN RUSKIN - -Written fifty years or more ago, and not originally intended for -publication, this little fairy-tale soon became known and made a place -for itself. - - - A Child's Garden of Verses. - -_By R. L. STEVENSON_ - -Mr. Stevenson's little volume is too well known to need description. It -will be heartily welcomed in this new and attractive edition. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and - dialect as is). - ---Rearranged front matter (and moved illustrations) to a more-logical - streaming order. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Rival Campers, by Ruel Perley Smith - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RIVAL CAMPERS *** - -***** This file should be named 40548.txt or 40548.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/5/4/40548/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan -and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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