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diff --git a/43670-0.txt b/43670-0.txt index 12b7450..aceb886 100644 --- a/43670-0.txt +++ b/43670-0.txt @@ -1,8 +1,4 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE -*** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43670 *** Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark @@ -6996,4 +6992,4 @@ you couldn’t possibly be as learned as he is; nobody could.” “Only it’s too soon after dinner,” answered the dark-haired boy. “I’ll overlook it this once; but don’t you do it again.” -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE ***
\ No newline at end of file +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43670 *** diff --git a/43670-0.zip b/43670-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6b82bed..0000000 --- a/43670-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43670-h.zip b/43670-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 089aa84..0000000 --- a/43670-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/43670-h/43670-h.htm b/43670-h/43670-h.htm index 20faf07..106ad5c 100644 --- a/43670-h/43670-h.htm +++ b/43670-h/43670-h.htm @@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ p.toch { text-align:center; text-indent: 0; font-size:1.2em; margin: 1em auto; } </style> </head> - <body> -<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE ***</div> +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43670 ***</div> <h1>PETER COTTERELL’S TREASURE</h1> @@ -8813,6 +8813,6 @@ up his sleeves.</p> dark-haired boy. “I’ll overlook it this once; but don’t you do it again.”</p> -<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE ***</div> - </body> +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43670 ***</div> +</body> </html> diff --git a/43670.txt b/43670.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 93f1084..0000000 --- a/43670.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7384 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by Rupert Sargent Holland - -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/license - - -Title: Peter Cotterell's Treasure - -Author: Rupert Sargent Holland - -Illustrator: Will Thomson - -Release Date: September 8, 2013 [EBook #43670] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE - - - - -[Illustration: John Tuckerman sat down carefully, "Now, Captain Hallett, -give your orders."] - - - - - PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE - - BY - - RUPERT SARGENT HOLLAND - - Author of "The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island," - "The Blue Heron's Feather," etc. - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - WILL THOMSON - - PHILADELPHIA & LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. - - - - - Table of Contents - - I--JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - II--COTTERELL'S ISLAND - III--BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - IV--VISITORS - V--THE MAHOGANY MAN - VI--THE CLIPPER SHIP - VII--THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - VIII--THE CANOE - IX--THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - X--LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - XI--THE MAN IN GREEN - XII--THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - XIII--ON THE FISHING-SMACK - XIV--BEN AT THE GABLES - XV--VARIOUS CLUES - XVI--THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - XVII--PETER COTTERELL - XVIII--THE PIRATES ASHORE - XIX--THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - XX--SIR PETER'S PARTY - XXI--THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - - - - Illustrations - - John Tuckerman sat down carefully, "Now, Captain Hallett, give - your orders." - - In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints. - - "Sampson put the chest there," he concluded. - - "My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you please." - - - - - I--JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - - -Tom Hallett lived in an old town on the Atlantic seaboard, a port of New -Hampshire that was wedged in between the rocky coast of Maine and the -sandy beaches of Massachusetts. If he crossed the broad river to the -north, the beautiful Pesumpscot, by the old toll-bridge that seemed as -ancient as the town itself, he came into the Pine Tree State. If he -sailed to the south, he had not far to go before he reached Cape Ann. -Back of him, to the west, lay the foothills of the White Mountains, and -he had often tramped far enough in that direction to see the noble -outline of Mount Washington rise grandly against the sky. In front--for -people who live along the seacoast always think of the ocean as being at -their front door--was the harbor of Barmouth, a wide semi-circle, its -two horns sticking way out to the east, its broad bosom dotted with many -islands. Once Barmouth town had sent many ships to sea, merchantmen to -the West Indies, around Cape Horn, to the fabled lands of India and -China, fishing fleets to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, whalers to -the Arctic; now, however, ships were not so plentiful, sails had given -place to steam, and the young men stayed ashore to make their living -rather than seek the rigors and gales that were a part of the toll -exacted by Father Neptune. - -Tom Hallett's house had the cupola on top of its roof that told of the -old sailing days, the "widow's watch," as it was commonly called, for -from there the wives of sailors used to watch for the first sign of -homebound sails. His grandfather had been a sea-captain, and the house -was full of the treasures he had collected. Many a time Tom and his -older sister Milly had listened to the amazing yarns the weatherbeaten -mariner had spun by the winter fire. - -Barmouth was an excellent place for a boy to live. There was plenty of -lawn around most of the houses, the streets were wide and well-shaded, -open country was near enough to be reached by a ten-minute walk. There -was coasting and skating in winter--all that one could wish--and the -ponds that rang with the music of steel runners in January were -swimming-holes in July and tempting places to fish. And there was always -the harbor and the wind from the sea, calling young sailors to launch -their dories and try their skill over the rippling waves. - -Tom was sixteen that summer, and wanted something to do--something a -little different from his usual holiday jaunts. He told his father about -it, and his father said he would think the matter over. And then one -evening, as Tom was leaning on the garden gate, wishing that some -adventure would come his way, he found himself addressed by a stranger. - -"Do you know of a young fellow out of a job?" said the stranger. "A -likely young fellow, who doesn't mind roughing it?" - -Tom regarded the man. The latter was tall and spare, and wore big, -horn-rimmed spectacles that gave him the look of a wise and thoughtful -owl. - -"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't," Tom answered, copying the cautious -words and tone of voice that he had often heard his uncle Samuel Jordan, -who was a lawyer, use when he was asked questions. - -"You're Yankee through and through, aren't you?" said the man. "You -don't want to commit yourself to anything definite until you know all -the facts. I don't suppose I could interest you in buying a calico horse -until you'd got out a pail of water and soap and a scrubbing brush to -see if the spots would wash off." - -Tom laughed; the stranger looked so extremely solemn in his big glasses, -and yet his tone indicated a joke. "Even if the spots didn't wash off -I'm not sure you could interest me in that horse," he retorted. "I don't -see how I could use him just now." - -"Well, he's not for sale, my friend. I need him out on the old farm in -Illinois, where I come from." The man stroked his chin while he regarded -Tom reflectively. "I'm looking for a young and able seaman, for to tell -you the truth, I don't know much about salt water. I provide the grub -and the boat and whatever else is needed, and the sailorman provides the -lore of the sea." - -Tom's interest was aroused. If this stranger really wanted a sailor to -help him with a boat it seemed odd that he should be seeking information -from a young fellow lounging on a gate in one of the quiet, elm-shaded -streets of Barmouth. It would have been much more natural to look for -such information along the waterfront, at some of the docks or piers. -"Why don't you hunt up one of the captains?" Tom suggested. "They might -know just the man for you." - -"I don't want a man," was the answer. "I want a likely young fellow, -someone about your age and general cut of jib--that's the right -seafaring expression, isn't it? I've got an adventure on hand, and I -want company. I wouldn't mind two, or even three, young fellows, if they -were the right kind." - -An adventure! Tom pricked up his ears. The man was certainly -interesting, he would like to know more about him. "Where are you going -to sail, and how long would you be away?" he questioned. - -"My cruise will probably be limited to the islands in Barmouth Harbor, -and we'd be away anywhere from a week to a month." - -"Well," began Tom, "I don't know----" - -"Neither do I," said the stranger, with a grin. "There are a number of -things I don't know about this adventure. But then the main point about -an adventure is that we can't tell everything about it in advance. Isn't -that so?" - -"I suppose it is," Tom granted. And after a moment's thought he added, -"I know my way round the harbor pretty well, and I can sail a dory, and -I've got a couple of friends----" - -"Fine!" declared the man. "Do you know, it may seem odd to you, but as I -came along the street and my eyes lighted on you, I said to myself, -'that's precisely the type of messmate I'm looking for; an upstanding -fellow, with a good head on his shoulders.'" - -Naturally Tom felt pleased. He straightened up and stuck his hands in -his pockets. "The only thing I don't understand," he said, "is how you -expect to find a real adventure in the harbor. Of course we could cruise -around, and fish and swim. Is that what you had in mind?" - -"Did you ever hear of Cotterell's Island?" The stranger lowered his -voice. - -Tom nodded. "Of course I have. We call it Crusty Christopher's Island -around here." - -"Have you ever been on it?" - -"No," Tom was forced to admit. "The man who lives there won't let any -one land. He's put up signs warning people off and he keeps watch-dogs." - -"The island belongs to me," announced the stranger, "and I'm going to -camp out on it." - -Tom stared at the man in surprise. "But surely you're not Crusty -Christopher!" he exclaimed. "I always heard he was old and had a white -beard." - -"Mr. Christopher Cotterell," explained the stranger, "was my uncle; -though as a matter of fact I only saw him once, when I was a small boy. -He died last year and I have inherited his island and the house on it. -The house has a history. I'm very much interested in old houses, and -particularly in this one. My name is John Tuckerman." - -"Well," said Tom, "that's interesting, to be sure. I hope you don't -think I meant to call your uncle names." - -"Oh no, you didn't offend me," said the man promptly. "I've heard him -called Crusty Christopher before, and I shouldn't wonder if he deserved -the nickname. There have been a number of queer characters in the -Cotterell family; there was old Sir Peter Cotterell, for instance, who -built that house on the island and lived there during the Revolution." - -"Sir Peter?" queried Tom. "I don't seem to remember him." - -"He wasn't really Sir Peter," Mr. Tuckerman explained. "He was only -plain Mr. Peter, like his neighbors in Barmouth. But he had the bad -taste to side with the King of England when the colonists objected to -paying taxes without being represented in the government--in other -words, he was what they called a Tory--and so the people nicknamed him -Sir Peter in joke. There are lots of stories I could tell you about him. -I'm very much interested in history, you see." - -Tom nodded. The more he listened to this Mr. John Tuckerman the more he -liked him. And yet simply to camp out on an island in the harbor, even -on Cotterell's Island, where he had never set his foot--though he had -often wanted to--didn't strike him as a very thrilling adventure. - -Perhaps Mr. Tuckerman read his thought, for, lowering his voice again, -he said, "There's a mystery connected with the place; I've found -references to it in some old family letters. And the house is full of -old furniture and bric-a-brac. I can hardly wait to explore it." - -The man's tone was undoubtedly eager, and though Tom had never felt any -great interest in old furniture and such things he found his curiosity -rapidly rising. An island and a house to explore--Crusty Christopher's -at that--and possibly a mystery. He might be making a great mistake if -he let this adventure escape. - -Mr. Tuckerman was speaking again. "I might as well explain at once that -I'm a dreadful landlubber. I don't know anything about sailing boats, -and not very much about fishing. I'm afraid my education has been very -much neglected along certain lines. I want to camp on that island, and I -want company. Do you know how to cook--to cook the sort of things -campers eat, I mean?" - -"I can cook some things. But my friend David Norton can cook almost -anything. He's one of the fellows I meant." - -"It would be splendid if we could get David, too. I'd take along plenty -of provisions, but one does get tired of living on canned things." - -"Ben Sully's a corking fisherman," said Tom. "Ben and David and I have -camped out a lot together." - -"I'd like to keep the expedition as quiet as I can," Mr. Tuckerman -stated. "I don't want a lot of curiosity-seekers poking round the -island." - -"I think you're right," agreed Tom. "I'll swear both of them to secrecy; -except to their families, of course. You wouldn't mind our telling our -parents?" - -To that John Tuckerman agreed. "This is just what I hoped to find," he -said, "some young fellows with the spirit of adventure. You know the -ropes, and I don't. Let's see; what's your name?" - -Tom told him. "Wouldn't you like to come in and see my father?" he -suggested. - -"I must be getting back to the hotel," said Tuckerman. "You tell him my -name, and say I'm Mr. Cotterell's nephew. You sign up to go, do you? And -you'll try to get your two messmates? I'll see to the boat and grub and -cooking outfit--and I think I can promise you a bit of adventure." - -"If Father says yes, I sign," agreed Tom, smiling at the man's air of -business. "And the more adventure there is, the better I'll like it, -too. Things are sort of quiet here this summer." - -Tuckerman held out his hand. He had a formal manner about him that -amused Tom greatly. "See you at Lowe's Wharf at two o'clock tomorrow -afternoon." - -"Right," said Tom, shaking hands. "And I'll have the other two fellows -there with me. They've always wanted to have a look at that island." - -The tall, lank man turned, and shortly disappeared behind the big clump -of lilac bushes at the corner of Wentworth Street. Tom, thoughtfully -jingling a bunch of keys in his trouser pocket, chuckled as he -considered the situation. In fifteen minutes this Mr. John Tuckerman, a -total stranger, had persuaded him to camp out for a fortnight or so on -Crusty Christopher's island. Tom could well believe that Mr. Tuckerman -needed some companions who were used to the water and campcraft; he -looked as if he might be a Professor and more knowing about history and -such things than about how to reef a sail or hook a flounder. - -Still grinning at this unusual happening, Tom went into the house, where -in the sitting-room his father was reading, his mother sewing, and his -sister Milly trimming a new straw hat. "I'm going camping on Cotterell's -Island," he declared. "It's a sort of a secret, so you must all promise -not to tell." - -Milly looked up quickly. "On Cotterell's Island? If you step ashore -there, somebody'll pitch you off." - -"Oh no, they won't. I'm going with the owner." - -Milly wrinkled her nose, as she did when she felt scornful. "I suppose -that pleasant old man has sent you an invitation. 'Dear Mr. Thomas -Hallett, I should be _so_ delighted if you'd drop in on me.'" And Milly -tilted the straw hat on her hand so as to judge the effect of the ribbon -around the brim. - -Tom walked across to the fireplace, where he stood with his back to the -hearth, as his father often did when he had an announcement to make. -"Mr. Christopher Cotterell is dead," he said. "I received my invitation -from his nephew, Mr. John Tuckerman." - -Milly turned around, surprised. "What are you springing on us? Where did -you meet this man?" - -"Down at the gate to-night," said Tom calmly. "He wanted a likely young -fellow to help him explore the house and the island he's inherited, and -naturally he came to me." - -"Yes, what Tom says is quite true," declared Mr. Hallett. "Mr. Tuckerman -is the new owner. So he asked you to help him, did he?" - -"He called himself a landlubber. I've an idea too that he doesn't want -to stay on the island alone. I'm to get Ben and David, and we're to sail -his boat for him and fish and cook and keep him company." - -"Humph!" sniffed Milly. "That doesn't sound very exciting. You're to do -the work while he loafs around." - -"Oh, I don't know about that. He hinted that we might find something -very interesting. He called it an adventure. And he let slip something -about a mystery." - -Milly put the hat down. She herself was very fond of camping and sailing -and swimming, and although she pretended to be quite grown up she still -yearned at times for her old tomboy ways. "I suppose he isn't going to -be like Old Crusty--I mean Mr. Christopher Cotterell? He won't mind -people coming out to see that queer old house." - -"That's just what he does mind," said Tom. "He wants to keep the whole -thing dark, for the present, at least. Why, if he didn't, all Barmouth -would be going out there. Most of them never got nearer the place than -to read the signs; and they'd all be crazy to go." - -"Well, it seems to me," argued Milly, "if he's going to explore the -house he ought to have someone out there who knows something about -furnishings. I daresay there's lots of old silver and curtains and rugs -and maybe chests of fine linen. Now of course a woman--well, it's only -natural that a woman--you know what I mean, a woman could help a great -deal in sorting such things out." - -"When you say a woman," inquired Tom, "do you happen to be thinking of -Miss Milly Hallett?" - -Milly, in spite of her tan, flushed a fiery red. "You know perfectly -well, Tom, that you've always said I was a great help on a camping -party." - -"So you are, Milly," Tom admitted loyally. "You cook better even than -Dave does. But Mr. Tuckerman didn't say anything about bringing a girl -along. I'm afraid he'd think that wouldn't be business-like." - -"Tom's right, Milly dear," said Mrs. Hallett. "This is Mr. Tuckerman's -affair, and it wouldn't be right to offer him any suggestions. But -perhaps, while they're out on the island, he wouldn't mind if some day -we went over to look at the house. When do you start, Tom?" - -"To-morrow at two--that is, if father says it's all right." - -"Oh, you're going to ask my consent, are you?" said Mr. Hallett, with a -smile. "Well, if Mr. Tuckerman is such a landlubber as he appears to be, -I think it's only right you should give him your help. I don't see how, -with Ben and David and you, he can possibly get into hot water." - -"He can't," agreed Milly, picking up the hat again and pretending to -shiver. "The water isn't even warm around the islands in the harbor. -However, I don't suppose this Mr. Tuckerman is apt to care much for -swimming." And as she went on twirling the hat in her hands and puffing -out the big blue bow, she hummed a little tune to indicate that she was -much more interested in her millinery than in Tom's prospective -adventure. - -Tom walked down the street to the small, pitched-roof house--a white -house with green shutters and door, and tall pink and red hollyhocks -standing up against the sides--where Benjamin Sully lived. As luck would -have it, David Norton was sitting with Ben on the doorstep. "Hello!" -cried Tom. "I'm looking for a couple of able-bodied seamen." - -"Aye, aye, sir," answered Ben. "What port are you bound for--the Barbary -Coast or Barbadoes or round the Cape of Good Hope?" - -Ben was a small, dark boy, agile as a monkey. When he was with David -Norton he looked smaller and darker than ever, for David was big of -frame and his sandy hair topped a cheerful, freckled face. These two and -Tom Hallett were about of an age, and had always shared each other's -secrets. - -"Cotterell's Island, lads. A place where the foot of a white man has -never set heel before." And standing in front of his two friends, Tom -related John Tuckerman's proposal. - -When he had finished, Ben nodded. "The plan sounds good to me. I've -always meant to have a look at that island. As I've sized it up, Crusty -Christopher wouldn't have been so concerned to keep people away if he -hadn't had something he wanted to keep secret." - -"I don't know about that," said David. "Some people are made that way; -they just naturally don't want other folks around. Maybe the place is -just like any other island." - -"Well, I'm going anyhow," declared Tom. "I guess I can look after Mr. -Tuckerman all right by myself. But I didn't want to seem mean and leave -you two out." - -Ben jumped up. "I'm going, all right. I'd hate to think of you and that -ignorant fellow out there all by yourselves. Count me in on this, Tom." - -"I guess your friend wouldn't get much good cooking," said David, -"without me to superintend." - -"Oh, I don't know about that," retorted Tom. "He's going to take plenty -of good stuff." - -"Canned!" snorted David. "I know--hardtack and beans out of a tin. No, -siree. You'd be squabbling inside of two days if you didn't have me and -some of my famous flapjacks to keep you pleasant." - -"Nice, modest David," said Ben, stroking his big friend's arm. "However, -though he doesn't think very well of himself, I vote that we let him -come along. Maybe he'll be useful." - -"You bet I'll come," announced the tow-headed one. "Do you think I'd let -you two and a queer man go prowling around a mysterious island without -your Uncle David? I'll be there when the boat sails, with my pet -frying-pan!" - - - - - II--COTTERELL'S ISLAND - - -Early the next afternoon the few occupants of Lowe's Wharf--a couple of -men fishing for cunners, a sailor painting the bottom of an upturned -dory, two small boys practising tying various kinds of knots with odds -and ends of rope--saw three young fellows in dark blue jerseys and khaki -coats and trousers and a man rigged out in a homespun Norfolk jacket and -knickerbockers and greenish-gray golf stockings assemble as if they were -about to start on an expedition. - -Tom Hallett, slender but wiry, browned by the wind and the sun, dumped -his duffle-bag of blankets and extra clothing on the wharf and -introduced his companions. "Mr. Tuckerman, this is David Norton, and -this is Ben Sully. They'd both like to go along, if you still want three -of us." - -John Tuckerman shook hands with each. "I'm proud to have such a fine -looking crew," said he. "Though perhaps I ought to put it the other way -about and say three such fine looking captains, I myself being the crew. -It doesn't need more than a glance to tell me that you three know all -about the sea and the woods. Great luck, I call it. And if I'm not -mistaken there's our ship, waiting for us Argonauts to go aboard." - -At one side of the wharf, a man was holding the painter of an -eighteen-foot sailing dory, already loaded with provisions and John -Tuckerman's bags. The three boys quickly had their own things stowed -away. "All right, Mr. Jackson," said Tuckerman to the man from whom he -had rented the boat. "You see I've shipped a good crew. You needn't lie -awake nights wondering what's happened to your _Argo_." - -The owner grinned. "I know 'em. I'll trust 'em with the boat. But her -name's the _Mary J. Jackson_. See, it's painted there in the bow." - -"So it is. _Mary J. Jackson_. That's a very nice name; but somehow it -doesn't seem exactly to suit this business. We're after the Golden -Fleece, like the Argonauts of old; so if you don't mind I'm going to -christen her for this trip the _Argo_. Just a little fancy of mine." - -"Suit yerself, sir. She's a good boat, no matter what you call her." - -"Many thanks, Mr. Jackson." John Tuckerman sat down carefully. "Now, -Captain Hallett, give your orders." - -The dory slid away, the experienced hand of Tom in charge of the tiller. -Out into the harbor she sped, picking up the breeze as she danced along. - -The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, the water was translucent blue, -with here and there wide sweeps of green, on the shore every house and -tree stood out in vivid, fresh-tinted color. Tuckerman folded his arms -and leaned back in great contentment. "This is something like, my lads!" -he exclaimed. "My voyages heretofore have only been made on ocean -grayhounds and fat-bodied ferry-boats." - -Ben looked at him pityingly. "It must be pretty hard," he said, "to live -inland, in a big city." - -"Yes, in some ways, though it has its compensations. You see, my -ancestors grew restless in New England and moved out across the plains. -That is, the Tuckermans did; the Cotterells stayed here. And now there -aren't any Cotterells left. That's how it came about that I own this -island." - -"My father," spoke up David, "says that the Cotterells were once one of -the best known families in Barmouth; but that old Mr. Christopher was as -queer as all get out. He knows lots of stories about him. He says that -Mr. Christopher lived there with a colored man for his servant, and -never saw anybody." - -"Poor old chap!" said Tuckerman. "I can't help feeling dreadfully sorry -for him. Think what a good time he could have had in his big house. Why, -in the old days it was one of the show places along the coast and the -Cotterells used to have celebrated parties." Tuckerman gazed out over -the water and pulled his chin with his fingers, in a habit he had. "Do -you know what I want to do? I want to take that old house and fix it up -properly, make it look as it used to, and give it back its good name." -He smiled. "Maybe you'll think it odd, but I feel as if houses were -almost like people. I hate to see either the one or the other go to -seed." - -"They are something like people," Ben agreed. "There's a church with a -steeple in Barmouth that looks just like the pictures of the Pilgrim -Fathers with their high-crowned hats. And the windows in front look like -eyes, kind of boring eyes that are trying to see right through you." - -"Ben's always thinking of queer things like that," David explained, half -in apology. - -Mr. Tuckerman nodded at the small, dark-browed boy. "I'm glad that Ben -came along. I think he's going to be a great help in fixing up my -house." - -In and out between islands, past long jutting ledges, where pine and -juniper ran down to the water's edge, the dory sailed smoothly. -Sometimes Tom had to tack; again he ran for a stretch on a course due -south. And after about an hour he raised his arm and pointed. "There--on -the port bow--there she lies. See that white, sandy beach. That's -Cotterell's Island." - -Ben and David were familiar with the look of the place of course; they -had cruised around it many times, and had always examined it with -particular interest because it was a forbidden shore; but now they gazed -at it as though it were somehow entirely new, as indeed it was to them, -except for the beach and trees. - -John Tuckerman nodded. "I'll take your word for it, Tom. It lies exactly -where it should according to the map of the harbor; though I can't say -that it looks very much like the small red dot on the chart Mr. Jackson -showed me at his boathouse." - -There was not much to be seen except the whitish-yellow beach, several -headlands of purple rock, and thick-growing pines that stood out -black-green. There was, however, considerable to be heard as the sailing -dory drew near. An immense cawing came from the tree-tops, and finally -as the _Argo_ nosed along close to the shore at least a score of crows -flapped away from their meeting-place and went winging off to a more -secluded grove. - -"Uncle Christopher's neighbors don't seem to like visitors any better -than he did," observed Tuckerman with twinkling eyes. "Crows do sound -dreadfully scolding, don't they? And I never knew such birds for all -wanting to talk at the same time." - -Tom knew where the old pier stood, and brought his boat skilfully up to -the landing-stage. The sail was dropped and furled, baggage and stores -carried ashore, and the four campers looked about them. From the old and -rather decrepit pier a graveled path led up to the front of a wide white -house, partially screened by trees. - -"Cotterell Hall," said Tuckerman, gazing at the ancient mansion. "That's -what they used to call it in Revolutionary days. Well, Tom, it's up to -you to tell us what to do. The house won't run away, and something tells -me it won't be so very long before we'll be hungry." - -"Suppose we look for our camping ground then," said Tom, "since it seems -to be understood that we're not going to bunk in the house." - -"That's the idea," agreed Tuckerman promptly. "Fond as I am of ancestral -halls and that sort of thing, I said to myself when I left the -Middle-West for the New England coast: 'John, you're to sleep out of -doors on a bed of pine boughs, even if the bugs do fall from the trees -on your face and the boughs stick you as full of needles as a porcupine. -You're going back to the wild, that's what you are!'" - -His eyes behind his huge tortoise-shell rimmed spectacles looked so -intensely serious that the three boys didn't know whether to laugh or -not. For all his dignified appearance he did seem extraordinarily -guileless. David, the most outspoken of the three, shook his head -solemnly. "This isn't going to be what you'd call so all-fired wild, you -know. If you're looking for that, you ought to go up in the North -Woods." - -Ben came to the rescue. "It'll do as a starter though, Mr. Tuckerman," -he said encouragingly. "We can't promise you bears or anything like -that, but maybe there'll be owls and loons and other things that sound -sort of strange at night." - -Tuckerman smiled. "Ben, I can see you're a friendly soul. And you must -remember that what may not seem very wild to experienced woodsmen like -you three may prove very thrilling to a tenderfoot like me." - -They decided on their camp readily; a smooth stretch of turf in a -semi-circle of pines on high ground just above a small sandy beach. It -was perhaps a quarter of a mile from the pier and from Cotterell Hall. -Pine boughs were cut, trimmed, and spread out for bedding, stores were -unpacked, driftwood collected for a fire, and the menu determined on for -supper. - -Tuckerman looked out at the water, a sheet of soft and beautiful -opalescent colors in the setting sun. "Is there any reason why we -shouldn't take a bath?" he inquired. "I feel extremely sticky." - -"No reason whatever," answered Tom. "The first rule of camp-life is, -Obey that impulse. There's plenty of room in that bathtub, but you won't -find much hot water." - -In five minutes they were all in the ocean, frisky as a school of -porpoises, making enough noise to scare any wildfowl away. The boys -struck out and swam, trying first one stroke and then another. -Tuckerman, however, came lumbering along, jerking his arms and legs like -an old and stiff-jointed frog. But he enjoyed himself. He was chuckling -and gurgling and slapping his thighs with his hands as they all came out -of the water. - -"Tom, you must teach me to swim," he begged. "I can see I'm not in your -class now, but give me a week or so----" - -"Righto. I bet you'll learn quick." - -In fifteen minutes they were ready for supper. Fried eggs and bacon, -grilled sweet potatoes, coffee, bread and butter, and then flapjacks -with jam. "I can see," said Tuckerman, as he finished his third -flapjack, "that David's reputation as a cook has not been exaggerated. I -always wondered what it meant when I read that the gods lived on -ambrosia and nectar. Now at last I know." - -"You'll make his head swell," cautioned Ben, "and it's large enough -already. We took him to a phrenologist last winter, and the man said -he'd never felt such big bumps." - -The dishes were washed. The moon rose. Tuckerman lighted his pipe. -"Well," said Ben, "aren't we going to have a look at the old house? It -seems to me we ought." - -The house, when they approached it a little later in the moonlight--for -Ben's suggestion had met with favor from the others--presented a blank -and shuttered white surface, against which the dark outline of the trees -around it showed in jagged forms. It had been a fine old dwelling, built -in a day when carpenters and joiners took a real love in their work and -were as eager to make a graceful, artistic window or doorway as the -medieval masons of Europe were to perfect every detail of their great -cathedrals. - -Broad steps led up to the front door, which was wide and adorned with a -big brass knocker and knob. Tuckerman, taking a little electric -flashlight from his pocket, aimed it at the moulding above the door. -"Aha," he exclaimed, "there's the green and gold pineapple in all its -glory! They used to put beautifully carved pineapples like that in such -places in colonial days; they were the emblems of hospitality. My -ancestor Sir Peter seems to have been friendly disposed when he built -his dwelling at least." - -"I've seen pineapples like that over the doors of some old houses in -Barmouth," said Ben, "but I never thought much about them. That was a -pretty nice idea. There's some style to that front." - -"There was style, real dignified style to the houses of those days," -Tuckerman agreed. "We may think we're pretty smart nowadays, but let me -tell you those ancestors of ours who settled the country could teach us -a good deal." He felt in his pocket for a key. "Well, the pineapple bids -us welcome. If there are any ghosts in the house, I think they'll turn -out friendly." - -The lock was rusty, but finally opened to the new owner's efforts. They -stepped into a large hallway, from which a wide stairway ascended at one -side. Using his flashlight, Tuckerman discovered a gatelegged table, on -which stood a cluster of small candlesticks, all ready for use. - -"Now that's something like--hospitality again!" he declared in a pleased -voice. "They used candles in the old days; every guest in the house had -one to light him to bed. I suppose these have been waiting for me here -ever since Uncle Christopher died." Lighting the candles with a match, -he handed one to each of his companions. "I'm beginning to feel at home -already, boys. Welcome to Cotterell Hall." - -Even David, who could see nothing very thrilling in going over an old -house, felt something of the excitement that had so obviously taken -possession of John Tuckerman. As for Tom and Ben, they peered up the -stairway and through the open doors as if they half-expected to see -gentlemen in curled wigs, knee-breeches and small swords advancing to -meet them. - -Tuckerman led the way into the room on the left, a spacious apartment, -wainscoted and with a pictured paper, representing scenes in fields and -woods, covering the walls to the ceiling. There was a large fireplace, -with a carved mantel above it. Fine old pieces of furniture filled the -room, and, except for the musty air that is to be found in all houses -that have been closed for some time, the place looked precisely as -though it were lived in, even to a pile of magazines and books that lay -on the centre-table. - -"The drawing-room," said Tuckerman, holding his candle high as he gazed -about him. "And there, if I'm not mistaken, is old Sir Peter himself." - -Ben gave a start and looked quickly around. But it was not a ghost to -which Tuckerman referred; it was a large painting that hung on the wall -across from the fireplace, the portrait of a man in buff-colored coat -and breeches, wearing a white tie-wig, and with his right hand resting -on the head of a greyhound that rubbed against his knees. - -"Fine looking old fellow," said Tom. - -"Yes," agreed Tuckerman. "Sir Peter was really handsome. I've seen -pictures of him before. He was a great beau in his time, before the -Revolution. What a shame it was that he couldn't agree with his -neighbors about the right of the colonies to be free. That made it -mighty hard for his wife and children." - -He went over to look closer at the portrait, and as he held the candle -near to the canvas he saw a folded piece of paper stuck into a corner of -the heavy frame. "What's this?" he exclaimed, and drew the paper out. -"You don't suppose the old fellow has left me a message?" - -The candle set on the table, Tuckerman opened the sheet. "This is an -authentic portrait of Peter Cotterell, painted in 1770," he read aloud. -"He shared with me, his descendant, Christopher Cotterell, a dislike for -the society of his kind, though for a different reason. But with me the -line of the Cotterells comes to an end, and I care not whether any now -learn my ancestor's secret or not." - -Tuckerman dropped the paper. "So there was a secret, boys! You remember, -Tom, what I told you. And Uncle Christopher knew what it was." - -"Hello!" exclaimed Ben. "My candle's blown out!" He turned. "Why, that -window's open a little at the bottom. See how the curtains blow." - -"Spooks," scoffed David. "It looks to me as if Crusty Christopher were -playing a joke on us." - - - - - III--BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - - -Although David Norton could get around the bases on the Barmouth High -School baseball diamond as fast as anyone else, when there was need of -it, and could keep on doing a clog-dance in a Minstrel Show until the -audience rose up and begged him to quit, he could also at times be as -lazy as a jelly-fish stranded on the beach, which as everyone knows is -just about the laziest creature in nature. At the present moment he lay -extended on the stern seat of the sailing dory, while little Ben Sully, -as patient and expert a fisherman as was to be found in Barmouth Harbor, -was watching his line for any indication of a flounder nibble. - -"Funny old bird," said David. "Reminds me of someone out of a story -book." - -"Old bird?" queried Ben. "Do you refer to Sir Peter Cotterell or to -Crusty Christopher?" - -"To neither of them, Benjie. Our friend Professor Tuckerman is the -particular feathered creature to whom I was alluding. I opened one eye -last night; and what do you think I saw? Professor Tuckerman was sitting -up, in his suit of flannel pajamas, staring out at the water as if he -saw something." - -"Perhaps he did. Or maybe he was only thinking. Some people do think -sometimes, you know, Dave. I did some thinking myself last night." - -"About old Christopher's secret?" - -At the moment Ben was too busy to reply. With practised care he drew up -his line and threw a fine, flapping flounder on the bottom of the boat. - -"Yes, about the secret," Ben said, as he rebaited his hook. "I believe -there is one. And I think that Christopher Cotterell rather hoped his -nephew John Tuckerman would find out what it was." - -"Why didn't he tell him then, instead of leaving that crazy note?" - -Ben shook his head. "Christopher wasn't like most people. But it seems -to me he was rather proud of that secret,--it had been in the family so -long,--and he didn't want it to be entirely forgotten. So he meant to -let it be known there was a secret, even if nobody ever found out what -it was. A person might do that, you know." - -"It would take a mighty queer sort of person," sniffed David. - -Ben resumed his fishing, watching his line as a cat watches a -mouse-hole. - -But David, in spite of posing as an unbeliever of all things he couldn't -see for himself, had a well-developed bump of curiosity. When he saw -that Ben didn't mean to continue the subject he raised himself on one -arm and demanded, "Do you take any stock in there being a mystery on the -island that goes back to the Revolution?" - -"Sure," was the prompt answer. "The house goes back that far, and some -of the furniture in it, I suppose. Why not a mystery?" - -"Well, it might, perhaps. But see here, Benjie----" - -"Sh-sh-ish, you'll frighten the fish." Ben brought up another flounder -and unhooked it. - -As he dropped in the line again he continued, "Mr. Tuckerman told me a -few things this morning. You see, this Sir Peter was a man of means. He -had a lot of valuable things in this house, silver and such things he'd -had brought over from England. When the people of Barmouth were trying -to do all they could to help George Washington and his army they thought -their rich neighbor out here ought to do his share. But he was a Tory -and wanted King George to win, and so he wouldn't do anything when they -asked him. The colonists came to his house, but they found very little; -his famous silver plate was gone; they took some things, but they always -thought he had tricked them. And after that they wouldn't have anything -to do with Sir Peter." - -"Served him right, the old scamp." - -"Now Mr. Tuckerman thinks the secret may have something to do with the -things the neighbors couldn't find. At least that's a possibility." - -"Huh," chuckled David, "the Revolution was more than a hundred years -ago. If that was the secret, some of the Cotterells since then would -have found out about it. And when they did, there's an end to the -secret." - -Again Ben was busy. A third flounder appeared and was carefully landed. -"You're right, my boy," said Ben, "if they did find out what became of -Sir Peter's valuables. But suppose they didn't? Suppose Crusty -Christopher and his father, and his father before that, knew the old -story, but never could find the things? How about that, my lad?" - -"Well, in that case," answered David slowly, "I should say the betting -was a thousand to one the secret would stay a secret." - -"Mr. Tuckerman calls it a sporting chance," said Ben. "I said to him -just about what you've said to me now; but he grinned and told me he -never gave up conundrums." - -David dropped back into his former comfortable position, his hands -clasped under his head and his cap pulled down over his nose, so as to -shield that sensitive feature from burning a more fiery red than it was -already. "So Tom and the Professor are prowling around the old house -this morning?" he said reflectively. "Well, they're not apt to run into -any ghosts at this time of day." - -Ben, absorbed in his fishing, continued his careful handling of his line -until half-a-dozen flounders were deposited in the boat. Then he stowed -away his tackle, stretched his arms, and looked around. "Now, Dave, you -old duffer, I'm going to take a cruise about our island home. There's -nothing like knowing all the ins and outs of the place where you're -living. Do you think you're strong enough to handle the tiller, or would -you rather dangle your feet over the bow?" - -David sat up with a grunt. "Don't you get sarcastic, young feller. I can -sail this dory with one hand behind my back." And shortly he had the -_Argo_ headed up into the wind, keeping well out from shore so as to -avoid the occasional spits of rock that ornamented the coast. - -They started to make the circuit. Cotterell's Island, so far as they -could judge from the water, was very much like all the other islands -that lay out from Barmouth, thickly wooded for the most part, with -alternating beaches and headlands, and here and there a cliff, with -little rock-bound basins at the foot. On the eastward side, however, -there was an opening, where the tide ran inland for some distance, a -fair sort of harbor except when the wind should blow from that quarter. -"There," said Ben, "there's a snug landlocked channel. If I'd been one -of the Cotterells and wanted to keep a boat hidden that's the place I'd -have picked out." - -"You're making the Professor's ancestors sound like pirates or -smugglers," objected David. "What do you think they did that they wanted -to keep so dark?" - -"That little inlet can't be so far from the back of the house either," -Ben went on, paying no attention to his companion's question. "Yes, that -would be the place to steal away when the neighbors came to call." - -"I'll take a look up there," declared David, who was beginning to feel -that Ben was giving himself airs. "I guess I can find my way up that -inlet as well as any of your blessed Cotterells could." And suiting the -act to the word, he brought the _Argo_ about and kept her bow a little -to the north of west until she had cleared a seaweed-covered reef that -was high up out of the water at ebb-tide. - -Ben said not a word, but picked up a boathook, in case it should be -necessary to fend off the dory at some turn of the shore. But David knew -his business. Up the winding channel he made his way until the _Argo's_ -bottom gently ran on to gravel at the head of the stream. - -"Yes, I was right," said Ben. "There's the roof of the house on the -other side of those trees." A leap, and he landed on shore, the dory -careening on one side from the force of his jump. - -"Hi there, young feller, what are you trying to do?" cried David. "I -didn't tell you you could go ashore." - -Again Ben paid no attention to the other's words. He was looking about -him as if he was very much interested in the place where he had landed. - -David, making sure the _Argo_ was safely aground, clambered over the -side. "Was it your intention, Mr. Sully, to scuttle our good ship here?" -he inquired with mock politeness. - -"Look," said Ben, in a deep and earnest tone. - -David looked. In the marshy ground a little in front of them were two -distinct footprints, uncommonly large footprints, with very wide toes -and very deep heels. - -"My word!" whistled David. "Benjie, we've come to the lair of the -mastodon!" - -"Footprints!" murmured Ben, regarding the marks with the same awed -surprise with which Robinson Crusoe first gazed at the prints in the -sand of his island. - -[Illustration: Distinct Footprints] - -"A giant's footprints," said David. - -"They're never Mr. Tuckerman's or Tom's," said Ben. - -"The Professor has rather small feet," stated David, "and I happen to -remember that Tom wore sneakers this morning." - -"They can't have been there very long,--not for more than a few days at -the most." - -"I should say not. Benjamin, somebody has been trespassing on our -island." - -"I wonder if there are any more." Ben began to search. - -There were no more footprints, however. The stretch of soggy ground was -very limited, almost immediately the soil grew stony. So, after a brief -hunt, the two came back to the shore. "Now I wonder," mused Ben, "what -that very large-footed person was doing here." - -"Do you think," asked David, "he can have been looking for the Cotterell -treasure?" - -"It's much more likely," said Ben, "he was looking for something easier -to find. However--suppose--there's an off chance----" And Ben went on -mumbling to himself, while he jingled a bunch of keys in his pocket, as -was his custom when he was lost in thought. - -"What in the world are you doing?" demanded the exasperated David. - -"Putting two and two together--or at least trying to." - -"Well, they make four. There are times, Benjie," David continued, -imitating the manner of a teacher at the school they both attended, -"when I find myself almost on the point of losing patience with you. The -crew will now return aboard the _Argo_, leaving the mystery of the -mastodon's footprints unsolved." - -When they returned to the beach in front of their camp they found Mr. -Tuckerman and Tom already getting dinner. That is to say, Tom was -actually getting it, while John Tuckerman was carrying out his orders. -At the moment the latter was peeling potatoes. His flannel shirt open at -his throat, his golf-stockings stuck full of little burrs and his face -and arms already showing blisters of sunburn, he looked decidedly -different from the very dignified person who had come upon Tom Hallett -in the lane. - -"Flounders," announced Ben, laying his string of fish on a board that -served as a table. "The very best eating, in my humble opinion." - -"Put them in the refrigerator for supper," said Tom. "You two were gone -so long I decided to knock up an omelette for our midday meal." - -"'Knock up' is good," agreed David. "I suppose, Mr. Tuckerman, Tom -cracked the shells with a baseball bat." - -"I don't know how he did it," Tuckerman said; "it seemed like a miracle -to me. But there's the result; and if anybody ever saw anything more -truly beautiful--anything so calculated to make the mouth water in -anticipation--well, I don't believe anybody ever did." He pointed his -paring knife at a golden-brown, crisp object that lay, garnished with -watercress, on a big tin plate. - -"And speaking of water," said Tom, "we found the well back of Cotterell -Hall. Fresh water, guaranteed sweet and pure. There's a bucket of it." - -They sat down to dinner, and between mouthfuls they talked. - -"Wonderful old house," said Tom. "We explored it from cellar to attic. -Four post bedsteads----" - -"With wonderful canopy tops!" added Tuckerman, his spectacled eyes -gleaming. - -"And enormous chests of drawers," continued Tom. - -"Full of all kinds of clothes," Tuckerman added. "Ladies' laces and -muslins, shawls, mantillas, gentlemen's pantaloons, neckerchiefs, and -what waistcoats!" - -"Funny old kitchen," said Tom. "With a fireplace as big as a cabin." - -"And a crane and a hob and a whole fleet of earthenware crocks," -Tuckerman supplemented. - -"I say, Mr. Tuckerman," cried David, "why don't you turn the place into -a museum? All the people who tour through Barmouth in the summer would -jump out of their skins to see such a place as that." - -"What I want to know," said Ben, "is whether you got any clue to the -Cotterell treasure." - -Tuckerman shook his head. "Rome wasn't built in a day, Benjamin; and a -treasure that's been hidden for over a century doesn't come to light in -twenty-four hours." - -"Ah, just you wait till our Benjie gets busy," said David, waving his -finger wisely. "There's the bright lad for you. While you two pottered -about those gigantic bedsteads and chests of drawers and fireplaces, -what did our Benjie discover?" He paused to heighten his announcement. -"Benjamin Sully discovered a pair of gigantic footprints!" - -It took a moment for this to sink in. - -"Footprints?" said Tuckerman, puzzled. - -"Someone has landed at the little creek near the back of the house," -explained Ben, "and since the last rain, too." - -"Someone with enormous feet," added David. "Now what do you suppose such -a person as that could be doing here?" - -Tuckerman put his hand into his coat pocket and drew out a very small -and crumpled handkerchief. "We found this on a table in the kitchen. My -Uncle Christopher only had a negro man-servant. And yet this belonged to -a lady,--a very particular lady, I should say, a dainty lady." He spread -the handkerchief out. "With beautifully embroidered initials--A. S. L." -He lifted it to his nose. "And it smells of lavender--and quite fresh, -too." - -Solemnly the tiny handkerchief was handed around. Each smelled it and -nodded his head. - -"Someone's been in the house," said Tuckerman, "although all the doors -were locked." - -"A lady with enormous feet," declared David. "My eye, how the plot -thickens!" - - - - - IV--VISITORS - - -Two days later the campers were as much at sea as ever regarding the -secret to which Crusty Christopher had referred in the note left in the -picture frame. They had explored the island and they had explored the -house, and neither outdoors nor indoors had provided them with a clue. - -John Tuckerman--although David persisted in calling him Professor--was -the most exuberant and lively of the four. He delighted in -everything,--in the early swim before breakfast, in the cooking and -eating, especially in the eating, in sleeping out of doors, and even, it -seemed, in washing the dishes. He would sing as he washed, wild, -rollicking songs, the words of which he made up as he went along, all -about pirates and sailors and sea-serpents, with a great many -"Yo-heave-hos" and "Blow the man down, my lads," by way of chorus; all -which he accompanied with a pretended hitching up of his trousers as -sailors were supposed to do to cheer them at their work. - -"There are times when he almost looks like a pirate," David whispered to -Tom, as they watched Tuckerman sharpening a knife on the sole of his -shoe preparatory to sticking it into a cover of a can of baked beans. -"Like a pirate, that is, with one exception,--those horn-rimmed -spectacles." - -It was true; Tuckerman couldn't look like a daredevil with those -enormous glasses. But to offset the studious look they gave him his face -was now a beautiful lobster-like red and beginning to peel. - -Any one could see, moreover, that Cotterell Hall was the apple of his -eye. It amused Tom and David to see the affection and pride with which -he regarded every stick and stone of the old house. Ben was more -sympathetic, for Ben was by nature interested in old things, and had in -turn collected everything from abandoned bird's nests to rusty -jackknives. - -It was Ben who, searching through a cupboard at one side of the -fireplace in the front room at the Hall, pulled out a package of old -letters and gave a shout of joy. "Hi there, see what I've found!" he -cried as he untied the bundle and threw the envelopes loosely on the -table. - -"What is it? Old letters," said Tom, glancing at the yellowing paper. - -"Postage stamps!" triumphed Ben. "Some of the earliest issues! I'll bet -you never saw that St. Louis stamp with the two bears on it before." - -"Humph," said David. "Postage stamps! No one collects them now." - -But John Tuckerman looked over Ben's shoulder, and then snatched up one -of the letters. "You're right, Benjamin. These are rare ones. I -shouldn't wonder if they were worth a great deal of money." - -It was not, however, the money value of the things in the house that -interested Tuckerman. It was partly his love of old things, especially -of things that were beautifully made, and partly his feeling that they -had belonged to the Cotterells for so long, the Cotterells being his own -people. "Uncle Christopher owned all these things," he said. "Poor Uncle -Christopher. He was stiff-necked, no doubt; but he had to suffer for it. -I've found a book he wrote in, and I can see that he was too proud to -sell his heirlooms, and that he had very little money, and didn't want -anyone to know how hard up he was. So he turned hermit. He didn't really -hate other people; he was simply so made up that he couldn't mix with -them on an equal footing." - -David pretended to regard the Cotterell family secret as a great joke, -although he admitted that he was very much puzzled over what he called -"the mystery of the lady with enormous feet." On the same afternoon when -Ben found the rare postage stamps, David, being alone with Tom in the -front room, cocked an eye at the painted gentleman on the wall, and thus -addressed him: - -"Sir Peter, I don't want to be disrespectful; but it does seem to me you -were mighty tight with your silver when your good neighbors were doing -their best to get the thirteen United States started. Or didn't you -really have the things they suspected you of having? You've got a long -nose and a twinkle in your eye, and I'd say it mightn't be beyond you to -have your little game at the expense of Barmouth." - -Tom laughed. "You can't judge Sir Peter by yourself, Dave." - -"Certainly not," was the instant reply. "I'll admit we are very -different. Nothing could induce me to have my picture taken with a dog -like that greyhound cuddling up against my shins. The good people of -Barmouth didn't have any greyhounds or any pie crust tables or -gate-legged tables, or whatever kind of tables it is that the Professor -finds so delightful, and they were envious, and rowed their boats out -here, and tramped up to the door, probably looking for all the world -like a gang of hayseeds." - -"Remember, Dave, your ancestors and mine were probably among them." - -"I'll admit that also," said David, "and for the sake of your feelings, -Tom, I'll take back that about their looking like hayseeds. Let me put -it this way. A crowd of very nice looking, but temporarily cross and -angry people--men and women, and possibly a few dogs--come up to the -house here and demand to see the elegant Sir Peter. Sir Peter doesn't -want to see them; he doesn't approve of them; he thinks that good old -King George is just about the proper cheese to rule over him and his. -But Sir Peter's a gentleman--you can see that from his portrait--and he -doesn't want to disappoint the neighbors, who've come all the way out -here in boats. So he takes a pinch of snuff and he whistles to his -greyhound and he goes out on the front steps. He looks down along his -nose at the people of Barmouth and his right eye twinkles--you notice, -Tom, that it's his right eye that's the humorous one--and he says: -'Friends and fellow citizens, come in and enjoy yourselves. The green -and gold pineapple is over the door and Cotterell Hall is yours for the -afternoon. But the silver plate you're so anxious to lay your hands on -isn't here any more. It's vanished, vamoosed, flown away; and the family -are using the plain blue and white china kitchen set.' Did they believe -him?" - -"No," sang out Tom. - -"Exactly," agreed David, with a bow. "They rushed past him into the -house, and they threw things about, and they buzzed around like a nest -of hornets you happen to hit with a stick. But they didn't find anything -after all; and the reason is simple--there wasn't anything of the sort -they had in mind to find. It was just Sir Peter's little joke. And it -worked to perfection. Ever since people have been wondering what he did -with the silverware he mentioned that day. Sir Peter, my opinion of you -is that you were a first-class joker." - -"You may be right," Tom assented, "but for goodness' sake don't rub that -idea in on Mr. Tuckerman and Ben. They're thrilled to the fingertips -about there being a treasure hidden away somewhere." - -"Babes in the wood!" sniffed David. "I believe you could put almost -anything over on the Professor if you dressed it up in old clothes." - -To the skeptical David and the inclined-to-be-skeptical Tom the other -two now appeared. They had been in the apartment on the second floor -that had been Christopher Cotterell's bedroom and had been rummaging -through a little secretary that stood between the windows. Tuckerman had -a notebook in his hand. "These are jottings my uncle made from time to -time," he declared. "Here's one. 'As regards the saying that the -hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two rocks -where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, and come -to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the place -intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have dug at -this place, but found only sand.'" - -"Maybe we can find another place that answers that description," said -Ben hopefully. "And it stands to reason that the four of us can dig -better than your Uncle Christopher, even if he had his servant to help -him." - -David, under cover of his hand, winked at Tom, who pretended not to see -him. - -"Here's another note," Tuckerman continued. "'Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.' That's a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?" - -"Mahogany-hued man with long, skinny legs," echoed Ben. - -"And a hooked nose and a scar across the left cheek," chortled David. -"Pirate stuff, of course. There's always someone like that. I suppose -he's the fellow who hid the treasure on a dark, stormy night." - -Tuckerman gazed at the speaker with his big, owl-like eyes. "You may be -right, although I rather thought of him as a faithful, old-fashioned -serving-man, from whom Sir Peter had no secrets." - -David grinned; but how could anyone joke on a matter that Tuckerman took -so seriously? "Have it your own way," he said. "Probably you're right. -But hooked-nose pirate or faithful servant I don't see how the mahogany -one can be of much help to us here to-day." - -Tuckerman closed the notebook. "Suppose we go down to the southwestern -point. At least we'll get a good view of the sunset and freshen up for -supper." - -When they came to that end of the island they found the ledges and -neighboring sand covered with a vast array of sandpipers, all with their -heads turned in the same direction, watching, as it were, a score or so -of leaders, who stood out in front, closest to the water. Quietly though -the four crept up, they were still a couple of dozen yards from the rear -ranks when, with one accord and with as smooth a motion as though a sail -were being drawn across the beach, the hundreds of little winged bodies -rose in air and flew out across the waves. - -"By Jove, that's pretty!" said Tom. "They're like ever so many bits of -silver paper blowing about in the wind." - -So they were. Fascinated, the four watched the sandpipers. When the -birds were tilted one way, on one tack, they could hardly be seen -against the light, they actually disappeared. Then a tiny deflection, a -dip and twist of the wings, and they were a network of silver, drawn -this way, then that. They wheeled, they rose, they dropped; no human -beings ever moved in such perfect precision; it was not as if they -followed a leader, it was as if every single sandpiper of the hundreds -knew instinctively what the bird just ahead of him would do. And at last -they descended, like falling leaves, on a flat rock out in the water. - -"I don't see how they can do it," sighed Ben. "We could drill and drill -forever, and never get anything like that. Don't tell me that sandpipers -haven't brains." - -"You bet your boots they have," said David. "Fine little fellows! I -don't see how anybody can possibly want to shoot them." - -The little fellows rose again and went soaring off against the sunset -sky. - -Tuckerman drew a long breath. "You boys who live by the seashore have -much to be thankful for. The pioneers who pushed inland must have been -awfully homesick for just such sights as that. Gee whillikins! What a -gorgeous sky! I could look at it for hours." - -His companions, however, had other things to do. They wanted to locate -the two pines that stood between the two rocks. A short search -discovered them. The trees, old and gnarled, twisted of branches on the -eastern side, where the winter winds had lashed them, still stood like -sentinels between the lichen-covered boulders, where Christopher -Cotterell and doubtless others before him back to the days of Peter had -surveyed them. - -"They're here all right," said Ben. "What was it the notebook said? 'I -have dug at this place, but found only sand.' Well, there's plenty of -sand--oodles of it. But if you ask my opinion, this isn't the place to -dig." - -"You're lazy," scoffed David. "Tell me, Mr. Man, why in your learned -opinion isn't this the right place to dig?" - -"I've a hunch it isn't," answered Ben. - -Tuckerman looked at the serious-faced small fellow, and suddenly gave a -laugh. "I've got the same sort of a hunch myself. My uncle Christopher -dug here and didn't find anything. I don't want to do his work all over -again." - -They let it go at that, and slowly, with an eye to the sunset, which -every moment grew more like a vast palette on which many colors were -mixed, went back by the path through the woods that skirted the western -shore. They reached the old house, and were passing it on their way to -the camp when Tom abruptly halted. "I say, I saw something moving at -that corner window on the second floor! Something white--yes, sir, it -moved. I'll take my word to that!" - -All stopped and gazed at the house. The windows were closed, no curtain -could have been blowing. - -"Nonsense," said David. "What you saw was the sunset reflected on the -glass." - -"I'll bet it wasn't," Tom retorted. And straightway he went up the -graveled walk that led to the front door. - -Now usually John Tuckerman had been careful to lock the door when he -left the house, but this time he had forgotten. Tom turned the knob and -pushed the door open. - -They all went into the hall and stood there listening. Undoubtedly there -was the sound of footsteps on the floor above. - -"That sounds to me like a giggle," whispered Ben. - -"Sh-ssh," warned David. - -Footsteps tapped on the floor, were coming apparently toward the head of -the staircase. - -Then unmistakably there was a laugh, a light and merry laugh, in a -feminine key. - -In the silence that followed David's voice rose. "The lady with the -enormous feet!" he muttered. - -A patter of feet and there came into view two ladies, two ladies in -hoopskirts, with white stockings and little black slippers laced with -black ribbons, and flowered silk waists and flat, mushroom-shaped hats -with streamers falling behind. They stood at the head of the staircase -and stared down at the four below. - -"It's Milly and Sally Hooper!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Did I hear someone whisper 'The lady with the enormous feet?'" Milly -Hallett wrinkled her nose and stuck out the tip of her tongue. "Sarah, -my dear, the gentlemen aren't so gallant as they used to be. Whoever saw -neater, sweeter slippers than these we have on!" - -Slowly, with a hand to each side of their skirts, which swayed like -great balloons, the two girls came down the stairs. - -At the foot John Tuckerman stood, bowing. "Ladies, you greatly honor my -poor house," he declared. - -"Who is the gentleman, Milly?" asked Sarah Hooper, a black-haired, -black-eyed girl with scarlet ribbons to her hat. - -"Faith, I think it must be one of the comely Cotterells," said Milly. -"What a fine sunburn he has!" - -"John Tuckerman, at your service," said that gentleman. "Nephew of Mr. -Christopher." - -Milly Hallett's blue eyes danced with delightful mischief. "And Mr. -Tuckerman, who are the three extraordinary young persons standing in a -row behind you? They do look so funny! Such remarkable clothes." - -David looked at Ben, and Ben looked at Tom, and Tom looked down at his -khaki trousers, which still bore patches of white and green paint -acquired a month ago when he was freshening up his canoe. - -"Ladies, these are three experts," Tuckerman explained. "The gentleman -with the yellow hair and the zebra stripes on his trousers is an expert -skipper, the one with the midnight hair and the rich mahogany skin is an -expert fisherman, and the third--with the splendid red complexion and -the curling locks--can cook a meal that will make you forget every other -breakfast or dinner or supper you ever sat down to." - -"Really!" exclaimed Sarah. "Milly dear, something reminds me that it's a -long time since we tasted food." - -"I was just about to touch on that point," said Tuckerman. "Will you do -us the honor of breaking bread with us? That is, if you won't injure -your exquisite gowns by eating out of doors." - -"They can't sit on the grass in those things," Tom declared. "They'd -ruin them for fair." - -"Oh, can't we!" cried Milly and Sarah in chorus. "Just you watch us do -it!" - -And in spite of hoopskirts and tiny slippers and gingerly-perched hats -the two girls ran to the front door and down the steps to the path. The -other four, catching up with them, piloted them to camp. - -On the way Milly explained. She had felt that she just had to find out -what was going on at Cotterell's Island--she had feared that bears or -ghosts, mosquitoes or robbers might have made an end of her brother and -his friends; so she had gotten Sally Hooper, and they had taken Sally's -father's sailboat and sailed out to the island. They hadn't seen the -boys; but when they went up to the white house they found the front door -unlocked. They went in and looked the place all over. In a room on the -second floor they found oceans of clothes in chests and closets, and -they simply had to try some of them on. Then they thought they'd -surprise the campers. And they certainly had done that, she concluded, -because she had never seen four people look so astonished as those four -had when they saw Sally and her come to the top of the stairs. - -In fifteen minutes supper was under way, a truly marvellous supper, for -David was determined to show these skeptical girls what a howling cook -he was. The guests were not allowed to soil their fingers; as a matter -of fact they found they had their hands full with trying to manage their -ridiculous hoopskirts and sit down in them without smashing the hoops. -But they did contrive to seat themselves on a grassy bank, and Milly -took off her slippers--which were horribly tight--and the two watched -their four serving-men get supper, and occasionally put in a word or so -of advice. - -When each of the six had declared that they could not possibly eat a -single additional pancake--no matter how much golden syrup was offered -as an extra inducement--supper came to a conclusion, and Milly cast a -reflective eye out on the water. - -"Sally and I must be starting back," she said with a sigh; "and I don't -suppose they'd let us land in Barmouth, dressed in these funny old -clothes." - -Sarah Hooper looked at David, who sat cross-legged on the ground, -resting after his labors. "You're a very superior chef," she admitted; -"but I want to know what you meant when you heard us upstairs and -murmured, 'The lady with the enormous feet.' Oh yes, I heard you; and -those were the very words you used." - -David laughed. "I plead guilty. But I didn't refer to either you or -Milly. I was thinking of a little detective work we have on hand." - -Then he had to explain about the discovery of the very large footprints -on the bank of the creek and the finding of a lady's lavender-scented -handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L., in the kitchen. - -"Oh, I love mysteries!" said Sarah. "I'm always reading detective -stories and working them out before the author tells you exactly what -did happen." - -"There's the man for you then," said David, pointing at Ben. "Eats 'em -alive, he does." - -"Huge footprints and a lady's handkerchief," murmured Milly. "That is a -funny combination. But we really must go, or Sally's mother and father -will be sending out searching parties." - -They all walked back to the house, and the two girls went upstairs to -change into their own clothes. When they came down again, much more -comfortably dressed, they found the others in the big front room, where -Tuckerman had lighted the candles. - -"How lovely!" exclaimed the romantic Sarah. "I adore old furniture. What -a duck of a divan! And that beautiful secretary." She looked at a desk -that stood in a corner, at the other end from the fireplace. "It's -mahogany, of course--and what perfect, long, fluted, shiny legs it has!" - -"What's that?" said Ben. "Say it again, and slower." - -"I tell you we must be going back," declared Milly positively. "Never -mind these ducky old things, Sally. Think of your waiting parents." - -So Sally had to go, and they all trooped down to the pier, where Mr. -Hooper's sailboat was bobbing about on the tide. - -Tom insisted that he would take the _Argo_, to convoy the girls home; -but Milly also insisted that he should do nothing of the kind; she knew -how to handle a boat quite as well as her brother, the wind was right, -the water smooth, and she had often sailed later in the evening than -that. Nevertheless when Milly's boat was out from the island, the -campers embarked in the _Argo_ and sailed along after them, until the -lights of Barmouth were visible right ahead. Then, with a good-night -shout, the crew of the _Argo_ brought their craft about and headed back -for the pier. - -They walked through the moonlit woods to their camp, cleaned the dishes, -and made things snug for the night. As Ben, seated on a log, pulled off -his shoes, he said to Tom, who sat near him: "Did you hear what Sally -said about that desk in the corner?" - -"Duck of a thing--some such nonsense." - -"No. She said, 'Mahogany, of course. And what long, fluted, shiny -legs.'" - -"Perhaps she did. I don't remember." - -"Doesn't that convey anything to your mind, Tom?" - -"Can't say it does. Mahogany--legs. Oh, I'm too sleepy to think of -anything." - -"Well, it conveys something to me," said Ben. "I think maybe I've got a -clue, thanks to innocent Sally. I suppose it's too late to go back to -the house to-night?" - -"It's too late to go anywhere except to sleep," answered Tom shortly. "I -guess your clue will keep. If it's got anything to do with Sir Peter's -treasure, it's kept for a hundred years." - -Tom gave a gigantic yawn, and rolled over on to his bed. - -But Ben lay awake for some time, until he got the sound of the lapping -of waves on the beach mixed with John Tuckerman's voice singing -"Yo--heave--ho, my lads," and then he fell asleep. - - - - - V--THE MAHOGANY MAN - - -Mr. Tuckerman was doing the crawl-stroke--slowly and laboriously, with -almost as much splashing as a small paddle-wheel steamboat makes--but -still very much better than he had been able to do it two days before. -He was heading toward a rock, on which Tom, straight as an arrow and -almost as brown as a chocolate drop, stood with his arms pointed -outward, ready to dive. - -Ben stood back of Tom, slapping his dripping thighs and hopping about on -his toes. In the water David was floating, as comfortable and serene as -a harbor seal taking an afternoon nap. "Look out, Professor," he -cautioned; "Tom might land on your head. He's a terrible practical -joker. Don't you let him use you as a cushion." - -Tuckerman plowed along, gasping a little, his eyes fixed on the rock. - -Tom dove, and came up alongside David. "If I was picking out a cushion, -I'd take you. You'd make a bully springboard. Push right along, Mr. -Tuckerman. You're doing nobly." - -Ben gave a whoop. "Look out there!" Lithe as an eel, and seemingly made -of rubber, he sprang from the rock, turned a somersault, and shot -smoothly into the water. He reappeared, looking like a porpoise, his -black hair all shiny, and with a few lusty flaps reached the rock again -just as Tuckerman, breathless, put out his hands to clutch at the -slippery side. - -"You're a regular flying-fish," Ben complimented Tuckerman, as the -latter, careful not to scrape too close against the rough edge of rock, -drew himself slowly up to the level top. "I don't believe any of your -friends out in the plain country of Illinois would know you if they -happened to see you now." - -"I don't believe they would," agreed Tuckerman, sitting down gingerly -and embracing his knees with his hands. "I know I look like a red -Indian, and I feel as if I'd got a thousand more muscles than I ever had -before." - -"If you don't mind----" said Ben; and putting his hands on Tuckerman's -shoulders he made a leap-frog jump over the latter's head and splashed -loudly into the water. - -"Well," said David, changing his position from floating to treading -water, "I think the coffee must be boiling now. It's time I dropped -those eggs." And with leisurely strokes he made for the beach, where he -had thoughtfully left a Turkish towel beside his pile of clothes. - -The others followed suit, and had soon arrayed themselves in the few -garments they thought needful to wear in their island home. David poured -the coffee and attended to the toast and eggs, which had been procured -the day before from a farmer on the mainland. And as they ate, Ben -propounded the question: - -"Fellows, what was it Christopher Cotterell said about a mahogany man?" - -"He said," Tuckerman answered, "'Find the mahogany-hued man with the -long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.'" - -"Exactly," said Ben slowly. "Well, I've got an idea I know where to find -that man." - -The other three looked at him in utter amazement. "The dickens you have, -Benjie!" retorted Tom. "Why, he couldn't be alive now." - -"Perhaps Ben thinks he's a mummy," suggested David, "or a piece of wood -that's turned to stone." - -"Maybe I do," Ben chuckled. "You're getting warm, old horse. Long, -skinny legs--doesn't that remind you of something? Haven't you seen any -that answer that description in this neighborhood?" - -"You're not referring to mine?" asked Tuckerman. - -The breakfast-party laughed, the Professor wore such a look of injured -dignity. - -"No, sir, not to yours," Ben said. "Yours are fat as a drum compared to -those I have in mind." - -"I remember Ben mumbled something about this last night," mused Tom. -"But I was too sleepy to listen. He said something about Sally Hooper, -too; something about her giving him an idea." - -Ben nodded. "So she did." - -"Didn't I always claim that our Benjie was a real detective?" said -David. "Clean up first; and then for the yarn." - -Breakfast things were put away in their box, and then the three turned -to Ben. "Where's your mahogany man?" they demanded in one voice. - -"There's no hurry," was the tantalizing answer. "Perhaps I'd better go -fishing first." - -Tom laid his hand on the other boy's shoulder and twisted him around. -"Lead us to him," he commanded. - -Ben shrugged. "Oh, very well. You're more interested than you were last -night. Come along, but don't make any noise." - -He led them to Cotterell Hall. Tuckerman had locked the front door after -the girls had left on the night before, and now he opened it with the -key he kept in his trouser pocket. - -Ben led them into the hall, and then into the big front room, which was -now flooded with sunlight. - -"Look around," he announced; "and tell me what you see." - -They looked about the room with puzzled faces. "Rats!" exclaimed David. -"I don't see any man here." - -Ben glanced at Tuckerman. "Long, skinny, mahogany-colored legs," he -murmured. - -"Not Sir Peter's portrait?" said Tuckerman. - -Ben walked across the room in the direction of the secretary. "When -Sally came in here last night," he explained, "she said something about -this desk. 'Mahogany, I suppose--and what long, fluted, shiny legs.' -Well, it has, hasn't it?" He laid his hand on the secretary. "Mightn't -this be the man?" - -"You're joking," Tom protested; while David looked from the desk to his -friend's serious face as if he thought Ben must be plain crazy. - -Tuckerman, however, laid his hand also on the piece of furniture. "They -liked their little joke in the old days," he observed. "It might be, -Ben. If that's so----" He turned the small brass key in the lock of the -lid, and pulling out the two supports on either side of the lower -drawers let the lid down on them. "If that's so; and this is the -mahogany man--where's his breast pocket?" - -There were small drawers inside, and a row of pigeonholes to either side -of a central compartment that was also locked by a key. - -"Somewhere up in his chest," said Ben. - -Tuckerman pulled out the drawers and emptied their contents, small -objects, keys, pencils, bits of sealing-wax, a few sheets of blank -paper. He put his hand in the pigeonholes and drew out several bundles -of letters. "I've been through all these things before," he said with a -shake of his head. - -"That place in the middle," Tom suggested. - -"Only an ink-stand," said Tuckerman; and unlocking the little door he -drew forth a big glass inkstand with a brass top. That was all there was -in the little cupboard; all the contents of the upper part of the -secretary were arrayed on the lid. - -"No go," said David. "The man hasn't anything in his pocket to give us -any clue." - -"I must say," said Tom, "it does seem ridiculous to me that anyone could -have meant that desk----" - -"I've heard," mumbled Ben, who was paying no attention to what the -others were saying, "that old desks have secret compartments. My -grandfather has an old one that looks something like this. Let me -see----" He slipped his hand into the pigeonhole on the right of the -little door Tuckerman had unlocked, and began to feel around. "I say! -Here's something. It feels like a wooden spring." - -Tuckerman put his hand into the central compartment. "Push on the -spring," he directed. - -Ben pushed and Tuckerman at the same moment pulled out the cupboard that -had harbored the inkstand. It was a box that fitted snugly into the -centre of the secretary. - -"Well, that's a great stunt," said Tom. "It comes to pieces like a nest -of drawers." - -The four, their heads close together, looked into the space from which -the cupboard had come. - -All they saw was an unvarnished piece of pine board, apparently the back -of the desk. - -"Looks like my grandfather's," said Ben. "Yes, there's a couple of -holes." And putting his forefinger and thumb into two indentations in -the wood at the back, he wriggled his hand around and drew out a small -drawer. - -"Empty!" he muttered, disappointed, holding the drawer so that the -others could see. - -Again he put his hand into the opening and drew out a second drawer that -had been under the first one. This also was empty. - -"One more chance." He pulled out the bottom drawer. In this there was -something. Holding it upside down, a small roll of paper fell out on the -lid of the desk. - -"A piece of parchment," said Tuckerman, picking up the roll. He opened -it out, holding it taut in his two hands. - -All eyes focussed on the sheet, on which were scrawled, in a faint -purplish ink, these lines: - - I took the box - cliff where was - meaning to es - but they were - and so I hid - pocket in the - are two big - make a mark - -Tuckerman read these words aloud, three times over. Then he gave a -grunt. "Well, that's that. And it's not so very illuminating, is it?" - -Ben took the parchment. "Somebody's cut it across. See, the right hand -words are close to the edge. How disgusting!" - -David and Tom each handled the parchment, which was finally laid on the -desk-lid, with the inkstand to keep it from curling up into its original -tight roll. - -David stroked his chin, pretending to be lost in thought. "Somebody took -the box--to the cliff--but they were--and so somebody hid the box--in -his pocket--there are two big--that make a mark. I gather from that line -about the pocket that the box was pretty small." - -"It doesn't say he hid it in his pocket," Ben objected. "It might have -been a pocket in the cliff just as well." - -"Who do you suppose he was?" asked Tom. - -"Why, Peter Cotterell, of course," David answered promptly. - -"I don't know about that," said Tuckerman. "This handwriting doesn't -look like that of a man who was used to holding the pen. See how he's -gone over some of the letters several times, as if he wasn't precisely -sure how he ought to form them. Sir Peter was a well-educated gentleman. -He must have known how to use a quill." - -"Perhaps he wanted to disguise his handwriting," David suggested. - -"Why would he want to do that?" Ben retorted. "Whoever wrote that meant -to leave a record of what he'd done with the box. There wouldn't be any -sense in faking his handwriting--certainly not if he intended to hide -the parchment away in a secret drawer of the desk." - -"What sense would there be in his cutting it in two then?" Tom inquired. - -Tuckerman, who was sitting on the arm of a chair, threw back his head -and laughed. "Here we are arguing about something that happened ever so -long ago, and we haven't the least idea why it happened this way." He -turned to the portrait on the wall and shook his finger at it. "You--or -some of your household--knew how to make first-class puzzles, Sir -Peter." Then, as he swung around to the three boys, he added: - -"My guess is that there's a pocket in a cliff somewhere on this island, -and that there is--or was--a box hidden in it." - -"Find the cliff," said Tom. - -Ben shook his head. "There are dozens of cliffs." - -"Well, you won't find anything more in your mahogany man's breast -pocket," Tom answered. "You can see for yourself it's empty." - -"My idea is," said David, "that we get the _Argo_ and sail round the -island till we sight a likely-looking cliff." - -"That appeals to me," agreed Tuckerman, "and Tom can give me another -lesson in how to handle a boat." - -The parchment was put in its drawer, the three drawers replaced, the -cupboard pushed back and caught by its spring, and the desk-lid lifted -and locked. - -"I'd a heap rather hunt for clues out of doors on a day like this," said -David. - -But Ben sat down on a divan. "I want to do a little thinking, fellows. -You go along without me. Maybe I'll go fishing for dinners off the rocks -after a while." - -They laughed at Ben; but he would not be dissuaded. He wanted to do some -thinking, and he meant to. "Stubborn as a mule," said Tom. "He gets his -mind set on a thing, and dynamite won't budge him." - -So the others went down to the sailboat; and presently Ben, getting up -from the divan, went out and cut himself a stick of willow. He brought -it back and began to whittle shavings all over the hardwood floor of -Cotterell Hall. He had seen men down on the Barmouth docks whittle -shavings for hours, and he had copied the habit. He found it a great -help when he wanted to think things out. - - - - - VI--THE CLIPPER SHIP - - -Ben Sully was a boy who would rather work out a puzzle than do almost -anything else. He had a tremendous amount of patience, which possibly -explains why he was such a successful fisherman, since he could wait -longer, dangling a piece of bait in the water, than nine out of ten -fishes could resist the temptation to find out what the bait tasted -like. Any kind of a _puzzle_, from cut out sections of cardboard that -fitted together to make a picture all the way to ingenious contraptions -of metal links that didn't want to come apart, was a delight to Ben. He -had boxes and boxes of them stored away in a closet at home. He had -invented secret codes and cryptograms by the score, and when he was only -ten years old had constructed a private language of twenty-five words -that he had taught to Tom and David and which the three of them had used -among themselves to the great admiration and envy of all the rest of -their school. - -Naturally then Ben felt that this _puzzle_ of Peter Cotterell's treasure -was right in his line, and the finding of the half-sheet of parchment -whetted his appetite to discover more. He walked about the room, -whittling shavings right and left, he sat down and kept on whittling, he -stood up again, and since by now the willow-stick had been whittled down -to almost nothing, he threw what was left in the fireplace. - -That done, he went to a bookcase and took down from the shelf on top the -old notebook that Tuckerman had found in his uncle's bedroom. He thumbed -the pages until he came to the place where Tuckerman had inserted a slip -of paper. Ben read the words at the top of the page out loud. "Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That's a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?" Ben -looked at the desk. "Well, we've done that, anyhow." He shook his head -in deep thought. "I don't understand why that piece of parchment wasn't -discovered before. They might not have taken the desk to be the mahogany -man; but surely Crusty Christopher or his father would have known of -those three little drawers. However, they might have found that writing -and left it there. That's possible, of course. Probably it didn't tell -them any more than it's told us so far." - -Turning again to the notebook, he ran his eye down the page. Nothing but -Christopher Cotterell's comments on all sorts of subjects, nothing that -interested Ben. He turned a page, two pages, another, and then his -glance fell on this: "I've heard that the old clipper ship got some of -the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what use is -that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution." - -On and on down the page Ben's eyes traveled, but lighted on nothing that -caught his special attention. So he went back and reread that passage. -Then he closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, stuck his hands in -his pockets, and stared through the window. - -"I wonder if there was a real mahogany man," he mused, "and a real ship. -There might have been. There were men from the West Indies in this part -of the country in those days. One of them might have had valuables in -his clothes, and part of the things he was guarding might have been -carried off in the hold of a ship. Was there a real man, or was it that -secretary? And how about the ship?" - -Presently Ben walked around the drawing-room, as if he were searching -for something. From there he went to the dining-room and the kitchen, -and then upstairs to Christopher Cotterell's bedroom. He looked into -closets and behind curtains, he pulled open wardrobe doors and peered in -at the shelves. But each time he shook his head, as much as to say: -"There's nothing there that I want." - -Under the slanting roof at the top of the house was an attic, already -explored by Tuckerman and the boys. It was filled with every kind of -thing, from an ancient lacquered Indian temple--the green and gold of -the lacquer now sadly tarnished and chipped--to a collection of Red -Men's arrowheads, neatly fastened to a board by small straps of leather. -Ben looked around at the strange medley of objects, thinking how many -countries and how many different races of men had contributed to the -furnishing of this attic; and then his roving eyes lighted on something -that made them glisten--on a bracket against the wall sat the model of a -ship. - -Ben knew the model to be that of a Yankee clipper--three masts, loftily -rigged, with three sky-sail yards, and a long mainyard. She was -beautifully built, every detail complete, the deck and hull shining with -varnish. "Hello," sang out Ben, "clipper ship ahoy!" And pushing a box -close against the wall he stepped up opposite the bracket. - -In the deck of the model was a little lid. He pried this up with his -knife-blade. There was just room for him to squeeze his fingers through, -and when he drew them out again they held a small roll of paper. - -"Yes," said Ben, "it's parchment," and very much thrilled he took his -find over to the window and smoothed it out. - -The ink on this parchment was faint and purplish, like that on the sheet -already found in the desk, and the left hand words were close to the -edge. Ben read them aloud: - - to the north - the boat - cape with it - off the shore - it in the - rocks. There - veins that - like a cross. - James Sampson. - -"Good enough!" said Ben, and ran down the stairs to the first floor. - -The little drawer in the secretary was again made to disgorge its -half-sheet of parchment and Ben laid the two papers side by side on the -desk-lid. They fitted perfectly; now their message was complete. - - I took the box to the north - cliff where was the boat - meaning to escape with it - but they were off the shore - and so I hid it in the - pocket in the rocks. There - are two big veins that - make a mark like a cross. - James Sampson. - -"Well, that's clear enough," said Ben, "though why anyone should cut -James Sampson's writing in two is more than I can understand." He copied -the words on a sheet of paper and put the two pieces of parchment in the -secret drawer. "Now let's see what we've got. Sampson meant to leave the -island with his box at the northern end, but he saw some enemies waiting -there, so he hid the box in a crevice where the rocks are marked like a -cross. All right for Mr. Sampson. That's easy sailing. But why didn't -some of the Cotterells find what was in the hold of that little ship's -model long before this? Funny--that is." Again his brows bent in -thought. "Was James Sampson the real mahogany man? Was there a real -clipper ship?" At last he shook his head. "I don't know. But at least -I've found something." - -Ben left the house. It was noon, and warm. The others were sailing -around the island; there was no knowing when they would be back. He -debated whether to go fishing, and finally decided against it. Without -any definite purpose in mind he took the path at the back of Cotterell -Hall that led toward the little creek. - -It was only a short distance across to the inlet where David and he had -landed. He went through the bushes and trees until he saw the water -before him. There was the creek and there was the marshy ground where -they had found the footprints. He descended the bank to look at the -marks again. - -There were no footprints there now: they had utterly vanished! - -Ben hunted along the edge of the creek, although he was positive where -the marks had been. There was not a sign of them. There had been no rain -to wash them out. The soggy ground was above the reach of the tide. -There was only one explanation: someone had been there since David and -he had landed and had carefully removed any sign of footsteps. - -To discover footprints on a supposedly uninhabited shore is thrilling, -but to discover that those footprints have disappeared is even more -exciting. What did it mean? Well, to Ben it clearly indicated that the -person who had made those marks in the first place had some very good -reason for wanting no one to know that he had been there. - -Cotterell's treasure was an ancient mystery; but this was a new one, no -older in fact than the day before yesterday. This was new matter over -which to cudgel one's brains, and Ben, sitting on the bank, gave deep -consideration to it until he saw the sail of the _Argo_ creeping up from -the south. - -Should he tell the others of his discoveries or not? He decided to keep -them a secret, including the vanished footprints, for a short time at -least. But he jumped up, and ran down to the shore, and sent an -ear-piercing yell across the water. The answer was a wave from Tom, and -presently the _Argo_ drew closer inland and laid her course for a small, -grass-topped headland on Ben's side of the creek. - -"Don't jump; slide down, Benjie, slide," directed Tom. - -"And slide gently," added David. "Not as if you were making for third -base with the ball getting there before you. Remember the Professor's at -the helm and we don't want to tilt the boat." - -"Don't you worry," sang out Ben. "I'll drop in so you'll think I'm as -light as a feather." And as the _Argo_ slipped along under the headland -he let himself down, lightly and easily, but, as it happened, right on -the shoulders of David. - -The big fellow gave a growl. Ben's legs had somehow contrived to twine -themselves around David's neck, and Ben was sitting there on the broad -shoulders, his hands on the other boy's head. - -"Hi there! Look out!" cried Tuckerman. "You'll upset the whole shebang!" - -But Tom came to the skipper's rescue. A steadying hand on the tiller and -the _Argo_ moved out from the shore. - -Slowly Ben pushed David forward until they both came down in a heap in -the little cockpit. "Behave yourselves," ordered Tom. "I've got a dipper -here and I'll souse you both with cold water!" - -The threat was enough. The two sat up. David grinned. "The little -feller's all right; he's got some muscle. I shouldn't wonder if I could -make a real man out of him some day." - -Under Tom's teaching John Tuckerman was learning something about -handling a sailing dory, just as Ben had given him lessons in flounder -fishing, David in making flapjacks, and the three in various swimming -strokes. It was true that he still regarded the _Argo's_ sail, when a -sudden puff of wind filled it, as an inexperienced driver regards his -horse when the animal shows signs of shying--his muscles grew tense, and -he frowned, and stopped talking--but he didn't ask Tom what to do and he -managed to keep the dory fairly close to the course he intended. And he -was a good sport! He didn't try to crawl out of his mistakes by arguing -about them; he admitted them with a grin, and that grin was always so -whole-souled and hearty that it made one want to slap him on the back -and tell him that he hadn't really made a mistake after all. - -When Tuckerman had the _Argo_ well in hand again and could think of -other matters, he said to Ben, "We've seen plenty of rocks and ledges, -but nary a thing that could properly be called a cliff. A cliff, I take -it, is something fairly high and mighty, not so steep as Gibraltar -perhaps, but as large as a good-sized barn-door." - -"While we've been hunting for cliffs," said David, "I suppose Ben has -worked this all out. What are your conclusions, oh wise one?" - -"Never you mind, my boy. The clever magician waits till he has -everything in order before he performs his trick." - -"Ben's got something up his sleeve," put in Tom. "I can always tell when -he talks in that grand way. But there's no use trying to make him tell -us, Dave. The way to make an oyster talk is to pay no attention to it." - -Ben said nothing, though the temptation was great as the _Argo_ reached -the northern end of the island, where high rocks came down to the water. - -Tuckerman admitted these were cliffs, but there were a number of them, -and how was he to tell which was the one they wanted? They sailed slowly -along, watching the shore and speculating as to what the message in the -desk referred. And while the other three talked Ben sat silent, trying -to picture what had happened to James Sampson there more than a century -before. - -Ben had a good imagination, and it led him to see Sampson as a servant -of Sir Peter Cotterell, a faithful serving-man, who always did what his -master told him. When the men of Barmouth threatened to take Sir Peter's -treasure the old Tory gave some of his most valuable possessions to -Sampson, and the latter carried them to this end of the island where he -had a small boat that should carry him to the mainland. When he reached -the shore, however, he saw other Barmouth men patrolling the coast in -their own boats and so his escape that way was cut off. With quick wit -he hid the treasures in a cleft of the rock and blocked up the -hiding-place. Ben could see it all, even to Sir Peter, in knee-breeches -and wig, commending James Sampson when the man returned and related what -he had done. "Good and faithful servant," said Sir Peter; "the rascals -are outwitted again!" And doubtless Sir Peter took Sampson into the -dining-room and poured him out a glass of rum. Ben wasn't sure about -that; it might not have been rum; but rum sounded well, it smacked of -old-time adventure. Yes, probably it was rum; and Sampson had wiped his -mouth with the sleeve of his jacket and laughed with his master at the -thought of the men of Barmouth sitting out there in their boats, like so -many cats waiting outside a mouse-hole. - -"Come out of it, Ben! Wake up!" - -Ben looked up with a start. Tom was laughing at him. "Where are you, -Benjie? A million miles away!" - -"No," answered Ben, "I was listening to Sir Peter talking to a man you -don't any of you know anything about." - -"Your precious mahogany man?" asked Tom. "Don't tell me you learned -something more about him while you were up at the house." - -"He means the man with the big feet," said David. "Did you find his -prints in the house?" - -"David," said Ben solemnly, "you're absolutely certain you saw those -footprints of a man on the bank of the creek, are you?" - -"Absolutely," David stated. "You don't think it was some animal wearing -a man's shoes, do you?" - -"No. I thought you saw them. But I looked this morning in the same -place, and there aren't any prints there now." - -There followed a moment's silence; then Tuckerman exploded a loud -"What?" - -"Vanished, vamoosed, flown away," Ben said with a nod. - -"My eye!" exclaimed David. "This is too horrible! Is the island -haunted?" - -"It is peculiar," said Tuckerman, frowning at the shore. - -"Look out!" sang out Tom. - -The _Argo_, her helmsman unheeding his business, was slowly coming -about, with a ledge of rock dead ahead. Tuckerman wheeled around, put -the tiller over--the dory righted again. - -"Ben," said Tom, "don't you spring anything like that on us again, with -the Professor sailing this boat. If you've got any other fairy tales, -you keep them till we're on shore." - -"My fault," said the skipper. "I'm learning. My first business is to -bring us safe up to the dock." - -"And my first business," added David, "is to get something to eat. -Mysteries may come and go, but three square meals a day are always -needful. How about that, Ben, my son? What did Sir Peter and this other -friend of yours live on?" - -"Rum," said the solemn Ben. - -"Rum! You're a rum one! Are you sure you didn't drink some of Sir -Peter's rum before you went to the creek and found that the footprints -were missing?" - -But Ben only smiled. He could afford to smile when he knew that he, and -he alone, had a copy of James Sampson's complete message tucked away in -his pocket. - - - - - VII--THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - - -Needless to say, Ben would have liked to start out immediately after -dinner to look for the pocket in the rocks that was marked with a cross, -provided he could have found a good excuse to get away from the others; -for he was still of a mind to keep his discovery a secret for the -present. But the larder was in need of fresh supplies, and as soon as -they had finished their cleaning up Tom announced that their immediate -business was to sail across to Farmer Hapgood's and buy some eggs and -milk. So the _Argo_ put out into the bay again, and soon the four -campers, the sailboat safely moored at the Hapgood landing, were -tramping up the road toward a gray-shingled cottage that had a couple of -beautiful, tall elms at either side of it. - -Mrs. Hapgood sold them eggs, milk, and butter, and some large loaves of -freshly-baked bread. These were packed in a basket the boys had brought. -When they came out from the house they stopped a few moments to chat -with Mrs. Hapgood, and while they were talking two large automobiles -swung in from a crossroad and raced past the farmhouse door. - -The two cars were filled with boys, boys on the seats and on the -running-boards. "They're from Camp Amoussock, down along the shore a -way," Mrs. Hapgood explained. "They're going to have a baseball game -with the boys around here. My Sandy's playing. He's getting into his -things upstairs now, but he'll be down in a minute." - -The cars disappeared in a cloud of dust, and almost immediately a -red-haired, freckle-faced young fellow, in a baseball suit, dashed out -from the front door. - -"Hello," he cried, nodding to the others. "That crowd made as much noise -with their horns as if they'd won the game already." - -"Pretty good team, are they?" asked David. - -"Yes, they're a good team," said Sandy; "but mighty stuck on themselves. -They come from a lot of different cities, and most of them play on their -school nines. They've beaten us the last two summers. Gee, but we'd like -to get back at 'em to-day!" - -"Who's on your team?" asked Tom. - -"Well, we call ourselves the Tidewater Tigers. Most of us live around -here. One, Billy Burns, comes from Barmouth. Native sons of New -Hampshire against the strangers--that's what my father says." - -"We know Billy Burns," said Ben. "He's a good batter." - -"Yes, he's good," agreed Sandy. "But they've got a pitcher who's a -corker. Lanky Larry they call him. He's the goods all right--lots of -speed and a curve. I'll say he is! Fanned me three times last year." -Sandy clutched his bat. "Gee, but I'd like to sting him!" - -"Let's feel it," said David. He took the bat and swung it several times. -"A little light, but not bad," he pronounced judicially. - -"Say, why don't you all come along? We'll show you some real excitement. -You can leave that basket here." - -The boys looked at each other, and suddenly Tuckerman burst out -laughing. "Lead us to it, Sandy. I can see these three have got their -tongues hanging out." - -"Well," said David slowly, "I do hate to pass a good thing by." - -"He wants a sight of this Lanky Larry," said Tom. "A good pitcher to -Dave is like a red rag to a bull." - -Mrs. Hapgood relieved Tom of the basket. "You boys are native sons," she -said with a smile. "Go along and root for the Tigers." - -Up the road they went until they came to an open field marked out with a -baseball diamond. The two automobiles were parked on one side, and on -the other was a crowd of boys and girls, interspersed with a few older -people. Already some of the Tigers and some of the Amoussocks were -knocking out flies to their fielders. - -"There's Lanky, warming up," said Sandy, pointing to a tall, -dark-skinned fellow who was throwing a ball to a catcher in front of the -automobiles. "They're a swell lot, aren't they? They've all got brand -new suits this summer, with red and white stockings, and a red A on -their chests." - -The Amoussocks did look very trim; more especially in contrast to the -native sons, who were dressed in all sorts of suits, the most of them -old and mud-stained. - -"Here's Billy Burns," said Sandy; and as Tuckerman and the three boys -went up to join the crowd, Sandy darted away to report himself to his -captain. - -Billy came up. "Hi, you fellows. What you doing here?" - -"Digging clams for bait," answered David. "Benjie wants to go fishing." - -"Come down to see us smear the strangers?" Billy continued, ignoring -David's joke. - -"I hear that Lanky Larry's a terror." This from Tom. - -"Terror's the word," Billy admitted. "Say, Dave, you think you're some -hitter in Barmouth. But you've never stacked up against his class." - -"Oh, I don't know," said David. "I've sent some good men to the discard. -Howsomever, it's not up to me this afternoon to tackle the strangers. -I'm neutral to-day." - -"Go to it, Billy!" said Ben. "We're going to root for you. Of course we -are. We're not pikers." - -It was clear that this was a big day in the eyes of the community. A -hay-wagon rattled up, loaded with empty boxes and a pile of boards. The -boxes were stood on end on the ground and the planks placed across them, -and the seats thus made were instantly filled by boys and girls. On the -opposite side waved a large banner, white with a gigantic red A in the -centre. There were shouts and cheers from both sides as the two teams -gathered round the umpire; then the Tigers ran out to take the field and -the first Amoussock batter stepped up to the plate. - -The campers from Cotterell's Island sat on the grass with the New -Hampshire boys. Half the fun of watching any contest is in rooting for -one side to win, and naturally the campers were backing the home nine. -The Amoussocks had a superior air, partly due perhaps to their snappy -suits and partly to the fact that they had beaten the Tigers each of the -two summers before. And they knew how to play baseball; there was a snap -and precision about their work that was the result of constant coaching -in teamwork. - -Against them the home team, mostly the sons of neighboring farmers, boys -who had to coach themselves and only played together on Saturdays, -showed at a decided disadvantage. They had plenty of fighting spirit and -kept right up on their toes, playing for all they were worth, taking big -chances in stealing bases and backing each other up on every throw. But -they couldn't hit Lanky Larry--not to any extent; and the Amoussocks -could, and did, hit Sam Noyes, the Tiger pitcher. - -David shook his head as the third inning ended. "That Lanky's got 'em -where he wants 'em," he said. "He eases up a bit, and lets us get a hit -or two; but watch him in the pinches. He can tighten up and shoot 'em -over. Yes, siree,--nothing he likes better than a couple of them on the -bases, and then putting over three strikes, simple as you please." - -Tom took a blade of grass from his mouth. "And he keeps grinning. -Nothing riles a batter worse than that sort of a pitcher. 'See how -simple it is,' he says with that smile. 'Like taking candy from a kid to -get a strike on you'--and he goes ahead and shoots one over while you're -planning how you'll wipe the grin from his face." - -Billy Burns dropped down beside them. "Two to nothing," he declared. -"Sam's doing mighty well, but Lanky's doing better. It's that in-shoot -of his. I know just where it's going, but hang it all! every blessed -time I reach right out for it." - -"He's got your goat," said David. "You're so all-fired mad that you -don't wait for the ball to get near you." - -"Huh, it's easy to talk! I suppose you could wait all day." - -"Well, I wouldn't get tied up tight, stiff as a stick. That's the -trouble with all our team. They're so keen to hit they can't wait. -Larry's got them going before they walk out there; and he knows it too, -believe me!" - -"I suppose you'd be as cool as a cucumber," Billy jeered. - -"As fat as a cucumber, you mean," suggested Ben. "When Dave leans -against the ball it's like a ton of bricks." - -"We're out again," announced Billy, picking up his fielder's glove. -"We're not so worse in the field; but golly, if we could only hit!" - -The Tigers couldn't hit, however. The crowd on the benches rooted as -hard as they could, but the native sons stayed behind. And the visitors -grew more dashing. They kept talking to each other on the bases, little -remarks filled with self-esteem; it was easy to see they were very well -pleased with themselves. - -David kept pulling blades of grass, chewing them, spitting them out. -Every time that a Tiger came to bat David felt as if it were he himself -who was facing that smiling pitcher. - -The fifth inning came and went; the score was still the same. Billy -Burns, in spite of what David had told him, had struck out again. - -Tom stood up and stretched. "No, boys, it isn't our day--unless -something different happens. I guess that old New Hampshire's got to -take the short end." - -Something did happen; but not what Tom expected. Billy Burns, in the -outfield, running after a deep fly to centre, made a dive for the ball -at full speed, stumbled, fell headlong, but held up the ball in his -hand. - -"Batter's out!" cried the umpire. - -The loyal rooters cheered. Billy, however, lay flat, and when, after a -moment, he tried to get up, he sat down quickly again. - -The other fielders ran over to him and stood him up between them. Billy -held up one foot, put it down, gave a groan. "Twisted my ankle, I -guess," he muttered. He tried to take a step forward. "No go," he added. -"Hang it all, just my luck!" - -Two fielders brought him in between them, Billy hopping on one foot. The -Tigers held a consultation, while the Amoussocks threw the ball around. -Then Sam Noyes, the Tiger captain, stepped over to David. "Billy's down -and out," he said. "He can't play any more. But he says you think you -can hit their pitcher; and you're from Barmouth, so that'd be all right. -Want to take Billy's place?" - -David glanced up. He knew by the look on Sam's face that the Tiger -captain didn't believe he could bat any better than the others. "All -right," he answered. "I didn't mean to boast, you know; but I'll do my -darndest." - -"No one can do more," murmured Tuckerman behind him. - -David peeled off his coat and put on Billy's glove. He lumbered out to -centrefield while Sam Noyes explained the substitution to the Amoussock -captain. - -In the last half of the sixth inning David came to bat. Lanky Larry -patted the ball caressingly, surveyed the new player from head to foot, -and then grinned as if he had suddenly remembered a tremendous joke. -David dug his feet into the earth of the batter's box, wishing he had on -the cleated shoes he wore when he played on his school team, swung his -bat--one he had carefully selected from the varied assortment offered by -the Tigers--and then grinned as if he also had thought of something very -funny. - -"I say, what's the joke, you two fellows?" sang out a man who was -standing back of the benches. - -That made everybody laugh, with the result that Lanky, when he pitched -the ball, threw it wide and missed the plate by a couple of inches. - -"Ball one!" proclaimed the umpire. - -"Make it be good!" yelled Ben. - -David hitched up his trousers and lifted his bat again. Lanky patted the -ball and smiled, but not so broadly. He shot the next one across the -plate with speed and precision, David letting it go by without swinging -at it. - -"Strike one!" sang the umpire. - -"You've got him, Lanky!" came a voice from the ranks of the Amoussocks. - -"Oh dear!" sighed a girl on the Tiger's bench, loud enough to be heard -across the diamond; "I thought this fellow looked like he could knock a -home run!" - -There was a titter, a ripple of laughter, and Larry, fondling the ball, -looked over in the direction of the girl and grinned from ear to ear. - -The ball shot from his hand. There was a crack--sharp and -stinging;--Larry reached out, missed the ball as it whizzed by--whizzed -on over the bag at second base, sizzled on into the outfield. -Centrefield couldn't touch it; that ball simply wouldn't stop, and -didn't until it struck a stone wall at the end of the field. - -By the time the ball got back David was standing on third base, and the -Tiger rooters were splitting the air with yells. - -"Dave leaned against it all right, didn't he?" said Ben to Tuckerman. -"He came around on it just as easy; but when he struck he made every -ounce tell." - -"He'd have had a home run if it hadn't been for that stone wall," said -Tuckerman. "The field's too short; it doesn't give our Dave a show." - -Lanky Larry looked less amused. He frowned and grew thoughtful; with the -result that the next Tiger up got a neat hit to right field, and David -came trotting home. - -But the inning ended on the next play, the Tiger being caught out at -second base. The score was two to one, in the Amoussock's favor. The -crowd felt somewhat better as the Tigers took the field again. The -Amoussocks, however, managed to get in another run at their turn at bat, -and had a good lead of two. - -The seventh and eighth innings repeated the same old story. Lanky was in -form again, and none of the batters could hit him. And with the score at -three to one the Amoussocks prepared to mow down their rivals in the -last half of the ninth. - -David was to be the third batter, and he swung two bats over his -shoulder as he waited for his turn. Lanky knew what he was doing, was in -fact watching him out of the corner of his eye, and looking forward to -his next chance at the cocky David. Thinking what he would do to David -he forgot the job in hand, and struck Sam Noyes on the arm. The umpire -sent Sam to first. Larry scowled and bit his lip. The next Tiger got a -hit, and Sam went to second. - -The crowd jumped to its feet, both sides were rooting madly. "If only -there was room for a home run!" sighed Ben. "Old Barmouth could do it! -Keep cool, Dave my lad!" - -David was perfectly cool, to all appearance at least, as he walked up to -the plate. He smiled and gave the least little nod at the tall, -dark-skinned pitcher. - -A duel between these two;--that was what the crowd felt in the air. The -fielders were hopping about, crouching, their hands on their knees; Sam -and the Tiger on first base were flapping their arms, all ready to dash -for the next base. But nobody looked at them; all eyes were on the two -who were regarding each other with pleasant smiles. - -"Strike one!" - -David stepped back, a bit surprised, while the crowd gave a groan. - -"Ball one!" There was a little ripple of satisfaction. - -"But he's got to hit it," Tom muttered in Tuckerman's ear. "A base on -balls won't do. The next fellow'd go out." - -And David knew he'd got to hit it, and kept telling himself not to -tighten up. "Easy does it, easy does it," kept singing over and over in -his mind. If he tried too hard Lanky would get him just as he had gotten -the others; and he knew perfectly well that was what Lanky intended that -he should do. - -"Strike two!" - -Larry had outguessed him that time, giving him a slow drop. David eased -his muscles, smiled his confident smile, settled evenly on his feet. -This next would be the in-shoot. Larry would save that for the last. -"Easy does it; take your time." David looked at the pitcher, not -angrily, not intently, just with a jovial dare. - -And the bat, with David's shoulders behind it, and his waist and his -legs as well, met that ball as it curved in toward him fair and square -on the nose. There was a mighty crack--the sort that sings in the ears -and makes the pulses tingle--and away and away went the ball. Over the -pitcher's head, over the heads of the fielders; far out in the field it -struck the ground at last and bounded over the stone wall. It brought up -against a cow, that was lying down in a meadow, and it gave her such a -bump that she rose in haste and went galloping away, not knowing what -had struck her. And by the time the first Amoussock outfielder touched -that ball Sam Noyes and the next Tiger and David had circled the bases -and the game was won. - -Billy Burns hopped over to David, forgetful of his sprained ankle. "Put -it there, old scout!" he cried, holding out his hand. "I never saw such -a hit! Gee whillikins! Dave, you're the stuff all right!" - -"Easy does it," said David, who couldn't think of anything else to say. - -"Easy!" exclaimed Billy. "You call that easy! I'd like to know what you -do to a ball when you hit it hard!" - - - - - VIII--THE CANOE - - -David would have liked to have taken to his heels and beaten it down the -road to the bay, but he was not allowed to do this. Not only the Tigers, -but all that section of New Hampshire appeared to think that he had -vindicated the honor of the country against the big cities, represented -in this case by the boys of Camp Amoussock. Horny-handed farmers -insisted on coming up and shaking his hand, slapping him on the back, -inviting him to supper. And what tickled Ben more than anything else was -to see the girl who had exclaimed, "I thought this fellow looked like he -could knock a home run!" push her way through the crowd and thrust out -her hand at David. - -Ben nudged Tom. "Look at our brave boy now." - -The girl was saying, "I knew you looked like a winner. I've got a kid -brother at home; he's got a sore foot and couldn't get over here; but -I'm going to tell him how you soaked that ball and hit the old cow, and -maybe he won't be excited! What's your name? He'll want to know." - -No beet was ever redder than David's face as he gave a sheepish grin. -"David Norton," he said. And as the girl insisted on shaking hands he -touched her fingers gingerly. "Much obliged," he stammered. "Hope the -kid's foot gets well again. Funny about that cow;--hope it didn't hurt -her." - -"I wouldn't care," said the girl, "if it broke one of her ribs. But -don't you worry, Mr. Norton. I'm right glad to have met you." And she -pushed her way out of the throng again, delighted to be able to tell her -kid brother that she had shaken hands with the hero of the day. - -"You may be a mighty batter," said Ben, when David was able at last to -rejoin his friends, "but when it comes to the girls you're a beautiful -imitation of a wooden Indian. You shake hands like a pump." - -"Oh, cut it out," growled David, who always stood more or less in fear -of girls, and hated to be teased about them. "I suppose you'd have made -her some kind of a pretty speech; asked her to dance, perhaps." - -"I'd have looked as if I liked being told how fine I was. Oh, what a -shame it is that nobody ever says such things to me," sighed Ben, "when -I'm the one that could really appreciate them!" - -Sandy Hapgood now came up, and David, eager to be rid of any more talk -about the game, hurried his friends away. "Looks like a thunderstorm," -he said, squinting at the sky, where dark clouds were rapidly rising. - -They passed the meadow, where the cow was now peacefully chewing her cud -again. She cast a reproachful eye at the boy in the baseball suit. -"That's the longest hit that was ever made on our field," remarked -Sandy. "And against Lanky Larry, too! Oh boy! Did you see Lanky after -the game? He looked--well, he didn't look so all-fired stuck on -himself." - -"He's a fine pitcher," said David; "a mighty good one." - -They quickened their steps, for big drops of rain were beginning to -fall. They turned in at the Hapgood farmhouse and stopped long enough -for a word with Sandy's mother. Tom swung the basket of provisions on -his arm. - -"Don't you think you'd better wait a short spell," said Mrs. Hapgood. -"Looks to me as if we were in for a right smart shower." - -They looked at the sky--pierced now with frequent sharp jabs of -lightning. - -"It's not raining hard yet," said Tuckerman. "How about it, boys?" - -"Let's beat it," said Tom. - -Out in the road again they jogged down to the water, where the _Argo_ -was fastened. Casting her adrift, Tom took the tiller. - -It was a real summer thunderstorm that had come up quickly--spurts of -rain and banks of black clouds--at the end of the warm day. - -But the boys were used to a wetting, and Tom had often sailed through a -heavier downpour than this. David stretched himself out on a seat in -luxurious comfort. "A shower-bath feels good," he murmured. "All I want -now is a good swim." - -The wind, however, wouldn't stay in any one quarter; it kept jumping -about as if it were trying to box the compass and succeeding pretty -well. Tom had to keep changing course. The _Argo_ zigzagged about like a -darning-needle flying over a pond. And the thunder kept crashing louder, -and the lightning opening bigger and bigger cracks in the violet-black -of the sky. - -"Hello, there's a canoe!" sang out Ben suddenly. - -Ahead of them, an eighth of a mile from shore, a cockleshell craft was -dancing over the waves. There were two people in it, one at either end, -and each was paddling fast. - -"Ticklish business," said Tuckerman. "There's white water off that -point. See how it jerks about. I say, Tom, couldn't we get up near -them?" - -"Righto," answered the skipper. "Confound those blooming gusts!" - -If the _Argo_ was having her hands full in standing up to the constant -squalls that kept chasing over the water, the canoe was finding the -struggle an even more difficult task. She careened, righted, almost -disappeared in a wave. The _Argo's_ crew were now all at the rail, -except the skipper, watching the little craft battle her way along. - -Then Ben sang out: "Why, it's Lanky Larry and the Amoussock captain! -Gee, but that water's rough!" - -A lightning flash so vivid that it seemed to daze the crews of both the -boats, was followed by a roll of thunder that shook the sea and the sky. -Next instant the waves leaped up as if in a frenzy of fright. A great -roller caught the canoe and twisted her nose about; another slapped her -amidships; a third--All that the crew of the _Argo_ saw was a swirl of -wild waters where the little craft had been. - -Tuckerman muttered something. Tom, with a shout of warning, brought the -_Argo_ about. Now there were to be seen in the water two heads, two -tossing paddles, and the upturned bottom of the canoe. - -The point of land was not far distant, and for some reason the boys in -the water were striking out in that direction, possibly because they -thought the sailboat, in such a squall, could not keep her course. - -While Tom manoeuvred the _Argo_, the other three watched the swimmers. -Both were making fair headway, the Amoussock captain somewhat in the -lead. Then suddenly Larry threw up his hands and disappeared. - -Tom swung the sailboat around, and almost instantly Ben and David, coats -and shoes stripped off, dove into the water. For the moment the sea was -calmer, and the two made the most of their chance. Hand over hand, in -great spurts, they drew closer and closer to the place where Larry had -vanished. - -Tom said things to the sail, which would not fill as he wanted. -Tuckerman clutched the rail, his eyes never leaving the swimmers. And at -last--an eternity, it seemed to the watcher--the two boys reached the -spot. A moment later, and in some way they had managed to draw Larry up -between them. - -By now the Amoussock captain had turned and was swimming back; and by -now Tom had contrived to make the _Argo_ behave. With a rush she arrived -where the boys were struggling in the waves. Ben clutched at the side; -with his other hand he helped David lift Larry up into Tuckerman's arms. - -Larry was hauled aboard. David and Ben climbed in. The other boy was -pulled up from the water. - -The _Argo_, restive, cavorting, commenced to dance again. "Can't stop to -pick up the canoe," muttered Tom. "Thank Heaven, Lanky's all right!" - -Larry, very white and shivering, was rubbing the muscles of his legs. -"It was a cramp," he explained. "Doubled me up in a minute." - -Tuckerman put his coat around Larry's shoulders. "Never mind, never -mind," he kept murmuring. "We'll have you up at my house in a couple of -jiffies." - -And, the wind blowing great guns, but keeping in a fairly steady -direction, the _Argo_ soon reached the island. By that time Larry, -assisted by Tuckerman, had managed to rub the kinks out of his leg -muscles, and was able to hobble ashore. - -Cold, and drenched, and all of them shivering more or less, the party -went up to the house. "The kitchen's the place," said Tuckerman. -"There's plenty of firewood there." - -Shortly the logs were blazing on the wide kitchen hearth, and Tuckerman, -finding a tin of coffee in a cupboard, was making a steaming drink. Tom -in the meantime had brought an armful of Christopher Cotterell's clothes -from a room abovestairs, and the boys who had been in the water put on -dry things. - -"Well," said Larry, when he was warm and dry, and had swallowed -half-a-cupful of Tuckerman's steaming hot coffee, "I knew this David -fellow was a good sport when I tried to strike him out this afternoon; -though I tell you it made me mad when he stung that ball for a homer." - -"Don't mention it," said David. "A fellow's got to do his duty." - -"You do yours, all right," nodded Larry. "I guess we'll have to forgive -him now, won't we, Bill?" - -Bill Crawford, the Amoussock captain, gave his knee a great slap. "We'll -have to elect him to the club of good scouts, Lanky. And the rest of -this bunch, too." - -"Pass the coffee pot," said David. - -Stretched at his ease in a cane-bottomed kitchen chair, Larry's eyes -roved around the room. "I thought there wasn't anybody on this island -this summer," he said. "That's the story they tell at the camp." - -"Oh yes, it's deserted," said Ben, "except for Professor Tuckerman and -his three able assistants." - -"What is the Professor doing here?" asked Bill Crawford. - -There was a momentary silence, broken by Ben's solemn voice. "He's busy -polishing up the knocker of the big front door. I don't know whether you -noticed it when you came in, but there is a beautiful knocker, made of -pure brass. He shines it every day." - -An amused snicker from Bill was followed by Larry's asking another -question. - -"This is the Cotterell house, isn't it? There's some old yarn about it, -seems to me I've heard." - -"Did you ever hear of an old house that didn't have some yarn attached -to it?" demanded Tuckerman. - -"Change the subject, Lanky," sang out Bill. "'Tisn't fair to pry into -the family's secrets." - -"Right you are." Larry stretched his arms. "Well, the question before us -is how are we going to get back to camp before they find that canoe, and -us missing?" - -Tom went to the kitchen door and looked out. "The storm isn't over yet," -he announced. "Couldn't you lads stay to supper? If you will, I'll sail -you back afterwards. Likely as not the water'll be smooth as a mill-pond -in an hour or so." - -"They won't be looking for you at your camp yet," said Tuckerman. -"They'll think you landed somewhere, and are waiting for the squall to -blow over." - -"We'll stay to supper," said Bill. "It would be a shame to have you -fellows get wet again on account of us." - -David jumped up. "We've got provisions stowed away right here in the -kitchen." Rolling up his sleeves, he gave directions to his assistant -cooks. - -The kitchen of Cotterell Hall had never seen as much activity as it did -in the next half hour, with the result that a sumptuous feast was soon -set out on the table. - -They ate as if they hadn't tasted food for a week, cleaned up, and -trooped out to the front door. The squall was over, a light wind was -blowing--not enough to ruffle the water--and stars were beginning to -shine in a cloudless sky. - -The _Argo's_ sail was raised, and the skipper sent her across the bay to -the place where the canoe had upset. Search soon found the canoe rocking -in the surf on a sandy beach of the mainland. She was righted and her -painter fastened to a cleat at the stern of the sailboat, and the _Argo_ -took a course alongshore. Presently, rounding a point, the crew saw a -bonfire at Camp Amoussock lighting a stretch of woods. - -They all went ashore, and found the Camp just about to start out on a -search for the missing boys. The visitors had to stay a while and be -entertained by their hosts, and it was not until the moon was high in -the sky that the _Argo_ again pushed her nose across the water, a -southernly breeze filling her sail. - -As they came abreast of the western end of their island another -sailboat, looking like a great white moth in the moonlight, went -scudding away over the silver sea. - -"Hello," said Ben, "what is she doing here? Poaching on our preserves, -it seems to me." - -"The harbor's free to everyone," said David. "I don't suppose even -Crusty Christopher objected to people sailing boats on the water, if -they didn't try to land on his shore." - -"Lanky knew there was some old yarn about the Cotterell house," Ben -continued, paying no attention to David's remark. "And if he knew, why -shouldn't others?" - -"Well," said Tom, "what's the answer?" - -"The answer is that we're likely to have callers. Not the kind that -leave their visiting-cards, but the sort that snoop around when nobody's -home." - -"Thieves?" questioned David. - -"No," said Ben, "I didn't mean thieves exactly. Detectives come nearer -to what I meant." - -Tuckerman chuckled. "Benjamin, you're a wonder! You never let go of an -idea once you get your teeth in it, do you? I'd forgotten all about the -treasure. I was studying the stars, and Dave was thinking about -baseball, and Tom about the course he's steering; but you--why, you were -puzzling your wits about Sir Peter and the mahogany man, and goodness -knows what else. Keep it up, Ben my boy. That's the road to success." - -And Ben, thinking of what he had found that morning, grinned but said -nothing. If he could only work out the scheme he had in his mind, he -felt that he would be prouder than if he knocked home runs against the -very best baseball pitchers in the major leagues. - - - - - IX--THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - - -John Tuckerman was leaning on his arm and looking out at the sparkling, -gleaming blue-green water when Ben Sully woke next day. Ben kept still -and watched him, as he had watched him on several other mornings. -Tuckerman looked so absorbed, so intent. He seemed to be sniffing the -air. And Ben, to whom a summer morning on the New England coast -presented no novelty, appreciated that to this man everything about him -seemed like a part of wonderland. - -The only sounds were the lapping of waves and the calling of birds in -the woods back of the camp. A great gray-white gull was soaring far out -over the water, slanting first this way, then that, as though he were -trying his wings before he made a real flight. Nearer shore two white -terns circled round and round, and then dropped straight in the bay, -their sharp beaks darting at fish. The shore of the mainland rose in a -green swell, on which pearl-colored fleecy clouds seemed to be floating, -and the shore of the island itself, above the beach, was a tangle of bay -and juniper and wild roses, all shades of greens and pinks in the early -sun. - -Ben saw this through Tuckerman's eyes, and felt the spell of -enchantment. Then David rolled over, stretched his arms, grunted; and -the spell was broken. A pine-cone, tossed by Ben, landed on David's -nose. "Hi there, you mosquito!" exclaimed the nose's owner. He threw the -pine-cone at Tom. "Time to be up, lazybones. Breakfast in half-an-hour, -and those who aren't down when the bell rings won't get any!" - -"The tub's mine first!" shouted John Tuckerman, and pulling off his -pajamas he took a few leaps across the grass and raced over the sand to -the water, where he ducked under a wave and bobbed up again, splashing -and yelling. - -Ben, then David, then Tom, followed, making more noise between them than -all the wildfowl on the island put together. The water was cold, but -fine for a morning swim, and when, after fifteen minutes, the four came -out on the beach again, they seized the Turkish towels that hung -conveniently on a juniper, and rubbed themselves to a brilliant -lobster-like glow. - -"That particular swimming-pool," said John Tuckerman,--"I refer to the -one commonly called the damp spot, or the ocean,--beats all the -porcelain-lined tubs it has ever been my privilege to bathe in. It's -true there's only cold water; but come out into this sun for a few -minutes and you'll be hot enough. Now it seems to me"--but at that -particular moment he began to pull his flannel shirt over his head, and -when his words again became audible he was saying "shake well, and take -a teaspoonful in a glass of water every morning before breakfast." - -Breakfast! Magic word after a swim in the ocean! The boys jumped into -their clothes and set to work. For the next half-hour the thoughts of -all the campers were centred on food. - -But as soon as his plate was cleared Ben began to consider another -matter. He quoted lines to himself, "I took the box to the north -cliff.... I hid it in the pocket in the rocks. There are two veins that -make a mark like a cross." Very good; that was plain. And as soon as the -after-breakfast chores were done he said, rather self-consciously, "I -know where there's a pool full of cunners," and picking up his -fishing-rod and tackle, he hurried into the woods. - -He looked back over his shoulder once or twice, but no one was following -him. Through the thickets, dappled with sunshine, he went at a brisk -trot. This brought him out on the north shore, where the high rocks -towered above the beach like a line of battlements. He swung himself -over a cliff and dropped lightly on to the sand. Leaving his fishing-rod -in a convenient place where he could pick it up quickly if anyone came -by, he began his search. - -There were crevices in the rocks, and each of these had to be explored. -Bushes and trailing vines, growing from little footholds, covered the -seaward surface of many of the cliffs. But Ben, thrilled with the sense -of exploration, and persevering by nature, stuck to his task, and was -rewarded at last by finding what he sought, two veins of a light yellow -color that made the distinct mark of a cross. - -"That's it!" he muttered, excited. "And, by Jove, there's the pocket!" - -Down on his knees he went, and thrust his head into an opening. He -pushed himself forward by digging his toes in the sand. And soon his -outstretched hand touched a large chest, he felt metal bands about it, -he pushed it, but it was wedged in tight. - -Presently he pulled himself out, stood up, and considered the situation. -He had found the box that James Sampson had hid in the rocks. His first -thought was what a tremendously strong man Sampson must have been to -carry such a chest all the way from Cotterell Hall to this north shore. -However, Sampson might not have carried it; he might have brought it in -a cart or by some other means. And his next thought was, how could -Benjamin Sully get that chest out of the pocket. - -That took a good deal of thinking, and he sat down and considered it -from various angles. - -Into his brown study two voices from somewhere back of him made -interruption abruptly. - -"He's fishing for cunners on the dry sand! First time I ever saw that -done. He just coaxes 'em out of the water." - -"Keep quiet! He's counting the grains of sand. He's got up into the -millions." - -"He's thinking up a way to hypnotize the fish. Stare at them hard -enough, and they'll swim right up on the beach." - -"He's copying King Canute. Telling the waves to go back." - -"He's working out a time-table for the tides." - -Ben turned his head. "As a matter of fact, the thing I'm thinking about -is a thousand times more interesting than anything you've guessed." - -The two voices were those of David and Tom. - -"I've always said," observed David, "that you can't catch our Benjie -napping. He seems to be sitting there like a bump on a log, but he's -really thinking of the most remarkable things." - -"I shouldn't wonder," nodded Tom, "if it was something utterly -prodigious--like why the water's wet or fish have scales." - -"No," said Ben pleasantly, "I was wondering how I could get Peter -Cotterell's treasure chest out of the place where his servant James -Sampson hid it. It's rather too heavy for me to handle by myself." - -The other two stared. "Benjie oughtn't to have come out here without a -cork helmet," said David. "I suppose he's got a sunstroke." - -[Illustration: "Sampson put the chest there," he concluded.] - -"What are you driving at?" asked Tom. "Have you really found the -treasure, Ben?" - -Ben pointed negligently toward the cleft in the rock. "There," he -answered. "See that yellow cross? That marks where he hid the chest." - -"You're dreaming!" David snorted. - -"How do you know?" questioned Tom. - -Ben took from his pocket the piece of paper that bore James Sampson's -message. He read it aloud, slowly, giving each word full weight. -"Sampson put the chest there," he concluded. "And there it is now. I -crawled in and found it." - -Even David was impressed by that. He got down on his knees and poked -into the cavern, and when he stood up he nodded solemnly. - -"There is something in there," he said. "I shouldn't wonder if Ben might -be right." - -"Well," said Tom, "there's a rope in the sailboat. We left her around -the point." He hurried away. - -In a few minutes he was back, with a coil of good-sized rope. - -Taking an end of this, Ben again crawled into the opening and made the -rope tight about the chest. Then the three boys took hold of the other -end of the rope and began to pull. The sand was not very secure footing -and the chest was heavy, but gradually they pulled it out. They -discovered it was a box made of hard wood, with iron fastenings. - -"Well," declared Tom, "if James Sampson carried that all the way here by -himself, all I've got to say is that he deserves his name." - -"These mahogany men," added David, "supposing that the fellow who -carried this chest was a mahogany man--must belong to a race of giants. -I wonder if it was a mahogany man who made those footprints on the edge -of the creek?" - -Ben had picked up a flat stone, shaped something like a large Indian -arrowhead, and another round stone; and inserting the first stone under -the lid of the chest, he struck it several blows with the other. - -Tom watched him a moment. "You can't pry it open that way," he asserted. -Looking along the beach, he selected a big, egg-shaped stone and brought -it back to the chest. Lifting it in both hands, he dropped it on the -iron band just above the lock. The iron snapped apart. The stone bounced -off on the sand. - -David and Ben seized the lid. With a creaking of hinges it was lifted. -There before them was a light blue coat, gold-braided, a three-cornered -hat of felt, a sword in a tarnished scabbard. - -"My eye!" exclaimed Tom. "Just clothes! Why in the world did he want to -hide such things?" - -Ben was flinging them aside. Underneath were other garments, several -suits of the style worn by gentlemen in Revolutionary days, and then the -oddest collection of bric-a-brac, candlesticks, pewter pitchers, a -silver snuff-box, a couple of lacquered platters, and even some china -plates. - -David started to laugh. "Well, if that's the Cotterell treasure, I can't -give it much! I don't see why the Barmouth people wanted to lay hands on -it, or why Sir Peter and his precious James Sampson were so eager to get -away with it. Why, it's regular junk-shop stuff. I don't suppose the -whole collection, if they'd sold it at auction, would have fetched -enough to feed a soldier a week." - -Ben looked very much crestfallen. He fingered the suits, the snuff-box, -the platters. "No," he said, "it does seem mighty queer. And to think -that Sampson brought these things over here, intending to take them away -in a boat! I don't understand it at all." - -"Never mind, Benjie." Tom slapped his friend on the shoulder. "You found -the chest anyway." - -"That's right. You did," said David. "You worked out the puzzle. It -isn't your fault if the treasure was just old junk." - -Ben was scratching his head. "But surely Sir Peter did have some -valuable plate," he argued. "The people of Barmouth knew that. Then what -did he do with it?" - -"Maybe he melted it down himself," said David. "Anyhow it isn't in that -chest." - -"That's so." Ben picked up the snuff-box and stuck it in his pocket. -"Where's the Professor?" - -"He went up to the house. Said he was going to write a letter," Tom -answered. "I'll tell you what we'll do, old sport. I'll take you out in -the _Argo_ and let you have some fishing." - -The chest was shut again and pushed back into the pocket. Ben regained -his fishing-rod and tackle, and the three embarked in the sailboat. And -presently the satisfaction of pulling flounders on board made Ben forget -everything else. - -When they returned to camp, with a fine catch of fish, they found John -Tuckerman busy preparing dinner. Ben told his story, while Tuckerman -listened with the greatest interest. "It does seem odd," he said, when -Ben had finished. "Most peculiar, in fact." He mused a moment, his eyes -regarding the water. "But then my good old ancestor Sir Peter was an odd -kind of fish. I wonder now--do you suppose he could possibly have been -planning to have a joke at the expense of his Barmouth neighbors?" - -"You mean," said Tom, "that he might have hid those things expecting the -neighbors to find them?" - -Tuckerman nodded. "It might have been so. Perhaps he, or James Sampson, -even expected the men in the boat that was waiting off shore to find -where Sampson hid the chest." - -"But why all this puzzle then about the pieces of parchment Ben found in -the house?" asked David. - -"Well, I'll admit," said Tuckerman with a smile, "that it's not as clear -as a pikestaff. Only Sir Peter does seem to have liked his joke. -However, the bacon's sizzling." Brandishing a fork in his hand, he bent -over the frying pan. - -That afternoon Tuckerman said that he had an important letter to mail, -and the campers sailed to Barmouth. Tuckerman went to the post-office, -and each of the boys dropped in on his family. Ben had a chat with his -mother, then told her he must do an errand. This took him into a side -street, where there were a number of small, unpretentious shops. - -He stopped before a window that was filled with old furniture, andirons, -odds and ends of china. He opened the door, and a little bell tinkled -somewhere back in the house, and after a moment a small, wizened-faced -man, wearing a big blue checked apron, came into the room. - -"Afternoon, Mr. Haskins," said Ben. - -"It's Ben Sully, ain't it?" said the proprietor. "Well, are you goin' to -get married, an' want a nice set of furniture to go to housekeepin' -with?" - -"Not to-day, Mr. Haskins." Ben acknowledged the joke with a grin. "No, -sir, I'm more interested just as present in what you call antiques." - -"Antiques, eh? Well, what was you thinkin' of wantin'? I've some nice -three-legged kettles, a soup tureen that came over in the _Mayflower_, -an ivory back-scratcher that hails from India. Just look about, an' tell -me what you want." - -"I want you to tell me something about this." Ben put his hand in his -pocket and drew out the snuffbox he had taken from the Cotterell chest. - -"This?" Mr. Haskins took the snuff-box, pulled his spectacles down from -his forehead on to his nose, walked nearer the window, and peered at the -small silver box. - -"What do you want me to tell you?" he asked after a moment. - -"Is it a real old one?" - -"Certainly it is. See that monogram? That's the finest embossed work." -Mr. Haskins gave a chuckle. "I ought to know about that box, I ought." - -"Why ought you?" asked Ben. - -"Well, you see, this here particular snuff-box has been in my shop some -time. I sold it to a customer just about a week ago." - -"I thought perhaps you had," said Ben, trying hard not to show his -excitement. - - - - - X--LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - - -The information that Ben obtained that afternoon from Mr. Haskins -concerning his sale of the snuff-box gave a new direction to his -thoughts. He could not follow up this new clue just yet, however, -without telling the others, and this he didn't want to do. They would be -waiting for him aboard the _Argo_, and so, after a fifteen-minute talk -with the shopkeeper, he hurried away to join them at the wharf. - -One other thing he did, however, before the sailboat left Barmouth, and -that was to get a canoe he owned out from a shed on the waterfront and -fasten it behind the _Argo_. If he had the _Red Rover_ with him--he had -laboriously painted that name in orange letters on a scarlet background -on the canoe--he would be able to come and go about the harbor as he -wished and to leave the island without explaining his plans, as he would -have to do if he wanted to take the sailboat. - -"What's the idea?" asked David, who never overlooked a chance to ask a -question. "Are you going to teach the Professor how to paddle a canoe?" - -Ben nodded. "I thought that ought to be part of his education. The _Red -Rover's_ steady enough for any beginner to paddle." - -Tuckerman looked askance at the little craft bobbing up and down in the -wake of the _Argo_. "Any canoe's unsteady enough for me to upset in, I -guess. However, I like Ben's idea. It was thoughtful of you, my lad." - -At that they all laughed, for whatever Ben's reason had been for wanting -the canoe at the island it was fairly obvious that he was not taking it -there to further John Tuckerman's seafaring education. - -That evening, however, Tuckerman reminded Ben of his suggestion. The -water was calm, the breeze was light. "How about a paddle?" he asked. -"Just along the shore? I promise not to rock the boat." - -"Righto," said Ben. "Come on." - -They went to the landing-stage at the pier and put the canoe in the -water. Ben got in at the stern and balanced the boat while Tuckerman -gingerly stepped in and squatted down at the bow. - -"Not much room for long legs," said Tuckerman. "I'll have to tie mine up -in a bow." - -"You'll get used to it soon," encouraged Ben. "I'll do the steering. All -you have to do is to put your paddle in, give a long, slow push, and -take it out again." - -"Sounds easy enough." Tuckerman tried to shift the position of his -knees, with the result that the canoe rolled over almost far enough to -ship a gallon of water. He threw his weight the other way, and the canoe -nearly capsized. - -"Plague take it!" he muttered. "It's worse than walking a tight-rope!" - -"Easy there, easy," laughed Ben. "First rule in a canoe is never to move -quickly. When you shift your weight, do it slowly. Pretty soon it'll -come as natural as riding a bicycle." - -"Riding a balky horse, you mean," said Tuckerman. "All right; I'll -remember." He dipped the tip of his paddle into the water and gave a -tiny shove. - -Ben gave a long sweep with his paddle, a dexterous twist at the end of -the stroke, and the _Red Rover_ floated smoothly away from the -landing-stage. - -With Ben's coaching, Tuckerman soon was able to paddle fairly well. He -found it somewhat difficult to keep the bow evenly balanced, but as Ben -anticipated his movements and shifted automatically from side to side, -Tuckerman gained confidence and soon was sitting steady. - -They paddled along shore, past the camp and on to the upper end of the -island. Tuckerman, feeling more and more at ease, was delighted with the -motion, with the gentle swish of the water, with the still, starlit -night, with the panorama of beach and cliffs and woods as they floated -by. - -"Let's go on around the island," he suggested. "This isn't real work at -all." - -Ben smiled to himself. He knew that Tuckerman would discover next -morning several muscles in his back and shoulders that he wasn't -accustomed to feeling. But the night was perfect for a paddle. "All -right," he agreed. "No, don't you try to do any steering. The man in the -stern does that." With a couple of twists he turned the bow to the -north. "There," he said, "there's the cliff where Sampson hid the chest -in the pocket." - -Tuckerman turned to look. The _Red Rover_ wobbled, slanted. - -Ben shifted and righted her quickly. "Hi there!" he warned. - -"My mistake," said the penitent Tuckerman. "I see that it won't do for -me to think of two things at once when I'm out on this lily-pad." - -"Paddle--quickly now," Ben ordered. "But not too quickly. There's a rip -off that ledge." - -They passed the rip and came into smoother water. Presently they were on -the ocean side of the island. "There's the creek where we saw the -footprints," said Ben. - -"Don't point out anything else to me," said Tuckerman. "If I move my -left leg I can't get it back in place." - -By the time they reached the southern end of the island the bow-paddler -felt as if the muscles of his knees were tied in hard knots. "Do you -mind," he said in a tone of apology, "if I stop paddling for a couple of -minutes and unwind myself? I'll move very slowly." - -"Go ahead," said Ben. "I'll balance the canoe." - -Tuckerman pushed himself back, then very carefully unwound his long -legs, stretched them out with an exclamation of relief, rubbed the -muscles, and then readjusted himself in a new and more comfortable -position. "I suppose to be a really proficient canoeist," he observed, -"one ought to be made of rubber. There--how's that? Didn't I do it -cleverly?" - -"Wonderful!" said Ben. - -Tuckerman picked up his paddle again, and, proud of his ability to move -without rocking the boat, stuck the paddle in the water and gave a -mighty sweep. The bow swung around, rocked, tilted; Tuckerman pressed -his arm hard on the left-hand gunwale. - -"Hold on, Professor!" cried Ben. "We don't want to head out into the -ocean. Keep your paddle out of the water. Steady there!" With alternate -strokes to right and left Ben soon had the canoe back on its course -parallel to the shore. - -"I _am_ a duffer," muttered Tuckerman contritely. - -"Oh no, you're not," said Ben. "You're doing very well. Only you must -remember to let the stern man do the steering. A little more practice -and you'll find the _Red Rover_ as easy to manage as falling off a log." - -"Falling off a log is good," was Tuckerman's comment. "Falling into the -water would be more like it." - -They rounded the lower end of the island and came back on the bay side. -They had almost reached the landing-stage when Ben said, "See, there's a -light at Cotterell Hall. It's in the front door. It looks like a pocket -flashlight. I suppose Tom and David went up there to get something." - -Cautiously Tuckerman looked in the direction of the house. There was a -small circle of light. It moved away from the door; after a minute it -shone through a window. - -"I thought I locked the doors," he said. "However, they may have climbed -in through a window." - -The light disappeared. The canoe floated smoothly up to the stage, and -Ben held it level while Tuckerman climbed out. Ben jumped up lightly. -Then they both pulled the _Red Rover_ out and turned it bottom side up. - -They went up the walk to the house. The front door was shut, and when -Tuckerman turned the knob he found that the door was locked. He opened -it with his own key, and the two went in. The hall and the rooms were -dark, there was no sound of voices or footsteps anywhere. - -"That's funny," said Tuckerman. "We didn't see Tom and David come down -the path. Maybe they went out the back way." - -But the kitchen door was locked, and when the two opened it and looked -out there was no sign of the others leaving in that direction. - -"I wonder what they've been up to?" said Ben. "Playing some joke -perhaps." - -They returned to the camp, and there were Tom and David, toasting -marshmallows on long sticks over a bed of hot coals. - -"We were betting ten to one," said David, "that you'd come back nice and -wet. Want to dry your clothes at the fire?" - -"No, thanks," answered Tuckerman. "We've been all round the island, and -we didn't ship a thimbleful of water." - -Tom glanced at Ben. "The Professor hasn't been fooling us, has he? He -didn't know all about handling a canoe, did he?" - -"No," said Ben with a smile. "He didn't know all about handling a canoe -when we started. But he knows almost everything about it now." Then, as -he sat down cross-legged on the grass, Ben said carelessly, "We saw your -light in the house. I suppose you climbed in through a window." - -"Saw our light in the house?" Tom echoed. "What are you giving us?" - -His tone was perfectly sincere. Ben saw that he wasn't joking. - -"Well, we certainly saw some light," Tuckerman stated. "It looked like a -pocket flashlight, at the front door and at one of the windows." - -"Not guilty," said David. "Are you sure it wasn't a firefly?" - -"You two have been right here ever since we left?" asked Ben. - -"Yes," answered the two in chorus. - -"And you haven't seen anyone land, or heard anyone?" Ben continued. - -"No," came the chorus. - -Ben looked at Tuckerman. "Well, someone was in the house. How about -that, Professor?" - -"Somebody was. But I can't imagine what they could have been doing. I -don't suppose they were thieves." - -"It's my opinion," said David sagely, "that they were hunting for the -famous Cotterell treasure. And now that you've found it, Benjie, I'd -suggest that you put up a big placard, stating 'The treasure has been -found. No seekers need apply.'" - -"Very good," said Ben. "Only the real treasure hasn't been found, you -see." - -"What!" exclaimed David. - -"No," said Ben, "that's my humble opinion." And then, as if he wanted to -change the subject, he added, "I'm going to toast one large, juicy -marshmallow, and then I'm going to turn in." - -Half-an-hour later the moon, riding up in the sky, looked down through -the branches and saw that the four campers were sound asleep. There was -the lap-lap of waves, the gentle purring noise as the water washed over -pebbles, and in the tops of the pines a soft lullaby of the breeze. - -Tom stirred, turned, opened his eyes. It seemed to him that something -had waked him. He looked about; there was only the familiar scene. He -gave a satisfied grunt and curled his head in the hollow of his arm. -Then he looked around again to make sure that they had put out all the -embers of the fire. And at some distance through the woods, in the -direction of the pier, he saw a light that moved. - -Immediately he remembered what Ben and Tuckerman had said about seeing a -light in the house. Noiselessly he got up, pulled on his shoes and stuck -his arms in his jacket. Through the woods he stole, stealthy as an -Indian. The light had disappeared, but he thought he heard the sound of -feet on the planks of the pier. - -He came to the trees nearest to the clearing about Cotterell Hall. The -house was dark; there was no sound or light in the neighborhood. But he -was convinced that there had been someone there, and presently he darted -forward and crossed the open space to the shelter of the porch. - -After a few minutes he stole to the corner of the house, and now his -search was rewarded. Someone was leaving by the kitchen door. In the -moonlight he counted three figures. They were heading away from the -shore, toward the grove at the back; he guessed that they intended to -take the path that led down to the creek. - -Tom followed them at a distance. They went through the woods, and now he -saw the moonlight on the water. They had reached the head of the creek, -but they didn't stop there. They went on along the bank to the higher -shore where the creek flowed into the ocean. Then for the first time Tom -noticed the silver tip of a sail. Lying flat behind a bush, he watched -the three men go to the rim of the shore, and, one after another, slide -over the edge where the boat waited. - -He wanted to see that boat, to get a closer view of the men; but there -were no bushes between him and the shore. Now the tip of the sail was -bobbing, now it was filling out; presently it was moving to the -southward, a white wing, still as a floating gull. - -He crept forward and watched. The boat was stealing away, soon she was -only a dancing speck of white in the glittering moonpath. He had no way -of identifying her or of making out her crew. He noted that she did not -turn or tack when she came to the lower end of the island, but held on -to a course that would bring her south along the main shore. - -Tom stood up and eased his feelings by a long whistle. "What were they -doing here? It must be something mighty important," he said aloud. - -No answer occurred to him, and after watching the sail until it -disappeared in the distance he turned and walked back to the house. - -He tried both the doors; they were locked. He looked at the lower -windows; they were all closed. He went down to the pier; the _Argo_ was -there and the _Red Rover_; there was nothing to tell him what these -night-time prowlers had been doing. - -He went back by the beach to the camp. As he stepped up on to the bank -Ben opened his eyes and sat up. "Hello," he said sleepily. "Why, Tom, -what are you doing?" - -"Sh-ssh," murmured Tom. - -Ben rubbed his eyes, crawled out of his bed, caught Tom's arm, and -pulled him down to the beach. "What were you doing?" he demanded in an -insistent whisper. - -"Well, I saw a light, and I went to find out what it was." - -"Yes? And you saw them, did you?" - -"Saw whom, Benjie?" - -"Saw the pirates, did you?" - -"The pirates! You're half-asleep. What are you talking about?" - -Ben nodded his head. "Oh, I know something about them." - -"Well, I saw three men. They went away in a sailboat." - -"Who were they? What did they look like?" - -"I don't know. I didn't get very close." - -"I wish you'd taken me along with you. I'll bet I'd have found out -something." - -That nettled Tom, and he answered more loudly, "Oh, you would, would -you? I thought you knew all about them." - -"Sh-ssh," muttered Ben. But David had wakened now, and his voice boomed -out, "What are you two lobsters quarreling over?" - -"Nothing," said Tom. "Keep quiet, or you'll wake the Professor." - -Tuckerman sat up. "You don't mean to say it's morning!" he exclaimed. - -"No, it's not," Tom answered. "Can't a fellow take a stroll in the -moonlight without rousing the whole town?" - -"Stroll in the moonlight!" chuckled David. - -"Go on with your beauty sleep, Professor. That's what I'm going to do. -Let the two lobsters fight it out." - -"All right," said the sleepy Tuckerman, nestling down again. - -Tom turned to Ben. "So you know something about these pirates, do you?" -he asked. "What were they doing here?" - -"That," said Ben, "is going to take some thinking. You see what you can -find out, and I'll see what I can. They won't be back here to-night. And -I'm too doggone sleepy to argue anyhow." - - - - - XI--THE MAN IN GREEN - - -Ben, having explained to the other three campers that he had important -business to attend to in Barmouth, set out in the _Red Rover_ directly -after breakfast the next morning. He paddled the canoe across the bay, -landed at the town wharf, and went up the main street to Barmouth's one -good hotel. He knew the clerk, Mr. Pollock, and after saying "Good -morning" very politely, he helped himself to a small folded automobile -map from a pile that lay on the counter for anyone to take. - -"Going motoring, Ben?" asked the clerk. "Seems to me I heard you were -camping on Cotterell's Island. How are things over there?" - -"Fine," said Ben; and in return he promptly asked a question. "Had many -automobile parties for dinner the past few days?" - -"Quite a lot. Yes, business is pretty good. They like our special -broiled lobster dinners." - -Ben leaned on the counter, copying the familiar manner he had noted in -hotel guests. "You had a party on Tuesday, didn't you? A big red car, -with a Massachusetts license, driven by a man in green-checked -knickerbockers?" - -"Expect me to remember that?" Nevertheless, Mr. Pollock scratched his -chin and considered the question. "Yes, seems to me I do recall such a -party. Somebody said those knickerbockers were loud enough to be heard -all the way to Boston." The clerk thumbed the pages of the hotel -register and presently pointed out a name. "That's the fellow, Joseph -Hastings. He comes from Cleveland, Ohio. There were four in his party." - -"And he came in a big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?" -Ben persisted. - -"Well, now, I can't say as to that." But Mr. Pollock, being a -good-natured man and having nothing else to do at the moment, scratched -his chin again, and again considered. "I do think of something. He told -me he'd punctured a tire and asked me the best place to go to buy a new -one." - -Ben nodded. "I suppose you told him Hammond's?" - -"You're right. I did. Frank Hammond is a good friend of mine." - -Then Ben changed the conversation to the subject of the big league -pennant race, in which the clerk was very much interested, and after -some further chat, departed from the hotel. - -Frank Hammond knew Ben also, and was not too busy that morning to -exchange a few words with him. After a number of questions about the -state of the roads in the neighborhood of Barmouth, Ben said, "Mr. -Pollock tells me you sold a tire to Joseph Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio, -Tuesday of this week." - -"That's so," said Mr. Hammond, "I did. I sold him a couple of those big -Vulcan tires for his rear wheels. Is he a friend of yours?" - -"I don't know him very well," Ben evaded. "But I hear he's a fine -fellow. Is he touring along the coast?" - -"No. He said he was staying at a place called the Gables, down on the -Cape Ann Road. Wonderful car he's got. He told me he'd had it built -according to his own ideas." - -"Big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?" - -"That's the bird. Yes, sir, he must be a millionaire." - -When he left the dealer in automobile supplies Ben went to his uncle's -house and secured the loan of a small, ramshackle car he had often -driven before. He made sure that the car had plenty of gasoline and oil, -that the radiator was full of water, and he took a look at the tires. -Then he drove south from Barmouth over the State Road. - -It was a fine day, and many cars were out. Ben kept a watchful eye for -such a car as that of Joseph Hastings, but none answering the -description passed him. So he jogged along until he came to the fork of -the Cape Ann Road and turned into it. There were fewer automobiles here, -the road was not made for speeding, the little car bounced about a good -deal going over ruts, and rattled like a load of tinware. - -He met a boy on a bicycle and asked him if he knew a place called the -Gables. - -"Down the road a couple of miles," the boy told him. "Big house with a -ship for a weather-vane." - -Ben thanked him and drove on. Pretty soon he saw the weather-vane on a -roof to the left of the road. - -The Gables had a wide lawn, stretching down to a stone wall. The -entrance to the drive was at the southern end, and the gateposts were -flanked with larches. Ben drove to the gate, and stopped. So far his -plan had been simple; now he was undecided what course to follow next. - -He was musing over this when a voice hailed him. - -"Give you greetings, sir. May I ask what you're pondering over?" - -The words were so peculiar that Ben looked around in surprise. A young -man had stepped out from among the trees and was nodding at him. - -"Why--good-morning," said Ben. - -"Has your car run out of juice?" - -The man came up, a broad smile on his face. He himself looked very much -like any sunburned fellow; but his costume was most peculiar. He wore a -tight-fitting jacket of green, open at the throat, without any necktie. -His knee-breeches were green, too, and so were his stockings, and on his -low brown shoes were large brass buckles. - -"No," said Ben, with an answering smile, for there was a twinkle in the -stranger's eye as if he knew some joke, "I've gasoline enough to run -this car all day. I'll admit it isn't the very latest model--not what -you'd call a show car--but we do get wonderful mileage per gallon of -gas." - -"Don't make any apologies for your equipage," said the gentleman in -green. "Many a valiant knight has ridden on a steed that wouldn't have -taken the blue ribbon at the horse show. Don Quixote, for example. You -remember him, of course? The Spanish cavalier who rode forth to tilt at -windmills?" - -"Yes," said Ben with a laugh. And then, seeing that the man was -friendly, he added, "That's a wonderful suit of clothes you're wearing." - -"You like it?" The owner looked down at his costume. "I designed it -myself. It seems to me an improvement on the usual thing. And now, kind -sir, since you tell me that your steed has plenty of fodder, may I ask -how you happen to be sitting here on such a fine day?" - -"This place is called the Gables, isn't it?" asked Ben. "Mr. Joseph -Hastings lives here?" - -"Right you are," answered the man. "But Mr. Hastings isn't at home this -morning. Did you have business with him?" - -"In a way. I wanted to find out if he'd lost a silver snuff-box." - -"A snuff-box? That's interesting. But I don't think Joseph Hastings -takes snuff." - -Ben drew the box from his pocket. The man in green looked at it. "Now -where did you find this?" he asked. - -"On an island in Barmouth Harbor," said Ben. "Cotterell's Island, it's -called." - -"Well!" exclaimed the man. "Well, well--you don't say so!" He looked at -the boy in the car with a new interest. "So that's where you come from, -is it?" He returned the snuff-box. "May I be so inquisitive as to ask -your name?" - -"Benjamin Sully." - -"Thank you. My own appellation is Roderick Fitzhugh. If you have no -objection, Mr. Sully, I should greatly enjoy the pleasure of riding with -you." - -Ben didn't know what to say; and Mr. Fitzhugh evidently took his silence -for consent, for he immediately hopped into the seat beside the driver. - -"That's all right," said Ben; "but you see I wasn't thinking of riding -anywhere. I came to find out whether Mr. Hastings had lost a snuff-box -on Cotterell's Island." - -"Just so. But you can't find that out, as he's not at home at present. -And meantime I suggest that we go on a little adventure. A fine day, a -steed with plenty of gasoline, and two gentlemen looking for amusement." - -Ben was mystified. "What sort of adventure?" he asked. - -"Well, what would you say to hunting for hooked-rugs?" - -"Hooked-rugs?" Ben laughed; he was now so much amused at Roderick -Fitzhugh's company that he wanted to see more of him. "Do they grow on -bushes?" - -"No. They grow in these thrifty Yankee cottages. I'll tell you where to -go." - -Ben started the engine and drove on. At his companion's direction he -soon turned into a by-road that led westward. - -Roderick Fitzhugh nodded toward a cottage, in the yard of which a woman -was scattering grain to a flock of chickens. "There is a likely-looking -hunting-ground," he said. "Please stop when you come to the gate. I will -exchange a few words with this respectable lady." - -The car stopped, making its customary noise of clattering tinware as Ben -put on the brake. The woman looked round, and in the usual neighborly -fashion of farmers walked over to the gate. - -"Morning," she said. - -"Good morning to you, Madam," responded Roderick Fitzhugh. "You have a -fine flock of hens." - -"Yes," she said, looking at the man in the green clothes as if she -didn't know exactly what to make of him. - -"My friend and I," continued Fitzhugh, "were just discussing the subject -of hooked-rugs. As soon as I saw you I said, 'There's a woman who knows -all about them.'" His tone was so deferential that anyone would have -been pleased to be addressed in such a manner. - -The woman smiled. "Well, now, I don't know as how I know all about them; -but I do have a few old rugs. Been in the family some time." - -"You see!" exclaimed Fitzhugh, turning to Ben. And to the woman he -added, "Would it be possible for my friend and me to have a look at -them?" - -"Surely it would. But they're not the new shiny kind you can buy at the -stores in the city." - -Fitzhugh and Ben descended and followed the woman indoors. Presently -they were viewing half-a-dozen antique rugs, all of the hooked variety, -that the woman collected from the upstairs rooms. - -Ben looked on with interest and amusement while his new friend discussed -the rugs with their owner. And after listening to Fitzhugh's admiration -for these things that she evidently regarded as rather faded and only -fit for service in bedrooms and attic, the woman said, "I'd be pleased -to have you take one, if you care to." - -"Oh, madam, you are too generous," Fitzhugh answered. "And yet I should -like to have one. That medium-sized one, with the purple border. I'd be -glad to pay five dollars for it." - -"Why, it's not worth that much." - -"It is to me," said Fitzhugh, and he brought out a five-dollar bill from -his trouser pocket and laid it on the table. - -With the rug they returned to the car. As they drove on again Fitzhugh -said, "They used to tell me, when I was a small boy, that you could take -one egg from a nest, and if there were several others left the mother -bird wouldn't know the difference. I don't know whether that's so. But -I'm certain this good woman won't miss that rug very much. So my -conscience is easy, though I got that prize at a bargain. Now, Mr. -Benjamin Sully, what do you say? Isn't hunting for hooked-rugs -exciting?" - -It was fun to hunt them with this amusing companion. Fitzhugh collected -three more at three other houses, paying five dollars for each. At the -third house the farmer and his wife and children were just sitting down -to dinner and the strangers were invited to join them. They had an -excellent meal, during which the man in green did almost all the -talking, and when they returned to the car and started on again he -rubbed his hands gleefully and said, "Mr. Benjamin Sully, it isn't so -hard to find adventures if you look for them, is it?" - -"Well," Ben answered, "this is all very well; but I set out this morning -to see Mr. Hastings and learn if he'd lost a snuff-box." - -"That's so, you did. Joseph Hastings--a silver snuff-box--found on -Cotterell's Island. What makes you think that the snuff-box you found -there belonged to Joseph Hastings?" - -Ben considered how much to tell this Roderick Fitzhugh, and finally -decided to supply him with more facts. "The snuff-box was bought by Mr. -Hastings at a shop in Barmouth, and I found it yesterday in a chest -hidden in a crevice in the rocks on the island. Why did he put it -there?" - -The man in green beamed with delight. "In a treasure chest? Why, that's -splendid!" He looked at Ben with new approval in his eyes. "So you're -mixed up in a real adventure, are you? Treasure hidden in the rocks--on -an island! Why, that's magnificent! No wonder you didn't get excited -over my tame hooked-rugs. Turn the car about, and drive back to the -Gables. We must investigate this." - -Half-an-hour later the little car turned in between the gate-posts at -the Gables. It clattered up the drive to the front of the house. On the -wide porch were at least a dozen people, men and women; and when they -saw the occupants of the car they gave a shout of welcome. - -"Hello, here's the lad in green!" - -"We thought you'd been kidnapped!" - -"Where'd you find the jitney?" - -"Hope you've had some lunch!" - -"We thought you'd been arrested as a suspicious character in those -clothes!" - -These were some of the exclamations. - -The man got out of the car and threw his bundle of rugs on the steps of -the porch. "My good friends," he said, "Roderick Fitzhugh has been -adventuring, and there's his booty. Four beautiful hooked-rugs to add to -the collection. And this is Mr. Benjamin Sully. Ladies and gentlemen, -Mr. Sully has found a silver snuff-box belonging to Joseph Hastings in a -treasure chest on Cotterel's Island. What do you think of that?" - -There was another chorus of exclamations, expressive of great surprise. - -"Mr. Sully," the man in green continued, "if you'll get down from your -steed we will partake of a long glass of lemonade--two glasses to be -exact." - -Ben climbed down and went up the steps. And then he noticed that all the -people on the porch were dressed in quaint costumes, as milkmaids or -archers or foresters. He looked at Fitzhugh, and the latter nodded. -"Queer crowd, aren't they?" said Fitzhugh. "However, they won't bite." - - - - - XII--THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - - -That same morning, while Ben had been hunting for the owner of the red -automobile with the silver eagle on the radiator cap, Tom and David and -John Tuckerman had sailed down to Camp Amoussock in the _Argo_. They -found the boys at the camp in their bathing-suits, practicing for some -water-sports that were to be held that week. A raft, with a -spring-board, was moored off shore, and from this boys were diving and -turning somersaults, backward and forward, like acrobats in a circus. - -Other boys were swimming, practising for races, and still others were -paddling round in tubs, trying to steer with their feet while they -propelled the tubs forward by splashing the water with their hands. - -"There," said John Tuckerman, as he saw a fat youngster revolving round -and round in a tub, "that's the game for me. I believe, with my long -arms and legs, that I'd make a hit at it." - -The fat boy splashed too hard, and the tub went over neatly. There was a -shout of laughter as the boy bobbed up in the water and tried to turn -the slippery tub rightside up again. This was hard work; the tub went -round and round, continually evading his fingers; and finally he swam to -shore, pushing the tub before him. - -"No," said Tuckerman, "that isn't the game for me. I used to be pretty -good at picking up a pea in a tablespoon, but that was on dry land. When -it comes to wrestling with a tub in the water--" He gave an expressive -shrug--"I'd rather let the fishes do it." - -The _Argo_ landed, and the three guests were provided with bathing-suits -from the camp's supply. For half-an-hour they swam and dived and perched -on the raft, watching the boys in tubs. Then a bugle sounded on shore, -telling them it was time to get ready for dinner. - -The guests did full justice to dinner, sitting between Mr. Perkins, the -Chief Counsellor, and Lanky Larry. Afterwards Mr. Perkins and John -Tuckerman had a chat, while Lanky invited Tom and David to take a walk -along the shore. - -"There's a queer sort of place a couple of miles to the south," said -Lanky. "It's a cove with a lot of shanties. Fishermen used to go there; -there are boats and nets lying around; but I think it must be deserted. -I saw some men there one day last week, but they didn't look like -fishermen." - -"Lead us to it," said David. "Deserted villages are right in our line." - -The path along the shore brought them to the cove. A little tidal river -ran inland, wandering up into marshes. On each side of the river was a -stony beach, and a rickety bridge, with a single handrail, connected the -banks of the stream. Small weatherbeaten shacks, doors and shutters -sagging outward, fishing-dories, rusty anchors, lobster-pots, a few nets -with round black buoys, these cluttered up either shore. - -"Nice place, if it wasn't for the shanties," said David, regarding the -cove. - -"I found a chap painting here one day," said Lanky. "He told me it made -a great picture; he liked the shanties first-rate." - -"Funny what things painters like," chuckled David. "The more ramshackle -a house is, the more they want to paint it." - -They went down a rocky path to the nearer beach, and sat on the bottom -of an upturned scow. As they were chatting they heard the creak of a -door, opening on rusty hinges. A man came out from one of the nearer -shacks. His clothes were fairly new, he wore a brown slouch hat and tan -shoes--evidently he was not a fisherman; neither was he a farmer nor a -common loafer; he looked as if he came from a town. He was smoking a -small briar pipe. - -"What are you doing here?" The man's tone was a little peremptory, -though not exactly surly. - -David enjoyed such a question. With a pleasant, friendly smile he -answered, "Just sitting here and thinking." - -"That's all you're doing, eh?" - -"It is at present," David answered. "What are you doing yourself?" - -The man frowned; looked up the creek, looked across at the opposite -shore. "Nobody lives here now," he stated after a minute. "Sometimes I -come and fish from that bridge." - -"What's happened to the place?" asked Lanky. - -"I don't know. Only nobody comes here now." - -"Well, we came this afternoon," said David. "You see, we're explorers." - -"You won't find anything to explore." - -"Oh, I don't know about that." - -The man shot a glance at David, not a very amiable glance. And with that -he walked to the bridge, crossed it, and went into the huddle of shacks -on the other bank. - -"Pleasant sort of customer," said Lanky. - -"He'd make a cow laugh," said Tom. - -"He didn't like our being here," observed David, "Now I wonder why." - -"He wants it all to himself," said Lanky. "He must be some sort of -hermit." - -"And just for that,", said David, "I feel like sitting right here on -this scow till he gets more hospitable." - -As a matter of fact, however, sitting on the upturned boat and watching -the waves surge gently up over the stony beach and then withdraw in a -network of little rivulets that made the stones and pebbles glisten was -not entertaining enough to keep the three boys there more than five -minutes. Tom got up. "I'm going over the bridge," he said. "If our -friend the hermit doesn't like it--well, he'll just have to lump it." - -The bridge shook as the three of them stepped upon it. "For goodness -sake, don't lean against that railing," Lanky warned. "Stop bouncing up -and down as you walk, Dave, or you'll have us all in the water." - -David went on bouncing; but in spite of that they reached the other -shore safely. No one was to be seen here; somewhere in the clutter of -shanties the man had disappeared. - -"I'd like to know what that precious hermit is up to," said David, and -he walked toward the shacks that were furthest from the bridge. - -Lanky and Tom investigated in the other direction, where a clump of oaks -came close down to the stream. At the edge of the trees was a shack a -little larger and better built than the others. The door was open, and -the two boys looked in. "Hello!" exclaimed Tom. "What's that on the -bench? It looks like jewelry." - -A brown cloak, a brown hat with a red feather stuck at one side, and a -chain of gold links with a large green stone as a pendant, were piled on -the bench. - -Tom picked up the ornament. "It's imitation," he said. He looked around -the room. "Why, there's a whole wardrobe of queer hats and cloaks and -things here!" - -"So there is," said Lanky. "What do you suppose they are? Actors' -things?" - -"Actors' things?" Tom glanced at the outfit of costumes that hung on -pegs on one wall. "They're certainly not fishermen's things. But what -would actors be doing in this cove?" - -"I don't know," Lanky admitted. "It is funny, isn't it?" - -They looked at the costumes more closely, and then went out of the -shack. "I wonder if that man knows something about them," Lanky -suggested. "He might have been keeping guard." - -"Let's see what Dave's doing," said Tom, and started along the bank. - -He had only taken a few steps, however, when he stopped. "Here comes a -boat around the point. Let's beat it, and see what they do." - -The two slipped back of a cabin, then to a shelter of bushes. Crouching -there, they watched the boat nose its bow into the cove. - -The boat was a dory. One man was rowing, two others sat in the stern. -They looked no more like the usual type of fishermen than had the man -whom the boys had first encountered. - -With considerable splashing the boat was rowed up to the bridge. The -tide was low, and there was hardly enough water at that point to float -the dory. The rower shipped his oars and tied the boat to the railing of -the bridge. Meantime the other two men stepped over the side and came up -on to the beach. - -All three headed toward the shack that the boys had just left and went -in at the door. - -"They seem to know their way about," whispered Lanky. "I wonder why -Dave's friend didn't come down to meet them." - -In a few minutes the three men came out again, and now they had some of -the cloaks and hats in their hands. Each put on a cloak and a hat and -strutted about; they laughed and joked at each other. - -"What in the world----" muttered Lanky. "Actors. I told you," Tom -whispered. "They look like highwaymen." - -The men now seemed satisfied with their costumes. Hats pulled well down -on their heads and cloaks thrown over their shoulders, they took the -path toward the clump of oaks. - -"I say," muttered Lanky, "what do you suppose they're going to do? Hold -up some farmer's wagon? Come on, I want to find out what's their game." - -"I'd better get Dave," said Tom. "You follow them. I'll catch up with -you in a minute." - -"All right." - -Lanky went one way, and Tom the other. - -Tom ran over the stones between the shanties, and looked in at the open -doors; but he did not see David nor the man they had met first. He gave -the whistle he used to call David in Barmouth. There was no answer. The -shacks on this side of the stream all appeared deserted. - -David was not to be found, and Tom supposed he must have gone further -along the shore. Meantime he would be losing the chance of finding -Lanky, so after whistling several times more Tom turned and ran toward -the oaks. - -The path along the cove was well marked, it traversed the high ground at -the edge of the marshes and turned into fairly thick woods. At a -dog-trot Tom soon came up with Lanky. "I couldn't find Dave," he -grunted. "I guess he found the hermit so fascinating he went for a -stroll with him." - -"I've kept my eye on the three highwaymen," said Lanky. "This seems to -be the only path around here, marshes on one side and the forest -primeval on the other." He glanced at his wrist-watch. "I ought to be -getting back to camp; but I can't leave an adventure like this. It -wouldn't be decent, would it?" - -"It would not," Tom assented. "If they try to blame you, you refer them -to me. I'll say that we thought those fellows were up to some kind of -mischief, and that it seemed to be our duty to investigate them. And -that's telling the truth; they're what Benjie would call 'suspicious -characters.'" - -Every once in a while the boys would catch a glimpse of one or other of -the cloaked men through the vista of the trees. Then the boys would stop -and let the others get well ahead of them. And presently they reached a -dusty road and saw the men tramping along to the south. - -Tom and Lanky had to come out in the open then, but, as Lanky pointed -out, there was no reason why the men, if they saw them, should think the -two boys were at all interested in what they were doing. They walked a -half-mile without encountering anyone, and then the boys saw an -automobile coming toward the three in front. - -"Now," said Tom, "we'll see if they're highwaymen. This is a nice quiet -place to hold up a car." - -But the men disappeared by jumping over a fence that ran along the woods -on the left. The automobile, a man and a woman in it, dashed by the -boys, leaving a cloud of dust. - -"So ho!" exclaimed Lanky, "our friends don't want to be seen! Suppose we -make ourselves scarce till they come back to the road." - -The boys hid in the woods, and presently the three men reappeared on the -road. Tom and Lanky followed suit, and the march was resumed. - -A mile more, and the men came to a crossroad. They turned toward the -west. When the boys reached the crossroad Lanky stopped. "This is a -private lane," he said. "See, it leads up to that barn and stable. And -there's a big house. Our friends are going in the back way." - -There was a screen of trees at the corner. The boys went along the lane -until the screen gave way to a close-cropped hedge. Here they had a view -of a wide, velvety lawn and the large house, red-striped awnings at the -windows, on a gently-rising slope. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Tom. "Look there!" - -There was no heed of his telling Lanky to look. Lanky was staring at -that part of the lawn that was shielded by the trees at the corner. -There was a small, one-story house that looked as if it were made of -cardboard, a very picturesque building, brightly painted to resemble -cross-timbers, with two little lattice windows. And grouped about the -grass in front of the house were a dozen or so men and women, all of -them dressed in fancy costumes, looking as if they had just stepped out -of a picture book or down from the stage of a theatre. - -"My eye!" said Tom. "What is it? A fancy dress party?" - -"Looks like a Robin Hood scene," said Lanky. "Some of them have bows and -arrows. See that girl in pink working that churn." He watched for a -moment; then added, "So that's why our friends the highwaymen came along -this way." - -"They don't seem to have joined the crowd," said Tom. "Why didn't they -jump over the hedge?" - -The people on the lawn were too busy to notice the boys in the lane. -Lanky nodded. "That's so. And it seems to me, Tom, that that crowd are a -different type from our three friends. These people belong here; but I -don't think the others do." - -The boys looked up the lane. The three men had entered at a gate that -led to the rear of the big house. - -"Let's see what they're doing," said Tom. - -Along the lane went the two boys, and turned in at the gate. - -The men had disappeared. Lanky shook his head. "It's queer, mighty -queer. Of course those fellows may belong here. But why should they come -all the way from that cove? And bring those hats and cloaks with them?" -He scratched his ear, as he did when he was puzzled. - -"Come along," said Tom. "Nobody'll throw us out." - -They crossed the lawn to the steps of the porch. A man came out from the -front door, a man in livery, apparently the butler. He held himself very -straight, he was an angular person, with a fishy eye. - -"Yes?" he said; and though the word was a short one he managed to -express in it a cold sense of disapproval. - -"Er--" began Tom, "we would like to know if three men, wearing brown -cloaks and big slouch hats, just came into this house." - -The butler shrugged his shoulders. "There are gentlemen and ladies -wearing every kind of costume coming in and going out all the time," he -answered stiffly. - -That seemed to put an end to further questions; but Lanky, after -considering the matter for a moment, inquired, "Whose place is this?" - -"It belongs to Mr. Hastings," said the butler, eyeing the boys most -disapprovingly. "He is not at home at present. But I can answer any -questions for him." - -Neither Lanky nor Tom, however, could think of any questions to ask. It -seemed absurd to tell this fishy-eyed servant that they had followed the -three men from the cove. And after all the men might have a perfect -right to have entered the house. - -"Very well," said Tom, and turned on his heel, followed by Lanky. - -But when they were out in the lane again, Lanky said, "I'm going to wait -around here a little longer. That servant's a fool. Anybody could put -anything over on him." - -So they climbed up on the stone wall on the other side of the lane and -sat there like two sentries. - - - - - XIII--ON THE FISHING-SMACK - - -When Tom and Lanky had turned to the right and investigated the -fishermen's shanties that were nearest to the marshes, David had turned -to the left, in the direction of the ocean. He had no particular object -in view, except to see what the man they had met on the other bank of -the cove was doing and exchange a few more words with him, if the -opportunity offered. - -He looked through the clutter of small, weatherbeaten sheds without -seeing the man, and came to the beach on the ocean side. A short -distance to the south was a spit of sand, and there, seated on a log, -was the fellow with the straw hat. - -David enjoyed an argument. He was not by nature so curious about other -people as Ben was, but he liked to tease. So, with his hands stuck in -his pockets and a little swagger in his walk, he went toward the man. - -"Looking for a boat to come along and take you for a sail?" he said. -"It's a long walk to town." - -"You'd better be on your way then," the man retorted. His tone was not -very civil, and it made David flush. - -"I can look out for myself." - -"Oh, you can, can you?" The man turned round and glared at the young -fellow. "Well, my advice to you is to make yourself scarce pretty -quick." - -David squared his shoulders. "You don't want me and my friends round -here, do you? A person might think you owned the beach." - -"No," said the man, "I don't want you round here." He looked at the boy -fixedly for a minute. "That's plain enough, isn't it?" - -"Yes, it's plain enough," David admitted. "But I don't see that it's any -reason why we should go." - -"I've business here, and you haven't." - -"Business? You don't seem very busy." - -The man got up from the log and walked away, down the beach toward a -ledge of rock that shut off the southern end. - -What was the man's business? David, rather amused at the other's -surliness, followed after, walking jauntily. - -He climbed the ledge of rock. There was another scallop of beach, with -bushes close down to the sand. The man was not in sight. But there was a -small fishing-smack at anchor not far from the shore, and a dory was -just pulling away from her. - -David stepped down on the beach, and the first thing he knew something -had knocked him flat. He lay sprawling on the sand, a heavy weight on -his back. Someone had caught his two hands and held them like a vise. - -"Holler if you want to," said the man with the straw hat. - -David had no wish to shout. The breath was knocked out of him. - -The man pinned him down, and after kicking a little, David decided the -wisest course was to lie still. - -After a few minutes there was a grating sound on the sand. David twisted -his head enough to see that the dory had landed and that two men were -coming ashore. - -"Hello, Sam, what you got there?" exclaimed one of the strangers. - -"A fresh guy, who wouldn't mind his own business," was the answer. "Now -I'm going to teach him not to meddle:" - -"Good for you, old sport! Give him a good licking." - -"Pity we left the cat-o'-nine-tails out on the boat," said the second -man. - -"Three of them came to the cove," said the man on David's back. "The -other two went away; but this fellow had to go nosing around into other -people's business. I told him to make himself scarce. But not he! Oh no, -he had to find out what I was doing. And now I'm going to take him out -on the boat and watch me do some fishing." - -There was a laugh at this. "You'll let him bait your hook, won't you, -Sam?" asked one. - -"I'll let him take the fish off," Sam retorted. "You fellows row us out, -will you?" - -The others agreed. The man on David's back eased his position. "Now," -said he, "you can come along without any fuss or trouble, or you can -come with a black eye. Suit yourself; it doesn't make any difference to -me." - -Three to one was greater odds than David cared to tackle. "I'll go -along," he grunted. - -The man got up. David followed. Assuming a care-free manner he walked to -the boat and climbed over the high side. A man sat at the oars, and Sam -and the two others took seats on the thwarts. The oars dipped in the -water, and the dory was rowed out to the smack. - -David and Sam went aboard, and the dory with her crew of three rowed -away again in the direction of the cove. - -"Now," said Sam, "make yourself comfortable. You've found out my -business. I'm going to fish for flounders." And he walked aft and down -into the cabin. - -David was puzzled. He could understand that this man might have had a -grudge against him, even that he might have lost his temper and attacked -him as he had; but why should he carry a grudge so far as to make him a -prisoner on his fishing-boat? - -He stared at the shore some time, then walked up toward the bow. Sam had -reappeared from the cabin with fishing-tackle and was angling over the -side. There was a line for David, and so, there being nothing better to -do, David also set to fishing. - -Fish were not biting on that particular afternoon, however. Presently -Sam hauled in his line. "The pesky things never come when you want -them," he said morosely. "I suppose there are lots of them swimming -around everywhere except where _I_ cast my hook." - -"You're not a real fisherman," said David. "There's a knack to catching -fish." - -"No, I'm not; and I don't want to be," was the man's answer. "Of all the -stupid jobs, I think fishing takes the cake." - -David was about to argue this point when another man came out from the -cabin and joined them. At once David, wise in the look of sailormen from -his acquaintance with them on the docks of Barmouth, decided that this -was the skipper. The new arrival stretched his arms and yawned -prodigiously. "Golly, I'm only half-awake yet," he declared. "Sam, -where'd you pick up this fellow?" - -"He wanted to have a look at the boat," said Sam. "In fact he was so set -on having a look at her that I just had to invite him aboard." - -He said this with a sly glance at David, but if he had expected to get -an angry denial he was disappointed, for David, leaning his arms on the -rail, appeared to be in such a deep study of the shore as to allow for -no interruption. - -"The others gone ashore?" asked the skipper, evidently regarding the -reason for David's presence on the boat as a matter of small importance. - -"Yes," said Sam. He pulled a large watch from the upper pocket of his -coat and looked at it. "And it's about time they were coming back." - -There was no sign of them, however; and the sun began to slant toward -the west, and then to dip behind the trees, and still there was no boat -to be seen coming out from the cove. David, strolling up and down the -deck, noticed that Sam was becoming impatient. After a while there was a -fragrant odor of cooking, and David, putting his head in at the cabin -door, saw that the skipper was getting supper in the galley. - -The sun had set when the skipper's voice announced that food was ready. -"Come along," Sam said to David, and though the invitation was not very -cordial David went down to the cabin and ate his fair share of the meal. - -Afterwards the three, on deck, watched the shore for a boat. And when -the beach was quite dark and Sam had looked at his watch a dozen times, -he said, almost angrily, "Well, Captain, I think it's about time to beat -it. They must have changed their plans. We don't want to stay here all -night." - -The skipper glanced at David. "How about him?" he asked, with a jerk of -the head. - -"He can help you sail the boat down to Gosport. That'll pay for his -supper." - -David was tired of inaction. To sail to Gosport attracted him much more -than staying here at anchor any longer. He spoke up quickly: - -"Yes, Captain. I know something about handling sails." - -"Good enough. That's more than Sam does," remarked the skipper. "He's -about as useful in handling this boat as a belaying-pin." - -Shortly the anchor was up and the fishing-smack under way. David carried -out the skipper's orders with proper efficiency. With a gentle breeze -the boat stole southward along the shore, and in half-an-hour the lights -of the little settlement of Gosport were glimmering over the water. - -The smack came up to a wharf. "Now," said Sam to David, "you can go -ashore if you like. The captain and I may do a little cruising, but we -don't need you any longer." - -"Thanks," said David. He had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but -wisely forbore to utter it. He jumped ashore. "If you come to Barmouth, -look me up," he called back. "I'll be glad to show you the town." - -There was a laugh from the skipper, but none from Sam. Immediately the -fishing-smack pushed out again. - -Gosport was a small place, and David knew no one there. He felt in his -pocket, and found he had no money to pay his fare to Barmouth. He walked -along the waterfront, considering what he should do, and presently came -upon a young man, who was starting the engine of a small motor-boat. - -"You're not going anywhere in the neighborhood of Camp Amoussock, are -you?" David asked the man in the boat. - -The other looked around and surveyed the fellow who had asked the -question. "Are you one of the boys from the camp?" - -"I was there at dinner." And in a few words David told the story of what -had happened to him during the afternoon. - -"Well," said the man, "that's a queer yarn. I was just going out for a -moonlight spin, and I might as well go up to the camp as anywhere. Jump -aboard." - -David accepted with alacrity. The motor-boat chugged out from the -landing-stage, and leaving a smooth silver ripple, darted north. - -The owner of the motor-boat--he had told David that his name was Henry -Payson--said that, although he had only been a month at Gosport, he knew -that part of the coast quite well, and had never happened to see any -fishermen in the cove that David described. "That fellow Sam was a -vindictive chap," he added musingly. "But you know, it almost seems as -if he had some other object than merely showing his spitefulness when he -took you off in his boat." - -"That's what I thought," agreed David. "But Tom and Lanky were still at -the cove. He didn't lay hands on them." - -"Well," said Payson, "the cove's around that next point of land. No use -stopping there now, I suppose. Your friends will surely have gone back -to camp." - -When the motor-boat rounded the point, however, Payson changed his mind. -On shore there were a score of lanterns; both banks of the cove fairly -bristled with them. "Hello," exclaimed Payson, "there's something doing -there all right!" And he altered his course so as to bring his craft -into the mouth of the river. - -As the boat ran up to the bridge boys came down from both sides, -apparently all the boys of Camp Amoussock. - -"Why, it's Dave!" cried John Tuckerman. And immediately the two in the -boat were the target of a volley of questions. - -"Hold on!" cried David. "Wait a minute." He swung himself out of the -boat and up to the bridge. - -"Where are Lanky and Tom?" someone asked. - -"Aren't they here?" said David. And as Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins and the -boys from the camp crowded around he told them briefly his adventures -since dinner. - -"We've been hunting for you ever since supper," said Mr. Perkins. "I -can't imagine where Larry and Tom can have gone." - -"Those three men rowed in here in the dory," said David. "Perhaps they -carried Larry and Tom off somewhere." - -"We've hunted through every shack," said Bill Crawford. "And we've been -down the coast a couple of miles." - -The chorus of voices explaining where they had hunted started in again, -interrupted by Mr. Perkins giving the order to his troop to take the -road back to camp. - -David thanked Henry Payson, and the motor-boat chugged away. By the path -along the shore the searchers regained Camp Amoussock. And there Mr. -Perkins and John Tuckerman and David held a council as to what to do -next. - -The upshot was that Mr. Perkins got out a small car, and with Tuckerman -and David set out to see if they could learn any news of the missing -boys. - - - - - XIV--BEN AT THE GABLES - - -Ben that afternoon had a long, cool glass of lemonade on the porch of -the Gables while his friend Roderick Fitzhugh introduced him to the men -and women who were sitting in wicker easy chairs. It seemed to Ben that -their names were somewhat fantastic, but then so were their clothes, and -the names did appear to suit the costumes. - -"This lady," said Fitzhugh, nodding to a rosy-cheeked girl, who wore her -brown hair in two long plaits down her back and whose dress was of -primrose yellow, "is the fair Maid Rosalind. She can sing like a -nightingale and dance like a wave of the sea, and when she churns butter -it comes out pure gold." - -The girl stood up and made a curtsy. "Thanks, kind Master Roderick," she -said. "But perhaps your friend Master Ben doesn't care for gold on his -bread." - -"The more fool he," answered Fitzhugh. - -"However, he can eat plumcake." And Ben's host pushed a plate of -delicious-looking cake toward his guest. - -"Yonder man in the high boots, with the fierce mustaches," Fitzhugh -continued, "bears the high-sounding name of Sir Marmaduke Midchester. He -looks like a sword swallower, but he is really as gentle as a lamb. He -has been known to eat crumbs out of Maid Rosalind's hand." - -"Glad to meet Master Sully," said Sir Marmaduke. "I wrote a song this -morning--words and music both--perhaps he would like to hear me sing -it." - -Fitzhugh held up his hand. "Not just now, Marmaduke, please. Let my -guest digest his plumcake in quiet." - -So the introductions went on, with all sorts of jokes and banter. It was -a jolly crowd, and Ben was enjoying it hugely. He began to find his -tongue and make retorts of his own. But when he had finished the -lemonade and the cake he turned to his host. "I'd like to stay, but I -think I had better be getting back," he said. "I've got to go out to -Cotterell's Island." - -"No, no, Master Ben. If you'd like to stay, you shall stay. Cotterell's -Island can wait. We need you here at present." - -"Well, but----" began Ben. - -"There are no 'buts' about it," answered Fitzhugh. "List to me, my lad. -This place is a green oasis in a desert of modern things. Here we do as -we please. And it pleases us now to be ladies and gentlemen of good -Sherwood Forest and Nottingham." Fitzhugh stood up. "Come with me. I'll -find you more fitting clothes than those simple togs you have on." - -Ben grinned. He was fond of dressing up and had often acted in school -theatricals in Barmouth. He didn't know what Fitzhugh and his friends -were planning, but he thought he would like to take part in the game. -After all, his car would take him quickly back to town and he could -paddle out to the island by moonlight, if necessary. So he followed -Fitzhugh indoors and up a wide staircase to the second floor. - -When he came down again he wore brown doublet and hose, with a brown -cloak slung from his shoulders and a broad-brimmed brown hat on his -head. There was a chorus of approval from the group on the porch. - -"Master Ben, apprentice to an armorer," Fitzhugh introduced him. "And -now, my lads and lasses, let us hie us out to the greenwood tree." - -There was nothing formal about Roderick Fitzhugh's friends. The crowd -had hardly more than descended the steps of the porch when the girl -called Maid Rosalind and the man called Sir Marmaduke Midchester each -took one of Ben's hands and raced across the lawn. Luckily Ben had -pulled his broad-brimmed hat on tight. His cloak flew back from his -shoulders. And he heard shouts and laughs from the rest of the party as -they followed pell mell. - -The lawn of the Gables was wide and gently sloping. When Rosalind and -Sir Marmaduke finally slackened speed Ben found they had come to a -corner where poplars and spruces made a background against a road. One -oak tree stood out by itself, and there was a small house with -picturesque criss-crossed windows and a door with big curved hinges. - -"There," said Sir Marmaduke, "behold the Forest of Sherwood! There -aren't so many trees, but each of them is a giant." - -Rosalind flung herself down near the oak. "Oh, Master Ben," she panted, -"fan me with your hat." - -And while Ben gallantly flapped his hat close to the red-cheeked lady, -the others came bounding into the glade, like so many children just let -out from school. - -In a few minutes Fitzhugh, a paper in his hand, was calling out -directions. Ben, observing everything, saw a couple of men crossing the -lawn with what looked like a big camera. He turned to Rosalind. "I know -what it is," he whispered. "You're moving-picture people doing a play." - -"Good for you," she answered. She nodded toward Fitzhugh. "He wrote the -plot, and we've been dressing up and doing it every day this week." - -The play began, and went on for an hour or so, with frequent -interruptions. Some scenes were done over and over again before Fitzhugh -was satisfied with them. He found a part for Ben, and instructed him -carefully how to act before the camera. And whenever the company got -tired the cameramen turned off their machine, and the actors lounged on -the greensward while somebody sang or did a fancy dance. - -It was great sport, and Ben was surprised when, glancing toward the -west, he saw that the sun had set behind the trees. - -"I must be going," he said to Fitzhugh. "I've had a splendid time." - -Fitzhugh waved his hand at the cameramen. "That's enough for to-day. We -always end with a woodland dance, Ben, and then, back to the house for -dinner." - -"I can't stay to dinner," began Ben; but before he could say more -Rosalind and another girl had each caught a hand of his and the whole -company had spread out in a ring. Rosalind started to sing, and all the -others took up the song. There followed a dance, in which Ben did his -share, and then the crowd formed into a line, each with his hands on the -shoulders of the one in front, and led by Fitzhugh they wound across the -wide lawn and back to the Gables. - -"Now," said Ben to his host, when they arrived on the porch, "I'll get -into my own clothes and dash back to Barmouth." - -"What? Without dinner? I can't let you go hungry." Fitzhugh turned to a -servant. "Show this gentleman up to the yellow guestroom and get him -whatever he wants." - -It was difficult to argue with such a positive man as that; and moreover -Ben was thoroughly enjoying his adventure. To be shown up to the yellow -guestroom, and later to dine with such a company of moving-picture -people would be a new and delightful experience. He would have a story -to tell Tom and David and John Tuckerman when he got back to the island -that would make them open their eyes. So Ben followed the servant into -the house, where the lamps were already lighted. - -There was a gallery on the second floor, with ever so many rooms opening -from it. The servant went to a door and turned the knob. "This is the -yellow room, sir. You'll find clean towels in the bathroom. If you want -anything, there's an electric push button." - -Ben went in and shut the door. He had never seen a more luxuriously -furnished bedroom. He switched on an electric light and a little -orange-shaded lamp on a table shone forth. He threw his hat on the -bureau and rolled up the sleeves of his doublet. - -The door of a bathroom stood open. He went in, turned on the water, and -washed his face and hands. As he was drying them with a towel he walked -over to a window. Looking out, he saw a garage and a circular driveway. -Beyond that was a lane that led back of a big barn. And on the stone -wall on the opposite side of the lane two boys were sitting. - -Ben stopped using the towel, and stared. The two boys looked -surprisingly like Tom and Lanky Larry. They were at some distance from -the house and the shadow of the barn fell across the stone wall. But -they did look like Tom and Lanky. However, it was inconceivable that -those two should be sitting there. He must be mistaken. For what could -possibly have brought those two to the neighborhood of the Gables? And -why should they perch on a stone wall as if they had nothing to do? - -Ben turned to go back to the yellow room; but in the doorway he stopped. -Someone was there, at the bureau, a man in a brown hat and cloak. He had -pulled a bureau drawer out and was looking in it. Some one of the guests -must have mistaken this room for his own. - -"Hello," said Ben, "I didn't know there was anyone here." - -The man looked over his shoulder. "My mistake," he said. "I thought this -was my room. I beg your pardon. My room is next door." - -"I don't wonder you didn't know the right one," Ben said politely. "I -never saw a house with so many rooms. I say, in that cloak and hat you -look very much like me in my costume. I don't remember seeing you in the -moving-pictures." - -"I changed my things," muttered the man. "Sometimes I wear one set and -other times another." He walked to the door, opened it, and went down -the hall. - -"That's funny," said Ben, half-aloud. "He keeps his hat on in the house. -I suppose he thinks, because it's part of his costume, it's a perfectly -proper thing to do." - -Before the mirror at the bureau Ben put on his own broad-brimmed hat, -turned on the light at a wall-bracket, and surveyed himself in the -glass. - -"The hat does help to make a fellow look different," he said to himself. -"I guess I'll keep mine on when I go downstairs; though I don't suppose -it would be the right thing to wear a hat to dinner." - -He switched off both the lights and went out into the hall. The gallery -and the lower floor of the big house appeared to be empty; he supposed -the guests had all gone to make ready for dinner. He walked around the -gallery to the staircase. The afterglow of sunset partly lighted the -lower floor, and here and there soft lamps shed circles of radiance, but -for the most part the house was pleasantly shadowy, which made its fine -furnishings all the more interesting. - -Ben went down the stairs and stopped in the large hall to look at a -grandfather's clock that stood opposite the front door. Above the dial -was a painted ship that sailed on a deep-blue sea. He was admiring the -ship when somewhere in the upper part of the house someone gave a -scream. - -Ben waited a moment. There was another shout. Doors on the gallery -opened. He heard people calling "What's the matter?" There was confusion -above-stairs. Someone shouted "Lock the doors! Don't let him get away!" - -The front door was open. Ben dashed across the polished floor to shut -it. - -His hand was on the knob when someone caught him from behind. A rug -slipped under his feet and he came down hard on the floor. - -Someone had fallen on top of him, someone had tackled him tight about -the knees, a regular football tackle. - -There was a babel of voices. Someone shouted, "We've got him all right!" - -Ben tried to speak, to explain. "Hold on there!" he grunted. - -But someone else was explaining. He heard someone say, "We heard the -yells, and we came in at the side door, and we saw this fellow dashing -for the front door." - -Then Ben heard Fitzhugh's voice. "Well, he won't get away now," Fitzhugh -said. "Suppose you let him up." - -The fellow who had made the tackle released Ben's knees and Ben turned -around and sat up. - -"My eye! If it isn't Ben Sully!" - -Ben saw Tom and Lanky Larry staring at him in wide-eyed wonder. - -"Of course it is, Tom, you goat!" Ben responded. "Who did you think it -was?" - -"We thought you were one of the men we tracked here from the cove," said -Tom. "They wore cloaks and hats like yours; and you did look as if you -were trying to escape." - -"I was going to lock the front door," said Ben, getting to his feet. -"What's the trouble anyhow, Mr. Fitzhugh?" - -"Two of the ladies found things missing from their rooms--jewels," -explained Fitzhugh. "And one of the men saw a fellow sneaking down a -passage." He turned to Tom and Lanky. "I don't know who you two are, but -Ben seems to, so that's all right. Let's see if we can find the thief." - -Immediately everyone was busy. Some went outdoors, some hunted through -the house. The Gables blazed with light; the garage and the other -outbuildings were thoroughly searched. But no thief was found, and -half-an-hour later the whole company met on the porch to talk over the -matter. - -Tom and Lanky by turns told their tale, how they had seen the three men -at the cove put on cloaks and hats and how they had followed the men to -the Gables. The butler, looking rather sheepish, admitted that the boys -had spoken to him about the strangers and that he had not thought their -story merited his attention. Then Tom said that he and Lanky had sat on -the stone wall until they heard shouts in the house, and had then run in -at a side door, and in the hall had seen a fellow dressed just like the -three they had followed apparently making his escape. "We didn't know -Ben was anywhere near here," he added; "and anyway we wouldn't have -recognized him in that blooming hat." - -Ben told about his finding the stranger, dressed like himself, hunting -through the bureau drawer in the yellow room. The guests who had missed -their jewels and the man who had seen someone stealing along a passage -repeated their stories. "Well," said Fitzhugh, when they had all -finished, "you remember we couldn't find some of the things we left in -the playhouse the other day. I believe these fellows took them, and -thought they could pass themselves off as some of my guests and ransack -all the rooms in the house." - -"They did it," said Marmaduke Midchester. "And they must have got away -by one of the back doors while we were all here at the front." - -"Do you suppose they've gone back to the cove?" asked Lanky. "They might -have. They didn't know we were following them." - -"That's an idea," agreed Fitzhugh. He spoke to the butler, and in a few -minutes the chauffeur and two other men were receiving instructions to -take the car and drive to the cove, look for the men, and if they were -not to be found there to drive on to Barmouth and report the thefts to -the police. - -"And now, my friends," Fitzhugh added to his guests, "let us have -dinner. Master Ben's two pals must need sustenance after their long -tramp. Come, the soup will be getting cold." - -They were still at the dinner table when a motor horn sounded outside. -Everyone ran to the door. It was not Fitzhugh's car, however, but a much -smaller one. From it descended David, John Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins. - -"Well, I declare," exclaimed Tuckerman, "here's Tom and Larry! And that -fellow in doublet and hose--why, I do believe that's Benjamin Sully!" - - - - - XV--VARIOUS CLUES - - -John Tuckerman and David and Mr. Perkins went up on the porch, where Ben -introduced them to Roderick Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh, after shaking hands -cordially with each of them, bowed toward his house-guests. "My -friends," said he, "we have the pleasure of welcoming the worthy Chief -Counsellor of Camp Amoussock, and Mr. Tuckerman, who is the owner of -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell's Island in the harbor of Barmouth, -and Mr. David Norton--, er, Ben, what is the best way to describe your -good-looking friend?" - -"The best batter in New England," piped up Lanky Larry. "I ought to -know. He knocked me out of the box." - -"Thank you," said Fitzhugh in his amusingly formal manner. "Mr. David -Norton, the famous Yankee slugger." He turned to the three new arrivals. -"Gentlemen, let me present you to my friends," and he called out the -names, beginning with Maid Rosalind and the other ladies and ending with -Sir Marmaduke Midchester. - -Tuckerman laughed. "I'd no idea Ben mixed in such high-sounding company. -What is he?--Sir Marmaduke's squire?" - -"He's the apprentice to an armorer," said Fitzhugh. "Incidentally he was -mistaken this evening for a robber." - -Then Fitzhugh told the story of the robbery, including the adventure of -Tom and Larry with the men from the cove. - -"Those men must be the three that belonged to the fishing-smack," said -David. "I thought there was something crooked going on. That's -it--they're a gang of thieves." - -David related his adventure, and then Mr. Perkins told how he and -Tuckerman and the boys from the camp hunted for the three missing -fellows. "We drove in here on the chance that you might know something -about them," he said to Fitzhugh. "We came straight up the road from the -cove, but we didn't see any men answering the description of the -thieves." - -"Well," said Fitzhugh, "we'll get the police on their track, and I'll -telephone down to Gosport to have the people there keep an eye out for -that fishing-boat. And now won't you come in and let me offer you some -refreshments? Master Ben will want to change his clothes before he sets -out in his racing-car." - -While the others were in the dining-room Ben exchanged his doublet and -hose for his everyday garb. Then he went to the garage and got out the -little car he had borrowed from his uncle in Barmouth. It clattered up -to the front door and a few minutes later Fitzhugh was saying good-night -to Tuckerman, Perkins and the boys. - -David got into Ben's car. The car from Camp Amoussock moved off along -the driveway. Roderick Fitzhugh came up to Ben, who was starting his -engine. "I regret that Mr. Joseph Hastings wasn't at home," he said, "so -that you could have learned whether he did lose a silver snuff-box on -Cotterell's Island. I'll ask him when I see him." - -Ben grinned. "I'd almost forgotten about the snuff-box," he answered, -"but I think you'll find when you ask Mr. Hastings that he did lose it -there." - -"You're a bright fellow, Master Sully." - -Fitzhugh gave a wink. "Don't tell all you know. And if you're in the -neighborhood any time come in and see Joseph Hastings." - -The little car rattled away, following the tail-light of the other -automobile. - -"Who is that man?" asked David, as they turned into the highroad. - -"Do you mean Mr. Roderick Fitzhugh?" inquired Ben innocently. - -"Chuck it, Benjie. That isn't his real name." - -"Why isn't it, smartie?" - -"Roderick Fitzhugh! Marmaduke Midchester!" David repeated the names of -some of the other people he had met at the Gables. "Stuff and nonsense, -Benjie! They made them up." - -Ben said nothing, and after a few minutes David began again. - -"Where'd they get those clothes?" - -"Where do people usually get their clothes? Tailors and dressmakers made -them, I suppose." - -"What are they? A crowd of actors?" - -Ben smiled. "They're not professional actors. They're doing a play that -Mr. Fitzhugh wrote for the moving-pictures, and they like their costumes -so much they keep them on most of the time. I'm in the pictures," he -added in a tone of pride. - -The car clattered loudly over a rough stretch of road. Then David -resumed his questions. "How in thunder did you happen to get mixed up -with them?" - -"I was driving along this morning and I met Mr. Fitzhugh and he -suggested that we go on a hunt for hooked-rugs." - -"Hooked-rugs!" exploded David. - -"Yes. They don't grow on trees. They're to be found in the cottages -around here. We caught some fine specimens." - -David put his hand on Ben's knee. "It was time we rescued you from that -fellow, my boy," he said. "I don't know anything about hooked-rugs, but -I think your Mr. Fitzhugh has bats in his belfry." - -The car driven by Mr. Perkins had stopped, and Ben brought his own noisy -equipage to a standstill at the side of the road. "We're going to have -another look at the cove," said Tuckerman. "We can't drive in through -the woods." - -But the cove, when they reached it by the path through the woods, was as -deserted as it had been when the boys from Camp Amoussock explored it -earlier in the evening. Lanky and Tom pointed out the dory, still -beached on the shingle, in which the three men had come ashore, and the -shack in which they had kept the costumes. "I think the dory is pretty -good proof that they didn't come back here," said Tom. "I guess they -must have made off toward Gosport, to join the fishing-smack somewhere -in that neighborhood." - -They returned to the two cars and drove on to Camp Amoussock. There Tom -and John Tuckerman embarked in the _Argo_ to sail back to Cotterell's -Island, while Ben and David continued their clattering ride to Barmouth. - -At Barmouth, Ben restored the car to his uncle, and the two boys went -down to the harbor and launched the canoe. Over the placid water they -paddled easily, for they were old hands at handling a canoe together. -And presently they landed at the island, and found the other two sitting -on the pier. - -There was much to talk over, and none of them were sleepy. They sat on -the bank above the beach and swapped adventures. "I've been wondering," -said Tom, "whether there was any connection between the men who stole -those things at Mr. Fitzhugh's house and the men I saw here on the -island last night." - -"And the gigantic footprints," said David. "I've been thinking about -that, too. But how would you explain the lady's handkerchief, with the -initials A. S. L.?" - -They argued about that for some time before they went to bed. Ben, -however, took little part in the discussion. He was trying to find a -reason for the discovery of the silver snuff-box that Joseph Hastings -had bought in Barmouth in the chest hidden in the cliff. - -Next morning Ben went with Tuckerman to Cotterell Hall. "What do you -make of it, Ben?" said Tuckerman. "We don't seem to be any nearer to -finding the treasure than we were when we first came here. I know you've -got some theory in that wise head of yours." - -Ben walked up and down the living-room. "Well," he answered slowly, "I -think somebody has mixed up the trails. Let's see how the matter stands. -We know that your Uncle Christopher thought there was a secret. We found -that out from the note in the frame of the picture." - -"Uncle Christopher knew there was a secret," agreed Tuckerman. "I think -that's very clear." - -Ben nodded. "What did we find next? Those jottings your uncle made in -his notebook." Ben stopped at the secretary, took out the notebook, -turned to the marked page, and read aloud. "'As regards the saying that -the hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two -rocks where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, -and come to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the -place intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have -dug at this place, but found only sand.' That's what your uncle wrote. -But he didn't find the treasure at the southwestern point." - -Tuckerman smiled. "So far so good." - -Ben ran his eye down the page. "Now we come to this. 'Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That's a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?' Well, -it seems to me that's where the trails begin to get mixed." - -"Why, I thought we decided that referred to the mahogany secretary," -said Tuckerman. - -"So we did," answered Ben. "But were we right? Let's see. We looked in -the secretary and found a piece of parchment with half a message on it. -We couldn't make out much from that. Then I read this in the notebook." -He turned again to the page, "'I've heard that the old clipper ship got -some of the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what -use is that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution.'" - -"I've always thought you were mighty clever in finding that model of the -clipper ship up in the attic," said Tuckerman. - -"Well," agreed Ben, "I'm not denying that I was pretty well pleased with -that myself. But what did we learn? That James Sampson took a box to the -north cliff, meaning to put it on a boat, but found that there were some -people off shore in another boat and so hid the box in the rocks, and -that the rocks were marked like a cross. Very good. We found the place -and we found a box there. But there wasn't anything very valuable in the -box when we found it." - -"That's so," Tuckerman assented. "But I don't see any other clue to the -treasure." - -Ben was staring through the window at the trees glistening in the -sunlight. "I think that box was hidden in the cliff since we've been on -the island," he said reflectively, "and I don't believe that any of the -things in it ever came from Cotterell Hall." - -"You don't!" exclaimed Tuckerman. - -"And that means," continued Ben, who was following the line of his own -thoughts, "that somebody was trying to set us on a wrong trail by hiding -those two pieces of parchment in this house." - -"But what object would anyone have in doing that?" Tuckerman asked. "I -can't see any good reason for their taking so much trouble." He -considered this idea for several minutes, while Ben continued his study -of the trees and the glimpse of blue water that was to be seen from the -window. - -"And we thought we'd kept the problem of the Cotterell treasure pretty -much a secret," Tuckerman said presently. - -"Gigantic footprints, lady's handkerchief, men prowling about the house -in the dark." Ben chuckled softly. "That doesn't look as if we had the -island much to ourselves, does it?" - -"No," Tuckerman admitted. "We haven't kept up the Cotterell tradition -for exclusiveness." - -"Well," said Ben, "if somebody has been trying to set us on a wrong -trail, the question is was it the giant, the lady, or the -night-prowlers? Or did the three belong to one party." - -"The lady is a stumbling-block," nodded Tuckerman. - -"If there were two parties," said Ben, turning around, "my own opinion -is that it's the giant and the lady who've been making game of us." - -"Benjamin, what are you driving at?" - -For answer Ben laughed. "Never mind, Professor. If I should tell you -what's in my mind, and it shouldn't prove to be true, think how flat I'd -feel. And now I think it's time we went back to camp if we're going in -swimming before dinner." - -Just before sunset that afternoon the chug of a motor-boat broke the -stillness of the water around the island. The boat stole up to the -landing-stage and two men got out. They went up the walk toward -Cotterell Hall. "A beautiful mansion, Marmaduke," said the man in the -white flannel suit to the one in brown jacket and knickerbockers. - -"I agree with you, Roderick," said the other. "I suppose you would like -to pick it up and carry it off to the Gables." - -"Not at all. But what is to prevent us from making use of it here? Sir -Peter Cotterell defying the people of Barmouth." Roderick Fitzhugh -pointed in this direction and that, talking eagerly, until his companion -interrupted him with a whispered, "They're coming up in their sailboat." - -The _Argo_ touched the landing-stage, and Fitzhugh and his friend went -out on the pier. "Hello, lads," cried Fitzhugh. "We came out to take a -look at the famous island Ben told us about." - -"Did you learn anything about the thieves?" Tom called from the _Argo_. - -"No, not yet. But we've got the local police scouring the country. I -don't expect much from them," added Fitzhugh. "What I hope is that the -rascals will make us another call." - -"We've been fishing," said Ben. "Hope you'll stay to supper." - -"Well," said Fitzhugh, "I've got my guests at the Gables." - -"You wouldn't take any excuse from me yesterday," Ben retorted. "Turn -about's fair play. You've never tasted Dave's fried flounder." - -"That's so, we haven't," said Marmaduke Midchester. "I vote to stay." - -They had supper on the beach, and afterwards Ben urged Midchester to -sing the song he had written. - -"Oh, Master Ben," Fitzhugh protested, "why break in on the evening -calm?" - -"Go ahead," said Tom. "We'd all like some music." - -"Music?" echoed Fitzhugh. "Who said anything about music? Well, if -you're determined to have him commit the crime, on your own heads be -it!" - -Midchester, who was a big man, stood up and sang in a deep bass, a song -about a knight who loved a lady but who rode off to the wars. It had a -spirited chorus, with many gestures, such as drawing a sword, waving a -hand, and shaking a knight's banner. By the time that Midchester sang -the second chorus all the others were up, singing loudly and imitating -his motions. It ended in a final loud cheer that could be heard at least -a mile away. - -"That's better than I expected," said Fitzhugh. "See, it scared the -geese." - -He pointed to the western sky, across which a distant triangle of wild -geese were flying. - -"Now," said Tuckerman, "I will give you a song of the sea as sung in the -prairie schooners of the west." - -He had a good voice, and his song was so popular that he had to give an -encore. Afterwards Fitzhugh said that he must take Midchester away or he -would break out again. - -Good-nights were exchanged on the pier and the motor-boat headed south. - -"Well," said Tuckerman, "they're a good pair of scouts. I don't suppose -this island has heard so much noise since old Sir Peter's day. I like -guests myself. And as there doesn't seem any likelihood of finding the -Cotterell treasure, I don't see why we shouldn't keep open house." - -"Oh, we haven't given up hope of finding it, have we?" asked Tom. - -"Benjie hasn't," said David. - -They all looked at the black-haired boy. - -"Why, of course, I haven't," he answered calmly. "And the more people -who come out here to look for it, the more chance we have of finding it, -I think. You don't suppose Fitzhugh and Midchester came here just to see -us, do you?" - -"I bet they did," said Tom. - -"I bet they didn't," said Ben. "They took us in as a side-show on their -way to the big tent." - - - - - XVI--THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - - -The _Argo_ was scudding along in a good breeze to Barmouth. Ben was -carving a small piece of wood into what he fancied was a resemblance to -a mermaid. David, his hands clasped behind his head, lounged in a -comfortable corner. Tuckerman was at the tiller, and Tom surveyed his -pupil through approving eyes. - -"Professor, I think we're ready to give you your diploma," Tom said, as -he noticed the easy manner in which Tuckerman handled the sailboat. -"You're an able seaman. I'll give you an honor mark as a navigator." - -"And I'll pass you as a first-rate cook," said David, turning and -nodding his head. "You fried those eggs this morning just as well as I -could have, and praise can't be higher than that." - -"You coax the fish right out of the sea," said Ben, looking up from his -carving. "There was a time when I didn't believe you'd ever learn to -bait a hook so the fish couldn't nibble it off; but you can do it now. -I'll graduate you as a competent fisherman." - -"And my swimming?" asked Tuckerman, his eye on the water curling over -the bow. - -"Well, as to that," said David, "you're not exactly a merman, but you -can paddle along at a decent pace. Yes, we'll call you a swimmer. I -should say you were a pretty good all-around fellow now, Professor." - -Tuckerman looked pleased. Praise from these three boys was very -satisfying. And he knew that what they said was not mere idle banter. He -had learned a great deal since he had been camping with them. - -"Thanks," he said. "To be able to sail a boat, to cook, to fish, to -swim--why, that's more than I ever expected to learn when I came here -from the west. I tell you what! It was a great thing for me when I -decided to take a look at my Uncle Christopher's island." - -"And what are you going to do with it now that you've seen it?" asked -Tom. - -"I don't know. I've got to go back to my home. I don't suppose anyone -would want to live way out in the harbor nowadays. There's not enough to -do there. But I hate to take all those fine old furnishings out of the -house. They belong there, and they don't belong anywhere else." - -"There's an old house out on the Boston road," said Ben, "that the owner -keeps up as a sort of a museum. He has all the old furniture that was -used in colonial days. There's a great deal of travel on that road in -summer, and he charges a quarter for every person that goes over the -house. There's a care-taker, of course. I think she serves tea for a -quarter extra." - -"That's an idea," said Tuckerman. "Only my house isn't on a main road. -It's a rather hard place to reach." - -"All the better," put in Tom. "People like excursions. We could put up -signs in Barmouth and all along the road. 'Be sure to take the boat to -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell's Island and hunt for the treasure!' -That would get them all right. You could charge as much as you like." - -"And Tom could run a ferry, and Ben be the care-taker and serve -ginger-ale at a dollar a glass," suggested David. - -"And you could cork your face and be the famous mahogany man from the -Barbadoes," retorted Ben. "He's a wonder in a minstrel show, Professor." - -"It sounds good," Tuckerman agreed. "It's certainly up-to-date. But -somehow I don't feel that it's quite dignified enough for Cotterell -Hall." - -"You can make it dignified enough," said Tom, "by charging enormous -prices." - -Tuckerman laughed. "You're right. You fellows are Yankees sure enough. -You make me feel like a greenhorn." - -"And think of the business it would bring to Barmouth," said Ben, -putting the attempt at a mermaid into his pocket and sitting up -straight. "People who went to the island would probably have to spend -the night at the hotel. Why, you ought to be able to make a deal with -the proprietor to share his profits." - -"Ben's started now," exclaimed David. "Stop him somebody quick, or he'll -be spending the money we're making from the concern." - -"I think it's a great idea," Ben proceeded, as usual paying no attention -to David's jibe. "It'll put Barmouth on the map. 'Cotterell Hall, the -most famous treasure house on the Atlantic Coast!'" - -"I wish you wouldn't use that word 'treasure,'" Tom protested. "It has a -hoodoo sound." - -"And speaking of putting things on the map," said Tuckerman, "here's the -wharf ahead. Don't get me all excited while I bring her up to the dock." - -The _Argo_ made a perfect landing. "Good enough," said Tom. "That -couldn't have been done better. Professor, you're a dandy." - -They went up the main street and turned off to the elm-shaded lane where -the Halletts lived. They were going to call on Milly Hallett. - -Milly was at home. She was, in fact, enjoying an afternoon nap in the -Nantucket hammock on the side porch when Tom spied her from the lane. - -The sound of footsteps woke her, and seeing who was coming in at the -gate she swung her feet down from the hammock, smoothed her rumpled -skirt, and patted her fluffy hair. And because she still felt a trifle -piqued that Tom was having all the fun of camping on Cotterell's Island, -she decided on the spur of the moment to be a little standoffish with -the callers. - -"Hello, Milly," said her brother, in the offhand way brothers have, "we -thought we'd come over to see how you were getting along." - -"Good afternoon, Mr. Tuckerman," said Milly, standing up and giving that -gentleman the tips of her fingers. "I hope the boys are looking after -you all right on your island." - -"I can't complain," smiled Tuckerman. "We do as well as we can, without -any ladies to help us." - -"Won't you sit down?" Milly invited politely. - -Tuckerman took a chair, and the three boys, impressed in spite of -themselves by Milly's society manner, perched on the rail of the porch. - -"We were wondering," said Tuckerman, "whether we could induce you to -come out to supper on the island. We hoped the simplicity of the meal -would be atoned for by the beauty of the scenery. I can promise you a -fine sunset." - -"Thank you for the invitation." Milly swung gently back and forth. "Let -me see--what did I have on hand for this evening?" - -"Oh, chuck it, Milly!" said Tom. "Of course you want to come along." - -"I remember now," said Milly suavely. "I have a date with my friend -Sarah Hooper. There's a new movie in town." - -"Well, of course," said Tuckerman in a regretful tone, "we can't compete -with a new moving-picture show." - -Milly smiled. "The boys are still giving you plenty of good food, are -they? And keeping you amused?" - -David moved impatiently on his perch. "The Professor never got better -food anywhere. He says so himself." - -"I thought perhaps the menu might get a little tiresome," Milly -suggested sweetly. "Boys are so apt to stick to one or two of the same -things when they have to cook for themselves." - -"We don't," grunted David. - -"She knows we don't," said Tom. "I say, Milly, what's your game?" - -"Game?" Milly wrinkled her pretty nose. "I don't know what you mean!" -She glanced again at Tuckerman. "Boys are funny creatures, aren't they?" - -The boys came down from the rail with one accord. Indignant replies were -on the tongues of each; but Milly pointed beyond them at the lane. "Here -comes Sarah Hooper now," she said. "It's just possible I can get her to -change our date." - -Up the path came the black-eyed girl, a yellow sweater on her arm. -"Hello, everybody!" she sang out, as she reached the porch. "What is it? -An experience meeting?" - -"They want me to go to supper with them on Mr. Tuckerman's island," said -Milly. "I told them I had a date with you." - -"Perhaps Miss Sarah Hooper will join the party," Tuckerman added -promptly. "We'd like her to." - -"Fine!" exclaimed Sarah. "I don't know why I shouldn't." - -"Milly said," put in Tom, "that you and she were going to a new movie." - -A glance passed from Sarah to Milly, and Sarah nodded her head. "That's -so," she agreed. "I do remember we were." - -"However," said Milly, "if Sally would really like to accept your -invitation, we can go to the movies some other time." - -There was a pause, for Sarah was not sure what her friend wanted her to -say; and then Ben broke the silence by pounding the porch-rail with his -fist. "By jiminy, girls are funny creatures, aren't they? They're crazy -to come, but they don't want to admit it." - -"Oh!" began Milly. But Tuckerman interposed. - -"The funnier people are, the pleasanter it is to be with them. We do -need the company of ladies on our island. We've only been seeing each -other, and sandpipers and gulls. It would be doing us a great favor if -these two ladies would come and freshen us up." - -"Well," said Sarah, charmed by this gallant speech, "I'd be glad to -come. It'll be a perfect evening." - -Milly got up from the hammock. "I'll contribute a box of fudge." - -"That's all that's needed to make it complete," said Tuckerman. - -The girls went indoors, Milly to tell her mother about the party, and -Sarah to telephone to her house. - -"Now," said Tuckerman, on the porch, "we've got to give them as good a -time as they'd have had at the movies." - -"Milly wanted to come all along," said Tom. "Why didn't she say so?" - -"I think," answered Ben, "that she wanted to show us that she was having -just as good a time here at home as we were having in camp; and she knew -she wasn't." - -Tuckerman smiled and nodded. "Ben's hit it on the head. And that's all -the more reason why we should see that they enjoy themselves this -evening." - -They all agreed to that line of reasoning, and the first result of it -was that they suggested to Milly that she should sail the _Argo_ back to -the island. She was very much pleased, and Milly, on her mettle, handled -the craft as skillfully as Tom could have done himself. - -They landed, and Sarah said that she would like to see the island, since -all she had seen of it on her first visit had been Cotterell Hall and -the shore about the camp. So the boys and Tuckerman took their guests on -a regular tour, through the woods, where the russet-green pine-needles -made a clean and fragrant carpet, dappled with patches of sunlight; -along the little beaches, curves of yellow sand, where sandpipers played -and strutted, or flew in silver bands; up on the ramparts of cliffs, -against which the waves rolled in and slipped and slid in white cascades -over the low-lying ledges, and so to the southern point, where they -watched the sun setting in all its glory, tinting the sky and the sea in -wonderful combinations of shifting colors. - -Then they went to the camp, where David made a marvelous fish chowder of -cunners and cod that Ben had caught that morning. And for dessert they -had apple fritters and Milly's home-made fudge. - -When it was time to take their guests back to Barmouth, Tom suggested -that they sail around the island. As they cruised up the ocean side they -saw a sail to the east. And after watching the distant boat intently for -some minutes David exclaimed, "I think that's the fishing-smack that -took me from the cove to Gosport!" - -Tom shifted the tiller, and the _Argo_ took a course toward the larger -boat. As they sailed, David, in answer to Milly's questions, told of his -adventure with the crew of the smack. - -To the northeast lay a small island, and the larger boat sailed around -its southern point. The _Argo_ kept up its chase, and presently came on -the fishing-smack at anchor off a half-moon beach. - -The big boat stood silhouetted against the violet sky of the summer -night. It was too dark to distinguish figures on her deck. Apparently -she had come to anchor there for the night. - -"How about it, Dave?" asked Ben. "Is that the craft that kidnapped you?" - -"Looks like her picture," was the answer. - -"Want to hail your good friend Sam?" inquired Tom. - -"No, I don't," said David. "He might throw something out here that the -girls wouldn't like." - -"Oh, don't mind us," exclaimed Milly and Sarah in chorus. - -"I don't know what the smack--if it is Dave's boat--is doing around -here," said Tuckerman. "There can't be much to steal from that island." - -For a time the _Argo_ bobbed about, but there came no hail from the -boat, no light appeared, she might have been a ship without a crew. - -"Let sleeping hornets lie," Tuckerman advised. And at the suggestion Tom -sheered away. The _Argo_ sailed up the shore of the island and pointed -her bow toward the twinkling lights of the town. - -They were all enjoying the breeze, the star-sprinkled sky, the soft -swish of the water against the side of the boat when Ben, from a brown -study, spoke. "If the men on that smack are the thieves who broke into -Mr. Fitzhugh's house, might they be hunting around here for the -Cotterell treasure?" - -"Well, I wish them luck at finding it," said David. - -"Thieves who broke into Mr. Fitzhugh's house!" cried Milly. "Oh, do tell -us about that!" - -Then the whole story came out, and when she had heard it all Milly said -positively, "I think Ben's right. They're planning to steal something -from your island." - -"Hope they don't take our cooking outfit," said Tom. - -"Or any of my fine old colonial furniture," added Tuckerman. - -"Oh, no," scoffed David. "It's the treasure they're after." - -"Don't you want to take our watch-dog back with you?" said Sarah. "He's -fine at biting tramps." - -There was a laugh from the crowd. And they were still talking of ways of -protecting the island from prowlers when the sailboat ran up to the -wharf. - -The campers escorted the girls to their homes and then went back to the -harbor. - -On the waterfront they encountered a man--he had been a sea-captain in -his day--smoking a pipe and regarding the lights of the harbor. He knew -the boys. "Hello, Tom," he said, "I hear you're out on the island, -hunting for Sir Peter's treasure." - -"Well, we're camping on the island," Tom admitted. - -"Haven't found the treasure yet, have you?" The mariner chuckled. -"There's treasure hid all along the coast, if you believe the stories. I -was brought up on yarns about treasures, Captain Kidd's and others. And -I've hunted for 'em, too. But I never laid my hands on none. Howsomever, -I always thought there might be something to the story about Sir Peter. -But it's one thing to think there's a treasure, and another to lay hands -on it." - -"Where would you look?" asked Ben. - -The mariner reflected. "Well, if I was hiding a treasure I'd put it -where I could get it if I wanted it in a hurry. Seems to me I'd pick out -a place in the chimney-breast. I've heard of folks hiding things in -places like that." - -"Seems to me we've got to pull the house down," said David. "And then -like as not we wouldn't find it." - -"Might be so," the mariner agreed. "It don't pay to take too much -trouble hunting for things like that. But some people just have to." - -The four embarked in the _Argo_. "Ben's one of the people that just have -to," said David. "I guess he'll pull the house down." - -"I hadn't thought of the chimney-breast," said Ben. "We'd better look -there to-morrow." - -"Go to it, Tige," laughed David. "We'll get out the pick-ax and -crow-bar." - - - - - XVII--PETER COTTERELL - - -Next morning the four campers, following the suggestion made by the -sea-captain on the Barmouth wharf, resumed their search for the -Cotterell treasure. David treated the whole matter as a joke; he thought -that either the story about Sir Peter having hidden his silver plate was -a legend without any foundation in fact, or that one of the family had -found the treasure and disposed of it. Tom leaned to the same opinion, -although he did not say so as openly as did David, perhaps because he -saw that both John Tuckerman and Ben thought the treasure was yet to be -found. Ben was still as positive as ever, and argued that if Sir Peter's -plate had ever been discovered that fact would certainly have been -mentioned in Crusty Christopher's notebooks. - -They examined the chimney-breast in the kitchen and dining-room, looking -for any possible hiding-place. They went all over the house again, -looking for any secret door or panel that they might have missed before. -They tapped the walls and they measured them; but nowhere could they -figure out such a place as they were hunting. Finally Tuckerman said, "I -don't see how we can search anywhere else, unless we do as Dave -suggested--pull the house down--and I don't want to do that." - -"The house is worth more than the treasure," said Tom. - -"That's so," Tuckerman agreed. He frowned and bit his lip. "I don't like -to be stumped, that's the long and short of it. I don't like to admit -that I can't work out the puzzle." - -"Puzzles never bother me," said David. "I think they're stupid things. I -never want to know the answer to any of the problems in the algebra -books. What good does it do you to know them? Of course some people get -so hipped over knowing the answers they can't eat till they find them -out--whether a dog or a rabbit will reach a given point first, things -like that, or about men rowing a boat against the tide; but they don't -get me the least little bit excited. Leave them to Benjie, I say." - -And that was what they did. They left Ben up in the attic, the last room -they had searched. Attics fascinated Ben. In a way they were like -puzzles; there were so many odds and ends that needed putting together. -He walked idly about, looking at chairs and tables that had lost some of -their legs, at statuettes that were broken and disfigured, until he came -to the window that opened to the east. There he stopped in a brown -study. - -A distant sail caught his eye. It reminded him of something. Oh, yes, -from the window he could see the line of the little island where they -had found the fishing-smack at anchor the night before. He couldn't tell -if this sail belonged to the smack; it was too far away; but the sight -of it started a train of thought he had been working over that morning. - -He went downstairs and was glad to find that the others had left the -house. In the living-room he took the two pieces of parchment from the -drawer of the secretary and carefully copied the writing on them on a -large sheet of paper. This he laid on the lid of the desk and put an -inkstand on the paper. Then he returned the pieces of parchment to the -drawer. - -Satisfied with this, he went outdoors and crossed the island to the -beach where he had found the chest. He sat on a log, and waited -patiently. Presently he saw a sail, to the east; and this time he felt -fairly sure that it was the same fishing-smack that they had chased the -previous night. - -He jumped up and began to burrow in the crevice between the rocks. He -did not attempt to pull the chest out; it was too heavy for him to do -that unaided; but he kicked his heels and pushed himself in. And after a -while he pushed himself out again and stood up. Looking at the smack, he -decided that she was near enough for anyone on her deck to have -witnessed his strange performance. - -The next step in his plan came when the dishes had been washed after -dinner. He proposed that they should sail over to the little island and -see if the smack was still in the neighborhood. - -"After the thieves, are you?" asked David. "Now see here, my lad, if we -should find them, what then? Are you going to step aboard and tell them -they're arrested?" - -"Dave's had enough of his friend Sam," said Tom. "He thinks if Sam meets -him again he'll get a belaying-pin on the back of his head." - -"Benjie wants to argue with them," said David. "I'll admit I'd like to -get square with the rascal, but I don't see how we can do it that way." - -"If Dave's sure it's the same boat," suggested Tom, "we might notify the -police at Barmouth." - -"Well," said Ben, "the only way to make sure that Dave's right is to -sail around and look at her in daylight." - -"That sounds sensible," Tuckerman agreed. "We needn't get into any kind -of a scrap with them." - -So the _Argo_ set sail and cruised eastward; but although she rounded -the other island several times that afternoon her crew caught no sight -of the bark they were looking for. - -When they got back to their own island they found Lanky Larry and Bill -Crawford fishing from the pier. The canoe in which they had paddled over -from Camp Amoussock floated at the landing-stage. - -"If you're after cunners," said Ben, "you ought to try the rocks on the -ocean side; if it's flounders you're trying to tempt you won't find them -near the pier." - -"We didn't really come over here to fish," responded Bill, "but we -always carry a couple of lines in the canoe; that is, when it doesn't -upset. We came over to invite you four fellows to the water sports -to-morrow morning. We've got a fine program, and you can enter any of -the events when you get there." - -"I guess the Professor will want to enter the tub-race," said Tom with a -grin. - -"Maybe I will," agreed Tuckerman. "Well, mates, how about it? The -invitation sounds very good to me." - -Tom and David both nodded and said they would like to go. "You'd better -count me out of it," said Ben. "I've got a date for to-morrow." - -"Date?" inquired Tom. "What sort of a date? With a lady or a man?" - -"A date with myself." Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. "I've got -something on hand I meant to do in the morning." - -"Shucks!" exclaimed David. "All right, Bill, we'll be over right after -breakfast. And we'll bring Benjie along. You might enter him in the -fancy diving contest." - -Bill and Lanky pulled in their fishing-lines and embarked in their -canoe. The campers started to get supper. But Ben, making an excuse that -he thought he must have mislaid his pocket-knife in the house, hurried -through the woods to the beach at the northern end. So far as he could -see no one had been there since he had left in the morning; the chest -was still in the crevice between the rocks. - -That evening Ben prowled about the island. He went to Cotterell Hall, he -went to the beach at the north again, he kept a watchful eye for sails -in any quarter. When he came back to camp the other three had turned in. -And being very sleepy, he followed their example. - -He was up at dawn next morning, and again made his rounds. The paper he -had placed on the lid of the secretary was apparently untouched, the -chest was still in the crevice. Breakfast was waiting when he returned. -"Now, Benjie," said David, "get busy with the bacon. We're going over to -Camp Amoussock, and we want you to show those fellows your famous -flip-flap." - -"You go along without me," Ben urged. - -"No, sir," said David. "This is a sporting proposition, and it's up to -every man to do his bit." - -So Ben went along with the others. - -All of Camp Amoussock was in bathing-suits, and the four guests were -shortly attired likewise. Then began all sorts of water sports. Tom and -David and Ben went in for most of the swimming races and the diving -contests. Tom took second place in the fifty-yard race, and Ben won the -competition for fancy diving. When they came to the tub-race John -Tuckerman entered his name. - -Amid shouts and cat-calls a dozen tubs set out from the float. The race -was to be around a buoy and back to the starting-place. Tuckerman -paddled easily, keeping his tub out of the course most of the others -were taking. Two tubs jostled, and two boys were upset into the water. -Bill Crawford rounded the buoy first, then a small, red-headed boy who -sat very still, barely patting the water with careful finger-tips. - -"Here comes the Professor!" cried Tom from the beach. "Keep it up, keep -it up, Professor! You're doing wonders!" - -Tuckerman reached the buoy. He had found it fairly easy to keep a -straight course, but now he had to steer to the left. To do this he -tried to give a sidewise sweep with his foot. The tub rocked, rolled. He -attempted to counter-balance; and then he was in the water, splashing -about and trying to get hold of the tub. - -He flopped up on one side, only to slip over on the other. The tub might -have been greased, so difficult was it to make the round thing stay in -one position for more than a minute. At last he gave up trying to make -it behave, and swam, pushing it before him, until he could touch bottom -with his feet. - -"Never mind, Professor," said David, as the bedraggled Tuckerman walked -up on the beach. "Many a man has found a tub-race his Waterloo." - -There were cheers from the float, and all turned to look. Bill Crawford -and the red-headed boy were now neck and neck. Someone shouted, "Now's -your time to spurt, Bill!" - -Bill spurted. His tub lost its balance; Bill somersaulted backward into -the water. The red-headed boy just managed to avoid Bill's splashing and -paddled along more cautiously than ever, hardly touching the water now, -just directing his course with his fingers and toes. - -Up to the float he came. He grasped the edge, and a moment later the boy -and the tub were on the float, and the race was won. - -"The Tortoise wins!" cried Lanky. "Good old Tortoise! He may be slow, -but he gets there away ahead of the Hare." - -Then came dinner, and then the _Argo_ set sail again. "Now, Benjie," -said David, "you can keep that date you were telling us about. My word, -but you look impatient." - -Ben was impatient. He sat in the bow, keeping a lookout for a certain -sail. - -There were no boats to be seen, however, nearer than a three-masted -schooner that moved like a pasteboard ship along the rim of the horizon. -The _Argo_ appeared to have that part of the off-shore ocean entirely to -herself, and except for the swish of the water against her side there -was no noise to break the quiet of the summer afternoon. - -The island stood out in its shades of green against the brilliant blue -sky. The house was a patch of white as the sailboat drew up to the pier. -The landing made, the four campers went ashore. Ben started up the path -toward the house, and the others, as people are apt to do when someone -leads the way, followed without any definite object in mind. - -Ben had almost reached the front steps when the door of Cotterell Hall -opened. He stopped in surprise; and so did the other three. - -A man in colonial costume, buff-colored coat and breeches, with a -three-cornered hat in his hand, stepped out at the front door. - -The man made a bow and held out his hat in a gesture of welcome. "I give -you a good-day, gentlemen," he said. "What fortunate chance brings you -to Peter Cotterell's door?" - -Tuckerman took it on himself to answer. Returning the bow, he said, "The -good ship _Argo_ has brought four adventurers to your island, worthy -sir. We trust we do not trespass." - -The gentleman in buff stood with his hat at his hip. "You're not from -the town of Barmouth?" he asked. - -"Oh, no," said Tuckerman, and added, "Your island looked so inviting -that we made bold to come ashore." - -"I'm glad you're not from Barmouth," said the gentleman. "I have no -stomach for those folks, rebels against His Britannic Majesty's lawful -government. To visitors such as you my island and my house are always -open. Will you come in and refresh yourselves?" - -"You are very good, Sir Peter," said Tuckerman, with a smile. - -"Why do you call me 'Sir Peter'?" - -"I understood that was your title." - -The gentleman frowned. "I believe that some of the rebels call me that, -because of my loyalty to the King of England. However, it is an -honorable title. I have no objection. Yes," he added, "you may call me -Sir Peter. I like the sound." - -"Well then, Sir Peter," said Tuckerman, "I think we'll accept your -invitation with the greatest pleasure." - -The gentleman on the step stood aside, and the four marched into the -house. Sir Peter indicated a room on the left. They went into the large -drawing-room, and Ben, casting a hasty glance at the secretary, saw that -the paper he had placed on the lid was still there. - -"Be seated," said Sir Peter. He stood for a moment near the portrait on -the wall, and the campers saw how much his face and figure and the cut -of his clothes resembled those of the man in the picture. He caught -their eyes comparing him with the portrait. "Yes, my picture," he said. -"It's considered a rather fair likeness." And he added deprecatingly, -"Of course no one can ever judge a likeness of himself." - -He pulled a bell-rope that hung by the big fireplace. "I can offer you a -glass of negus," he continued. "Something unusual, that I get from the -Barbadoes." - -A moment later a dark-skinned servant--mahogany-hued in fact--came into -the room and received his master's orders. - -"Will any of you take snuff?" asked Sir Peter, when the servant had -withdrawn. He produced a small silver snuff-box from his waistcoat -pocket. - -He passed the snuff-box, but each of his guests declined. Ben, looking -up with a grin, asked, "Does your servant come from the Barbadoes, Sir -Peter?" - -"Why yes, he does." Sir Peter helped himself to a pinch of snuff, then -dusted his coat with a fine cambric handkerchief. "An excellent servant, -too. Indeed, I am much pleased with all my service, from my steward -James Sampson down." - -"James Sampson!" exclaimed Ben, his eyes dancing. "Where have I heard -that name before?" - -At this point the servant reappeared, bearing a lacquered tray on which -were five glasses and a decanter. He set the tray on a table, and as Sir -Peter filled the glasses the servant handed them to the guests. - -The refreshment was delicious. None of the boys had ever tasted anything -like it before, but all of them declared it fine. Sir Peter poured a -second glass all round, and then, when the servant had left again, the -gentleman in buff seated himself in an arm-chair, swung one leg over the -other, and beamed at his new friends. "As you say, the negus is -excellent," he observed, "but several glasses will, to use a somewhat -common expression, begin to make one see things." - -"We're seeing things already," put in David. - -Sir Peter disregarded this remark. He twisted his glass in his fingers. -"As it happens, I'm particularly glad that you arrived here to-day," he -continued. "I have a number of guests here. I am giving an entertainment -this evening. The guests are at present on the upper floors." - -There was a light tap of heels in the hall. Sir Peter looked toward the -door. "Here comes one of them--a lady." He stood up, and the campers did -likewise. "Ah, it's Mistress Penelope Boothby," Sir Peter declared with -a bow. - -A young woman stood in the doorway, a very lovely young woman in a -flowered silk gown. She courtsied down to the floor, then with a light -laugh exclaimed, "Oh la, Peter Cotterell, whom have you here? What odd -costumes the gentlemen wear!" - - - - - XVIII--THE PIRATES ASHORE - - -The gentleman in buff coat and breeches turned from the young woman in -the doorway to the four campers, who as they glanced at their own rough -outing clothes did look like a line of embarrassed schoolboys standing -in front of a teacher. - -"Now that you mention it, Penelope," said Peter Cotterell, "I do note a -difference between the garments of these lads and this gentleman and -those we are accustomed to seeing worn by our neighbors. I understand, -however, that they come from a distance, and one would hardly expect -costumes to be the same in all the colonies. It occurs to me that -possibly my new guests might like to make fresh toilets in one of the -rooms abovestairs. I have a large wardrobe, gentlemen, and it is yours -to choose from." - -"That's a good idea," said Tom. "I wonder if you have anything big -enough to fit my friend David Norton?" - -"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," said Tuckerman. "I'm sure I could -pick out something much better looking than these togs." - -The young woman stepped into the room. Her blue eyes were very merry as -she looked at the awkward row. "I think an apricot coat would suit this -one," she said, nodding at Ben. "Something in puce this one," she -indicated Tom. "Lavender for him," she waved at Tuckerman. "And for the -fourth--let me see--" She squinted her eyes and tilted her head on one -side. - -"A beautiful green," Ben suggested. "The color of seaweed in water." - -Miss Boothby laughed, and David flushed a magnificent scarlet. - -"He certainly oughtn't to wear a red coat," said Peter Cotterell. "He'd -be too much all of one color." - -"I like these things I've got on," said David. "They mayn't be very -good-looking, but they suit me first rate." - -"Oh, I like them, too," agreed Miss Boothby, and her quick smile made -David flush again, this time at the stubbornness of his tone. - -"If you care to look at my wardrobe--" Cotterell resumed. "Ah, here is -James Sampson now." - -At the door appeared a man in chocolate-colored coat and breeches, his -brown hair tied in a queue. - -"My steward," stated Cotterell. - -"So you're Sampson, are you?" asked Ben. "I've heard of you, and I'm -glad to make your acquaintance. I think I've seen some of your -handwriting." - -"He writes a legible hand," said Cotterell. "He keeps some of my -accounts. Sampson, please show my guests to the rooms upstairs. They -desire to change their attire." - -Miss Boothby touched David's arm. "For my sake wear a suit of green," -she whispered. - -David blushed. "Oh, very well," he said awkwardly. "But I guess I'll -look like a frog." - -They followed Sampson into the hall and up the stairs. As they passed -open doors they saw a number of people in gay, colonial clothes. All -through the house there was the hum of voices. - -Sampson conducted them into the attic, where many suits and dresses hung -on pegs along the walls. - -"Here is the wardrobe," he said. "I think you will find everything you -may need. And yonder is a mirror." With a bow he withdrew. - -"Well," exclaimed David, when the servant was out of earshot, "what do -you make of all this?" - -"Sir Peter is certainly much more amiable than I'd been led to suppose," -mused Tuckerman. "There's nothing of the hermit about him." - -"He's a bird!" chuckled Tom. "I'll bet he gives us a mighty fine -supper." - -"I don't blame him a bit for wanting to keep those roughnecks over in -Barmouth from melting up his silver," Ben asserted. - -"See here, you fellows," broke in David, "I want to know what's the -game." - -"Game?" echoed Ben. - -"Game?" said Tom. "What do you mean?" - -"Game?" repeated Tuckerman, and his tone was a trifle indignant. "I -don't call it a game when a gentleman like Sir Peter Cotterell invites -us to his party." - -David sat down on a sofa. "All right, all right. I'm the goat, as usual. -Fetch me a green coat and trousers." - -"I daresay Miss Boothby will dance with you," Tom cheered him. - -"_You_ may like this sort of thing," said David, "but it's not in my -line." - -Ben threw a coat at him. "Take that. Hello, here's a shelf full of wigs. -Want to try a white one, Dave?" - -For the next five minutes they looked about the room, at the coats and -the breeches and waistcoats, at the wigs and the other articles that -made up Sir Peter's wardrobe. - -Then they began to try on the costumes, seeking for the proper sizes. -Ben could find nothing that suited him exactly. And while they were -trying on different coats, there came a sound of singing from -downstairs. - -Ben, holding a coat in each hand, went into the hall and leaned over the -banisters. Men and women were singing a quaint, old-fashioned song in -the dining-room. The tune was fascinating, at times it sounded like a -jig, at times there were different parts for the different voices. Ben -listened, nodding his head in rhythm with the music. "You ought to hear -this," he called over his shoulder to the three in the attic. "It's a -regular musical show." - -The others came out into the hall. Tuckerman beat time on the banister -with a powdered wig he had been trying to squeeze on his head. Tom, -putting his hands on David's shoulders, began to dance to the tune. - -With a grin, Ben turned and went back to the attic. "I'll beat them to -it," he muttered, and flinging down the two coats he was holding he took -a yellow satin coat, embroidered with silver lace, from a peg on the -wall. - -This coat was a fine sample of the tailor's art. But Ben, having taken -it down, stared at the peg from which it had hung, and at the wall -behind it. - -He gave an exclamation, a low whistle of surprise. He knocked on the -wall with his knuckles. He glanced through the open door, and saw that -the others were still occupied with the singing. He backed away from the -wall, still keeping his eyes on it. And then he stumbled over a -footstool and sat down with a bump on the floor. - -He got up and laid the embroidered coat on a chair by the window. He -looked outdoors. And then for the second time in five minutes he uttered -an exclamation. The fishing-smack was standing close inshore on the -eastern side of the island. He could see her moving slowly to the north, -her canvas plainly visible above the tops of the trees. - -"Gee whillikins!" muttered Ben. "I'll bet my scheme worked!" - -Another minute and he was out in the hall. The singing downstairs had -stopped and there was a clapping of hands. - -"Come here!" ordered Ben. - -The other three followed him into the attic, to the window opening to -the east. - -"Is that your fishing-smack, Dave?" Ben demanded. - -David looked. "By Jove, I believe it is!" - -"Do you want to know where she's going?" was Ben's next question. - -"Shoot," said Tom. - -"She's going to the beach where I found the chest in the hiding-place in -the rocks. Her crew are after that chest, I'll bet you a fiver!" - -The three stared at him in surprise. "What makes you so certain?" asked -Tuckerman. - -"Because I know. I have reasons for knowing. They're after that chest. -They think it's the Cotterell treasure, just as I thought it was." - -"You mean they're going to land on our beach and carry off our chest -under our very noses?" demanded Tom. - -"They are unless we stop them," nodded Ben. - -"Then," said David, "I'm going to stop them. Seems to me there was an -old musket somewhere around here." - -There was an old musket in the corner of the attic; there were two, in -fact; and a fowling-piece and a couple of antique duelling-pistols. The -boys and Tuckerman seized on all the firearms, regardless of the rust -that came off on their clothes, and hurried into the hall. - -Down the stairs they went, making a great noise. And the clatter of -their feet was so loud that the gentleman in buff and all his friends -ran out from the dining-room to see what was the matter. - -"Why, it's an army coming!" cried Peter Cotterell in great surprise. - -The four halted in the front hall. - -"What's the meaning of this!" exclaimed Cotterell. "I invited you to -share my wardrobe, not to ransack the house for weapons. Come, will one -of you please explain?" Indignation mingled in his tone with surprise. - -"There's a boat off-shore, and her crew is going to land on the beach at -the northern point and steal your treasure chest," said Ben. - -"My treasure chest! My silver plate!" Cotterell raised his hand, -clenched it into a fist. "Those rascally rebels from Barmouth!" - -"I don't know where they come from," said Ben. "But we're going to chase -them away." - -"Chase them away?" Cotterell spurned the suggestion. "No, sir. We'll -capture them." - -He looked around at his guests. "Gentlemen, what do you say? Would you -like to bag a few robbers?" - -There were shouts of approval. - -"Not so loud, not so loud," said Cotterell. He turned to the boys and -Tuckerman. "Can you spare us a few of those extra musquetoons, or -whatever they are, that you found abovestairs? With those, and the -fencing swords in the living-room, and a few other odds and ends, we -should do quite nicely. I have a pistol myself. I never go without it in -these revolutionary days. Let me see. I left it in the kitchen, in a pot -on the shelf, where it would be out of the way." - -The firearms were handed around, and shortly a group of -fantastically-garbed people stood in front of the house. The campers and -Cotterell and Sampson were to lead the expedition, and some of the -ladies insisted on bringing up the rear. - -They had not gone far, however, when Sampson suggested a new idea to the -others, and after a few minutes' talk Cotterell's steward and two of the -other men left the main party and turned off in the direction of the -creek. - -Through the woods went the expedition, a long line of people following -Ben, who had a musket almost as long as himself stuck over his shoulder, -which necessitated his constantly ducking and dodging to avoid -overhanging branches. - -When they reached the northern edge of the woods they divided into three -bands. One was headed by Ben and David, the second by Tom and Cotterell, -and the third by Tuckerman. Each band was to make its way down to the -beach in front of the rocks by a different path, but not to come out -from the shelter of the bushes in the ravines until its leader was sure -that the crew from the fishing-smack had landed and were looking for the -chest. The ladies were to stay in the woods. To this Miss Penelope -Boothby objected. She said that with the riding-crop she had picked up -in the house she could easily defend herself against a dozen pirates. -Cotterell said, "I'm sure you could, my dear Penelope. But the bright -colors of your gown might give us away. And if we have to crawl through -the brambles, what would happen to your light silk dress?" - -Ben and David, with two men, threaded their way down a ravine to a -network of bushes that fringed the edge of the beach. From here, without -being seen themselves, they could see what was going on. The -fishing-smack had come to anchor a hundred yards off shore, four men had -rowed to the island and were now on the beach. Pointing to one of these -men, David whispered in Ben's ear, "That's my friend Sam. I'd know his -ugly mug anywhere." - -"They're after the chest," Ben returned. "Yes, they've found the right -place. See, one of them's crawling in, with a rope in his hand." - -Three bands of watchers, at three places along the beach, saw the crew -of the smack haul the chest out from the crevice. As soon as they had it -out they threw open the top. And as they all bent over, eager to lay -hands on the Cotterell treasure, a voice hailed them from a clump of -bushes not fifty feet away. - -"Throw up your hands!" cried the voice. "Throw them up quick!" - -The crew stood up. They saw a man in buff coat and breeches facing them, -a pistol in his hand. - -"Up with your hands!" cried another voice from a bush on the other side. - -The crew hesitated a second. One of them glanced over his shoulder. -"They've got us cornered!" he muttered, and stuck his hands up over his -head. - -The three scouting parties marched out on to the beach. The muskets and -firearms were leveled at the four men round the chest. - -"It's a regular army!" exclaimed one of the crew. And putting on as much -of an air of bravado as he could with his hands above his head, he -demanded, "What do you want of us? We're not stealing anything. We found -that chest here." - -"Keep your hands up!" cautioned Cotterell, as he walked forward. "As you -say, you're surrounded by an army. And while your hands are up, I'll ask -some of my friends to see if you have weapons in your pockets." - -The search was quickly made, and each man relieved of a pistol. - -"Now," said Cotterell, "you may ease your muscles. But let me tell you -the first one who tries to get away will be knocked down and -handcuffed." - -"All right. We'll go easy," said the man who was known to David as Sam. -"But I don't know what you're after. We came ashore and saw this box in -that crack in the rocks." - -"It's my box," said Cotterell. "I own everything on this island." - -"Well, take it if it's yours," growled Sam. "We don't want it. I thought -a box on the beach was public property." - -"You think a good many things are public property," Cotterell retorted. -He looked at Ben and David. "Have either of you seen this man anywhere -before?" - -"I have," said David. "He's the fellow who carried me off in that boat -out there." - -"Has anybody here seen any of these other men?" Cotterell asked next. - -Tom spoke up. "I'm pretty sure they're the fellows Lanky Larry and I -followed from the cove to the house called the Gables." - -"And what are they suspected of having done at the Gables?" continued -Cotterell. - -"Of stealing some jewels," said Tom. - -The man in the buff coat nodded. "In other words, they are probably not -very desirable citizens to have at large. I think it's my duty to give -them into custody." - -"Oh, come now," said Sam. "You don't really know anything about us. -There's your chest. You see we haven't taken anything from it. We were -sailing along the coast and we came ashore to have a look at the island. -That's a reasonable thing to do." - -"You haven't any right to arrest us!" exclaimed one of the other men. -"You haven't got a warrant. And who's going to believe what that young -fellow said about seeing us somewhere else?" - -"Perhaps we can supply the authorities with further proof," said -Cotterell with a smile. - -There came a shout from someone on board the fishing-smack, and all -those on the beach looked in that direction. A man was waving a -handkerchief over the side of the boat. - - - - - XIX--THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - - -While the campers and Cotterell and his guests had been making prisoners -of the four men on the beach, the steward Sampson and the two others who -had separated from the main party had embarked in a motor-boat that was -moored in the creek and made their way out to the fishing-smack. To the -surprise of the skipper, who was the only man aboard, two men in -fantastic knee-breeches had swung themselves over one side of his boat -while he was idly surveying the northern point of the island from the -other side. He turned to find himself looking at the muzzle of the most -remarkable pistol he had ever seen. Being unarmed himself, he had -immediately put up his hands. Whereupon the two men had smiled, and the -one with the pistol, lowering that ancient weapon, had said, "That's a -good fellow. Is there anyone else aboard?" - -"No," said the skipper, not wanting to have the smack searched. - -"Take a look through his clothes for a weapon," the man with the pistol -said to his companion. - -No weapon was found. The man in the motor-boat came aboard, and two of -the men went into the smack's cabin, while the third guarded the -skipper. - -When the two returned from the cabin some time later, one of them went -to the rail and shouted and waved his handkerchief toward shore. And -presently Cotterell and Tom, David and Ben rowed out in the smack's -boat. - -In the cabin were the hats and cloaks and the other things that Tom and -Lanky had seen in the shack at the cove. Sampson set out at once in the -motor-boat for Barmouth, and before the sun had touched the tops of the -trees the four men on the beach and the skipper were in custody of the -police, charged with having stolen certain valuables from the Gables. - -"Well," said Cotterell, when he and his guests were again on the island, -"my treasure is still secure from the rebels, thanks to you," and he -bowed to the campers. - -"Oh, is your famous dinner-set really in that chest?" asked Miss -Penelope Boothby. She went to the chest and looked at its contents. -"Why, it's only clothes and bric-a-brac! There's no silverware there." - -"No," said Cotterell, smiling. "That is not my silver plate. I keep it -better hid than that." - -"Oh, do let us dine off it to-night," begged Miss Boothby. "I should -dearly love to see it." - -Cotterell looked perplexed. "Why, I should like you to," he answered. -Then he glanced at the sun. "But the party waits. And it was my -intention to dance a minuet on the lawn before my house while it was -daylight. Come, friends, come along with me." - -They went back through the woods. The boys and Tuckerman branched off by -the path to their camp, promising to come to Cotterell Hall in time to -join the party. And, once out of hearing of the others, David turned to -Ben. "You're a cute fellow, Benjie. How'd you ever guess that the men -from the smack would go after that chest?" - -"I don't mind telling you now," said Ben with a grin. "I was pretty sure -that those men were snooping around the house, looking for clues to the -treasure, and so I put a copy of that message on the parchment out on -the lid of the desk, where they couldn't very well fail to see it. Then -I went down on the beach by the cliff when the smack was fairly near -shore, and tried to give them the notion that I was looking for -something. Well, they bit all right. They thought the treasure was -hidden there, just as I thought myself when I first saw Sampson's -message." - -"I'll hand it to you, sonny," said Tom. "You turned the trick! And -that's the crowd that stole the jewels from the Gables, just as I -thought." - -"They stole some of Mr. Fitzhugh's costumes," said Ben. "It seems to me -that the fact that we found those costumes in the cabin shows what -they've been doing." - -They sat on the bank a few minutes, talking over the adventure. Then -Tuckerman stood up. "Well, we're due at Cotterell Hall. Wash your hands -and brush your hair, so you'll look your smartest." - -"Do you suppose we'll have to dance?" asked David, as he ran a comb -through his thatch of hair. - -"I think that one of the ladies has her eye on you," said Tuckerman, -laughing. "However, if you've got a game leg, I'll be glad to take your -place." - -As they reached the house Peter Cotterell came out at the door. Behind -him were Miss Boothby and Sampson. "My wardrobe is still upstairs," the -buff-coated man said genially. "Make what use of it you please." - -This time the campers found costumes quickly. Even Ben, who kept looking -at the row of pegs from which he had taken down the yellow satin coat, -got into that coat and a pair of breeches. There was the sound of a -violin in front of the house, and as they came down the steps they found -the whole party taking places for a dance. - -"I'm afraid we don't know the minuet," said Tuckerman, hesitating. - -"Oh, it's easy enough," said the host. "I'll call off the figures." - -Ben gave Tom a nudge, and pointed out two men who stood at a little -distance with a big camera. "Sir Peter's up to date," he whispered. "I -guess it's the first time anyone ever took moving-pictures on -Cotterell's Island." - -Meantime Miss Boothby had gone up to David and boldly proclaimed that he -was to dance with her. The suit that David had put on in the attic -happened to be green, and when she reminded him that that was the color -she had asked him to wear he turned beet red and stammered something -about "trying to please a lady." - -[Illustration: "My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you -please."] - -"We will stand near Mr. Cotterell, and I will show you all the steps," -she said. "I could tell you were very light on your feet the very first -time I saw you." - -"Well, I can pick them up pretty well in a clog or a shuffle," admitted -David. - -"I knew it! I knew it!" exclaimed the delighted Miss Boothby; and -pouncing on David's hand she led him to where Peter Cotterell was -assigning places to the dancers. - -Tom and Ben and Tuckerman all had partners. The violin began to play, -and Cotterell led off the dance. The host was very graceful and so was -the lady he danced with, and they posed and bowed and courtsied -constantly as they went through the stately measures of the minuet. The -others copied their leaders, and after a few minutes' practice contrived -to do it well. Meantime the camera clicked, taking reels of pictures of -the old-fashioned dance. - -There was a final bow and courtesy, a final posing in position. Then -Cotterell raised his hand. "That was beautifully done, my friends," he -said. "Surely my island home has never witnessed a more graceful scene. -I trust you have all gained an excellent appetite for dinner." - -"What a gorgeous sunset!" exclaimed Miss Boothby, looking toward the -water. - -They all moved down in the direction of the pier. As they came in view -of the broad and many-colored bay they saw a sailboat heading for the -landing. Cotterell stopped and again raised his hand. "Can it be that -the people of Barmouth are coming out here again?" he demanded -indignantly. "I'll have nothing to do with them, and they know it! I -will not give them my plate!" - -The sailboat came on. Cotterell, followed by the others, walked out on -the pier. - -"What do you want?" called out the buff-coated man. "This is Cotterell's -Island." - -"We know it is," answered a man in the boat. "Who are you? You look like -Sir Peter." - -"I don't want any rebels from Barmouth landing here," came the reply. - -"There aren't any rebels nowadays. We won the Revolution." - -"You shan't have my silver plate." - -There were laughs from those in the boat. "We don't want it. We've -brought paper plates of our own." - -"Well," said Cotterell, "this is most extraordinary!" He turned to his -guests. "Shall I let them land?" - -"We've got an ice cream freezer aboard," called a girl in the boat. -"Fresh strawberry ice cream." - -"Yes," said Miss Boothby, at Cotterell's elbow, "we'll let them land -with that cargo." - -The sailboat touched the landing-stage, and two men, two women and two -girls got out. "Hello, Benjie," cried Milly Hallett, waving her hand to -the dark-haired boy. "What grand company you've got!" - -The arrivals were Mr. and Mrs. Hallett and Mr. and Mrs. Hooper and Milly -and Sarah. They went up on the pier, where Tom introduced them to Peter -Cotterell. - -Mr. Hallett looked at the company. "I'd no idea, sir," he said, -addressing Cotterell, "that your island was entertaining so many guests -to-day. I wish I'd brought a dozen gallons of strawberry ice cream." - -"You are welcome anyhow, Mr. Hallett," answered Cotterell graciously. "I -think perhaps I can supply any deficiency." He turned to his steward. -"Sampson, will you bring Mr. Hallett's ice cream freezer up to the -Hall?" - -"Oh, no, Sir Peter," protested Mr. Hallett. "We were going to have a -simple picnic supper outdoors." - -The buff-coated gentleman bowed. "Your pardon, sir; but I am the -overlord here. Those whom I allow to land on my island are my guests -during their stay. You must dine at my board." - -Peter Cotterell offered his arm to Mrs. Hallett, and led the way up to -the house. Sampson and Tom brought up the rear, carrying the ice cream -freezer. - -They all went into the large front room. "Dinner in half-an-hour," -announced the host. - -"That reminds me," said Miss Boothby; "since we're all friends here, -aren't you going to offer us dinner from your silver plate?" - -"Really, Penelope," expostulated Cotterell, "you repeat yourself. That's -the second time this afternoon you've mentioned the same idea." - -"It seems only hospitable," pouted Miss Boothby. - -Cotterell looked at the floor. "Well, you see," he began. "You see----" - -The lady interrupted. "I believe you've forgotten where you put it!" - -There was an awkward pause. Cotterell flushed, bit his lip. - -"Well, if he has," piped up Ben, "he's only mislaid it. I think I can -show him where it is." - -Everyone turned to look at the fellow who spoke with such confidence. -John Tuckerman stared, and so did Tom, while David gave a low whistle -and muttered, "It's just like Benjie to do something ridiculous." - -Cotterell smiled. "I am a great hand at mislaying things--it's my -besetting sin. Now I would be very much obliged if you would show me -where I did put that silverware." - -"How funny," said Miss Boothby, "that a total stranger should know. I -understand that he came here for the first time this afternoon." - -"What joke is he going to play on them?" Tuckerman whispered to Tom. "I -can't imagine what he's got in mind." - -"He's putting up a good bluff," Tom whispered back. "He looks very much -in earnest." - -And Ben did look as if his statement had been perfectly reasonable. He -nodded at Cotterell. "You may be a great hand at mislaying things--I -don't know much about that; but I do know that you're a wonder at hiding -them." - -"That's so, I am," agreed the buff-coated man with a pleased chuckle. "I -can hide things so well that very often I don't know where to look for -them myself." - -"Well," said Miss Boothby, "where is the silver? It's almost time for -dinner." - -Ben bowed, imitating the courtly manner of Cotterell. "Ladies and -gentlemen," said he, "if you will be so good as to fall into line behind -me, I will endeavor to answer Miss Boothby's question." - -Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ben, in his yellow satin coat and -knee-breeches, went into the hall and up the stairs, followed by -Cotterell, Penelope Boothby, Milly and Sarah, Tuckerman, Tom and David, -and a line of men and women. - -He led them into the attic. When they were all in the big room he -pointed to the wall along which ran the row of pegs from one of which he -had taken the coat. - -"Now," he said, "please tell me what you see." - -"A wall," answered Milly promptly, "with some pegs to hang things on." - -"Miss Hallett is certainly right," said Tuckerman. "There may be some -cobwebs, too, up under the ceiling. Do you mean the cobwebs, Ben?" - -"There are lots of more interesting things here," said Sarah, looking -around. "There's that lovely green lacquered temple." - -"Don't joke with the magician, Sally," David admonished her. "He wants -you to look at those pegs." - -"No, that particular wall is the most interesting thing in this attic," -Ben declared stoutly. "I think it's the most interesting thing in the -house." - -They all looked where he pointed, but none of them caught what he was -driving at. - -"Why, Professor Tuckerman," said Ben, "I thought you were a better -observer." - -"Well, I don't see anything but the pegs and some rather dingy -wallpaper," Tuckerman confessed. - -"Ah, now you're talking! You do see the wallpaper, do you?" Ben -continued. - -"Of course," said Tuckerman. "It's the pictured kind, like that in the -rooms downstairs." - -"Oh, no, it's not," exclaimed Ben. "There's not another piece like that -in Cotterell Hall." - -"Is that so?" said Tuckerman. "Well, it represents some sort of outdoor -scene." - -"I think those are meant to be pine trees," Cotterell put in. - -"And that looks like a sunset," Miss Boothby contributed. "Though some -of the red has rubbed off." - -Ben bobbed his head. "And those yellowish things are rocks." He stepped -up to the wallpaper and pointed with his finger. "Three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down." He turned. "Does that convey -anything to you, Professor?" - -"By Jove! You're right! So it does!" Tuckerman exclaimed. "That was the -old saying! The hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down." - -"Exactly!" said Ben, in a quiet tone of triumph. He rapped on the wall -with his knuckles. "It's wood. Mr. Cotterell, have you any objection to -our taking this part of the wall down?" - -"None in the least," answered Cotterell. "Sampson, will you be so good -as to get some chisels and hammers? I think you'll find them in the -little room to the right of the kitchen." - -While Sampson went on his errand Ben and Tom and Tuckerman fingered that -part of the wall that was bounded by the picture. They found the edges -of two boards, running from floor to ceiling, and when they had peeled -off the paper that concealed these edges they discovered there was a -panel. - -Sampson returned with a couple of chisels and hammers. Wedging the -chisels in between the boards and giving a couple of light blows, he -pried the panel loose. Ben pulled it away. Behind it, under the eaves of -the house, was a compartment. And in the compartment was a big square -box. - -Ben and Tom and Tuckerman pulled the box out into the attic. It was -fastened with a single lock. Hammer and chisel soon knocked the lock -off. Tuckerman raised the lid. "Yes, it's the Cotterell silver plate!" -he cried. "By Jove, we've found it now!" - -They handed the plate around, magnificent old silverware that was worth -a small fortune. And they were still admiring it when a dinner gong -sounded downstairs. - - - - - XX--SIR PETER'S PARTY - - -When none of his guests could eat any more of the delicious ice cream -that topped off a wonderful dinner, the buff-coated gentleman rose from -his chair at the head of the table. They had dined from the famous -Cotterell silver service, and the candles that now illuminated the -shining mahogany table were fastened in exquisite candlesticks that had -been in the treasure chest. - -The buff-coated gentleman raised a glass that stood beside his plate. -"My friends," he said, "our guests from Barmouth tell us that the -Revolution is over; so there would be no object in keeping the Cotterell -treasure hidden any longer. But it was well hidden. So well hidden -indeed that it required a genius like Benjamin Sully to find out where -it was. I propose a toast to that master detective, Benjamin Sully." - -All, except Ben, lifted their glasses and drank, nodding at the -dark-haired boy. - -Then Ben stood up. "I propose a toast to Sir Peter," he said, "who -surely does know how to give people a good time." - -That toast was drunk also. Then Tuckerman got to his feet. "Sir Peter, I -am proud of you," he said. "I don't believe a more delightful party was -ever given in Cotterell Hall." - -The man at the head of the table smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that, -John Tuckerman," he responded. "For, in a way, I felt that to-night I'd -been usurping a place that was rightfully yours. For, of course, this is -your house, and this is your silver plate." - -"Then who are you?" piped up Sarah Hooper from the foot of the table. - -"I think he's Roderick Fitzhugh," said Tom, who sat beside Sarah. - -"I think he's Mr. Joseph Hastings," volunteered Ben. - -The buff-coated gentleman nodded, "You are both right. Joseph Hastings, -Roderick Fitzhugh, and Peter Cotterell. I'm quite a versatile fellow. -I've a passion for acting, to tell the truth." - -"I thought you were Joseph Hastings," said Ben, "when I met you at the -Gables." - -"Yes, that's my right name. But Roderick Fitzhugh sounded so much more -romantic. And I'd invited a houseful of guests to help me act a play I'd -written for the moving-pictures. We all took the names we were to have -in the play." He pointed to Penelope Boothby. "She was the fair Maid -Rosalind. And my steward Sampson yonder was Sir Marmaduke Midchester. -And we liked our costumes so much that we wore them most of the time. -That's how I happened to be in Lincoln green when Master Ben drove up." - -"And it was the snuff-box you bought in Barmouth that I found in the -chest in the cliff," asserted Ben. "How did it happen to come there?" - -Joseph Hastings pushed his chair back from the table and crossed his -legs. "That's quite a long story. But I suppose you'd like to hear it. I -have a friend who knows John Tuckerman very well, and he wrote me that -Tuckerman had come here to take possession of this island and its house. -That sounded very interesting. So I came over here in my motor-boat with -Martin Locke--that's Sir Marmaduke, alias Sampson, and Miss Adelaide -Lawson--that's Penelope Boothby--it was a day or two before you campers -arrived--and we found we could open one of the drawing-room windows and -get into the house that way. Then we discovered the note stuck in the -picture frame, and so we learned there was a secret about a family -treasure." - -"And you left the window open a little when you went out," put in Tom. -"That's how it happened that Ben's candle blew out." - -"Did we?" said Hastings. "I didn't know we did that. But we found some -wax and took an impression of the key-hole in the front door, and I had -a key made to fit it in Barmouth. I thought we'd have some fun with John -Tuckerman and his friends." - -"You did, all right," said Tuckerman. "I'll forgive you for making that -key. I suppose that's what those men from the fishing-smack did when -they broke in here." - -"I'm sorry if I set a bad example," Hastings answered. "But they didn't -learn the trick from us. Well, a day or two later we three came back -again." - -"You landed from the creek?" Ben asked. - -"Yes; we didn't want you to see us, and the creek was on the other side -of the island from your camp." - -"And one of you took off his shoes before he landed?" Ben questioned -again. - -"Yes, Martin did. He carried Miss Lawson ashore." Hastings laughed. "You -saw his footprints, didn't you? We thought you might find them, so we -came back later and rubbed them out." - -"Gigantic footprints," murmured David. - -They all laughed, while Martin Locke blushed red. - -"Yes, they are pretty big," Hastings continued. "Well, when we came that -time we found the notebooks in the drawing-room. Miss Lawson glanced -through them, and read that part about a mahogany man with long, skinny -legs and the clipper ship. We got an old piece of parchment and some -purplish ink and we wrote out that message and signed it James Sampson. -Then we cut it in two and put one-half in the secret drawer of the -secretary and the other half in the model of a ship in the attic. We -wanted to find out just how clever you were. We thought you might take -the desk to be the mahogany man." - -"We got the idea of that from something Sally Hooper said," Ben put in. -"And the secretary certainly has long, skinny legs and is made of -mahogany. Still, we mightn't have connected it with Sir Peter's mahogany -man, if it hadn't been for Sally." - -"Well, if you hadn't," Hastings continued, "we'd have thought up some -other way to have you find that message on the parchment. We were very -proud of that little scheme. Martin wrote the letters with his left -hand, so they'd look as if Sir Peter's servant might have done them, and -he put water into the ink, so as to give it a nice, antique, faded -appearance. We wanted you to have the fun of finding some sort of a -treasure, you see." - -"And didn't you take a look around for the real treasure mentioned in -the note in the picture frame?" Tuckerman asked. - -"Well, we did take a squint," Hastings acknowledged. "But we didn't -think it likely we'd find that, if none of the Cotterells had been able -to do it. We thought more about having some fun with you campers." He -looked at the three boys. "And we did give you a good time, didn't -we?--particularly Ben?" - -"Yes, you did," nodded Ben. "I was pretty well excited when I found that -second piece of parchment in the hold of the ship." - -"When we'd fixed up the message," Hastings resumed, "the next thing was -to provide the treasure. Of course we'd already made a note of that -crevice in the cliffs with the mark like a cross. I had an old chest at -the Gables, and we filled it with some old costumes I had on hand, and -then one day when I was in Barmouth I picked up some odds and ends from -a dealer in antiques there, a fellow by the name of Haskins." - -"And that's where the silver snuff-box comes in," said Ben. - -"Yes, that's where it comes in," Hastings admitted. "Though I must say -that I was surprised when you drove up to the Gables that day and wanted -to know if Joseph Hastings had anything to do with that snuff-box you'd -found on the island. I didn't tell the dealer my name." - -"No, he didn't know your name," said Ben. "I asked him that. You see, as -soon as I saw what was in the chest I had a suspicion that someone was -playing a game on us. Those things weren't the Cotterell treasure; and -why should anyone take so much trouble to hide such things on the -island? Then I knew there had been people here, the footprints by the -creek, the handkerchief in the kitchen----" - -"What's that about a handkerchief?" interrupted Martin Locke. - -"The Professor found a handkerchief on the table in the kitchen," Ben -explained. "A lady's handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L." - -"So that's where I left it!" exclaimed Miss Lawson. "Those are my -initials--Adelaide Sanderson Lawson." - -"Yes, there was the handkerchief and there were the footprints," Ben -continued. "That showed we weren't the only people who had been to the -island. And so, when we went to Barmouth, I took the snuffbox along, and -dropped in on Mr. Haskins. He knew the snuff-box at once, and told me -that the man who had bought it from him, and some other things too, had -come in a big red car with a silver eagle on the radiator cap, and that -the car had a Massachusetts license and the man was wearing -green-checked knickerbockers. He didn't know the man's name." - -"I guess those green checks are rather conspicuous," murmured Hastings. -"But how did you connect the purchaser with me?" - -"Through the clerk at the hotel where you stopped for dinner, and the -man you bought a new tire from," Ben answered, and he told how he had -found his way to the Gables. - -"Pretty clever," laughed Hastings. "But instead of finding out why I'd -put those things in the chest you went hooked-rug hunting with me." - -"Well," said Ben, "when we came back to your house I thought you must be -Joseph Hastings, but I didn't get any good opening to follow up the -clue. And then there was all that excitement over the robbers. But when -I saw you doing those moving-pictures I sized you up as a person who'd -like to play a game of some sort on us." - -"I don't know whether that's a knock at me or not," said Hastings. "But -I do like to play games. And that's why, when I learned that you'd found -the chest, I thought it would be good fun to come over here as Sir Peter -Cotterell, dress my guests in Revolutionary costumes, and take some -moving-pictures on the island. Martin and I came over to see about it; -that was the afternoon when you invited us to stay to supper and Martin -sang his song." - -"It was a splendid idea," said Tuckerman, "and you did it up brown." - -"Thank you." Hastings bowed. "Such words from a descendant of Sir Peter -are a compliment indeed. We learned that you were going over to the -water sports at Camp Amoussock this morning, so we thought we'd have a -clear field. We brought a flotilla of boats--they're moored in the creek -now--and a good supply of costumes, and cooks and food and the -moving-picture camera. I had one of my men make up like a servant from -the Barbadoes, stain his face and hands with mahogany juice; he's the -one who brought us the negus; though it isn't really negus--it's -loganberry juice and soda-water--and I got Martin Locke to play the part -of Sampson." Hastings looked at Locke and laughed. "Though I don't think -Martin could possibly have carried that treasure chest all the way from -here to the north shore." - -"You certainly do things up thoroughly," said Mr. Hallett. - -"But what made the party a real success," said Hastings, "was what our -friend Ben Sully did. First, the capture of the thieves, and second, the -finding of the real Cotterell treasure. That's a pretty fine showing for -one day, Ben." - -"It was just luck I found that chest in the attic," Ben answered. "I -thought all along that the pines and the rocks mentioned in that -notebook were actual outdoor pines and rocks, just as I suppose -everybody's thought who's hunted for the treasure. I've been up in the -attic a lot of times, and never particularly noticed the wallpaper--it's -pretty much faded and blurred, as you saw; but when I was taking this -coat off one of the pegs this afternoon, I did happen to notice that -there was a yellowish sun and some pines and rocks in the design on the -wall. Then the idea struck me all at once. Mightn't that be the place -the words in the notebook meant? And the more I looked at that wallpaper -the more I felt certain of it. I suppose Sir Peter told someone jokingly -one day that the treasure was hidden beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down, and that fooled the people -who've looked for it ever since. He surely did like his joke." - -"Why didn't you tell us about it as soon as you hit on that great idea, -Benjie?" It was Tom who asked the question. - -"Why, then I saw the fishing-smack, and wanted to go after the thieves." - -"But afterwards?" said Tom. "Don't tell me you'd forgotten about it when -we stopped at the camp." - -Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. "Why, the fact is," he replied, "I -thought I'd like to spring it at a dramatic moment. I had an idea that -Miss Boothby would ask Sir Peter again to show us the Cotterell silver -plate--she wanted to tease him about it--and when she had him up a tree -would be the right time for me to speak out and tell what I'd -discovered." - -"That's one on you, Adelaide," laughed Joseph Hastings. "Ben saw how you -love to ask awkward questions. And he likes dramatic things as much as I -do. He sprung it at just the right moment." - -Tuckerman stood up and walked to the door that opened into the hall. -From there he looked down the length of the room, at the table gleaming -with silver, at the many candles, at the gaily-clad company. "Yes," he -said, "I think this is worthy of Sir Peter. I'm glad that Cotterell Hall -has held high festival once more." - -"Sir Peter was a dear," said Miss Lawson. "I've liked him ever since I -saw that picture of him in the drawing-room. And it's a wonderful house, -Mr. Tuckerman. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to live -here?" - -"I can't very well," Tuckerman answered, with a shake of his head. "My -home's in the middle West. I'm not like my Uncle Christopher and his -ancestors; I can't live on an island in solitary grandeur. I'm too fond -of people." - -"Why don't you turn it into a show-place?" suggested Milly Hallett. -"That's getting to be quite the fashionable thing to do with colonial -houses." - -"We've talked about that," said Tuckerman. His eyes roved over the fine -room; and after a minute he shook his head. "Cotterell Hall a museum? -No, I couldn't do that. But I'll tell you what I would like to do. I'd -like to come here every summer, and have Tom and Ben and David camp out -with me, and have Joseph Hastings bring his house-parties over here and -spend a week as my guests." - -There were cheers from all the company, the rafters rang with the noise -as each and every one shouted his or her acceptance. Hastings jumped to -his feet. - -"In the name of us all I accept your invitation. We will come, and dance -in your drawing-room and dine from your table, as they did in Sir -Peter's day. And now, friends and fellow-citizens, I propose three -cheers--three long and rousing cheers--for John Tuckerman!" - -The cheers were given--long and rousing enough to suit even Joseph -Hastings. - -Then the buff-coated man waved his hand. "As your host for the evening, -I invite you to go to the drawing-room and dance something a little more -modern than the minuet. Miss Sarah Hooper, will you do me the honor?" - -Sarah and Mr. Hastings led the way across the hall to the front room, -where the rugs had been removed from the polished floor. The music was a -piano and violin. And everybody danced, even David, who contrived to jig -about not too awkwardly with Milly Hallett. - -Then there were songs. Martin Locke sang the ballad he had written, and -Tuckerman sang, and Miss Lawson sang several times. Presently Hastings -glanced at the clock. "I don't like to mention it," said he, "but it's -almost midnight. To the boats, to the boats, and away!" - -They all trooped out to the creek, where the flotilla was moored. Ladies -in silks and satins and beruffled gentlemen embarked. With cheers from -the shore, Joseph Hastings' fleet steered down the inlet and turned -south. - -Then the sailboat from Barmouth, with the Halletts and Hoopers, flitted -away from the landing-stage on the other side of the island. The boys -and Tuckerman went along the shore to their camp. - -"Great doings!" said Tom. "But how are we ever going to keep Benjie busy -now that the treasure is found?" - -"Don't you worry about me," Ben retorted. "I've got plenty to do. The -sea is still full of fish." - -"He's after a mahogany fish with long, skinny legs," said David. - -"What I want to know," said Ben, "is whether there ever was a real -mahogany man." - -"I think there was," said Tuckerman. "But he sailed away in the clipper -ship. He probably went to the Barbadoes." - -Tom gave a great yawn. "Well," he said, "Ben can sit up and talk about -him as long as he likes; but for me--I'm going to bed. It's been what -I'd call a full day." - - - - - XXI--THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - -Tuckerman pulled himself up on to the rock where Tom and David and Ben -were sitting in the sun. The quiet of early morning was on the water; a -few terns were fishing for their breakfast; there was the distant -chug-chug of a lobsterman's motor-boat somewhere to the south; but -otherwise the campers had the shore and the bay to themselves. Tuckerman -sat down, sticking his long legs out in front of him. "I may not be a -duck," he said, "but I'm certainly getting web-feet. I feel almost as -much at home in the water as on dry land." - -"You're a good swimmer," said Tom. "In fact, you're an all-around sport. -I don't believe any of the Cotterells knew a quarter as much about the -water as you do." - -"I can't picture Sir Peter sunning himself on this rock after a morning -swim," said David. - -"Customs change with the times." Tuckerman slapped his wet knees. "But I -can tell you I'm glad I came on East this summer and learned to be a -real man." - -"So am I," said Ben. "No, I didn't mean it that way. Of course you were -a real man before. What I mean is that the camp on your island has been -a great success. It's taught me a lot." - -"Benjie, are you really going to be a professional detective?" David -inquired. "Seems to me I heard someone say that you were thinking of -it." - -"One mistake I made at first," Ben remarked solemnly, "was in thinking -that the men who put that chest in the rocks and those that Tom saw -leaving the island in the sailboat were the same people. I thought there -was only one set of men prowling around here, when there were really -two." - -Tuckerman smiled. "I don't wonder you got them mixed. Well, I'm glad -Joseph Hastings' guests got their jewels back from those thieves." - -"You see," Ben continued, following his own line of thought, "the -thieves came out here on the night when Tom saw them in a sailboat, and -not in the fishing-smack. And I think it must have been that same -sailboat we saw close to the island the night when we returned from Camp -Amoussock in the _Argo_." He pried loose a sliver of rock and threw it -into the water. "Naturally, I didn't connect that sailboat with the -fishing-smack." - -"You're forgiven," said Tom. "Don't let that weigh on your conscience." - -"I'm not sure," suggested David, "but that we ought to call Benjie the -Professor and call Mr. Tuckerman, John. Benjie's getting to be a real -professor. Just listen to the way he talks." - -"Ever since he found the treasure----" began Tom. - -"Oh, let up on a fellow, can't you?" Ben interrupted. "I haven't -mentioned the treasure to-day." - -David gave a chuckle. "You haven't been out of bed an hour yet. And that -puts me in mind of something important. Breakfast is waiting on the -beach." - -Four splashes of water as the campers dove from the rock. Tuckerman -could manage a very passable dive now. A swim across to the beach, a -rub-down, a quick donning of clothes, and then preparations for -breakfast. "I've never known coffee to taste so good as it does on -Cotterell's Island," said Tuckerman, draining his cup. - -Tom looked up at the man with the horn-rimmed spectacles. "Have you ever -known anything to taste so good as it does on Cotterell's Island?" he -asked with a twinkle in his eye. - -"No, now I come to think of it, I don't believe I ever have. It's a -wonderful place." - -"Wonderful cooking, you mean," put in David. - -"Wonderful fish," said Ben. - -"Just listen to them," expostulated Tom. "Each taking the credit to -himself. When the fact of the matter is that it's all due to me. You'd -never have come out here, Professor, would you, if I hadn't agreed to -come along?" - -"Picture me alone here!" said Tuckerman. "No, I didn't believe I should. -Alone on a deserted island. It sounds all right in stories; but for -practical purposes give me three companions. Boys, when I go back to my -middle-western city I'll think a great deal about this summer on the -coast." - -"It is pretty good here," David admitted, looking across the water to -where a white sail was peeping around a point of land. "And in winter -there's fine skating." - -"And wonderful coasting," said Ben. "There's a hill back of Barmouth -where you can coast for a mile." - -"And skiing," Tom added. "You ought to be good at that, Professor, -you've got such long legs." - -Tuckerman put his hands to his ears. "Hold on, hold on!" he exclaimed. -"You overwhelm me. Do you want to make me desert my home and business, -and do nothing but play?" - -The three boys laughed. "We don't play all the time by any means," said -Ben. - -"Not a bit of it," said David. "Sometimes we wash the dishes." And -taking Ben by the collar of his flannel shirt he lifted him to his feet. -"Benjie'll show you how we do it." - -When they had cleaned the dishes they walked over to Cotterell Hall. -Tuckerman opened the front door, which was unlocked. "While I was so -very particular about the key," he chuckled, "both Joseph Hastings and -the crew of the fishing-smack were coming in whenever they wanted. They -made their own keys to fit the locks. Well, I ought to have been more -hospitable." - -A week had passed since the famous party, and in that week the police of -Barmouth had found the jewels that were stolen from the Gables, and also -duplicate keys to the front and back doors of Cotterell Hall, hidden in -the cabin of the fishing-smack. On the strength of that, and of the -testimony of Tom and David and Lanky Larry as to what they had seen on -the afternoon when they were at the cove, Sam and the other men had been -held in jail for the next term of court. - -"There's one thing," said Ben, as the four went into the big room on the -left of the hall, "that still puzzles me a bit. Why did Christopher -Cotterell write those lines in his notebook? 'Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket. That's a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?'" Ben looked at the -others. "What do you suppose the mahogany man did have in his pocket?" - -"I'm sure I don't know," said Tuckerman. "He certainly didn't have Sir -Peter's silver plate. That may be one of those legends, Ben, that get -changed from their original meaning as they are handed down from one to -another." - -"I suppose that may be it," agreed Ben, though he did not look -altogether satisfied. - -"Every colonial house," Tuckerman continued, "ought to have some legend -to make it interesting. The mahogany man can be the legend of Cotterell -Hall." - -Tuckerman looked at the portrait of his ancestor. "We've found what you -meant by the place of the three pines and the two rocks where the sun -goes down," he said; "but we haven't found what it was that the mahogany -man had in his breast pocket. So you've still provided a conundrum for -Ben to puzzle over. Sir Peter, I don't believe you'd have any objection -to our having found the plate. I think that to-day you'd be as good an -American as any of the rest of us." - -"Of course he would," said Tom, "I can understand how he'd have objected -to his neighbors telling him to hand over his silver to them. I'd have -objected myself." - -Tuckerman turned to the three boys. "You approve of Sir Peter, don't -you?" he asked. "Even if he was a Tory?" - -"I do," said Ben promptly. - -"I do," said Tom. - -"I think he was a corker, Professor," said David. "I wish he'd been in -my family." - -"And that's the opinion of three boys of good old Barmouth families," -said Tuckerman with a pleased smile. "Well, boys, you're to feel free to -camp on Sir Peter's island and use his house any time you want." - -"Now," said Tom, "the next thing is to get the Professor to sail us -around to the north shore, so we can get Mr. Hastings' chest and bring -it back to the house. We don't want to leave any tempting bait for other -prowlers to find." - -They went aboard the _Argo_, and Tuckerman took the helm. He was now a -proficient skipper, and he gloried in it, as he gloried in all the new -accomplishments he had acquired in the past month. - -The chest was brought to Cotterell Hall, and again the _Argo_ set sail. -This time the three boys fished, while Tuckerman handled the boat. -Flounders were biting in plenty, and soon they had enough for dinner. -Ben pulled in his line. "We'd better leave some for another day," he -suggested. - -"The wind's just right for a southerly run," said Tom. - -"Aye, aye, Captain," said Tuckerman, and brought the bow about. - -South they sailed, past the flag at Camp Amoussock, past the cove with -the shacks on each side, past Joseph Hastings' private dock, almost down -to Gosport before Tuckerman came about. - -North to the island and dinner. And as they sat on the bank afterwards -and Tuckerman smoked his pipe, he said, "Well, to-morrow I must start -back to the city. But I tell you, I've learned more since I've camped -out in Barmouth Harbor than I ever learned in college." - -"If you stayed here much longer," said David, "you'd be almost as -learned as Benjie." - -"I don't know about that," Tuckerman answered. "I'm not as keen-witted -as he is. I'm more lazy, like you, Dave." - -David grinned. "Well, it takes something really important to make me -move around. I wouldn't go trailing a snuff-box all over the country." - -"It takes Lanky Larry's pitching," said Tom. "Dave has to get mad before -he does his best work." - -"I wasn't mad. I was cool as a cucumber," David responded. "I have a -nice friendly nature." - -"If it hadn't been for my following the snuffbox," Ben spoke up, "Joseph -Hastings wouldn't have come out here and given his party; and if he -hadn't given his party and told us to get our costumes up in the attic, -I wouldn't have noticed that wallpaper; and if I hadn't noticed the -wallpaper we'd never have found the treasure. Q. E. D." - -"There!" exclaimed David, "Ben's off again! No, Professor, I was wrong; -you couldn't possibly be as learned as he is; nobody could." - -"I've half a mind to duck you for that," said Ben. - -"Come on!" retorted David, pretending to roll up his sleeves. - -"Only it's too soon after dinner," answered the dark-haired boy. "I'll -overlook it this once; but don't you do it again." - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by -Rupert Sargent Holland - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - -***** This file should be named 43670.txt or 43670.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/7/43670/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -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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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/license - - -Title: Peter Cotterell's Treasure - -Author: Rupert Sargent Holland - -Illustrator: Will Thomson - -Release Date: September 8, 2013 [EBook #43670] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - PETER COTTERELL’S TREASURE - - - - -[Illustration: John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, -give your orders.”] - - - - - PETER COTTERELL’S TREASURE - - BY - - RUPERT SARGENT HOLLAND - - Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,” - “The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc. - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - WILL THOMSON - - PHILADELPHIA & LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. - - - - - Table of Contents - - I—JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - II—COTTERELL'S ISLAND - III—BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - IV—VISITORS - V—THE MAHOGANY MAN - VI—THE CLIPPER SHIP - VII—THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - VIII—THE CANOE - IX—THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - X—LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - XI—THE MAN IN GREEN - XII—THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - XIII—ON THE FISHING-SMACK - XIV—BEN AT THE GABLES - XV—VARIOUS CLUES - XVI—THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - XVII—PETER COTTERELL - XVIII—THE PIRATES ASHORE - XIX—THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - XX—SIR PETER'S PARTY - XXI—THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - - - - Illustrations - - John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give - your orders.” - - In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints. - - “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded. - - “My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you please.” - - - - - I—JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - - -Tom Hallett lived in an old town on the Atlantic seaboard, a port of New -Hampshire that was wedged in between the rocky coast of Maine and the -sandy beaches of Massachusetts. If he crossed the broad river to the -north, the beautiful Pesumpscot, by the old toll-bridge that seemed as -ancient as the town itself, he came into the Pine Tree State. If he -sailed to the south, he had not far to go before he reached Cape Ann. -Back of him, to the west, lay the foothills of the White Mountains, and -he had often tramped far enough in that direction to see the noble -outline of Mount Washington rise grandly against the sky. In front—for -people who live along the seacoast always think of the ocean as being at -their front door—was the harbor of Barmouth, a wide semi-circle, its -two horns sticking way out to the east, its broad bosom dotted with many -islands. Once Barmouth town had sent many ships to sea, merchantmen to -the West Indies, around Cape Horn, to the fabled lands of India and -China, fishing fleets to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, whalers to -the Arctic; now, however, ships were not so plentiful, sails had given -place to steam, and the young men stayed ashore to make their living -rather than seek the rigors and gales that were a part of the toll -exacted by Father Neptune. - -Tom Hallett’s house had the cupola on top of its roof that told of the -old sailing days, the “widow’s watch,” as it was commonly called, for -from there the wives of sailors used to watch for the first sign of -homebound sails. His grandfather had been a sea-captain, and the house -was full of the treasures he had collected. Many a time Tom and his -older sister Milly had listened to the amazing yarns the weatherbeaten -mariner had spun by the winter fire. - -Barmouth was an excellent place for a boy to live. There was plenty of -lawn around most of the houses, the streets were wide and well-shaded, -open country was near enough to be reached by a ten-minute walk. There -was coasting and skating in winter—all that one could wish—and the -ponds that rang with the music of steel runners in January were -swimming-holes in July and tempting places to fish. And there was always -the harbor and the wind from the sea, calling young sailors to launch -their dories and try their skill over the rippling waves. - -Tom was sixteen that summer, and wanted something to do—something a -little different from his usual holiday jaunts. He told his father about -it, and his father said he would think the matter over. And then one -evening, as Tom was leaning on the garden gate, wishing that some -adventure would come his way, he found himself addressed by a stranger. - -“Do you know of a young fellow out of a job?” said the stranger. “A -likely young fellow, who doesn’t mind roughing it?” - -Tom regarded the man. The latter was tall and spare, and wore big, -horn-rimmed spectacles that gave him the look of a wise and thoughtful -owl. - -“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t,” Tom answered, copying the cautious -words and tone of voice that he had often heard his uncle Samuel Jordan, -who was a lawyer, use when he was asked questions. - -“You’re Yankee through and through, aren’t you?” said the man. “You -don’t want to commit yourself to anything definite until you know all -the facts. I don’t suppose I could interest you in buying a calico horse -until you’d got out a pail of water and soap and a scrubbing brush to -see if the spots would wash off.” - -Tom laughed; the stranger looked so extremely solemn in his big glasses, -and yet his tone indicated a joke. “Even if the spots didn’t wash off -I’m not sure you could interest me in that horse,” he retorted. “I don’t -see how I could use him just now.” - -“Well, he’s not for sale, my friend. I need him out on the old farm in -Illinois, where I come from.” The man stroked his chin while he regarded -Tom reflectively. “I’m looking for a young and able seaman, for to tell -you the truth, I don’t know much about salt water. I provide the grub -and the boat and whatever else is needed, and the sailorman provides the -lore of the sea.” - -Tom’s interest was aroused. If this stranger really wanted a sailor to -help him with a boat it seemed odd that he should be seeking information -from a young fellow lounging on a gate in one of the quiet, elm-shaded -streets of Barmouth. It would have been much more natural to look for -such information along the waterfront, at some of the docks or piers. -“Why don’t you hunt up one of the captains?” Tom suggested. “They might -know just the man for you.” - -“I don’t want a man,” was the answer. “I want a likely young fellow, -someone about your age and general cut of jib—that’s the right -seafaring expression, isn’t it? I’ve got an adventure on hand, and I -want company. I wouldn’t mind two, or even three, young fellows, if they -were the right kind.” - -An adventure! Tom pricked up his ears. The man was certainly -interesting, he would like to know more about him. “Where are you going -to sail, and how long would you be away?” he questioned. - -“My cruise will probably be limited to the islands in Barmouth Harbor, -and we’d be away anywhere from a week to a month.” - -“Well,” began Tom, “I don’t know——” - -“Neither do I,” said the stranger, with a grin. “There are a number of -things I don’t know about this adventure. But then the main point about -an adventure is that we can’t tell everything about it in advance. Isn’t -that so?” - -“I suppose it is,” Tom granted. And after a moment’s thought he added, -“I know my way round the harbor pretty well, and I can sail a dory, and -I’ve got a couple of friends——” - -“Fine!” declared the man. “Do you know, it may seem odd to you, but as I -came along the street and my eyes lighted on you, I said to myself, -‘that’s precisely the type of messmate I’m looking for; an upstanding -fellow, with a good head on his shoulders.’” - -Naturally Tom felt pleased. He straightened up and stuck his hands in -his pockets. “The only thing I don’t understand,” he said, “is how you -expect to find a real adventure in the harbor. Of course we could cruise -around, and fish and swim. Is that what you had in mind?” - -“Did you ever hear of Cotterell’s Island?” The stranger lowered his -voice. - -Tom nodded. “Of course I have. We call it Crusty Christopher’s Island -around here.” - -“Have you ever been on it?” - -“No,” Tom was forced to admit. “The man who lives there won’t let any -one land. He’s put up signs warning people off and he keeps watch-dogs.” - -“The island belongs to me,” announced the stranger, “and I’m going to -camp out on it.” - -Tom stared at the man in surprise. “But surely you’re not Crusty -Christopher!” he exclaimed. “I always heard he was old and had a white -beard.” - -“Mr. Christopher Cotterell,” explained the stranger, “was my uncle; -though as a matter of fact I only saw him once, when I was a small boy. -He died last year and I have inherited his island and the house on it. -The house has a history. I’m very much interested in old houses, and -particularly in this one. My name is John Tuckerman.” - -“Well,” said Tom, “that’s interesting, to be sure. I hope you don’t -think I meant to call your uncle names.” - -“Oh no, you didn’t offend me,” said the man promptly. “I’ve heard him -called Crusty Christopher before, and I shouldn’t wonder if he deserved -the nickname. There have been a number of queer characters in the -Cotterell family; there was old Sir Peter Cotterell, for instance, who -built that house on the island and lived there during the Revolution.” - -“Sir Peter?” queried Tom. “I don’t seem to remember him.” - -“He wasn’t really Sir Peter,” Mr. Tuckerman explained. “He was only -plain Mr. Peter, like his neighbors in Barmouth. But he had the bad -taste to side with the King of England when the colonists objected to -paying taxes without being represented in the government—in other -words, he was what they called a Tory—and so the people nicknamed him -Sir Peter in joke. There are lots of stories I could tell you about him. -I’m very much interested in history, you see.” - -Tom nodded. The more he listened to this Mr. John Tuckerman the more he -liked him. And yet simply to camp out on an island in the harbor, even -on Cotterell’s Island, where he had never set his foot—though he had -often wanted to—didn’t strike him as a very thrilling adventure. - -Perhaps Mr. Tuckerman read his thought, for, lowering his voice again, -he said, “There’s a mystery connected with the place; I’ve found -references to it in some old family letters. And the house is full of -old furniture and bric-a-brac. I can hardly wait to explore it.” - -The man’s tone was undoubtedly eager, and though Tom had never felt any -great interest in old furniture and such things he found his curiosity -rapidly rising. An island and a house to explore—Crusty Christopher’s -at that—and possibly a mystery. He might be making a great mistake if -he let this adventure escape. - -Mr. Tuckerman was speaking again. “I might as well explain at once that -I’m a dreadful landlubber. I don’t know anything about sailing boats, -and not very much about fishing. I’m afraid my education has been very -much neglected along certain lines. I want to camp on that island, and I -want company. Do you know how to cook—to cook the sort of things -campers eat, I mean?” - -“I can cook some things. But my friend David Norton can cook almost -anything. He’s one of the fellows I meant.” - -“It would be splendid if we could get David, too. I’d take along plenty -of provisions, but one does get tired of living on canned things.” - -“Ben Sully’s a corking fisherman,” said Tom. “Ben and David and I have -camped out a lot together.” - -“I’d like to keep the expedition as quiet as I can,” Mr. Tuckerman -stated. “I don’t want a lot of curiosity-seekers poking round the -island.” - -“I think you’re right,” agreed Tom. “I’ll swear both of them to secrecy; -except to their families, of course. You wouldn’t mind our telling our -parents?” - -To that John Tuckerman agreed. “This is just what I hoped to find,” he -said, “some young fellows with the spirit of adventure. You know the -ropes, and I don’t. Let’s see; what’s your name?” - -Tom told him. “Wouldn’t you like to come in and see my father?” he -suggested. - -“I must be getting back to the hotel,” said Tuckerman. “You tell him my -name, and say I’m Mr. Cotterell’s nephew. You sign up to go, do you? And -you’ll try to get your two messmates? I’ll see to the boat and grub and -cooking outfit—and I think I can promise you a bit of adventure.” - -“If Father says yes, I sign,” agreed Tom, smiling at the man’s air of -business. “And the more adventure there is, the better I’ll like it, -too. Things are sort of quiet here this summer.” - -Tuckerman held out his hand. He had a formal manner about him that -amused Tom greatly. “See you at Lowe’s Wharf at two o’clock tomorrow -afternoon.” - -“Right,” said Tom, shaking hands. “And I’ll have the other two fellows -there with me. They’ve always wanted to have a look at that island.” - -The tall, lank man turned, and shortly disappeared behind the big clump -of lilac bushes at the corner of Wentworth Street. Tom, thoughtfully -jingling a bunch of keys in his trouser pocket, chuckled as he -considered the situation. In fifteen minutes this Mr. John Tuckerman, a -total stranger, had persuaded him to camp out for a fortnight or so on -Crusty Christopher’s island. Tom could well believe that Mr. Tuckerman -needed some companions who were used to the water and campcraft; he -looked as if he might be a Professor and more knowing about history and -such things than about how to reef a sail or hook a flounder. - -Still grinning at this unusual happening, Tom went into the house, where -in the sitting-room his father was reading, his mother sewing, and his -sister Milly trimming a new straw hat. “I’m going camping on Cotterell’s -Island,” he declared. “It’s a sort of a secret, so you must all promise -not to tell.” - -Milly looked up quickly. “On Cotterell’s Island? If you step ashore -there, somebody’ll pitch you off.” - -“Oh no, they won’t. I’m going with the owner.” - -Milly wrinkled her nose, as she did when she felt scornful. “I suppose -that pleasant old man has sent you an invitation. ‘Dear Mr. Thomas -Hallett, I should be _so_ delighted if you’d drop in on me.’” And Milly -tilted the straw hat on her hand so as to judge the effect of the ribbon -around the brim. - -Tom walked across to the fireplace, where he stood with his back to the -hearth, as his father often did when he had an announcement to make. -“Mr. Christopher Cotterell is dead,” he said. “I received my invitation -from his nephew, Mr. John Tuckerman.” - -Milly turned around, surprised. “What are you springing on us? Where did -you meet this man?” - -“Down at the gate to-night,” said Tom calmly. “He wanted a likely young -fellow to help him explore the house and the island he’s inherited, and -naturally he came to me.” - -“Yes, what Tom says is quite true,” declared Mr. Hallett. “Mr. Tuckerman -is the new owner. So he asked you to help him, did he?” - -“He called himself a landlubber. I’ve an idea too that he doesn’t want -to stay on the island alone. I’m to get Ben and David, and we’re to sail -his boat for him and fish and cook and keep him company.” - -“Humph!” sniffed Milly. “That doesn’t sound very exciting. You’re to do -the work while he loafs around.” - -“Oh, I don’t know about that. He hinted that we might find something -very interesting. He called it an adventure. And he let slip something -about a mystery.” - -Milly put the hat down. She herself was very fond of camping and sailing -and swimming, and although she pretended to be quite grown up she still -yearned at times for her old tomboy ways. “I suppose he isn’t going to -be like Old Crusty—I mean Mr. Christopher Cotterell? He won’t mind -people coming out to see that queer old house.” - -“That’s just what he does mind,” said Tom. “He wants to keep the whole -thing dark, for the present, at least. Why, if he didn’t, all Barmouth -would be going out there. Most of them never got nearer the place than -to read the signs; and they’d all be crazy to go.” - -“Well, it seems to me,” argued Milly, “if he’s going to explore the -house he ought to have someone out there who knows something about -furnishings. I daresay there’s lots of old silver and curtains and rugs -and maybe chests of fine linen. Now of course a woman—well, it’s only -natural that a woman—you know what I mean, a woman could help a great -deal in sorting such things out.” - -“When you say a woman,” inquired Tom, “do you happen to be thinking of -Miss Milly Hallett?” - -Milly, in spite of her tan, flushed a fiery red. “You know perfectly -well, Tom, that you’ve always said I was a great help on a camping -party.” - -“So you are, Milly,” Tom admitted loyally. “You cook better even than -Dave does. But Mr. Tuckerman didn’t say anything about bringing a girl -along. I’m afraid he’d think that wouldn’t be business-like.” - -“Tom’s right, Milly dear,” said Mrs. Hallett. “This is Mr. Tuckerman’s -affair, and it wouldn’t be right to offer him any suggestions. But -perhaps, while they’re out on the island, he wouldn’t mind if some day -we went over to look at the house. When do you start, Tom?” - -“To-morrow at two—that is, if father says it’s all right.” - -“Oh, you’re going to ask my consent, are you?” said Mr. Hallett, with a -smile. “Well, if Mr. Tuckerman is such a landlubber as he appears to be, -I think it’s only right you should give him your help. I don’t see how, -with Ben and David and you, he can possibly get into hot water.” - -“He can’t,” agreed Milly, picking up the hat again and pretending to -shiver. “The water isn’t even warm around the islands in the harbor. -However, I don’t suppose this Mr. Tuckerman is apt to care much for -swimming.” And as she went on twirling the hat in her hands and puffing -out the big blue bow, she hummed a little tune to indicate that she was -much more interested in her millinery than in Tom’s prospective -adventure. - -Tom walked down the street to the small, pitched-roof house—a white -house with green shutters and door, and tall pink and red hollyhocks -standing up against the sides—where Benjamin Sully lived. As luck would -have it, David Norton was sitting with Ben on the doorstep. “Hello!” -cried Tom. “I’m looking for a couple of able-bodied seamen.” - -“Aye, aye, sir,” answered Ben. “What port are you bound for—the Barbary -Coast or Barbadoes or round the Cape of Good Hope?” - -Ben was a small, dark boy, agile as a monkey. When he was with David -Norton he looked smaller and darker than ever, for David was big of -frame and his sandy hair topped a cheerful, freckled face. These two and -Tom Hallett were about of an age, and had always shared each other’s -secrets. - -“Cotterell’s Island, lads. A place where the foot of a white man has -never set heel before.” And standing in front of his two friends, Tom -related John Tuckerman’s proposal. - -When he had finished, Ben nodded. “The plan sounds good to me. I’ve -always meant to have a look at that island. As I’ve sized it up, Crusty -Christopher wouldn’t have been so concerned to keep people away if he -hadn’t had something he wanted to keep secret.” - -“I don’t know about that,” said David. “Some people are made that way; -they just naturally don’t want other folks around. Maybe the place is -just like any other island.” - -“Well, I’m going anyhow,” declared Tom. “I guess I can look after Mr. -Tuckerman all right by myself. But I didn’t want to seem mean and leave -you two out.” - -Ben jumped up. “I’m going, all right. I’d hate to think of you and that -ignorant fellow out there all by yourselves. Count me in on this, Tom.” - -“I guess your friend wouldn’t get much good cooking,” said David, -“without me to superintend.” - -“Oh, I don’t know about that,” retorted Tom. “He’s going to take plenty -of good stuff.” - -“Canned!” snorted David. “I know—hardtack and beans out of a tin. No, -siree. You’d be squabbling inside of two days if you didn’t have me and -some of my famous flapjacks to keep you pleasant.” - -“Nice, modest David,” said Ben, stroking his big friend’s arm. “However, -though he doesn’t think very well of himself, I vote that we let him -come along. Maybe he’ll be useful.” - -“You bet I’ll come,” announced the tow-headed one. “Do you think I’d let -you two and a queer man go prowling around a mysterious island without -your Uncle David? I’ll be there when the boat sails, with my pet -frying-pan!” - - - - - II—COTTERELL’S ISLAND - - -Early the next afternoon the few occupants of Lowe’s Wharf—a couple of -men fishing for cunners, a sailor painting the bottom of an upturned -dory, two small boys practising tying various kinds of knots with odds -and ends of rope—saw three young fellows in dark blue jerseys and khaki -coats and trousers and a man rigged out in a homespun Norfolk jacket and -knickerbockers and greenish-gray golf stockings assemble as if they were -about to start on an expedition. - -Tom Hallett, slender but wiry, browned by the wind and the sun, dumped -his duffle-bag of blankets and extra clothing on the wharf and -introduced his companions. “Mr. Tuckerman, this is David Norton, and -this is Ben Sully. They’d both like to go along, if you still want three -of us.” - -John Tuckerman shook hands with each. “I’m proud to have such a fine -looking crew,” said he. “Though perhaps I ought to put it the other way -about and say three such fine looking captains, I myself being the crew. -It doesn’t need more than a glance to tell me that you three know all -about the sea and the woods. Great luck, I call it. And if I’m not -mistaken there’s our ship, waiting for us Argonauts to go aboard.” - -At one side of the wharf, a man was holding the painter of an -eighteen-foot sailing dory, already loaded with provisions and John -Tuckerman’s bags. The three boys quickly had their own things stowed -away. “All right, Mr. Jackson,” said Tuckerman to the man from whom he -had rented the boat. “You see I’ve shipped a good crew. You needn’t lie -awake nights wondering what’s happened to your _Argo_.” - -The owner grinned. “I know ’em. I’ll trust ’em with the boat. But her -name’s the _Mary J. Jackson_. See, it’s painted there in the bow.” - -“So it is. _Mary J. Jackson_. That’s a very nice name; but somehow it -doesn’t seem exactly to suit this business. We’re after the Golden -Fleece, like the Argonauts of old; so if you don’t mind I’m going to -christen her for this trip the _Argo_. Just a little fancy of mine.” - -“Suit yerself, sir. She’s a good boat, no matter what you call her.” - -“Many thanks, Mr. Jackson.” John Tuckerman sat down carefully. “Now, -Captain Hallett, give your orders.” - -The dory slid away, the experienced hand of Tom in charge of the tiller. -Out into the harbor she sped, picking up the breeze as she danced along. - -The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, the water was translucent blue, -with here and there wide sweeps of green, on the shore every house and -tree stood out in vivid, fresh-tinted color. Tuckerman folded his arms -and leaned back in great contentment. “This is something like, my lads!” -he exclaimed. “My voyages heretofore have only been made on ocean -grayhounds and fat-bodied ferry-boats.” - -Ben looked at him pityingly. “It must be pretty hard,” he said, “to live -inland, in a big city.” - -“Yes, in some ways, though it has its compensations. You see, my -ancestors grew restless in New England and moved out across the plains. -That is, the Tuckermans did; the Cotterells stayed here. And now there -aren’t any Cotterells left. That’s how it came about that I own this -island.” - -“My father,” spoke up David, “says that the Cotterells were once one of -the best known families in Barmouth; but that old Mr. Christopher was as -queer as all get out. He knows lots of stories about him. He says that -Mr. Christopher lived there with a colored man for his servant, and -never saw anybody.” - -“Poor old chap!” said Tuckerman. “I can’t help feeling dreadfully sorry -for him. Think what a good time he could have had in his big house. Why, -in the old days it was one of the show places along the coast and the -Cotterells used to have celebrated parties.” Tuckerman gazed out over -the water and pulled his chin with his fingers, in a habit he had. “Do -you know what I want to do? I want to take that old house and fix it up -properly, make it look as it used to, and give it back its good name.” -He smiled. “Maybe you’ll think it odd, but I feel as if houses were -almost like people. I hate to see either the one or the other go to -seed.” - -“They are something like people,” Ben agreed. “There’s a church with a -steeple in Barmouth that looks just like the pictures of the Pilgrim -Fathers with their high-crowned hats. And the windows in front look like -eyes, kind of boring eyes that are trying to see right through you.” - -“Ben’s always thinking of queer things like that,” David explained, half -in apology. - -Mr. Tuckerman nodded at the small, dark-browed boy. “I’m glad that Ben -came along. I think he’s going to be a great help in fixing up my -house.” - -In and out between islands, past long jutting ledges, where pine and -juniper ran down to the water’s edge, the dory sailed smoothly. -Sometimes Tom had to tack; again he ran for a stretch on a course due -south. And after about an hour he raised his arm and pointed. “There—on -the port bow—there she lies. See that white, sandy beach. That’s -Cotterell’s Island.” - -Ben and David were familiar with the look of the place of course; they -had cruised around it many times, and had always examined it with -particular interest because it was a forbidden shore; but now they gazed -at it as though it were somehow entirely new, as indeed it was to them, -except for the beach and trees. - -John Tuckerman nodded. “I’ll take your word for it, Tom. It lies exactly -where it should according to the map of the harbor; though I can’t say -that it looks very much like the small red dot on the chart Mr. Jackson -showed me at his boathouse.” - -There was not much to be seen except the whitish-yellow beach, several -headlands of purple rock, and thick-growing pines that stood out -black-green. There was, however, considerable to be heard as the sailing -dory drew near. An immense cawing came from the tree-tops, and finally -as the _Argo_ nosed along close to the shore at least a score of crows -flapped away from their meeting-place and went winging off to a more -secluded grove. - -“Uncle Christopher’s neighbors don’t seem to like visitors any better -than he did,” observed Tuckerman with twinkling eyes. “Crows do sound -dreadfully scolding, don’t they? And I never knew such birds for all -wanting to talk at the same time.” - -Tom knew where the old pier stood, and brought his boat skilfully up to -the landing-stage. The sail was dropped and furled, baggage and stores -carried ashore, and the four campers looked about them. From the old and -rather decrepit pier a graveled path led up to the front of a wide white -house, partially screened by trees. - -“Cotterell Hall,” said Tuckerman, gazing at the ancient mansion. “That’s -what they used to call it in Revolutionary days. Well, Tom, it’s up to -you to tell us what to do. The house won’t run away, and something tells -me it won’t be so very long before we’ll be hungry.” - -“Suppose we look for our camping ground then,” said Tom, “since it seems -to be understood that we’re not going to bunk in the house.” - -“That’s the idea,” agreed Tuckerman promptly. “Fond as I am of ancestral -halls and that sort of thing, I said to myself when I left the -Middle-West for the New England coast: ‘John, you’re to sleep out of -doors on a bed of pine boughs, even if the bugs do fall from the trees -on your face and the boughs stick you as full of needles as a porcupine. -You’re going back to the wild, that’s what you are!’” - -His eyes behind his huge tortoise-shell rimmed spectacles looked so -intensely serious that the three boys didn’t know whether to laugh or -not. For all his dignified appearance he did seem extraordinarily -guileless. David, the most outspoken of the three, shook his head -solemnly. “This isn’t going to be what you’d call so all-fired wild, you -know. If you’re looking for that, you ought to go up in the North -Woods.” - -Ben came to the rescue. “It’ll do as a starter though, Mr. Tuckerman,” -he said encouragingly. “We can’t promise you bears or anything like -that, but maybe there’ll be owls and loons and other things that sound -sort of strange at night.” - -Tuckerman smiled. “Ben, I can see you’re a friendly soul. And you must -remember that what may not seem very wild to experienced woodsmen like -you three may prove very thrilling to a tenderfoot like me.” - -They decided on their camp readily; a smooth stretch of turf in a -semi-circle of pines on high ground just above a small sandy beach. It -was perhaps a quarter of a mile from the pier and from Cotterell Hall. -Pine boughs were cut, trimmed, and spread out for bedding, stores were -unpacked, driftwood collected for a fire, and the menu determined on for -supper. - -Tuckerman looked out at the water, a sheet of soft and beautiful -opalescent colors in the setting sun. “Is there any reason why we -shouldn’t take a bath?” he inquired. “I feel extremely sticky.” - -“No reason whatever,” answered Tom. “The first rule of camp-life is, -Obey that impulse. There’s plenty of room in that bathtub, but you won’t -find much hot water.” - -In five minutes they were all in the ocean, frisky as a school of -porpoises, making enough noise to scare any wildfowl away. The boys -struck out and swam, trying first one stroke and then another. -Tuckerman, however, came lumbering along, jerking his arms and legs like -an old and stiff-jointed frog. But he enjoyed himself. He was chuckling -and gurgling and slapping his thighs with his hands as they all came out -of the water. - -“Tom, you must teach me to swim,” he begged. “I can see I’m not in your -class now, but give me a week or so——” - -“Righto. I bet you’ll learn quick.” - -In fifteen minutes they were ready for supper. Fried eggs and bacon, -grilled sweet potatoes, coffee, bread and butter, and then flapjacks -with jam. “I can see,” said Tuckerman, as he finished his third -flapjack, “that David’s reputation as a cook has not been exaggerated. I -always wondered what it meant when I read that the gods lived on -ambrosia and nectar. Now at last I know.” - -“You’ll make his head swell,” cautioned Ben, “and it’s large enough -already. We took him to a phrenologist last winter, and the man said -he’d never felt such big bumps.” - -The dishes were washed. The moon rose. Tuckerman lighted his pipe. -“Well,” said Ben, “aren’t we going to have a look at the old house? It -seems to me we ought.” - -The house, when they approached it a little later in the moonlight—for -Ben’s suggestion had met with favor from the others—presented a blank -and shuttered white surface, against which the dark outline of the trees -around it showed in jagged forms. It had been a fine old dwelling, built -in a day when carpenters and joiners took a real love in their work and -were as eager to make a graceful, artistic window or doorway as the -medieval masons of Europe were to perfect every detail of their great -cathedrals. - -Broad steps led up to the front door, which was wide and adorned with a -big brass knocker and knob. Tuckerman, taking a little electric -flashlight from his pocket, aimed it at the moulding above the door. -“Aha,” he exclaimed, “there’s the green and gold pineapple in all its -glory! They used to put beautifully carved pineapples like that in such -places in colonial days; they were the emblems of hospitality. My -ancestor Sir Peter seems to have been friendly disposed when he built -his dwelling at least.” - -“I’ve seen pineapples like that over the doors of some old houses in -Barmouth,” said Ben, “but I never thought much about them. That was a -pretty nice idea. There’s some style to that front.” - -“There was style, real dignified style to the houses of those days,” -Tuckerman agreed. “We may think we’re pretty smart nowadays, but let me -tell you those ancestors of ours who settled the country could teach us -a good deal.” He felt in his pocket for a key. “Well, the pineapple bids -us welcome. If there are any ghosts in the house, I think they’ll turn -out friendly.” - -The lock was rusty, but finally opened to the new owner’s efforts. They -stepped into a large hallway, from which a wide stairway ascended at one -side. Using his flashlight, Tuckerman discovered a gatelegged table, on -which stood a cluster of small candlesticks, all ready for use. - -“Now that’s something like—hospitality again!” he declared in a pleased -voice. “They used candles in the old days; every guest in the house had -one to light him to bed. I suppose these have been waiting for me here -ever since Uncle Christopher died.” Lighting the candles with a match, -he handed one to each of his companions. “I’m beginning to feel at home -already, boys. Welcome to Cotterell Hall.” - -Even David, who could see nothing very thrilling in going over an old -house, felt something of the excitement that had so obviously taken -possession of John Tuckerman. As for Tom and Ben, they peered up the -stairway and through the open doors as if they half-expected to see -gentlemen in curled wigs, knee-breeches and small swords advancing to -meet them. - -Tuckerman led the way into the room on the left, a spacious apartment, -wainscoted and with a pictured paper, representing scenes in fields and -woods, covering the walls to the ceiling. There was a large fireplace, -with a carved mantel above it. Fine old pieces of furniture filled the -room, and, except for the musty air that is to be found in all houses -that have been closed for some time, the place looked precisely as -though it were lived in, even to a pile of magazines and books that lay -on the centre-table. - -“The drawing-room,” said Tuckerman, holding his candle high as he gazed -about him. “And there, if I’m not mistaken, is old Sir Peter himself.” - -Ben gave a start and looked quickly around. But it was not a ghost to -which Tuckerman referred; it was a large painting that hung on the wall -across from the fireplace, the portrait of a man in buff-colored coat -and breeches, wearing a white tie-wig, and with his right hand resting -on the head of a greyhound that rubbed against his knees. - -“Fine looking old fellow,” said Tom. - -“Yes,” agreed Tuckerman. “Sir Peter was really handsome. I’ve seen -pictures of him before. He was a great beau in his time, before the -Revolution. What a shame it was that he couldn’t agree with his -neighbors about the right of the colonies to be free. That made it -mighty hard for his wife and children.” - -He went over to look closer at the portrait, and as he held the candle -near to the canvas he saw a folded piece of paper stuck into a corner of -the heavy frame. “What’s this?” he exclaimed, and drew the paper out. -“You don’t suppose the old fellow has left me a message?” - -The candle set on the table, Tuckerman opened the sheet. “This is an -authentic portrait of Peter Cotterell, painted in 1770,” he read aloud. -“He shared with me, his descendant, Christopher Cotterell, a dislike for -the society of his kind, though for a different reason. But with me the -line of the Cotterells comes to an end, and I care not whether any now -learn my ancestor’s secret or not.” - -Tuckerman dropped the paper. “So there was a secret, boys! You remember, -Tom, what I told you. And Uncle Christopher knew what it was.” - -“Hello!” exclaimed Ben. “My candle’s blown out!” He turned. “Why, that -window’s open a little at the bottom. See how the curtains blow.” - -“Spooks,” scoffed David. “It looks to me as if Crusty Christopher were -playing a joke on us.” - - - - - III—BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - - -Although David Norton could get around the bases on the Barmouth High -School baseball diamond as fast as anyone else, when there was need of -it, and could keep on doing a clog-dance in a Minstrel Show until the -audience rose up and begged him to quit, he could also at times be as -lazy as a jelly-fish stranded on the beach, which as everyone knows is -just about the laziest creature in nature. At the present moment he lay -extended on the stern seat of the sailing dory, while little Ben Sully, -as patient and expert a fisherman as was to be found in Barmouth Harbor, -was watching his line for any indication of a flounder nibble. - -“Funny old bird,” said David. “Reminds me of someone out of a story -book.” - -“Old bird?” queried Ben. “Do you refer to Sir Peter Cotterell or to -Crusty Christopher?” - -“To neither of them, Benjie. Our friend Professor Tuckerman is the -particular feathered creature to whom I was alluding. I opened one eye -last night; and what do you think I saw? Professor Tuckerman was sitting -up, in his suit of flannel pajamas, staring out at the water as if he -saw something.” - -“Perhaps he did. Or maybe he was only thinking. Some people do think -sometimes, you know, Dave. I did some thinking myself last night.” - -“About old Christopher’s secret?” - -At the moment Ben was too busy to reply. With practised care he drew up -his line and threw a fine, flapping flounder on the bottom of the boat. - -“Yes, about the secret,” Ben said, as he rebaited his hook. “I believe -there is one. And I think that Christopher Cotterell rather hoped his -nephew John Tuckerman would find out what it was.” - -“Why didn’t he tell him then, instead of leaving that crazy note?” - -Ben shook his head. “Christopher wasn’t like most people. But it seems -to me he was rather proud of that secret,—it had been in the family so -long,—and he didn’t want it to be entirely forgotten. So he meant to -let it be known there was a secret, even if nobody ever found out what -it was. A person might do that, you know.” - -“It would take a mighty queer sort of person,” sniffed David. - -Ben resumed his fishing, watching his line as a cat watches a -mouse-hole. - -But David, in spite of posing as an unbeliever of all things he couldn’t -see for himself, had a well-developed bump of curiosity. When he saw -that Ben didn’t mean to continue the subject he raised himself on one -arm and demanded, “Do you take any stock in there being a mystery on the -island that goes back to the Revolution?” - -“Sure,” was the prompt answer. “The house goes back that far, and some -of the furniture in it, I suppose. Why not a mystery?” - -“Well, it might, perhaps. But see here, Benjie——” - -“Sh-sh-ish, you’ll frighten the fish.” Ben brought up another flounder -and unhooked it. - -As he dropped in the line again he continued, “Mr. Tuckerman told me a -few things this morning. You see, this Sir Peter was a man of means. He -had a lot of valuable things in this house, silver and such things he’d -had brought over from England. When the people of Barmouth were trying -to do all they could to help George Washington and his army they thought -their rich neighbor out here ought to do his share. But he was a Tory -and wanted King George to win, and so he wouldn’t do anything when they -asked him. The colonists came to his house, but they found very little; -his famous silver plate was gone; they took some things, but they always -thought he had tricked them. And after that they wouldn’t have anything -to do with Sir Peter.” - -“Served him right, the old scamp.” - -“Now Mr. Tuckerman thinks the secret may have something to do with the -things the neighbors couldn’t find. At least that’s a possibility.” - -“Huh,” chuckled David, “the Revolution was more than a hundred years -ago. If that was the secret, some of the Cotterells since then would -have found out about it. And when they did, there’s an end to the -secret.” - -Again Ben was busy. A third flounder appeared and was carefully landed. -“You’re right, my boy,” said Ben, “if they did find out what became of -Sir Peter’s valuables. But suppose they didn’t? Suppose Crusty -Christopher and his father, and his father before that, knew the old -story, but never could find the things? How about that, my lad?” - -“Well, in that case,” answered David slowly, “I should say the betting -was a thousand to one the secret would stay a secret.” - -“Mr. Tuckerman calls it a sporting chance,” said Ben. “I said to him -just about what you’ve said to me now; but he grinned and told me he -never gave up conundrums.” - -David dropped back into his former comfortable position, his hands -clasped under his head and his cap pulled down over his nose, so as to -shield that sensitive feature from burning a more fiery red than it was -already. “So Tom and the Professor are prowling around the old house -this morning?” he said reflectively. “Well, they’re not apt to run into -any ghosts at this time of day.” - -Ben, absorbed in his fishing, continued his careful handling of his line -until half-a-dozen flounders were deposited in the boat. Then he stowed -away his tackle, stretched his arms, and looked around. “Now, Dave, you -old duffer, I’m going to take a cruise about our island home. There’s -nothing like knowing all the ins and outs of the place where you’re -living. Do you think you’re strong enough to handle the tiller, or would -you rather dangle your feet over the bow?” - -David sat up with a grunt. “Don’t you get sarcastic, young feller. I can -sail this dory with one hand behind my back.” And shortly he had the -_Argo_ headed up into the wind, keeping well out from shore so as to -avoid the occasional spits of rock that ornamented the coast. - -They started to make the circuit. Cotterell’s Island, so far as they -could judge from the water, was very much like all the other islands -that lay out from Barmouth, thickly wooded for the most part, with -alternating beaches and headlands, and here and there a cliff, with -little rock-bound basins at the foot. On the eastward side, however, -there was an opening, where the tide ran inland for some distance, a -fair sort of harbor except when the wind should blow from that quarter. -“There,” said Ben, “there’s a snug landlocked channel. If I’d been one -of the Cotterells and wanted to keep a boat hidden that’s the place I’d -have picked out.” - -“You’re making the Professor’s ancestors sound like pirates or -smugglers,” objected David. “What do you think they did that they wanted -to keep so dark?” - -“That little inlet can’t be so far from the back of the house either,” -Ben went on, paying no attention to his companion’s question. “Yes, that -would be the place to steal away when the neighbors came to call.” - -“I’ll take a look up there,” declared David, who was beginning to feel -that Ben was giving himself airs. “I guess I can find my way up that -inlet as well as any of your blessed Cotterells could.” And suiting the -act to the word, he brought the _Argo_ about and kept her bow a little -to the north of west until she had cleared a seaweed-covered reef that -was high up out of the water at ebb-tide. - -Ben said not a word, but picked up a boathook, in case it should be -necessary to fend off the dory at some turn of the shore. But David knew -his business. Up the winding channel he made his way until the _Argo’s_ -bottom gently ran on to gravel at the head of the stream. - -“Yes, I was right,” said Ben. “There’s the roof of the house on the -other side of those trees.” A leap, and he landed on shore, the dory -careening on one side from the force of his jump. - -“Hi there, young feller, what are you trying to do?” cried David. “I -didn’t tell you you could go ashore.” - -Again Ben paid no attention to the other’s words. He was looking about -him as if he was very much interested in the place where he had landed. - -David, making sure the _Argo_ was safely aground, clambered over the -side. “Was it your intention, Mr. Sully, to scuttle our good ship here?” -he inquired with mock politeness. - -“Look,” said Ben, in a deep and earnest tone. - -David looked. In the marshy ground a little in front of them were two -distinct footprints, uncommonly large footprints, with very wide toes -and very deep heels. - -“My word!” whistled David. “Benjie, we’ve come to the lair of the -mastodon!” - -“Footprints!” murmured Ben, regarding the marks with the same awed -surprise with which Robinson Crusoe first gazed at the prints in the -sand of his island. - -[Illustration: Distinct Footprints] - -“A giant’s footprints,” said David. - -“They’re never Mr. Tuckerman’s or Tom’s,” said Ben. - -“The Professor has rather small feet,” stated David, “and I happen to -remember that Tom wore sneakers this morning.” - -“They can’t have been there very long,—not for more than a few days at -the most.” - -“I should say not. Benjamin, somebody has been trespassing on our -island.” - -“I wonder if there are any more.” Ben began to search. - -There were no more footprints, however. The stretch of soggy ground was -very limited, almost immediately the soil grew stony. So, after a brief -hunt, the two came back to the shore. “Now I wonder,” mused Ben, “what -that very large-footed person was doing here.” - -“Do you think,” asked David, “he can have been looking for the Cotterell -treasure?” - -“It’s much more likely,” said Ben, “he was looking for something easier -to find. However—suppose—there’s an off chance——” And Ben went on -mumbling to himself, while he jingled a bunch of keys in his pocket, as -was his custom when he was lost in thought. - -“What in the world are you doing?” demanded the exasperated David. - -“Putting two and two together—or at least trying to.” - -“Well, they make four. There are times, Benjie,” David continued, -imitating the manner of a teacher at the school they both attended, -“when I find myself almost on the point of losing patience with you. The -crew will now return aboard the _Argo_, leaving the mystery of the -mastodon’s footprints unsolved.” - -When they returned to the beach in front of their camp they found Mr. -Tuckerman and Tom already getting dinner. That is to say, Tom was -actually getting it, while John Tuckerman was carrying out his orders. -At the moment the latter was peeling potatoes. His flannel shirt open at -his throat, his golf-stockings stuck full of little burrs and his face -and arms already showing blisters of sunburn, he looked decidedly -different from the very dignified person who had come upon Tom Hallett -in the lane. - -“Flounders,” announced Ben, laying his string of fish on a board that -served as a table. “The very best eating, in my humble opinion.” - -“Put them in the refrigerator for supper,” said Tom. “You two were gone -so long I decided to knock up an omelette for our midday meal.” - -“‘Knock up’ is good,” agreed David. “I suppose, Mr. Tuckerman, Tom -cracked the shells with a baseball bat.” - -“I don’t know how he did it,” Tuckerman said; “it seemed like a miracle -to me. But there’s the result; and if anybody ever saw anything more -truly beautiful—anything so calculated to make the mouth water in -anticipation—well, I don’t believe anybody ever did.” He pointed his -paring knife at a golden-brown, crisp object that lay, garnished with -watercress, on a big tin plate. - -“And speaking of water,” said Tom, “we found the well back of Cotterell -Hall. Fresh water, guaranteed sweet and pure. There’s a bucket of it.” - -They sat down to dinner, and between mouthfuls they talked. - -“Wonderful old house,” said Tom. “We explored it from cellar to attic. -Four post bedsteads——” - -“With wonderful canopy tops!” added Tuckerman, his spectacled eyes -gleaming. - -“And enormous chests of drawers,” continued Tom. - -“Full of all kinds of clothes,” Tuckerman added. “Ladies’ laces and -muslins, shawls, mantillas, gentlemen’s pantaloons, neckerchiefs, and -what waistcoats!” - -“Funny old kitchen,” said Tom. “With a fireplace as big as a cabin.” - -“And a crane and a hob and a whole fleet of earthenware crocks,” -Tuckerman supplemented. - -“I say, Mr. Tuckerman,” cried David, “why don’t you turn the place into -a museum? All the people who tour through Barmouth in the summer would -jump out of their skins to see such a place as that.” - -“What I want to know,” said Ben, “is whether you got any clue to the -Cotterell treasure.” - -Tuckerman shook his head. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, Benjamin; and a -treasure that’s been hidden for over a century doesn’t come to light in -twenty-four hours.” - -“Ah, just you wait till our Benjie gets busy,” said David, waving his -finger wisely. “There’s the bright lad for you. While you two pottered -about those gigantic bedsteads and chests of drawers and fireplaces, -what did our Benjie discover?” He paused to heighten his announcement. -“Benjamin Sully discovered a pair of gigantic footprints!” - -It took a moment for this to sink in. - -“Footprints?” said Tuckerman, puzzled. - -“Someone has landed at the little creek near the back of the house,” -explained Ben, “and since the last rain, too.” - -“Someone with enormous feet,” added David. “Now what do you suppose such -a person as that could be doing here?” - -Tuckerman put his hand into his coat pocket and drew out a very small -and crumpled handkerchief. “We found this on a table in the kitchen. My -Uncle Christopher only had a negro man-servant. And yet this belonged to -a lady,—a very particular lady, I should say, a dainty lady.” He spread -the handkerchief out. “With beautifully embroidered initials—A. S. L.” -He lifted it to his nose. “And it smells of lavender—and quite fresh, -too.” - -Solemnly the tiny handkerchief was handed around. Each smelled it and -nodded his head. - -“Someone’s been in the house,” said Tuckerman, “although all the doors -were locked.” - -“A lady with enormous feet,” declared David. “My eye, how the plot -thickens!” - - - - - IV—VISITORS - - -Two days later the campers were as much at sea as ever regarding the -secret to which Crusty Christopher had referred in the note left in the -picture frame. They had explored the island and they had explored the -house, and neither outdoors nor indoors had provided them with a clue. - -John Tuckerman—although David persisted in calling him Professor—was -the most exuberant and lively of the four. He delighted in -everything,—in the early swim before breakfast, in the cooking and -eating, especially in the eating, in sleeping out of doors, and even, it -seemed, in washing the dishes. He would sing as he washed, wild, -rollicking songs, the words of which he made up as he went along, all -about pirates and sailors and sea-serpents, with a great many -“Yo-heave-hos” and “Blow the man down, my lads,” by way of chorus; all -which he accompanied with a pretended hitching up of his trousers as -sailors were supposed to do to cheer them at their work. - -“There are times when he almost looks like a pirate,” David whispered to -Tom, as they watched Tuckerman sharpening a knife on the sole of his -shoe preparatory to sticking it into a cover of a can of baked beans. -“Like a pirate, that is, with one exception,—those horn-rimmed -spectacles.” - -It was true; Tuckerman couldn’t look like a daredevil with those -enormous glasses. But to offset the studious look they gave him his face -was now a beautiful lobster-like red and beginning to peel. - -Any one could see, moreover, that Cotterell Hall was the apple of his -eye. It amused Tom and David to see the affection and pride with which -he regarded every stick and stone of the old house. Ben was more -sympathetic, for Ben was by nature interested in old things, and had in -turn collected everything from abandoned bird’s nests to rusty -jackknives. - -It was Ben who, searching through a cupboard at one side of the -fireplace in the front room at the Hall, pulled out a package of old -letters and gave a shout of joy. “Hi there, see what I’ve found!” he -cried as he untied the bundle and threw the envelopes loosely on the -table. - -“What is it? Old letters,” said Tom, glancing at the yellowing paper. - -“Postage stamps!” triumphed Ben. “Some of the earliest issues! I’ll bet -you never saw that St. Louis stamp with the two bears on it before.” - -“Humph,” said David. “Postage stamps! No one collects them now.” - -But John Tuckerman looked over Ben’s shoulder, and then snatched up one -of the letters. “You’re right, Benjamin. These are rare ones. I -shouldn’t wonder if they were worth a great deal of money.” - -It was not, however, the money value of the things in the house that -interested Tuckerman. It was partly his love of old things, especially -of things that were beautifully made, and partly his feeling that they -had belonged to the Cotterells for so long, the Cotterells being his own -people. “Uncle Christopher owned all these things,” he said. “Poor Uncle -Christopher. He was stiff-necked, no doubt; but he had to suffer for it. -I’ve found a book he wrote in, and I can see that he was too proud to -sell his heirlooms, and that he had very little money, and didn’t want -anyone to know how hard up he was. So he turned hermit. He didn’t really -hate other people; he was simply so made up that he couldn’t mix with -them on an equal footing.” - -David pretended to regard the Cotterell family secret as a great joke, -although he admitted that he was very much puzzled over what he called -“the mystery of the lady with enormous feet.” On the same afternoon when -Ben found the rare postage stamps, David, being alone with Tom in the -front room, cocked an eye at the painted gentleman on the wall, and thus -addressed him: - -“Sir Peter, I don’t want to be disrespectful; but it does seem to me you -were mighty tight with your silver when your good neighbors were doing -their best to get the thirteen United States started. Or didn’t you -really have the things they suspected you of having? You’ve got a long -nose and a twinkle in your eye, and I’d say it mightn’t be beyond you to -have your little game at the expense of Barmouth.” - -Tom laughed. “You can’t judge Sir Peter by yourself, Dave.” - -“Certainly not,” was the instant reply. “I’ll admit we are very -different. Nothing could induce me to have my picture taken with a dog -like that greyhound cuddling up against my shins. The good people of -Barmouth didn’t have any greyhounds or any pie crust tables or -gate-legged tables, or whatever kind of tables it is that the Professor -finds so delightful, and they were envious, and rowed their boats out -here, and tramped up to the door, probably looking for all the world -like a gang of hayseeds.” - -“Remember, Dave, your ancestors and mine were probably among them.” - -“I’ll admit that also,” said David, “and for the sake of your feelings, -Tom, I’ll take back that about their looking like hayseeds. Let me put -it this way. A crowd of very nice looking, but temporarily cross and -angry people—men and women, and possibly a few dogs—come up to the -house here and demand to see the elegant Sir Peter. Sir Peter doesn’t -want to see them; he doesn’t approve of them; he thinks that good old -King George is just about the proper cheese to rule over him and his. -But Sir Peter’s a gentleman—you can see that from his portrait—and he -doesn’t want to disappoint the neighbors, who’ve come all the way out -here in boats. So he takes a pinch of snuff and he whistles to his -greyhound and he goes out on the front steps. He looks down along his -nose at the people of Barmouth and his right eye twinkles—you notice, -Tom, that it’s his right eye that’s the humorous one—and he says: -‘Friends and fellow citizens, come in and enjoy yourselves. The green -and gold pineapple is over the door and Cotterell Hall is yours for the -afternoon. But the silver plate you’re so anxious to lay your hands on -isn’t here any more. It’s vanished, vamoosed, flown away; and the family -are using the plain blue and white china kitchen set.’ Did they believe -him?” - -“No,” sang out Tom. - -“Exactly,” agreed David, with a bow. “They rushed past him into the -house, and they threw things about, and they buzzed around like a nest -of hornets you happen to hit with a stick. But they didn’t find anything -after all; and the reason is simple—there wasn’t anything of the sort -they had in mind to find. It was just Sir Peter’s little joke. And it -worked to perfection. Ever since people have been wondering what he did -with the silverware he mentioned that day. Sir Peter, my opinion of you -is that you were a first-class joker.” - -“You may be right,” Tom assented, “but for goodness’ sake don’t rub that -idea in on Mr. Tuckerman and Ben. They’re thrilled to the fingertips -about there being a treasure hidden away somewhere.” - -“Babes in the wood!” sniffed David. “I believe you could put almost -anything over on the Professor if you dressed it up in old clothes.” - -To the skeptical David and the inclined-to-be-skeptical Tom the other -two now appeared. They had been in the apartment on the second floor -that had been Christopher Cotterell’s bedroom and had been rummaging -through a little secretary that stood between the windows. Tuckerman had -a notebook in his hand. “These are jottings my uncle made from time to -time,” he declared. “Here’s one. ‘As regards the saying that the -hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two rocks -where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, and come -to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the place -intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have dug at -this place, but found only sand.’” - -“Maybe we can find another place that answers that description,” said -Ben hopefully. “And it stands to reason that the four of us can dig -better than your Uncle Christopher, even if he had his servant to help -him.” - -David, under cover of his hand, winked at Tom, who pretended not to see -him. - -“Here’s another note,” Tuckerman continued. “‘Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.’ That’s a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?” - -“Mahogany-hued man with long, skinny legs,” echoed Ben. - -“And a hooked nose and a scar across the left cheek,” chortled David. -“Pirate stuff, of course. There’s always someone like that. I suppose -he’s the fellow who hid the treasure on a dark, stormy night.” - -Tuckerman gazed at the speaker with his big, owl-like eyes. “You may be -right, although I rather thought of him as a faithful, old-fashioned -serving-man, from whom Sir Peter had no secrets.” - -David grinned; but how could anyone joke on a matter that Tuckerman took -so seriously? “Have it your own way,” he said. “Probably you’re right. -But hooked-nose pirate or faithful servant I don’t see how the mahogany -one can be of much help to us here to-day.” - -Tuckerman closed the notebook. “Suppose we go down to the southwestern -point. At least we’ll get a good view of the sunset and freshen up for -supper.” - -When they came to that end of the island they found the ledges and -neighboring sand covered with a vast array of sandpipers, all with their -heads turned in the same direction, watching, as it were, a score or so -of leaders, who stood out in front, closest to the water. Quietly though -the four crept up, they were still a couple of dozen yards from the rear -ranks when, with one accord and with as smooth a motion as though a sail -were being drawn across the beach, the hundreds of little winged bodies -rose in air and flew out across the waves. - -“By Jove, that’s pretty!” said Tom. “They’re like ever so many bits of -silver paper blowing about in the wind.” - -So they were. Fascinated, the four watched the sandpipers. When the -birds were tilted one way, on one tack, they could hardly be seen -against the light, they actually disappeared. Then a tiny deflection, a -dip and twist of the wings, and they were a network of silver, drawn -this way, then that. They wheeled, they rose, they dropped; no human -beings ever moved in such perfect precision; it was not as if they -followed a leader, it was as if every single sandpiper of the hundreds -knew instinctively what the bird just ahead of him would do. And at last -they descended, like falling leaves, on a flat rock out in the water. - -“I don’t see how they can do it,” sighed Ben. “We could drill and drill -forever, and never get anything like that. Don’t tell me that sandpipers -haven’t brains.” - -“You bet your boots they have,” said David. “Fine little fellows! I -don’t see how anybody can possibly want to shoot them.” - -The little fellows rose again and went soaring off against the sunset -sky. - -Tuckerman drew a long breath. “You boys who live by the seashore have -much to be thankful for. The pioneers who pushed inland must have been -awfully homesick for just such sights as that. Gee whillikins! What a -gorgeous sky! I could look at it for hours.” - -His companions, however, had other things to do. They wanted to locate -the two pines that stood between the two rocks. A short search -discovered them. The trees, old and gnarled, twisted of branches on the -eastern side, where the winter winds had lashed them, still stood like -sentinels between the lichen-covered boulders, where Christopher -Cotterell and doubtless others before him back to the days of Peter had -surveyed them. - -“They’re here all right,” said Ben. “What was it the notebook said? ‘I -have dug at this place, but found only sand.’ Well, there’s plenty of -sand—oodles of it. But if you ask my opinion, this isn’t the place to -dig.” - -“You’re lazy,” scoffed David. “Tell me, Mr. Man, why in your learned -opinion isn’t this the right place to dig?” - -“I’ve a hunch it isn’t,” answered Ben. - -Tuckerman looked at the serious-faced small fellow, and suddenly gave a -laugh. “I’ve got the same sort of a hunch myself. My uncle Christopher -dug here and didn’t find anything. I don’t want to do his work all over -again.” - -They let it go at that, and slowly, with an eye to the sunset, which -every moment grew more like a vast palette on which many colors were -mixed, went back by the path through the woods that skirted the western -shore. They reached the old house, and were passing it on their way to -the camp when Tom abruptly halted. “I say, I saw something moving at -that corner window on the second floor! Something white—yes, sir, it -moved. I’ll take my word to that!” - -All stopped and gazed at the house. The windows were closed, no curtain -could have been blowing. - -“Nonsense,” said David. “What you saw was the sunset reflected on the -glass.” - -“I’ll bet it wasn’t,” Tom retorted. And straightway he went up the -graveled walk that led to the front door. - -Now usually John Tuckerman had been careful to lock the door when he -left the house, but this time he had forgotten. Tom turned the knob and -pushed the door open. - -They all went into the hall and stood there listening. Undoubtedly there -was the sound of footsteps on the floor above. - -“That sounds to me like a giggle,” whispered Ben. - -“Sh-ssh,” warned David. - -Footsteps tapped on the floor, were coming apparently toward the head of -the staircase. - -Then unmistakably there was a laugh, a light and merry laugh, in a -feminine key. - -In the silence that followed David’s voice rose. “The lady with the -enormous feet!” he muttered. - -A patter of feet and there came into view two ladies, two ladies in -hoopskirts, with white stockings and little black slippers laced with -black ribbons, and flowered silk waists and flat, mushroom-shaped hats -with streamers falling behind. They stood at the head of the staircase -and stared down at the four below. - -“It’s Milly and Sally Hooper!” exclaimed Tom. - -“Did I hear someone whisper ‘The lady with the enormous feet?’” Milly -Hallett wrinkled her nose and stuck out the tip of her tongue. “Sarah, -my dear, the gentlemen aren’t so gallant as they used to be. Whoever saw -neater, sweeter slippers than these we have on!” - -Slowly, with a hand to each side of their skirts, which swayed like -great balloons, the two girls came down the stairs. - -At the foot John Tuckerman stood, bowing. “Ladies, you greatly honor my -poor house,” he declared. - -“Who is the gentleman, Milly?” asked Sarah Hooper, a black-haired, -black-eyed girl with scarlet ribbons to her hat. - -“Faith, I think it must be one of the comely Cotterells,” said Milly. -“What a fine sunburn he has!” - -“John Tuckerman, at your service,” said that gentleman. “Nephew of Mr. -Christopher.” - -Milly Hallett’s blue eyes danced with delightful mischief. “And Mr. -Tuckerman, who are the three extraordinary young persons standing in a -row behind you? They do look so funny! Such remarkable clothes.” - -David looked at Ben, and Ben looked at Tom, and Tom looked down at his -khaki trousers, which still bore patches of white and green paint -acquired a month ago when he was freshening up his canoe. - -“Ladies, these are three experts,” Tuckerman explained. “The gentleman -with the yellow hair and the zebra stripes on his trousers is an expert -skipper, the one with the midnight hair and the rich mahogany skin is an -expert fisherman, and the third—with the splendid red complexion and -the curling locks—can cook a meal that will make you forget every other -breakfast or dinner or supper you ever sat down to.” - -“Really!” exclaimed Sarah. “Milly dear, something reminds me that it’s a -long time since we tasted food.” - -“I was just about to touch on that point,” said Tuckerman. “Will you do -us the honor of breaking bread with us? That is, if you won’t injure -your exquisite gowns by eating out of doors.” - -“They can’t sit on the grass in those things,” Tom declared. “They’d -ruin them for fair.” - -“Oh, can’t we!” cried Milly and Sarah in chorus. “Just you watch us do -it!” - -And in spite of hoopskirts and tiny slippers and gingerly-perched hats -the two girls ran to the front door and down the steps to the path. The -other four, catching up with them, piloted them to camp. - -On the way Milly explained. She had felt that she just had to find out -what was going on at Cotterell’s Island—she had feared that bears or -ghosts, mosquitoes or robbers might have made an end of her brother and -his friends; so she had gotten Sally Hooper, and they had taken Sally’s -father’s sailboat and sailed out to the island. They hadn’t seen the -boys; but when they went up to the white house they found the front door -unlocked. They went in and looked the place all over. In a room on the -second floor they found oceans of clothes in chests and closets, and -they simply had to try some of them on. Then they thought they’d -surprise the campers. And they certainly had done that, she concluded, -because she had never seen four people look so astonished as those four -had when they saw Sally and her come to the top of the stairs. - -In fifteen minutes supper was under way, a truly marvellous supper, for -David was determined to show these skeptical girls what a howling cook -he was. The guests were not allowed to soil their fingers; as a matter -of fact they found they had their hands full with trying to manage their -ridiculous hoopskirts and sit down in them without smashing the hoops. -But they did contrive to seat themselves on a grassy bank, and Milly -took off her slippers—which were horribly tight—and the two watched -their four serving-men get supper, and occasionally put in a word or so -of advice. - -When each of the six had declared that they could not possibly eat a -single additional pancake—no matter how much golden syrup was offered -as an extra inducement—supper came to a conclusion, and Milly cast a -reflective eye out on the water. - -“Sally and I must be starting back,” she said with a sigh; “and I don’t -suppose they’d let us land in Barmouth, dressed in these funny old -clothes.” - -Sarah Hooper looked at David, who sat cross-legged on the ground, -resting after his labors. “You’re a very superior chef,” she admitted; -“but I want to know what you meant when you heard us upstairs and -murmured, ‘The lady with the enormous feet.’ Oh yes, I heard you; and -those were the very words you used.” - -David laughed. “I plead guilty. But I didn’t refer to either you or -Milly. I was thinking of a little detective work we have on hand.” - -Then he had to explain about the discovery of the very large footprints -on the bank of the creek and the finding of a lady’s lavender-scented -handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L., in the kitchen. - -“Oh, I love mysteries!” said Sarah. “I’m always reading detective -stories and working them out before the author tells you exactly what -did happen.” - -“There’s the man for you then,” said David, pointing at Ben. “Eats ’em -alive, he does.” - -“Huge footprints and a lady’s handkerchief,” murmured Milly. “That is a -funny combination. But we really must go, or Sally’s mother and father -will be sending out searching parties.” - -They all walked back to the house, and the two girls went upstairs to -change into their own clothes. When they came down again, much more -comfortably dressed, they found the others in the big front room, where -Tuckerman had lighted the candles. - -“How lovely!” exclaimed the romantic Sarah. “I adore old furniture. What -a duck of a divan! And that beautiful secretary.” She looked at a desk -that stood in a corner, at the other end from the fireplace. “It’s -mahogany, of course—and what perfect, long, fluted, shiny legs it has!” - -“What’s that?” said Ben. “Say it again, and slower.” - -“I tell you we must be going back,” declared Milly positively. “Never -mind these ducky old things, Sally. Think of your waiting parents.” - -So Sally had to go, and they all trooped down to the pier, where Mr. -Hooper’s sailboat was bobbing about on the tide. - -Tom insisted that he would take the _Argo_, to convoy the girls home; -but Milly also insisted that he should do nothing of the kind; she knew -how to handle a boat quite as well as her brother, the wind was right, -the water smooth, and she had often sailed later in the evening than -that. Nevertheless when Milly’s boat was out from the island, the -campers embarked in the _Argo_ and sailed along after them, until the -lights of Barmouth were visible right ahead. Then, with a good-night -shout, the crew of the _Argo_ brought their craft about and headed back -for the pier. - -They walked through the moonlit woods to their camp, cleaned the dishes, -and made things snug for the night. As Ben, seated on a log, pulled off -his shoes, he said to Tom, who sat near him: “Did you hear what Sally -said about that desk in the corner?” - -“Duck of a thing—some such nonsense.” - -“No. She said, ‘Mahogany, of course. And what long, fluted, shiny -legs.’” - -“Perhaps she did. I don’t remember.” - -“Doesn’t that convey anything to your mind, Tom?” - -“Can’t say it does. Mahogany—legs. Oh, I’m too sleepy to think of -anything.” - -“Well, it conveys something to me,” said Ben. “I think maybe I’ve got a -clue, thanks to innocent Sally. I suppose it’s too late to go back to -the house to-night?” - -“It’s too late to go anywhere except to sleep,” answered Tom shortly. “I -guess your clue will keep. If it’s got anything to do with Sir Peter’s -treasure, it’s kept for a hundred years.” - -Tom gave a gigantic yawn, and rolled over on to his bed. - -But Ben lay awake for some time, until he got the sound of the lapping -of waves on the beach mixed with John Tuckerman’s voice singing -“Yo—heave—ho, my lads,” and then he fell asleep. - - - - - V—THE MAHOGANY MAN - - -Mr. Tuckerman was doing the crawl-stroke—slowly and laboriously, with -almost as much splashing as a small paddle-wheel steamboat makes—but -still very much better than he had been able to do it two days before. -He was heading toward a rock, on which Tom, straight as an arrow and -almost as brown as a chocolate drop, stood with his arms pointed -outward, ready to dive. - -Ben stood back of Tom, slapping his dripping thighs and hopping about on -his toes. In the water David was floating, as comfortable and serene as -a harbor seal taking an afternoon nap. “Look out, Professor,” he -cautioned; “Tom might land on your head. He’s a terrible practical -joker. Don’t you let him use you as a cushion.” - -Tuckerman plowed along, gasping a little, his eyes fixed on the rock. - -Tom dove, and came up alongside David. “If I was picking out a cushion, -I’d take you. You’d make a bully springboard. Push right along, Mr. -Tuckerman. You’re doing nobly.” - -Ben gave a whoop. “Look out there!” Lithe as an eel, and seemingly made -of rubber, he sprang from the rock, turned a somersault, and shot -smoothly into the water. He reappeared, looking like a porpoise, his -black hair all shiny, and with a few lusty flaps reached the rock again -just as Tuckerman, breathless, put out his hands to clutch at the -slippery side. - -“You’re a regular flying-fish,” Ben complimented Tuckerman, as the -latter, careful not to scrape too close against the rough edge of rock, -drew himself slowly up to the level top. “I don’t believe any of your -friends out in the plain country of Illinois would know you if they -happened to see you now.” - -“I don’t believe they would,” agreed Tuckerman, sitting down gingerly -and embracing his knees with his hands. “I know I look like a red -Indian, and I feel as if I’d got a thousand more muscles than I ever had -before.” - -“If you don’t mind——” said Ben; and putting his hands on Tuckerman’s -shoulders he made a leap-frog jump over the latter’s head and splashed -loudly into the water. - -“Well,” said David, changing his position from floating to treading -water, “I think the coffee must be boiling now. It’s time I dropped -those eggs.” And with leisurely strokes he made for the beach, where he -had thoughtfully left a Turkish towel beside his pile of clothes. - -The others followed suit, and had soon arrayed themselves in the few -garments they thought needful to wear in their island home. David poured -the coffee and attended to the toast and eggs, which had been procured -the day before from a farmer on the mainland. And as they ate, Ben -propounded the question: - -“Fellows, what was it Christopher Cotterell said about a mahogany man?” - -“He said,” Tuckerman answered, “‘Find the mahogany-hued man with the -long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.’” - -“Exactly,” said Ben slowly. “Well, I’ve got an idea I know where to find -that man.” - -The other three looked at him in utter amazement. “The dickens you have, -Benjie!” retorted Tom. “Why, he couldn’t be alive now.” - -“Perhaps Ben thinks he’s a mummy,” suggested David, “or a piece of wood -that’s turned to stone.” - -“Maybe I do,” Ben chuckled. “You’re getting warm, old horse. Long, -skinny legs—doesn’t that remind you of something? Haven’t you seen any -that answer that description in this neighborhood?” - -“You’re not referring to mine?” asked Tuckerman. - -The breakfast-party laughed, the Professor wore such a look of injured -dignity. - -“No, sir, not to yours,” Ben said. “Yours are fat as a drum compared to -those I have in mind.” - -“I remember Ben mumbled something about this last night,” mused Tom. -“But I was too sleepy to listen. He said something about Sally Hooper, -too; something about her giving him an idea.” - -Ben nodded. “So she did.” - -“Didn’t I always claim that our Benjie was a real detective?” said -David. “Clean up first; and then for the yarn.” - -Breakfast things were put away in their box, and then the three turned -to Ben. “Where’s your mahogany man?” they demanded in one voice. - -“There’s no hurry,” was the tantalizing answer. “Perhaps I’d better go -fishing first.” - -Tom laid his hand on the other boy’s shoulder and twisted him around. -“Lead us to him,” he commanded. - -Ben shrugged. “Oh, very well. You’re more interested than you were last -night. Come along, but don’t make any noise.” - -He led them to Cotterell Hall. Tuckerman had locked the front door after -the girls had left on the night before, and now he opened it with the -key he kept in his trouser pocket. - -Ben led them into the hall, and then into the big front room, which was -now flooded with sunlight. - -“Look around,” he announced; “and tell me what you see.” - -They looked about the room with puzzled faces. “Rats!” exclaimed David. -“I don’t see any man here.” - -Ben glanced at Tuckerman. “Long, skinny, mahogany-colored legs,” he -murmured. - -“Not Sir Peter’s portrait?” said Tuckerman. - -Ben walked across the room in the direction of the secretary. “When -Sally came in here last night,” he explained, “she said something about -this desk. ‘Mahogany, I suppose—and what long, fluted, shiny legs.’ -Well, it has, hasn’t it?” He laid his hand on the secretary. “Mightn’t -this be the man?” - -“You’re joking,” Tom protested; while David looked from the desk to his -friend’s serious face as if he thought Ben must be plain crazy. - -Tuckerman, however, laid his hand also on the piece of furniture. “They -liked their little joke in the old days,” he observed. “It might be, -Ben. If that’s so——” He turned the small brass key in the lock of the -lid, and pulling out the two supports on either side of the lower -drawers let the lid down on them. “If that’s so; and this is the -mahogany man—where’s his breast pocket?” - -There were small drawers inside, and a row of pigeonholes to either side -of a central compartment that was also locked by a key. - -“Somewhere up in his chest,” said Ben. - -Tuckerman pulled out the drawers and emptied their contents, small -objects, keys, pencils, bits of sealing-wax, a few sheets of blank -paper. He put his hand in the pigeonholes and drew out several bundles -of letters. “I’ve been through all these things before,” he said with a -shake of his head. - -“That place in the middle,” Tom suggested. - -“Only an ink-stand,” said Tuckerman; and unlocking the little door he -drew forth a big glass inkstand with a brass top. That was all there was -in the little cupboard; all the contents of the upper part of the -secretary were arrayed on the lid. - -“No go,” said David. “The man hasn’t anything in his pocket to give us -any clue.” - -“I must say,” said Tom, “it does seem ridiculous to me that anyone could -have meant that desk——” - -“I’ve heard,” mumbled Ben, who was paying no attention to what the -others were saying, “that old desks have secret compartments. My -grandfather has an old one that looks something like this. Let me -see——” He slipped his hand into the pigeonhole on the right of the -little door Tuckerman had unlocked, and began to feel around. “I say! -Here’s something. It feels like a wooden spring.” - -Tuckerman put his hand into the central compartment. “Push on the -spring,” he directed. - -Ben pushed and Tuckerman at the same moment pulled out the cupboard that -had harbored the inkstand. It was a box that fitted snugly into the -centre of the secretary. - -“Well, that’s a great stunt,” said Tom. “It comes to pieces like a nest -of drawers.” - -The four, their heads close together, looked into the space from which -the cupboard had come. - -All they saw was an unvarnished piece of pine board, apparently the back -of the desk. - -“Looks like my grandfather’s,” said Ben. “Yes, there’s a couple of -holes.” And putting his forefinger and thumb into two indentations in -the wood at the back, he wriggled his hand around and drew out a small -drawer. - -“Empty!” he muttered, disappointed, holding the drawer so that the -others could see. - -Again he put his hand into the opening and drew out a second drawer that -had been under the first one. This also was empty. - -“One more chance.” He pulled out the bottom drawer. In this there was -something. Holding it upside down, a small roll of paper fell out on the -lid of the desk. - -“A piece of parchment,” said Tuckerman, picking up the roll. He opened -it out, holding it taut in his two hands. - -All eyes focussed on the sheet, on which were scrawled, in a faint -purplish ink, these lines: - - I took the box - cliff where was - meaning to es - but they were - and so I hid - pocket in the - are two big - make a mark - -Tuckerman read these words aloud, three times over. Then he gave a -grunt. “Well, that’s that. And it’s not so very illuminating, is it?” - -Ben took the parchment. “Somebody’s cut it across. See, the right hand -words are close to the edge. How disgusting!” - -David and Tom each handled the parchment, which was finally laid on the -desk-lid, with the inkstand to keep it from curling up into its original -tight roll. - -David stroked his chin, pretending to be lost in thought. “Somebody took -the box—to the cliff—but they were—and so somebody hid the box—in -his pocket—there are two big—that make a mark. I gather from that line -about the pocket that the box was pretty small.” - -“It doesn’t say he hid it in his pocket,” Ben objected. “It might have -been a pocket in the cliff just as well.” - -“Who do you suppose he was?” asked Tom. - -“Why, Peter Cotterell, of course,” David answered promptly. - -“I don’t know about that,” said Tuckerman. “This handwriting doesn’t -look like that of a man who was used to holding the pen. See how he’s -gone over some of the letters several times, as if he wasn’t precisely -sure how he ought to form them. Sir Peter was a well-educated gentleman. -He must have known how to use a quill.” - -“Perhaps he wanted to disguise his handwriting,” David suggested. - -“Why would he want to do that?” Ben retorted. “Whoever wrote that meant -to leave a record of what he’d done with the box. There wouldn’t be any -sense in faking his handwriting—certainly not if he intended to hide -the parchment away in a secret drawer of the desk.” - -“What sense would there be in his cutting it in two then?” Tom inquired. - -Tuckerman, who was sitting on the arm of a chair, threw back his head -and laughed. “Here we are arguing about something that happened ever so -long ago, and we haven’t the least idea why it happened this way.” He -turned to the portrait on the wall and shook his finger at it. “You—or -some of your household—knew how to make first-class puzzles, Sir -Peter.” Then, as he swung around to the three boys, he added: - -“My guess is that there’s a pocket in a cliff somewhere on this island, -and that there is—or was—a box hidden in it.” - -“Find the cliff,” said Tom. - -Ben shook his head. “There are dozens of cliffs.” - -“Well, you won’t find anything more in your mahogany man’s breast -pocket,” Tom answered. “You can see for yourself it’s empty.” - -“My idea is,” said David, “that we get the _Argo_ and sail round the -island till we sight a likely-looking cliff.” - -“That appeals to me,” agreed Tuckerman, “and Tom can give me another -lesson in how to handle a boat.” - -The parchment was put in its drawer, the three drawers replaced, the -cupboard pushed back and caught by its spring, and the desk-lid lifted -and locked. - -“I’d a heap rather hunt for clues out of doors on a day like this,” said -David. - -But Ben sat down on a divan. “I want to do a little thinking, fellows. -You go along without me. Maybe I’ll go fishing for dinners off the rocks -after a while.” - -They laughed at Ben; but he would not be dissuaded. He wanted to do some -thinking, and he meant to. “Stubborn as a mule,” said Tom. “He gets his -mind set on a thing, and dynamite won’t budge him.” - -So the others went down to the sailboat; and presently Ben, getting up -from the divan, went out and cut himself a stick of willow. He brought -it back and began to whittle shavings all over the hardwood floor of -Cotterell Hall. He had seen men down on the Barmouth docks whittle -shavings for hours, and he had copied the habit. He found it a great -help when he wanted to think things out. - - - - - VI—THE CLIPPER SHIP - - -Ben Sully was a boy who would rather work out a puzzle than do almost -anything else. He had a tremendous amount of patience, which possibly -explains why he was such a successful fisherman, since he could wait -longer, dangling a piece of bait in the water, than nine out of ten -fishes could resist the temptation to find out what the bait tasted -like. Any kind of a _puzzle_, from cut out sections of cardboard that -fitted together to make a picture all the way to ingenious contraptions -of metal links that didn’t want to come apart, was a delight to Ben. He -had boxes and boxes of them stored away in a closet at home. He had -invented secret codes and cryptograms by the score, and when he was only -ten years old had constructed a private language of twenty-five words -that he had taught to Tom and David and which the three of them had used -among themselves to the great admiration and envy of all the rest of -their school. - -Naturally then Ben felt that this _puzzle_ of Peter Cotterell’s treasure -was right in his line, and the finding of the half-sheet of parchment -whetted his appetite to discover more. He walked about the room, -whittling shavings right and left, he sat down and kept on whittling, he -stood up again, and since by now the willow-stick had been whittled down -to almost nothing, he threw what was left in the fireplace. - -That done, he went to a bookcase and took down from the shelf on top the -old notebook that Tuckerman had found in his uncle’s bedroom. He thumbed -the pages until he came to the place where Tuckerman had inserted a slip -of paper. Ben read the words at the top of the page out loud. “Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That’s a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?” Ben -looked at the desk. “Well, we’ve done that, anyhow.” He shook his head -in deep thought. “I don’t understand why that piece of parchment wasn’t -discovered before. They might not have taken the desk to be the mahogany -man; but surely Crusty Christopher or his father would have known of -those three little drawers. However, they might have found that writing -and left it there. That’s possible, of course. Probably it didn’t tell -them any more than it’s told us so far.” - -Turning again to the notebook, he ran his eye down the page. Nothing but -Christopher Cotterell’s comments on all sorts of subjects, nothing that -interested Ben. He turned a page, two pages, another, and then his -glance fell on this: “I’ve heard that the old clipper ship got some of -the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what use is -that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution.” - -On and on down the page Ben’s eyes traveled, but lighted on nothing that -caught his special attention. So he went back and reread that passage. -Then he closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, stuck his hands in -his pockets, and stared through the window. - -“I wonder if there was a real mahogany man,” he mused, “and a real ship. -There might have been. There were men from the West Indies in this part -of the country in those days. One of them might have had valuables in -his clothes, and part of the things he was guarding might have been -carried off in the hold of a ship. Was there a real man, or was it that -secretary? And how about the ship?” - -Presently Ben walked around the drawing-room, as if he were searching -for something. From there he went to the dining-room and the kitchen, -and then upstairs to Christopher Cotterell’s bedroom. He looked into -closets and behind curtains, he pulled open wardrobe doors and peered in -at the shelves. But each time he shook his head, as much as to say: -“There’s nothing there that I want.” - -Under the slanting roof at the top of the house was an attic, already -explored by Tuckerman and the boys. It was filled with every kind of -thing, from an ancient lacquered Indian temple—the green and gold of -the lacquer now sadly tarnished and chipped—to a collection of Red -Men’s arrowheads, neatly fastened to a board by small straps of leather. -Ben looked around at the strange medley of objects, thinking how many -countries and how many different races of men had contributed to the -furnishing of this attic; and then his roving eyes lighted on something -that made them glisten—on a bracket against the wall sat the model of a -ship. - -Ben knew the model to be that of a Yankee clipper—three masts, loftily -rigged, with three sky-sail yards, and a long mainyard. She was -beautifully built, every detail complete, the deck and hull shining with -varnish. “Hello,” sang out Ben, “clipper ship ahoy!” And pushing a box -close against the wall he stepped up opposite the bracket. - -In the deck of the model was a little lid. He pried this up with his -knife-blade. There was just room for him to squeeze his fingers through, -and when he drew them out again they held a small roll of paper. - -“Yes,” said Ben, “it’s parchment,” and very much thrilled he took his -find over to the window and smoothed it out. - -The ink on this parchment was faint and purplish, like that on the sheet -already found in the desk, and the left hand words were close to the -edge. Ben read them aloud: - - to the north - the boat - cape with it - off the shore - it in the - rocks. There - veins that - like a cross. - James Sampson. - -“Good enough!” said Ben, and ran down the stairs to the first floor. - -The little drawer in the secretary was again made to disgorge its -half-sheet of parchment and Ben laid the two papers side by side on the -desk-lid. They fitted perfectly; now their message was complete. - - I took the box to the north - cliff where was the boat - meaning to escape with it - but they were off the shore - and so I hid it in the - pocket in the rocks. There - are two big veins that - make a mark like a cross. - James Sampson. - -“Well, that’s clear enough,” said Ben, “though why anyone should cut -James Sampson’s writing in two is more than I can understand.” He copied -the words on a sheet of paper and put the two pieces of parchment in the -secret drawer. “Now let’s see what we’ve got. Sampson meant to leave the -island with his box at the northern end, but he saw some enemies waiting -there, so he hid the box in a crevice where the rocks are marked like a -cross. All right for Mr. Sampson. That’s easy sailing. But why didn’t -some of the Cotterells find what was in the hold of that little ship’s -model long before this? Funny—that is.” Again his brows bent in -thought. “Was James Sampson the real mahogany man? Was there a real -clipper ship?” At last he shook his head. “I don’t know. But at least -I’ve found something.” - -Ben left the house. It was noon, and warm. The others were sailing -around the island; there was no knowing when they would be back. He -debated whether to go fishing, and finally decided against it. Without -any definite purpose in mind he took the path at the back of Cotterell -Hall that led toward the little creek. - -It was only a short distance across to the inlet where David and he had -landed. He went through the bushes and trees until he saw the water -before him. There was the creek and there was the marshy ground where -they had found the footprints. He descended the bank to look at the -marks again. - -There were no footprints there now: they had utterly vanished! - -Ben hunted along the edge of the creek, although he was positive where -the marks had been. There was not a sign of them. There had been no rain -to wash them out. The soggy ground was above the reach of the tide. -There was only one explanation: someone had been there since David and -he had landed and had carefully removed any sign of footsteps. - -To discover footprints on a supposedly uninhabited shore is thrilling, -but to discover that those footprints have disappeared is even more -exciting. What did it mean? Well, to Ben it clearly indicated that the -person who had made those marks in the first place had some very good -reason for wanting no one to know that he had been there. - -Cotterell’s treasure was an ancient mystery; but this was a new one, no -older in fact than the day before yesterday. This was new matter over -which to cudgel one’s brains, and Ben, sitting on the bank, gave deep -consideration to it until he saw the sail of the _Argo_ creeping up from -the south. - -Should he tell the others of his discoveries or not? He decided to keep -them a secret, including the vanished footprints, for a short time at -least. But he jumped up, and ran down to the shore, and sent an -ear-piercing yell across the water. The answer was a wave from Tom, and -presently the _Argo_ drew closer inland and laid her course for a small, -grass-topped headland on Ben’s side of the creek. - -“Don’t jump; slide down, Benjie, slide,” directed Tom. - -“And slide gently,” added David. “Not as if you were making for third -base with the ball getting there before you. Remember the Professor’s at -the helm and we don’t want to tilt the boat.” - -“Don’t you worry,” sang out Ben. “I’ll drop in so you’ll think I’m as -light as a feather.” And as the _Argo_ slipped along under the headland -he let himself down, lightly and easily, but, as it happened, right on -the shoulders of David. - -The big fellow gave a growl. Ben’s legs had somehow contrived to twine -themselves around David’s neck, and Ben was sitting there on the broad -shoulders, his hands on the other boy’s head. - -“Hi there! Look out!” cried Tuckerman. “You’ll upset the whole shebang!” - -But Tom came to the skipper’s rescue. A steadying hand on the tiller and -the _Argo_ moved out from the shore. - -Slowly Ben pushed David forward until they both came down in a heap in -the little cockpit. “Behave yourselves,” ordered Tom. “I’ve got a dipper -here and I’ll souse you both with cold water!” - -The threat was enough. The two sat up. David grinned. “The little -feller’s all right; he’s got some muscle. I shouldn’t wonder if I could -make a real man out of him some day.” - -Under Tom’s teaching John Tuckerman was learning something about -handling a sailing dory, just as Ben had given him lessons in flounder -fishing, David in making flapjacks, and the three in various swimming -strokes. It was true that he still regarded the _Argo’s_ sail, when a -sudden puff of wind filled it, as an inexperienced driver regards his -horse when the animal shows signs of shying—his muscles grew tense, and -he frowned, and stopped talking—but he didn’t ask Tom what to do and he -managed to keep the dory fairly close to the course he intended. And he -was a good sport! He didn’t try to crawl out of his mistakes by arguing -about them; he admitted them with a grin, and that grin was always so -whole-souled and hearty that it made one want to slap him on the back -and tell him that he hadn’t really made a mistake after all. - -When Tuckerman had the _Argo_ well in hand again and could think of -other matters, he said to Ben, “We’ve seen plenty of rocks and ledges, -but nary a thing that could properly be called a cliff. A cliff, I take -it, is something fairly high and mighty, not so steep as Gibraltar -perhaps, but as large as a good-sized barn-door.” - -“While we’ve been hunting for cliffs,” said David, “I suppose Ben has -worked this all out. What are your conclusions, oh wise one?” - -“Never you mind, my boy. The clever magician waits till he has -everything in order before he performs his trick.” - -“Ben’s got something up his sleeve,” put in Tom. “I can always tell when -he talks in that grand way. But there’s no use trying to make him tell -us, Dave. The way to make an oyster talk is to pay no attention to it.” - -Ben said nothing, though the temptation was great as the _Argo_ reached -the northern end of the island, where high rocks came down to the water. - -Tuckerman admitted these were cliffs, but there were a number of them, -and how was he to tell which was the one they wanted? They sailed slowly -along, watching the shore and speculating as to what the message in the -desk referred. And while the other three talked Ben sat silent, trying -to picture what had happened to James Sampson there more than a century -before. - -Ben had a good imagination, and it led him to see Sampson as a servant -of Sir Peter Cotterell, a faithful serving-man, who always did what his -master told him. When the men of Barmouth threatened to take Sir Peter’s -treasure the old Tory gave some of his most valuable possessions to -Sampson, and the latter carried them to this end of the island where he -had a small boat that should carry him to the mainland. When he reached -the shore, however, he saw other Barmouth men patrolling the coast in -their own boats and so his escape that way was cut off. With quick wit -he hid the treasures in a cleft of the rock and blocked up the -hiding-place. Ben could see it all, even to Sir Peter, in knee-breeches -and wig, commending James Sampson when the man returned and related what -he had done. “Good and faithful servant,” said Sir Peter; “the rascals -are outwitted again!” And doubtless Sir Peter took Sampson into the -dining-room and poured him out a glass of rum. Ben wasn’t sure about -that; it might not have been rum; but rum sounded well, it smacked of -old-time adventure. Yes, probably it was rum; and Sampson had wiped his -mouth with the sleeve of his jacket and laughed with his master at the -thought of the men of Barmouth sitting out there in their boats, like so -many cats waiting outside a mouse-hole. - -“Come out of it, Ben! Wake up!” - -Ben looked up with a start. Tom was laughing at him. “Where are you, -Benjie? A million miles away!” - -“No,” answered Ben, “I was listening to Sir Peter talking to a man you -don’t any of you know anything about.” - -“Your precious mahogany man?” asked Tom. “Don’t tell me you learned -something more about him while you were up at the house.” - -“He means the man with the big feet,” said David. “Did you find his -prints in the house?” - -“David,” said Ben solemnly, “you’re absolutely certain you saw those -footprints of a man on the bank of the creek, are you?” - -“Absolutely,” David stated. “You don’t think it was some animal wearing -a man’s shoes, do you?” - -“No. I thought you saw them. But I looked this morning in the same -place, and there aren’t any prints there now.” - -There followed a moment’s silence; then Tuckerman exploded a loud -“What?” - -“Vanished, vamoosed, flown away,” Ben said with a nod. - -“My eye!” exclaimed David. “This is too horrible! Is the island -haunted?” - -“It is peculiar,” said Tuckerman, frowning at the shore. - -“Look out!” sang out Tom. - -The _Argo_, her helmsman unheeding his business, was slowly coming -about, with a ledge of rock dead ahead. Tuckerman wheeled around, put -the tiller over—the dory righted again. - -“Ben,” said Tom, “don’t you spring anything like that on us again, with -the Professor sailing this boat. If you’ve got any other fairy tales, -you keep them till we’re on shore.” - -“My fault,” said the skipper. “I’m learning. My first business is to -bring us safe up to the dock.” - -“And my first business,” added David, “is to get something to eat. -Mysteries may come and go, but three square meals a day are always -needful. How about that, Ben, my son? What did Sir Peter and this other -friend of yours live on?” - -“Rum,” said the solemn Ben. - -“Rum! You’re a rum one! Are you sure you didn’t drink some of Sir -Peter’s rum before you went to the creek and found that the footprints -were missing?” - -But Ben only smiled. He could afford to smile when he knew that he, and -he alone, had a copy of James Sampson’s complete message tucked away in -his pocket. - - - - - VII—THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - - -Needless to say, Ben would have liked to start out immediately after -dinner to look for the pocket in the rocks that was marked with a cross, -provided he could have found a good excuse to get away from the others; -for he was still of a mind to keep his discovery a secret for the -present. But the larder was in need of fresh supplies, and as soon as -they had finished their cleaning up Tom announced that their immediate -business was to sail across to Farmer Hapgood’s and buy some eggs and -milk. So the _Argo_ put out into the bay again, and soon the four -campers, the sailboat safely moored at the Hapgood landing, were -tramping up the road toward a gray-shingled cottage that had a couple of -beautiful, tall elms at either side of it. - -Mrs. Hapgood sold them eggs, milk, and butter, and some large loaves of -freshly-baked bread. These were packed in a basket the boys had brought. -When they came out from the house they stopped a few moments to chat -with Mrs. Hapgood, and while they were talking two large automobiles -swung in from a crossroad and raced past the farmhouse door. - -The two cars were filled with boys, boys on the seats and on the -running-boards. “They’re from Camp Amoussock, down along the shore a -way,” Mrs. Hapgood explained. “They’re going to have a baseball game -with the boys around here. My Sandy’s playing. He’s getting into his -things upstairs now, but he’ll be down in a minute.” - -The cars disappeared in a cloud of dust, and almost immediately a -red-haired, freckle-faced young fellow, in a baseball suit, dashed out -from the front door. - -“Hello,” he cried, nodding to the others. “That crowd made as much noise -with their horns as if they’d won the game already.” - -“Pretty good team, are they?” asked David. - -“Yes, they’re a good team,” said Sandy; “but mighty stuck on themselves. -They come from a lot of different cities, and most of them play on their -school nines. They’ve beaten us the last two summers. Gee, but we’d like -to get back at ’em to-day!” - -“Who’s on your team?” asked Tom. - -“Well, we call ourselves the Tidewater Tigers. Most of us live around -here. One, Billy Burns, comes from Barmouth. Native sons of New -Hampshire against the strangers—that’s what my father says.” - -“We know Billy Burns,” said Ben. “He’s a good batter.” - -“Yes, he’s good,” agreed Sandy. “But they’ve got a pitcher who’s a -corker. Lanky Larry they call him. He’s the goods all right—lots of -speed and a curve. I’ll say he is! Fanned me three times last year.” -Sandy clutched his bat. “Gee, but I’d like to sting him!” - -“Let’s feel it,” said David. He took the bat and swung it several times. -“A little light, but not bad,” he pronounced judicially. - -“Say, why don’t you all come along? We’ll show you some real excitement. -You can leave that basket here.” - -The boys looked at each other, and suddenly Tuckerman burst out -laughing. “Lead us to it, Sandy. I can see these three have got their -tongues hanging out.” - -“Well,” said David slowly, “I do hate to pass a good thing by.” - -“He wants a sight of this Lanky Larry,” said Tom. “A good pitcher to -Dave is like a red rag to a bull.” - -Mrs. Hapgood relieved Tom of the basket. “You boys are native sons,” she -said with a smile. “Go along and root for the Tigers.” - -Up the road they went until they came to an open field marked out with a -baseball diamond. The two automobiles were parked on one side, and on -the other was a crowd of boys and girls, interspersed with a few older -people. Already some of the Tigers and some of the Amoussocks were -knocking out flies to their fielders. - -“There’s Lanky, warming up,” said Sandy, pointing to a tall, -dark-skinned fellow who was throwing a ball to a catcher in front of the -automobiles. “They’re a swell lot, aren’t they? They’ve all got brand -new suits this summer, with red and white stockings, and a red A on -their chests.” - -The Amoussocks did look very trim; more especially in contrast to the -native sons, who were dressed in all sorts of suits, the most of them -old and mud-stained. - -“Here’s Billy Burns,” said Sandy; and as Tuckerman and the three boys -went up to join the crowd, Sandy darted away to report himself to his -captain. - -Billy came up. “Hi, you fellows. What you doing here?” - -“Digging clams for bait,” answered David. “Benjie wants to go fishing.” - -“Come down to see us smear the strangers?” Billy continued, ignoring -David’s joke. - -“I hear that Lanky Larry’s a terror.” This from Tom. - -“Terror’s the word,” Billy admitted. “Say, Dave, you think you’re some -hitter in Barmouth. But you’ve never stacked up against his class.” - -“Oh, I don’t know,” said David. “I’ve sent some good men to the discard. -Howsomever, it’s not up to me this afternoon to tackle the strangers. -I’m neutral to-day.” - -“Go to it, Billy!” said Ben. “We’re going to root for you. Of course we -are. We’re not pikers.” - -It was clear that this was a big day in the eyes of the community. A -hay-wagon rattled up, loaded with empty boxes and a pile of boards. The -boxes were stood on end on the ground and the planks placed across them, -and the seats thus made were instantly filled by boys and girls. On the -opposite side waved a large banner, white with a gigantic red A in the -centre. There were shouts and cheers from both sides as the two teams -gathered round the umpire; then the Tigers ran out to take the field and -the first Amoussock batter stepped up to the plate. - -The campers from Cotterell’s Island sat on the grass with the New -Hampshire boys. Half the fun of watching any contest is in rooting for -one side to win, and naturally the campers were backing the home nine. -The Amoussocks had a superior air, partly due perhaps to their snappy -suits and partly to the fact that they had beaten the Tigers each of the -two summers before. And they knew how to play baseball; there was a snap -and precision about their work that was the result of constant coaching -in teamwork. - -Against them the home team, mostly the sons of neighboring farmers, boys -who had to coach themselves and only played together on Saturdays, -showed at a decided disadvantage. They had plenty of fighting spirit and -kept right up on their toes, playing for all they were worth, taking big -chances in stealing bases and backing each other up on every throw. But -they couldn’t hit Lanky Larry—not to any extent; and the Amoussocks -could, and did, hit Sam Noyes, the Tiger pitcher. - -David shook his head as the third inning ended. “That Lanky’s got ’em -where he wants ’em,” he said. “He eases up a bit, and lets us get a hit -or two; but watch him in the pinches. He can tighten up and shoot ’em -over. Yes, siree,—nothing he likes better than a couple of them on the -bases, and then putting over three strikes, simple as you please.” - -Tom took a blade of grass from his mouth. “And he keeps grinning. -Nothing riles a batter worse than that sort of a pitcher. ‘See how -simple it is,’ he says with that smile. ‘Like taking candy from a kid to -get a strike on you’—and he goes ahead and shoots one over while you’re -planning how you’ll wipe the grin from his face.” - -Billy Burns dropped down beside them. “Two to nothing,” he declared. -“Sam’s doing mighty well, but Lanky’s doing better. It’s that in-shoot -of his. I know just where it’s going, but hang it all! every blessed -time I reach right out for it.” - -“He’s got your goat,” said David. “You’re so all-fired mad that you -don’t wait for the ball to get near you.” - -“Huh, it’s easy to talk! I suppose you could wait all day.” - -“Well, I wouldn’t get tied up tight, stiff as a stick. That’s the -trouble with all our team. They’re so keen to hit they can’t wait. -Larry’s got them going before they walk out there; and he knows it too, -believe me!” - -“I suppose you’d be as cool as a cucumber,” Billy jeered. - -“As fat as a cucumber, you mean,” suggested Ben. “When Dave leans -against the ball it’s like a ton of bricks.” - -“We’re out again,” announced Billy, picking up his fielder’s glove. -“We’re not so worse in the field; but golly, if we could only hit!” - -The Tigers couldn’t hit, however. The crowd on the benches rooted as -hard as they could, but the native sons stayed behind. And the visitors -grew more dashing. They kept talking to each other on the bases, little -remarks filled with self-esteem; it was easy to see they were very well -pleased with themselves. - -David kept pulling blades of grass, chewing them, spitting them out. -Every time that a Tiger came to bat David felt as if it were he himself -who was facing that smiling pitcher. - -The fifth inning came and went; the score was still the same. Billy -Burns, in spite of what David had told him, had struck out again. - -Tom stood up and stretched. “No, boys, it isn’t our day—unless -something different happens. I guess that old New Hampshire’s got to -take the short end.” - -Something did happen; but not what Tom expected. Billy Burns, in the -outfield, running after a deep fly to centre, made a dive for the ball -at full speed, stumbled, fell headlong, but held up the ball in his -hand. - -“Batter’s out!” cried the umpire. - -The loyal rooters cheered. Billy, however, lay flat, and when, after a -moment, he tried to get up, he sat down quickly again. - -The other fielders ran over to him and stood him up between them. Billy -held up one foot, put it down, gave a groan. “Twisted my ankle, I -guess,” he muttered. He tried to take a step forward. “No go,” he added. -“Hang it all, just my luck!” - -Two fielders brought him in between them, Billy hopping on one foot. The -Tigers held a consultation, while the Amoussocks threw the ball around. -Then Sam Noyes, the Tiger captain, stepped over to David. “Billy’s down -and out,” he said. “He can’t play any more. But he says you think you -can hit their pitcher; and you’re from Barmouth, so that’d be all right. -Want to take Billy’s place?” - -David glanced up. He knew by the look on Sam’s face that the Tiger -captain didn’t believe he could bat any better than the others. “All -right,” he answered. “I didn’t mean to boast, you know; but I’ll do my -darndest.” - -“No one can do more,” murmured Tuckerman behind him. - -David peeled off his coat and put on Billy’s glove. He lumbered out to -centrefield while Sam Noyes explained the substitution to the Amoussock -captain. - -In the last half of the sixth inning David came to bat. Lanky Larry -patted the ball caressingly, surveyed the new player from head to foot, -and then grinned as if he had suddenly remembered a tremendous joke. -David dug his feet into the earth of the batter’s box, wishing he had on -the cleated shoes he wore when he played on his school team, swung his -bat—one he had carefully selected from the varied assortment offered by -the Tigers—and then grinned as if he also had thought of something very -funny. - -“I say, what’s the joke, you two fellows?” sang out a man who was -standing back of the benches. - -That made everybody laugh, with the result that Lanky, when he pitched -the ball, threw it wide and missed the plate by a couple of inches. - -“Ball one!” proclaimed the umpire. - -“Make it be good!” yelled Ben. - -David hitched up his trousers and lifted his bat again. Lanky patted the -ball and smiled, but not so broadly. He shot the next one across the -plate with speed and precision, David letting it go by without swinging -at it. - -“Strike one!” sang the umpire. - -“You’ve got him, Lanky!” came a voice from the ranks of the Amoussocks. - -“Oh dear!” sighed a girl on the Tiger’s bench, loud enough to be heard -across the diamond; “I thought this fellow looked like he could knock a -home run!” - -There was a titter, a ripple of laughter, and Larry, fondling the ball, -looked over in the direction of the girl and grinned from ear to ear. - -The ball shot from his hand. There was a crack—sharp and -stinging;—Larry reached out, missed the ball as it whizzed by—whizzed -on over the bag at second base, sizzled on into the outfield. -Centrefield couldn’t touch it; that ball simply wouldn’t stop, and -didn’t until it struck a stone wall at the end of the field. - -By the time the ball got back David was standing on third base, and the -Tiger rooters were splitting the air with yells. - -“Dave leaned against it all right, didn’t he?” said Ben to Tuckerman. -“He came around on it just as easy; but when he struck he made every -ounce tell.” - -“He’d have had a home run if it hadn’t been for that stone wall,” said -Tuckerman. “The field’s too short; it doesn’t give our Dave a show.” - -Lanky Larry looked less amused. He frowned and grew thoughtful; with the -result that the next Tiger up got a neat hit to right field, and David -came trotting home. - -But the inning ended on the next play, the Tiger being caught out at -second base. The score was two to one, in the Amoussock’s favor. The -crowd felt somewhat better as the Tigers took the field again. The -Amoussocks, however, managed to get in another run at their turn at bat, -and had a good lead of two. - -The seventh and eighth innings repeated the same old story. Lanky was in -form again, and none of the batters could hit him. And with the score at -three to one the Amoussocks prepared to mow down their rivals in the -last half of the ninth. - -David was to be the third batter, and he swung two bats over his -shoulder as he waited for his turn. Lanky knew what he was doing, was in -fact watching him out of the corner of his eye, and looking forward to -his next chance at the cocky David. Thinking what he would do to David -he forgot the job in hand, and struck Sam Noyes on the arm. The umpire -sent Sam to first. Larry scowled and bit his lip. The next Tiger got a -hit, and Sam went to second. - -The crowd jumped to its feet, both sides were rooting madly. “If only -there was room for a home run!” sighed Ben. “Old Barmouth could do it! -Keep cool, Dave my lad!” - -David was perfectly cool, to all appearance at least, as he walked up to -the plate. He smiled and gave the least little nod at the tall, -dark-skinned pitcher. - -A duel between these two;—that was what the crowd felt in the air. The -fielders were hopping about, crouching, their hands on their knees; Sam -and the Tiger on first base were flapping their arms, all ready to dash -for the next base. But nobody looked at them; all eyes were on the two -who were regarding each other with pleasant smiles. - -“Strike one!” - -David stepped back, a bit surprised, while the crowd gave a groan. - -“Ball one!” There was a little ripple of satisfaction. - -“But he’s got to hit it,” Tom muttered in Tuckerman’s ear. “A base on -balls won’t do. The next fellow’d go out.” - -And David knew he’d got to hit it, and kept telling himself not to -tighten up. “Easy does it, easy does it,” kept singing over and over in -his mind. If he tried too hard Lanky would get him just as he had gotten -the others; and he knew perfectly well that was what Lanky intended that -he should do. - -“Strike two!” - -Larry had outguessed him that time, giving him a slow drop. David eased -his muscles, smiled his confident smile, settled evenly on his feet. -This next would be the in-shoot. Larry would save that for the last. -“Easy does it; take your time.” David looked at the pitcher, not -angrily, not intently, just with a jovial dare. - -And the bat, with David’s shoulders behind it, and his waist and his -legs as well, met that ball as it curved in toward him fair and square -on the nose. There was a mighty crack—the sort that sings in the ears -and makes the pulses tingle—and away and away went the ball. Over the -pitcher’s head, over the heads of the fielders; far out in the field it -struck the ground at last and bounded over the stone wall. It brought up -against a cow, that was lying down in a meadow, and it gave her such a -bump that she rose in haste and went galloping away, not knowing what -had struck her. And by the time the first Amoussock outfielder touched -that ball Sam Noyes and the next Tiger and David had circled the bases -and the game was won. - -Billy Burns hopped over to David, forgetful of his sprained ankle. “Put -it there, old scout!” he cried, holding out his hand. “I never saw such -a hit! Gee whillikins! Dave, you’re the stuff all right!” - -“Easy does it,” said David, who couldn’t think of anything else to say. - -“Easy!” exclaimed Billy. “You call that easy! I’d like to know what you -do to a ball when you hit it hard!” - - - - - VIII—THE CANOE - - -David would have liked to have taken to his heels and beaten it down the -road to the bay, but he was not allowed to do this. Not only the Tigers, -but all that section of New Hampshire appeared to think that he had -vindicated the honor of the country against the big cities, represented -in this case by the boys of Camp Amoussock. Horny-handed farmers -insisted on coming up and shaking his hand, slapping him on the back, -inviting him to supper. And what tickled Ben more than anything else was -to see the girl who had exclaimed, “I thought this fellow looked like he -could knock a home run!” push her way through the crowd and thrust out -her hand at David. - -Ben nudged Tom. “Look at our brave boy now.” - -The girl was saying, “I knew you looked like a winner. I’ve got a kid -brother at home; he’s got a sore foot and couldn’t get over here; but -I’m going to tell him how you soaked that ball and hit the old cow, and -maybe he won’t be excited! What’s your name? He’ll want to know.” - -No beet was ever redder than David’s face as he gave a sheepish grin. -“David Norton,” he said. And as the girl insisted on shaking hands he -touched her fingers gingerly. “Much obliged,” he stammered. “Hope the -kid’s foot gets well again. Funny about that cow;—hope it didn’t hurt -her.” - -“I wouldn’t care,” said the girl, “if it broke one of her ribs. But -don’t you worry, Mr. Norton. I’m right glad to have met you.” And she -pushed her way out of the throng again, delighted to be able to tell her -kid brother that she had shaken hands with the hero of the day. - -“You may be a mighty batter,” said Ben, when David was able at last to -rejoin his friends, “but when it comes to the girls you’re a beautiful -imitation of a wooden Indian. You shake hands like a pump.” - -“Oh, cut it out,” growled David, who always stood more or less in fear -of girls, and hated to be teased about them. “I suppose you’d have made -her some kind of a pretty speech; asked her to dance, perhaps.” - -“I’d have looked as if I liked being told how fine I was. Oh, what a -shame it is that nobody ever says such things to me,” sighed Ben, “when -I’m the one that could really appreciate them!” - -Sandy Hapgood now came up, and David, eager to be rid of any more talk -about the game, hurried his friends away. “Looks like a thunderstorm,” -he said, squinting at the sky, where dark clouds were rapidly rising. - -They passed the meadow, where the cow was now peacefully chewing her cud -again. She cast a reproachful eye at the boy in the baseball suit. -“That’s the longest hit that was ever made on our field,” remarked -Sandy. “And against Lanky Larry, too! Oh boy! Did you see Lanky after -the game? He looked—well, he didn’t look so all-fired stuck on -himself.” - -“He’s a fine pitcher,” said David; “a mighty good one.” - -They quickened their steps, for big drops of rain were beginning to -fall. They turned in at the Hapgood farmhouse and stopped long enough -for a word with Sandy’s mother. Tom swung the basket of provisions on -his arm. - -“Don’t you think you’d better wait a short spell,” said Mrs. Hapgood. -“Looks to me as if we were in for a right smart shower.” - -They looked at the sky—pierced now with frequent sharp jabs of -lightning. - -“It’s not raining hard yet,” said Tuckerman. “How about it, boys?” - -“Let’s beat it,” said Tom. - -Out in the road again they jogged down to the water, where the _Argo_ -was fastened. Casting her adrift, Tom took the tiller. - -It was a real summer thunderstorm that had come up quickly—spurts of -rain and banks of black clouds—at the end of the warm day. - -But the boys were used to a wetting, and Tom had often sailed through a -heavier downpour than this. David stretched himself out on a seat in -luxurious comfort. “A shower-bath feels good,” he murmured. “All I want -now is a good swim.” - -The wind, however, wouldn’t stay in any one quarter; it kept jumping -about as if it were trying to box the compass and succeeding pretty -well. Tom had to keep changing course. The _Argo_ zigzagged about like a -darning-needle flying over a pond. And the thunder kept crashing louder, -and the lightning opening bigger and bigger cracks in the violet-black -of the sky. - -“Hello, there’s a canoe!” sang out Ben suddenly. - -Ahead of them, an eighth of a mile from shore, a cockleshell craft was -dancing over the waves. There were two people in it, one at either end, -and each was paddling fast. - -“Ticklish business,” said Tuckerman. “There’s white water off that -point. See how it jerks about. I say, Tom, couldn’t we get up near -them?” - -“Righto,” answered the skipper. “Confound those blooming gusts!” - -If the _Argo_ was having her hands full in standing up to the constant -squalls that kept chasing over the water, the canoe was finding the -struggle an even more difficult task. She careened, righted, almost -disappeared in a wave. The _Argo’s_ crew were now all at the rail, -except the skipper, watching the little craft battle her way along. - -Then Ben sang out: “Why, it’s Lanky Larry and the Amoussock captain! -Gee, but that water’s rough!” - -A lightning flash so vivid that it seemed to daze the crews of both the -boats, was followed by a roll of thunder that shook the sea and the sky. -Next instant the waves leaped up as if in a frenzy of fright. A great -roller caught the canoe and twisted her nose about; another slapped her -amidships; a third—All that the crew of the _Argo_ saw was a swirl of -wild waters where the little craft had been. - -Tuckerman muttered something. Tom, with a shout of warning, brought the -_Argo_ about. Now there were to be seen in the water two heads, two -tossing paddles, and the upturned bottom of the canoe. - -The point of land was not far distant, and for some reason the boys in -the water were striking out in that direction, possibly because they -thought the sailboat, in such a squall, could not keep her course. - -While Tom manoeuvred the _Argo_, the other three watched the swimmers. -Both were making fair headway, the Amoussock captain somewhat in the -lead. Then suddenly Larry threw up his hands and disappeared. - -Tom swung the sailboat around, and almost instantly Ben and David, coats -and shoes stripped off, dove into the water. For the moment the sea was -calmer, and the two made the most of their chance. Hand over hand, in -great spurts, they drew closer and closer to the place where Larry had -vanished. - -Tom said things to the sail, which would not fill as he wanted. -Tuckerman clutched the rail, his eyes never leaving the swimmers. And at -last—an eternity, it seemed to the watcher—the two boys reached the -spot. A moment later, and in some way they had managed to draw Larry up -between them. - -By now the Amoussock captain had turned and was swimming back; and by -now Tom had contrived to make the _Argo_ behave. With a rush she arrived -where the boys were struggling in the waves. Ben clutched at the side; -with his other hand he helped David lift Larry up into Tuckerman’s arms. - -Larry was hauled aboard. David and Ben climbed in. The other boy was -pulled up from the water. - -The _Argo_, restive, cavorting, commenced to dance again. “Can’t stop to -pick up the canoe,” muttered Tom. “Thank Heaven, Lanky’s all right!” - -Larry, very white and shivering, was rubbing the muscles of his legs. -“It was a cramp,” he explained. “Doubled me up in a minute.” - -Tuckerman put his coat around Larry’s shoulders. “Never mind, never -mind,” he kept murmuring. “We’ll have you up at my house in a couple of -jiffies.” - -And, the wind blowing great guns, but keeping in a fairly steady -direction, the _Argo_ soon reached the island. By that time Larry, -assisted by Tuckerman, had managed to rub the kinks out of his leg -muscles, and was able to hobble ashore. - -Cold, and drenched, and all of them shivering more or less, the party -went up to the house. “The kitchen’s the place,” said Tuckerman. -“There’s plenty of firewood there.” - -Shortly the logs were blazing on the wide kitchen hearth, and Tuckerman, -finding a tin of coffee in a cupboard, was making a steaming drink. Tom -in the meantime had brought an armful of Christopher Cotterell’s clothes -from a room abovestairs, and the boys who had been in the water put on -dry things. - -“Well,” said Larry, when he was warm and dry, and had swallowed -half-a-cupful of Tuckerman’s steaming hot coffee, “I knew this David -fellow was a good sport when I tried to strike him out this afternoon; -though I tell you it made me mad when he stung that ball for a homer.” - -“Don’t mention it,” said David. “A fellow’s got to do his duty.” - -“You do yours, all right,” nodded Larry. “I guess we’ll have to forgive -him now, won’t we, Bill?” - -Bill Crawford, the Amoussock captain, gave his knee a great slap. “We’ll -have to elect him to the club of good scouts, Lanky. And the rest of -this bunch, too.” - -“Pass the coffee pot,” said David. - -Stretched at his ease in a cane-bottomed kitchen chair, Larry’s eyes -roved around the room. “I thought there wasn’t anybody on this island -this summer,” he said. “That’s the story they tell at the camp.” - -“Oh yes, it’s deserted,” said Ben, “except for Professor Tuckerman and -his three able assistants.” - -“What is the Professor doing here?” asked Bill Crawford. - -There was a momentary silence, broken by Ben’s solemn voice. “He’s busy -polishing up the knocker of the big front door. I don’t know whether you -noticed it when you came in, but there is a beautiful knocker, made of -pure brass. He shines it every day.” - -An amused snicker from Bill was followed by Larry’s asking another -question. - -“This is the Cotterell house, isn’t it? There’s some old yarn about it, -seems to me I’ve heard.” - -“Did you ever hear of an old house that didn’t have some yarn attached -to it?” demanded Tuckerman. - -“Change the subject, Lanky,” sang out Bill. “’Tisn’t fair to pry into -the family’s secrets.” - -“Right you are.” Larry stretched his arms. “Well, the question before us -is how are we going to get back to camp before they find that canoe, and -us missing?” - -Tom went to the kitchen door and looked out. “The storm isn’t over yet,” -he announced. “Couldn’t you lads stay to supper? If you will, I’ll sail -you back afterwards. Likely as not the water’ll be smooth as a mill-pond -in an hour or so.” - -“They won’t be looking for you at your camp yet,” said Tuckerman. -“They’ll think you landed somewhere, and are waiting for the squall to -blow over.” - -“We’ll stay to supper,” said Bill. “It would be a shame to have you -fellows get wet again on account of us.” - -David jumped up. “We’ve got provisions stowed away right here in the -kitchen.” Rolling up his sleeves, he gave directions to his assistant -cooks. - -The kitchen of Cotterell Hall had never seen as much activity as it did -in the next half hour, with the result that a sumptuous feast was soon -set out on the table. - -They ate as if they hadn’t tasted food for a week, cleaned up, and -trooped out to the front door. The squall was over, a light wind was -blowing—not enough to ruffle the water—and stars were beginning to -shine in a cloudless sky. - -The _Argo’s_ sail was raised, and the skipper sent her across the bay to -the place where the canoe had upset. Search soon found the canoe rocking -in the surf on a sandy beach of the mainland. She was righted and her -painter fastened to a cleat at the stern of the sailboat, and the _Argo_ -took a course alongshore. Presently, rounding a point, the crew saw a -bonfire at Camp Amoussock lighting a stretch of woods. - -They all went ashore, and found the Camp just about to start out on a -search for the missing boys. The visitors had to stay a while and be -entertained by their hosts, and it was not until the moon was high in -the sky that the _Argo_ again pushed her nose across the water, a -southernly breeze filling her sail. - -As they came abreast of the western end of their island another -sailboat, looking like a great white moth in the moonlight, went -scudding away over the silver sea. - -“Hello,” said Ben, “what is she doing here? Poaching on our preserves, -it seems to me.” - -“The harbor’s free to everyone,” said David. “I don’t suppose even -Crusty Christopher objected to people sailing boats on the water, if -they didn’t try to land on his shore.” - -“Lanky knew there was some old yarn about the Cotterell house,” Ben -continued, paying no attention to David’s remark. “And if he knew, why -shouldn’t others?” - -“Well,” said Tom, “what’s the answer?” - -“The answer is that we’re likely to have callers. Not the kind that -leave their visiting-cards, but the sort that snoop around when nobody’s -home.” - -“Thieves?” questioned David. - -“No,” said Ben, “I didn’t mean thieves exactly. Detectives come nearer -to what I meant.” - -Tuckerman chuckled. “Benjamin, you’re a wonder! You never let go of an -idea once you get your teeth in it, do you? I’d forgotten all about the -treasure. I was studying the stars, and Dave was thinking about -baseball, and Tom about the course he’s steering; but you—why, you were -puzzling your wits about Sir Peter and the mahogany man, and goodness -knows what else. Keep it up, Ben my boy. That’s the road to success.” - -And Ben, thinking of what he had found that morning, grinned but said -nothing. If he could only work out the scheme he had in his mind, he -felt that he would be prouder than if he knocked home runs against the -very best baseball pitchers in the major leagues. - - - - - IX—THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - - -John Tuckerman was leaning on his arm and looking out at the sparkling, -gleaming blue-green water when Ben Sully woke next day. Ben kept still -and watched him, as he had watched him on several other mornings. -Tuckerman looked so absorbed, so intent. He seemed to be sniffing the -air. And Ben, to whom a summer morning on the New England coast -presented no novelty, appreciated that to this man everything about him -seemed like a part of wonderland. - -The only sounds were the lapping of waves and the calling of birds in -the woods back of the camp. A great gray-white gull was soaring far out -over the water, slanting first this way, then that, as though he were -trying his wings before he made a real flight. Nearer shore two white -terns circled round and round, and then dropped straight in the bay, -their sharp beaks darting at fish. The shore of the mainland rose in a -green swell, on which pearl-colored fleecy clouds seemed to be floating, -and the shore of the island itself, above the beach, was a tangle of bay -and juniper and wild roses, all shades of greens and pinks in the early -sun. - -Ben saw this through Tuckerman’s eyes, and felt the spell of -enchantment. Then David rolled over, stretched his arms, grunted; and -the spell was broken. A pine-cone, tossed by Ben, landed on David’s -nose. “Hi there, you mosquito!” exclaimed the nose’s owner. He threw the -pine-cone at Tom. “Time to be up, lazybones. Breakfast in half-an-hour, -and those who aren’t down when the bell rings won’t get any!” - -“The tub’s mine first!” shouted John Tuckerman, and pulling off his -pajamas he took a few leaps across the grass and raced over the sand to -the water, where he ducked under a wave and bobbed up again, splashing -and yelling. - -Ben, then David, then Tom, followed, making more noise between them than -all the wildfowl on the island put together. The water was cold, but -fine for a morning swim, and when, after fifteen minutes, the four came -out on the beach again, they seized the Turkish towels that hung -conveniently on a juniper, and rubbed themselves to a brilliant -lobster-like glow. - -“That particular swimming-pool,” said John Tuckerman,—“I refer to the -one commonly called the damp spot, or the ocean,—beats all the -porcelain-lined tubs it has ever been my privilege to bathe in. It’s -true there’s only cold water; but come out into this sun for a few -minutes and you’ll be hot enough. Now it seems to me”—but at that -particular moment he began to pull his flannel shirt over his head, and -when his words again became audible he was saying “shake well, and take -a teaspoonful in a glass of water every morning before breakfast.” - -Breakfast! Magic word after a swim in the ocean! The boys jumped into -their clothes and set to work. For the next half-hour the thoughts of -all the campers were centred on food. - -But as soon as his plate was cleared Ben began to consider another -matter. He quoted lines to himself, “I took the box to the north -cliff.... I hid it in the pocket in the rocks. There are two veins that -make a mark like a cross.” Very good; that was plain. And as soon as the -after-breakfast chores were done he said, rather self-consciously, “I -know where there’s a pool full of cunners,” and picking up his -fishing-rod and tackle, he hurried into the woods. - -He looked back over his shoulder once or twice, but no one was following -him. Through the thickets, dappled with sunshine, he went at a brisk -trot. This brought him out on the north shore, where the high rocks -towered above the beach like a line of battlements. He swung himself -over a cliff and dropped lightly on to the sand. Leaving his fishing-rod -in a convenient place where he could pick it up quickly if anyone came -by, he began his search. - -There were crevices in the rocks, and each of these had to be explored. -Bushes and trailing vines, growing from little footholds, covered the -seaward surface of many of the cliffs. But Ben, thrilled with the sense -of exploration, and persevering by nature, stuck to his task, and was -rewarded at last by finding what he sought, two veins of a light yellow -color that made the distinct mark of a cross. - -“That’s it!” he muttered, excited. “And, by Jove, there’s the pocket!” - -Down on his knees he went, and thrust his head into an opening. He -pushed himself forward by digging his toes in the sand. And soon his -outstretched hand touched a large chest, he felt metal bands about it, -he pushed it, but it was wedged in tight. - -Presently he pulled himself out, stood up, and considered the situation. -He had found the box that James Sampson had hid in the rocks. His first -thought was what a tremendously strong man Sampson must have been to -carry such a chest all the way from Cotterell Hall to this north shore. -However, Sampson might not have carried it; he might have brought it in -a cart or by some other means. And his next thought was, how could -Benjamin Sully get that chest out of the pocket. - -That took a good deal of thinking, and he sat down and considered it -from various angles. - -Into his brown study two voices from somewhere back of him made -interruption abruptly. - -“He’s fishing for cunners on the dry sand! First time I ever saw that -done. He just coaxes ’em out of the water.” - -“Keep quiet! He’s counting the grains of sand. He’s got up into the -millions.” - -“He’s thinking up a way to hypnotize the fish. Stare at them hard -enough, and they’ll swim right up on the beach.” - -“He’s copying King Canute. Telling the waves to go back.” - -“He’s working out a time-table for the tides.” - -Ben turned his head. “As a matter of fact, the thing I’m thinking about -is a thousand times more interesting than anything you’ve guessed.” - -The two voices were those of David and Tom. - -“I’ve always said,” observed David, “that you can’t catch our Benjie -napping. He seems to be sitting there like a bump on a log, but he’s -really thinking of the most remarkable things.” - -“I shouldn’t wonder,” nodded Tom, “if it was something utterly -prodigious—like why the water’s wet or fish have scales.” - -“No,” said Ben pleasantly, “I was wondering how I could get Peter -Cotterell’s treasure chest out of the place where his servant James -Sampson hid it. It’s rather too heavy for me to handle by myself.” - -The other two stared. “Benjie oughtn’t to have come out here without a -cork helmet,” said David. “I suppose he’s got a sunstroke.” - -[Illustration: “Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.] - -“What are you driving at?” asked Tom. “Have you really found the -treasure, Ben?” - -Ben pointed negligently toward the cleft in the rock. “There,” he -answered. “See that yellow cross? That marks where he hid the chest.” - -“You’re dreaming!” David snorted. - -“How do you know?” questioned Tom. - -Ben took from his pocket the piece of paper that bore James Sampson’s -message. He read it aloud, slowly, giving each word full weight. -“Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded. “And there it is now. I -crawled in and found it.” - -Even David was impressed by that. He got down on his knees and poked -into the cavern, and when he stood up he nodded solemnly. - -“There is something in there,” he said. “I shouldn’t wonder if Ben might -be right.” - -“Well,” said Tom, “there’s a rope in the sailboat. We left her around -the point.” He hurried away. - -In a few minutes he was back, with a coil of good-sized rope. - -Taking an end of this, Ben again crawled into the opening and made the -rope tight about the chest. Then the three boys took hold of the other -end of the rope and began to pull. The sand was not very secure footing -and the chest was heavy, but gradually they pulled it out. They -discovered it was a box made of hard wood, with iron fastenings. - -“Well,” declared Tom, “if James Sampson carried that all the way here by -himself, all I’ve got to say is that he deserves his name.” - -“These mahogany men,” added David, “supposing that the fellow who -carried this chest was a mahogany man—must belong to a race of giants. -I wonder if it was a mahogany man who made those footprints on the edge -of the creek?” - -Ben had picked up a flat stone, shaped something like a large Indian -arrowhead, and another round stone; and inserting the first stone under -the lid of the chest, he struck it several blows with the other. - -Tom watched him a moment. “You can’t pry it open that way,” he asserted. -Looking along the beach, he selected a big, egg-shaped stone and brought -it back to the chest. Lifting it in both hands, he dropped it on the -iron band just above the lock. The iron snapped apart. The stone bounced -off on the sand. - -David and Ben seized the lid. With a creaking of hinges it was lifted. -There before them was a light blue coat, gold-braided, a three-cornered -hat of felt, a sword in a tarnished scabbard. - -“My eye!” exclaimed Tom. “Just clothes! Why in the world did he want to -hide such things?” - -Ben was flinging them aside. Underneath were other garments, several -suits of the style worn by gentlemen in Revolutionary days, and then the -oddest collection of bric-a-brac, candlesticks, pewter pitchers, a -silver snuff-box, a couple of lacquered platters, and even some china -plates. - -David started to laugh. “Well, if that’s the Cotterell treasure, I can’t -give it much! I don’t see why the Barmouth people wanted to lay hands on -it, or why Sir Peter and his precious James Sampson were so eager to get -away with it. Why, it’s regular junk-shop stuff. I don’t suppose the -whole collection, if they’d sold it at auction, would have fetched -enough to feed a soldier a week.” - -Ben looked very much crestfallen. He fingered the suits, the snuff-box, -the platters. “No,” he said, “it does seem mighty queer. And to think -that Sampson brought these things over here, intending to take them away -in a boat! I don’t understand it at all.” - -“Never mind, Benjie.” Tom slapped his friend on the shoulder. “You found -the chest anyway.” - -“That’s right. You did,” said David. “You worked out the puzzle. It -isn’t your fault if the treasure was just old junk.” - -Ben was scratching his head. “But surely Sir Peter did have some -valuable plate,” he argued. “The people of Barmouth knew that. Then what -did he do with it?” - -“Maybe he melted it down himself,” said David. “Anyhow it isn’t in that -chest.” - -“That’s so.” Ben picked up the snuff-box and stuck it in his pocket. -“Where’s the Professor?” - -“He went up to the house. Said he was going to write a letter,” Tom -answered. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do, old sport. I’ll take you out in -the _Argo_ and let you have some fishing.” - -The chest was shut again and pushed back into the pocket. Ben regained -his fishing-rod and tackle, and the three embarked in the sailboat. And -presently the satisfaction of pulling flounders on board made Ben forget -everything else. - -When they returned to camp, with a fine catch of fish, they found John -Tuckerman busy preparing dinner. Ben told his story, while Tuckerman -listened with the greatest interest. “It does seem odd,” he said, when -Ben had finished. “Most peculiar, in fact.” He mused a moment, his eyes -regarding the water. “But then my good old ancestor Sir Peter was an odd -kind of fish. I wonder now—do you suppose he could possibly have been -planning to have a joke at the expense of his Barmouth neighbors?” - -“You mean,” said Tom, “that he might have hid those things expecting the -neighbors to find them?” - -Tuckerman nodded. “It might have been so. Perhaps he, or James Sampson, -even expected the men in the boat that was waiting off shore to find -where Sampson hid the chest.” - -“But why all this puzzle then about the pieces of parchment Ben found in -the house?” asked David. - -“Well, I’ll admit,” said Tuckerman with a smile, “that it’s not as clear -as a pikestaff. Only Sir Peter does seem to have liked his joke. -However, the bacon’s sizzling.” Brandishing a fork in his hand, he bent -over the frying pan. - -That afternoon Tuckerman said that he had an important letter to mail, -and the campers sailed to Barmouth. Tuckerman went to the post-office, -and each of the boys dropped in on his family. Ben had a chat with his -mother, then told her he must do an errand. This took him into a side -street, where there were a number of small, unpretentious shops. - -He stopped before a window that was filled with old furniture, andirons, -odds and ends of china. He opened the door, and a little bell tinkled -somewhere back in the house, and after a moment a small, wizened-faced -man, wearing a big blue checked apron, came into the room. - -“Afternoon, Mr. Haskins,” said Ben. - -“It’s Ben Sully, ain’t it?” said the proprietor. “Well, are you goin’ to -get married, an’ want a nice set of furniture to go to housekeepin’ -with?” - -“Not to-day, Mr. Haskins.” Ben acknowledged the joke with a grin. “No, -sir, I’m more interested just as present in what you call antiques.” - -“Antiques, eh? Well, what was you thinkin’ of wantin’? I’ve some nice -three-legged kettles, a soup tureen that came over in the _Mayflower_, -an ivory back-scratcher that hails from India. Just look about, an’ tell -me what you want.” - -“I want you to tell me something about this.” Ben put his hand in his -pocket and drew out the snuffbox he had taken from the Cotterell chest. - -“This?” Mr. Haskins took the snuff-box, pulled his spectacles down from -his forehead on to his nose, walked nearer the window, and peered at the -small silver box. - -“What do you want me to tell you?” he asked after a moment. - -“Is it a real old one?” - -“Certainly it is. See that monogram? That’s the finest embossed work.” -Mr. Haskins gave a chuckle. “I ought to know about that box, I ought.” - -“Why ought you?” asked Ben. - -“Well, you see, this here particular snuff-box has been in my shop some -time. I sold it to a customer just about a week ago.” - -“I thought perhaps you had,” said Ben, trying hard not to show his -excitement. - - - - - X—LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - - -The information that Ben obtained that afternoon from Mr. Haskins -concerning his sale of the snuff-box gave a new direction to his -thoughts. He could not follow up this new clue just yet, however, -without telling the others, and this he didn’t want to do. They would be -waiting for him aboard the _Argo_, and so, after a fifteen-minute talk -with the shopkeeper, he hurried away to join them at the wharf. - -One other thing he did, however, before the sailboat left Barmouth, and -that was to get a canoe he owned out from a shed on the waterfront and -fasten it behind the _Argo_. If he had the _Red Rover_ with him—he had -laboriously painted that name in orange letters on a scarlet background -on the canoe—he would be able to come and go about the harbor as he -wished and to leave the island without explaining his plans, as he would -have to do if he wanted to take the sailboat. - -“What’s the idea?” asked David, who never overlooked a chance to ask a -question. “Are you going to teach the Professor how to paddle a canoe?” - -Ben nodded. “I thought that ought to be part of his education. The _Red -Rover’s_ steady enough for any beginner to paddle.” - -Tuckerman looked askance at the little craft bobbing up and down in the -wake of the _Argo_. “Any canoe’s unsteady enough for me to upset in, I -guess. However, I like Ben’s idea. It was thoughtful of you, my lad.” - -At that they all laughed, for whatever Ben’s reason had been for wanting -the canoe at the island it was fairly obvious that he was not taking it -there to further John Tuckerman’s seafaring education. - -That evening, however, Tuckerman reminded Ben of his suggestion. The -water was calm, the breeze was light. “How about a paddle?” he asked. -“Just along the shore? I promise not to rock the boat.” - -“Righto,” said Ben. “Come on.” - -They went to the landing-stage at the pier and put the canoe in the -water. Ben got in at the stern and balanced the boat while Tuckerman -gingerly stepped in and squatted down at the bow. - -“Not much room for long legs,” said Tuckerman. “I’ll have to tie mine up -in a bow.” - -“You’ll get used to it soon,” encouraged Ben. “I’ll do the steering. All -you have to do is to put your paddle in, give a long, slow push, and -take it out again.” - -“Sounds easy enough.” Tuckerman tried to shift the position of his -knees, with the result that the canoe rolled over almost far enough to -ship a gallon of water. He threw his weight the other way, and the canoe -nearly capsized. - -“Plague take it!” he muttered. “It’s worse than walking a tight-rope!” - -“Easy there, easy,” laughed Ben. “First rule in a canoe is never to move -quickly. When you shift your weight, do it slowly. Pretty soon it’ll -come as natural as riding a bicycle.” - -“Riding a balky horse, you mean,” said Tuckerman. “All right; I’ll -remember.” He dipped the tip of his paddle into the water and gave a -tiny shove. - -Ben gave a long sweep with his paddle, a dexterous twist at the end of -the stroke, and the _Red Rover_ floated smoothly away from the -landing-stage. - -With Ben’s coaching, Tuckerman soon was able to paddle fairly well. He -found it somewhat difficult to keep the bow evenly balanced, but as Ben -anticipated his movements and shifted automatically from side to side, -Tuckerman gained confidence and soon was sitting steady. - -They paddled along shore, past the camp and on to the upper end of the -island. Tuckerman, feeling more and more at ease, was delighted with the -motion, with the gentle swish of the water, with the still, starlit -night, with the panorama of beach and cliffs and woods as they floated -by. - -“Let’s go on around the island,” he suggested. “This isn’t real work at -all.” - -Ben smiled to himself. He knew that Tuckerman would discover next -morning several muscles in his back and shoulders that he wasn’t -accustomed to feeling. But the night was perfect for a paddle. “All -right,” he agreed. “No, don’t you try to do any steering. The man in the -stern does that.” With a couple of twists he turned the bow to the -north. “There,” he said, “there’s the cliff where Sampson hid the chest -in the pocket.” - -Tuckerman turned to look. The _Red Rover_ wobbled, slanted. - -Ben shifted and righted her quickly. “Hi there!” he warned. - -“My mistake,” said the penitent Tuckerman. “I see that it won’t do for -me to think of two things at once when I’m out on this lily-pad.” - -“Paddle—quickly now,” Ben ordered. “But not too quickly. There’s a rip -off that ledge.” - -They passed the rip and came into smoother water. Presently they were on -the ocean side of the island. “There’s the creek where we saw the -footprints,” said Ben. - -“Don’t point out anything else to me,” said Tuckerman. “If I move my -left leg I can’t get it back in place.” - -By the time they reached the southern end of the island the bow-paddler -felt as if the muscles of his knees were tied in hard knots. “Do you -mind,” he said in a tone of apology, “if I stop paddling for a couple of -minutes and unwind myself? I’ll move very slowly.” - -“Go ahead,” said Ben. “I’ll balance the canoe.” - -Tuckerman pushed himself back, then very carefully unwound his long -legs, stretched them out with an exclamation of relief, rubbed the -muscles, and then readjusted himself in a new and more comfortable -position. “I suppose to be a really proficient canoeist,” he observed, -“one ought to be made of rubber. There—how’s that? Didn’t I do it -cleverly?” - -“Wonderful!” said Ben. - -Tuckerman picked up his paddle again, and, proud of his ability to move -without rocking the boat, stuck the paddle in the water and gave a -mighty sweep. The bow swung around, rocked, tilted; Tuckerman pressed -his arm hard on the left-hand gunwale. - -“Hold on, Professor!” cried Ben. “We don’t want to head out into the -ocean. Keep your paddle out of the water. Steady there!” With alternate -strokes to right and left Ben soon had the canoe back on its course -parallel to the shore. - -“I _am_ a duffer,” muttered Tuckerman contritely. - -“Oh no, you’re not,” said Ben. “You’re doing very well. Only you must -remember to let the stern man do the steering. A little more practice -and you’ll find the _Red Rover_ as easy to manage as falling off a log.” - -“Falling off a log is good,” was Tuckerman’s comment. “Falling into the -water would be more like it.” - -They rounded the lower end of the island and came back on the bay side. -They had almost reached the landing-stage when Ben said, “See, there’s a -light at Cotterell Hall. It’s in the front door. It looks like a pocket -flashlight. I suppose Tom and David went up there to get something.” - -Cautiously Tuckerman looked in the direction of the house. There was a -small circle of light. It moved away from the door; after a minute it -shone through a window. - -“I thought I locked the doors,” he said. “However, they may have climbed -in through a window.” - -The light disappeared. The canoe floated smoothly up to the stage, and -Ben held it level while Tuckerman climbed out. Ben jumped up lightly. -Then they both pulled the _Red Rover_ out and turned it bottom side up. - -They went up the walk to the house. The front door was shut, and when -Tuckerman turned the knob he found that the door was locked. He opened -it with his own key, and the two went in. The hall and the rooms were -dark, there was no sound of voices or footsteps anywhere. - -“That’s funny,” said Tuckerman. “We didn’t see Tom and David come down -the path. Maybe they went out the back way.” - -But the kitchen door was locked, and when the two opened it and looked -out there was no sign of the others leaving in that direction. - -“I wonder what they’ve been up to?” said Ben. “Playing some joke -perhaps.” - -They returned to the camp, and there were Tom and David, toasting -marshmallows on long sticks over a bed of hot coals. - -“We were betting ten to one,” said David, “that you’d come back nice and -wet. Want to dry your clothes at the fire?” - -“No, thanks,” answered Tuckerman. “We’ve been all round the island, and -we didn’t ship a thimbleful of water.” - -Tom glanced at Ben. “The Professor hasn’t been fooling us, has he? He -didn’t know all about handling a canoe, did he?” - -“No,” said Ben with a smile. “He didn’t know all about handling a canoe -when we started. But he knows almost everything about it now.” Then, as -he sat down cross-legged on the grass, Ben said carelessly, “We saw your -light in the house. I suppose you climbed in through a window.” - -“Saw our light in the house?” Tom echoed. “What are you giving us?” - -His tone was perfectly sincere. Ben saw that he wasn’t joking. - -“Well, we certainly saw some light,” Tuckerman stated. “It looked like a -pocket flashlight, at the front door and at one of the windows.” - -“Not guilty,” said David. “Are you sure it wasn’t a firefly?” - -“You two have been right here ever since we left?” asked Ben. - -“Yes,” answered the two in chorus. - -“And you haven’t seen anyone land, or heard anyone?” Ben continued. - -“No,” came the chorus. - -Ben looked at Tuckerman. “Well, someone was in the house. How about -that, Professor?” - -“Somebody was. But I can’t imagine what they could have been doing. I -don’t suppose they were thieves.” - -“It’s my opinion,” said David sagely, “that they were hunting for the -famous Cotterell treasure. And now that you’ve found it, Benjie, I’d -suggest that you put up a big placard, stating ‘The treasure has been -found. No seekers need apply.’” - -“Very good,” said Ben. “Only the real treasure hasn’t been found, you -see.” - -“What!” exclaimed David. - -“No,” said Ben, “that’s my humble opinion.” And then, as if he wanted to -change the subject, he added, “I’m going to toast one large, juicy -marshmallow, and then I’m going to turn in.” - -Half-an-hour later the moon, riding up in the sky, looked down through -the branches and saw that the four campers were sound asleep. There was -the lap-lap of waves, the gentle purring noise as the water washed over -pebbles, and in the tops of the pines a soft lullaby of the breeze. - -Tom stirred, turned, opened his eyes. It seemed to him that something -had waked him. He looked about; there was only the familiar scene. He -gave a satisfied grunt and curled his head in the hollow of his arm. -Then he looked around again to make sure that they had put out all the -embers of the fire. And at some distance through the woods, in the -direction of the pier, he saw a light that moved. - -Immediately he remembered what Ben and Tuckerman had said about seeing a -light in the house. Noiselessly he got up, pulled on his shoes and stuck -his arms in his jacket. Through the woods he stole, stealthy as an -Indian. The light had disappeared, but he thought he heard the sound of -feet on the planks of the pier. - -He came to the trees nearest to the clearing about Cotterell Hall. The -house was dark; there was no sound or light in the neighborhood. But he -was convinced that there had been someone there, and presently he darted -forward and crossed the open space to the shelter of the porch. - -After a few minutes he stole to the corner of the house, and now his -search was rewarded. Someone was leaving by the kitchen door. In the -moonlight he counted three figures. They were heading away from the -shore, toward the grove at the back; he guessed that they intended to -take the path that led down to the creek. - -Tom followed them at a distance. They went through the woods, and now he -saw the moonlight on the water. They had reached the head of the creek, -but they didn’t stop there. They went on along the bank to the higher -shore where the creek flowed into the ocean. Then for the first time Tom -noticed the silver tip of a sail. Lying flat behind a bush, he watched -the three men go to the rim of the shore, and, one after another, slide -over the edge where the boat waited. - -He wanted to see that boat, to get a closer view of the men; but there -were no bushes between him and the shore. Now the tip of the sail was -bobbing, now it was filling out; presently it was moving to the -southward, a white wing, still as a floating gull. - -He crept forward and watched. The boat was stealing away, soon she was -only a dancing speck of white in the glittering moonpath. He had no way -of identifying her or of making out her crew. He noted that she did not -turn or tack when she came to the lower end of the island, but held on -to a course that would bring her south along the main shore. - -Tom stood up and eased his feelings by a long whistle. “What were they -doing here? It must be something mighty important,” he said aloud. - -No answer occurred to him, and after watching the sail until it -disappeared in the distance he turned and walked back to the house. - -He tried both the doors; they were locked. He looked at the lower -windows; they were all closed. He went down to the pier; the _Argo_ was -there and the _Red Rover_; there was nothing to tell him what these -night-time prowlers had been doing. - -He went back by the beach to the camp. As he stepped up on to the bank -Ben opened his eyes and sat up. “Hello,” he said sleepily. “Why, Tom, -what are you doing?” - -“Sh-ssh,” murmured Tom. - -Ben rubbed his eyes, crawled out of his bed, caught Tom’s arm, and -pulled him down to the beach. “What were you doing?” he demanded in an -insistent whisper. - -“Well, I saw a light, and I went to find out what it was.” - -“Yes? And you saw them, did you?” - -“Saw whom, Benjie?” - -“Saw the pirates, did you?” - -“The pirates! You’re half-asleep. What are you talking about?” - -Ben nodded his head. “Oh, I know something about them.” - -“Well, I saw three men. They went away in a sailboat.” - -“Who were they? What did they look like?” - -“I don’t know. I didn’t get very close.” - -“I wish you’d taken me along with you. I’ll bet I’d have found out -something.” - -That nettled Tom, and he answered more loudly, “Oh, you would, would -you? I thought you knew all about them.” - -“Sh-ssh,” muttered Ben. But David had wakened now, and his voice boomed -out, “What are you two lobsters quarreling over?” - -“Nothing,” said Tom. “Keep quiet, or you’ll wake the Professor.” - -Tuckerman sat up. “You don’t mean to say it’s morning!” he exclaimed. - -“No, it’s not,” Tom answered. “Can’t a fellow take a stroll in the -moonlight without rousing the whole town?” - -“Stroll in the moonlight!” chuckled David. - -“Go on with your beauty sleep, Professor. That’s what I’m going to do. -Let the two lobsters fight it out.” - -“All right,” said the sleepy Tuckerman, nestling down again. - -Tom turned to Ben. “So you know something about these pirates, do you?” -he asked. “What were they doing here?” - -“That,” said Ben, “is going to take some thinking. You see what you can -find out, and I’ll see what I can. They won’t be back here to-night. And -I’m too doggone sleepy to argue anyhow.” - - - - - XI—THE MAN IN GREEN - - -Ben, having explained to the other three campers that he had important -business to attend to in Barmouth, set out in the _Red Rover_ directly -after breakfast the next morning. He paddled the canoe across the bay, -landed at the town wharf, and went up the main street to Barmouth’s one -good hotel. He knew the clerk, Mr. Pollock, and after saying “Good -morning” very politely, he helped himself to a small folded automobile -map from a pile that lay on the counter for anyone to take. - -“Going motoring, Ben?” asked the clerk. “Seems to me I heard you were -camping on Cotterell’s Island. How are things over there?” - -“Fine,” said Ben; and in return he promptly asked a question. “Had many -automobile parties for dinner the past few days?” - -“Quite a lot. Yes, business is pretty good. They like our special -broiled lobster dinners.” - -Ben leaned on the counter, copying the familiar manner he had noted in -hotel guests. “You had a party on Tuesday, didn’t you? A big red car, -with a Massachusetts license, driven by a man in green-checked -knickerbockers?” - -“Expect me to remember that?” Nevertheless, Mr. Pollock scratched his -chin and considered the question. “Yes, seems to me I do recall such a -party. Somebody said those knickerbockers were loud enough to be heard -all the way to Boston.” The clerk thumbed the pages of the hotel -register and presently pointed out a name. “That’s the fellow, Joseph -Hastings. He comes from Cleveland, Ohio. There were four in his party.” - -“And he came in a big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?” -Ben persisted. - -“Well, now, I can’t say as to that.” But Mr. Pollock, being a -good-natured man and having nothing else to do at the moment, scratched -his chin again, and again considered. “I do think of something. He told -me he’d punctured a tire and asked me the best place to go to buy a new -one.” - -Ben nodded. “I suppose you told him Hammond’s?” - -“You’re right. I did. Frank Hammond is a good friend of mine.” - -Then Ben changed the conversation to the subject of the big league -pennant race, in which the clerk was very much interested, and after -some further chat, departed from the hotel. - -Frank Hammond knew Ben also, and was not too busy that morning to -exchange a few words with him. After a number of questions about the -state of the roads in the neighborhood of Barmouth, Ben said, “Mr. -Pollock tells me you sold a tire to Joseph Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio, -Tuesday of this week.” - -“That’s so,” said Mr. Hammond, “I did. I sold him a couple of those big -Vulcan tires for his rear wheels. Is he a friend of yours?” - -“I don’t know him very well,” Ben evaded. “But I hear he’s a fine -fellow. Is he touring along the coast?” - -“No. He said he was staying at a place called the Gables, down on the -Cape Ann Road. Wonderful car he’s got. He told me he’d had it built -according to his own ideas.” - -“Big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?” - -“That’s the bird. Yes, sir, he must be a millionaire.” - -When he left the dealer in automobile supplies Ben went to his uncle’s -house and secured the loan of a small, ramshackle car he had often -driven before. He made sure that the car had plenty of gasoline and oil, -that the radiator was full of water, and he took a look at the tires. -Then he drove south from Barmouth over the State Road. - -It was a fine day, and many cars were out. Ben kept a watchful eye for -such a car as that of Joseph Hastings, but none answering the -description passed him. So he jogged along until he came to the fork of -the Cape Ann Road and turned into it. There were fewer automobiles here, -the road was not made for speeding, the little car bounced about a good -deal going over ruts, and rattled like a load of tinware. - -He met a boy on a bicycle and asked him if he knew a place called the -Gables. - -“Down the road a couple of miles,” the boy told him. “Big house with a -ship for a weather-vane.” - -Ben thanked him and drove on. Pretty soon he saw the weather-vane on a -roof to the left of the road. - -The Gables had a wide lawn, stretching down to a stone wall. The -entrance to the drive was at the southern end, and the gateposts were -flanked with larches. Ben drove to the gate, and stopped. So far his -plan had been simple; now he was undecided what course to follow next. - -He was musing over this when a voice hailed him. - -“Give you greetings, sir. May I ask what you’re pondering over?” - -The words were so peculiar that Ben looked around in surprise. A young -man had stepped out from among the trees and was nodding at him. - -“Why—good-morning,” said Ben. - -“Has your car run out of juice?” - -The man came up, a broad smile on his face. He himself looked very much -like any sunburned fellow; but his costume was most peculiar. He wore a -tight-fitting jacket of green, open at the throat, without any necktie. -His knee-breeches were green, too, and so were his stockings, and on his -low brown shoes were large brass buckles. - -“No,” said Ben, with an answering smile, for there was a twinkle in the -stranger’s eye as if he knew some joke, “I’ve gasoline enough to run -this car all day. I’ll admit it isn’t the very latest model—not what -you’d call a show car—but we do get wonderful mileage per gallon of -gas.” - -“Don’t make any apologies for your equipage,” said the gentleman in -green. “Many a valiant knight has ridden on a steed that wouldn’t have -taken the blue ribbon at the horse show. Don Quixote, for example. You -remember him, of course? The Spanish cavalier who rode forth to tilt at -windmills?” - -“Yes,” said Ben with a laugh. And then, seeing that the man was -friendly, he added, “That’s a wonderful suit of clothes you’re wearing.” - -“You like it?” The owner looked down at his costume. “I designed it -myself. It seems to me an improvement on the usual thing. And now, kind -sir, since you tell me that your steed has plenty of fodder, may I ask -how you happen to be sitting here on such a fine day?” - -“This place is called the Gables, isn’t it?” asked Ben. “Mr. Joseph -Hastings lives here?” - -“Right you are,” answered the man. “But Mr. Hastings isn’t at home this -morning. Did you have business with him?” - -“In a way. I wanted to find out if he’d lost a silver snuff-box.” - -“A snuff-box? That’s interesting. But I don’t think Joseph Hastings -takes snuff.” - -Ben drew the box from his pocket. The man in green looked at it. “Now -where did you find this?” he asked. - -“On an island in Barmouth Harbor,” said Ben. “Cotterell’s Island, it’s -called.” - -“Well!” exclaimed the man. “Well, well—you don’t say so!” He looked at -the boy in the car with a new interest. “So that’s where you come from, -is it?” He returned the snuff-box. “May I be so inquisitive as to ask -your name?” - -“Benjamin Sully.” - -“Thank you. My own appellation is Roderick Fitzhugh. If you have no -objection, Mr. Sully, I should greatly enjoy the pleasure of riding with -you.” - -Ben didn’t know what to say; and Mr. Fitzhugh evidently took his silence -for consent, for he immediately hopped into the seat beside the driver. - -“That’s all right,” said Ben; “but you see I wasn’t thinking of riding -anywhere. I came to find out whether Mr. Hastings had lost a snuff-box -on Cotterell’s Island.” - -“Just so. But you can’t find that out, as he’s not at home at present. -And meantime I suggest that we go on a little adventure. A fine day, a -steed with plenty of gasoline, and two gentlemen looking for amusement.” - -Ben was mystified. “What sort of adventure?” he asked. - -“Well, what would you say to hunting for hooked-rugs?” - -“Hooked-rugs?” Ben laughed; he was now so much amused at Roderick -Fitzhugh’s company that he wanted to see more of him. “Do they grow on -bushes?” - -“No. They grow in these thrifty Yankee cottages. I’ll tell you where to -go.” - -Ben started the engine and drove on. At his companion’s direction he -soon turned into a by-road that led westward. - -Roderick Fitzhugh nodded toward a cottage, in the yard of which a woman -was scattering grain to a flock of chickens. “There is a likely-looking -hunting-ground,” he said. “Please stop when you come to the gate. I will -exchange a few words with this respectable lady.” - -The car stopped, making its customary noise of clattering tinware as Ben -put on the brake. The woman looked round, and in the usual neighborly -fashion of farmers walked over to the gate. - -“Morning,” she said. - -“Good morning to you, Madam,” responded Roderick Fitzhugh. “You have a -fine flock of hens.” - -“Yes,” she said, looking at the man in the green clothes as if she -didn’t know exactly what to make of him. - -“My friend and I,” continued Fitzhugh, “were just discussing the subject -of hooked-rugs. As soon as I saw you I said, ‘There’s a woman who knows -all about them.’” His tone was so deferential that anyone would have -been pleased to be addressed in such a manner. - -The woman smiled. “Well, now, I don’t know as how I know all about them; -but I do have a few old rugs. Been in the family some time.” - -“You see!” exclaimed Fitzhugh, turning to Ben. And to the woman he -added, “Would it be possible for my friend and me to have a look at -them?” - -“Surely it would. But they’re not the new shiny kind you can buy at the -stores in the city.” - -Fitzhugh and Ben descended and followed the woman indoors. Presently -they were viewing half-a-dozen antique rugs, all of the hooked variety, -that the woman collected from the upstairs rooms. - -Ben looked on with interest and amusement while his new friend discussed -the rugs with their owner. And after listening to Fitzhugh’s admiration -for these things that she evidently regarded as rather faded and only -fit for service in bedrooms and attic, the woman said, “I’d be pleased -to have you take one, if you care to.” - -“Oh, madam, you are too generous,” Fitzhugh answered. “And yet I should -like to have one. That medium-sized one, with the purple border. I’d be -glad to pay five dollars for it.” - -“Why, it’s not worth that much.” - -“It is to me,” said Fitzhugh, and he brought out a five-dollar bill from -his trouser pocket and laid it on the table. - -With the rug they returned to the car. As they drove on again Fitzhugh -said, “They used to tell me, when I was a small boy, that you could take -one egg from a nest, and if there were several others left the mother -bird wouldn’t know the difference. I don’t know whether that’s so. But -I’m certain this good woman won’t miss that rug very much. So my -conscience is easy, though I got that prize at a bargain. Now, Mr. -Benjamin Sully, what do you say? Isn’t hunting for hooked-rugs -exciting?” - -It was fun to hunt them with this amusing companion. Fitzhugh collected -three more at three other houses, paying five dollars for each. At the -third house the farmer and his wife and children were just sitting down -to dinner and the strangers were invited to join them. They had an -excellent meal, during which the man in green did almost all the -talking, and when they returned to the car and started on again he -rubbed his hands gleefully and said, “Mr. Benjamin Sully, it isn’t so -hard to find adventures if you look for them, is it?” - -“Well,” Ben answered, “this is all very well; but I set out this morning -to see Mr. Hastings and learn if he’d lost a snuff-box.” - -“That’s so, you did. Joseph Hastings—a silver snuff-box—found on -Cotterell’s Island. What makes you think that the snuff-box you found -there belonged to Joseph Hastings?” - -Ben considered how much to tell this Roderick Fitzhugh, and finally -decided to supply him with more facts. “The snuff-box was bought by Mr. -Hastings at a shop in Barmouth, and I found it yesterday in a chest -hidden in a crevice in the rocks on the island. Why did he put it -there?” - -The man in green beamed with delight. “In a treasure chest? Why, that’s -splendid!” He looked at Ben with new approval in his eyes. “So you’re -mixed up in a real adventure, are you? Treasure hidden in the rocks—on -an island! Why, that’s magnificent! No wonder you didn’t get excited -over my tame hooked-rugs. Turn the car about, and drive back to the -Gables. We must investigate this.” - -Half-an-hour later the little car turned in between the gate-posts at -the Gables. It clattered up the drive to the front of the house. On the -wide porch were at least a dozen people, men and women; and when they -saw the occupants of the car they gave a shout of welcome. - -“Hello, here’s the lad in green!” - -“We thought you’d been kidnapped!” - -“Where’d you find the jitney?” - -“Hope you’ve had some lunch!” - -“We thought you’d been arrested as a suspicious character in those -clothes!” - -These were some of the exclamations. - -The man got out of the car and threw his bundle of rugs on the steps of -the porch. “My good friends,” he said, “Roderick Fitzhugh has been -adventuring, and there’s his booty. Four beautiful hooked-rugs to add to -the collection. And this is Mr. Benjamin Sully. Ladies and gentlemen, -Mr. Sully has found a silver snuff-box belonging to Joseph Hastings in a -treasure chest on Cotterel’s Island. What do you think of that?” - -There was another chorus of exclamations, expressive of great surprise. - -“Mr. Sully,” the man in green continued, “if you’ll get down from your -steed we will partake of a long glass of lemonade—two glasses to be -exact.” - -Ben climbed down and went up the steps. And then he noticed that all the -people on the porch were dressed in quaint costumes, as milkmaids or -archers or foresters. He looked at Fitzhugh, and the latter nodded. -“Queer crowd, aren’t they?” said Fitzhugh. “However, they won’t bite.” - - - - - XII—THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - - -That same morning, while Ben had been hunting for the owner of the red -automobile with the silver eagle on the radiator cap, Tom and David and -John Tuckerman had sailed down to Camp Amoussock in the _Argo_. They -found the boys at the camp in their bathing-suits, practicing for some -water-sports that were to be held that week. A raft, with a -spring-board, was moored off shore, and from this boys were diving and -turning somersaults, backward and forward, like acrobats in a circus. - -Other boys were swimming, practising for races, and still others were -paddling round in tubs, trying to steer with their feet while they -propelled the tubs forward by splashing the water with their hands. - -“There,” said John Tuckerman, as he saw a fat youngster revolving round -and round in a tub, “that’s the game for me. I believe, with my long -arms and legs, that I’d make a hit at it.” - -The fat boy splashed too hard, and the tub went over neatly. There was a -shout of laughter as the boy bobbed up in the water and tried to turn -the slippery tub rightside up again. This was hard work; the tub went -round and round, continually evading his fingers; and finally he swam to -shore, pushing the tub before him. - -“No,” said Tuckerman, “that isn’t the game for me. I used to be pretty -good at picking up a pea in a tablespoon, but that was on dry land. When -it comes to wrestling with a tub in the water—” He gave an expressive -shrug—“I’d rather let the fishes do it.” - -The _Argo_ landed, and the three guests were provided with bathing-suits -from the camp’s supply. For half-an-hour they swam and dived and perched -on the raft, watching the boys in tubs. Then a bugle sounded on shore, -telling them it was time to get ready for dinner. - -The guests did full justice to dinner, sitting between Mr. Perkins, the -Chief Counsellor, and Lanky Larry. Afterwards Mr. Perkins and John -Tuckerman had a chat, while Lanky invited Tom and David to take a walk -along the shore. - -“There’s a queer sort of place a couple of miles to the south,” said -Lanky. “It’s a cove with a lot of shanties. Fishermen used to go there; -there are boats and nets lying around; but I think it must be deserted. -I saw some men there one day last week, but they didn’t look like -fishermen.” - -“Lead us to it,” said David. “Deserted villages are right in our line.” - -The path along the shore brought them to the cove. A little tidal river -ran inland, wandering up into marshes. On each side of the river was a -stony beach, and a rickety bridge, with a single handrail, connected the -banks of the stream. Small weatherbeaten shacks, doors and shutters -sagging outward, fishing-dories, rusty anchors, lobster-pots, a few nets -with round black buoys, these cluttered up either shore. - -“Nice place, if it wasn’t for the shanties,” said David, regarding the -cove. - -“I found a chap painting here one day,” said Lanky. “He told me it made -a great picture; he liked the shanties first-rate.” - -“Funny what things painters like,” chuckled David. “The more ramshackle -a house is, the more they want to paint it.” - -They went down a rocky path to the nearer beach, and sat on the bottom -of an upturned scow. As they were chatting they heard the creak of a -door, opening on rusty hinges. A man came out from one of the nearer -shacks. His clothes were fairly new, he wore a brown slouch hat and tan -shoes—evidently he was not a fisherman; neither was he a farmer nor a -common loafer; he looked as if he came from a town. He was smoking a -small briar pipe. - -“What are you doing here?” The man’s tone was a little peremptory, -though not exactly surly. - -David enjoyed such a question. With a pleasant, friendly smile he -answered, “Just sitting here and thinking.” - -“That’s all you’re doing, eh?” - -“It is at present,” David answered. “What are you doing yourself?” - -The man frowned; looked up the creek, looked across at the opposite -shore. “Nobody lives here now,” he stated after a minute. “Sometimes I -come and fish from that bridge.” - -“What’s happened to the place?” asked Lanky. - -“I don’t know. Only nobody comes here now.” - -“Well, we came this afternoon,” said David. “You see, we’re explorers.” - -“You won’t find anything to explore.” - -“Oh, I don’t know about that.” - -The man shot a glance at David, not a very amiable glance. And with that -he walked to the bridge, crossed it, and went into the huddle of shacks -on the other bank. - -“Pleasant sort of customer,” said Lanky. - -“He’d make a cow laugh,” said Tom. - -“He didn’t like our being here,” observed David, “Now I wonder why.” - -“He wants it all to himself,” said Lanky. “He must be some sort of -hermit.” - -“And just for that,”, said David, “I feel like sitting right here on -this scow till he gets more hospitable.” - -As a matter of fact, however, sitting on the upturned boat and watching -the waves surge gently up over the stony beach and then withdraw in a -network of little rivulets that made the stones and pebbles glisten was -not entertaining enough to keep the three boys there more than five -minutes. Tom got up. “I’m going over the bridge,” he said. “If our -friend the hermit doesn’t like it—well, he’ll just have to lump it.” - -The bridge shook as the three of them stepped upon it. “For goodness -sake, don’t lean against that railing,” Lanky warned. “Stop bouncing up -and down as you walk, Dave, or you’ll have us all in the water.” - -David went on bouncing; but in spite of that they reached the other -shore safely. No one was to be seen here; somewhere in the clutter of -shanties the man had disappeared. - -“I’d like to know what that precious hermit is up to,” said David, and -he walked toward the shacks that were furthest from the bridge. - -Lanky and Tom investigated in the other direction, where a clump of oaks -came close down to the stream. At the edge of the trees was a shack a -little larger and better built than the others. The door was open, and -the two boys looked in. “Hello!” exclaimed Tom. “What’s that on the -bench? It looks like jewelry.” - -A brown cloak, a brown hat with a red feather stuck at one side, and a -chain of gold links with a large green stone as a pendant, were piled on -the bench. - -Tom picked up the ornament. “It’s imitation,” he said. He looked around -the room. “Why, there’s a whole wardrobe of queer hats and cloaks and -things here!” - -“So there is,” said Lanky. “What do you suppose they are? Actors’ -things?” - -“Actors’ things?” Tom glanced at the outfit of costumes that hung on -pegs on one wall. “They’re certainly not fishermen’s things. But what -would actors be doing in this cove?” - -“I don’t know,” Lanky admitted. “It is funny, isn’t it?” - -They looked at the costumes more closely, and then went out of the -shack. “I wonder if that man knows something about them,” Lanky -suggested. “He might have been keeping guard.” - -“Let’s see what Dave’s doing,” said Tom, and started along the bank. - -He had only taken a few steps, however, when he stopped. “Here comes a -boat around the point. Let’s beat it, and see what they do.” - -The two slipped back of a cabin, then to a shelter of bushes. Crouching -there, they watched the boat nose its bow into the cove. - -The boat was a dory. One man was rowing, two others sat in the stern. -They looked no more like the usual type of fishermen than had the man -whom the boys had first encountered. - -With considerable splashing the boat was rowed up to the bridge. The -tide was low, and there was hardly enough water at that point to float -the dory. The rower shipped his oars and tied the boat to the railing of -the bridge. Meantime the other two men stepped over the side and came up -on to the beach. - -All three headed toward the shack that the boys had just left and went -in at the door. - -“They seem to know their way about,” whispered Lanky. “I wonder why -Dave’s friend didn’t come down to meet them.” - -In a few minutes the three men came out again, and now they had some of -the cloaks and hats in their hands. Each put on a cloak and a hat and -strutted about; they laughed and joked at each other. - -“What in the world——” muttered Lanky. “Actors. I told you,” Tom -whispered. “They look like highwaymen.” - -The men now seemed satisfied with their costumes. Hats pulled well down -on their heads and cloaks thrown over their shoulders, they took the -path toward the clump of oaks. - -“I say,” muttered Lanky, “what do you suppose they’re going to do? Hold -up some farmer’s wagon? Come on, I want to find out what’s their game.” - -“I’d better get Dave,” said Tom. “You follow them. I’ll catch up with -you in a minute.” - -“All right.” - -Lanky went one way, and Tom the other. - -Tom ran over the stones between the shanties, and looked in at the open -doors; but he did not see David nor the man they had met first. He gave -the whistle he used to call David in Barmouth. There was no answer. The -shacks on this side of the stream all appeared deserted. - -David was not to be found, and Tom supposed he must have gone further -along the shore. Meantime he would be losing the chance of finding -Lanky, so after whistling several times more Tom turned and ran toward -the oaks. - -The path along the cove was well marked, it traversed the high ground at -the edge of the marshes and turned into fairly thick woods. At a -dog-trot Tom soon came up with Lanky. “I couldn’t find Dave,” he -grunted. “I guess he found the hermit so fascinating he went for a -stroll with him.” - -“I’ve kept my eye on the three highwaymen,” said Lanky. “This seems to -be the only path around here, marshes on one side and the forest -primeval on the other.” He glanced at his wrist-watch. “I ought to be -getting back to camp; but I can’t leave an adventure like this. It -wouldn’t be decent, would it?” - -“It would not,” Tom assented. “If they try to blame you, you refer them -to me. I’ll say that we thought those fellows were up to some kind of -mischief, and that it seemed to be our duty to investigate them. And -that’s telling the truth; they’re what Benjie would call ‘suspicious -characters.’” - -Every once in a while the boys would catch a glimpse of one or other of -the cloaked men through the vista of the trees. Then the boys would stop -and let the others get well ahead of them. And presently they reached a -dusty road and saw the men tramping along to the south. - -Tom and Lanky had to come out in the open then, but, as Lanky pointed -out, there was no reason why the men, if they saw them, should think the -two boys were at all interested in what they were doing. They walked a -half-mile without encountering anyone, and then the boys saw an -automobile coming toward the three in front. - -“Now,” said Tom, “we’ll see if they’re highwaymen. This is a nice quiet -place to hold up a car.” - -But the men disappeared by jumping over a fence that ran along the woods -on the left. The automobile, a man and a woman in it, dashed by the -boys, leaving a cloud of dust. - -“So ho!” exclaimed Lanky, “our friends don’t want to be seen! Suppose we -make ourselves scarce till they come back to the road.” - -The boys hid in the woods, and presently the three men reappeared on the -road. Tom and Lanky followed suit, and the march was resumed. - -A mile more, and the men came to a crossroad. They turned toward the -west. When the boys reached the crossroad Lanky stopped. “This is a -private lane,” he said. “See, it leads up to that barn and stable. And -there’s a big house. Our friends are going in the back way.” - -There was a screen of trees at the corner. The boys went along the lane -until the screen gave way to a close-cropped hedge. Here they had a view -of a wide, velvety lawn and the large house, red-striped awnings at the -windows, on a gently-rising slope. - -“Hello!” exclaimed Tom. “Look there!” - -There was no heed of his telling Lanky to look. Lanky was staring at -that part of the lawn that was shielded by the trees at the corner. -There was a small, one-story house that looked as if it were made of -cardboard, a very picturesque building, brightly painted to resemble -cross-timbers, with two little lattice windows. And grouped about the -grass in front of the house were a dozen or so men and women, all of -them dressed in fancy costumes, looking as if they had just stepped out -of a picture book or down from the stage of a theatre. - -“My eye!” said Tom. “What is it? A fancy dress party?” - -“Looks like a Robin Hood scene,” said Lanky. “Some of them have bows and -arrows. See that girl in pink working that churn.” He watched for a -moment; then added, “So that’s why our friends the highwaymen came along -this way.” - -“They don’t seem to have joined the crowd,” said Tom. “Why didn’t they -jump over the hedge?” - -The people on the lawn were too busy to notice the boys in the lane. -Lanky nodded. “That’s so. And it seems to me, Tom, that that crowd are a -different type from our three friends. These people belong here; but I -don’t think the others do.” - -The boys looked up the lane. The three men had entered at a gate that -led to the rear of the big house. - -“Let’s see what they’re doing,” said Tom. - -Along the lane went the two boys, and turned in at the gate. - -The men had disappeared. Lanky shook his head. “It’s queer, mighty -queer. Of course those fellows may belong here. But why should they come -all the way from that cove? And bring those hats and cloaks with them?” -He scratched his ear, as he did when he was puzzled. - -“Come along,” said Tom. “Nobody’ll throw us out.” - -They crossed the lawn to the steps of the porch. A man came out from the -front door, a man in livery, apparently the butler. He held himself very -straight, he was an angular person, with a fishy eye. - -“Yes?” he said; and though the word was a short one he managed to -express in it a cold sense of disapproval. - -“Er—” began Tom, “we would like to know if three men, wearing brown -cloaks and big slouch hats, just came into this house.” - -The butler shrugged his shoulders. “There are gentlemen and ladies -wearing every kind of costume coming in and going out all the time,” he -answered stiffly. - -That seemed to put an end to further questions; but Lanky, after -considering the matter for a moment, inquired, “Whose place is this?” - -“It belongs to Mr. Hastings,” said the butler, eyeing the boys most -disapprovingly. “He is not at home at present. But I can answer any -questions for him.” - -Neither Lanky nor Tom, however, could think of any questions to ask. It -seemed absurd to tell this fishy-eyed servant that they had followed the -three men from the cove. And after all the men might have a perfect -right to have entered the house. - -“Very well,” said Tom, and turned on his heel, followed by Lanky. - -But when they were out in the lane again, Lanky said, “I’m going to wait -around here a little longer. That servant’s a fool. Anybody could put -anything over on him.” - -So they climbed up on the stone wall on the other side of the lane and -sat there like two sentries. - - - - - XIII—ON THE FISHING-SMACK - - -When Tom and Lanky had turned to the right and investigated the -fishermen’s shanties that were nearest to the marshes, David had turned -to the left, in the direction of the ocean. He had no particular object -in view, except to see what the man they had met on the other bank of -the cove was doing and exchange a few more words with him, if the -opportunity offered. - -He looked through the clutter of small, weatherbeaten sheds without -seeing the man, and came to the beach on the ocean side. A short -distance to the south was a spit of sand, and there, seated on a log, -was the fellow with the straw hat. - -David enjoyed an argument. He was not by nature so curious about other -people as Ben was, but he liked to tease. So, with his hands stuck in -his pockets and a little swagger in his walk, he went toward the man. - -“Looking for a boat to come along and take you for a sail?” he said. -“It’s a long walk to town.” - -“You’d better be on your way then,” the man retorted. His tone was not -very civil, and it made David flush. - -“I can look out for myself.” - -“Oh, you can, can you?” The man turned round and glared at the young -fellow. “Well, my advice to you is to make yourself scarce pretty -quick.” - -David squared his shoulders. “You don’t want me and my friends round -here, do you? A person might think you owned the beach.” - -“No,” said the man, “I don’t want you round here.” He looked at the boy -fixedly for a minute. “That’s plain enough, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, it’s plain enough,” David admitted. “But I don’t see that it’s any -reason why we should go.” - -“I’ve business here, and you haven’t.” - -“Business? You don’t seem very busy.” - -The man got up from the log and walked away, down the beach toward a -ledge of rock that shut off the southern end. - -What was the man’s business? David, rather amused at the other’s -surliness, followed after, walking jauntily. - -He climbed the ledge of rock. There was another scallop of beach, with -bushes close down to the sand. The man was not in sight. But there was a -small fishing-smack at anchor not far from the shore, and a dory was -just pulling away from her. - -David stepped down on the beach, and the first thing he knew something -had knocked him flat. He lay sprawling on the sand, a heavy weight on -his back. Someone had caught his two hands and held them like a vise. - -“Holler if you want to,” said the man with the straw hat. - -David had no wish to shout. The breath was knocked out of him. - -The man pinned him down, and after kicking a little, David decided the -wisest course was to lie still. - -After a few minutes there was a grating sound on the sand. David twisted -his head enough to see that the dory had landed and that two men were -coming ashore. - -“Hello, Sam, what you got there?” exclaimed one of the strangers. - -“A fresh guy, who wouldn’t mind his own business,” was the answer. “Now -I’m going to teach him not to meddle:” - -“Good for you, old sport! Give him a good licking.” - -“Pity we left the cat-o’-nine-tails out on the boat,” said the second -man. - -“Three of them came to the cove,” said the man on David’s back. “The -other two went away; but this fellow had to go nosing around into other -people’s business. I told him to make himself scarce. But not he! Oh no, -he had to find out what I was doing. And now I’m going to take him out -on the boat and watch me do some fishing.” - -There was a laugh at this. “You’ll let him bait your hook, won’t you, -Sam?” asked one. - -“I’ll let him take the fish off,” Sam retorted. “You fellows row us out, -will you?” - -The others agreed. The man on David’s back eased his position. “Now,” -said he, “you can come along without any fuss or trouble, or you can -come with a black eye. Suit yourself; it doesn’t make any difference to -me.” - -Three to one was greater odds than David cared to tackle. “I’ll go -along,” he grunted. - -The man got up. David followed. Assuming a care-free manner he walked to -the boat and climbed over the high side. A man sat at the oars, and Sam -and the two others took seats on the thwarts. The oars dipped in the -water, and the dory was rowed out to the smack. - -David and Sam went aboard, and the dory with her crew of three rowed -away again in the direction of the cove. - -“Now,” said Sam, “make yourself comfortable. You’ve found out my -business. I’m going to fish for flounders.” And he walked aft and down -into the cabin. - -David was puzzled. He could understand that this man might have had a -grudge against him, even that he might have lost his temper and attacked -him as he had; but why should he carry a grudge so far as to make him a -prisoner on his fishing-boat? - -He stared at the shore some time, then walked up toward the bow. Sam had -reappeared from the cabin with fishing-tackle and was angling over the -side. There was a line for David, and so, there being nothing better to -do, David also set to fishing. - -Fish were not biting on that particular afternoon, however. Presently -Sam hauled in his line. “The pesky things never come when you want -them,” he said morosely. “I suppose there are lots of them swimming -around everywhere except where _I_ cast my hook.” - -“You’re not a real fisherman,” said David. “There’s a knack to catching -fish.” - -“No, I’m not; and I don’t want to be,” was the man’s answer. “Of all the -stupid jobs, I think fishing takes the cake.” - -David was about to argue this point when another man came out from the -cabin and joined them. At once David, wise in the look of sailormen from -his acquaintance with them on the docks of Barmouth, decided that this -was the skipper. The new arrival stretched his arms and yawned -prodigiously. “Golly, I’m only half-awake yet,” he declared. “Sam, -where’d you pick up this fellow?” - -“He wanted to have a look at the boat,” said Sam. “In fact he was so set -on having a look at her that I just had to invite him aboard.” - -He said this with a sly glance at David, but if he had expected to get -an angry denial he was disappointed, for David, leaning his arms on the -rail, appeared to be in such a deep study of the shore as to allow for -no interruption. - -“The others gone ashore?” asked the skipper, evidently regarding the -reason for David’s presence on the boat as a matter of small importance. - -“Yes,” said Sam. He pulled a large watch from the upper pocket of his -coat and looked at it. “And it’s about time they were coming back.” - -There was no sign of them, however; and the sun began to slant toward -the west, and then to dip behind the trees, and still there was no boat -to be seen coming out from the cove. David, strolling up and down the -deck, noticed that Sam was becoming impatient. After a while there was a -fragrant odor of cooking, and David, putting his head in at the cabin -door, saw that the skipper was getting supper in the galley. - -The sun had set when the skipper’s voice announced that food was ready. -“Come along,” Sam said to David, and though the invitation was not very -cordial David went down to the cabin and ate his fair share of the meal. - -Afterwards the three, on deck, watched the shore for a boat. And when -the beach was quite dark and Sam had looked at his watch a dozen times, -he said, almost angrily, “Well, Captain, I think it’s about time to beat -it. They must have changed their plans. We don’t want to stay here all -night.” - -The skipper glanced at David. “How about him?” he asked, with a jerk of -the head. - -“He can help you sail the boat down to Gosport. That’ll pay for his -supper.” - -David was tired of inaction. To sail to Gosport attracted him much more -than staying here at anchor any longer. He spoke up quickly: - -“Yes, Captain. I know something about handling sails.” - -“Good enough. That’s more than Sam does,” remarked the skipper. “He’s -about as useful in handling this boat as a belaying-pin.” - -Shortly the anchor was up and the fishing-smack under way. David carried -out the skipper’s orders with proper efficiency. With a gentle breeze -the boat stole southward along the shore, and in half-an-hour the lights -of the little settlement of Gosport were glimmering over the water. - -The smack came up to a wharf. “Now,” said Sam to David, “you can go -ashore if you like. The captain and I may do a little cruising, but we -don’t need you any longer.” - -“Thanks,” said David. He had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but -wisely forbore to utter it. He jumped ashore. “If you come to Barmouth, -look me up,” he called back. “I’ll be glad to show you the town.” - -There was a laugh from the skipper, but none from Sam. Immediately the -fishing-smack pushed out again. - -Gosport was a small place, and David knew no one there. He felt in his -pocket, and found he had no money to pay his fare to Barmouth. He walked -along the waterfront, considering what he should do, and presently came -upon a young man, who was starting the engine of a small motor-boat. - -“You’re not going anywhere in the neighborhood of Camp Amoussock, are -you?” David asked the man in the boat. - -The other looked around and surveyed the fellow who had asked the -question. “Are you one of the boys from the camp?” - -“I was there at dinner.” And in a few words David told the story of what -had happened to him during the afternoon. - -“Well,” said the man, “that’s a queer yarn. I was just going out for a -moonlight spin, and I might as well go up to the camp as anywhere. Jump -aboard.” - -David accepted with alacrity. The motor-boat chugged out from the -landing-stage, and leaving a smooth silver ripple, darted north. - -The owner of the motor-boat—he had told David that his name was Henry -Payson—said that, although he had only been a month at Gosport, he knew -that part of the coast quite well, and had never happened to see any -fishermen in the cove that David described. “That fellow Sam was a -vindictive chap,” he added musingly. “But you know, it almost seems as -if he had some other object than merely showing his spitefulness when he -took you off in his boat.” - -“That’s what I thought,” agreed David. “But Tom and Lanky were still at -the cove. He didn’t lay hands on them.” - -“Well,” said Payson, “the cove’s around that next point of land. No use -stopping there now, I suppose. Your friends will surely have gone back -to camp.” - -When the motor-boat rounded the point, however, Payson changed his mind. -On shore there were a score of lanterns; both banks of the cove fairly -bristled with them. “Hello,” exclaimed Payson, “there’s something doing -there all right!” And he altered his course so as to bring his craft -into the mouth of the river. - -As the boat ran up to the bridge boys came down from both sides, -apparently all the boys of Camp Amoussock. - -“Why, it’s Dave!” cried John Tuckerman. And immediately the two in the -boat were the target of a volley of questions. - -“Hold on!” cried David. “Wait a minute.” He swung himself out of the -boat and up to the bridge. - -“Where are Lanky and Tom?” someone asked. - -“Aren’t they here?” said David. And as Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins and the -boys from the camp crowded around he told them briefly his adventures -since dinner. - -“We’ve been hunting for you ever since supper,” said Mr. Perkins. “I -can’t imagine where Larry and Tom can have gone.” - -“Those three men rowed in here in the dory,” said David. “Perhaps they -carried Larry and Tom off somewhere.” - -“We’ve hunted through every shack,” said Bill Crawford. “And we’ve been -down the coast a couple of miles.” - -The chorus of voices explaining where they had hunted started in again, -interrupted by Mr. Perkins giving the order to his troop to take the -road back to camp. - -David thanked Henry Payson, and the motor-boat chugged away. By the path -along the shore the searchers regained Camp Amoussock. And there Mr. -Perkins and John Tuckerman and David held a council as to what to do -next. - -The upshot was that Mr. Perkins got out a small car, and with Tuckerman -and David set out to see if they could learn any news of the missing -boys. - - - - - XIV—BEN AT THE GABLES - - -Ben that afternoon had a long, cool glass of lemonade on the porch of -the Gables while his friend Roderick Fitzhugh introduced him to the men -and women who were sitting in wicker easy chairs. It seemed to Ben that -their names were somewhat fantastic, but then so were their clothes, and -the names did appear to suit the costumes. - -“This lady,” said Fitzhugh, nodding to a rosy-cheeked girl, who wore her -brown hair in two long plaits down her back and whose dress was of -primrose yellow, “is the fair Maid Rosalind. She can sing like a -nightingale and dance like a wave of the sea, and when she churns butter -it comes out pure gold.” - -The girl stood up and made a curtsy. “Thanks, kind Master Roderick,” she -said. “But perhaps your friend Master Ben doesn’t care for gold on his -bread.” - -“The more fool he,” answered Fitzhugh. - -“However, he can eat plumcake.” And Ben’s host pushed a plate of -delicious-looking cake toward his guest. - -“Yonder man in the high boots, with the fierce mustaches,” Fitzhugh -continued, “bears the high-sounding name of Sir Marmaduke Midchester. He -looks like a sword swallower, but he is really as gentle as a lamb. He -has been known to eat crumbs out of Maid Rosalind’s hand.” - -“Glad to meet Master Sully,” said Sir Marmaduke. “I wrote a song this -morning—words and music both—perhaps he would like to hear me sing -it.” - -Fitzhugh held up his hand. “Not just now, Marmaduke, please. Let my -guest digest his plumcake in quiet.” - -So the introductions went on, with all sorts of jokes and banter. It was -a jolly crowd, and Ben was enjoying it hugely. He began to find his -tongue and make retorts of his own. But when he had finished the -lemonade and the cake he turned to his host. “I’d like to stay, but I -think I had better be getting back,” he said. “I’ve got to go out to -Cotterell’s Island.” - -“No, no, Master Ben. If you’d like to stay, you shall stay. Cotterell’s -Island can wait. We need you here at present.” - -“Well, but——” began Ben. - -“There are no ‘buts’ about it,” answered Fitzhugh. “List to me, my lad. -This place is a green oasis in a desert of modern things. Here we do as -we please. And it pleases us now to be ladies and gentlemen of good -Sherwood Forest and Nottingham.” Fitzhugh stood up. “Come with me. I’ll -find you more fitting clothes than those simple togs you have on.” - -Ben grinned. He was fond of dressing up and had often acted in school -theatricals in Barmouth. He didn’t know what Fitzhugh and his friends -were planning, but he thought he would like to take part in the game. -After all, his car would take him quickly back to town and he could -paddle out to the island by moonlight, if necessary. So he followed -Fitzhugh indoors and up a wide staircase to the second floor. - -When he came down again he wore brown doublet and hose, with a brown -cloak slung from his shoulders and a broad-brimmed brown hat on his -head. There was a chorus of approval from the group on the porch. - -“Master Ben, apprentice to an armorer,” Fitzhugh introduced him. “And -now, my lads and lasses, let us hie us out to the greenwood tree.” - -There was nothing formal about Roderick Fitzhugh’s friends. The crowd -had hardly more than descended the steps of the porch when the girl -called Maid Rosalind and the man called Sir Marmaduke Midchester each -took one of Ben’s hands and raced across the lawn. Luckily Ben had -pulled his broad-brimmed hat on tight. His cloak flew back from his -shoulders. And he heard shouts and laughs from the rest of the party as -they followed pell mell. - -The lawn of the Gables was wide and gently sloping. When Rosalind and -Sir Marmaduke finally slackened speed Ben found they had come to a -corner where poplars and spruces made a background against a road. One -oak tree stood out by itself, and there was a small house with -picturesque criss-crossed windows and a door with big curved hinges. - -“There,” said Sir Marmaduke, “behold the Forest of Sherwood! There -aren’t so many trees, but each of them is a giant.” - -Rosalind flung herself down near the oak. “Oh, Master Ben,” she panted, -“fan me with your hat.” - -And while Ben gallantly flapped his hat close to the red-cheeked lady, -the others came bounding into the glade, like so many children just let -out from school. - -In a few minutes Fitzhugh, a paper in his hand, was calling out -directions. Ben, observing everything, saw a couple of men crossing the -lawn with what looked like a big camera. He turned to Rosalind. “I know -what it is,” he whispered. “You’re moving-picture people doing a play.” - -“Good for you,” she answered. She nodded toward Fitzhugh. “He wrote the -plot, and we’ve been dressing up and doing it every day this week.” - -The play began, and went on for an hour or so, with frequent -interruptions. Some scenes were done over and over again before Fitzhugh -was satisfied with them. He found a part for Ben, and instructed him -carefully how to act before the camera. And whenever the company got -tired the cameramen turned off their machine, and the actors lounged on -the greensward while somebody sang or did a fancy dance. - -It was great sport, and Ben was surprised when, glancing toward the -west, he saw that the sun had set behind the trees. - -“I must be going,” he said to Fitzhugh. “I’ve had a splendid time.” - -Fitzhugh waved his hand at the cameramen. “That’s enough for to-day. We -always end with a woodland dance, Ben, and then, back to the house for -dinner.” - -“I can’t stay to dinner,” began Ben; but before he could say more -Rosalind and another girl had each caught a hand of his and the whole -company had spread out in a ring. Rosalind started to sing, and all the -others took up the song. There followed a dance, in which Ben did his -share, and then the crowd formed into a line, each with his hands on the -shoulders of the one in front, and led by Fitzhugh they wound across the -wide lawn and back to the Gables. - -“Now,” said Ben to his host, when they arrived on the porch, “I’ll get -into my own clothes and dash back to Barmouth.” - -“What? Without dinner? I can’t let you go hungry.” Fitzhugh turned to a -servant. “Show this gentleman up to the yellow guestroom and get him -whatever he wants.” - -It was difficult to argue with such a positive man as that; and moreover -Ben was thoroughly enjoying his adventure. To be shown up to the yellow -guestroom, and later to dine with such a company of moving-picture -people would be a new and delightful experience. He would have a story -to tell Tom and David and John Tuckerman when he got back to the island -that would make them open their eyes. So Ben followed the servant into -the house, where the lamps were already lighted. - -There was a gallery on the second floor, with ever so many rooms opening -from it. The servant went to a door and turned the knob. “This is the -yellow room, sir. You’ll find clean towels in the bathroom. If you want -anything, there’s an electric push button.” - -Ben went in and shut the door. He had never seen a more luxuriously -furnished bedroom. He switched on an electric light and a little -orange-shaded lamp on a table shone forth. He threw his hat on the -bureau and rolled up the sleeves of his doublet. - -The door of a bathroom stood open. He went in, turned on the water, and -washed his face and hands. As he was drying them with a towel he walked -over to a window. Looking out, he saw a garage and a circular driveway. -Beyond that was a lane that led back of a big barn. And on the stone -wall on the opposite side of the lane two boys were sitting. - -Ben stopped using the towel, and stared. The two boys looked -surprisingly like Tom and Lanky Larry. They were at some distance from -the house and the shadow of the barn fell across the stone wall. But -they did look like Tom and Lanky. However, it was inconceivable that -those two should be sitting there. He must be mistaken. For what could -possibly have brought those two to the neighborhood of the Gables? And -why should they perch on a stone wall as if they had nothing to do? - -Ben turned to go back to the yellow room; but in the doorway he stopped. -Someone was there, at the bureau, a man in a brown hat and cloak. He had -pulled a bureau drawer out and was looking in it. Some one of the guests -must have mistaken this room for his own. - -“Hello,” said Ben, “I didn’t know there was anyone here.” - -The man looked over his shoulder. “My mistake,” he said. “I thought this -was my room. I beg your pardon. My room is next door.” - -“I don’t wonder you didn’t know the right one,” Ben said politely. “I -never saw a house with so many rooms. I say, in that cloak and hat you -look very much like me in my costume. I don’t remember seeing you in the -moving-pictures.” - -“I changed my things,” muttered the man. “Sometimes I wear one set and -other times another.” He walked to the door, opened it, and went down -the hall. - -“That’s funny,” said Ben, half-aloud. “He keeps his hat on in the house. -I suppose he thinks, because it’s part of his costume, it’s a perfectly -proper thing to do.” - -Before the mirror at the bureau Ben put on his own broad-brimmed hat, -turned on the light at a wall-bracket, and surveyed himself in the -glass. - -“The hat does help to make a fellow look different,” he said to himself. -“I guess I’ll keep mine on when I go downstairs; though I don’t suppose -it would be the right thing to wear a hat to dinner.” - -He switched off both the lights and went out into the hall. The gallery -and the lower floor of the big house appeared to be empty; he supposed -the guests had all gone to make ready for dinner. He walked around the -gallery to the staircase. The afterglow of sunset partly lighted the -lower floor, and here and there soft lamps shed circles of radiance, but -for the most part the house was pleasantly shadowy, which made its fine -furnishings all the more interesting. - -Ben went down the stairs and stopped in the large hall to look at a -grandfather’s clock that stood opposite the front door. Above the dial -was a painted ship that sailed on a deep-blue sea. He was admiring the -ship when somewhere in the upper part of the house someone gave a -scream. - -Ben waited a moment. There was another shout. Doors on the gallery -opened. He heard people calling “What’s the matter?” There was confusion -above-stairs. Someone shouted “Lock the doors! Don’t let him get away!” - -The front door was open. Ben dashed across the polished floor to shut -it. - -His hand was on the knob when someone caught him from behind. A rug -slipped under his feet and he came down hard on the floor. - -Someone had fallen on top of him, someone had tackled him tight about -the knees, a regular football tackle. - -There was a babel of voices. Someone shouted, “We’ve got him all right!” - -Ben tried to speak, to explain. “Hold on there!” he grunted. - -But someone else was explaining. He heard someone say, “We heard the -yells, and we came in at the side door, and we saw this fellow dashing -for the front door.” - -Then Ben heard Fitzhugh’s voice. “Well, he won’t get away now,” Fitzhugh -said. “Suppose you let him up.” - -The fellow who had made the tackle released Ben’s knees and Ben turned -around and sat up. - -“My eye! If it isn’t Ben Sully!” - -Ben saw Tom and Lanky Larry staring at him in wide-eyed wonder. - -“Of course it is, Tom, you goat!” Ben responded. “Who did you think it -was?” - -“We thought you were one of the men we tracked here from the cove,” said -Tom. “They wore cloaks and hats like yours; and you did look as if you -were trying to escape.” - -“I was going to lock the front door,” said Ben, getting to his feet. -“What’s the trouble anyhow, Mr. Fitzhugh?” - -“Two of the ladies found things missing from their rooms—jewels,” -explained Fitzhugh. “And one of the men saw a fellow sneaking down a -passage.” He turned to Tom and Lanky. “I don’t know who you two are, but -Ben seems to, so that’s all right. Let’s see if we can find the thief.” - -Immediately everyone was busy. Some went outdoors, some hunted through -the house. The Gables blazed with light; the garage and the other -outbuildings were thoroughly searched. But no thief was found, and -half-an-hour later the whole company met on the porch to talk over the -matter. - -Tom and Lanky by turns told their tale, how they had seen the three men -at the cove put on cloaks and hats and how they had followed the men to -the Gables. The butler, looking rather sheepish, admitted that the boys -had spoken to him about the strangers and that he had not thought their -story merited his attention. Then Tom said that he and Lanky had sat on -the stone wall until they heard shouts in the house, and had then run in -at a side door, and in the hall had seen a fellow dressed just like the -three they had followed apparently making his escape. “We didn’t know -Ben was anywhere near here,” he added; “and anyway we wouldn’t have -recognized him in that blooming hat.” - -Ben told about his finding the stranger, dressed like himself, hunting -through the bureau drawer in the yellow room. The guests who had missed -their jewels and the man who had seen someone stealing along a passage -repeated their stories. “Well,” said Fitzhugh, when they had all -finished, “you remember we couldn’t find some of the things we left in -the playhouse the other day. I believe these fellows took them, and -thought they could pass themselves off as some of my guests and ransack -all the rooms in the house.” - -“They did it,” said Marmaduke Midchester. “And they must have got away -by one of the back doors while we were all here at the front.” - -“Do you suppose they’ve gone back to the cove?” asked Lanky. “They might -have. They didn’t know we were following them.” - -“That’s an idea,” agreed Fitzhugh. He spoke to the butler, and in a few -minutes the chauffeur and two other men were receiving instructions to -take the car and drive to the cove, look for the men, and if they were -not to be found there to drive on to Barmouth and report the thefts to -the police. - -“And now, my friends,” Fitzhugh added to his guests, “let us have -dinner. Master Ben’s two pals must need sustenance after their long -tramp. Come, the soup will be getting cold.” - -They were still at the dinner table when a motor horn sounded outside. -Everyone ran to the door. It was not Fitzhugh’s car, however, but a much -smaller one. From it descended David, John Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins. - -“Well, I declare,” exclaimed Tuckerman, “here’s Tom and Larry! And that -fellow in doublet and hose—why, I do believe that’s Benjamin Sully!” - - - - - XV—VARIOUS CLUES - - -John Tuckerman and David and Mr. Perkins went up on the porch, where Ben -introduced them to Roderick Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh, after shaking hands -cordially with each of them, bowed toward his house-guests. “My -friends,” said he, “we have the pleasure of welcoming the worthy Chief -Counsellor of Camp Amoussock, and Mr. Tuckerman, who is the owner of -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell’s Island in the harbor of Barmouth, -and Mr. David Norton—, er, Ben, what is the best way to describe your -good-looking friend?” - -“The best batter in New England,” piped up Lanky Larry. “I ought to -know. He knocked me out of the box.” - -“Thank you,” said Fitzhugh in his amusingly formal manner. “Mr. David -Norton, the famous Yankee slugger.” He turned to the three new arrivals. -“Gentlemen, let me present you to my friends,” and he called out the -names, beginning with Maid Rosalind and the other ladies and ending with -Sir Marmaduke Midchester. - -Tuckerman laughed. “I’d no idea Ben mixed in such high-sounding company. -What is he?—Sir Marmaduke’s squire?” - -“He’s the apprentice to an armorer,” said Fitzhugh. “Incidentally he was -mistaken this evening for a robber.” - -Then Fitzhugh told the story of the robbery, including the adventure of -Tom and Larry with the men from the cove. - -“Those men must be the three that belonged to the fishing-smack,” said -David. “I thought there was something crooked going on. That’s -it—they’re a gang of thieves.” - -David related his adventure, and then Mr. Perkins told how he and -Tuckerman and the boys from the camp hunted for the three missing -fellows. “We drove in here on the chance that you might know something -about them,” he said to Fitzhugh. “We came straight up the road from the -cove, but we didn’t see any men answering the description of the -thieves.” - -“Well,” said Fitzhugh, “we’ll get the police on their track, and I’ll -telephone down to Gosport to have the people there keep an eye out for -that fishing-boat. And now won’t you come in and let me offer you some -refreshments? Master Ben will want to change his clothes before he sets -out in his racing-car.” - -While the others were in the dining-room Ben exchanged his doublet and -hose for his everyday garb. Then he went to the garage and got out the -little car he had borrowed from his uncle in Barmouth. It clattered up -to the front door and a few minutes later Fitzhugh was saying good-night -to Tuckerman, Perkins and the boys. - -David got into Ben’s car. The car from Camp Amoussock moved off along -the driveway. Roderick Fitzhugh came up to Ben, who was starting his -engine. “I regret that Mr. Joseph Hastings wasn’t at home,” he said, “so -that you could have learned whether he did lose a silver snuff-box on -Cotterell’s Island. I’ll ask him when I see him.” - -Ben grinned. “I’d almost forgotten about the snuff-box,” he answered, -“but I think you’ll find when you ask Mr. Hastings that he did lose it -there.” - -“You’re a bright fellow, Master Sully.” - -Fitzhugh gave a wink. “Don’t tell all you know. And if you’re in the -neighborhood any time come in and see Joseph Hastings.” - -The little car rattled away, following the tail-light of the other -automobile. - -“Who is that man?” asked David, as they turned into the highroad. - -“Do you mean Mr. Roderick Fitzhugh?” inquired Ben innocently. - -“Chuck it, Benjie. That isn’t his real name.” - -“Why isn’t it, smartie?” - -“Roderick Fitzhugh! Marmaduke Midchester!” David repeated the names of -some of the other people he had met at the Gables. “Stuff and nonsense, -Benjie! They made them up.” - -Ben said nothing, and after a few minutes David began again. - -“Where’d they get those clothes?” - -“Where do people usually get their clothes? Tailors and dressmakers made -them, I suppose.” - -“What are they? A crowd of actors?” - -Ben smiled. “They’re not professional actors. They’re doing a play that -Mr. Fitzhugh wrote for the moving-pictures, and they like their costumes -so much they keep them on most of the time. I’m in the pictures,” he -added in a tone of pride. - -The car clattered loudly over a rough stretch of road. Then David -resumed his questions. “How in thunder did you happen to get mixed up -with them?” - -“I was driving along this morning and I met Mr. Fitzhugh and he -suggested that we go on a hunt for hooked-rugs.” - -“Hooked-rugs!” exploded David. - -“Yes. They don’t grow on trees. They’re to be found in the cottages -around here. We caught some fine specimens.” - -David put his hand on Ben’s knee. “It was time we rescued you from that -fellow, my boy,” he said. “I don’t know anything about hooked-rugs, but -I think your Mr. Fitzhugh has bats in his belfry.” - -The car driven by Mr. Perkins had stopped, and Ben brought his own noisy -equipage to a standstill at the side of the road. “We’re going to have -another look at the cove,” said Tuckerman. “We can’t drive in through -the woods.” - -But the cove, when they reached it by the path through the woods, was as -deserted as it had been when the boys from Camp Amoussock explored it -earlier in the evening. Lanky and Tom pointed out the dory, still -beached on the shingle, in which the three men had come ashore, and the -shack in which they had kept the costumes. “I think the dory is pretty -good proof that they didn’t come back here,” said Tom. “I guess they -must have made off toward Gosport, to join the fishing-smack somewhere -in that neighborhood.” - -They returned to the two cars and drove on to Camp Amoussock. There Tom -and John Tuckerman embarked in the _Argo_ to sail back to Cotterell’s -Island, while Ben and David continued their clattering ride to Barmouth. - -At Barmouth, Ben restored the car to his uncle, and the two boys went -down to the harbor and launched the canoe. Over the placid water they -paddled easily, for they were old hands at handling a canoe together. -And presently they landed at the island, and found the other two sitting -on the pier. - -There was much to talk over, and none of them were sleepy. They sat on -the bank above the beach and swapped adventures. “I’ve been wondering,” -said Tom, “whether there was any connection between the men who stole -those things at Mr. Fitzhugh’s house and the men I saw here on the -island last night.” - -“And the gigantic footprints,” said David. “I’ve been thinking about -that, too. But how would you explain the lady’s handkerchief, with the -initials A. S. L.?” - -They argued about that for some time before they went to bed. Ben, -however, took little part in the discussion. He was trying to find a -reason for the discovery of the silver snuff-box that Joseph Hastings -had bought in Barmouth in the chest hidden in the cliff. - -Next morning Ben went with Tuckerman to Cotterell Hall. “What do you -make of it, Ben?” said Tuckerman. “We don’t seem to be any nearer to -finding the treasure than we were when we first came here. I know you’ve -got some theory in that wise head of yours.” - -Ben walked up and down the living-room. “Well,” he answered slowly, “I -think somebody has mixed up the trails. Let’s see how the matter stands. -We know that your Uncle Christopher thought there was a secret. We found -that out from the note in the frame of the picture.” - -“Uncle Christopher knew there was a secret,” agreed Tuckerman. “I think -that’s very clear.” - -Ben nodded. “What did we find next? Those jottings your uncle made in -his notebook.” Ben stopped at the secretary, took out the notebook, -turned to the marked page, and read aloud. “‘As regards the saying that -the hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two -rocks where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, -and come to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the -place intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have -dug at this place, but found only sand.’ That’s what your uncle wrote. -But he didn’t find the treasure at the southwestern point.” - -Tuckerman smiled. “So far so good.” - -Ben ran his eye down the page. “Now we come to this. ‘Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That’s a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?’ Well, -it seems to me that’s where the trails begin to get mixed.” - -“Why, I thought we decided that referred to the mahogany secretary,” -said Tuckerman. - -“So we did,” answered Ben. “But were we right? Let’s see. We looked in -the secretary and found a piece of parchment with half a message on it. -We couldn’t make out much from that. Then I read this in the notebook.” -He turned again to the page, “‘I’ve heard that the old clipper ship got -some of the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what -use is that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution.’” - -“I’ve always thought you were mighty clever in finding that model of the -clipper ship up in the attic,” said Tuckerman. - -“Well,” agreed Ben, “I’m not denying that I was pretty well pleased with -that myself. But what did we learn? That James Sampson took a box to the -north cliff, meaning to put it on a boat, but found that there were some -people off shore in another boat and so hid the box in the rocks, and -that the rocks were marked like a cross. Very good. We found the place -and we found a box there. But there wasn’t anything very valuable in the -box when we found it.” - -“That’s so,” Tuckerman assented. “But I don’t see any other clue to the -treasure.” - -Ben was staring through the window at the trees glistening in the -sunlight. “I think that box was hidden in the cliff since we’ve been on -the island,” he said reflectively, “and I don’t believe that any of the -things in it ever came from Cotterell Hall.” - -“You don’t!” exclaimed Tuckerman. - -“And that means,” continued Ben, who was following the line of his own -thoughts, “that somebody was trying to set us on a wrong trail by hiding -those two pieces of parchment in this house.” - -“But what object would anyone have in doing that?” Tuckerman asked. “I -can’t see any good reason for their taking so much trouble.” He -considered this idea for several minutes, while Ben continued his study -of the trees and the glimpse of blue water that was to be seen from the -window. - -“And we thought we’d kept the problem of the Cotterell treasure pretty -much a secret,” Tuckerman said presently. - -“Gigantic footprints, lady’s handkerchief, men prowling about the house -in the dark.” Ben chuckled softly. “That doesn’t look as if we had the -island much to ourselves, does it?” - -“No,” Tuckerman admitted. “We haven’t kept up the Cotterell tradition -for exclusiveness.” - -“Well,” said Ben, “if somebody has been trying to set us on a wrong -trail, the question is was it the giant, the lady, or the -night-prowlers? Or did the three belong to one party.” - -“The lady is a stumbling-block,” nodded Tuckerman. - -“If there were two parties,” said Ben, turning around, “my own opinion -is that it’s the giant and the lady who’ve been making game of us.” - -“Benjamin, what are you driving at?” - -For answer Ben laughed. “Never mind, Professor. If I should tell you -what’s in my mind, and it shouldn’t prove to be true, think how flat I’d -feel. And now I think it’s time we went back to camp if we’re going in -swimming before dinner.” - -Just before sunset that afternoon the chug of a motor-boat broke the -stillness of the water around the island. The boat stole up to the -landing-stage and two men got out. They went up the walk toward -Cotterell Hall. “A beautiful mansion, Marmaduke,” said the man in the -white flannel suit to the one in brown jacket and knickerbockers. - -“I agree with you, Roderick,” said the other. “I suppose you would like -to pick it up and carry it off to the Gables.” - -“Not at all. But what is to prevent us from making use of it here? Sir -Peter Cotterell defying the people of Barmouth.” Roderick Fitzhugh -pointed in this direction and that, talking eagerly, until his companion -interrupted him with a whispered, “They’re coming up in their sailboat.” - -The _Argo_ touched the landing-stage, and Fitzhugh and his friend went -out on the pier. “Hello, lads,” cried Fitzhugh. “We came out to take a -look at the famous island Ben told us about.” - -“Did you learn anything about the thieves?” Tom called from the _Argo_. - -“No, not yet. But we’ve got the local police scouring the country. I -don’t expect much from them,” added Fitzhugh. “What I hope is that the -rascals will make us another call.” - -“We’ve been fishing,” said Ben. “Hope you’ll stay to supper.” - -“Well,” said Fitzhugh, “I’ve got my guests at the Gables.” - -“You wouldn’t take any excuse from me yesterday,” Ben retorted. “Turn -about’s fair play. You’ve never tasted Dave’s fried flounder.” - -“That’s so, we haven’t,” said Marmaduke Midchester. “I vote to stay.” - -They had supper on the beach, and afterwards Ben urged Midchester to -sing the song he had written. - -“Oh, Master Ben,” Fitzhugh protested, “why break in on the evening -calm?” - -“Go ahead,” said Tom. “We’d all like some music.” - -“Music?” echoed Fitzhugh. “Who said anything about music? Well, if -you’re determined to have him commit the crime, on your own heads be -it!” - -Midchester, who was a big man, stood up and sang in a deep bass, a song -about a knight who loved a lady but who rode off to the wars. It had a -spirited chorus, with many gestures, such as drawing a sword, waving a -hand, and shaking a knight’s banner. By the time that Midchester sang -the second chorus all the others were up, singing loudly and imitating -his motions. It ended in a final loud cheer that could be heard at least -a mile away. - -“That’s better than I expected,” said Fitzhugh. “See, it scared the -geese.” - -He pointed to the western sky, across which a distant triangle of wild -geese were flying. - -“Now,” said Tuckerman, “I will give you a song of the sea as sung in the -prairie schooners of the west.” - -He had a good voice, and his song was so popular that he had to give an -encore. Afterwards Fitzhugh said that he must take Midchester away or he -would break out again. - -Good-nights were exchanged on the pier and the motor-boat headed south. - -“Well,” said Tuckerman, “they’re a good pair of scouts. I don’t suppose -this island has heard so much noise since old Sir Peter’s day. I like -guests myself. And as there doesn’t seem any likelihood of finding the -Cotterell treasure, I don’t see why we shouldn’t keep open house.” - -“Oh, we haven’t given up hope of finding it, have we?” asked Tom. - -“Benjie hasn’t,” said David. - -They all looked at the black-haired boy. - -“Why, of course, I haven’t,” he answered calmly. “And the more people -who come out here to look for it, the more chance we have of finding it, -I think. You don’t suppose Fitzhugh and Midchester came here just to see -us, do you?” - -“I bet they did,” said Tom. - -“I bet they didn’t,” said Ben. “They took us in as a side-show on their -way to the big tent.” - - - - - XVI—THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - - -The _Argo_ was scudding along in a good breeze to Barmouth. Ben was -carving a small piece of wood into what he fancied was a resemblance to -a mermaid. David, his hands clasped behind his head, lounged in a -comfortable corner. Tuckerman was at the tiller, and Tom surveyed his -pupil through approving eyes. - -“Professor, I think we’re ready to give you your diploma,” Tom said, as -he noticed the easy manner in which Tuckerman handled the sailboat. -“You’re an able seaman. I’ll give you an honor mark as a navigator.” - -“And I’ll pass you as a first-rate cook,” said David, turning and -nodding his head. “You fried those eggs this morning just as well as I -could have, and praise can’t be higher than that.” - -“You coax the fish right out of the sea,” said Ben, looking up from his -carving. “There was a time when I didn’t believe you’d ever learn to -bait a hook so the fish couldn’t nibble it off; but you can do it now. -I’ll graduate you as a competent fisherman.” - -“And my swimming?” asked Tuckerman, his eye on the water curling over -the bow. - -“Well, as to that,” said David, “you’re not exactly a merman, but you -can paddle along at a decent pace. Yes, we’ll call you a swimmer. I -should say you were a pretty good all-around fellow now, Professor.” - -Tuckerman looked pleased. Praise from these three boys was very -satisfying. And he knew that what they said was not mere idle banter. He -had learned a great deal since he had been camping with them. - -“Thanks,” he said. “To be able to sail a boat, to cook, to fish, to -swim—why, that’s more than I ever expected to learn when I came here -from the west. I tell you what! It was a great thing for me when I -decided to take a look at my Uncle Christopher’s island.” - -“And what are you going to do with it now that you’ve seen it?” asked -Tom. - -“I don’t know. I’ve got to go back to my home. I don’t suppose anyone -would want to live way out in the harbor nowadays. There’s not enough to -do there. But I hate to take all those fine old furnishings out of the -house. They belong there, and they don’t belong anywhere else.” - -“There’s an old house out on the Boston road,” said Ben, “that the owner -keeps up as a sort of a museum. He has all the old furniture that was -used in colonial days. There’s a great deal of travel on that road in -summer, and he charges a quarter for every person that goes over the -house. There’s a care-taker, of course. I think she serves tea for a -quarter extra.” - -“That’s an idea,” said Tuckerman. “Only my house isn’t on a main road. -It’s a rather hard place to reach.” - -“All the better,” put in Tom. “People like excursions. We could put up -signs in Barmouth and all along the road. ‘Be sure to take the boat to -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell’s Island and hunt for the treasure!’ -That would get them all right. You could charge as much as you like.” - -“And Tom could run a ferry, and Ben be the care-taker and serve -ginger-ale at a dollar a glass,” suggested David. - -“And you could cork your face and be the famous mahogany man from the -Barbadoes,” retorted Ben. “He’s a wonder in a minstrel show, Professor.” - -“It sounds good,” Tuckerman agreed. “It’s certainly up-to-date. But -somehow I don’t feel that it’s quite dignified enough for Cotterell -Hall.” - -“You can make it dignified enough,” said Tom, “by charging enormous -prices.” - -Tuckerman laughed. “You’re right. You fellows are Yankees sure enough. -You make me feel like a greenhorn.” - -“And think of the business it would bring to Barmouth,” said Ben, -putting the attempt at a mermaid into his pocket and sitting up -straight. “People who went to the island would probably have to spend -the night at the hotel. Why, you ought to be able to make a deal with -the proprietor to share his profits.” - -“Ben’s started now,” exclaimed David. “Stop him somebody quick, or he’ll -be spending the money we’re making from the concern.” - -“I think it’s a great idea,” Ben proceeded, as usual paying no attention -to David’s jibe. “It’ll put Barmouth on the map. ‘Cotterell Hall, the -most famous treasure house on the Atlantic Coast!’” - -“I wish you wouldn’t use that word ‘treasure,’” Tom protested. “It has a -hoodoo sound.” - -“And speaking of putting things on the map,” said Tuckerman, “here’s the -wharf ahead. Don’t get me all excited while I bring her up to the dock.” - -The _Argo_ made a perfect landing. “Good enough,” said Tom. “That -couldn’t have been done better. Professor, you’re a dandy.” - -They went up the main street and turned off to the elm-shaded lane where -the Halletts lived. They were going to call on Milly Hallett. - -Milly was at home. She was, in fact, enjoying an afternoon nap in the -Nantucket hammock on the side porch when Tom spied her from the lane. - -The sound of footsteps woke her, and seeing who was coming in at the -gate she swung her feet down from the hammock, smoothed her rumpled -skirt, and patted her fluffy hair. And because she still felt a trifle -piqued that Tom was having all the fun of camping on Cotterell’s Island, -she decided on the spur of the moment to be a little standoffish with -the callers. - -“Hello, Milly,” said her brother, in the offhand way brothers have, “we -thought we’d come over to see how you were getting along.” - -“Good afternoon, Mr. Tuckerman,” said Milly, standing up and giving that -gentleman the tips of her fingers. “I hope the boys are looking after -you all right on your island.” - -“I can’t complain,” smiled Tuckerman. “We do as well as we can, without -any ladies to help us.” - -“Won’t you sit down?” Milly invited politely. - -Tuckerman took a chair, and the three boys, impressed in spite of -themselves by Milly’s society manner, perched on the rail of the porch. - -“We were wondering,” said Tuckerman, “whether we could induce you to -come out to supper on the island. We hoped the simplicity of the meal -would be atoned for by the beauty of the scenery. I can promise you a -fine sunset.” - -“Thank you for the invitation.” Milly swung gently back and forth. “Let -me see—what did I have on hand for this evening?” - -“Oh, chuck it, Milly!” said Tom. “Of course you want to come along.” - -“I remember now,” said Milly suavely. “I have a date with my friend -Sarah Hooper. There’s a new movie in town.” - -“Well, of course,” said Tuckerman in a regretful tone, “we can’t compete -with a new moving-picture show.” - -Milly smiled. “The boys are still giving you plenty of good food, are -they? And keeping you amused?” - -David moved impatiently on his perch. “The Professor never got better -food anywhere. He says so himself.” - -“I thought perhaps the menu might get a little tiresome,” Milly -suggested sweetly. “Boys are so apt to stick to one or two of the same -things when they have to cook for themselves.” - -“We don’t,” grunted David. - -“She knows we don’t,” said Tom. “I say, Milly, what’s your game?” - -“Game?” Milly wrinkled her pretty nose. “I don’t know what you mean!” -She glanced again at Tuckerman. “Boys are funny creatures, aren’t they?” - -The boys came down from the rail with one accord. Indignant replies were -on the tongues of each; but Milly pointed beyond them at the lane. “Here -comes Sarah Hooper now,” she said. “It’s just possible I can get her to -change our date.” - -Up the path came the black-eyed girl, a yellow sweater on her arm. -“Hello, everybody!” she sang out, as she reached the porch. “What is it? -An experience meeting?” - -“They want me to go to supper with them on Mr. Tuckerman’s island,” said -Milly. “I told them I had a date with you.” - -“Perhaps Miss Sarah Hooper will join the party,” Tuckerman added -promptly. “We’d like her to.” - -“Fine!” exclaimed Sarah. “I don’t know why I shouldn’t.” - -“Milly said,” put in Tom, “that you and she were going to a new movie.” - -A glance passed from Sarah to Milly, and Sarah nodded her head. “That’s -so,” she agreed. “I do remember we were.” - -“However,” said Milly, “if Sally would really like to accept your -invitation, we can go to the movies some other time.” - -There was a pause, for Sarah was not sure what her friend wanted her to -say; and then Ben broke the silence by pounding the porch-rail with his -fist. “By jiminy, girls are funny creatures, aren’t they? They’re crazy -to come, but they don’t want to admit it.” - -“Oh!” began Milly. But Tuckerman interposed. - -“The funnier people are, the pleasanter it is to be with them. We do -need the company of ladies on our island. We’ve only been seeing each -other, and sandpipers and gulls. It would be doing us a great favor if -these two ladies would come and freshen us up.” - -“Well,” said Sarah, charmed by this gallant speech, “I’d be glad to -come. It’ll be a perfect evening.” - -Milly got up from the hammock. “I’ll contribute a box of fudge.” - -“That’s all that’s needed to make it complete,” said Tuckerman. - -The girls went indoors, Milly to tell her mother about the party, and -Sarah to telephone to her house. - -“Now,” said Tuckerman, on the porch, “we’ve got to give them as good a -time as they’d have had at the movies.” - -“Milly wanted to come all along,” said Tom. “Why didn’t she say so?” - -“I think,” answered Ben, “that she wanted to show us that she was having -just as good a time here at home as we were having in camp; and she knew -she wasn’t.” - -Tuckerman smiled and nodded. “Ben’s hit it on the head. And that’s all -the more reason why we should see that they enjoy themselves this -evening.” - -They all agreed to that line of reasoning, and the first result of it -was that they suggested to Milly that she should sail the _Argo_ back to -the island. She was very much pleased, and Milly, on her mettle, handled -the craft as skillfully as Tom could have done himself. - -They landed, and Sarah said that she would like to see the island, since -all she had seen of it on her first visit had been Cotterell Hall and -the shore about the camp. So the boys and Tuckerman took their guests on -a regular tour, through the woods, where the russet-green pine-needles -made a clean and fragrant carpet, dappled with patches of sunlight; -along the little beaches, curves of yellow sand, where sandpipers played -and strutted, or flew in silver bands; up on the ramparts of cliffs, -against which the waves rolled in and slipped and slid in white cascades -over the low-lying ledges, and so to the southern point, where they -watched the sun setting in all its glory, tinting the sky and the sea in -wonderful combinations of shifting colors. - -Then they went to the camp, where David made a marvelous fish chowder of -cunners and cod that Ben had caught that morning. And for dessert they -had apple fritters and Milly’s home-made fudge. - -When it was time to take their guests back to Barmouth, Tom suggested -that they sail around the island. As they cruised up the ocean side they -saw a sail to the east. And after watching the distant boat intently for -some minutes David exclaimed, “I think that’s the fishing-smack that -took me from the cove to Gosport!” - -Tom shifted the tiller, and the _Argo_ took a course toward the larger -boat. As they sailed, David, in answer to Milly’s questions, told of his -adventure with the crew of the smack. - -To the northeast lay a small island, and the larger boat sailed around -its southern point. The _Argo_ kept up its chase, and presently came on -the fishing-smack at anchor off a half-moon beach. - -The big boat stood silhouetted against the violet sky of the summer -night. It was too dark to distinguish figures on her deck. Apparently -she had come to anchor there for the night. - -“How about it, Dave?” asked Ben. “Is that the craft that kidnapped you?” - -“Looks like her picture,” was the answer. - -“Want to hail your good friend Sam?” inquired Tom. - -“No, I don’t,” said David. “He might throw something out here that the -girls wouldn’t like.” - -“Oh, don’t mind us,” exclaimed Milly and Sarah in chorus. - -“I don’t know what the smack—if it is Dave’s boat—is doing around -here,” said Tuckerman. “There can’t be much to steal from that island.” - -For a time the _Argo_ bobbed about, but there came no hail from the -boat, no light appeared, she might have been a ship without a crew. - -“Let sleeping hornets lie,” Tuckerman advised. And at the suggestion Tom -sheered away. The _Argo_ sailed up the shore of the island and pointed -her bow toward the twinkling lights of the town. - -They were all enjoying the breeze, the star-sprinkled sky, the soft -swish of the water against the side of the boat when Ben, from a brown -study, spoke. “If the men on that smack are the thieves who broke into -Mr. Fitzhugh’s house, might they be hunting around here for the -Cotterell treasure?” - -“Well, I wish them luck at finding it,” said David. - -“Thieves who broke into Mr. Fitzhugh’s house!” cried Milly. “Oh, do tell -us about that!” - -Then the whole story came out, and when she had heard it all Milly said -positively, “I think Ben’s right. They’re planning to steal something -from your island.” - -“Hope they don’t take our cooking outfit,” said Tom. - -“Or any of my fine old colonial furniture,” added Tuckerman. - -“Oh, no,” scoffed David. “It’s the treasure they’re after.” - -“Don’t you want to take our watch-dog back with you?” said Sarah. “He’s -fine at biting tramps.” - -There was a laugh from the crowd. And they were still talking of ways of -protecting the island from prowlers when the sailboat ran up to the -wharf. - -The campers escorted the girls to their homes and then went back to the -harbor. - -On the waterfront they encountered a man—he had been a sea-captain in -his day—smoking a pipe and regarding the lights of the harbor. He knew -the boys. “Hello, Tom,” he said, “I hear you’re out on the island, -hunting for Sir Peter’s treasure.” - -“Well, we’re camping on the island,” Tom admitted. - -“Haven’t found the treasure yet, have you?” The mariner chuckled. -“There’s treasure hid all along the coast, if you believe the stories. I -was brought up on yarns about treasures, Captain Kidd’s and others. And -I’ve hunted for ’em, too. But I never laid my hands on none. Howsomever, -I always thought there might be something to the story about Sir Peter. -But it’s one thing to think there’s a treasure, and another to lay hands -on it.” - -“Where would you look?” asked Ben. - -The mariner reflected. “Well, if I was hiding a treasure I’d put it -where I could get it if I wanted it in a hurry. Seems to me I’d pick out -a place in the chimney-breast. I’ve heard of folks hiding things in -places like that.” - -“Seems to me we’ve got to pull the house down,” said David. “And then -like as not we wouldn’t find it.” - -“Might be so,” the mariner agreed. “It don’t pay to take too much -trouble hunting for things like that. But some people just have to.” - -The four embarked in the _Argo_. “Ben’s one of the people that just have -to,” said David. “I guess he’ll pull the house down.” - -“I hadn’t thought of the chimney-breast,” said Ben. “We’d better look -there to-morrow.” - -“Go to it, Tige,” laughed David. “We’ll get out the pick-ax and -crow-bar.” - - - - - XVII—PETER COTTERELL - - -Next morning the four campers, following the suggestion made by the -sea-captain on the Barmouth wharf, resumed their search for the -Cotterell treasure. David treated the whole matter as a joke; he thought -that either the story about Sir Peter having hidden his silver plate was -a legend without any foundation in fact, or that one of the family had -found the treasure and disposed of it. Tom leaned to the same opinion, -although he did not say so as openly as did David, perhaps because he -saw that both John Tuckerman and Ben thought the treasure was yet to be -found. Ben was still as positive as ever, and argued that if Sir Peter’s -plate had ever been discovered that fact would certainly have been -mentioned in Crusty Christopher’s notebooks. - -They examined the chimney-breast in the kitchen and dining-room, looking -for any possible hiding-place. They went all over the house again, -looking for any secret door or panel that they might have missed before. -They tapped the walls and they measured them; but nowhere could they -figure out such a place as they were hunting. Finally Tuckerman said, “I -don’t see how we can search anywhere else, unless we do as Dave -suggested—pull the house down—and I don’t want to do that.” - -“The house is worth more than the treasure,” said Tom. - -“That’s so,” Tuckerman agreed. He frowned and bit his lip. “I don’t like -to be stumped, that’s the long and short of it. I don’t like to admit -that I can’t work out the puzzle.” - -“Puzzles never bother me,” said David. “I think they’re stupid things. I -never want to know the answer to any of the problems in the algebra -books. What good does it do you to know them? Of course some people get -so hipped over knowing the answers they can’t eat till they find them -out—whether a dog or a rabbit will reach a given point first, things -like that, or about men rowing a boat against the tide; but they don’t -get me the least little bit excited. Leave them to Benjie, I say.” - -And that was what they did. They left Ben up in the attic, the last room -they had searched. Attics fascinated Ben. In a way they were like -puzzles; there were so many odds and ends that needed putting together. -He walked idly about, looking at chairs and tables that had lost some of -their legs, at statuettes that were broken and disfigured, until he came -to the window that opened to the east. There he stopped in a brown -study. - -A distant sail caught his eye. It reminded him of something. Oh, yes, -from the window he could see the line of the little island where they -had found the fishing-smack at anchor the night before. He couldn’t tell -if this sail belonged to the smack; it was too far away; but the sight -of it started a train of thought he had been working over that morning. - -He went downstairs and was glad to find that the others had left the -house. In the living-room he took the two pieces of parchment from the -drawer of the secretary and carefully copied the writing on them on a -large sheet of paper. This he laid on the lid of the desk and put an -inkstand on the paper. Then he returned the pieces of parchment to the -drawer. - -Satisfied with this, he went outdoors and crossed the island to the -beach where he had found the chest. He sat on a log, and waited -patiently. Presently he saw a sail, to the east; and this time he felt -fairly sure that it was the same fishing-smack that they had chased the -previous night. - -He jumped up and began to burrow in the crevice between the rocks. He -did not attempt to pull the chest out; it was too heavy for him to do -that unaided; but he kicked his heels and pushed himself in. And after a -while he pushed himself out again and stood up. Looking at the smack, he -decided that she was near enough for anyone on her deck to have -witnessed his strange performance. - -The next step in his plan came when the dishes had been washed after -dinner. He proposed that they should sail over to the little island and -see if the smack was still in the neighborhood. - -“After the thieves, are you?” asked David. “Now see here, my lad, if we -should find them, what then? Are you going to step aboard and tell them -they’re arrested?” - -“Dave’s had enough of his friend Sam,” said Tom. “He thinks if Sam meets -him again he’ll get a belaying-pin on the back of his head.” - -“Benjie wants to argue with them,” said David. “I’ll admit I’d like to -get square with the rascal, but I don’t see how we can do it that way.” - -“If Dave’s sure it’s the same boat,” suggested Tom, “we might notify the -police at Barmouth.” - -“Well,” said Ben, “the only way to make sure that Dave’s right is to -sail around and look at her in daylight.” - -“That sounds sensible,” Tuckerman agreed. “We needn’t get into any kind -of a scrap with them.” - -So the _Argo_ set sail and cruised eastward; but although she rounded -the other island several times that afternoon her crew caught no sight -of the bark they were looking for. - -When they got back to their own island they found Lanky Larry and Bill -Crawford fishing from the pier. The canoe in which they had paddled over -from Camp Amoussock floated at the landing-stage. - -“If you’re after cunners,” said Ben, “you ought to try the rocks on the -ocean side; if it’s flounders you’re trying to tempt you won’t find them -near the pier.” - -“We didn’t really come over here to fish,” responded Bill, “but we -always carry a couple of lines in the canoe; that is, when it doesn’t -upset. We came over to invite you four fellows to the water sports -to-morrow morning. We’ve got a fine program, and you can enter any of -the events when you get there.” - -“I guess the Professor will want to enter the tub-race,” said Tom with a -grin. - -“Maybe I will,” agreed Tuckerman. “Well, mates, how about it? The -invitation sounds very good to me.” - -Tom and David both nodded and said they would like to go. “You’d better -count me out of it,” said Ben. “I’ve got a date for to-morrow.” - -“Date?” inquired Tom. “What sort of a date? With a lady or a man?” - -“A date with myself.” Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. “I’ve got -something on hand I meant to do in the morning.” - -“Shucks!” exclaimed David. “All right, Bill, we’ll be over right after -breakfast. And we’ll bring Benjie along. You might enter him in the -fancy diving contest.” - -Bill and Lanky pulled in their fishing-lines and embarked in their -canoe. The campers started to get supper. But Ben, making an excuse that -he thought he must have mislaid his pocket-knife in the house, hurried -through the woods to the beach at the northern end. So far as he could -see no one had been there since he had left in the morning; the chest -was still in the crevice between the rocks. - -That evening Ben prowled about the island. He went to Cotterell Hall, he -went to the beach at the north again, he kept a watchful eye for sails -in any quarter. When he came back to camp the other three had turned in. -And being very sleepy, he followed their example. - -He was up at dawn next morning, and again made his rounds. The paper he -had placed on the lid of the secretary was apparently untouched, the -chest was still in the crevice. Breakfast was waiting when he returned. -“Now, Benjie,” said David, “get busy with the bacon. We’re going over to -Camp Amoussock, and we want you to show those fellows your famous -flip-flap.” - -“You go along without me,” Ben urged. - -“No, sir,” said David. “This is a sporting proposition, and it’s up to -every man to do his bit.” - -So Ben went along with the others. - -All of Camp Amoussock was in bathing-suits, and the four guests were -shortly attired likewise. Then began all sorts of water sports. Tom and -David and Ben went in for most of the swimming races and the diving -contests. Tom took second place in the fifty-yard race, and Ben won the -competition for fancy diving. When they came to the tub-race John -Tuckerman entered his name. - -Amid shouts and cat-calls a dozen tubs set out from the float. The race -was to be around a buoy and back to the starting-place. Tuckerman -paddled easily, keeping his tub out of the course most of the others -were taking. Two tubs jostled, and two boys were upset into the water. -Bill Crawford rounded the buoy first, then a small, red-headed boy who -sat very still, barely patting the water with careful finger-tips. - -“Here comes the Professor!” cried Tom from the beach. “Keep it up, keep -it up, Professor! You’re doing wonders!” - -Tuckerman reached the buoy. He had found it fairly easy to keep a -straight course, but now he had to steer to the left. To do this he -tried to give a sidewise sweep with his foot. The tub rocked, rolled. He -attempted to counter-balance; and then he was in the water, splashing -about and trying to get hold of the tub. - -He flopped up on one side, only to slip over on the other. The tub might -have been greased, so difficult was it to make the round thing stay in -one position for more than a minute. At last he gave up trying to make -it behave, and swam, pushing it before him, until he could touch bottom -with his feet. - -“Never mind, Professor,” said David, as the bedraggled Tuckerman walked -up on the beach. “Many a man has found a tub-race his Waterloo.” - -There were cheers from the float, and all turned to look. Bill Crawford -and the red-headed boy were now neck and neck. Someone shouted, “Now’s -your time to spurt, Bill!” - -Bill spurted. His tub lost its balance; Bill somersaulted backward into -the water. The red-headed boy just managed to avoid Bill’s splashing and -paddled along more cautiously than ever, hardly touching the water now, -just directing his course with his fingers and toes. - -Up to the float he came. He grasped the edge, and a moment later the boy -and the tub were on the float, and the race was won. - -“The Tortoise wins!” cried Lanky. “Good old Tortoise! He may be slow, -but he gets there away ahead of the Hare.” - -Then came dinner, and then the _Argo_ set sail again. “Now, Benjie,” -said David, “you can keep that date you were telling us about. My word, -but you look impatient.” - -Ben was impatient. He sat in the bow, keeping a lookout for a certain -sail. - -There were no boats to be seen, however, nearer than a three-masted -schooner that moved like a pasteboard ship along the rim of the horizon. -The _Argo_ appeared to have that part of the off-shore ocean entirely to -herself, and except for the swish of the water against her side there -was no noise to break the quiet of the summer afternoon. - -The island stood out in its shades of green against the brilliant blue -sky. The house was a patch of white as the sailboat drew up to the pier. -The landing made, the four campers went ashore. Ben started up the path -toward the house, and the others, as people are apt to do when someone -leads the way, followed without any definite object in mind. - -Ben had almost reached the front steps when the door of Cotterell Hall -opened. He stopped in surprise; and so did the other three. - -A man in colonial costume, buff-colored coat and breeches, with a -three-cornered hat in his hand, stepped out at the front door. - -The man made a bow and held out his hat in a gesture of welcome. “I give -you a good-day, gentlemen,” he said. “What fortunate chance brings you -to Peter Cotterell’s door?” - -Tuckerman took it on himself to answer. Returning the bow, he said, “The -good ship _Argo_ has brought four adventurers to your island, worthy -sir. We trust we do not trespass.” - -The gentleman in buff stood with his hat at his hip. “You’re not from -the town of Barmouth?” he asked. - -“Oh, no,” said Tuckerman, and added, “Your island looked so inviting -that we made bold to come ashore.” - -“I’m glad you’re not from Barmouth,” said the gentleman. “I have no -stomach for those folks, rebels against His Britannic Majesty’s lawful -government. To visitors such as you my island and my house are always -open. Will you come in and refresh yourselves?” - -“You are very good, Sir Peter,” said Tuckerman, with a smile. - -“Why do you call me ‘Sir Peter’?” - -“I understood that was your title.” - -The gentleman frowned. “I believe that some of the rebels call me that, -because of my loyalty to the King of England. However, it is an -honorable title. I have no objection. Yes,” he added, “you may call me -Sir Peter. I like the sound.” - -“Well then, Sir Peter,” said Tuckerman, “I think we’ll accept your -invitation with the greatest pleasure.” - -The gentleman on the step stood aside, and the four marched into the -house. Sir Peter indicated a room on the left. They went into the large -drawing-room, and Ben, casting a hasty glance at the secretary, saw that -the paper he had placed on the lid was still there. - -“Be seated,” said Sir Peter. He stood for a moment near the portrait on -the wall, and the campers saw how much his face and figure and the cut -of his clothes resembled those of the man in the picture. He caught -their eyes comparing him with the portrait. “Yes, my picture,” he said. -“It’s considered a rather fair likeness.” And he added deprecatingly, -“Of course no one can ever judge a likeness of himself.” - -He pulled a bell-rope that hung by the big fireplace. “I can offer you a -glass of negus,” he continued. “Something unusual, that I get from the -Barbadoes.” - -A moment later a dark-skinned servant—mahogany-hued in fact—came into -the room and received his master’s orders. - -“Will any of you take snuff?” asked Sir Peter, when the servant had -withdrawn. He produced a small silver snuff-box from his waistcoat -pocket. - -He passed the snuff-box, but each of his guests declined. Ben, looking -up with a grin, asked, “Does your servant come from the Barbadoes, Sir -Peter?” - -“Why yes, he does.” Sir Peter helped himself to a pinch of snuff, then -dusted his coat with a fine cambric handkerchief. “An excellent servant, -too. Indeed, I am much pleased with all my service, from my steward -James Sampson down.” - -“James Sampson!” exclaimed Ben, his eyes dancing. “Where have I heard -that name before?” - -At this point the servant reappeared, bearing a lacquered tray on which -were five glasses and a decanter. He set the tray on a table, and as Sir -Peter filled the glasses the servant handed them to the guests. - -The refreshment was delicious. None of the boys had ever tasted anything -like it before, but all of them declared it fine. Sir Peter poured a -second glass all round, and then, when the servant had left again, the -gentleman in buff seated himself in an arm-chair, swung one leg over the -other, and beamed at his new friends. “As you say, the negus is -excellent,” he observed, “but several glasses will, to use a somewhat -common expression, begin to make one see things.” - -“We’re seeing things already,” put in David. - -Sir Peter disregarded this remark. He twisted his glass in his fingers. -“As it happens, I’m particularly glad that you arrived here to-day,” he -continued. “I have a number of guests here. I am giving an entertainment -this evening. The guests are at present on the upper floors.” - -There was a light tap of heels in the hall. Sir Peter looked toward the -door. “Here comes one of them—a lady.” He stood up, and the campers did -likewise. “Ah, it’s Mistress Penelope Boothby,” Sir Peter declared with -a bow. - -A young woman stood in the doorway, a very lovely young woman in a -flowered silk gown. She courtsied down to the floor, then with a light -laugh exclaimed, “Oh la, Peter Cotterell, whom have you here? What odd -costumes the gentlemen wear!” - - - - - XVIII—THE PIRATES ASHORE - - -The gentleman in buff coat and breeches turned from the young woman in -the doorway to the four campers, who as they glanced at their own rough -outing clothes did look like a line of embarrassed schoolboys standing -in front of a teacher. - -“Now that you mention it, Penelope,” said Peter Cotterell, “I do note a -difference between the garments of these lads and this gentleman and -those we are accustomed to seeing worn by our neighbors. I understand, -however, that they come from a distance, and one would hardly expect -costumes to be the same in all the colonies. It occurs to me that -possibly my new guests might like to make fresh toilets in one of the -rooms abovestairs. I have a large wardrobe, gentlemen, and it is yours -to choose from.” - -“That’s a good idea,” said Tom. “I wonder if you have anything big -enough to fit my friend David Norton?” - -“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” said Tuckerman. “I’m sure I could -pick out something much better looking than these togs.” - -The young woman stepped into the room. Her blue eyes were very merry as -she looked at the awkward row. “I think an apricot coat would suit this -one,” she said, nodding at Ben. “Something in puce this one,” she -indicated Tom. “Lavender for him,” she waved at Tuckerman. “And for the -fourth—let me see—” She squinted her eyes and tilted her head on one -side. - -“A beautiful green,” Ben suggested. “The color of seaweed in water.” - -Miss Boothby laughed, and David flushed a magnificent scarlet. - -“He certainly oughtn’t to wear a red coat,” said Peter Cotterell. “He’d -be too much all of one color.” - -“I like these things I’ve got on,” said David. “They mayn’t be very -good-looking, but they suit me first rate.” - -“Oh, I like them, too,” agreed Miss Boothby, and her quick smile made -David flush again, this time at the stubbornness of his tone. - -“If you care to look at my wardrobe—” Cotterell resumed. “Ah, here is -James Sampson now.” - -At the door appeared a man in chocolate-colored coat and breeches, his -brown hair tied in a queue. - -“My steward,” stated Cotterell. - -“So you’re Sampson, are you?” asked Ben. “I’ve heard of you, and I’m -glad to make your acquaintance. I think I’ve seen some of your -handwriting.” - -“He writes a legible hand,” said Cotterell. “He keeps some of my -accounts. Sampson, please show my guests to the rooms upstairs. They -desire to change their attire.” - -Miss Boothby touched David’s arm. “For my sake wear a suit of green,” -she whispered. - -David blushed. “Oh, very well,” he said awkwardly. “But I guess I’ll -look like a frog.” - -They followed Sampson into the hall and up the stairs. As they passed -open doors they saw a number of people in gay, colonial clothes. All -through the house there was the hum of voices. - -Sampson conducted them into the attic, where many suits and dresses hung -on pegs along the walls. - -“Here is the wardrobe,” he said. “I think you will find everything you -may need. And yonder is a mirror.” With a bow he withdrew. - -“Well,” exclaimed David, when the servant was out of earshot, “what do -you make of all this?” - -“Sir Peter is certainly much more amiable than I’d been led to suppose,” -mused Tuckerman. “There’s nothing of the hermit about him.” - -“He’s a bird!” chuckled Tom. “I’ll bet he gives us a mighty fine -supper.” - -“I don’t blame him a bit for wanting to keep those roughnecks over in -Barmouth from melting up his silver,” Ben asserted. - -“See here, you fellows,” broke in David, “I want to know what’s the -game.” - -“Game?” echoed Ben. - -“Game?” said Tom. “What do you mean?” - -“Game?” repeated Tuckerman, and his tone was a trifle indignant. “I -don’t call it a game when a gentleman like Sir Peter Cotterell invites -us to his party.” - -David sat down on a sofa. “All right, all right. I’m the goat, as usual. -Fetch me a green coat and trousers.” - -“I daresay Miss Boothby will dance with you,” Tom cheered him. - -“_You_ may like this sort of thing,” said David, “but it’s not in my -line.” - -Ben threw a coat at him. “Take that. Hello, here’s a shelf full of wigs. -Want to try a white one, Dave?” - -For the next five minutes they looked about the room, at the coats and -the breeches and waistcoats, at the wigs and the other articles that -made up Sir Peter’s wardrobe. - -Then they began to try on the costumes, seeking for the proper sizes. -Ben could find nothing that suited him exactly. And while they were -trying on different coats, there came a sound of singing from -downstairs. - -Ben, holding a coat in each hand, went into the hall and leaned over the -banisters. Men and women were singing a quaint, old-fashioned song in -the dining-room. The tune was fascinating, at times it sounded like a -jig, at times there were different parts for the different voices. Ben -listened, nodding his head in rhythm with the music. “You ought to hear -this,” he called over his shoulder to the three in the attic. “It’s a -regular musical show.” - -The others came out into the hall. Tuckerman beat time on the banister -with a powdered wig he had been trying to squeeze on his head. Tom, -putting his hands on David’s shoulders, began to dance to the tune. - -With a grin, Ben turned and went back to the attic. “I’ll beat them to -it,” he muttered, and flinging down the two coats he was holding he took -a yellow satin coat, embroidered with silver lace, from a peg on the -wall. - -This coat was a fine sample of the tailor’s art. But Ben, having taken -it down, stared at the peg from which it had hung, and at the wall -behind it. - -He gave an exclamation, a low whistle of surprise. He knocked on the -wall with his knuckles. He glanced through the open door, and saw that -the others were still occupied with the singing. He backed away from the -wall, still keeping his eyes on it. And then he stumbled over a -footstool and sat down with a bump on the floor. - -He got up and laid the embroidered coat on a chair by the window. He -looked outdoors. And then for the second time in five minutes he uttered -an exclamation. The fishing-smack was standing close inshore on the -eastern side of the island. He could see her moving slowly to the north, -her canvas plainly visible above the tops of the trees. - -“Gee whillikins!” muttered Ben. “I’ll bet my scheme worked!” - -Another minute and he was out in the hall. The singing downstairs had -stopped and there was a clapping of hands. - -“Come here!” ordered Ben. - -The other three followed him into the attic, to the window opening to -the east. - -“Is that your fishing-smack, Dave?” Ben demanded. - -David looked. “By Jove, I believe it is!” - -“Do you want to know where she’s going?” was Ben’s next question. - -“Shoot,” said Tom. - -“She’s going to the beach where I found the chest in the hiding-place in -the rocks. Her crew are after that chest, I’ll bet you a fiver!” - -The three stared at him in surprise. “What makes you so certain?” asked -Tuckerman. - -“Because I know. I have reasons for knowing. They’re after that chest. -They think it’s the Cotterell treasure, just as I thought it was.” - -“You mean they’re going to land on our beach and carry off our chest -under our very noses?” demanded Tom. - -“They are unless we stop them,” nodded Ben. - -“Then,” said David, “I’m going to stop them. Seems to me there was an -old musket somewhere around here.” - -There was an old musket in the corner of the attic; there were two, in -fact; and a fowling-piece and a couple of antique duelling-pistols. The -boys and Tuckerman seized on all the firearms, regardless of the rust -that came off on their clothes, and hurried into the hall. - -Down the stairs they went, making a great noise. And the clatter of -their feet was so loud that the gentleman in buff and all his friends -ran out from the dining-room to see what was the matter. - -“Why, it’s an army coming!” cried Peter Cotterell in great surprise. - -The four halted in the front hall. - -“What’s the meaning of this!” exclaimed Cotterell. “I invited you to -share my wardrobe, not to ransack the house for weapons. Come, will one -of you please explain?” Indignation mingled in his tone with surprise. - -“There’s a boat off-shore, and her crew is going to land on the beach at -the northern point and steal your treasure chest,” said Ben. - -“My treasure chest! My silver plate!” Cotterell raised his hand, -clenched it into a fist. “Those rascally rebels from Barmouth!” - -“I don’t know where they come from,” said Ben. “But we’re going to chase -them away.” - -“Chase them away?” Cotterell spurned the suggestion. “No, sir. We’ll -capture them.” - -He looked around at his guests. “Gentlemen, what do you say? Would you -like to bag a few robbers?” - -There were shouts of approval. - -“Not so loud, not so loud,” said Cotterell. He turned to the boys and -Tuckerman. “Can you spare us a few of those extra musquetoons, or -whatever they are, that you found abovestairs? With those, and the -fencing swords in the living-room, and a few other odds and ends, we -should do quite nicely. I have a pistol myself. I never go without it in -these revolutionary days. Let me see. I left it in the kitchen, in a pot -on the shelf, where it would be out of the way.” - -The firearms were handed around, and shortly a group of -fantastically-garbed people stood in front of the house. The campers and -Cotterell and Sampson were to lead the expedition, and some of the -ladies insisted on bringing up the rear. - -They had not gone far, however, when Sampson suggested a new idea to the -others, and after a few minutes’ talk Cotterell’s steward and two of the -other men left the main party and turned off in the direction of the -creek. - -Through the woods went the expedition, a long line of people following -Ben, who had a musket almost as long as himself stuck over his shoulder, -which necessitated his constantly ducking and dodging to avoid -overhanging branches. - -When they reached the northern edge of the woods they divided into three -bands. One was headed by Ben and David, the second by Tom and Cotterell, -and the third by Tuckerman. Each band was to make its way down to the -beach in front of the rocks by a different path, but not to come out -from the shelter of the bushes in the ravines until its leader was sure -that the crew from the fishing-smack had landed and were looking for the -chest. The ladies were to stay in the woods. To this Miss Penelope -Boothby objected. She said that with the riding-crop she had picked up -in the house she could easily defend herself against a dozen pirates. -Cotterell said, “I’m sure you could, my dear Penelope. But the bright -colors of your gown might give us away. And if we have to crawl through -the brambles, what would happen to your light silk dress?” - -Ben and David, with two men, threaded their way down a ravine to a -network of bushes that fringed the edge of the beach. From here, without -being seen themselves, they could see what was going on. The -fishing-smack had come to anchor a hundred yards off shore, four men had -rowed to the island and were now on the beach. Pointing to one of these -men, David whispered in Ben’s ear, “That’s my friend Sam. I’d know his -ugly mug anywhere.” - -“They’re after the chest,” Ben returned. “Yes, they’ve found the right -place. See, one of them’s crawling in, with a rope in his hand.” - -Three bands of watchers, at three places along the beach, saw the crew -of the smack haul the chest out from the crevice. As soon as they had it -out they threw open the top. And as they all bent over, eager to lay -hands on the Cotterell treasure, a voice hailed them from a clump of -bushes not fifty feet away. - -“Throw up your hands!” cried the voice. “Throw them up quick!” - -The crew stood up. They saw a man in buff coat and breeches facing them, -a pistol in his hand. - -“Up with your hands!” cried another voice from a bush on the other side. - -The crew hesitated a second. One of them glanced over his shoulder. -“They’ve got us cornered!” he muttered, and stuck his hands up over his -head. - -The three scouting parties marched out on to the beach. The muskets and -firearms were leveled at the four men round the chest. - -“It’s a regular army!” exclaimed one of the crew. And putting on as much -of an air of bravado as he could with his hands above his head, he -demanded, “What do you want of us? We’re not stealing anything. We found -that chest here.” - -“Keep your hands up!” cautioned Cotterell, as he walked forward. “As you -say, you’re surrounded by an army. And while your hands are up, I’ll ask -some of my friends to see if you have weapons in your pockets.” - -The search was quickly made, and each man relieved of a pistol. - -“Now,” said Cotterell, “you may ease your muscles. But let me tell you -the first one who tries to get away will be knocked down and -handcuffed.” - -“All right. We’ll go easy,” said the man who was known to David as Sam. -“But I don’t know what you’re after. We came ashore and saw this box in -that crack in the rocks.” - -“It’s my box,” said Cotterell. “I own everything on this island.” - -“Well, take it if it’s yours,” growled Sam. “We don’t want it. I thought -a box on the beach was public property.” - -“You think a good many things are public property,” Cotterell retorted. -He looked at Ben and David. “Have either of you seen this man anywhere -before?” - -“I have,” said David. “He’s the fellow who carried me off in that boat -out there.” - -“Has anybody here seen any of these other men?” Cotterell asked next. - -Tom spoke up. “I’m pretty sure they’re the fellows Lanky Larry and I -followed from the cove to the house called the Gables.” - -“And what are they suspected of having done at the Gables?” continued -Cotterell. - -“Of stealing some jewels,” said Tom. - -The man in the buff coat nodded. “In other words, they are probably not -very desirable citizens to have at large. I think it’s my duty to give -them into custody.” - -“Oh, come now,” said Sam. “You don’t really know anything about us. -There’s your chest. You see we haven’t taken anything from it. We were -sailing along the coast and we came ashore to have a look at the island. -That’s a reasonable thing to do.” - -“You haven’t any right to arrest us!” exclaimed one of the other men. -“You haven’t got a warrant. And who’s going to believe what that young -fellow said about seeing us somewhere else?” - -“Perhaps we can supply the authorities with further proof,” said -Cotterell with a smile. - -There came a shout from someone on board the fishing-smack, and all -those on the beach looked in that direction. A man was waving a -handkerchief over the side of the boat. - - - - - XIX—THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - - -While the campers and Cotterell and his guests had been making prisoners -of the four men on the beach, the steward Sampson and the two others who -had separated from the main party had embarked in a motor-boat that was -moored in the creek and made their way out to the fishing-smack. To the -surprise of the skipper, who was the only man aboard, two men in -fantastic knee-breeches had swung themselves over one side of his boat -while he was idly surveying the northern point of the island from the -other side. He turned to find himself looking at the muzzle of the most -remarkable pistol he had ever seen. Being unarmed himself, he had -immediately put up his hands. Whereupon the two men had smiled, and the -one with the pistol, lowering that ancient weapon, had said, “That’s a -good fellow. Is there anyone else aboard?” - -“No,” said the skipper, not wanting to have the smack searched. - -“Take a look through his clothes for a weapon,” the man with the pistol -said to his companion. - -No weapon was found. The man in the motor-boat came aboard, and two of -the men went into the smack’s cabin, while the third guarded the -skipper. - -When the two returned from the cabin some time later, one of them went -to the rail and shouted and waved his handkerchief toward shore. And -presently Cotterell and Tom, David and Ben rowed out in the smack’s -boat. - -In the cabin were the hats and cloaks and the other things that Tom and -Lanky had seen in the shack at the cove. Sampson set out at once in the -motor-boat for Barmouth, and before the sun had touched the tops of the -trees the four men on the beach and the skipper were in custody of the -police, charged with having stolen certain valuables from the Gables. - -“Well,” said Cotterell, when he and his guests were again on the island, -“my treasure is still secure from the rebels, thanks to you,” and he -bowed to the campers. - -“Oh, is your famous dinner-set really in that chest?” asked Miss -Penelope Boothby. She went to the chest and looked at its contents. -“Why, it’s only clothes and bric-a-brac! There’s no silverware there.” - -“No,” said Cotterell, smiling. “That is not my silver plate. I keep it -better hid than that.” - -“Oh, do let us dine off it to-night,” begged Miss Boothby. “I should -dearly love to see it.” - -Cotterell looked perplexed. “Why, I should like you to,” he answered. -Then he glanced at the sun. “But the party waits. And it was my -intention to dance a minuet on the lawn before my house while it was -daylight. Come, friends, come along with me.” - -They went back through the woods. The boys and Tuckerman branched off by -the path to their camp, promising to come to Cotterell Hall in time to -join the party. And, once out of hearing of the others, David turned to -Ben. “You’re a cute fellow, Benjie. How’d you ever guess that the men -from the smack would go after that chest?” - -“I don’t mind telling you now,” said Ben with a grin. “I was pretty sure -that those men were snooping around the house, looking for clues to the -treasure, and so I put a copy of that message on the parchment out on -the lid of the desk, where they couldn’t very well fail to see it. Then -I went down on the beach by the cliff when the smack was fairly near -shore, and tried to give them the notion that I was looking for -something. Well, they bit all right. They thought the treasure was -hidden there, just as I thought myself when I first saw Sampson’s -message.” - -“I’ll hand it to you, sonny,” said Tom. “You turned the trick! And -that’s the crowd that stole the jewels from the Gables, just as I -thought.” - -“They stole some of Mr. Fitzhugh’s costumes,” said Ben. “It seems to me -that the fact that we found those costumes in the cabin shows what -they’ve been doing.” - -They sat on the bank a few minutes, talking over the adventure. Then -Tuckerman stood up. “Well, we’re due at Cotterell Hall. Wash your hands -and brush your hair, so you’ll look your smartest.” - -“Do you suppose we’ll have to dance?” asked David, as he ran a comb -through his thatch of hair. - -“I think that one of the ladies has her eye on you,” said Tuckerman, -laughing. “However, if you’ve got a game leg, I’ll be glad to take your -place.” - -As they reached the house Peter Cotterell came out at the door. Behind -him were Miss Boothby and Sampson. “My wardrobe is still upstairs,” the -buff-coated man said genially. “Make what use of it you please.” - -This time the campers found costumes quickly. Even Ben, who kept looking -at the row of pegs from which he had taken down the yellow satin coat, -got into that coat and a pair of breeches. There was the sound of a -violin in front of the house, and as they came down the steps they found -the whole party taking places for a dance. - -“I’m afraid we don’t know the minuet,” said Tuckerman, hesitating. - -“Oh, it’s easy enough,” said the host. “I’ll call off the figures.” - -Ben gave Tom a nudge, and pointed out two men who stood at a little -distance with a big camera. “Sir Peter’s up to date,” he whispered. “I -guess it’s the first time anyone ever took moving-pictures on -Cotterell’s Island.” - -Meantime Miss Boothby had gone up to David and boldly proclaimed that he -was to dance with her. The suit that David had put on in the attic -happened to be green, and when she reminded him that that was the color -she had asked him to wear he turned beet red and stammered something -about “trying to please a lady.” - -[Illustration: “My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you -please.”] - -“We will stand near Mr. Cotterell, and I will show you all the steps,” -she said. “I could tell you were very light on your feet the very first -time I saw you.” - -“Well, I can pick them up pretty well in a clog or a shuffle,” admitted -David. - -“I knew it! I knew it!” exclaimed the delighted Miss Boothby; and -pouncing on David’s hand she led him to where Peter Cotterell was -assigning places to the dancers. - -Tom and Ben and Tuckerman all had partners. The violin began to play, -and Cotterell led off the dance. The host was very graceful and so was -the lady he danced with, and they posed and bowed and courtsied -constantly as they went through the stately measures of the minuet. The -others copied their leaders, and after a few minutes’ practice contrived -to do it well. Meantime the camera clicked, taking reels of pictures of -the old-fashioned dance. - -There was a final bow and courtesy, a final posing in position. Then -Cotterell raised his hand. “That was beautifully done, my friends,” he -said. “Surely my island home has never witnessed a more graceful scene. -I trust you have all gained an excellent appetite for dinner.” - -“What a gorgeous sunset!” exclaimed Miss Boothby, looking toward the -water. - -They all moved down in the direction of the pier. As they came in view -of the broad and many-colored bay they saw a sailboat heading for the -landing. Cotterell stopped and again raised his hand. “Can it be that -the people of Barmouth are coming out here again?” he demanded -indignantly. “I’ll have nothing to do with them, and they know it! I -will not give them my plate!” - -The sailboat came on. Cotterell, followed by the others, walked out on -the pier. - -“What do you want?” called out the buff-coated man. “This is Cotterell’s -Island.” - -“We know it is,” answered a man in the boat. “Who are you? You look like -Sir Peter.” - -“I don’t want any rebels from Barmouth landing here,” came the reply. - -“There aren’t any rebels nowadays. We won the Revolution.” - -“You shan’t have my silver plate.” - -There were laughs from those in the boat. “We don’t want it. We’ve -brought paper plates of our own.” - -“Well,” said Cotterell, “this is most extraordinary!” He turned to his -guests. “Shall I let them land?” - -“We’ve got an ice cream freezer aboard,” called a girl in the boat. -“Fresh strawberry ice cream.” - -“Yes,” said Miss Boothby, at Cotterell’s elbow, “we’ll let them land -with that cargo.” - -The sailboat touched the landing-stage, and two men, two women and two -girls got out. “Hello, Benjie,” cried Milly Hallett, waving her hand to -the dark-haired boy. “What grand company you’ve got!” - -The arrivals were Mr. and Mrs. Hallett and Mr. and Mrs. Hooper and Milly -and Sarah. They went up on the pier, where Tom introduced them to Peter -Cotterell. - -Mr. Hallett looked at the company. “I’d no idea, sir,” he said, -addressing Cotterell, “that your island was entertaining so many guests -to-day. I wish I’d brought a dozen gallons of strawberry ice cream.” - -“You are welcome anyhow, Mr. Hallett,” answered Cotterell graciously. “I -think perhaps I can supply any deficiency.” He turned to his steward. -“Sampson, will you bring Mr. Hallett’s ice cream freezer up to the -Hall?” - -“Oh, no, Sir Peter,” protested Mr. Hallett. “We were going to have a -simple picnic supper outdoors.” - -The buff-coated gentleman bowed. “Your pardon, sir; but I am the -overlord here. Those whom I allow to land on my island are my guests -during their stay. You must dine at my board.” - -Peter Cotterell offered his arm to Mrs. Hallett, and led the way up to -the house. Sampson and Tom brought up the rear, carrying the ice cream -freezer. - -They all went into the large front room. “Dinner in half-an-hour,” -announced the host. - -“That reminds me,” said Miss Boothby; “since we’re all friends here, -aren’t you going to offer us dinner from your silver plate?” - -“Really, Penelope,” expostulated Cotterell, “you repeat yourself. That’s -the second time this afternoon you’ve mentioned the same idea.” - -“It seems only hospitable,” pouted Miss Boothby. - -Cotterell looked at the floor. “Well, you see,” he began. “You see——” - -The lady interrupted. “I believe you’ve forgotten where you put it!” - -There was an awkward pause. Cotterell flushed, bit his lip. - -“Well, if he has,” piped up Ben, “he’s only mislaid it. I think I can -show him where it is.” - -Everyone turned to look at the fellow who spoke with such confidence. -John Tuckerman stared, and so did Tom, while David gave a low whistle -and muttered, “It’s just like Benjie to do something ridiculous.” - -Cotterell smiled. “I am a great hand at mislaying things—it’s my -besetting sin. Now I would be very much obliged if you would show me -where I did put that silverware.” - -“How funny,” said Miss Boothby, “that a total stranger should know. I -understand that he came here for the first time this afternoon.” - -“What joke is he going to play on them?” Tuckerman whispered to Tom. “I -can’t imagine what he’s got in mind.” - -“He’s putting up a good bluff,” Tom whispered back. “He looks very much -in earnest.” - -And Ben did look as if his statement had been perfectly reasonable. He -nodded at Cotterell. “You may be a great hand at mislaying things—I -don’t know much about that; but I do know that you’re a wonder at hiding -them.” - -“That’s so, I am,” agreed the buff-coated man with a pleased chuckle. “I -can hide things so well that very often I don’t know where to look for -them myself.” - -“Well,” said Miss Boothby, “where is the silver? It’s almost time for -dinner.” - -Ben bowed, imitating the courtly manner of Cotterell. “Ladies and -gentlemen,” said he, “if you will be so good as to fall into line behind -me, I will endeavor to answer Miss Boothby’s question.” - -Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ben, in his yellow satin coat and -knee-breeches, went into the hall and up the stairs, followed by -Cotterell, Penelope Boothby, Milly and Sarah, Tuckerman, Tom and David, -and a line of men and women. - -He led them into the attic. When they were all in the big room he -pointed to the wall along which ran the row of pegs from one of which he -had taken the coat. - -“Now,” he said, “please tell me what you see.” - -“A wall,” answered Milly promptly, “with some pegs to hang things on.” - -“Miss Hallett is certainly right,” said Tuckerman. “There may be some -cobwebs, too, up under the ceiling. Do you mean the cobwebs, Ben?” - -“There are lots of more interesting things here,” said Sarah, looking -around. “There’s that lovely green lacquered temple.” - -“Don’t joke with the magician, Sally,” David admonished her. “He wants -you to look at those pegs.” - -“No, that particular wall is the most interesting thing in this attic,” -Ben declared stoutly. “I think it’s the most interesting thing in the -house.” - -They all looked where he pointed, but none of them caught what he was -driving at. - -“Why, Professor Tuckerman,” said Ben, “I thought you were a better -observer.” - -“Well, I don’t see anything but the pegs and some rather dingy -wallpaper,” Tuckerman confessed. - -“Ah, now you’re talking! You do see the wallpaper, do you?” Ben -continued. - -“Of course,” said Tuckerman. “It’s the pictured kind, like that in the -rooms downstairs.” - -“Oh, no, it’s not,” exclaimed Ben. “There’s not another piece like that -in Cotterell Hall.” - -“Is that so?” said Tuckerman. “Well, it represents some sort of outdoor -scene.” - -“I think those are meant to be pine trees,” Cotterell put in. - -“And that looks like a sunset,” Miss Boothby contributed. “Though some -of the red has rubbed off.” - -Ben bobbed his head. “And those yellowish things are rocks.” He stepped -up to the wallpaper and pointed with his finger. “Three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down.” He turned. “Does that convey -anything to you, Professor?” - -“By Jove! You’re right! So it does!” Tuckerman exclaimed. “That was the -old saying! The hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down.” - -“Exactly!” said Ben, in a quiet tone of triumph. He rapped on the wall -with his knuckles. “It’s wood. Mr. Cotterell, have you any objection to -our taking this part of the wall down?” - -“None in the least,” answered Cotterell. “Sampson, will you be so good -as to get some chisels and hammers? I think you’ll find them in the -little room to the right of the kitchen.” - -While Sampson went on his errand Ben and Tom and Tuckerman fingered that -part of the wall that was bounded by the picture. They found the edges -of two boards, running from floor to ceiling, and when they had peeled -off the paper that concealed these edges they discovered there was a -panel. - -Sampson returned with a couple of chisels and hammers. Wedging the -chisels in between the boards and giving a couple of light blows, he -pried the panel loose. Ben pulled it away. Behind it, under the eaves of -the house, was a compartment. And in the compartment was a big square -box. - -Ben and Tom and Tuckerman pulled the box out into the attic. It was -fastened with a single lock. Hammer and chisel soon knocked the lock -off. Tuckerman raised the lid. “Yes, it’s the Cotterell silver plate!” -he cried. “By Jove, we’ve found it now!” - -They handed the plate around, magnificent old silverware that was worth -a small fortune. And they were still admiring it when a dinner gong -sounded downstairs. - - - - - XX—SIR PETER’S PARTY - - -When none of his guests could eat any more of the delicious ice cream -that topped off a wonderful dinner, the buff-coated gentleman rose from -his chair at the head of the table. They had dined from the famous -Cotterell silver service, and the candles that now illuminated the -shining mahogany table were fastened in exquisite candlesticks that had -been in the treasure chest. - -The buff-coated gentleman raised a glass that stood beside his plate. -“My friends,” he said, “our guests from Barmouth tell us that the -Revolution is over; so there would be no object in keeping the Cotterell -treasure hidden any longer. But it was well hidden. So well hidden -indeed that it required a genius like Benjamin Sully to find out where -it was. I propose a toast to that master detective, Benjamin Sully.” - -All, except Ben, lifted their glasses and drank, nodding at the -dark-haired boy. - -Then Ben stood up. “I propose a toast to Sir Peter,” he said, “who -surely does know how to give people a good time.” - -That toast was drunk also. Then Tuckerman got to his feet. “Sir Peter, I -am proud of you,” he said. “I don’t believe a more delightful party was -ever given in Cotterell Hall.” - -The man at the head of the table smiled. “I’m glad to hear you say that, -John Tuckerman,” he responded. “For, in a way, I felt that to-night I’d -been usurping a place that was rightfully yours. For, of course, this is -your house, and this is your silver plate.” - -“Then who are you?” piped up Sarah Hooper from the foot of the table. - -“I think he’s Roderick Fitzhugh,” said Tom, who sat beside Sarah. - -“I think he’s Mr. Joseph Hastings,” volunteered Ben. - -The buff-coated gentleman nodded, “You are both right. Joseph Hastings, -Roderick Fitzhugh, and Peter Cotterell. I’m quite a versatile fellow. -I’ve a passion for acting, to tell the truth.” - -“I thought you were Joseph Hastings,” said Ben, “when I met you at the -Gables.” - -“Yes, that’s my right name. But Roderick Fitzhugh sounded so much more -romantic. And I’d invited a houseful of guests to help me act a play I’d -written for the moving-pictures. We all took the names we were to have -in the play.” He pointed to Penelope Boothby. “She was the fair Maid -Rosalind. And my steward Sampson yonder was Sir Marmaduke Midchester. -And we liked our costumes so much that we wore them most of the time. -That’s how I happened to be in Lincoln green when Master Ben drove up.” - -“And it was the snuff-box you bought in Barmouth that I found in the -chest in the cliff,” asserted Ben. “How did it happen to come there?” - -Joseph Hastings pushed his chair back from the table and crossed his -legs. “That’s quite a long story. But I suppose you’d like to hear it. I -have a friend who knows John Tuckerman very well, and he wrote me that -Tuckerman had come here to take possession of this island and its house. -That sounded very interesting. So I came over here in my motor-boat with -Martin Locke—that’s Sir Marmaduke, alias Sampson, and Miss Adelaide -Lawson—that’s Penelope Boothby—it was a day or two before you campers -arrived—and we found we could open one of the drawing-room windows and -get into the house that way. Then we discovered the note stuck in the -picture frame, and so we learned there was a secret about a family -treasure.” - -“And you left the window open a little when you went out,” put in Tom. -“That’s how it happened that Ben’s candle blew out.” - -“Did we?” said Hastings. “I didn’t know we did that. But we found some -wax and took an impression of the key-hole in the front door, and I had -a key made to fit it in Barmouth. I thought we’d have some fun with John -Tuckerman and his friends.” - -“You did, all right,” said Tuckerman. “I’ll forgive you for making that -key. I suppose that’s what those men from the fishing-smack did when -they broke in here.” - -“I’m sorry if I set a bad example,” Hastings answered. “But they didn’t -learn the trick from us. Well, a day or two later we three came back -again.” - -“You landed from the creek?” Ben asked. - -“Yes; we didn’t want you to see us, and the creek was on the other side -of the island from your camp.” - -“And one of you took off his shoes before he landed?” Ben questioned -again. - -“Yes, Martin did. He carried Miss Lawson ashore.” Hastings laughed. “You -saw his footprints, didn’t you? We thought you might find them, so we -came back later and rubbed them out.” - -“Gigantic footprints,” murmured David. - -They all laughed, while Martin Locke blushed red. - -“Yes, they are pretty big,” Hastings continued. “Well, when we came that -time we found the notebooks in the drawing-room. Miss Lawson glanced -through them, and read that part about a mahogany man with long, skinny -legs and the clipper ship. We got an old piece of parchment and some -purplish ink and we wrote out that message and signed it James Sampson. -Then we cut it in two and put one-half in the secret drawer of the -secretary and the other half in the model of a ship in the attic. We -wanted to find out just how clever you were. We thought you might take -the desk to be the mahogany man.” - -“We got the idea of that from something Sally Hooper said,” Ben put in. -“And the secretary certainly has long, skinny legs and is made of -mahogany. Still, we mightn’t have connected it with Sir Peter’s mahogany -man, if it hadn’t been for Sally.” - -“Well, if you hadn’t,” Hastings continued, “we’d have thought up some -other way to have you find that message on the parchment. We were very -proud of that little scheme. Martin wrote the letters with his left -hand, so they’d look as if Sir Peter’s servant might have done them, and -he put water into the ink, so as to give it a nice, antique, faded -appearance. We wanted you to have the fun of finding some sort of a -treasure, you see.” - -“And didn’t you take a look around for the real treasure mentioned in -the note in the picture frame?” Tuckerman asked. - -“Well, we did take a squint,” Hastings acknowledged. “But we didn’t -think it likely we’d find that, if none of the Cotterells had been able -to do it. We thought more about having some fun with you campers.” He -looked at the three boys. “And we did give you a good time, didn’t -we?—particularly Ben?” - -“Yes, you did,” nodded Ben. “I was pretty well excited when I found that -second piece of parchment in the hold of the ship.” - -“When we’d fixed up the message,” Hastings resumed, “the next thing was -to provide the treasure. Of course we’d already made a note of that -crevice in the cliffs with the mark like a cross. I had an old chest at -the Gables, and we filled it with some old costumes I had on hand, and -then one day when I was in Barmouth I picked up some odds and ends from -a dealer in antiques there, a fellow by the name of Haskins.” - -“And that’s where the silver snuff-box comes in,” said Ben. - -“Yes, that’s where it comes in,” Hastings admitted. “Though I must say -that I was surprised when you drove up to the Gables that day and wanted -to know if Joseph Hastings had anything to do with that snuff-box you’d -found on the island. I didn’t tell the dealer my name.” - -“No, he didn’t know your name,” said Ben. “I asked him that. You see, as -soon as I saw what was in the chest I had a suspicion that someone was -playing a game on us. Those things weren’t the Cotterell treasure; and -why should anyone take so much trouble to hide such things on the -island? Then I knew there had been people here, the footprints by the -creek, the handkerchief in the kitchen——” - -“What’s that about a handkerchief?” interrupted Martin Locke. - -“The Professor found a handkerchief on the table in the kitchen,” Ben -explained. “A lady’s handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L.” - -“So that’s where I left it!” exclaimed Miss Lawson. “Those are my -initials—Adelaide Sanderson Lawson.” - -“Yes, there was the handkerchief and there were the footprints,” Ben -continued. “That showed we weren’t the only people who had been to the -island. And so, when we went to Barmouth, I took the snuffbox along, and -dropped in on Mr. Haskins. He knew the snuff-box at once, and told me -that the man who had bought it from him, and some other things too, had -come in a big red car with a silver eagle on the radiator cap, and that -the car had a Massachusetts license and the man was wearing -green-checked knickerbockers. He didn’t know the man’s name.” - -“I guess those green checks are rather conspicuous,” murmured Hastings. -“But how did you connect the purchaser with me?” - -“Through the clerk at the hotel where you stopped for dinner, and the -man you bought a new tire from,” Ben answered, and he told how he had -found his way to the Gables. - -“Pretty clever,” laughed Hastings. “But instead of finding out why I’d -put those things in the chest you went hooked-rug hunting with me.” - -“Well,” said Ben, “when we came back to your house I thought you must be -Joseph Hastings, but I didn’t get any good opening to follow up the -clue. And then there was all that excitement over the robbers. But when -I saw you doing those moving-pictures I sized you up as a person who’d -like to play a game of some sort on us.” - -“I don’t know whether that’s a knock at me or not,” said Hastings. “But -I do like to play games. And that’s why, when I learned that you’d found -the chest, I thought it would be good fun to come over here as Sir Peter -Cotterell, dress my guests in Revolutionary costumes, and take some -moving-pictures on the island. Martin and I came over to see about it; -that was the afternoon when you invited us to stay to supper and Martin -sang his song.” - -“It was a splendid idea,” said Tuckerman, “and you did it up brown.” - -“Thank you.” Hastings bowed. “Such words from a descendant of Sir Peter -are a compliment indeed. We learned that you were going over to the -water sports at Camp Amoussock this morning, so we thought we’d have a -clear field. We brought a flotilla of boats—they’re moored in the creek -now—and a good supply of costumes, and cooks and food and the -moving-picture camera. I had one of my men make up like a servant from -the Barbadoes, stain his face and hands with mahogany juice; he’s the -one who brought us the negus; though it isn’t really negus—it’s -loganberry juice and soda-water—and I got Martin Locke to play the part -of Sampson.” Hastings looked at Locke and laughed. “Though I don’t think -Martin could possibly have carried that treasure chest all the way from -here to the north shore.” - -“You certainly do things up thoroughly,” said Mr. Hallett. - -“But what made the party a real success,” said Hastings, “was what our -friend Ben Sully did. First, the capture of the thieves, and second, the -finding of the real Cotterell treasure. That’s a pretty fine showing for -one day, Ben.” - -“It was just luck I found that chest in the attic,” Ben answered. “I -thought all along that the pines and the rocks mentioned in that -notebook were actual outdoor pines and rocks, just as I suppose -everybody’s thought who’s hunted for the treasure. I’ve been up in the -attic a lot of times, and never particularly noticed the wallpaper—it’s -pretty much faded and blurred, as you saw; but when I was taking this -coat off one of the pegs this afternoon, I did happen to notice that -there was a yellowish sun and some pines and rocks in the design on the -wall. Then the idea struck me all at once. Mightn’t that be the place -the words in the notebook meant? And the more I looked at that wallpaper -the more I felt certain of it. I suppose Sir Peter told someone jokingly -one day that the treasure was hidden beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down, and that fooled the people -who’ve looked for it ever since. He surely did like his joke.” - -“Why didn’t you tell us about it as soon as you hit on that great idea, -Benjie?” It was Tom who asked the question. - -“Why, then I saw the fishing-smack, and wanted to go after the thieves.” - -“But afterwards?” said Tom. “Don’t tell me you’d forgotten about it when -we stopped at the camp.” - -Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. “Why, the fact is,” he replied, “I -thought I’d like to spring it at a dramatic moment. I had an idea that -Miss Boothby would ask Sir Peter again to show us the Cotterell silver -plate—she wanted to tease him about it—and when she had him up a tree -would be the right time for me to speak out and tell what I’d -discovered.” - -“That’s one on you, Adelaide,” laughed Joseph Hastings. “Ben saw how you -love to ask awkward questions. And he likes dramatic things as much as I -do. He sprung it at just the right moment.” - -Tuckerman stood up and walked to the door that opened into the hall. -From there he looked down the length of the room, at the table gleaming -with silver, at the many candles, at the gaily-clad company. “Yes,” he -said, “I think this is worthy of Sir Peter. I’m glad that Cotterell Hall -has held high festival once more.” - -“Sir Peter was a dear,” said Miss Lawson. “I’ve liked him ever since I -saw that picture of him in the drawing-room. And it’s a wonderful house, -Mr. Tuckerman. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to live -here?” - -“I can’t very well,” Tuckerman answered, with a shake of his head. “My -home’s in the middle West. I’m not like my Uncle Christopher and his -ancestors; I can’t live on an island in solitary grandeur. I’m too fond -of people.” - -“Why don’t you turn it into a show-place?” suggested Milly Hallett. -“That’s getting to be quite the fashionable thing to do with colonial -houses.” - -“We’ve talked about that,” said Tuckerman. His eyes roved over the fine -room; and after a minute he shook his head. “Cotterell Hall a museum? -No, I couldn’t do that. But I’ll tell you what I would like to do. I’d -like to come here every summer, and have Tom and Ben and David camp out -with me, and have Joseph Hastings bring his house-parties over here and -spend a week as my guests.” - -There were cheers from all the company, the rafters rang with the noise -as each and every one shouted his or her acceptance. Hastings jumped to -his feet. - -“In the name of us all I accept your invitation. We will come, and dance -in your drawing-room and dine from your table, as they did in Sir -Peter’s day. And now, friends and fellow-citizens, I propose three -cheers—three long and rousing cheers—for John Tuckerman!” - -The cheers were given—long and rousing enough to suit even Joseph -Hastings. - -Then the buff-coated man waved his hand. “As your host for the evening, -I invite you to go to the drawing-room and dance something a little more -modern than the minuet. Miss Sarah Hooper, will you do me the honor?” - -Sarah and Mr. Hastings led the way across the hall to the front room, -where the rugs had been removed from the polished floor. The music was a -piano and violin. And everybody danced, even David, who contrived to jig -about not too awkwardly with Milly Hallett. - -Then there were songs. Martin Locke sang the ballad he had written, and -Tuckerman sang, and Miss Lawson sang several times. Presently Hastings -glanced at the clock. “I don’t like to mention it,” said he, “but it’s -almost midnight. To the boats, to the boats, and away!” - -They all trooped out to the creek, where the flotilla was moored. Ladies -in silks and satins and beruffled gentlemen embarked. With cheers from -the shore, Joseph Hastings’ fleet steered down the inlet and turned -south. - -Then the sailboat from Barmouth, with the Halletts and Hoopers, flitted -away from the landing-stage on the other side of the island. The boys -and Tuckerman went along the shore to their camp. - -“Great doings!” said Tom. “But how are we ever going to keep Benjie busy -now that the treasure is found?” - -“Don’t you worry about me,” Ben retorted. “I’ve got plenty to do. The -sea is still full of fish.” - -“He’s after a mahogany fish with long, skinny legs,” said David. - -“What I want to know,” said Ben, “is whether there ever was a real -mahogany man.” - -“I think there was,” said Tuckerman. “But he sailed away in the clipper -ship. He probably went to the Barbadoes.” - -Tom gave a great yawn. “Well,” he said, “Ben can sit up and talk about -him as long as he likes; but for me—I’m going to bed. It’s been what -I’d call a full day.” - - - - - XXI—THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - -Tuckerman pulled himself up on to the rock where Tom and David and Ben -were sitting in the sun. The quiet of early morning was on the water; a -few terns were fishing for their breakfast; there was the distant -chug-chug of a lobsterman’s motor-boat somewhere to the south; but -otherwise the campers had the shore and the bay to themselves. Tuckerman -sat down, sticking his long legs out in front of him. “I may not be a -duck,” he said, “but I’m certainly getting web-feet. I feel almost as -much at home in the water as on dry land.” - -“You’re a good swimmer,” said Tom. “In fact, you’re an all-around sport. -I don’t believe any of the Cotterells knew a quarter as much about the -water as you do.” - -“I can’t picture Sir Peter sunning himself on this rock after a morning -swim,” said David. - -“Customs change with the times.” Tuckerman slapped his wet knees. “But I -can tell you I’m glad I came on East this summer and learned to be a -real man.” - -“So am I,” said Ben. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. Of course you were -a real man before. What I mean is that the camp on your island has been -a great success. It’s taught me a lot.” - -“Benjie, are you really going to be a professional detective?” David -inquired. “Seems to me I heard someone say that you were thinking of -it.” - -“One mistake I made at first,” Ben remarked solemnly, “was in thinking -that the men who put that chest in the rocks and those that Tom saw -leaving the island in the sailboat were the same people. I thought there -was only one set of men prowling around here, when there were really -two.” - -Tuckerman smiled. “I don’t wonder you got them mixed. Well, I’m glad -Joseph Hastings’ guests got their jewels back from those thieves.” - -“You see,” Ben continued, following his own line of thought, “the -thieves came out here on the night when Tom saw them in a sailboat, and -not in the fishing-smack. And I think it must have been that same -sailboat we saw close to the island the night when we returned from Camp -Amoussock in the _Argo_.” He pried loose a sliver of rock and threw it -into the water. “Naturally, I didn’t connect that sailboat with the -fishing-smack.” - -“You’re forgiven,” said Tom. “Don’t let that weigh on your conscience.” - -“I’m not sure,” suggested David, “but that we ought to call Benjie the -Professor and call Mr. Tuckerman, John. Benjie’s getting to be a real -professor. Just listen to the way he talks.” - -“Ever since he found the treasure——” began Tom. - -“Oh, let up on a fellow, can’t you?” Ben interrupted. “I haven’t -mentioned the treasure to-day.” - -David gave a chuckle. “You haven’t been out of bed an hour yet. And that -puts me in mind of something important. Breakfast is waiting on the -beach.” - -Four splashes of water as the campers dove from the rock. Tuckerman -could manage a very passable dive now. A swim across to the beach, a -rub-down, a quick donning of clothes, and then preparations for -breakfast. “I’ve never known coffee to taste so good as it does on -Cotterell’s Island,” said Tuckerman, draining his cup. - -Tom looked up at the man with the horn-rimmed spectacles. “Have you ever -known anything to taste so good as it does on Cotterell’s Island?” he -asked with a twinkle in his eye. - -“No, now I come to think of it, I don’t believe I ever have. It’s a -wonderful place.” - -“Wonderful cooking, you mean,” put in David. - -“Wonderful fish,” said Ben. - -“Just listen to them,” expostulated Tom. “Each taking the credit to -himself. When the fact of the matter is that it’s all due to me. You’d -never have come out here, Professor, would you, if I hadn’t agreed to -come along?” - -“Picture me alone here!” said Tuckerman. “No, I didn’t believe I should. -Alone on a deserted island. It sounds all right in stories; but for -practical purposes give me three companions. Boys, when I go back to my -middle-western city I’ll think a great deal about this summer on the -coast.” - -“It is pretty good here,” David admitted, looking across the water to -where a white sail was peeping around a point of land. “And in winter -there’s fine skating.” - -“And wonderful coasting,” said Ben. “There’s a hill back of Barmouth -where you can coast for a mile.” - -“And skiing,” Tom added. “You ought to be good at that, Professor, -you’ve got such long legs.” - -Tuckerman put his hands to his ears. “Hold on, hold on!” he exclaimed. -“You overwhelm me. Do you want to make me desert my home and business, -and do nothing but play?” - -The three boys laughed. “We don’t play all the time by any means,” said -Ben. - -“Not a bit of it,” said David. “Sometimes we wash the dishes.” And -taking Ben by the collar of his flannel shirt he lifted him to his feet. -“Benjie’ll show you how we do it.” - -When they had cleaned the dishes they walked over to Cotterell Hall. -Tuckerman opened the front door, which was unlocked. “While I was so -very particular about the key,” he chuckled, “both Joseph Hastings and -the crew of the fishing-smack were coming in whenever they wanted. They -made their own keys to fit the locks. Well, I ought to have been more -hospitable.” - -A week had passed since the famous party, and in that week the police of -Barmouth had found the jewels that were stolen from the Gables, and also -duplicate keys to the front and back doors of Cotterell Hall, hidden in -the cabin of the fishing-smack. On the strength of that, and of the -testimony of Tom and David and Lanky Larry as to what they had seen on -the afternoon when they were at the cove, Sam and the other men had been -held in jail for the next term of court. - -“There’s one thing,” said Ben, as the four went into the big room on the -left of the hall, “that still puzzles me a bit. Why did Christopher -Cotterell write those lines in his notebook? ‘Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket. That’s a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?’” Ben looked at the -others. “What do you suppose the mahogany man did have in his pocket?” - -“I’m sure I don’t know,” said Tuckerman. “He certainly didn’t have Sir -Peter’s silver plate. That may be one of those legends, Ben, that get -changed from their original meaning as they are handed down from one to -another.” - -“I suppose that may be it,” agreed Ben, though he did not look -altogether satisfied. - -“Every colonial house,” Tuckerman continued, “ought to have some legend -to make it interesting. The mahogany man can be the legend of Cotterell -Hall.” - -Tuckerman looked at the portrait of his ancestor. “We’ve found what you -meant by the place of the three pines and the two rocks where the sun -goes down,” he said; “but we haven’t found what it was that the mahogany -man had in his breast pocket. So you’ve still provided a conundrum for -Ben to puzzle over. Sir Peter, I don’t believe you’d have any objection -to our having found the plate. I think that to-day you’d be as good an -American as any of the rest of us.” - -“Of course he would,” said Tom, “I can understand how he’d have objected -to his neighbors telling him to hand over his silver to them. I’d have -objected myself.” - -Tuckerman turned to the three boys. “You approve of Sir Peter, don’t -you?” he asked. “Even if he was a Tory?” - -“I do,” said Ben promptly. - -“I do,” said Tom. - -“I think he was a corker, Professor,” said David. “I wish he’d been in -my family.” - -“And that’s the opinion of three boys of good old Barmouth families,” -said Tuckerman with a pleased smile. “Well, boys, you’re to feel free to -camp on Sir Peter’s island and use his house any time you want.” - -“Now,” said Tom, “the next thing is to get the Professor to sail us -around to the north shore, so we can get Mr. Hastings’ chest and bring -it back to the house. We don’t want to leave any tempting bait for other -prowlers to find.” - -They went aboard the _Argo_, and Tuckerman took the helm. He was now a -proficient skipper, and he gloried in it, as he gloried in all the new -accomplishments he had acquired in the past month. - -The chest was brought to Cotterell Hall, and again the _Argo_ set sail. -This time the three boys fished, while Tuckerman handled the boat. -Flounders were biting in plenty, and soon they had enough for dinner. -Ben pulled in his line. “We’d better leave some for another day,” he -suggested. - -“The wind’s just right for a southerly run,” said Tom. - -“Aye, aye, Captain,” said Tuckerman, and brought the bow about. - -South they sailed, past the flag at Camp Amoussock, past the cove with -the shacks on each side, past Joseph Hastings’ private dock, almost down -to Gosport before Tuckerman came about. - -North to the island and dinner. And as they sat on the bank afterwards -and Tuckerman smoked his pipe, he said, “Well, to-morrow I must start -back to the city. But I tell you, I’ve learned more since I’ve camped -out in Barmouth Harbor than I ever learned in college.” - -“If you stayed here much longer,” said David, “you’d be almost as -learned as Benjie.” - -“I don’t know about that,” Tuckerman answered. “I’m not as keen-witted -as he is. I’m more lazy, like you, Dave.” - -David grinned. “Well, it takes something really important to make me -move around. I wouldn’t go trailing a snuff-box all over the country.” - -“It takes Lanky Larry’s pitching,” said Tom. “Dave has to get mad before -he does his best work.” - -“I wasn’t mad. I was cool as a cucumber,” David responded. “I have a -nice friendly nature.” - -“If it hadn’t been for my following the snuffbox,” Ben spoke up, “Joseph -Hastings wouldn’t have come out here and given his party; and if he -hadn’t given his party and told us to get our costumes up in the attic, -I wouldn’t have noticed that wallpaper; and if I hadn’t noticed the -wallpaper we’d never have found the treasure. Q. E. D.” - -“There!” exclaimed David, “Ben’s off again! No, Professor, I was wrong; -you couldn’t possibly be as learned as he is; nobody could.” - -“I’ve half a mind to duck you for that,” said Ben. - -“Come on!” retorted David, pretending to roll up his sleeves. - -“Only it’s too soon after dinner,” answered the dark-haired boy. “I’ll -overlook it this once; but don’t you do it again.” - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by -Rupert Sargent Holland - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - -***** This file should be named 43670-0.txt or 43670-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/7/43670/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -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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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/43670-0.zip b/old/43670-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 6b82bed..0000000 --- a/old/43670-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/43670-h.zip b/old/43670-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 089aa84..0000000 --- a/old/43670-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/43670-h/43670-h.htm b/old/43670-h/43670-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e99256c..0000000 --- a/old/43670-h/43670-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9233 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <title>Peter Cotterell’s Treasure</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg"/> - <meta name="DC.Creator" content="Rupert Sargent Holland"/> - <meta name="DC.Title" content="Peter Cotterell’s Treasure"/> - <meta name="DC.Language" content="en"/> - <meta name="DC.Created" content="1922"/> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 10%; } - .pagenum { display:none; } - .it { font-style:italic; } - p { text-indent:0; margin-top:0.5em; margin-bottom:0.5em; } - p { text-align: justify; } - div.lgc { } - div.lgc p { text-align:center; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - div.lgp { margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; } - div.lgp p { text-align:left; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - .poetry-container { display:inline-block; text-align:left; margin-left:2em; } - h1 { text-align:center; font-weight:normal; - font-size:1.2em; margin: 2em auto 1em auto} - .mw100 { max-width: 100%; } - .imgcenter { text-align:center; margin:1em auto; } - .wx90 { width:90px; } - p.caption { text-align:center; margin: 0 auto; } - hr.pb { border:none; border-bottom:1px solid silver; - width:100%; margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:2em; } - p.line { text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - div.lgp p.line0 { text-indent:-3em; margin:0 auto 0 3em; } - .literal-container { text-align:center; margin: 0 0; } - .literal-container { text-align:center; margin: 1em auto; } - .literal { display:inline-block; text-align:left; } - p.toc { text-align:left; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; } - p.toch { text-align:center; text-indent: 0; font-size:1.2em; margin: 1em auto; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by Rupert Sargent Holland - -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/license - - -Title: Peter Cotterell's Treasure - -Author: Rupert Sargent Holland - -Illustrator: Will Thomson - -Release Date: September 8, 2013 [EBook #43670] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - -</pre> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.4em;'>PETER COTTERELL’S TREASURE</p> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<div class='imgcenter'> -<img src='images/illus-fpc.jpg' alt='' id='img1'/> -<p class='caption'>John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<div class='lgc'> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.4em;'>PETER COTTERELL’S TREASURE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>BY</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;'>RUPERT SARGENT HOLLAND</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Author of “The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island,”</p> -<p class='line'>“The Blue Heron’s Feather,” etc.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</p> -<p class='line' style='margin-bottom:2em;font-size:1.2em;'>WILL THOMSON</p> -</div> - -<div class='imgcenter'> -<img src='images/illus-emb.jpg' alt='' class='mw100 wx90'/> -</div> - -<div class='lgc'> -<p class='line' style='margin-top:2em;'>PHILADELPHIA & LONDON</p> -<p class='line'>J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<div class='lgc'> -<p class='line'>COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY</p> -<p class='line'>AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS</p> -<p class='line'>PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.</p> -</div> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<div class='literal-container'> -<p class='toch'>Table of Contents</p> -<div class='literal'> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t58'>I—JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t552'>II—COTTERELL'S ISLAND</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t934'>III—BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t1327'>IV—VISITORS</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t1894'>V—THE MAHOGANY MAN</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t2260'>VI—THE CLIPPER SHIP</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t2673'>VII—THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t3128'>VIII—THE CANOE</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t3501'>IX—THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t3880'>X—LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t4318'>XI—THE MAN IN GREEN</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t4705'>XII—THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t5132'>XIII—ON THE FISHING-SMACK</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t5486'>XIV—BEN AT THE GABLES</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t5885'>XV—VARIOUS CLUES</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t6309'>XVI—THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t6754'>XVII—PETER COTTERELL</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t7167'>XVIII—THE PIRATES ASHORE</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t7598'>XIX—THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t8027'>XX—SIR PETER'S PARTY</a></p> -<p class='toc'><a href='#t8457'>XXI—THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN</a></p> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>Illustrations</p> - -<div class='literal-container'><div class='literal'> -<p class='line'><a href='#img1'>John Tuckerman sat down carefully, “Now, Captain Hallett, give your orders.”</a></p> -<p class='line'><a href='#img2'>In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints.</a></p> -<p class='line'><a href='#img3'>“Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.</a></p> -<p class='line'><a href='#img4'>“My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you please.”</a></p> -</div></div> - -<hr class='pb'/> - -<h1 id='t58'>I—JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH</h1> - -<p>Tom Hallett lived in an old town on the -Atlantic seaboard, a port of New Hampshire that -was wedged in between the rocky coast of Maine -and the sandy beaches of Massachusetts. If he -crossed the broad river to the north, the beautiful -Pesumpscot, by the old toll-bridge that seemed as -ancient as the town itself, he came into the Pine -Tree State. If he sailed to the south, he had not -far to go before he reached Cape Ann. Back of -him, to the west, lay the foothills of the White -Mountains, and he had often tramped far enough -in that direction to see the noble outline of Mount -Washington rise grandly against the sky. In -front—for people who live along the seacoast always -think of the ocean as being at their front door—was -the harbor of Barmouth, a wide semi-circle, -its two horns sticking way out to the east, its broad -bosom dotted with many islands. Once Barmouth -town had sent many ships to sea, merchantmen to -the West Indies, around Cape Horn, to the fabled -lands of India and China, fishing fleets to the Grand -Banks off Newfoundland, whalers to the Arctic; -now, however, ships were not so plentiful, sails had -given place to steam, and the young men stayed -ashore to make their living rather than seek the -rigors and gales that were a part of the toll exacted -by Father Neptune.</p> - -<p>Tom Hallett’s house had the cupola on top of -its roof that told of the old sailing days, the -“widow’s watch,” as it was commonly called, for -from there the wives of sailors used to watch for -the first sign of homebound sails. His grandfather -had been a sea-captain, and the house was full of the -treasures he had collected. Many a time Tom and -his older sister Milly had listened to the amazing -yarns the weatherbeaten mariner had spun by the -winter fire.</p> - -<p>Barmouth was an excellent place for a boy to -live. There was plenty of lawn around most of the -houses, the streets were wide and well-shaded, open -country was near enough to be reached by a ten-minute -walk. There was coasting and skating in -winter—all that one could wish—and the ponds that -rang with the music of steel runners in January -were swimming-holes in July and tempting places -to fish. And there was always the harbor and the -wind from the sea, calling young sailors to -launch their dories and try their skill over the -rippling waves.</p> - -<p>Tom was sixteen that summer, and wanted something -to do—something a little different from his -usual holiday jaunts. He told his father about it, -and his father said he would think the matter over. -And then one evening, as Tom was leaning on the -garden gate, wishing that some adventure would -come his way, he found himself addressed by -a stranger.</p> - -<p>“Do you know of a young fellow out of a -job?” said the stranger. “A likely young fellow, -who doesn’t mind roughing it?”</p> - -<p>Tom regarded the man. The latter was tall -and spare, and wore big, horn-rimmed spectacles -that gave him the look of a wise and thoughtful owl.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t,” Tom -answered, copying the cautious words and tone of -voice that he had often heard his uncle Samuel -Jordan, who was a lawyer, use when he was -asked questions.</p> - -<p>“You’re Yankee through and through, aren’t -you?” said the man. “You don’t want to commit -yourself to anything definite until you know all -the facts. I don’t suppose I could interest you in -buying a calico horse until you’d got out a pail of -water and soap and a scrubbing brush to see if -the spots would wash off.”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed; the stranger looked so extremely -solemn in his big glasses, and yet his tone indicated -a joke. “Even if the spots didn’t wash off I’m not -sure you could interest me in that horse,” he retorted. -“I don’t see how I could use him just now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, he’s not for sale, my friend. I need -him out on the old farm in Illinois, where I come -from.” The man stroked his chin while he regarded -Tom reflectively. “I’m looking for a young and -able seaman, for to tell you the truth, I don’t know -much about salt water. I provide the grub and the -boat and whatever else is needed, and the sailorman -provides the lore of the sea.”</p> - -<p>Tom’s interest was aroused. If this stranger -really wanted a sailor to help him with a boat it -seemed odd that he should be seeking information -from a young fellow lounging on a gate in one of -the quiet, elm-shaded streets of Barmouth. It -would have been much more natural to look for -such information along the waterfront, at some of -the docks or piers. “Why don’t you hunt up one -of the captains?” Tom suggested. “They might -know just the man for you.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want a man,” was the answer. “I -want a likely young fellow, someone about your -age and general cut of jib—that’s the right seafaring -expression, isn’t it? I’ve got an adventure -on hand, and I want company. I wouldn’t mind -two, or even three, young fellows, if they were the -right kind.”</p> - -<p>An adventure! Tom pricked up his ears. The -man was certainly interesting, he would like to know -more about him. “Where are you going to sail, -and how long would you be away?” he questioned.</p> - -<p>“My cruise will probably be limited to the -islands in Barmouth Harbor, and we’d be away -anywhere from a week to a month.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” began Tom, “I don’t know——”</p> - -<p>“Neither do I,” said the stranger, with a grin. -“There are a number of things I don’t know about -this adventure. But then the main point about an -adventure is that we can’t tell everything about it in -advance. Isn’t that so?”</p> - -<p>“I suppose it is,” Tom granted. And after a -moment’s thought he added, “I know my way round -the harbor pretty well, and I can sail a dory, and -I’ve got a couple of friends——”</p> - -<p>“Fine!” declared the man. “Do you know, -it may seem odd to you, but as I came along the -street and my eyes lighted on you, I said to myself, -‘that’s precisely the type of messmate I’m looking -for; an upstanding fellow, with a good head on -his shoulders.’”</p> - -<p>Naturally Tom felt pleased. He straightened -up and stuck his hands in his pockets. “The only -thing I don’t understand,” he said, “is how you -expect to find a real adventure in the harbor. Of -course we could cruise around, and fish and swim. -Is that what you had in mind?”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever hear of Cotterell’s Island?” -The stranger lowered his voice.</p> - -<p>Tom nodded. “Of course I have. We call it -Crusty Christopher’s Island around here.”</p> - -<p>“Have you ever been on it?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Tom was forced to admit. “The -man who lives there won’t let any one land. -He’s put up signs warning people off and he -keeps watch-dogs.”</p> - -<p>“The island belongs to me,” announced the -stranger, “and I’m going to camp out on it.”</p> - -<p>Tom stared at the man in surprise. “But surely -you’re not Crusty Christopher!” he exclaimed. “I -always heard he was old and had a white beard.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Christopher Cotterell,” explained the -stranger, “was my uncle; though as a matter of -fact I only saw him once, when I was a small boy. -He died last year and I have inherited his island -and the house on it. The house has a history. I’m -very much interested in old houses, and particularly -in this one. My name is John Tuckerman.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Tom, “that’s interesting, to be -sure. I hope you don’t think I meant to call your -uncle names.”</p> - -<p>“Oh no, you didn’t offend me,” said the -man promptly. “I’ve heard him called Crusty -Christopher before, and I shouldn’t wonder if he -deserved the nickname. There have been a number -of queer characters in the Cotterell family; there -was old Sir Peter Cotterell, for instance, who built -that house on the island and lived there during -the Revolution.”</p> - -<p>“Sir Peter?” queried Tom. “I don’t seem to -remember him.”</p> - -<p>“He wasn’t really Sir Peter,” Mr. Tuckerman -explained. “He was only plain Mr. Peter, like his -neighbors in Barmouth. But he had the bad taste -to side with the King of England when the colonists -objected to paying taxes without being represented -in the government—in other words, he was what -they called a Tory—and so the people nicknamed -him Sir Peter in joke. There are lots of stories I -could tell you about him. I’m very much interested -in history, you see.”</p> - -<p>Tom nodded. The more he listened to this -Mr. John Tuckerman the more he liked him. And -yet simply to camp out on an island in the harbor, -even on Cotterell’s Island, where he had never set -his foot—though he had often wanted to—didn’t -strike him as a very thrilling adventure.</p> - -<p>Perhaps Mr. Tuckerman read his thought, for, -lowering his voice again, he said, “There’s a mystery -connected with the place; I’ve found references -to it in some old family letters. And the house is -full of old furniture and bric-a-brac. I can hardly -wait to explore it.”</p> - -<p>The man’s tone was undoubtedly eager, and -though Tom had never felt any great interest in old -furniture and such things he found his curiosity -rapidly rising. An island and a house to explore—Crusty -Christopher’s at that—and possibly a mystery. -He might be making a great mistake if he -let this adventure escape.</p> - -<p>Mr. Tuckerman was speaking again. “I might -as well explain at once that I’m a dreadful landlubber. -I don’t know anything about sailing boats, -and not very much about fishing. I’m afraid my -education has been very much neglected along certain -lines. I want to camp on that island, and I want -company. Do you know how to cook—to cook the -sort of things campers eat, I mean?”</p> - -<p>“I can cook some things. But my friend -David Norton can cook almost anything. He’s one -of the fellows I meant.”</p> - -<p>“It would be splendid if we could get David, -too. I’d take along plenty of provisions, but one -does get tired of living on canned things.”</p> - -<p>“Ben Sully’s a corking fisherman,” said Tom. -“Ben and David and I have camped out a -lot together.”</p> - -<p>“I’d like to keep the expedition as quiet as I -can,” Mr. Tuckerman stated. “I don’t want a lot of -curiosity-seekers poking round the island.”</p> - -<p>“I think you’re right,” agreed Tom. “I’ll -swear both of them to secrecy; except to their families, -of course. You wouldn’t mind our telling -our parents?”</p> - -<p>To that John Tuckerman agreed. “This is just -what I hoped to find,” he said, “some young fellows -with the spirit of adventure. You know the ropes, -and I don’t. Let’s see; what’s your name?”</p> - -<p>Tom told him. “Wouldn’t you like to come in -and see my father?” he suggested.</p> - -<p>“I must be getting back to the hotel,” said -Tuckerman. “You tell him my name, and say -I’m Mr. Cotterell’s nephew. You sign up to go, -do you? And you’ll try to get your two messmates? -I’ll see to the boat and grub and cooking -outfit—and I think I can promise you a bit of adventure.”</p> - -<p>“If Father says yes, I sign,” agreed Tom, smiling -at the man’s air of business. “And the more -adventure there is, the better I’ll like it, too. Things -are sort of quiet here this summer.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman held out his hand. He had a -formal manner about him that amused Tom -greatly. “See you at Lowe’s Wharf at two o’clock -tomorrow afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“Right,” said Tom, shaking hands. “And I’ll -have the other two fellows there with me. They’ve -always wanted to have a look at that island.”</p> - -<p>The tall, lank man turned, and shortly disappeared -behind the big clump of lilac bushes at the -corner of Wentworth Street. Tom, thoughtfully -jingling a bunch of keys in his trouser pocket, -chuckled as he considered the situation. In fifteen -minutes this Mr. John Tuckerman, a total stranger, -had persuaded him to camp out for a fortnight or so -on Crusty Christopher’s island. Tom could well -believe that Mr. Tuckerman needed some companions -who were used to the water and campcraft; he looked -as if he might be a Professor and more knowing -about history and such things than about how to -reef a sail or hook a flounder.</p> - -<p>Still grinning at this unusual happening, Tom -went into the house, where in the sitting-room his -father was reading, his mother sewing, and his -sister Milly trimming a new straw hat. “I’m -going camping on Cotterell’s Island,” he declared. -“It’s a sort of a secret, so you must all promise -not to tell.”</p> - -<p>Milly looked up quickly. “On Cotterell’s Island? -If you step ashore there, somebody’ll pitch you off.”</p> - -<p>“Oh no, they won’t. I’m going with the owner.”</p> - -<p>Milly wrinkled her nose, as she did when she -felt scornful. “I suppose that pleasant old man -has sent you an invitation. ‘Dear Mr. Thomas -Hallett, I should be <span class='it'>so</span> delighted if you’d drop in on -me.’” And Milly tilted the straw hat on her hand -so as to judge the effect of the ribbon around -the brim.</p> - -<p>Tom walked across to the fireplace, where he -stood with his back to the hearth, as his father -often did when he had an announcement to make. -“Mr. Christopher Cotterell is dead,” he said. “I -received my invitation from his nephew, Mr. -John Tuckerman.”</p> - -<p>Milly turned around, surprised. “What are -you springing on us? Where did you meet -this man?”</p> - -<p>“Down at the gate to-night,” said Tom calmly. -“He wanted a likely young fellow to help him -explore the house and the island he’s inherited, and -naturally he came to me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, what Tom says is quite true,” declared -Mr. Hallett. “Mr. Tuckerman is the new owner. -So he asked you to help him, did he?”</p> - -<p>“He called himself a landlubber. I’ve an idea -too that he doesn’t want to stay on the island alone. -I’m to get Ben and David, and we’re to sail his -boat for him and fish and cook and keep -him company.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” sniffed Milly. “That doesn’t -sound very exciting. You’re to do the work while -he loafs around.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know about that. He hinted that -we might find something very interesting. He -called it an adventure. And he let slip something -about a mystery.”</p> - -<p>Milly put the hat down. She herself was very -fond of camping and sailing and swimming, and -although she pretended to be quite grown up she still -yearned at times for her old tomboy ways. “I -suppose he isn’t going to be like Old Crusty—I -mean Mr. Christopher Cotterell? He won’t mind -people coming out to see that queer old house.”</p> - -<p>“That’s just what he does mind,” said Tom. -“He wants to keep the whole thing dark, for the -present, at least. Why, if he didn’t, all Barmouth -would be going out there. Most of them never got -nearer the place than to read the signs; and they’d -all be crazy to go.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it seems to me,” argued Milly, “if he’s -going to explore the house he ought to have someone -out there who knows something about furnishings. -I daresay there’s lots of old silver and curtains and -rugs and maybe chests of fine linen. Now of -course a woman—well, it’s only natural that a -woman—you know what I mean, a woman could -help a great deal in sorting such things out.”</p> - -<p>“When you say a woman,” inquired Tom, “do -you happen to be thinking of Miss Milly Hallett?”</p> - -<p>Milly, in spite of her tan, flushed a fiery red. -“You know perfectly well, Tom, that you’ve always -said I was a great help on a camping party.”</p> - -<p>“So you are, Milly,” Tom admitted loyally. -“You cook better even than Dave does. But Mr. -Tuckerman didn’t say anything about bringing a -girl along. I’m afraid he’d think that wouldn’t -be business-like.”</p> - -<p>“Tom’s right, Milly dear,” said Mrs. Hallett. -“This is Mr. Tuckerman’s affair, and it wouldn’t -be right to offer him any suggestions. But perhaps, -while they’re out on the island, he wouldn’t mind -if some day we went over to look at the house. -When do you start, Tom?”</p> - -<p>“To-morrow at two—that is, if father says it’s -all right.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you’re going to ask my consent, are you?” -said Mr. Hallett, with a smile. “Well, if Mr. -Tuckerman is such a landlubber as he appears to -be, I think it’s only right you should give him your -help. I don’t see how, with Ben and David and -you, he can possibly get into hot water.”</p> - -<p>“He can’t,” agreed Milly, picking up the hat -again and pretending to shiver. “The water isn’t -even warm around the islands in the harbor. -However, I don’t suppose this Mr. Tuckerman is apt to -care much for swimming.” And as she went on -twirling the hat in her hands and puffing out the big -blue bow, she hummed a little tune to indicate that -she was much more interested in her millinery than -in Tom’s prospective adventure.</p> - -<p>Tom walked down the street to the small, -pitched-roof house—a white house with green shutters -and door, and tall pink and red hollyhocks -standing up against the sides—where Benjamin -Sully lived. As luck would have it, David Norton -was sitting with Ben on the doorstep. “Hello!” -cried Tom. “I’m looking for a couple of able-bodied -seamen.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir,” answered Ben. “What port -are you bound for—the Barbary Coast or Barbadoes -or round the Cape of Good Hope?”</p> - -<p>Ben was a small, dark boy, agile as a monkey. -When he was with David Norton he looked smaller -and darker than ever, for David was big of frame -and his sandy hair topped a cheerful, freckled face. -These two and Tom Hallett were about of an age, -and had always shared each other’s secrets.</p> - -<p>“Cotterell’s Island, lads. A place where the -foot of a white man has never set heel before.” -And standing in front of his two friends, Tom -related John Tuckerman’s proposal.</p> - -<p>When he had finished, Ben nodded. “The plan -sounds good to me. I’ve always meant to have a -look at that island. As I’ve sized it up, Crusty -Christopher wouldn’t have been so concerned to -keep people away if he hadn’t had something he -wanted to keep secret.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that,” said David. “Some -people are made that way; they just naturally don’t -want other folks around. Maybe the place is just -like any other island.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m going anyhow,” declared Tom. “I -guess I can look after Mr. Tuckerman all right by -myself. But I didn’t want to seem mean and leave -you two out.”</p> - -<p>Ben jumped up. “I’m going, all right. I’d hate -to think of you and that ignorant fellow out there -all by yourselves. Count me in on this, Tom.”</p> - -<p>“I guess your friend wouldn’t get much good -cooking,” said David, “without me to superintend.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know about that,” retorted Tom. -“He’s going to take plenty of good stuff.”</p> - -<p>“Canned!” snorted David. “I know—hardtack -and beans out of a tin. No, siree. You’d be -squabbling inside of two days if you didn’t have -me and some of my famous flapjacks to keep -you pleasant.”</p> - -<p>“Nice, modest David,” said Ben, stroking his -big friend’s arm. “However, though he doesn’t -think very well of himself, I vote that we let him -come along. Maybe he’ll be useful.”</p> - -<p>“You bet I’ll come,” announced the tow-headed -one. “Do you think I’d let you two and a queer -man go prowling around a mysterious island without -your Uncle David? I’ll be there when the -boat sails, with my pet frying-pan!”</p> - -<h1 id='t552'>II—COTTERELL’S ISLAND</h1> - -<p>Early the next afternoon the few occupants of -Lowe’s Wharf—a couple of men fishing for cunners, -a sailor painting the bottom of an upturned dory, -two small boys practising tying various kinds of -knots with odds and ends of rope—saw three young -fellows in dark blue jerseys and khaki coats and -trousers and a man rigged out in a homespun Norfolk -jacket and knickerbockers and greenish-gray -golf stockings assemble as if they were about to -start on an expedition.</p> - -<p>Tom Hallett, slender but wiry, browned by the -wind and the sun, dumped his duffle-bag of blankets -and extra clothing on the wharf and introduced his -companions. “Mr. Tuckerman, this is David -Norton, and this is Ben Sully. They’d both like to -go along, if you still want three of us.”</p> - -<p>John Tuckerman shook hands with each. “I’m -proud to have such a fine looking crew,” said he. -“Though perhaps I ought to put it the other way -about and say three such fine looking captains, I -myself being the crew. It doesn’t need more than -a glance to tell me that you three know all about the -sea and the woods. Great luck, I call it. And if -I’m not mistaken there’s our ship, waiting for us -Argonauts to go aboard.”</p> - -<p>At one side of the wharf, a man was holding the -painter of an eighteen-foot sailing dory, already -loaded with provisions and John Tuckerman’s bags. -The three boys quickly had their own things stowed -away. “All right, Mr. Jackson,” said Tuckerman -to the man from whom he had rented the boat. -“You see I’ve shipped a good crew. You needn’t -lie awake nights wondering what’s happened to -your <span class='it'>Argo</span>.”</p> - -<p>The owner grinned. “I know ’em. I’ll trust -’em with the boat. But her name’s the <span class='it'>Mary J. -Jackson</span>. See, it’s painted there in the bow.”</p> - -<p>“So it is. <span class='it'>Mary J. Jackson</span>. That’s a very nice -name; but somehow it doesn’t seem exactly to suit -this business. We’re after the Golden Fleece, like -the Argonauts of old; so if you don’t mind I’m going -to christen her for this trip the <span class='it'>Argo</span>. Just a little -fancy of mine.”</p> - -<p>“Suit yerself, sir. She’s a good boat, no matter -what you call her.”</p> - -<p>“Many thanks, Mr. Jackson.” John Tuckerman -sat down carefully. “Now, Captain Hallett, give -your orders.”</p> - -<p>The dory slid away, the experienced hand of Tom -in charge of the tiller. Out into the harbor she -sped, picking up the breeze as she danced along.</p> - -<p>The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, the -water was translucent blue, with here and there wide -sweeps of green, on the shore every house and tree -stood out in vivid, fresh-tinted color. Tuckerman -folded his arms and leaned back in great contentment. -“This is something like, my lads!” he -exclaimed. “My voyages heretofore have only -been made on ocean grayhounds and fat-bodied -ferry-boats.”</p> - -<p>Ben looked at him pityingly. “It must be pretty -hard,” he said, “to live inland, in a big city.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, in some ways, though it has its compensations. -You see, my ancestors grew restless in New -England and moved out across the plains. That is, -the Tuckermans did; the Cotterells stayed here. And -now there aren’t any Cotterells left. That’s how it -came about that I own this island.”</p> - -<p>“My father,” spoke up David, “says that the -Cotterells were once one of the best known families -in Barmouth; but that old Mr. Christopher was as -queer as all get out. He knows lots of stories -about him. He says that Mr. Christopher lived -there with a colored man for his servant, and never -saw anybody.”</p> - -<p>“Poor old chap!” said Tuckerman. “I can’t -help feeling dreadfully sorry for him. Think what -a good time he could have had in his big house. -Why, in the old days it was one of the show places -along the coast and the Cotterells used to have celebrated -parties.” Tuckerman gazed out over the -water and pulled his chin with his fingers, in a habit -he had. “Do you know what I want to do? I -want to take that old house and fix it up properly, -make it look as it used to, and give it back its good -name.” He smiled. “Maybe you’ll think it odd, -but I feel as if houses were almost like people. I hate -to see either the one or the other go to seed.”</p> - -<p>“They are something like people,” Ben agreed. -“There’s a church with a steeple in Barmouth that -looks just like the pictures of the Pilgrim Fathers -with their high-crowned hats. And the windows in -front look like eyes, kind of boring eyes that are -trying to see right through you.”</p> - -<p>“Ben’s always thinking of queer things like -that,” David explained, half in apology.</p> - -<p>Mr. Tuckerman nodded at the small, dark-browed -boy. “I’m glad that Ben came along. I think he’s -going to be a great help in fixing up my house.”</p> - -<p>In and out between islands, past long jutting -ledges, where pine and juniper ran down to the -water’s edge, the dory sailed smoothly. Sometimes -Tom had to tack; again he ran for a stretch on a -course due south. And after about an hour he raised -his arm and pointed. “There—on the port bow—there -she lies. See that white, sandy beach. That’s -Cotterell’s Island.”</p> - -<p>Ben and David were familiar with the look of the -place of course; they had cruised around it many -times, and had always examined it with particular -interest because it was a forbidden shore; but now -they gazed at it as though it were somehow entirely -new, as indeed it was to them, except for the beach -and trees.</p> - -<p>John Tuckerman nodded. “I’ll take your word -for it, Tom. It lies exactly where it should according -to the map of the harbor; though I can’t say that it -looks very much like the small red dot on the chart -Mr. Jackson showed me at his boathouse.”</p> - -<p>There was not much to be seen except the whitish-yellow -beach, several headlands of purple rock, and -thick-growing pines that stood out black-green. -There was, however, considerable to be heard as the -sailing dory drew near. An immense cawing came -from the tree-tops, and finally as the <span class='it'>Argo</span> nosed -along close to the shore at least a score of crows -flapped away from their meeting-place and went -winging off to a more secluded grove.</p> - -<p>“Uncle Christopher’s neighbors don’t seem to -like visitors any better than he did,” observed -Tuckerman with twinkling eyes. “Crows do sound -dreadfully scolding, don’t they? And I never knew -such birds for all wanting to talk at the same time.”</p> - -<p>Tom knew where the old pier stood, and brought -his boat skilfully up to the landing-stage. The sail -was dropped and furled, baggage and stores carried -ashore, and the four campers looked about them. -From the old and rather decrepit pier a graveled path -led up to the front of a wide white house, partially -screened by trees.</p> - -<p>“Cotterell Hall,” said Tuckerman, gazing at the -ancient mansion. “That’s what they used to call it -in Revolutionary days. Well, Tom, it’s up to you to -tell us what to do. The house won’t run away, and -something tells me it won’t be so very long before -we’ll be hungry.”</p> - -<p>“Suppose we look for our camping ground -then,” said Tom, “since it seems to be understood -that we’re not going to bunk in the house.”</p> - -<p>“That’s the idea,” agreed Tuckerman promptly. -“Fond as I am of ancestral halls and that sort of -thing, I said to myself when I left the Middle-West -for the New England coast: ‘John, you’re to sleep -out of doors on a bed of pine boughs, even if the -bugs do fall from the trees on your face and the -boughs stick you as full of needles as a porcupine. -You’re going back to the wild, that’s what you are!’”</p> - -<p>His eyes behind his huge tortoise-shell rimmed -spectacles looked so intensely serious that the three -boys didn’t know whether to laugh or not. For all -his dignified appearance he did seem extraordinarily -guileless. David, the most outspoken of the three, -shook his head solemnly. “This isn’t going to be -what you’d call so all-fired wild, you know. If -you’re looking for that, you ought to go up in the -North Woods.”</p> - -<p>Ben came to the rescue. “It’ll do as a starter -though, Mr. Tuckerman,” he said encouragingly. -“We can’t promise you bears or anything like that, -but maybe there’ll be owls and loons and other things -that sound sort of strange at night.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman smiled. “Ben, I can see you’re a -friendly soul. And you must remember that what -may not seem very wild to experienced woodsmen -like you three may prove very thrilling to a tenderfoot -like me.”</p> - -<p>They decided on their camp readily; a smooth -stretch of turf in a semi-circle of pines on high -ground just above a small sandy beach. It was perhaps -a quarter of a mile from the pier and from -Cotterell Hall. Pine boughs were cut, trimmed, and -spread out for bedding, stores were unpacked, driftwood -collected for a fire, and the menu determined -on for supper.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman looked out at the water, a sheet of -soft and beautiful opalescent colors in the setting -sun. “Is there any reason why we shouldn’t take -a bath?” he inquired. “I feel extremely sticky.”</p> - -<p>“No reason whatever,” answered Tom. “The -first rule of camp-life is, Obey that impulse. There’s -plenty of room in that bathtub, but you won’t find -much hot water.”</p> - -<p>In five minutes they were all in the ocean, frisky -as a school of porpoises, making enough noise to -scare any wildfowl away. The boys struck out and -swam, trying first one stroke and then another. -Tuckerman, however, came lumbering along, jerking -his arms and legs like an old and stiff-jointed frog. -But he enjoyed himself. He was chuckling and gurgling -and slapping his thighs with his hands as they -all came out of the water.</p> - -<p>“Tom, you must teach me to swim,” he begged. -“I can see I’m not in your class now, but give me a -week or so——”</p> - -<p>“Righto. I bet you’ll learn quick.”</p> - -<p>In fifteen minutes they were ready for supper. -Fried eggs and bacon, grilled sweet potatoes, coffee, -bread and butter, and then flapjacks with jam. “I -can see,” said Tuckerman, as he finished his third -flapjack, “that David’s reputation as a cook has not -been exaggerated. I always wondered what it meant -when I read that the gods lived on ambrosia and -nectar. Now at last I know.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll make his head swell,” cautioned Ben, -“and it’s large enough already. We took him to -a phrenologist last winter, and the man said he’d -never felt such big bumps.”</p> - -<p>The dishes were washed. The moon rose. -Tuckerman lighted his pipe. “Well,” said Ben, -“aren’t we going to have a look at the old house? -It seems to me we ought.”</p> - -<p>The house, when they approached it a little later -in the moonlight—for Ben’s suggestion had met with -favor from the others—presented a blank and shuttered -white surface, against which the dark outline -of the trees around it showed in jagged forms. It -had been a fine old dwelling, built in a day when -carpenters and joiners took a real love in their work -and were as eager to make a graceful, artistic window -or doorway as the medieval masons of Europe were -to perfect every detail of their great cathedrals.</p> - -<p>Broad steps led up to the front door, which was -wide and adorned with a big brass knocker and -knob. Tuckerman, taking a little electric flashlight -from his pocket, aimed it at the moulding above the -door. “Aha,” he exclaimed, “there’s the green and -gold pineapple in all its glory! They used to put -beautifully carved pineapples like that in such places -in colonial days; they were the emblems of hospitality. -My ancestor Sir Peter seems to have been -friendly disposed when he built his dwelling at least.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve seen pineapples like that over the doors of -some old houses in Barmouth,” said Ben, “but I -never thought much about them. That was a pretty -nice idea. There’s some style to that front.”</p> - -<p>“There was style, real dignified style to the -houses of those days,” Tuckerman agreed. “We -may think we’re pretty smart nowadays, but let me -tell you those ancestors of ours who settled the country -could teach us a good deal.” He felt in his pocket -for a key. “Well, the pineapple bids us welcome. -If there are any ghosts in the house, I think they’ll -turn out friendly.”</p> - -<p>The lock was rusty, but finally opened to the new -owner’s efforts. They stepped into a large hallway, -from which a wide stairway ascended at one side. -Using his flashlight, Tuckerman discovered a gatelegged -table, on which stood a cluster of small candlesticks, -all ready for use.</p> - -<p>“Now that’s something like—hospitality again!” -he declared in a pleased voice. “They used candles -in the old days; every guest in the house had one -to light him to bed. I suppose these have been waiting -for me here ever since Uncle Christopher died.” -Lighting the candles with a match, he handed one -to each of his companions. “I’m beginning to feel -at home already, boys. Welcome to Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>Even David, who could see nothing very thrilling -in going over an old house, felt something of the -excitement that had so obviously taken possession of -John Tuckerman. As for Tom and Ben, they peered -up the stairway and through the open doors as if -they half-expected to see gentlemen in curled wigs, -knee-breeches and small swords advancing to -meet them.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman led the way into the room on the -left, a spacious apartment, wainscoted and with a -pictured paper, representing scenes in fields and -woods, covering the walls to the ceiling. There was -a large fireplace, with a carved mantel above it. Fine -old pieces of furniture filled the room, and, except -for the musty air that is to be found in all houses -that have been closed for some time, the place looked -precisely as though it were lived in, even to a pile -of magazines and books that lay on the centre-table.</p> - -<p>“The drawing-room,” said Tuckerman, holding -his candle high as he gazed about him. “And there, -if I’m not mistaken, is old Sir Peter himself.”</p> - -<p>Ben gave a start and looked quickly around. But -it was not a ghost to which Tuckerman referred; it -was a large painting that hung on the wall across -from the fireplace, the portrait of a man in buff-colored -coat and breeches, wearing a white tie-wig, -and with his right hand resting on the head of a -greyhound that rubbed against his knees.</p> - -<p>“Fine looking old fellow,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” agreed Tuckerman. “Sir Peter was -really handsome. I’ve seen pictures of him before. -He was a great beau in his time, before the Revolution. -What a shame it was that he couldn’t agree -with his neighbors about the right of the colonies -to be free. That made it mighty hard for his wife -and children.”</p> - -<p>He went over to look closer at the portrait, and as -he held the candle near to the canvas he saw a folded -piece of paper stuck into a corner of the heavy -frame. “What’s this?” he exclaimed, and drew -the paper out. “You don’t suppose the old fellow -has left me a message?”</p> - -<p>The candle set on the table, Tuckerman opened -the sheet. “This is an authentic portrait of Peter -Cotterell, painted in 1770,” he read aloud. “He -shared with me, his descendant, Christopher Cotterell, -a dislike for the society of his kind, though for a -different reason. But with me the line of the -Cotterells comes to an end, and I care not whether -any now learn my ancestor’s secret or not.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman dropped the paper. “So there was a -secret, boys! You remember, Tom, what I told you. -And Uncle Christopher knew what it was.”</p> - -<p>“Hello!” exclaimed Ben. “My candle’s blown -out!” He turned. “Why, that window’s open a -little at the bottom. See how the curtains blow.”</p> - -<p>“Spooks,” scoffed David. “It looks to me as if -Crusty Christopher were playing a joke on us.”</p> - -<h1 id='t934'>III—BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY</h1> - -<p>Although David Norton could get around the -bases on the Barmouth High School baseball diamond -as fast as anyone else, when there was need -of it, and could keep on doing a clog-dance in a -Minstrel Show until the audience rose up and begged -him to quit, he could also at times be as lazy as a -jelly-fish stranded on the beach, which as everyone -knows is just about the laziest creature in nature. -At the present moment he lay extended on the stern -seat of the sailing dory, while little Ben Sully, as -patient and expert a fisherman as was to be found -in Barmouth Harbor, was watching his line for any -indication of a flounder nibble.</p> - -<p>“Funny old bird,” said David. “Reminds me -of someone out of a story book.”</p> - -<p>“Old bird?” queried Ben. “Do you refer to -Sir Peter Cotterell or to Crusty Christopher?”</p> - -<p>“To neither of them, Benjie. Our friend Professor -Tuckerman is the particular feathered creature -to whom I was alluding. I opened one eye last night; -and what do you think I saw? Professor Tuckerman -was sitting up, in his suit of flannel pajamas, staring -out at the water as if he saw something.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he did. Or maybe he was only thinking. -Some people do think sometimes, you know, -Dave. I did some thinking myself last night.”</p> - -<p>“About old Christopher’s secret?”</p> - -<p>At the moment Ben was too busy to reply. With -practised care he drew up his line and threw a fine, -flapping flounder on the bottom of the boat.</p> - -<p>“Yes, about the secret,” Ben said, as he rebaited -his hook. “I believe there is one. And I think -that Christopher Cotterell rather hoped his nephew -John Tuckerman would find out what it was.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t he tell him then, instead of leaving -that crazy note?”</p> - -<p>Ben shook his head. “Christopher wasn’t like -most people. But it seems to me he was rather -proud of that secret,—it had been in the family so -long,—and he didn’t want it to be entirely forgotten. -So he meant to let it be known there was a secret, -even if nobody ever found out what it was. A -person might do that, you know.”</p> - -<p>“It would take a mighty queer sort of person,” -sniffed David.</p> - -<p>Ben resumed his fishing, watching his line as a -cat watches a mouse-hole.</p> - -<p>But David, in spite of posing as an unbeliever of -all things he couldn’t see for himself, had a well-developed -bump of curiosity. When he saw that -Ben didn’t mean to continue the subject he raised -himself on one arm and demanded, “Do you take -any stock in there being a mystery on the island that -goes back to the Revolution?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” was the prompt answer. “The house -goes back that far, and some of the furniture in it, -I suppose. Why not a mystery?”</p> - -<p>“Well, it might, perhaps. But see here, -Benjie——”</p> - -<p>“Sh-sh-ish, you’ll frighten the fish.” Ben -brought up another flounder and unhooked it.</p> - -<p>As he dropped in the line again he continued, -“Mr. Tuckerman told me a few things this morning. -You see, this Sir Peter was a man of means. He had -a lot of valuable things in this house, silver and such -things he’d had brought over from England. When -the people of Barmouth were trying to do all they -could to help George Washington and his army they -thought their rich neighbor out here ought to do his -share. But he was a Tory and wanted King George -to win, and so he wouldn’t do anything when they -asked him. The colonists came to his house, but -they found very little; his famous silver plate was -gone; they took some things, but they always thought -he had tricked them. And after that they wouldn’t -have anything to do with Sir Peter.”</p> - -<p>“Served him right, the old scamp.”</p> - -<p>“Now Mr. Tuckerman thinks the secret may -have something to do with the things the neighbors -couldn’t find. At least that’s a possibility.”</p> - -<p>“Huh,” chuckled David, “the Revolution was -more than a hundred years ago. If that was the -secret, some of the Cotterells since then would have -found out about it. And when they did, there’s an -end to the secret.”</p> - -<p>Again Ben was busy. A third flounder appeared -and was carefully landed. “You’re right, my boy,” -said Ben, “if they did find out what became of Sir -Peter’s valuables. But suppose they didn’t? Suppose -Crusty Christopher and his father, and his -father before that, knew the old story, but never -could find the things? How about that, my lad?”</p> - -<p>“Well, in that case,” answered David slowly, -“I should say the betting was a thousand to one the -secret would stay a secret.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Tuckerman calls it a sporting chance,” said -Ben. “I said to him just about what you’ve said -to me now; but he grinned and told me he never -gave up conundrums.”</p> - -<p>David dropped back into his former comfortable -position, his hands clasped under his head and his -cap pulled down over his nose, so as to shield that -sensitive feature from burning a more fiery red than -it was already. “So Tom and the Professor are -prowling around the old house this morning?” he -said reflectively. “Well, they’re not apt to run into -any ghosts at this time of day.”</p> - -<p>Ben, absorbed in his fishing, continued his careful -handling of his line until half-a-dozen flounders -were deposited in the boat. Then he stowed away his -tackle, stretched his arms, and looked around. -“Now, Dave, you old duffer, I’m going to take a -cruise about our island home. There’s nothing like -knowing all the ins and outs of the place where -you’re living. Do you think you’re strong enough to -handle the tiller, or would you rather dangle your -feet over the bow?”</p> - -<p>David sat up with a grunt. “Don’t you get sarcastic, -young feller. I can sail this dory with one -hand behind my back.” And shortly he had the <span class='it'>Argo</span> -headed up into the wind, keeping well out from -shore so as to avoid the occasional spits of rock that -ornamented the coast.</p> - -<p>They started to make the circuit. Cotterell’s -Island, so far as they could judge from the water, -was very much like all the other islands that lay out -from Barmouth, thickly wooded for the most part, -with alternating beaches and headlands, and here and -there a cliff, with little rock-bound basins at the foot. -On the eastward side, however, there was an opening, -where the tide ran inland for some distance, a fair -sort of harbor except when the wind should blow -from that quarter. “There,” said Ben, “there’s a -snug landlocked channel. If I’d been one of the -Cotterells and wanted to keep a boat hidden that’s -the place I’d have picked out.”</p> - -<p>“You’re making the Professor’s ancestors sound -like pirates or smugglers,” objected David. “What -do you think they did that they wanted to keep -so dark?”</p> - -<p>“That little inlet can’t be so far from the back -of the house either,” Ben went on, paying no attention -to his companion’s question. “Yes, that would -be the place to steal away when the neighbors came -to call.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll take a look up there,” declared David, who -was beginning to feel that Ben was giving himself -airs. “I guess I can find my way up that inlet as -well as any of your blessed Cotterells could.” And -suiting the act to the word, he brought the <span class='it'>Argo</span> -about and kept her bow a little to the north of west -until she had cleared a seaweed-covered reef that was -high up out of the water at ebb-tide.</p> - -<p>Ben said not a word, but picked up a boathook, -in case it should be necessary to fend off the dory -at some turn of the shore. But David knew his -business. Up the winding channel he made his way -until the <span class='it'>Argo’s</span> bottom gently ran on to gravel at -the head of the stream.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I was right,” said Ben. “There’s the -roof of the house on the other side of those trees.” -A leap, and he landed on shore, the dory careening -on one side from the force of his jump.</p> - -<p>“Hi there, young feller, what are you trying to -do?” cried David. “I didn’t tell you you could -go ashore.”</p> - -<p>Again Ben paid no attention to the other’s words. -He was looking about him as if he was very much -interested in the place where he had landed.</p> - -<p>David, making sure the <span class='it'>Argo</span> was safely aground, -clambered over the side. “Was it your intention, -Mr. Sully, to scuttle our good ship here?” he inquired -with mock politeness.</p> - -<p>“Look,” said Ben, in a deep and earnest tone.</p> - -<p>David looked. In the marshy ground a little in -front of them were two distinct footprints, uncommonly -large footprints, with very wide toes and very -deep heels.</p> - -<p>“My word!” whistled David. “Benjie, we’ve -come to the lair of the mastodon!”</p> - -<p>“Footprints!” murmured Ben, regarding the -marks with the same awed surprise with which -Robinson Crusoe first gazed at the prints in the sand -of his island.</p> - -<div class='imgcenter'> -<img src='images/illus-048.jpg' alt='' id='img2'/> -<p class='caption'>Distinct Footprints</p> -</div> - -<p>“A giant’s footprints,” said David.</p> - -<p>“They’re never Mr. Tuckerman’s or Tom’s,” -said Ben.</p> - -<p>“The Professor has rather small feet,” stated -David, “and I happen to remember that Tom wore -sneakers this morning.”</p> - -<p>“They can’t have been there very long,—not for -more than a few days at the most.”</p> - -<p>“I should say not. Benjamin, somebody has -been trespassing on our island.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder if there are any more.” Ben began -to search.</p> - -<p>There were no more footprints, however. The -stretch of soggy ground was very limited, almost -immediately the soil grew stony. So, after a brief -hunt, the two came back to the shore. “Now I -wonder,” mused Ben, “what that very large-footed -person was doing here.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think,” asked David, “he can have been -looking for the Cotterell treasure?”</p> - -<p>“It’s much more likely,” said Ben, “he was -looking for something easier to find. -However—suppose—there’s an off chance——” And Ben went -on mumbling to himself, while he jingled a bunch of -keys in his pocket, as was his custom when he was -lost in thought.</p> - -<p>“What in the world are you doing?” demanded -the exasperated David.</p> - -<p>“Putting two and two together—or at least -trying to.”</p> - -<p>“Well, they make four. There are times, -Benjie,” David continued, imitating the manner of -a teacher at the school they both attended, “when I -find myself almost on the point of losing patience -with you. The crew will now return aboard the -<span class='it'>Argo</span>, leaving the mystery of the mastodon’s footprints -unsolved.”</p> - -<p>When they returned to the beach in front of -their camp they found Mr. Tuckerman and Tom -already getting dinner. That is to say, Tom was -actually getting it, while John Tuckerman was carrying -out his orders. At the moment the latter was -peeling potatoes. His flannel shirt open at his -throat, his golf-stockings stuck full of little burrs -and his face and arms already showing blisters of -sunburn, he looked decidedly different from the very -dignified person who had come upon Tom Hallett -in the lane.</p> - -<p>“Flounders,” announced Ben, laying his string -of fish on a board that served as a table. “The very -best eating, in my humble opinion.”</p> - -<p>“Put them in the refrigerator for supper,” said -Tom. “You two were gone so long I decided to -knock up an omelette for our midday meal.”</p> - -<p>“‘Knock up’ is good,” agreed David. “I suppose, -Mr. Tuckerman, Tom cracked the shells with a -baseball bat.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how he did it,” Tuckerman said; -“it seemed like a miracle to me. But there’s the -result; and if anybody ever saw anything more truly -beautiful—anything so calculated to make the mouth -water in anticipation—well, I don’t believe anybody -ever did.” He pointed his paring knife at a golden-brown, -crisp object that lay, garnished with watercress, -on a big tin plate.</p> - -<p>“And speaking of water,” said Tom, “we found -the well back of Cotterell Hall. Fresh water, guaranteed -sweet and pure. There’s a bucket of it.”</p> - -<p>They sat down to dinner, and between mouthfuls -they talked.</p> - -<p>“Wonderful old house,” said Tom. “We -explored it from cellar to attic. Four post -bedsteads——”</p> - -<p>“With wonderful canopy tops!” added Tuckerman, -his spectacled eyes gleaming.</p> - -<p>“And enormous chests of drawers,” continued -Tom.</p> - -<p>“Full of all kinds of clothes,” Tuckerman -added. “Ladies’ laces and muslins, shawls, mantillas, -gentlemen’s pantaloons, neckerchiefs, and -what waistcoats!”</p> - -<p>“Funny old kitchen,” said Tom. “With a fireplace -as big as a cabin.”</p> - -<p>“And a crane and a hob and a whole fleet of -earthenware crocks,” Tuckerman supplemented.</p> - -<p>“I say, Mr. Tuckerman,” cried David, “why -don’t you turn the place into a museum? All the -people who tour through Barmouth in the summer -would jump out of their skins to see such a place -as that.”</p> - -<p>“What I want to know,” said Ben, “is whether -you got any clue to the Cotterell treasure.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman shook his head. “Rome wasn’t built -in a day, Benjamin; and a treasure that’s been hidden -for over a century doesn’t come to light in -twenty-four hours.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, just you wait till our Benjie gets busy,” -said David, waving his finger wisely. “There’s the -bright lad for you. While you two pottered about -those gigantic bedsteads and chests of drawers and -fireplaces, what did our Benjie discover?” He -paused to heighten his announcement. “Benjamin -Sully discovered a pair of gigantic footprints!”</p> - -<p>It took a moment for this to sink in.</p> - -<p>“Footprints?” said Tuckerman, puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Someone has landed at the little creek near -the back of the house,” explained Ben, “and since -the last rain, too.”</p> - -<p>“Someone with enormous feet,” added David. -“Now what do you suppose such a person as that -could be doing here?”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman put his hand into his coat pocket -and drew out a very small and crumpled handkerchief. -“We found this on a table in the kitchen. -My Uncle Christopher only had a negro man-servant. -And yet this belonged to a lady,—a very -particular lady, I should say, a dainty lady.” He -spread the handkerchief out. “With beautifully -embroidered initials—A. S. L.” He lifted it to his -nose. “And it smells of lavender—and quite -fresh, too.”</p> - -<p>Solemnly the tiny handkerchief was handed -around. Each smelled it and nodded his head.</p> - -<p>“Someone’s been in the house,” said Tuckerman, -“although all the doors were locked.”</p> - -<p>“A lady with enormous feet,” declared David. -“My eye, how the plot thickens!”</p> - -<h1 id='t1327'>IV—VISITORS</h1> - -<p>Two days later the campers were as much at sea -as ever regarding the secret to which Crusty Christopher -had referred in the note left in the picture -frame. They had explored the island and they had -explored the house, and neither outdoors nor indoors -had provided them with a clue.</p> - -<p>John Tuckerman—although David persisted in -calling him Professor—was the most exuberant and -lively of the four. He delighted in everything,—in -the early swim before breakfast, in the cooking and -eating, especially in the eating, in sleeping out of -doors, and even, it seemed, in washing the dishes. -He would sing as he washed, wild, rollicking songs, -the words of which he made up as he went along, -all about pirates and sailors and sea-serpents, with a -great many “Yo-heave-hos” and “Blow the man -down, my lads,” by way of chorus; all which he -accompanied with a pretended hitching up of his -trousers as sailors were supposed to do to cheer them -at their work.</p> - -<p>“There are times when he almost looks like a -pirate,” David whispered to Tom, as they watched -Tuckerman sharpening a knife on the sole of his -shoe preparatory to sticking it into a cover of a can -of baked beans. “Like a pirate, that is, with one -exception,—those horn-rimmed spectacles.”</p> - -<p>It was true; Tuckerman couldn’t look like a daredevil -with those enormous glasses. But to offset the -studious look they gave him his face was now a -beautiful lobster-like red and beginning to peel.</p> - -<p>Any one could see, moreover, that Cotterell Hall -was the apple of his eye. It amused Tom and David -to see the affection and pride with which he regarded -every stick and stone of the old house. Ben was -more sympathetic, for Ben was by nature interested -in old things, and had in turn collected everything -from abandoned bird’s nests to rusty jackknives.</p> - -<p>It was Ben who, searching through a cupboard -at one side of the fireplace in the front room at the -Hall, pulled out a package of old letters and gave a -shout of joy. “Hi there, see what I’ve found!” -he cried as he untied the bundle and threw the envelopes -loosely on the table.</p> - -<p>“What is it? Old letters,” said Tom, glancing -at the yellowing paper.</p> - -<p>“Postage stamps!” triumphed Ben. “Some of -the earliest issues! I’ll bet you never saw that St. -Louis stamp with the two bears on it before.”</p> - -<p>“Humph,” said David. “Postage stamps! No -one collects them now.”</p> - -<p>But John Tuckerman looked over Ben’s shoulder, -and then snatched up one of the letters. “You’re -right, Benjamin. These are rare ones. I shouldn’t -wonder if they were worth a great deal of money.”</p> - -<p>It was not, however, the money value of the -things in the house that interested Tuckerman. It -was partly his love of old things, especially of things -that were beautifully made, and partly his feeling -that they had belonged to the Cotterells for so long, -the Cotterells being his own people. “Uncle Christopher -owned all these things,” he said. “Poor Uncle -Christopher. He was stiff-necked, no doubt; but he -had to suffer for it. I’ve found a book he wrote in, -and I can see that he was too proud to sell his heirlooms, -and that he had very little money, and didn’t -want anyone to know how hard up he was. So he -turned hermit. He didn’t really hate other people; -he was simply so made up that he couldn’t mix with -them on an equal footing.”</p> - -<p>David pretended to regard the Cotterell family -secret as a great joke, although he admitted that he -was very much puzzled over what he called “the -mystery of the lady with enormous feet.” On the -same afternoon when Ben found the rare postage -stamps, David, being alone with Tom in the front -room, cocked an eye at the painted gentleman on the -wall, and thus addressed him:</p> - -<p>“Sir Peter, I don’t want to be disrespectful; but -it does seem to me you were mighty tight with your -silver when your good neighbors were doing their -best to get the thirteen United States started. Or -didn’t you really have the things they suspected you -of having? You’ve got a long nose and a twinkle -in your eye, and I’d say it mightn’t be beyond you -to have your little game at the expense of Barmouth.”</p> - -<p>Tom laughed. “You can’t judge Sir Peter by -yourself, Dave.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly not,” was the instant reply. “I’ll -admit we are very different. Nothing could induce -me to have my picture taken with a dog like that -greyhound cuddling up against my shins. The good -people of Barmouth didn’t have any greyhounds or -any pie crust tables or gate-legged tables, or whatever -kind of tables it is that the Professor finds so delightful, -and they were envious, and rowed their boats -out here, and tramped up to the door, probably -looking for all the world like a gang of hayseeds.”</p> - -<p>“Remember, Dave, your ancestors and mine were -probably among them.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll admit that also,” said David, “and for the -sake of your feelings, Tom, I’ll take back that about -their looking like hayseeds. Let me put it this way. -A crowd of very nice looking, but temporarily cross -and angry people—men and women, and possibly a -few dogs—come up to the house here and demand -to see the elegant Sir Peter. Sir Peter doesn’t want -to see them; he doesn’t approve of them; he thinks -that good old King George is just about the proper -cheese to rule over him and his. But Sir Peter’s a -gentleman—you can see that from his portrait—and -he doesn’t want to disappoint the neighbors, who’ve -come all the way out here in boats. So he takes a -pinch of snuff and he whistles to his greyhound and -he goes out on the front steps. He looks down along -his nose at the people of Barmouth and his right eye -twinkles—you notice, Tom, that it’s his right eye -that’s the humorous one—and he says: ‘Friends and -fellow citizens, come in and enjoy yourselves. The -green and gold pineapple is over the door and -Cotterell Hall is yours for the afternoon. But the -silver plate you’re so anxious to lay your hands on -isn’t here any more. It’s vanished, vamoosed, flown -away; and the family are using the plain blue and -white china kitchen set.’ Did they believe him?”</p> - -<p>“No,” sang out Tom.</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” agreed David, with a bow. “They -rushed past him into the house, and they threw things -about, and they buzzed around like a nest of hornets -you happen to hit with a stick. But they didn’t find -anything after all; and the reason is simple—there -wasn’t anything of the sort they had in mind to find. -It was just Sir Peter’s little joke. And it worked -to perfection. Ever since people have been wondering -what he did with the silverware he mentioned -that day. Sir Peter, my opinion of you is that you -were a first-class joker.”</p> - -<p>“You may be right,” Tom assented, “but for -goodness’ sake don’t rub that idea in on Mr. Tuckerman -and Ben. They’re thrilled to the fingertips about -there being a treasure hidden away somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“Babes in the wood!” sniffed David. “I believe -you could put almost anything over on the -Professor if you dressed it up in old clothes.”</p> - -<p>To the skeptical David and the inclined-to-be-skeptical -Tom the other two now appeared. They -had been in the apartment on the second floor that -had been Christopher Cotterell’s bedroom and had -been rummaging through a little secretary that stood -between the windows. Tuckerman had a notebook in -his hand. “These are jottings my uncle made from -time to time,” he declared. “Here’s one. ‘As regards -the saying that the hiding-place is just beyond -the three pines that stand between two rocks where -the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the -island, and come to the opinion that the extreme -southwestern point must be the place intended, -although to-day there are only two pines there. I -have dug at this place, but found only sand.’”</p> - -<p>“Maybe we can find another place that answers -that description,” said Ben hopefully. “And it -stands to reason that the four of us can dig better -than your Uncle Christopher, even if he had his -servant to help him.”</p> - -<p>David, under cover of his hand, winked at Tom, -who pretended not to see him.</p> - -<p>“Here’s another note,” Tuckerman continued. -“‘Find the mahogany-hued man with the long, -skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.’ That’s -a saying my father handed down. What can -it mean?”</p> - -<p>“Mahogany-hued man with long, skinny legs,” -echoed Ben.</p> - -<p>“And a hooked nose and a scar across the left -cheek,” chortled David. “Pirate stuff, of course. -There’s always someone like that. I suppose he’s the -fellow who hid the treasure on a dark, stormy night.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman gazed at the speaker with his big, -owl-like eyes. “You may be right, although I rather -thought of him as a faithful, old-fashioned serving-man, -from whom Sir Peter had no secrets.”</p> - -<p>David grinned; but how could anyone joke on a -matter that Tuckerman took so seriously? “Have -it your own way,” he said. “Probably you’re right. -But hooked-nose pirate or faithful servant I don’t see -how the mahogany one can be of much help to us -here to-day.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman closed the notebook. “Suppose we -go down to the southwestern point. At least we’ll -get a good view of the sunset and freshen up -for supper.”</p> - -<p>When they came to that end of the island they -found the ledges and neighboring sand covered with -a vast array of sandpipers, all with their heads turned -in the same direction, watching, as it were, a score or -so of leaders, who stood out in front, closest to the -water. Quietly though the four crept up, they were -still a couple of dozen yards from the rear ranks -when, with one accord and with as smooth a motion -as though a sail were being drawn across the beach, -the hundreds of little winged bodies rose in air -and flew out across the waves.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, that’s pretty!” said Tom. “They’re -like ever so many bits of silver paper blowing about -in the wind.”</p> - -<p>So they were. Fascinated, the four watched the -sandpipers. When the birds were tilted one way, -on one tack, they could hardly be seen against the -light, they actually disappeared. Then a tiny -deflection, a dip and twist of the wings, and they were a -network of silver, drawn this way, then that. They -wheeled, they rose, they dropped; no human beings -ever moved in such perfect precision; it was not as -if they followed a leader, it was as if every single -sandpiper of the hundreds knew instinctively what -the bird just ahead of him would do. And at last -they descended, like falling leaves, on a flat rock out -in the water.</p> - -<p>“I don’t see how they can do it,” sighed Ben. -“We could drill and drill forever, and never get anything -like that. Don’t tell me that sandpipers -haven’t brains.”</p> - -<p>“You bet your boots they have,” said David. -“Fine little fellows! I don’t see how anybody can -possibly want to shoot them.”</p> - -<p>The little fellows rose again and went soaring -off against the sunset sky.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman drew a long breath. “You boys -who live by the seashore have much to be thankful -for. The pioneers who pushed inland must have been -awfully homesick for just such sights as that. Gee -whillikins! What a gorgeous sky! I could look at -it for hours.”</p> - -<p>His companions, however, had other things to do. -They wanted to locate the two pines that stood -between the two rocks. A short search discovered -them. The trees, old and gnarled, twisted of -branches on the eastern side, where the winter winds -had lashed them, still stood like sentinels between -the lichen-covered boulders, where Christopher -Cotterell and doubtless others before him back to the -days of Peter had surveyed them.</p> - -<p>“They’re here all right,” said Ben. “What was -it the notebook said? ‘I have dug at this place, -but found only sand.’ Well, there’s plenty of -sand—oodles of it. But if you ask my opinion, this -isn’t the place to dig.”</p> - -<p>“You’re lazy,” scoffed David. “Tell me, Mr. -Man, why in your learned opinion isn’t this the right -place to dig?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve a hunch it isn’t,” answered Ben.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman looked at the serious-faced small fellow, -and suddenly gave a laugh. “I’ve got the same -sort of a hunch myself. My uncle Christopher dug -here and didn’t find anything. I don’t want to do -his work all over again.”</p> - -<p>They let it go at that, and slowly, with an eye -to the sunset, which every moment grew more like a -vast palette on which many colors were mixed, went -back by the path through the woods that skirted the -western shore. They reached the old house, and -were passing it on their way to the camp when Tom -abruptly halted. “I say, I saw something moving -at that corner window on the second floor! Something -white—yes, sir, it moved. I’ll take my word -to that!”</p> - -<p>All stopped and gazed at the house. The -windows were closed, no curtain could have -been blowing.</p> - -<p>“Nonsense,” said David. “What you saw was -the sunset reflected on the glass.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll bet it wasn’t,” Tom retorted. And straightway -he went up the graveled walk that led to the -front door.</p> - -<p>Now usually John Tuckerman had been careful -to lock the door when he left the house, but this -time he had forgotten. Tom turned the knob and -pushed the door open.</p> - -<p>They all went into the hall and stood there listening. -Undoubtedly there was the sound of footsteps -on the floor above.</p> - -<p>“That sounds to me like a giggle,” whispered -Ben.</p> - -<p>“Sh-ssh,” warned David.</p> - -<p>Footsteps tapped on the floor, were coming apparently -toward the head of the staircase.</p> - -<p>Then unmistakably there was a laugh, a light and -merry laugh, in a feminine key.</p> - -<p>In the silence that followed David’s voice rose. -“The lady with the enormous feet!” he muttered.</p> - -<p>A patter of feet and there came into view two -ladies, two ladies in hoopskirts, with white stockings -and little black slippers laced with black ribbons, and -flowered silk waists and flat, mushroom-shaped hats -with streamers falling behind. They stood at the -head of the staircase and stared down at the -four below.</p> - -<p>“It’s Milly and Sally Hooper!” exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>“Did I hear someone whisper ‘The lady with -the enormous feet?’” Milly Hallett wrinkled her -nose and stuck out the tip of her tongue. “Sarah, my -dear, the gentlemen aren’t so gallant as they used -to be. Whoever saw neater, sweeter slippers than -these we have on!”</p> - -<p>Slowly, with a hand to each side of their skirts, -which swayed like great balloons, the two girls came -down the stairs.</p> - -<p>At the foot John Tuckerman stood, bowing. -“Ladies, you greatly honor my poor house,” he -declared.</p> - -<p>“Who is the gentleman, Milly?” asked Sarah -Hooper, a black-haired, black-eyed girl with scarlet -ribbons to her hat.</p> - -<p>“Faith, I think it must be one of the comely -Cotterells,” said Milly. “What a fine sunburn -he has!”</p> - -<p>“John Tuckerman, at your service,” said that -gentleman. “Nephew of Mr. Christopher.”</p> - -<p>Milly Hallett’s blue eyes danced with delightful -mischief. “And Mr. Tuckerman, who are the three -extraordinary young persons standing in a row behind -you? They do look so funny! Such remarkable -clothes.”</p> - -<p>David looked at Ben, and Ben looked at Tom, and -Tom looked down at his khaki trousers, which still -bore patches of white and green paint acquired a -month ago when he was freshening up his canoe.</p> - -<p>“Ladies, these are three experts,” Tuckerman -explained. “The gentleman with the yellow hair -and the zebra stripes on his trousers is an expert -skipper, the one with the midnight hair and the rich -mahogany skin is an expert fisherman, and the -third—with the splendid red complexion and the curling -locks—can cook a meal that will make you forget -every other breakfast or dinner or supper you ever -sat down to.”</p> - -<p>“Really!” exclaimed Sarah. “Milly dear, -something reminds me that it’s a long time since we -tasted food.”</p> - -<p>“I was just about to touch on that point,” said -Tuckerman. “Will you do us the honor of breaking -bread with us? That is, if you won’t injure your -exquisite gowns by eating out of doors.”</p> - -<p>“They can’t sit on the grass in those things,” -Tom declared. “They’d ruin them for fair.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, can’t we!” cried Milly and Sarah in chorus. -“Just you watch us do it!”</p> - -<p>And in spite of hoopskirts and tiny slippers and -gingerly-perched hats the two girls ran to the front -door and down the steps to the path. The other four, -catching up with them, piloted them to camp.</p> - -<p>On the way Milly explained. She had felt that -she just had to find out what was going on at -Cotterell’s Island—she had feared that bears or -ghosts, mosquitoes or robbers might have made an -end of her brother and his friends; so she had gotten -Sally Hooper, and they had taken Sally’s father’s sailboat -and sailed out to the island. They hadn’t seen -the boys; but when they went up to the white house -they found the front door unlocked. They went in -and looked the place all over. In a room on the -second floor they found oceans of clothes in chests -and closets, and they simply had to try some of -them on. Then they thought they’d surprise the -campers. And they certainly had done that, she concluded, -because she had never seen four people look -so astonished as those four had when they saw Sally -and her come to the top of the stairs.</p> - -<p>In fifteen minutes supper was under way, a truly -marvellous supper, for David was determined to -show these skeptical girls what a howling cook he -was. The guests were not allowed to soil their -fingers; as a matter of fact they found they had their -hands full with trying to manage their ridiculous -hoopskirts and sit down in them without smashing -the hoops. But they did contrive to seat themselves -on a grassy bank, and Milly took off her slippers—which -were horribly tight—and the two watched -their four serving-men get supper, and occasionally -put in a word or so of advice.</p> - -<p>When each of the six had declared that they could -not possibly eat a single additional pancake—no matter -how much golden syrup was offered as an extra -inducement—supper came to a conclusion, and Milly -cast a reflective eye out on the water.</p> - -<p>“Sally and I must be starting back,” she said -with a sigh; “and I don’t suppose they’d let us land -in Barmouth, dressed in these funny old clothes.”</p> - -<p>Sarah Hooper looked at David, who sat cross-legged -on the ground, resting after his labors. -“You’re a very superior chef,” she admitted; “but -I want to know what you meant when you heard us -upstairs and murmured, ‘The lady with the enormous -feet.’ Oh yes, I heard you; and those were -the very words you used.”</p> - -<p>David laughed. “I plead guilty. But I didn’t -refer to either you or Milly. I was thinking of a -little detective work we have on hand.”</p> - -<p>Then he had to explain about the discovery of the -very large footprints on the bank of the creek and -the finding of a lady’s lavender-scented handkerchief, -with the initials A. S. L., in the kitchen.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I love mysteries!” said Sarah. “I’m -always reading detective stories and working them -out before the author tells you exactly what -did happen.”</p> - -<p>“There’s the man for you then,” said David, -pointing at Ben. “Eats ’em alive, he does.”</p> - -<p>“Huge footprints and a lady’s handkerchief,” -murmured Milly. “That is a funny combination. -But we really must go, or Sally’s mother and father -will be sending out searching parties.”</p> - -<p>They all walked back to the house, and the two -girls went upstairs to change into their own clothes. -When they came down again, much more comfortably -dressed, they found the others in the big front -room, where Tuckerman had lighted the candles.</p> - -<p>“How lovely!” exclaimed the romantic Sarah. -“I adore old furniture. What a duck of a divan! -And that beautiful secretary.” She looked at a desk -that stood in a corner, at the other end from the fireplace. -“It’s mahogany, of course—and what perfect, -long, fluted, shiny legs it has!”</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” said Ben. “Say it again, -and slower.”</p> - -<p>“I tell you we must be going back,” declared -Milly positively. “Never mind these ducky old -things, Sally. Think of your waiting parents.”</p> - -<p>So Sally had to go, and they all trooped down to -the pier, where Mr. Hooper’s sailboat was bobbing -about on the tide.</p> - -<p>Tom insisted that he would take the <span class='it'>Argo</span>, to convoy -the girls home; but Milly also insisted that he -should do nothing of the kind; she knew how to -handle a boat quite as well as her brother, the wind -was right, the water smooth, and she had often -sailed later in the evening than that. Nevertheless -when Milly’s boat was out from the island, the -campers embarked in the <span class='it'>Argo</span> and sailed along after -them, until the lights of Barmouth were visible right -ahead. Then, with a good-night shout, the crew -of the <span class='it'>Argo</span> brought their craft about and headed -back for the pier.</p> - -<p>They walked through the moonlit woods to their -camp, cleaned the dishes, and made things snug for -the night. As Ben, seated on a log, pulled off his -shoes, he said to Tom, who sat near him: -“Did you hear what Sally said about that desk -in the corner?”</p> - -<p>“Duck of a thing—some such nonsense.”</p> - -<p>“No. She said, ‘Mahogany, of course. And -what long, fluted, shiny legs.’”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps she did. I don’t remember.”</p> - -<p>“Doesn’t that convey anything to your mind, -Tom?”</p> - -<p>“Can’t say it does. Mahogany—legs. Oh, I’m -too sleepy to think of anything.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it conveys something to me,” said Ben. -“I think maybe I’ve got a clue, thanks to innocent -Sally. I suppose it’s too late to go back to the -house to-night?”</p> - -<p>“It’s too late to go anywhere except to sleep,” -answered Tom shortly. “I guess your clue will keep. -If it’s got anything to do with Sir Peter’s treasure, -it’s kept for a hundred years.”</p> - -<p>Tom gave a gigantic yawn, and rolled over on to -his bed.</p> - -<p>But Ben lay awake for some time, until he got -the sound of the lapping of waves on the beach mixed -with John Tuckerman’s voice singing “Yo—heave—ho, -my lads,” and then he fell asleep.</p> - -<h1 id='t1894'>V—THE MAHOGANY MAN</h1> - -<p>Mr. Tuckerman was doing the crawl-stroke—slowly -and laboriously, with almost as much splashing -as a small paddle-wheel steamboat makes—but -still very much better than he had been able to do it -two days before. He was heading toward a rock, -on which Tom, straight as an arrow and almost as -brown as a chocolate drop, stood with his arms -pointed outward, ready to dive.</p> - -<p>Ben stood back of Tom, slapping his dripping -thighs and hopping about on his toes. In the water -David was floating, as comfortable and serene as a -harbor seal taking an afternoon nap. “Look out, -Professor,” he cautioned; “Tom might land on your -head. He’s a terrible practical joker. Don’t you -let him use you as a cushion.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman plowed along, gasping a little, his -eyes fixed on the rock.</p> - -<p>Tom dove, and came up alongside David. “If -I was picking out a cushion, I’d take you. You’d -make a bully springboard. Push right along, Mr. -Tuckerman. You’re doing nobly.”</p> - -<p>Ben gave a whoop. “Look out there!” Lithe -as an eel, and seemingly made of rubber, he sprang -from the rock, turned a somersault, and shot -smoothly into the water. He reappeared, looking -like a porpoise, his black hair all shiny, and with a -few lusty flaps reached the rock again just as -Tuckerman, breathless, put out his hands to clutch -at the slippery side.</p> - -<p>“You’re a regular flying-fish,” Ben complimented -Tuckerman, as the latter, careful not to -scrape too close against the rough edge of rock, drew -himself slowly up to the level top. “I don’t believe -any of your friends out in the plain country of -Illinois would know you if they happened to see -you now.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe they would,” agreed Tuckerman, -sitting down gingerly and embracing his knees with -his hands. “I know I look like a red Indian, and I -feel as if I’d got a thousand more muscles than I -ever had before.”</p> - -<p>“If you don’t mind——” said Ben; and putting -his hands on Tuckerman’s shoulders he made a leap-frog -jump over the latter’s head and splashed loudly -into the water.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said David, changing his position from -floating to treading water, “I think the coffee must -be boiling now. It’s time I dropped those eggs.” -And with leisurely strokes he made for the beach, -where he had thoughtfully left a Turkish towel beside -his pile of clothes.</p> - -<p>The others followed suit, and had soon arrayed -themselves in the few garments they thought needful -to wear in their island home. David poured the -coffee and attended to the toast and eggs, which had -been procured the day before from a farmer on the -mainland. And as they ate, Ben propounded -the question:</p> - -<p>“Fellows, what was it Christopher Cotterell said -about a mahogany man?”</p> - -<p>“He said,” Tuckerman answered, “‘Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and -look in his breast pocket.’”</p> - -<p>“Exactly,” said Ben slowly. “Well, I’ve got an -idea I know where to find that man.”</p> - -<p>The other three looked at him in utter amazement. -“The dickens you have, Benjie!” retorted -Tom. “Why, he couldn’t be alive now.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps Ben thinks he’s a mummy,” suggested -David, “or a piece of wood that’s turned to stone.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe I do,” Ben chuckled. “You’re getting -warm, old horse. Long, skinny legs—doesn’t that -remind you of something? Haven’t you seen any -that answer that description in this neighborhood?”</p> - -<p>“You’re not referring to mine?” asked -Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>The breakfast-party laughed, the Professor wore -such a look of injured dignity.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, not to yours,” Ben said. “Yours are -fat as a drum compared to those I have in mind.”</p> - -<p>“I remember Ben mumbled something about this -last night,” mused Tom. “But I was too sleepy -to listen. He said something about Sally Hooper, -too; something about her giving him an idea.”</p> - -<p>Ben nodded. “So she did.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t I always claim that our Benjie was a -real detective?” said David. “Clean up first; and -then for the yarn.”</p> - -<p>Breakfast things were put away in their box, and -then the three turned to Ben. “Where’s your mahogany -man?” they demanded in one voice.</p> - -<p>“There’s no hurry,” was the tantalizing answer. -“Perhaps I’d better go fishing first.”</p> - -<p>Tom laid his hand on the other boy’s shoulder -and twisted him around. “Lead us to him,” -he commanded.</p> - -<p>Ben shrugged. “Oh, very well. You’re more -interested than you were last night. Come along, -but don’t make any noise.”</p> - -<p>He led them to Cotterell Hall. Tuckerman had -locked the front door after the girls had left on the -night before, and now he opened it with the key -he kept in his trouser pocket.</p> - -<p>Ben led them into the hall, and then into the big -front room, which was now flooded with sunlight.</p> - -<p>“Look around,” he announced; “and tell me -what you see.”</p> - -<p>They looked about the room with puzzled faces. -“Rats!” exclaimed David. “I don’t see any -man here.”</p> - -<p>Ben glanced at Tuckerman. “Long, skinny, -mahogany-colored legs,” he murmured.</p> - -<p>“Not Sir Peter’s portrait?” said Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>Ben walked across the room in the direction of -the secretary. “When Sally came in here last night,” -he explained, “she said something about this desk. -‘Mahogany, I suppose—and what long, fluted, shiny -legs.’ Well, it has, hasn’t it?” He laid his hand -on the secretary. “Mightn’t this be the man?”</p> - -<p>“You’re joking,” Tom protested; while David -looked from the desk to his friend’s serious face as -if he thought Ben must be plain crazy.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman, however, laid his hand also on the -piece of furniture. “They liked their little joke in -the old days,” he observed. “It might be, Ben. If -that’s so——” He turned the small brass key in the -lock of the lid, and pulling out the two supports on -either side of the lower drawers let the lid down on -them. “If that’s so; and this is the mahogany -man—where’s his breast pocket?”</p> - -<p>There were small drawers inside, and a row of -pigeonholes to either side of a central compartment -that was also locked by a key.</p> - -<p>“Somewhere up in his chest,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman pulled out the drawers and emptied -their contents, small objects, keys, pencils, bits of -sealing-wax, a few sheets of blank paper. He put -his hand in the pigeonholes and drew out several -bundles of letters. “I’ve been through all these -things before,” he said with a shake of his head.</p> - -<p>“That place in the middle,” Tom suggested.</p> - -<p>“Only an ink-stand,” said Tuckerman; and -unlocking the little door he drew forth a big glass -inkstand with a brass top. That was all there was -in the little cupboard; all the contents of the upper -part of the secretary were arrayed on the lid.</p> - -<p>“No go,” said David. “The man hasn’t anything -in his pocket to give us any clue.”</p> - -<p>“I must say,” said Tom, “it does seem -ridiculous to me that anyone could have meant -that desk——”</p> - -<p>“I’ve heard,” mumbled Ben, who was paying no -attention to what the others were saying, “that old -desks have secret compartments. My grandfather -has an old one that looks something like this. Let -me see——” He slipped his hand into the pigeonhole -on the right of the little door Tuckerman had -unlocked, and began to feel around. “I say! Here’s -something. It feels like a wooden spring.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman put his hand into the central compartment. -“Push on the spring,” he directed.</p> - -<p>Ben pushed and Tuckerman at the same moment -pulled out the cupboard that had harbored the inkstand. -It was a box that fitted snugly into the centre -of the secretary.</p> - -<p>“Well, that’s a great stunt,” said Tom. “It -comes to pieces like a nest of drawers.”</p> - -<p>The four, their heads close together, looked into -the space from which the cupboard had come.</p> - -<p>All they saw was an unvarnished piece of pine -board, apparently the back of the desk.</p> - -<p>“Looks like my grandfather’s,” said Ben. “Yes, -there’s a couple of holes.” And putting his forefinger -and thumb into two indentations in the wood at -the back, he wriggled his hand around and drew out -a small drawer.</p> - -<p>“Empty!” he muttered, disappointed, holding -the drawer so that the others could see.</p> - -<p>Again he put his hand into the opening and drew -out a second drawer that had been under the first one. -This also was empty.</p> - -<p>“One more chance.” He pulled out the bottom -drawer. In this there was something. Holding it -upside down, a small roll of paper fell out on the -lid of the desk.</p> - -<p>“A piece of parchment,” said Tuckerman, picking -up the roll. He opened it out, holding it taut in -his two hands.</p> - -<p>All eyes focussed on the sheet, on which were -scrawled, in a faint purplish ink, these lines:</p> - -<div class='lgp'><div class='poetry-container'> -<p class='line0'>I took the box</p> -<p class='line0'>cliff where was</p> -<p class='line0'>meaning to es</p> -<p class='line0'>but they were</p> -<p class='line0'>and so I hid</p> -<p class='line0'>pocket in the</p> -<p class='line0'>are two big</p> -<p class='line0'>make a mark</p> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --> - -<p>Tuckerman read these words aloud, three times -over. Then he gave a grunt. “Well, that’s that. -And it’s not so very illuminating, is it?”</p> - -<p>Ben took the parchment. “Somebody’s cut it -across. See, the right hand words are close to the -edge. How disgusting!”</p> - -<p>David and Tom each handled the parchment, -which was finally laid on the desk-lid, with the inkstand -to keep it from curling up into its original -tight roll.</p> - -<p>David stroked his chin, pretending to be lost in -thought. “Somebody took the box—to the cliff—but -they were—and so somebody hid the box—in -his pocket—there are two big—that make a mark. -I gather from that line about the pocket that the box -was pretty small.”</p> - -<p>“It doesn’t say he hid it in his pocket,” Ben -objected. “It might have been a pocket in the cliff -just as well.”</p> - -<p>“Who do you suppose he was?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Why, Peter Cotterell, of course,” David answered -promptly.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that,” said Tuckerman. -“This handwriting doesn’t look like that of a man -who was used to holding the pen. See how he’s -gone over some of the letters several times, as if he -wasn’t precisely sure how he ought to form them. -Sir Peter was a well-educated gentleman. He must -have known how to use a quill.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he wanted to disguise his handwriting,” -David suggested.</p> - -<p>“Why would he want to do that?” Ben retorted. -“Whoever wrote that meant to leave a record of -what he’d done with the box. There wouldn’t be -any sense in faking his handwriting—certainly not -if he intended to hide the parchment away in a secret -drawer of the desk.”</p> - -<p>“What sense would there be in his cutting it in -two then?” Tom inquired.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman, who was sitting on the arm of a -chair, threw back his head and laughed. “Here we -are arguing about something that happened ever so -long ago, and we haven’t the least idea why it happened -this way.” He turned to the portrait on the -wall and shook his finger at it. “You—or some of -your household—knew how to make first-class puzzles, -Sir Peter.” Then, as he swung around to the -three boys, he added:</p> - -<p>“My guess is that there’s a pocket in a cliff somewhere -on this island, and that there is—or was—a -box hidden in it.”</p> - -<p>“Find the cliff,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>Ben shook his head. “There are dozens of -cliffs.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you won’t find anything more in your -mahogany man’s breast pocket,” Tom answered. -“You can see for yourself it’s empty.”</p> - -<p>“My idea is,” said David, “that we get the <span class='it'>Argo</span> -and sail round the island till we sight a likely-looking -cliff.”</p> - -<p>“That appeals to me,” agreed Tuckerman, “and -Tom can give me another lesson in how to handle -a boat.”</p> - -<p>The parchment was put in its drawer, the three -drawers replaced, the cupboard pushed back and -caught by its spring, and the desk-lid lifted -and locked.</p> - -<p>“I’d a heap rather hunt for clues out of doors -on a day like this,” said David.</p> - -<p>But Ben sat down on a divan. “I want to do a -little thinking, fellows. You go along without me. -Maybe I’ll go fishing for dinners off the rocks after -a while.”</p> - -<p>They laughed at Ben; but he would not be dissuaded. -He wanted to do some thinking, and he -meant to. “Stubborn as a mule,” said Tom. “He -gets his mind set on a thing, and dynamite won’t -budge him.”</p> - -<p>So the others went down to the sailboat; and -presently Ben, getting up from the divan, went out -and cut himself a stick of willow. He brought it -back and began to whittle shavings all over the hardwood -floor of Cotterell Hall. He had seen men down -on the Barmouth docks whittle shavings for hours, -and he had copied the habit. He found it a great -help when he wanted to think things out.</p> - -<h1 id='t2260'>VI—THE CLIPPER SHIP</h1> - -<p>Ben Sully was a boy who would rather work -out a puzzle than do almost anything else. He had a -tremendous amount of patience, which possibly explains -why he was such a successful fisherman, since -he could wait longer, dangling a piece of bait in the -water, than nine out of ten fishes could resist the -temptation to find out what the bait tasted like. Any -kind of a <span class='it'>puzzle</span>, from cut out sections of cardboard -that fitted together to make a picture all the way -to ingenious contraptions of metal links that didn’t -want to come apart, was a delight to Ben. He had -boxes and boxes of them stored away in a closet at -home. He had invented secret codes and cryptograms -by the score, and when he was only ten years -old had constructed a private language of twenty-five -words that he had taught to Tom and David and -which the three of them had used among themselves -to the great admiration and envy of all the rest of -their school.</p> - -<p>Naturally then Ben felt that this <span class='it'>puzzle</span> of Peter -Cotterell’s treasure was right in his line, and the -finding of the half-sheet of parchment whetted his -appetite to discover more. He walked about the -room, whittling shavings right and left, he sat down -and kept on whittling, he stood up again, and since -by now the willow-stick had been whittled down -to almost nothing, he threw what was left -in the fireplace.</p> - -<p>That done, he went to a bookcase and took down -from the shelf on top the old notebook that Tuckerman -had found in his uncle’s bedroom. He thumbed -the pages until he came to the place where Tuckerman -had inserted a slip of paper. Ben read the words at -the top of the page out loud. “Find the mahogany-hued -man with the long, skinny legs and look in his -breast pocket. That’s a saying my father handed -down. What can it mean?” Ben looked at the desk. -“Well, we’ve done that, anyhow.” He shook his -head in deep thought. “I don’t understand why that -piece of parchment wasn’t discovered before. They -might not have taken the desk to be the mahogany -man; but surely Crusty Christopher or his father -would have known of those three little drawers. -However, they might have found that writing and -left it there. That’s possible, of course. Probably -it didn’t tell them any more than it’s told us so far.”</p> - -<p>Turning again to the notebook, he ran his eye -down the page. Nothing but Christopher Cotterell’s -comments on all sorts of subjects, nothing that interested -Ben. He turned a page, two pages, another, -and then his glance fell on this: “I’ve heard that the -old clipper ship got some of the cargo that the mahogany -man carried. But if she did, what use is that -to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor -during the Revolution.”</p> - -<p>On and on down the page Ben’s eyes traveled, -but lighted on nothing that caught his special attention. -So he went back and reread that passage. Then -he closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, stuck his -hands in his pockets, and stared through the window.</p> - -<p>“I wonder if there was a real mahogany man,” -he mused, “and a real ship. There might have been. -There were men from the West Indies in this part -of the country in those days. One of them might -have had valuables in his clothes, and part of the -things he was guarding might have been carried off -in the hold of a ship. Was there a real man, or was -it that secretary? And how about the ship?”</p> - -<p>Presently Ben walked around the drawing-room, -as if he were searching for something. From there -he went to the dining-room and the kitchen, and then -upstairs to Christopher Cotterell’s bedroom. He -looked into closets and behind curtains, he pulled open -wardrobe doors and peered in at the shelves. But -each time he shook his head, as much as to say: -“There’s nothing there that I want.”</p> - -<p>Under the slanting roof at the top of the house -was an attic, already explored by Tuckerman and the -boys. It was filled with every kind of thing, from an -ancient lacquered Indian temple—the green and gold -of the lacquer now sadly tarnished and chipped—to -a collection of Red Men’s arrowheads, neatly fastened -to a board by small straps of leather. Ben -looked around at the strange medley of objects, -thinking how many countries and how many different -races of men had contributed to the furnishing of -this attic; and then his roving eyes lighted on something -that made them glisten—on a bracket against -the wall sat the model of a ship.</p> - -<p>Ben knew the model to be that of a Yankee clipper—three -masts, loftily rigged, with three sky-sail -yards, and a long mainyard. She was beautifully -built, every detail complete, the deck and hull shining -with varnish. “Hello,” sang out Ben, “clipper ship -ahoy!” And pushing a box close against the wall -he stepped up opposite the bracket.</p> - -<p>In the deck of the model was a little lid. He -pried this up with his knife-blade. There was just -room for him to squeeze his fingers through, and -when he drew them out again they held a small roll -of paper.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Ben, “it’s parchment,” and very -much thrilled he took his find over to the window -and smoothed it out.</p> - -<p>The ink on this parchment was faint and purplish, -like that on the sheet already found in the desk, and -the left hand words were close to the edge. Ben -read them aloud:</p> - -<div class='lgp'><div class='poetry-container'> -<p class='line0'>to the north</p> -<p class='line0'>the boat</p> -<p class='line0'>cape with it</p> -<p class='line0'>off the shore</p> -<p class='line0'>it in the</p> -<p class='line0'>rocks. There</p> -<p class='line0'>veins that</p> -<p class='line0'>like a cross.</p> -<p class='line0'>James Sampson.</p> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --> - -<p>“Good enough!” said Ben, and ran down the -stairs to the first floor.</p> - -<p>The little drawer in the secretary was again made -to disgorge its half-sheet of parchment and Ben laid -the two papers side by side on the desk-lid. They -fitted perfectly; now their message was complete.</p> - -<div class='lgp'><div class='poetry-container'> -<p class='line0'>I took the box to the north</p> -<p class='line0'>cliff where was the boat</p> -<p class='line0'>meaning to escape with it</p> -<p class='line0'>but they were off the shore</p> -<p class='line0'>and so I hid it in the</p> -<p class='line0'>pocket in the rocks. There</p> -<p class='line0'>are two big veins that</p> -<p class='line0'>make a mark like a cross.</p> -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;'>James Sampson.</p> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --> - -<p>“Well, that’s clear enough,” said Ben, “though -why anyone should cut James Sampson’s writing in -two is more than I can understand.” He copied the -words on a sheet of paper and put the two pieces of -parchment in the secret drawer. “Now let’s see -what we’ve got. Sampson meant to leave the island -with his box at the northern end, but he saw some -enemies waiting there, so he hid the box in a crevice -where the rocks are marked like a cross. All right -for Mr. Sampson. That’s easy sailing. But why -didn’t some of the Cotterells find what was in the -hold of that little ship’s model long before this? -Funny—that is.” Again his brows bent in thought. -“Was James Sampson the real mahogany man? -Was there a real clipper ship?” At last he shook -his head. “I don’t know. But at least I’ve -found something.”</p> - -<p>Ben left the house. It was noon, and warm. The -others were sailing around the island; there was no -knowing when they would be back. He debated -whether to go fishing, and finally decided against it. -Without any definite purpose in mind he took the -path at the back of Cotterell Hall that led toward -the little creek.</p> - -<p>It was only a short distance across to the inlet -where David and he had landed. He went through -the bushes and trees until he saw the water before -him. There was the creek and there was the marshy -ground where they had found the footprints. He -descended the bank to look at the marks again.</p> - -<p>There were no footprints there now: they had -utterly vanished!</p> - -<p>Ben hunted along the edge of the creek, although -he was positive where the marks had been. There -was not a sign of them. There had been no rain to -wash them out. The soggy ground was above the -reach of the tide. There was only one explanation: -someone had been there since David and he -had landed and had carefully removed any sign -of footsteps.</p> - -<p>To discover footprints on a supposedly uninhabited -shore is thrilling, but to discover that those -footprints have disappeared is even more exciting. -What did it mean? Well, to Ben it clearly indicated -that the person who had made those marks in the -first place had some very good reason for wanting no -one to know that he had been there.</p> - -<p>Cotterell’s treasure was an ancient mystery; but -this was a new one, no older in fact than the day -before yesterday. This was new matter over which -to cudgel one’s brains, and Ben, sitting on the bank, -gave deep consideration to it until he saw the sail of -the <span class='it'>Argo</span> creeping up from the south.</p> - -<p>Should he tell the others of his discoveries or not? -He decided to keep them a secret, including the vanished -footprints, for a short time at least. But he -jumped up, and ran down to the shore, and sent an -ear-piercing yell across the water. The answer was -a wave from Tom, and presently the <span class='it'>Argo</span> drew -closer inland and laid her course for a small, grass-topped -headland on Ben’s side of the creek.</p> - -<p>“Don’t jump; slide down, Benjie, slide,” directed -Tom.</p> - -<p>“And slide gently,” added David. “Not as if -you were making for third base with the ball getting -there before you. Remember the Professor’s at the -helm and we don’t want to tilt the boat.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you worry,” sang out Ben. “I’ll drop -in so you’ll think I’m as light as a feather.” And -as the <span class='it'>Argo</span> slipped along under the headland he let -himself down, lightly and easily, but, as it happened, -right on the shoulders of David.</p> - -<p>The big fellow gave a growl. Ben’s legs had -somehow contrived to twine themselves around -David’s neck, and Ben was sitting there on the broad -shoulders, his hands on the other boy’s head.</p> - -<p>“Hi there! Look out!” cried Tuckerman. -“You’ll upset the whole shebang!”</p> - -<p>But Tom came to the skipper’s rescue. A steadying -hand on the tiller and the <span class='it'>Argo</span> moved out from -the shore.</p> - -<p>Slowly Ben pushed David forward until they -both came down in a heap in the little cockpit. “Behave -yourselves,” ordered Tom. “I’ve got a dipper -here and I’ll souse you both with cold water!”</p> - -<p>The threat was enough. The two sat up. David -grinned. “The little feller’s all right; he’s got some -muscle. I shouldn’t wonder if I could make a real -man out of him some day.”</p> - -<p>Under Tom’s teaching John Tuckerman was -learning something about handling a sailing dory, -just as Ben had given him lessons in flounder fishing, -David in making flapjacks, and the three in various -swimming strokes. It was true that he still regarded -the <span class='it'>Argo’s</span> sail, when a sudden puff of wind filled it, -as an inexperienced driver regards his horse when -the animal shows signs of shying—his muscles grew -tense, and he frowned, and stopped talking—but he -didn’t ask Tom what to do and he managed to keep -the dory fairly close to the course he intended. And -he was a good sport! He didn’t try to crawl out of -his mistakes by arguing about them; he admitted -them with a grin, and that grin was always so whole-souled -and hearty that it made one want to slap him -on the back and tell him that he hadn’t really made -a mistake after all.</p> - -<p>When Tuckerman had the <span class='it'>Argo</span> well in hand -again and could think of other matters, he said to -Ben, “We’ve seen plenty of rocks and ledges, but -nary a thing that could properly be called a cliff. A -cliff, I take it, is something fairly high and mighty, -not so steep as Gibraltar perhaps, but as large as a -good-sized barn-door.”</p> - -<p>“While we’ve been hunting for cliffs,” said -David, “I suppose Ben has worked this all out. -What are your conclusions, oh wise one?”</p> - -<p>“Never you mind, my boy. The clever magician -waits till he has everything in order before he performs -his trick.”</p> - -<p>“Ben’s got something up his sleeve,” put in Tom. -“I can always tell when he talks in that grand way. -But there’s no use trying to make him tell us, Dave. -The way to make an oyster talk is to pay no attention -to it.”</p> - -<p>Ben said nothing, though the temptation was -great as the <span class='it'>Argo</span> reached the northern end of the -island, where high rocks came down to the water.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman admitted these were cliffs, but there were -a number of them, and how was he to tell which was -the one they wanted? They sailed slowly along, -watching the shore and speculating as to what the -message in the desk referred. And while the other -three talked Ben sat silent, trying to picture what had -happened to James Sampson there more than a -century before.</p> - -<p>Ben had a good imagination, and it led him to -see Sampson as a servant of Sir Peter Cotterell, a -faithful serving-man, who always did what his master -told him. When the men of Barmouth threatened -to take Sir Peter’s treasure the old Tory gave some -of his most valuable possessions to Sampson, and -the latter carried them to this end of the island -where he had a small boat that should carry him to -the mainland. When he reached the shore, however, -he saw other Barmouth men patrolling the coast in -their own boats and so his escape that way was cut -off. With quick wit he hid the treasures in a cleft -of the rock and blocked up the hiding-place. Ben -could see it all, even to Sir Peter, in knee-breeches and -wig, commending James Sampson when the man -returned and related what he had done. “Good and -faithful servant,” said Sir Peter; “the rascals are -outwitted again!” And doubtless Sir Peter took -Sampson into the dining-room and poured him out a -glass of rum. Ben wasn’t sure about that; it might -not have been rum; but rum sounded well, it smacked -of old-time adventure. Yes, probably it was rum; -and Sampson had wiped his mouth with the sleeve -of his jacket and laughed with his master at the -thought of the men of Barmouth sitting out there in -their boats, like so many cats waiting outside a -mouse-hole.</p> - -<p>“Come out of it, Ben! Wake up!”</p> - -<p>Ben looked up with a start. Tom was laughing -at him. “Where are you, Benjie? A million -miles away!”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Ben, “I was listening to Sir -Peter talking to a man you don’t any of you know -anything about.”</p> - -<p>“Your precious mahogany man?” asked Tom. -“Don’t tell me you learned something more about -him while you were up at the house.”</p> - -<p>“He means the man with the big feet,” said -David. “Did you find his prints in the house?”</p> - -<p>“David,” said Ben solemnly, “you’re absolutely -certain you saw those footprints of a man on the -bank of the creek, are you?”</p> - -<p>“Absolutely,” David stated. “You don’t think -it was some animal wearing a man’s shoes, do you?”</p> - -<p>“No. I thought you saw them. But I looked -this morning in the same place, and there aren’t any -prints there now.”</p> - -<p>There followed a moment’s silence; then -Tuckerman exploded a loud “What?”</p> - -<p>“Vanished, vamoosed, flown away,” Ben said -with a nod.</p> - -<p>“My eye!” exclaimed David. “This is too horrible! -Is the island haunted?”</p> - -<p>“It is peculiar,” said Tuckerman, frowning at -the shore.</p> - -<p>“Look out!” sang out Tom.</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span>, her helmsman unheeding his business, -was slowly coming about, with a ledge of rock dead -ahead. Tuckerman wheeled around, put the tiller -over—the dory righted again.</p> - -<p>“Ben,” said Tom, “don’t you spring anything -like that on us again, with the Professor sailing this -boat. If you’ve got any other fairy tales, you keep -them till we’re on shore.”</p> - -<p>“My fault,” said the skipper. “I’m learning. -My first business is to bring us safe up to the dock.”</p> - -<p>“And my first business,” added David, “is to get -something to eat. Mysteries may come and go, but -three square meals a day are always needful. How -about that, Ben, my son? What did Sir Peter and -this other friend of yours live on?”</p> - -<p>“Rum,” said the solemn Ben.</p> - -<p>“Rum! You’re a rum one! Are you sure you -didn’t drink some of Sir Peter’s rum before -you went to the creek and found that the footprints -were missing?”</p> - -<p>But Ben only smiled. He could afford to smile -when he knew that he, and he alone, had a copy of -James Sampson’s complete message tucked away in -his pocket.</p> - -<h1 id='t2673'>VII—THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK</h1> - -<p>Needless to say, Ben would have liked to start -out immediately after dinner to look for the pocket -in the rocks that was marked with a cross, provided -he could have found a good excuse to get away from -the others; for he was still of a mind to keep his -discovery a secret for the present. But the larder -was in need of fresh supplies, and as soon as they -had finished their cleaning up Tom announced that -their immediate business was to sail across to Farmer -Hapgood’s and buy some eggs and milk. So the -<span class='it'>Argo</span> put out into the bay again, and soon the four -campers, the sailboat safely moored at the Hapgood -landing, were tramping up the road toward a gray-shingled -cottage that had a couple of beautiful, tall -elms at either side of it.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Hapgood sold them eggs, milk, and butter, -and some large loaves of freshly-baked bread. These -were packed in a basket the boys had brought. When -they came out from the house they stopped a few -moments to chat with Mrs. Hapgood, and while they -were talking two large automobiles swung in from a -crossroad and raced past the farmhouse door.</p> - -<p>The two cars were filled with boys, boys on the -seats and on the running-boards. “They’re from -Camp Amoussock, down along the shore a way,” -Mrs. Hapgood explained. “They’re going to have -a baseball game with the boys around here. My -Sandy’s playing. He’s getting into his things upstairs -now, but he’ll be down in a minute.”</p> - -<p>The cars disappeared in a cloud of dust, and -almost immediately a red-haired, freckle-faced young -fellow, in a baseball suit, dashed out from the -front door.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” he cried, nodding to the others. “That -crowd made as much noise with their horns as if -they’d won the game already.”</p> - -<p>“Pretty good team, are they?” asked David.</p> - -<p>“Yes, they’re a good team,” said Sandy; “but -mighty stuck on themselves. They come from a lot -of different cities, and most of them play on their -school nines. They’ve beaten us the last two summers. -Gee, but we’d like to get back at ’em to-day!”</p> - -<p>“Who’s on your team?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Well, we call ourselves the Tidewater Tigers. -Most of us live around here. One, Billy Burns, -comes from Barmouth. Native sons of New -Hampshire against the strangers—that’s what my -father says.”</p> - -<p>“We know Billy Burns,” said Ben. “He’s a -good batter.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, he’s good,” agreed Sandy. “But they’ve -got a pitcher who’s a corker. Lanky Larry they call -him. He’s the goods all right—lots of speed and a -curve. I’ll say he is! Fanned me three times last -year.” Sandy clutched his bat. “Gee, but I’d like -to sting him!”</p> - -<p>“Let’s feel it,” said David. He took the bat -and swung it several times. “A little light, but not -bad,” he pronounced judicially.</p> - -<p>“Say, why don’t you all come along? We’ll -show you some real excitement. You can leave that -basket here.”</p> - -<p>The boys looked at each other, and suddenly -Tuckerman burst out laughing. “Lead us to it, -Sandy. I can see these three have got their tongues -hanging out.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said David slowly, “I do hate to pass a -good thing by.”</p> - -<p>“He wants a sight of this Lanky Larry,” said -Tom. “A good pitcher to Dave is like a red rag -to a bull.”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Hapgood relieved Tom of the basket. -“You boys are native sons,” she said with a smile. -“Go along and root for the Tigers.”</p> - -<p>Up the road they went until they came to an open -field marked out with a baseball diamond. The two -automobiles were parked on one side, and on the -other was a crowd of boys and girls, interspersed -with a few older people. Already some of the Tigers -and some of the Amoussocks were knocking out flies -to their fielders.</p> - -<p>“There’s Lanky, warming up,” said Sandy, -pointing to a tall, dark-skinned fellow who was -throwing a ball to a catcher in front of the automobiles. -“They’re a swell lot, aren’t they? They’ve -all got brand new suits this summer, with red and -white stockings, and a red A on their chests.”</p> - -<p>The Amoussocks did look very trim; more especially -in contrast to the native sons, who were -dressed in all sorts of suits, the most of them old -and mud-stained.</p> - -<p>“Here’s Billy Burns,” said Sandy; and as -Tuckerman and the three boys went up to join the -crowd, Sandy darted away to report himself to -his captain.</p> - -<p>Billy came up. “Hi, you fellows. What you -doing here?”</p> - -<p>“Digging clams for bait,” answered David. -“Benjie wants to go fishing.”</p> - -<p>“Come down to see us smear the strangers?” -Billy continued, ignoring David’s joke.</p> - -<p>“I hear that Lanky Larry’s a terror.” This -from Tom.</p> - -<p>“Terror’s the word,” Billy admitted. “Say, -Dave, you think you’re some hitter in Barmouth. -But you’ve never stacked up against his class.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know,” said David. “I’ve sent -some good men to the discard. Howsomever, it’s -not up to me this afternoon to tackle the strangers. -I’m neutral to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Go to it, Billy!” said Ben. “We’re going to -root for you. Of course we are. We’re not pikers.”</p> - -<p>It was clear that this was a big day in the eyes -of the community. A hay-wagon rattled up, loaded -with empty boxes and a pile of boards. The boxes -were stood on end on the ground and the planks -placed across them, and the seats thus made were -instantly filled by boys and girls. On the opposite -side waved a large banner, white with a gigantic -red A in the centre. There were shouts and cheers -from both sides as the two teams gathered round -the umpire; then the Tigers ran out to take the field -and the first Amoussock batter stepped up to -the plate.</p> - -<p>The campers from Cotterell’s Island sat on the -grass with the New Hampshire boys. Half the fun -of watching any contest is in rooting for one side to -win, and naturally the campers were backing the -home nine. The Amoussocks had a superior air, -partly due perhaps to their snappy suits and partly -to the fact that they had beaten the Tigers each of -the two summers before. And they knew how to -play baseball; there was a snap and precision about -their work that was the result of constant coaching -in teamwork.</p> - -<p>Against them the home team, mostly the sons of -neighboring farmers, boys who had to coach themselves -and only played together on Saturdays, showed -at a decided disadvantage. They had plenty of fighting -spirit and kept right up on their toes, playing -for all they were worth, taking big chances in stealing -bases and backing each other up on every throw. -But they couldn’t hit Lanky Larry—not to any -extent; and the Amoussocks could, and did, hit Sam -Noyes, the Tiger pitcher.</p> - -<p>David shook his head as the third inning ended. -“That Lanky’s got ’em where he wants ’em,” he -said. “He eases up a bit, and lets us get a hit or -two; but watch him in the pinches. He can tighten -up and shoot ’em over. Yes, siree,—nothing he likes -better than a couple of them on the bases, and then -putting over three strikes, simple as you please.”</p> - -<p>Tom took a blade of grass from his mouth. -“And he keeps grinning. Nothing riles a batter -worse than that sort of a pitcher. ‘See how simple -it is,’ he says with that smile. ‘Like taking candy -from a kid to get a strike on you’—and he goes -ahead and shoots one over while you’re planning how -you’ll wipe the grin from his face.”</p> - -<p>Billy Burns dropped down beside them. “Two -to nothing,” he declared. “Sam’s doing mighty -well, but Lanky’s doing better. It’s that in-shoot -of his. I know just where it’s going, but hang it -all! every blessed time I reach right out for it.”</p> - -<p>“He’s got your goat,” said David. “You’re -so all-fired mad that you don’t wait for the ball to -get near you.”</p> - -<p>“Huh, it’s easy to talk! I suppose you could -wait all day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wouldn’t get tied up tight, stiff as a -stick. That’s the trouble with all our team. They’re -so keen to hit they can’t wait. Larry’s got them -going before they walk out there; and he knows -it too, believe me!”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you’d be as cool as a cucumber,” -Billy jeered.</p> - -<p>“As fat as a cucumber, you mean,” suggested -Ben. “When Dave leans against the ball it’s like a -ton of bricks.”</p> - -<p>“We’re out again,” announced Billy, picking up -his fielder’s glove. “We’re not so worse in the -field; but golly, if we could only hit!”</p> - -<p>The Tigers couldn’t hit, however. The crowd -on the benches rooted as hard as they could, but the -native sons stayed behind. And the visitors grew -more dashing. They kept talking to each other on -the bases, little remarks filled with self-esteem; it -was easy to see they were very well pleased -with themselves.</p> - -<p>David kept pulling blades of grass, chewing them, -spitting them out. Every time that a Tiger came -to bat David felt as if it were he himself who was -facing that smiling pitcher.</p> - -<p>The fifth inning came and went; the score was -still the same. Billy Burns, in spite of what David -had told him, had struck out again.</p> - -<p>Tom stood up and stretched. “No, boys, it isn’t -our day—unless something different happens. I -guess that old New Hampshire’s got to take the -short end.”</p> - -<p>Something did happen; but not what Tom expected. -Billy Burns, in the outfield, running after -a deep fly to centre, made a dive for the ball at full -speed, stumbled, fell headlong, but held up the ball -in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Batter’s out!” cried the umpire.</p> - -<p>The loyal rooters cheered. Billy, however, lay -flat, and when, after a moment, he tried to get up, -he sat down quickly again.</p> - -<p>The other fielders ran over to him and stood him -up between them. Billy held up one foot, put it -down, gave a groan. “Twisted my ankle, I guess,” -he muttered. He tried to take a step forward. “No -go,” he added. “Hang it all, just my luck!”</p> - -<p>Two fielders brought him in between them, Billy -hopping on one foot. The Tigers held a consultation, -while the Amoussocks threw the ball around. -Then Sam Noyes, the Tiger captain, stepped over -to David. “Billy’s down and out,” he said. “He -can’t play any more. But he says you think you can -hit their pitcher; and you’re from Barmouth, so -that’d be all right. Want to take Billy’s place?”</p> - -<p>David glanced up. He knew by the look on -Sam’s face that the Tiger captain didn’t believe he -could bat any better than the others. “All right,” -he answered. “I didn’t mean to boast, you know; -but I’ll do my darndest.”</p> - -<p>“No one can do more,” murmured Tuckerman -behind him.</p> - -<p>David peeled off his coat and put on Billy’s glove. -He lumbered out to centrefield while Sam Noyes -explained the substitution to the Amoussock captain.</p> - -<p>In the last half of the sixth inning David came -to bat. Lanky Larry patted the ball caressingly, -surveyed the new player from head to foot, and then -grinned as if he had suddenly remembered a tremendous -joke. David dug his feet into the earth of -the batter’s box, wishing he had on the cleated shoes -he wore when he played on his school team, swung -his bat—one he had carefully selected from the -varied assortment offered by the Tigers—and then -grinned as if he also had thought of something -very funny.</p> - -<p>“I say, what’s the joke, you two fellows?” sang -out a man who was standing back of the benches.</p> - -<p>That made everybody laugh, with the result that -Lanky, when he pitched the ball, threw it wide and -missed the plate by a couple of inches.</p> - -<p>“Ball one!” proclaimed the umpire.</p> - -<p>“Make it be good!” yelled Ben.</p> - -<p>David hitched up his trousers and lifted his bat -again. Lanky patted the ball and smiled, but not -so broadly. He shot the next one across the plate -with speed and precision, David letting it go by -without swinging at it.</p> - -<p>“Strike one!” sang the umpire.</p> - -<p>“You’ve got him, Lanky!” came a voice from -the ranks of the Amoussocks.</p> - -<p>“Oh dear!” sighed a girl on the Tiger’s bench, -loud enough to be heard across the diamond; “I -thought this fellow looked like he could knock a -home run!”</p> - -<p>There was a titter, a ripple of laughter, and -Larry, fondling the ball, looked over in the direction -of the girl and grinned from ear to ear.</p> - -<p>The ball shot from his hand. There was a crack—sharp -and stinging;—Larry reached out, missed -the ball as it whizzed by—whizzed on over the bag -at second base, sizzled on into the outfield. Centrefield -couldn’t touch it; that ball simply wouldn’t stop, -and didn’t until it struck a stone wall at the end -of the field.</p> - -<p>By the time the ball got back David was standing -on third base, and the Tiger rooters were splitting -the air with yells.</p> - -<p>“Dave leaned against it all right, didn’t he?” -said Ben to Tuckerman. “He came around on it -just as easy; but when he struck he made every -ounce tell.”</p> - -<p>“He’d have had a home run if it hadn’t been -for that stone wall,” said Tuckerman. “The field’s -too short; it doesn’t give our Dave a show.”</p> - -<p>Lanky Larry looked less amused. He frowned -and grew thoughtful; with the result that the next -Tiger up got a neat hit to right field, and David -came trotting home.</p> - -<p>But the inning ended on the next play, the Tiger -being caught out at second base. The score was two -to one, in the Amoussock’s favor. The crowd felt -somewhat better as the Tigers took the field again. -The Amoussocks, however, managed to get in another -run at their turn at bat, and had a good -lead of two.</p> - -<p>The seventh and eighth innings repeated the same -old story. Lanky was in form again, and none of -the batters could hit him. And with the score at -three to one the Amoussocks prepared to mow down -their rivals in the last half of the ninth.</p> - -<p>David was to be the third batter, and he swung -two bats over his shoulder as he waited for his turn. -Lanky knew what he was doing, was in fact watching -him out of the corner of his eye, and looking forward -to his next chance at the cocky David. Thinking -what he would do to David he forgot the job in hand, -and struck Sam Noyes on the arm. The umpire sent -Sam to first. Larry scowled and bit his lip. The -next Tiger got a hit, and Sam went to second.</p> - -<p>The crowd jumped to its feet, both sides were -rooting madly. “If only there was room for a home -run!” sighed Ben. “Old Barmouth could do it! -Keep cool, Dave my lad!”</p> - -<p>David was perfectly cool, to all appearance at -least, as he walked up to the plate. He smiled -and gave the least little nod at the tall, dark-skinned -pitcher.</p> - -<p>A duel between these two;—that was what the -crowd felt in the air. The fielders were hopping -about, crouching, their hands on their knees; Sam -and the Tiger on first base were flapping their arms, -all ready to dash for the next base. But nobody -looked at them; all eyes were on the two who were -regarding each other with pleasant smiles.</p> - -<p>“Strike one!”</p> - -<p>David stepped back, a bit surprised, while the -crowd gave a groan.</p> - -<p>“Ball one!” There was a little ripple of -satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“But he’s got to hit it,” Tom muttered in -Tuckerman’s ear. “A base on balls won’t do. The -next fellow’d go out.”</p> - -<p>And David knew he’d got to hit it, and kept -telling himself not to tighten up. “Easy does it, -easy does it,” kept singing over and over in his mind. -If he tried too hard Lanky would get him just as he -had gotten the others; and he knew perfectly well -that was what Lanky intended that he should do.</p> - -<p>“Strike two!”</p> - -<p>Larry had outguessed him that time, giving him -a slow drop. David eased his muscles, smiled his -confident smile, settled evenly on his feet. This next -would be the in-shoot. Larry would save that for -the last. “Easy does it; take your time.” David -looked at the pitcher, not angrily, not intently, just -with a jovial dare.</p> - -<p>And the bat, with David’s shoulders behind it, -and his waist and his legs as well, met that ball as it -curved in toward him fair and square on the nose. -There was a mighty crack—the sort that sings in the -ears and makes the pulses tingle—and away and -away went the ball. Over the pitcher’s head, over -the heads of the fielders; far out in the field it struck -the ground at last and bounded over the stone wall. -It brought up against a cow, that was lying down in -a meadow, and it gave her such a bump that she rose -in haste and went galloping away, not knowing what -had struck her. And by the time the first Amoussock -outfielder touched that ball Sam Noyes and the next -Tiger and David had circled the bases and the game -was won.</p> - -<p>Billy Burns hopped over to David, forgetful of -his sprained ankle. “Put it there, old scout!” he -cried, holding out his hand. “I never saw such a -hit! Gee whillikins! Dave, you’re the stuff -all right!”</p> - -<p>“Easy does it,” said David, who couldn’t think -of anything else to say.</p> - -<p>“Easy!” exclaimed Billy. “You call that easy! -I’d like to know what you do to a ball when you hit -it hard!”</p> - -<h1 id='t3128'>VIII—THE CANOE</h1> - -<p>David would have liked to have taken to his heels -and beaten it down the road to the bay, but he was -not allowed to do this. Not only the Tigers, but -all that section of New Hampshire appeared to think -that he had vindicated the honor of the country -against the big cities, represented in this case by the -boys of Camp Amoussock. Horny-handed farmers -insisted on coming up and shaking his hand, slapping -him on the back, inviting him to supper. And what -tickled Ben more than anything else was to see the -girl who had exclaimed, “I thought this fellow -looked like he could knock a home run!” push her -way through the crowd and thrust out her hand -at David.</p> - -<p>Ben nudged Tom. “Look at our brave boy now.”</p> - -<p>The girl was saying, “I knew you looked like -a winner. I’ve got a kid brother at home; he’s got -a sore foot and couldn’t get over here; but I’m going -to tell him how you soaked that ball and hit the old -cow, and maybe he won’t be excited! What’s your -name? He’ll want to know.”</p> - -<p>No beet was ever redder than David’s face as -he gave a sheepish grin. “David Norton,” he said. -And as the girl insisted on shaking hands he touched -her fingers gingerly. “Much obliged,” he stammered. -“Hope the kid’s foot gets well again. Funny -about that cow;—hope it didn’t hurt her.”</p> - -<p>“I wouldn’t care,” said the girl, “if it broke one -of her ribs. But don’t you worry, Mr. Norton. -I’m right glad to have met you.” And she pushed -her way out of the throng again, delighted to be able -to tell her kid brother that she had shaken hands -with the hero of the day.</p> - -<p>“You may be a mighty batter,” said Ben, when -David was able at last to rejoin his friends, “but -when it comes to the girls you’re a beautiful imitation -of a wooden Indian. You shake hands like a pump.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, cut it out,” growled David, who always -stood more or less in fear of girls, and hated to be -teased about them. “I suppose you’d have made -her some kind of a pretty speech; asked her to -dance, perhaps.”</p> - -<p>“I’d have looked as if I liked being told how -fine I was. Oh, what a shame it is that nobody -ever says such things to me,” sighed Ben, “when -I’m the one that could really appreciate them!”</p> - -<p>Sandy Hapgood now came up, and David, eager -to be rid of any more talk about the game, hurried -his friends away. “Looks like a thunderstorm,” -he said, squinting at the sky, where dark clouds were -rapidly rising.</p> - -<p>They passed the meadow, where the cow was now -peacefully chewing her cud again. She cast a reproachful -eye at the boy in the baseball suit. “That’s -the longest hit that was ever made on our field,” -remarked Sandy. “And against Lanky Larry, too! -Oh boy! Did you see Lanky after the game? He -looked—well, he didn’t look so all-fired stuck -on himself.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a fine pitcher,” said David; “a mighty -good one.”</p> - -<p>They quickened their steps, for big drops of rain -were beginning to fall. They turned in at the -Hapgood farmhouse and stopped long enough for a -word with Sandy’s mother. Tom swung the basket -of provisions on his arm.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you think you’d better wait a short spell,” -said Mrs. Hapgood. “Looks to me as if we were -in for a right smart shower.”</p> - -<p>They looked at the sky—pierced now with frequent -sharp jabs of lightning.</p> - -<p>“It’s not raining hard yet,” said Tuckerman. -“How about it, boys?”</p> - -<p>“Let’s beat it,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>Out in the road again they jogged down to the -water, where the <span class='it'>Argo</span> was fastened. Casting her -adrift, Tom took the tiller.</p> - -<p>It was a real summer thunderstorm that had come -up quickly—spurts of rain and banks of black clouds—at -the end of the warm day.</p> - -<p>But the boys were used to a wetting, and Tom -had often sailed through a heavier downpour than -this. David stretched himself out on a seat in luxurious -comfort. “A shower-bath feels good,” he -murmured. “All I want now is a good swim.”</p> - -<p>The wind, however, wouldn’t stay in any one -quarter; it kept jumping about as if it were trying -to box the compass and succeeding pretty well. Tom -had to keep changing course. The <span class='it'>Argo</span> zigzagged -about like a darning-needle flying over a pond. And -the thunder kept crashing louder, and the lightning -opening bigger and bigger cracks in the violet-black -of the sky.</p> - -<p>“Hello, there’s a canoe!” sang out Ben suddenly.</p> - -<p>Ahead of them, an eighth of a mile from shore, -a cockleshell craft was dancing over the waves. -There were two people in it, one at either end, and -each was paddling fast.</p> - -<p>“Ticklish business,” said Tuckerman. “There’s -white water off that point. See how it jerks about. -I say, Tom, couldn’t we get up near them?”</p> - -<p>“Righto,” answered the skipper. “Confound -those blooming gusts!”</p> - -<p>If the <span class='it'>Argo</span> was having her hands full in -standing up to the constant squalls that kept chasing -over the water, the canoe was finding the struggle -an even more difficult task. She careened, righted, -almost disappeared in a wave. The <span class='it'>Argo’s</span> crew -were now all at the rail, except the skipper, watching -the little craft battle her way along.</p> - -<p>Then Ben sang out: “Why, it’s Lanky -Larry and the Amoussock captain! Gee, but that -water’s rough!”</p> - -<p>A lightning flash so vivid that it seemed to daze -the crews of both the boats, was followed by a roll -of thunder that shook the sea and the sky. Next -instant the waves leaped up as if in a frenzy of -fright. A great roller caught the canoe and twisted -her nose about; another slapped her amidships; a -third—All that the crew of the <span class='it'>Argo</span> saw was -a swirl of wild waters where the little craft had been.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman muttered something. Tom, with a -shout of warning, brought the <span class='it'>Argo</span> about. Now -there were to be seen in the water two heads, two -tossing paddles, and the upturned bottom of -the canoe.</p> - -<p>The point of land was not far distant, and for -some reason the boys in the water were striking out -in that direction, possibly because they thought the -sailboat, in such a squall, could not keep her course.</p> - -<p>While Tom manoeuvred the <span class='it'>Argo</span>, the other three -watched the swimmers. Both were making fair -headway, the Amoussock captain somewhat in the -lead. Then suddenly Larry threw up his hands -and disappeared.</p> - -<p>Tom swung the sailboat around, and almost instantly -Ben and David, coats and shoes stripped off, -dove into the water. For the moment the sea was -calmer, and the two made the most of their chance. -Hand over hand, in great spurts, they drew closer -and closer to the place where Larry had vanished.</p> - -<p>Tom said things to the sail, which would not fill -as he wanted. Tuckerman clutched the rail, his eyes -never leaving the swimmers. And at last—an eternity, -it seemed to the watcher—the two boys reached -the spot. A moment later, and in some way they -had managed to draw Larry up between them.</p> - -<p>By now the Amoussock captain had turned and -was swimming back; and by now Tom had contrived -to make the <span class='it'>Argo</span> behave. With a rush she arrived -where the boys were struggling in the waves. Ben -clutched at the side; with his other hand he helped -David lift Larry up into Tuckerman’s arms.</p> - -<p>Larry was hauled aboard. David and Ben -climbed in. The other boy was pulled up from -the water.</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span>, restive, cavorting, commenced to -dance again. “Can’t stop to pick up the canoe,” muttered -Tom. “Thank Heaven, Lanky’s all right!”</p> - -<p>Larry, very white and shivering, was rubbing -the muscles of his legs. “It was a cramp,” he explained. -“Doubled me up in a minute.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman put his coat around Larry’s shoulders. -“Never mind, never mind,” he kept murmuring. -“We’ll have you up at my house in a couple -of jiffies.”</p> - -<p>And, the wind blowing great guns, but keeping -in a fairly steady direction, the <span class='it'>Argo</span> soon reached -the island. By that time Larry, assisted by -Tuckerman, had managed to rub the kinks out of -his leg muscles, and was able to hobble ashore.</p> - -<p>Cold, and drenched, and all of them shivering -more or less, the party went up to the house. “The -kitchen’s the place,” said Tuckerman. “There’s -plenty of firewood there.”</p> - -<p>Shortly the logs were blazing on the wide kitchen -hearth, and Tuckerman, finding a tin of coffee in a -cupboard, was making a steaming drink. Tom in -the meantime had brought an armful of Christopher -Cotterell’s clothes from a room abovestairs, and the -boys who had been in the water put on dry things.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Larry, when he was warm and -dry, and had swallowed half-a-cupful of Tuckerman’s -steaming hot coffee, “I knew this David fellow was -a good sport when I tried to strike him out this -afternoon; though I tell you it made me mad when -he stung that ball for a homer.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t mention it,” said David. “A fellow’s -got to do his duty.”</p> - -<p>“You do yours, all right,” nodded Larry. “I -guess we’ll have to forgive him now, won’t we, Bill?”</p> - -<p>Bill Crawford, the Amoussock captain, gave his -knee a great slap. “We’ll have to elect him to the -club of good scouts, Lanky. And the rest of this -bunch, too.”</p> - -<p>“Pass the coffee pot,” said David.</p> - -<p>Stretched at his ease in a cane-bottomed kitchen -chair, Larry’s eyes roved around the room. “I -thought there wasn’t anybody on this island this summer,” -he said. “That’s the story they tell at -the camp.”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, it’s deserted,” said Ben, “except for -Professor Tuckerman and his three able assistants.”</p> - -<p>“What is the Professor doing here?” asked -Bill Crawford.</p> - -<p>There was a momentary silence, broken by Ben’s -solemn voice. “He’s busy polishing up the knocker -of the big front door. I don’t know whether you -noticed it when you came in, but there is a beautiful -knocker, made of pure brass. He shines it -every day.”</p> - -<p>An amused snicker from Bill was followed by -Larry’s asking another question.</p> - -<p>“This is the Cotterell house, isn’t it? There’s -some old yarn about it, seems to me I’ve heard.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever hear of an old house that -didn’t have some yarn attached to it?” demanded -Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“Change the subject, Lanky,” sang out Bill. -“’Tisn’t fair to pry into the family’s secrets.”</p> - -<p>“Right you are.” Larry stretched his arms. -“Well, the question before us is how are we going -to get back to camp before they find that canoe, and -us missing?”</p> - -<p>Tom went to the kitchen door and looked out. -“The storm isn’t over yet,” he announced. “Couldn’t -you lads stay to supper? If you will, I’ll sail you -back afterwards. Likely as not the water’ll be -smooth as a mill-pond in an hour or so.”</p> - -<p>“They won’t be looking for you at your camp -yet,” said Tuckerman. “They’ll think you landed -somewhere, and are waiting for the squall to -blow over.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll stay to supper,” said Bill. “It would be -a shame to have you fellows get wet again on -account of us.”</p> - -<p>David jumped up. “We’ve got provisions -stowed away right here in the kitchen.” Rolling up -his sleeves, he gave directions to his assistant cooks.</p> - -<p>The kitchen of Cotterell Hall had never seen as -much activity as it did in the next half hour, with the -result that a sumptuous feast was soon set out on -the table.</p> - -<p>They ate as if they hadn’t tasted food for a -week, cleaned up, and trooped out to the front door. -The squall was over, a light wind was blowing—not -enough to ruffle the water—and stars were beginning -to shine in a cloudless sky.</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo’s</span> sail was raised, and the skipper sent -her across the bay to the place where the canoe had -upset. Search soon found the canoe rocking in the -surf on a sandy beach of the mainland. She was -righted and her painter fastened to a cleat at the -stern of the sailboat, and the <span class='it'>Argo</span> took a course -alongshore. Presently, rounding a point, the crew -saw a bonfire at Camp Amoussock lighting a stretch -of woods.</p> - -<p>They all went ashore, and found the Camp just -about to start out on a search for the missing boys. -The visitors had to stay a while and be entertained -by their hosts, and it was not until the moon was -high in the sky that the <span class='it'>Argo</span> again pushed her nose -across the water, a southernly breeze filling her sail.</p> - -<p>As they came abreast of the western end of their -island another sailboat, looking like a great white -moth in the moonlight, went scudding away over the -silver sea.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” said Ben, “what is she doing here? -Poaching on our preserves, it seems to me.”</p> - -<p>“The harbor’s free to everyone,” said David. -“I don’t suppose even Crusty Christopher objected -to people sailing boats on the water, if they didn’t -try to land on his shore.”</p> - -<p>“Lanky knew there was some old yarn about the -Cotterell house,” Ben continued, paying no attention -to David’s remark. “And if he knew, why -shouldn’t others?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Tom, “what’s the answer?”</p> - -<p>“The answer is that we’re likely to have callers. -Not the kind that leave their visiting-cards, but the -sort that snoop around when nobody’s home.”</p> - -<p>“Thieves?” questioned David.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Ben, “I didn’t mean thieves exactly. -Detectives come nearer to what I meant.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman chuckled. “Benjamin, you’re a -wonder! You never let go of an idea once you get -your teeth in it, do you? I’d forgotten all about the -treasure. I was studying the stars, and Dave was -thinking about baseball, and Tom about the course -he’s steering; but you—why, you were puzzling your -wits about Sir Peter and the mahogany man, and -goodness knows what else. Keep it up, Ben my boy. -That’s the road to success.”</p> - -<p>And Ben, thinking of what he had found that -morning, grinned but said nothing. If he could only -work out the scheme he had in his mind, he felt -that he would be prouder than if he knocked home -runs against the very best baseball pitchers in the -major leagues.</p> - -<h1 id='t3501'>IX—THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS</h1> - -<p>John Tuckerman was leaning on his arm and -looking out at the sparkling, gleaming blue-green -water when Ben Sully woke next day. Ben kept -still and watched him, as he had watched him on -several other mornings. Tuckerman looked so -absorbed, so intent. He seemed to be sniffing the -air. And Ben, to whom a summer morning on the -New England coast presented no novelty, appreciated -that to this man everything about him seemed -like a part of wonderland.</p> - -<p>The only sounds were the lapping of waves and -the calling of birds in the woods back of the camp. -A great gray-white gull was soaring far out over -the water, slanting first this way, then that, as though -he were trying his wings before he made a real flight. -Nearer shore two white terns circled round and -round, and then dropped straight in the bay, their -sharp beaks darting at fish. The shore of the mainland -rose in a green swell, on which pearl-colored -fleecy clouds seemed to be floating, and the shore -of the island itself, above the beach, was a tangle -of bay and juniper and wild roses, all shades of -greens and pinks in the early sun.</p> - -<p>Ben saw this through Tuckerman’s eyes, and -felt the spell of enchantment. Then David rolled -over, stretched his arms, grunted; and the spell was -broken. A pine-cone, tossed by Ben, landed on -David’s nose. “Hi there, you mosquito!” exclaimed -the nose’s owner. He threw the pine-cone -at Tom. “Time to be up, lazybones. Breakfast -in half-an-hour, and those who aren’t down when -the bell rings won’t get any!”</p> - -<p>“The tub’s mine first!” shouted John -Tuckerman, and pulling off his pajamas he took -a few leaps across the grass and raced over the sand -to the water, where he ducked under a wave and -bobbed up again, splashing and yelling.</p> - -<p>Ben, then David, then Tom, followed, making -more noise between them than all the wildfowl on -the island put together. The water was cold, but -fine for a morning swim, and when, after fifteen -minutes, the four came out on the beach again, they -seized the Turkish towels that hung conveniently -on a juniper, and rubbed themselves to a brilliant -lobster-like glow.</p> - -<p>“That particular swimming-pool,” said John -Tuckerman,—“I refer to the one commonly called -the damp spot, or the ocean,—beats all the porcelain-lined -tubs it has ever been my privilege to bathe in. -It’s true there’s only cold water; but come out into -this sun for a few minutes and you’ll be hot enough. -Now it seems to me”—but at that particular moment -he began to pull his flannel shirt over his head, and -when his words again became audible he was saying -“shake well, and take a teaspoonful in a glass of -water every morning before breakfast.”</p> - -<p>Breakfast! Magic word after a swim in the -ocean! The boys jumped into their clothes and set -to work. For the next half-hour the thoughts of all -the campers were centred on food.</p> - -<p>But as soon as his plate was cleared Ben began to -consider another matter. He quoted lines to himself, -“I took the box to the north cliff.... I -hid it in the pocket in the rocks. There are two veins -that make a mark like a cross.” Very good; that -was plain. And as soon as the after-breakfast -chores were done he said, rather self-consciously, -“I know where there’s a pool full of cunners,” and -picking up his fishing-rod and tackle, he hurried -into the woods.</p> - -<p>He looked back over his shoulder once or twice, -but no one was following him. Through the thickets, -dappled with sunshine, he went at a brisk trot. This -brought him out on the north shore, where the high -rocks towered above the beach like a line of battlements. -He swung himself over a cliff and dropped -lightly on to the sand. Leaving his fishing-rod in a -convenient place where he could pick it up quickly -if anyone came by, he began his search.</p> - -<p>There were crevices in the rocks, and each of -these had to be explored. Bushes and trailing vines, -growing from little footholds, covered the seaward -surface of many of the cliffs. But Ben, thrilled -with the sense of exploration, and persevering by -nature, stuck to his task, and was rewarded at last -by finding what he sought, two veins of a light yellow -color that made the distinct mark of a cross.</p> - -<p>“That’s it!” he muttered, excited. “And, by -Jove, there’s the pocket!”</p> - -<p>Down on his knees he went, and thrust his head -into an opening. He pushed himself forward by digging -his toes in the sand. And soon his outstretched -hand touched a large chest, he felt metal bands about -it, he pushed it, but it was wedged in tight.</p> - -<p>Presently he pulled himself out, stood up, and -considered the situation. He had found the box -that James Sampson had hid in the rocks. His first -thought was what a tremendously strong man -Sampson must have been to carry such a chest all -the way from Cotterell Hall to this north shore. -However, Sampson might not have carried it; he -might have brought it in a cart or by some other -means. And his next thought was, how could -Benjamin Sully get that chest out of the pocket.</p> - -<p>That took a good deal of thinking, and he sat -down and considered it from various angles.</p> - -<p>Into his brown study two voices from somewhere -back of him made interruption abruptly.</p> - -<p>“He’s fishing for cunners on the dry sand! -First time I ever saw that done. He just coaxes ’em -out of the water.”</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet! He’s counting the grains of sand. -He’s got up into the millions.”</p> - -<p>“He’s thinking up a way to hypnotize the fish. -Stare at them hard enough, and they’ll swim right -up on the beach.”</p> - -<p>“He’s copying King Canute. Telling the waves -to go back.”</p> - -<p>“He’s working out a time-table for the tides.”</p> - -<p>Ben turned his head. “As a matter of fact, the -thing I’m thinking about is a thousand times more -interesting than anything you’ve guessed.”</p> - -<p>The two voices were those of David and Tom.</p> - -<p>“I’ve always said,” observed David, “that you -can’t catch our Benjie napping. He seems to be -sitting there like a bump on a log, but he’s really -thinking of the most remarkable things.”</p> - -<p>“I shouldn’t wonder,” nodded Tom, “if it was -something utterly prodigious—like why the water’s -wet or fish have scales.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Ben pleasantly, “I was wondering -how I could get Peter Cotterell’s treasure chest out -of the place where his servant James Sampson hid it. -It’s rather too heavy for me to handle by myself.”</p> - -<p>The other two stared. “Benjie oughtn’t to have -come out here without a cork helmet,” said David. -“I suppose he’s got a sunstroke.”</p> - -<div class='imgcenter'> -<img src='images/illus-136.jpg' alt='' id='img3'/> -<p class='caption'>“Sampson put the chest there,” he concluded.</p> -</div> - -<p>“What are you driving at?” asked Tom. “Have -you really found the treasure, Ben?”</p> - -<p>Ben pointed negligently toward the cleft in the -rock. “There,” he answered. “See that yellow -cross? That marks where he hid the chest.”</p> - -<p>“You’re dreaming!” David snorted.</p> - -<p>“How do you know?” questioned Tom.</p> - -<p>Ben took from his pocket the piece of paper that -bore James Sampson’s message. He read it aloud, -slowly, giving each word full weight. “Sampson -put the chest there,” he concluded. “And there it is -now. I crawled in and found it.”</p> - -<p>Even David was impressed by that. He got -down on his knees and poked into the cavern, and -when he stood up he nodded solemnly.</p> - -<p>“There is something in there,” he said. “I -shouldn’t wonder if Ben might be right.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Tom, “there’s a rope in the sailboat. -We left her around the point.” He hurried -away.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes he was back, with a coil of -good-sized rope.</p> - -<p>Taking an end of this, Ben again crawled into the -opening and made the rope tight about the chest. -Then the three boys took hold of the other end -of the rope and began to pull. The sand was not -very secure footing and the chest was heavy, but -gradually they pulled it out. They discovered it was -a box made of hard wood, with iron fastenings.</p> - -<p>“Well,” declared Tom, “if James Sampson -carried that all the way here by himself, all I’ve got -to say is that he deserves his name.”</p> - -<p>“These mahogany men,” added David, “supposing -that the fellow who carried this chest was -a mahogany man—must belong to a race of giants. -I wonder if it was a mahogany man who made those -footprints on the edge of the creek?”</p> - -<p>Ben had picked up a flat stone, shaped something -like a large Indian arrowhead, and another round -stone; and inserting the first stone under the lid of -the chest, he struck it several blows with the other.</p> - -<p>Tom watched him a moment. “You can’t pry -it open that way,” he asserted. Looking along the -beach, he selected a big, egg-shaped stone and -brought it back to the chest. Lifting it in both -hands, he dropped it on the iron band just above the -lock. The iron snapped apart. The stone bounced -off on the sand.</p> - -<p>David and Ben seized the lid. With a creaking -of hinges it was lifted. There before them was a -light blue coat, gold-braided, a three-cornered hat of -felt, a sword in a tarnished scabbard.</p> - -<p>“My eye!” exclaimed Tom. “Just clothes! -Why in the world did he want to hide such things?”</p> - -<p>Ben was flinging them aside. Underneath were -other garments, several suits of the style worn by -gentlemen in Revolutionary days, and then the oddest -collection of bric-a-brac, candlesticks, pewter -pitchers, a silver snuff-box, a couple of lacquered -platters, and even some china plates.</p> - -<p>David started to laugh. “Well, if that’s the -Cotterell treasure, I can’t give it much! I don’t see -why the Barmouth people wanted to lay hands on -it, or why Sir Peter and his precious James Sampson -were so eager to get away with it. Why, it’s regular -junk-shop stuff. I don’t suppose the whole collection, -if they’d sold it at auction, would have fetched -enough to feed a soldier a week.”</p> - -<p>Ben looked very much crestfallen. He fingered -the suits, the snuff-box, the platters. “No,” he -said, “it does seem mighty queer. And to think that -Sampson brought these things over here, intending -to take them away in a boat! I don’t understand -it at all.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, Benjie.” Tom slapped his friend -on the shoulder. “You found the chest anyway.”</p> - -<p>“That’s right. You did,” said David. “You -worked out the puzzle. It isn’t your fault if the -treasure was just old junk.”</p> - -<p>Ben was scratching his head. “But surely Sir -Peter did have some valuable plate,” he argued. -“The people of Barmouth knew that. Then what -did he do with it?”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he melted it down himself,” said David. -“Anyhow it isn’t in that chest.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so.” Ben picked up the snuff-box and -stuck it in his pocket. “Where’s the Professor?”</p> - -<p>“He went up to the house. Said he was going -to write a letter,” Tom answered. “I’ll tell you -what we’ll do, old sport. I’ll take you out in the -<span class='it'>Argo</span> and let you have some fishing.”</p> - -<p>The chest was shut again and pushed back into -the pocket. Ben regained his fishing-rod and tackle, -and the three embarked in the sailboat. And presently -the satisfaction of pulling flounders on board -made Ben forget everything else.</p> - -<p>When they returned to camp, with a fine catch of -fish, they found John Tuckerman busy preparing -dinner. Ben told his story, while Tuckerman listened -with the greatest interest. “It does seem odd,” he -said, when Ben had finished. “Most peculiar, in -fact.” He mused a moment, his eyes regarding -the water. “But then my good old ancestor Sir -Peter was an odd kind of fish. I wonder now—do -you suppose he could possibly have been planning -to have a joke at the expense of his Barmouth -neighbors?”</p> - -<p>“You mean,” said Tom, “that he might have -hid those things expecting the neighbors to -find them?”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman nodded. “It might have been so. -Perhaps he, or James Sampson, even expected the -men in the boat that was waiting off shore to find -where Sampson hid the chest.”</p> - -<p>“But why all this puzzle then about the pieces -of parchment Ben found in the house?” asked David.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll admit,” said Tuckerman with a -smile, “that it’s not as clear as a pikestaff. Only -Sir Peter does seem to have liked his joke. However, -the bacon’s sizzling.” Brandishing a fork in -his hand, he bent over the frying pan.</p> - -<p>That afternoon Tuckerman said that he had an -important letter to mail, and the campers sailed to -Barmouth. Tuckerman went to the post-office, and -each of the boys dropped in on his family. Ben had -a chat with his mother, then told her he must do an -errand. This took him into a side street, where there -were a number of small, unpretentious shops.</p> - -<p>He stopped before a window that was filled with -old furniture, andirons, odds and ends of china. He -opened the door, and a little bell tinkled somewhere -back in the house, and after a moment a small, -wizened-faced man, wearing a big blue checked -apron, came into the room.</p> - -<p>“Afternoon, Mr. Haskins,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“It’s Ben Sully, ain’t it?” said the proprietor. -“Well, are you goin’ to get married, an’ want a -nice set of furniture to go to housekeepin’ with?”</p> - -<p>“Not to-day, Mr. Haskins.” Ben acknowledged -the joke with a grin. “No, sir, I’m more interested -just as present in what you call antiques.”</p> - -<p>“Antiques, eh? Well, what was you thinkin’ -of wantin’? I’ve some nice three-legged kettles, a -soup tureen that came over in the <span class='it'>Mayflower</span>, an -ivory back-scratcher that hails from India. Just -look about, an’ tell me what you want.”</p> - -<p>“I want you to tell me something about this.” -Ben put his hand in his pocket and drew out the snuffbox -he had taken from the Cotterell chest.</p> - -<p>“This?” Mr. Haskins took the snuff-box, -pulled his spectacles down from his forehead on to -his nose, walked nearer the window, and peered at -the small silver box.</p> - -<p>“What do you want me to tell you?” he asked -after a moment.</p> - -<p>“Is it a real old one?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly it is. See that monogram? That’s -the finest embossed work.” Mr. Haskins gave a -chuckle. “I ought to know about that box, I ought.”</p> - -<p>“Why ought you?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p>“Well, you see, this here particular snuff-box has -been in my shop some time. I sold it to a customer -just about a week ago.”</p> - -<p>“I thought perhaps you had,” said Ben, trying -hard not to show his excitement.</p> - -<h1 id='t3880'>X—LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND</h1> - -<p>The information that Ben obtained that afternoon -from Mr. Haskins concerning his sale of the -snuff-box gave a new direction to his thoughts. He -could not follow up this new clue just yet, however, -without telling the others, and this he didn’t want to -do. They would be waiting for him aboard the <span class='it'>Argo</span>, -and so, after a fifteen-minute talk with the shopkeeper, -he hurried away to join them at the wharf.</p> - -<p>One other thing he did, however, before the sailboat -left Barmouth, and that was to get a canoe he -owned out from a shed on the waterfront and fasten -it behind the <span class='it'>Argo</span>. If he had the <span class='it'>Red Rover</span> with -him—he had laboriously painted that name in orange -letters on a scarlet background on the canoe—he -would be able to come and go about the harbor as he -wished and to leave the island without explaining -his plans, as he would have to do if he wanted -to take the sailboat.</p> - -<p>“What’s the idea?” asked David, who never -overlooked a chance to ask a question. “Are you -going to teach the Professor how to paddle a canoe?”</p> - -<p>Ben nodded. “I thought that ought to be part -of his education. The <span class='it'>Red Rover’s</span> steady enough -for any beginner to paddle.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman looked askance at the little craft bobbing -up and down in the wake of the <span class='it'>Argo</span>. “Any -canoe’s unsteady enough for me to upset in, I guess. -However, I like Ben’s idea. It was thoughtful of -you, my lad.”</p> - -<p>At that they all laughed, for whatever Ben’s -reason had been for wanting the canoe at the island -it was fairly obvious that he was not taking it there -to further John Tuckerman’s seafaring education.</p> - -<p>That evening, however, Tuckerman reminded -Ben of his suggestion. The water was calm, the -breeze was light. “How about a paddle?” he asked. -“Just along the shore? I promise not to rock -the boat.”</p> - -<p>“Righto,” said Ben. “Come on.”</p> - -<p>They went to the landing-stage at the pier and -put the canoe in the water. Ben got in at the stern -and balanced the boat while Tuckerman gingerly -stepped in and squatted down at the bow.</p> - -<p>“Not much room for long legs,” said -Tuckerman. “I’ll have to tie mine up in a bow.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll get used to it soon,” encouraged Ben. -“I’ll do the steering. All you have to do is to put -your paddle in, give a long, slow push, and take it -out again.”</p> - -<p>“Sounds easy enough.” Tuckerman tried to -shift the position of his knees, with the result that -the canoe rolled over almost far enough to ship a -gallon of water. He threw his weight the other way, -and the canoe nearly capsized.</p> - -<p>“Plague take it!” he muttered. “It’s worse -than walking a tight-rope!”</p> - -<p>“Easy there, easy,” laughed Ben. “First rule -in a canoe is never to move quickly. When you shift -your weight, do it slowly. Pretty soon it’ll come as -natural as riding a bicycle.”</p> - -<p>“Riding a balky horse, you mean,” said -Tuckerman. “All right; I’ll remember.” He dipped -the tip of his paddle into the water and gave a -tiny shove.</p> - -<p>Ben gave a long sweep with his paddle, a dexterous -twist at the end of the stroke, and the <span class='it'>Red -Rover</span> floated smoothly away from the landing-stage.</p> - -<p>With Ben’s coaching, Tuckerman soon was able -to paddle fairly well. He found it somewhat difficult -to keep the bow evenly balanced, but as Ben anticipated -his movements and shifted automatically from -side to side, Tuckerman gained confidence and soon -was sitting steady.</p> - -<p>They paddled along shore, past the camp and on -to the upper end of the island. Tuckerman, feeling -more and more at ease, was delighted with the -motion, with the gentle swish of the water, with the -still, starlit night, with the panorama of beach and -cliffs and woods as they floated by.</p> - -<p>“Let’s go on around the island,” he suggested. -“This isn’t real work at all.”</p> - -<p>Ben smiled to himself. He knew that Tuckerman -would discover next morning several muscles in his -back and shoulders that he wasn’t accustomed to feeling. -But the night was perfect for a paddle. “All -right,” he agreed. “No, don’t you try to do any -steering. The man in the stern does that.” With a -couple of twists he turned the bow to the north. -“There,” he said, “there’s the cliff where Sampson -hid the chest in the pocket.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman turned to look. The <span class='it'>Red Rover</span> -wobbled, slanted.</p> - -<p>Ben shifted and righted her quickly. “Hi -there!” he warned.</p> - -<p>“My mistake,” said the penitent Tuckerman. “I -see that it won’t do for me to think of two things -at once when I’m out on this lily-pad.”</p> - -<p>“Paddle—quickly now,” Ben ordered. “But -not too quickly. There’s a rip off that ledge.”</p> - -<p>They passed the rip and came into smoother -water. Presently they were on the ocean side of the -island. “There’s the creek where we saw the footprints,” -said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Don’t point out anything else to me,” said -Tuckerman. “If I move my left leg I can’t get it -back in place.”</p> - -<p>By the time they reached the southern end of the -island the bow-paddler felt as if the muscles of his -knees were tied in hard knots. “Do you mind,” he -said in a tone of apology, “if I stop paddling for a -couple of minutes and unwind myself? I’ll move -very slowly.”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” said Ben. “I’ll balance the canoe.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman pushed himself back, then very -carefully unwound his long legs, stretched them out with -an exclamation of relief, rubbed the muscles, and -then readjusted himself in a new and more comfortable -position. “I suppose to be a really proficient -canoeist,” he observed, “one ought to be made -of rubber. There—how’s that? Didn’t I do -it cleverly?”</p> - -<p>“Wonderful!” said Ben.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman picked up his paddle again, and, -proud of his ability to move without rocking the -boat, stuck the paddle in the water and gave a mighty -sweep. The bow swung around, rocked, tilted; -Tuckerman pressed his arm hard on the left-hand -gunwale.</p> - -<p>“Hold on, Professor!” cried Ben. “We don’t -want to head out into the ocean. Keep your paddle -out of the water. Steady there!” With alternate -strokes to right and left Ben soon had the canoe back -on its course parallel to the shore.</p> - -<p>“I <span class='it'>am</span> a duffer,” muttered Tuckerman contritely.</p> - -<p>“Oh no, you’re not,” said Ben. “You’re doing -very well. Only you must remember to let the stern -man do the steering. A little more practice and -you’ll find the <span class='it'>Red Rover</span> as easy to manage as falling -off a log.”</p> - -<p>“Falling off a log is good,” was Tuckerman’s -comment. “Falling into the water would be more -like it.”</p> - -<p>They rounded the lower end of the island and -came back on the bay side. They had almost reached -the landing-stage when Ben said, “See, there’s a -light at Cotterell Hall. It’s in the front door. It -looks like a pocket flashlight. I suppose Tom and -David went up there to get something.”</p> - -<p>Cautiously Tuckerman looked in the direction of -the house. There was a small circle of light. It -moved away from the door; after a minute it shone -through a window.</p> - -<p>“I thought I locked the doors,” he said. “However, -they may have climbed in through a window.”</p> - -<p>The light disappeared. The canoe floated -smoothly up to the stage, and Ben held it level while -Tuckerman climbed out. Ben jumped up lightly. -Then they both pulled the <span class='it'>Red Rover</span> out and turned -it bottom side up.</p> - -<p>They went up the walk to the house. The front -door was shut, and when Tuckerman turned the -knob he found that the door was locked. He opened -it with his own key, and the two went in. The hall -and the rooms were dark, there was no sound of -voices or footsteps anywhere.</p> - -<p>“That’s funny,” said Tuckerman. “We didn’t -see Tom and David come down the path. Maybe -they went out the back way.”</p> - -<p>But the kitchen door was locked, and when the -two opened it and looked out there was no sign of -the others leaving in that direction.</p> - -<p>“I wonder what they’ve been up to?” said Ben. -“Playing some joke perhaps.”</p> - -<p>They returned to the camp, and there were Tom -and David, toasting marshmallows on long sticks -over a bed of hot coals.</p> - -<p>“We were betting ten to one,” said David, “that -you’d come back nice and wet. Want to dry your -clothes at the fire?”</p> - -<p>“No, thanks,” answered Tuckerman. “We’ve -been all round the island, and we didn’t ship a -thimbleful of water.”</p> - -<p>Tom glanced at Ben. “The Professor hasn’t -been fooling us, has he? He didn’t know all about -handling a canoe, did he?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Ben with a smile. “He didn’t know -all about handling a canoe when we started. But he -knows almost everything about it now.” Then, as -he sat down cross-legged on the grass, Ben said -carelessly, “We saw your light in the house. I -suppose you climbed in through a window.”</p> - -<p>“Saw our light in the house?” Tom echoed. -“What are you giving us?”</p> - -<p>His tone was perfectly sincere. Ben saw that he -wasn’t joking.</p> - -<p>“Well, we certainly saw some light,” Tuckerman -stated. “It looked like a pocket flashlight, at the -front door and at one of the windows.”</p> - -<p>“Not guilty,” said David. “Are you sure it -wasn’t a firefly?”</p> - -<p>“You two have been right here ever since we -left?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” answered the two in chorus.</p> - -<p>“And you haven’t seen anyone land, or heard -anyone?” Ben continued.</p> - -<p>“No,” came the chorus.</p> - -<p>Ben looked at Tuckerman. “Well, someone was -in the house. How about that, Professor?”</p> - -<p>“Somebody was. But I can’t imagine what -they could have been doing. I don’t suppose they -were thieves.”</p> - -<p>“It’s my opinion,” said David sagely, “that they -were hunting for the famous Cotterell treasure. And -now that you’ve found it, Benjie, I’d suggest that -you put up a big placard, stating ‘The treasure has -been found. No seekers need apply.’”</p> - -<p>“Very good,” said Ben. “Only the real treasure -hasn’t been found, you see.”</p> - -<p>“What!” exclaimed David.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Ben, “that’s my humble opinion.” -And then, as if he wanted to change the subject, -he added, “I’m going to toast one large, juicy -marshmallow, and then I’m going to turn in.”</p> - -<p>Half-an-hour later the moon, riding up in the -sky, looked down through the branches and saw that -the four campers were sound asleep. There was the -lap-lap of waves, the gentle purring noise as the water -washed over pebbles, and in the tops of the pines -a soft lullaby of the breeze.</p> - -<p>Tom stirred, turned, opened his eyes. It seemed -to him that something had waked him. He looked -about; there was only the familiar scene. He gave a -satisfied grunt and curled his head in the hollow of -his arm. Then he looked around again to make -sure that they had put out all the embers of the fire. -And at some distance through the woods, in the -direction of the pier, he saw a light that moved.</p> - -<p>Immediately he remembered what Ben and -Tuckerman had said about seeing a light in the -house. Noiselessly he got up, pulled on his shoes -and stuck his arms in his jacket. Through the -woods he stole, stealthy as an Indian. The light -had disappeared, but he thought he heard the sound -of feet on the planks of the pier.</p> - -<p>He came to the trees nearest to the clearing about -Cotterell Hall. The house was dark; there was no -sound or light in the neighborhood. But he was -convinced that there had been someone there, and -presently he darted forward and crossed the open -space to the shelter of the porch.</p> - -<p>After a few minutes he stole to the corner of the -house, and now his search was rewarded. Someone -was leaving by the kitchen door. In the moonlight -he counted three figures. They were heading away -from the shore, toward the grove at the back; he -guessed that they intended to take the path that led -down to the creek.</p> - -<p>Tom followed them at a distance. They went -through the woods, and now he saw the moonlight -on the water. They had reached the head of the -creek, but they didn’t stop there. They went on -along the bank to the higher shore where the creek -flowed into the ocean. Then for the first time Tom -noticed the silver tip of a sail. Lying flat behind a -bush, he watched the three men go to the rim of -the shore, and, one after another, slide over the edge -where the boat waited.</p> - -<p>He wanted to see that boat, to get a closer view -of the men; but there were no bushes between him -and the shore. Now the tip of the sail was bobbing, -now it was filling out; presently it was moving to the -southward, a white wing, still as a floating gull.</p> - -<p>He crept forward and watched. The boat was -stealing away, soon she was only a dancing speck -of white in the glittering moonpath. He had no way -of identifying her or of making out her crew. He -noted that she did not turn or tack when she came -to the lower end of the island, but held on to a course -that would bring her south along the main shore.</p> - -<p>Tom stood up and eased his feelings by a long -whistle. “What were they doing here? It must -be something mighty important,” he said aloud.</p> - -<p>No answer occurred to him, and after watching -the sail until it disappeared in the distance he turned -and walked back to the house.</p> - -<p>He tried both the doors; they were locked. He -looked at the lower windows; they were all closed. -He went down to the pier; the <span class='it'>Argo</span> was there and -the <span class='it'>Red Rover</span>; there was nothing to tell him what -these night-time prowlers had been doing.</p> - -<p>He went back by the beach to the camp. As he -stepped up on to the bank Ben opened his eyes and -sat up. “Hello,” he said sleepily. “Why, Tom, -what are you doing?”</p> - -<p>“Sh-ssh,” murmured Tom.</p> - -<p>Ben rubbed his eyes, crawled out of his bed, -caught Tom’s arm, and pulled him down to the beach. -“What were you doing?” he demanded in an insistent -whisper.</p> - -<p>“Well, I saw a light, and I went to find out -what it was.”</p> - -<p>“Yes? And you saw them, did you?”</p> - -<p>“Saw whom, Benjie?”</p> - -<p>“Saw the pirates, did you?”</p> - -<p>“The pirates! You’re half-asleep. What are -you talking about?”</p> - -<p>Ben nodded his head. “Oh, I know something -about them.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I saw three men. They went away in -a sailboat.”</p> - -<p>“Who were they? What did they look like?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I didn’t get very close.”</p> - -<p>“I wish you’d taken me along with you. I’ll bet -I’d have found out something.”</p> - -<p>That nettled Tom, and he answered more loudly, -“Oh, you would, would you? I thought you knew -all about them.”</p> - -<p>“Sh-ssh,” muttered Ben. But David had -wakened now, and his voice boomed out, “What are -you two lobsters quarreling over?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said Tom. “Keep quiet, or you’ll -wake the Professor.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman sat up. “You don’t mean to say -it’s morning!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“No, it’s not,” Tom answered. “Can’t a fellow -take a stroll in the moonlight without rousing the -whole town?”</p> - -<p>“Stroll in the moonlight!” chuckled David.</p> - -<p>“Go on with your beauty sleep, Professor. That’s -what I’m going to do. Let the two lobsters fight -it out.”</p> - -<p>“All right,” said the sleepy Tuckerman, nestling -down again.</p> - -<p>Tom turned to Ben. “So you know something -about these pirates, do you?” he asked. “What -were they doing here?”</p> - -<p>“That,” said Ben, “is going to take some thinking. -You see what you can find out, and I’ll see -what I can. They won’t be back here to-night. And -I’m too doggone sleepy to argue anyhow.”</p> - -<h1 id='t4318'>XI—THE MAN IN GREEN</h1> - -<p>Ben, having explained to the other three campers -that he had important business to attend to in -Barmouth, set out in the <span class='it'>Red Rover</span> directly after -breakfast the next morning. He paddled the canoe -across the bay, landed at the town wharf, and went -up the main street to Barmouth’s one good hotel. -He knew the clerk, Mr. Pollock, and after saying -“Good morning” very politely, he helped himself -to a small folded automobile map from a pile that -lay on the counter for anyone to take.</p> - -<p>“Going motoring, Ben?” asked the clerk. -“Seems to me I heard you were camping on -Cotterell’s Island. How are things over there?”</p> - -<p>“Fine,” said Ben; and in return he promptly -asked a question. “Had many automobile parties -for dinner the past few days?”</p> - -<p>“Quite a lot. Yes, business is pretty good. -They like our special broiled lobster dinners.”</p> - -<p>Ben leaned on the counter, copying the familiar -manner he had noted in hotel guests. “You had a -party on Tuesday, didn’t you? A big red car, with -a Massachusetts license, driven by a man in green-checked -knickerbockers?”</p> - -<p>“Expect me to remember that?” Nevertheless, -Mr. Pollock scratched his chin and considered the -question. “Yes, seems to me I do recall such a -party. Somebody said those knickerbockers were -loud enough to be heard all the way to Boston.” -The clerk thumbed the pages of the hotel register -and presently pointed out a name. “That’s the fellow, -Joseph Hastings. He comes from Cleveland, -Ohio. There were four in his party.”</p> - -<p>“And he came in a big red car, with a silver -eagle on the radiator cap?” Ben persisted.</p> - -<p>“Well, now, I can’t say as to that.” But Mr. -Pollock, being a good-natured man and having nothing -else to do at the moment, scratched his chin -again, and again considered. “I do think of something. -He told me he’d punctured a tire and asked -me the best place to go to buy a new one.”</p> - -<p>Ben nodded. “I suppose you told him -Hammond’s?”</p> - -<p>“You’re right. I did. Frank Hammond is a -good friend of mine.”</p> - -<p>Then Ben changed the conversation to the -subject of the big league pennant race, in which the -clerk was very much interested, and after some -further chat, departed from the hotel.</p> - -<p>Frank Hammond knew Ben also, and was not too -busy that morning to exchange a few words with -him. After a number of questions about the state -of the roads in the neighborhood of Barmouth, Ben -said, “Mr. Pollock tells me you sold a tire to Joseph -Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday of this week.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” said Mr. Hammond, “I did. I -sold him a couple of those big Vulcan tires for his -rear wheels. Is he a friend of yours?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know him very well,” Ben evaded. -“But I hear he’s a fine fellow. Is he touring along -the coast?”</p> - -<p>“No. He said he was staying at a place called -the Gables, down on the Cape Ann Road. Wonderful -car he’s got. He told me he’d had it built -according to his own ideas.”</p> - -<p>“Big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator -cap?”</p> - -<p>“That’s the bird. Yes, sir, he must be a -millionaire.”</p> - -<p>When he left the dealer in automobile supplies -Ben went to his uncle’s house and secured the loan of -a small, ramshackle car he had often driven before. -He made sure that the car had plenty of gasoline -and oil, that the radiator was full of water, and he -took a look at the tires. Then he drove south from -Barmouth over the State Road.</p> - -<p>It was a fine day, and many cars were out. Ben -kept a watchful eye for such a car as that of Joseph -Hastings, but none answering the description passed -him. So he jogged along until he came to the fork -of the Cape Ann Road and turned into it. There -were fewer automobiles here, the road was not made -for speeding, the little car bounced about a good deal -going over ruts, and rattled like a load of tinware.</p> - -<p>He met a boy on a bicycle and asked him if he -knew a place called the Gables.</p> - -<p>“Down the road a couple of miles,” the boy told -him. “Big house with a ship for a weather-vane.”</p> - -<p>Ben thanked him and drove on. Pretty soon he -saw the weather-vane on a roof to the left of -the road.</p> - -<p>The Gables had a wide lawn, stretching down -to a stone wall. The entrance to the drive was at -the southern end, and the gateposts were flanked -with larches. Ben drove to the gate, and stopped. -So far his plan had been simple; now he was undecided -what course to follow next.</p> - -<p>He was musing over this when a voice hailed him.</p> - -<p>“Give you greetings, sir. May I ask what -you’re pondering over?”</p> - -<p>The words were so peculiar that Ben looked -around in surprise. A young man had stepped out -from among the trees and was nodding at him.</p> - -<p>“Why—good-morning,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Has your car run out of juice?”</p> - -<p>The man came up, a broad smile on his face. -He himself looked very much like any sunburned -fellow; but his costume was most peculiar. He wore -a tight-fitting jacket of green, open at the throat, -without any necktie. His knee-breeches were green, -too, and so were his stockings, and on his low brown -shoes were large brass buckles.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Ben, with an answering smile, for -there was a twinkle in the stranger’s eye as if he knew -some joke, “I’ve gasoline enough to run this car -all day. I’ll admit it isn’t the very latest model—not -what you’d call a show car—but we do get wonderful -mileage per gallon of gas.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t make any apologies for your equipage,” -said the gentleman in green. “Many a valiant -knight has ridden on a steed that wouldn’t have taken -the blue ribbon at the horse show. Don Quixote, for -example. You remember him, of course? The -Spanish cavalier who rode forth to tilt at windmills?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Ben with a laugh. And then, seeing -that the man was friendly, he added, “That’s a -wonderful suit of clothes you’re wearing.”</p> - -<p>“You like it?” The owner looked down at his -costume. “I designed it myself. It seems to me an -improvement on the usual thing. And now, kind sir, -since you tell me that your steed has plenty of fodder, -may I ask how you happen to be sitting here on -such a fine day?”</p> - -<p>“This place is called the Gables, isn’t it?” asked -Ben. “Mr. Joseph Hastings lives here?”</p> - -<p>“Right you are,” answered the man. “But Mr. -Hastings isn’t at home this morning. Did you have -business with him?”</p> - -<p>“In a way. I wanted to find out if he’d lost a -silver snuff-box.”</p> - -<p>“A snuff-box? That’s interesting. But I don’t -think Joseph Hastings takes snuff.”</p> - -<p>Ben drew the box from his pocket. The man in -green looked at it. “Now where did you find -this?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“On an island in Barmouth Harbor,” said Ben. -“Cotterell’s Island, it’s called.”</p> - -<p>“Well!” exclaimed the man. “Well, well—you -don’t say so!” He looked at the boy in the car -with a new interest. “So that’s where you come -from, is it?” He returned the snuff-box. “May I -be so inquisitive as to ask your name?”</p> - -<p>“Benjamin Sully.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you. My own appellation is Roderick -Fitzhugh. If you have no objection, Mr. Sully, I -should greatly enjoy the pleasure of riding with you.”</p> - -<p>Ben didn’t know what to say; and Mr. Fitzhugh -evidently took his silence for consent, for he immediately -hopped into the seat beside the driver.</p> - -<p>“That’s all right,” said Ben; “but you see I -wasn’t thinking of riding anywhere. I came to -find out whether Mr. Hastings had lost a snuff-box -on Cotterell’s Island.”</p> - -<p>“Just so. But you can’t find that out, as he’s -not at home at present. And meantime I suggest -that we go on a little adventure. A fine day, a steed -with plenty of gasoline, and two gentlemen looking -for amusement.”</p> - -<p>Ben was mystified. “What sort of adventure?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, what would you say to hunting for -hooked-rugs?”</p> - -<p>“Hooked-rugs?” Ben laughed; he was now so -much amused at Roderick Fitzhugh’s company that -he wanted to see more of him. “Do they grow -on bushes?”</p> - -<p>“No. They grow in these thrifty Yankee cottages. -I’ll tell you where to go.”</p> - -<p>Ben started the engine and drove on. At his -companion’s direction he soon turned into a by-road -that led westward.</p> - -<p>Roderick Fitzhugh nodded toward a cottage, in -the yard of which a woman was scattering grain to -a flock of chickens. “There is a likely-looking -hunting-ground,” he said. “Please stop when you -come to the gate. I will exchange a few words with -this respectable lady.”</p> - -<p>The car stopped, making its customary noise of -clattering tinware as Ben put on the brake. The -woman looked round, and in the usual neighborly -fashion of farmers walked over to the gate.</p> - -<p>“Morning,” she said.</p> - -<p>“Good morning to you, Madam,” responded -Roderick Fitzhugh. “You have a fine flock of hens.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she said, looking at the man in the green -clothes as if she didn’t know exactly what to make -of him.</p> - -<p>“My friend and I,” continued Fitzhugh, “were -just discussing the subject of hooked-rugs. As soon -as I saw you I said, ‘There’s a woman who knows -all about them.’” His tone was so deferential that -anyone would have been pleased to be addressed in -such a manner.</p> - -<p>The woman smiled. “Well, now, I don’t know -as how I know all about them; but I do have a few -old rugs. Been in the family some time.”</p> - -<p>“You see!” exclaimed Fitzhugh, turning to Ben. -And to the woman he added, “Would it be possible -for my friend and me to have a look at them?”</p> - -<p>“Surely it would. But they’re not the new -shiny kind you can buy at the stores in the city.”</p> - -<p>Fitzhugh and Ben descended and followed the -woman indoors. Presently they were viewing half-a-dozen -antique rugs, all of the hooked variety, that -the woman collected from the upstairs rooms.</p> - -<p>Ben looked on with interest and amusement while -his new friend discussed the rugs with their owner. -And after listening to Fitzhugh’s admiration for -these things that she evidently regarded as rather -faded and only fit for service in bedrooms and attic, -the woman said, “I’d be pleased to have you take -one, if you care to.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, madam, you are too generous,” Fitzhugh -answered. “And yet I should like to have one. -That medium-sized one, with the purple border. I’d -be glad to pay five dollars for it.”</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s not worth that much.”</p> - -<p>“It is to me,” said Fitzhugh, and he brought -out a five-dollar bill from his trouser pocket and laid -it on the table.</p> - -<p>With the rug they returned to the car. As they -drove on again Fitzhugh said, “They used to tell -me, when I was a small boy, that you could take one -egg from a nest, and if there were several others left -the mother bird wouldn’t know the difference. I -don’t know whether that’s so. But I’m certain this -good woman won’t miss that rug very much. So -my conscience is easy, though I got that prize at a -bargain. Now, Mr. Benjamin Sully, what do you -say? Isn’t hunting for hooked-rugs exciting?”</p> - -<p>It was fun to hunt them with this amusing companion. -Fitzhugh collected three more at three other -houses, paying five dollars for each. At the third -house the farmer and his wife and children were -just sitting down to dinner and the strangers were -invited to join them. They had an excellent meal, -during which the man in green did almost all the -talking, and when they returned to the car and -started on again he rubbed his hands gleefully and -said, “Mr. Benjamin Sully, it isn’t so hard to find -adventures if you look for them, is it?”</p> - -<p>“Well,” Ben answered, “this is all very well; -but I set out this morning to see Mr. Hastings -and learn if he’d lost a snuff-box.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, you did. Joseph Hastings—a silver -snuff-box—found on Cotterell’s Island. What makes -you think that the snuff-box you found there belonged -to Joseph Hastings?”</p> - -<p>Ben considered how much to tell this Roderick -Fitzhugh, and finally decided to supply him with -more facts. “The snuff-box was bought by Mr. -Hastings at a shop in Barmouth, and I found it -yesterday in a chest hidden in a crevice in the rocks -on the island. Why did he put it there?”</p> - -<p>The man in green beamed with delight. “In a -treasure chest? Why, that’s splendid!” He looked -at Ben with new approval in his eyes. “So you’re -mixed up in a real adventure, are you? Treasure -hidden in the rocks—on an island! Why, that’s -magnificent! No wonder you didn’t get excited -over my tame hooked-rugs. Turn the car about, and -drive back to the Gables. We must investigate this.”</p> - -<p>Half-an-hour later the little car turned in between -the gate-posts at the Gables. It clattered up the -drive to the front of the house. On the wide porch -were at least a dozen people, men and women; and -when they saw the occupants of the car they gave a -shout of welcome.</p> - -<p>“Hello, here’s the lad in green!”</p> - -<p>“We thought you’d been kidnapped!”</p> - -<p>“Where’d you find the jitney?”</p> - -<p>“Hope you’ve had some lunch!”</p> - -<p>“We thought you’d been arrested as a suspicious -character in those clothes!”</p> - -<p>These were some of the exclamations.</p> - -<p>The man got out of the car and threw his bundle -of rugs on the steps of the porch. “My good -friends,” he said, “Roderick Fitzhugh has been adventuring, -and there’s his booty. Four beautiful -hooked-rugs to add to the collection. And this is -Mr. Benjamin Sully. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. -Sully has found a silver snuff-box belonging to -Joseph Hastings in a treasure chest on Cotterel’s -Island. What do you think of that?”</p> - -<p>There was another chorus of exclamations, expressive -of great surprise.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Sully,” the man in green continued, “if -you’ll get down from your steed we will partake of -a long glass of lemonade—two glasses to be exact.”</p> - -<p>Ben climbed down and went up the steps. And -then he noticed that all the people on the porch were -dressed in quaint costumes, as milkmaids or archers -or foresters. He looked at Fitzhugh, and the latter -nodded. “Queer crowd, aren’t they?” said -Fitzhugh. “However, they won’t bite.”</p> - -<h1 id='t4705'>XII—THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE</h1> - -<p>That same morning, while Ben had been hunting -for the owner of the red automobile with the -silver eagle on the radiator cap, Tom and David -and John Tuckerman had sailed down to Camp -Amoussock in the <span class='it'>Argo</span>. They found the boys at -the camp in their bathing-suits, practicing for some -water-sports that were to be held that week. A raft, -with a spring-board, was moored off shore, and from -this boys were diving and turning somersaults, backward -and forward, like acrobats in a circus.</p> - -<p>Other boys were swimming, practising for races, -and still others were paddling round in tubs, trying -to steer with their feet while they propelled the tubs -forward by splashing the water with their hands.</p> - -<p>“There,” said John Tuckerman, as he saw a fat -youngster revolving round and round in a tub, -“that’s the game for me. I believe, with my long -arms and legs, that I’d make a hit at it.”</p> - -<p>The fat boy splashed too hard, and the tub went -over neatly. There was a shout of laughter as the -boy bobbed up in the water and tried to turn the -slippery tub rightside up again. This was hard -work; the tub went round and round, continually -evading his fingers; and finally he swam to shore, -pushing the tub before him.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Tuckerman, “that isn’t the game for -me. I used to be pretty good at picking up a pea in -a tablespoon, but that was on dry land. When it -comes to wrestling with a tub in the water—” He -gave an expressive shrug—“I’d rather let the fishes -do it.”</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span> landed, and the three guests were provided -with bathing-suits from the camp’s supply. -For half-an-hour they swam and dived and perched -on the raft, watching the boys in tubs. Then a -bugle sounded on shore, telling them it was time to -get ready for dinner.</p> - -<p>The guests did full justice to dinner, sitting between -Mr. Perkins, the Chief Counsellor, and -Lanky Larry. Afterwards Mr. Perkins and John -Tuckerman had a chat, while Lanky invited Tom -and David to take a walk along the shore.</p> - -<p>“There’s a queer sort of place a couple of miles -to the south,” said Lanky. “It’s a cove with a lot -of shanties. Fishermen used to go there; there are -boats and nets lying around; but I think it must be -deserted. I saw some men there one day last week, -but they didn’t look like fishermen.”</p> - -<p>“Lead us to it,” said David. “Deserted villages -are right in our line.”</p> - -<p>The path along the shore brought them to the -cove. A little tidal river ran inland, wandering up -into marshes. On each side of the river was a stony -beach, and a rickety bridge, with a single handrail, -connected the banks of the stream. Small weatherbeaten -shacks, doors and shutters sagging outward, -fishing-dories, rusty anchors, lobster-pots, a few -nets with round black buoys, these cluttered up -either shore.</p> - -<p>“Nice place, if it wasn’t for the shanties,” said -David, regarding the cove.</p> - -<p>“I found a chap painting here one day,” said -Lanky. “He told me it made a great picture; he -liked the shanties first-rate.”</p> - -<p>“Funny what things painters like,” chuckled -David. “The more ramshackle a house is, the more -they want to paint it.”</p> - -<p>They went down a rocky path to the nearer -beach, and sat on the bottom of an upturned scow. -As they were chatting they heard the creak of a door, -opening on rusty hinges. A man came out from one -of the nearer shacks. His clothes were fairly new, -he wore a brown slouch hat and tan shoes—evidently -he was not a fisherman; neither was he a farmer -nor a common loafer; he looked as if he came from -a town. He was smoking a small briar pipe.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing here?” The man’s tone -was a little peremptory, though not exactly surly.</p> - -<p>David enjoyed such a question. With a pleasant, -friendly smile he answered, “Just sitting here -and thinking.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all you’re doing, eh?”</p> - -<p>“It is at present,” David answered. “What are -you doing yourself?”</p> - -<p>The man frowned; looked up the creek, looked -across at the opposite shore. “Nobody lives here -now,” he stated after a minute. “Sometimes I come -and fish from that bridge.”</p> - -<p>“What’s happened to the place?” asked Lanky.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. Only nobody comes here now.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we came this afternoon,” said David. -“You see, we’re explorers.”</p> - -<p>“You won’t find anything to explore.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t know about that.”</p> - -<p>The man shot a glance at David, not a very -amiable glance. And with that he walked to the -bridge, crossed it, and went into the huddle of shacks -on the other bank.</p> - -<p>“Pleasant sort of customer,” said Lanky.</p> - -<p>“He’d make a cow laugh,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“He didn’t like our being here,” observed David, -“Now I wonder why.”</p> - -<p>“He wants it all to himself,” said Lanky. “He -must be some sort of hermit.”</p> - -<p>“And just for that,”, said David, “I feel like -sitting right here on this scow till he gets -more hospitable.”</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, however, sitting on the upturned -boat and watching the waves surge gently up -over the stony beach and then withdraw in a network -of little rivulets that made the stones and pebbles -glisten was not entertaining enough to keep the -three boys there more than five minutes. Tom got -up. “I’m going over the bridge,” he said. “If our -friend the hermit doesn’t like it—well, he’ll just have -to lump it.”</p> - -<p>The bridge shook as the three of them stepped -upon it. “For goodness sake, don’t lean against -that railing,” Lanky warned. “Stop bouncing up -and down as you walk, Dave, or you’ll have us all in -the water.”</p> - -<p>David went on bouncing; but in spite of that they -reached the other shore safely. No one was to be -seen here; somewhere in the clutter of shanties the -man had disappeared.</p> - -<p>“I’d like to know what that precious hermit is -up to,” said David, and he walked toward the shacks -that were furthest from the bridge.</p> - -<p>Lanky and Tom investigated in the other direction, -where a clump of oaks came close down to the -stream. At the edge of the trees was a shack a little -larger and better built than the others. The door -was open, and the two boys looked in. “Hello!” -exclaimed Tom. “What’s that on the bench? It -looks like jewelry.”</p> - -<p>A brown cloak, a brown hat with a red feather -stuck at one side, and a chain of gold links with a -large green stone as a pendant, were piled on -the bench.</p> - -<p>Tom picked up the ornament. “It’s imitation,” -he said. He looked around the room. “Why, -there’s a whole wardrobe of queer hats and cloaks -and things here!”</p> - -<p>“So there is,” said Lanky. “What do you -suppose they are? Actors’ things?”</p> - -<p>“Actors’ things?” Tom glanced at the outfit of -costumes that hung on pegs on one wall. “They’re -certainly not fishermen’s things. But what would -actors be doing in this cove?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” Lanky admitted. “It is funny, -isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>They looked at the costumes more closely, and -then went out of the shack. “I wonder if that man -knows something about them,” Lanky suggested. -“He might have been keeping guard.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s see what Dave’s doing,” said Tom, and -started along the bank.</p> - -<p>He had only taken a few steps, however, when he -stopped. “Here comes a boat around the point. -Let’s beat it, and see what they do.”</p> - -<p>The two slipped back of a cabin, then to a shelter -of bushes. Crouching there, they watched the -boat nose its bow into the cove.</p> - -<p>The boat was a dory. One man was rowing, two -others sat in the stern. They looked no more like -the usual type of fishermen than had the man whom -the boys had first encountered.</p> - -<p>With considerable splashing the boat was rowed -up to the bridge. The tide was low, and there was -hardly enough water at that point to float the dory. -The rower shipped his oars and tied the boat to the -railing of the bridge. Meantime the other two men -stepped over the side and came up on to the beach.</p> - -<p>All three headed toward the shack that the boys -had just left and went in at the door.</p> - -<p>“They seem to know their way about,” whispered -Lanky. “I wonder why Dave’s friend didn’t -come down to meet them.”</p> - -<p>In a few minutes the three men came out again, -and now they had some of the cloaks and hats in -their hands. Each put on a cloak and a hat and -strutted about; they laughed and joked at each other.</p> - -<p>“What in the world——” muttered Lanky. -“Actors. I told you,” Tom whispered. “They -look like highwaymen.”</p> - -<p>The men now seemed satisfied with their costumes. -Hats pulled well down on their heads and -cloaks thrown over their shoulders, they took the -path toward the clump of oaks.</p> - -<p>“I say,” muttered Lanky, “what do you suppose -they’re going to do? Hold up some farmer’s wagon? -Come on, I want to find out what’s their game.”</p> - -<p>“I’d better get Dave,” said Tom. “You follow -them. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”</p> - -<p>“All right.”</p> - -<p>Lanky went one way, and Tom the other.</p> - -<p>Tom ran over the stones between the shanties, -and looked in at the open doors; but he did not see -David nor the man they had met first. He gave -the whistle he used to call David in Barmouth. -There was no answer. The shacks on this side of -the stream all appeared deserted.</p> - -<p>David was not to be found, and Tom supposed -he must have gone further along the shore. Meantime -he would be losing the chance of finding Lanky, -so after whistling several times more Tom turned -and ran toward the oaks.</p> - -<p>The path along the cove was well marked, it -traversed the high ground at the edge of the marshes -and turned into fairly thick woods. At a dog-trot -Tom soon came up with Lanky. “I couldn’t find -Dave,” he grunted. “I guess he found the hermit -so fascinating he went for a stroll with him.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve kept my eye on the three highwaymen,” -said Lanky. “This seems to be the only path around -here, marshes on one side and the forest primeval -on the other.” He glanced at his wrist-watch. “I -ought to be getting back to camp; but I can’t leave -an adventure like this. It wouldn’t be decent, -would it?”</p> - -<p>“It would not,” Tom assented. “If they try -to blame you, you refer them to me. I’ll say that -we thought those fellows were up to some kind of -mischief, and that it seemed to be our duty to investigate -them. And that’s telling the truth; they’re what -Benjie would call ‘suspicious characters.’”</p> - -<p>Every once in a while the boys would catch a -glimpse of one or other of the cloaked men through -the vista of the trees. Then the boys would stop -and let the others get well ahead of them. And presently -they reached a dusty road and saw the men -tramping along to the south.</p> - -<p>Tom and Lanky had to come out in the open -then, but, as Lanky pointed out, there was no reason -why the men, if they saw them, should think the two -boys were at all interested in what they were doing. -They walked a half-mile without encountering anyone, -and then the boys saw an automobile coming -toward the three in front.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Tom, “we’ll see if they’re highwaymen. -This is a nice quiet place to hold up -a car.”</p> - -<p>But the men disappeared by jumping over a fence -that ran along the woods on the left. The automobile, -a man and a woman in it, dashed by the boys, -leaving a cloud of dust.</p> - -<p>“So ho!” exclaimed Lanky, “our friends don’t -want to be seen! Suppose we make ourselves scarce -till they come back to the road.”</p> - -<p>The boys hid in the woods, and presently the -three men reappeared on the road. Tom and Lanky -followed suit, and the march was resumed.</p> - -<p>A mile more, and the men came to a crossroad. -They turned toward the west. When the -boys reached the crossroad Lanky stopped. “This -is a private lane,” he said. “See, it leads up to that -barn and stable. And there’s a big house. Our -friends are going in the back way.”</p> - -<p>There was a screen of trees at the corner. The -boys went along the lane until the screen gave way -to a close-cropped hedge. Here they had a view of -a wide, velvety lawn and the large house, red-striped -awnings at the windows, on a gently-rising slope.</p> - -<p>“Hello!” exclaimed Tom. “Look there!”</p> - -<p>There was no heed of his telling Lanky to look. -Lanky was staring at that part of the lawn that was -shielded by the trees at the corner. There was a -small, one-story house that looked as if it were made -of cardboard, a very picturesque building, brightly -painted to resemble cross-timbers, with two little -lattice windows. And grouped about the grass in -front of the house were a dozen or so men and -women, all of them dressed in fancy costumes, looking -as if they had just stepped out of a picture book -or down from the stage of a theatre.</p> - -<p>“My eye!” said Tom. “What is it? A fancy -dress party?”</p> - -<p>“Looks like a Robin Hood scene,” said Lanky. -“Some of them have bows and arrows. See that -girl in pink working that churn.” He watched -for a moment; then added, “So that’s why our -friends the highwaymen came along this way.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t seem to have joined the crowd,” -said Tom. “Why didn’t they jump over the hedge?”</p> - -<p>The people on the lawn were too busy to notice -the boys in the lane. Lanky nodded. “That’s so. -And it seems to me, Tom, that that crowd are a -different type from our three friends. These people -belong here; but I don’t think the others do.”</p> - -<p>The boys looked up the lane. The three men had -entered at a gate that led to the rear of the big house.</p> - -<p>“Let’s see what they’re doing,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>Along the lane went the two boys, and turned in -at the gate.</p> - -<p>The men had disappeared. Lanky shook his -head. “It’s queer, mighty queer. Of course those -fellows may belong here. But why should they -come all the way from that cove? And bring those -hats and cloaks with them?” He scratched his ear, -as he did when he was puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Come along,” said Tom. “Nobody’ll throw -us out.”</p> - -<p>They crossed the lawn to the steps of the porch. -A man came out from the front door, a man in -livery, apparently the butler. He held himself very -straight, he was an angular person, with a fishy eye.</p> - -<p>“Yes?” he said; and though the word was a -short one he managed to express in it a cold sense -of disapproval.</p> - -<p>“Er—” began Tom, “we would like to know -if three men, wearing brown cloaks and big slouch -hats, just came into this house.”</p> - -<p>The butler shrugged his shoulders. “There are -gentlemen and ladies wearing every kind of costume -coming in and going out all the time,” he answered -stiffly.</p> - -<p>That seemed to put an end to further questions; -but Lanky, after considering the matter for a moment, -inquired, “Whose place is this?”</p> - -<p>“It belongs to Mr. Hastings,” said the butler, -eyeing the boys most disapprovingly. “He is not at -home at present. But I can answer any questions -for him.”</p> - -<p>Neither Lanky nor Tom, however, could think -of any questions to ask. It seemed absurd to tell -this fishy-eyed servant that they had followed the -three men from the cove. And after all the men -might have a perfect right to have entered the house.</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Tom, and turned on his heel, -followed by Lanky.</p> - -<p>But when they were out in the lane again, Lanky -said, “I’m going to wait around here a little longer. -That servant’s a fool. Anybody could put anything -over on him.”</p> - -<p>So they climbed up on the stone wall on the other -side of the lane and sat there like two sentries.</p> - -<h1 id='t5132'>XIII—ON THE FISHING-SMACK</h1> - -<p>When Tom and Lanky had turned to the right -and investigated the fishermen’s shanties that were -nearest to the marshes, David had turned to the left, -in the direction of the ocean. He had no particular -object in view, except to see what the man they had -met on the other bank of the cove was doing and -exchange a few more words with him, if the opportunity -offered.</p> - -<p>He looked through the clutter of small, weatherbeaten -sheds without seeing the man, and came to -the beach on the ocean side. A short distance to the -south was a spit of sand, and there, seated on a log, -was the fellow with the straw hat.</p> - -<p>David enjoyed an argument. He was not by -nature so curious about other people as Ben was, -but he liked to tease. So, with his hands stuck in -his pockets and a little swagger in his walk, he went -toward the man.</p> - -<p>“Looking for a boat to come along and take -you for a sail?” he said. “It’s a long walk to town.”</p> - -<p>“You’d better be on your way then,” the man -retorted. His tone was not very civil, and it made -David flush.</p> - -<p>“I can look out for myself.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you can, can you?” The man turned -round and glared at the young fellow. “Well, my -advice to you is to make yourself scarce pretty quick.”</p> - -<p>David squared his shoulders. “You don’t want -me and my friends round here, do you? A person -might think you owned the beach.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said the man, “I don’t want you round -here.” He looked at the boy fixedly for a minute. -“That’s plain enough, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s plain enough,” David admitted. “But -I don’t see that it’s any reason why we should go.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve business here, and you haven’t.”</p> - -<p>“Business? You don’t seem very busy.”</p> - -<p>The man got up from the log and walked away, -down the beach toward a ledge of rock that shut off -the southern end.</p> - -<p>What was the man’s business? David, rather -amused at the other’s surliness, followed after, -walking jauntily.</p> - -<p>He climbed the ledge of rock. There was another -scallop of beach, with bushes close down to the sand. -The man was not in sight. But there was a small -fishing-smack at anchor not far from the shore, and -a dory was just pulling away from her.</p> - -<p>David stepped down on the beach, and the first -thing he knew something had knocked him flat. He -lay sprawling on the sand, a heavy weight on his -back. Someone had caught his two hands and held -them like a vise.</p> - -<p>“Holler if you want to,” said the man with the -straw hat.</p> - -<p>David had no wish to shout. The breath was -knocked out of him.</p> - -<p>The man pinned him down, and after kicking a -little, David decided the wisest course was to lie still.</p> - -<p>After a few minutes there was a grating sound -on the sand. David twisted his head enough to see -that the dory had landed and that two men were -coming ashore.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Sam, what you got there?” exclaimed -one of the strangers.</p> - -<p>“A fresh guy, who wouldn’t mind his own -business,” was the answer. “Now I’m going to -teach him not to meddle:”</p> - -<p>“Good for you, old sport! Give him a good -licking.”</p> - -<p>“Pity we left the cat-o’-nine-tails out on the -boat,” said the second man.</p> - -<p>“Three of them came to the cove,” said the man -on David’s back. “The other two went away; but -this fellow had to go nosing around into other -people’s business. I told him to make himself -scarce. But not he! Oh no, he had to find out -what I was doing. And now I’m going to take him -out on the boat and watch me do some fishing.”</p> - -<p>There was a laugh at this. “You’ll let him bait -your hook, won’t you, Sam?” asked one.</p> - -<p>“I’ll let him take the fish off,” Sam retorted. -“You fellows row us out, will you?”</p> - -<p>The others agreed. The man on David’s back -eased his position. “Now,” said he, “you can come -along without any fuss or trouble, or you can come -with a black eye. Suit yourself; it doesn’t make -any difference to me.”</p> - -<p>Three to one was greater odds than David cared -to tackle. “I’ll go along,” he grunted.</p> - -<p>The man got up. David followed. Assuming a -care-free manner he walked to the boat and climbed -over the high side. A man sat at the oars, and Sam -and the two others took seats on the thwarts. The -oars dipped in the water, and the dory was rowed -out to the smack.</p> - -<p>David and Sam went aboard, and the dory with -her crew of three rowed away again in the direction -of the cove.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Sam, “make yourself comfortable. -You’ve found out my business. I’m going to -fish for flounders.” And he walked aft and down -into the cabin.</p> - -<p>David was puzzled. He could understand that -this man might have had a grudge against him, even -that he might have lost his temper and attacked him -as he had; but why should he carry a grudge so far -as to make him a prisoner on his fishing-boat?</p> - -<p>He stared at the shore some time, then walked -up toward the bow. Sam had reappeared from the -cabin with fishing-tackle and was angling over the -side. There was a line for David, and so, there -being nothing better to do, David also set to fishing.</p> - -<p>Fish were not biting on that particular afternoon, -however. Presently Sam hauled in his line. “The -pesky things never come when you want them,” he -said morosely. “I suppose there are lots of them -swimming around everywhere except where <span class='it'>I</span> cast -my hook.”</p> - -<p>“You’re not a real fisherman,” said David. -“There’s a knack to catching fish.”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not; and I don’t want to be,” was the -man’s answer. “Of all the stupid jobs, I think -fishing takes the cake.”</p> - -<p>David was about to argue this point when another -man came out from the cabin and joined them. At -once David, wise in the look of sailormen from his -acquaintance with them on the docks of Barmouth, -decided that this was the skipper. The new arrival -stretched his arms and yawned prodigiously. “Golly, -I’m only half-awake yet,” he declared. “Sam, -where’d you pick up this fellow?”</p> - -<p>“He wanted to have a look at the boat,” said -Sam. “In fact he was so set on having a look at -her that I just had to invite him aboard.”</p> - -<p>He said this with a sly glance at David, but if he -had expected to get an angry denial he was disappointed, -for David, leaning his arms on the rail, -appeared to be in such a deep study of the shore as -to allow for no interruption.</p> - -<p>“The others gone ashore?” asked the skipper, -evidently regarding the reason for David’s presence -on the boat as a matter of small importance.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Sam. He pulled a large watch -from the upper pocket of his coat and looked at it. -“And it’s about time they were coming back.”</p> - -<p>There was no sign of them, however; and the -sun began to slant toward the west, and then to dip -behind the trees, and still there was no boat to be seen -coming out from the cove. David, strolling up -and down the deck, noticed that Sam was becoming -impatient. After a while there was a fragrant odor -of cooking, and David, putting his head in at the -cabin door, saw that the skipper was getting supper -in the galley.</p> - -<p>The sun had set when the skipper’s voice announced -that food was ready. “Come along,” Sam -said to David, and though the invitation was not -very cordial David went down to the cabin and ate -his fair share of the meal.</p> - -<p>Afterwards the three, on deck, watched the shore -for a boat. And when the beach was quite dark -and Sam had looked at his watch a dozen times, he -said, almost angrily, “Well, Captain, I think it’s -about time to beat it. They must have changed -their plans. We don’t want to stay here all night.”</p> - -<p>The skipper glanced at David. “How about -him?” he asked, with a jerk of the head.</p> - -<p>“He can help you sail the boat down to Gosport. -That’ll pay for his supper.”</p> - -<p>David was tired of inaction. To sail to Gosport -attracted him much more than staying here at anchor -any longer. He spoke up quickly:</p> - -<p>“Yes, Captain. I know something about handling -sails.”</p> - -<p>“Good enough. That’s more than Sam does,” -remarked the skipper. “He’s about as useful in -handling this boat as a belaying-pin.”</p> - -<p>Shortly the anchor was up and the fishing-smack -under way. David carried out the skipper’s orders -with proper efficiency. With a gentle breeze the boat -stole southward along the shore, and in half-an-hour -the lights of the little settlement of Gosport were -glimmering over the water.</p> - -<p>The smack came up to a wharf. “Now,” said -Sam to David, “you can go ashore if you like. The -captain and I may do a little cruising, but we don’t -need you any longer.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” said David. He had a retort on the -tip of his tongue, but wisely forbore to utter it. -He jumped ashore. “If you come to Barmouth, -look me up,” he called back. “I’ll be glad to show -you the town.”</p> - -<p>There was a laugh from the skipper, but none -from Sam. Immediately the fishing-smack pushed -out again.</p> - -<p>Gosport was a small place, and David knew no -one there. He felt in his pocket, and found he had -no money to pay his fare to Barmouth. He walked -along the waterfront, considering what he should do, -and presently came upon a young man, who was -starting the engine of a small motor-boat.</p> - -<p>“You’re not going anywhere in the neighborhood -of Camp Amoussock, are you?” David asked -the man in the boat.</p> - -<p>The other looked around and surveyed the fellow -who had asked the question. “Are you one of the -boys from the camp?”</p> - -<p>“I was there at dinner.” And in a few words -David told the story of what had happened to him -during the afternoon.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the man, “that’s a queer yarn. I -was just going out for a moonlight spin, and I -might as well go up to the camp as anywhere. -Jump aboard.”</p> - -<p>David accepted with alacrity. The motor-boat -chugged out from the landing-stage, and leaving a -smooth silver ripple, darted north.</p> - -<p>The owner of the motor-boat—he had told David -that his name was Henry Payson—said that, -although he had only been a month at Gosport, he -knew that part of the coast quite well, and had never -happened to see any fishermen in the cove that David -described. “That fellow Sam was a vindictive -chap,” he added musingly. “But you know, it -almost seems as if he had some other object than -merely showing his spitefulness when he took you -off in his boat.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I thought,” agreed David. “But -Tom and Lanky were still at the cove. He didn’t -lay hands on them.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Payson, “the cove’s around that -next point of land. No use stopping there now, I -suppose. Your friends will surely have gone back -to camp.”</p> - -<p>When the motor-boat rounded the point, however, -Payson changed his mind. On shore there were a -score of lanterns; both banks of the cove fairly -bristled with them. “Hello,” exclaimed Payson, -“there’s something doing there all right!” And he -altered his course so as to bring his craft into the -mouth of the river.</p> - -<p>As the boat ran up to the bridge boys came -down from both sides, apparently all the boys of -Camp Amoussock.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s Dave!” cried John Tuckerman. -And immediately the two in the boat were the target -of a volley of questions.</p> - -<p>“Hold on!” cried David. “Wait a minute.” -He swung himself out of the boat and up to -the bridge.</p> - -<p>“Where are Lanky and Tom?” someone asked.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t they here?” said David. And as -Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins and the boys from the -camp crowded around he told them briefly his adventures -since dinner.</p> - -<p>“We’ve been hunting for you ever since -supper,” said Mr. Perkins. “I can’t imagine where -Larry and Tom can have gone.”</p> - -<p>“Those three men rowed in here in the dory,” -said David. “Perhaps they carried Larry and Tom -off somewhere.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve hunted through every shack,” said Bill -Crawford. “And we’ve been down the coast a -couple of miles.”</p> - -<p>The chorus of voices explaining where they had -hunted started in again, interrupted by Mr. Perkins -giving the order to his troop to take the road back -to camp.</p> - -<p>David thanked Henry Payson, and the motor-boat -chugged away. By the path along the shore the -searchers regained Camp Amoussock. And there -Mr. Perkins and John Tuckerman and David held -a council as to what to do next.</p> - -<p>The upshot was that Mr. Perkins got out a small -car, and with Tuckerman and David set out to see -if they could learn any news of the missing boys.</p> - -<h1 id='t5486'>XIV—BEN AT THE GABLES</h1> - -<p>Ben that afternoon had a long, cool glass of -lemonade on the porch of the Gables while his friend -Roderick Fitzhugh introduced him to the men and -women who were sitting in wicker easy chairs. It -seemed to Ben that their names were somewhat -fantastic, but then so were their clothes, and the -names did appear to suit the costumes.</p> - -<p>“This lady,” said Fitzhugh, nodding to a rosy-cheeked -girl, who wore her brown hair in two long -plaits down her back and whose dress was of primrose -yellow, “is the fair Maid Rosalind. She can -sing like a nightingale and dance like a wave of the -sea, and when she churns butter it comes out -pure gold.”</p> - -<p>The girl stood up and made a curtsy. “Thanks, -kind Master Roderick,” she said. “But perhaps -your friend Master Ben doesn’t care for gold on -his bread.”</p> - -<p>“The more fool he,” answered Fitzhugh.</p> - -<p>“However, he can eat plumcake.” And Ben’s host -pushed a plate of delicious-looking cake toward -his guest.</p> - -<p>“Yonder man in the high boots, with the fierce -mustaches,” Fitzhugh continued, “bears the high-sounding -name of Sir Marmaduke Midchester. He -looks like a sword swallower, but he is really as -gentle as a lamb. He has been known to eat crumbs -out of Maid Rosalind’s hand.”</p> - -<p>“Glad to meet Master Sully,” said Sir Marmaduke. -“I wrote a song this morning—words and -music both—perhaps he would like to hear me -sing it.”</p> - -<p>Fitzhugh held up his hand. “Not just now, -Marmaduke, please. Let my guest digest his plumcake -in quiet.”</p> - -<p>So the introductions went on, with all sorts of -jokes and banter. It was a jolly crowd, and Ben was -enjoying it hugely. He began to find his tongue and -make retorts of his own. But when he had finished -the lemonade and the cake he turned to his host. -“I’d like to stay, but I think I had better -be getting back,” he said. “I’ve got to go out to -Cotterell’s Island.”</p> - -<p>“No, no, Master Ben. If you’d like to stay, you -shall stay. Cotterell’s Island can wait. We need -you here at present.”</p> - -<p>“Well, but——” began Ben.</p> - -<p>“There are no ‘buts’ about it,” answered -Fitzhugh. “List to me, my lad. This place is a -green oasis in a desert of modern things. Here we -do as we please. And it pleases us now to be ladies -and gentlemen of good Sherwood Forest and -Nottingham.” Fitzhugh stood up. “Come with me. -I’ll find you more fitting clothes than those simple -togs you have on.”</p> - -<p>Ben grinned. He was fond of dressing up and -had often acted in school theatricals in Barmouth. -He didn’t know what Fitzhugh and his friends were -planning, but he thought he would like to take part -in the game. After all, his car would take him -quickly back to town and he could paddle out to the -island by moonlight, if necessary. So he followed -Fitzhugh indoors and up a wide staircase to the -second floor.</p> - -<p>When he came down again he wore brown doublet -and hose, with a brown cloak slung from his -shoulders and a broad-brimmed brown hat on his head. -There was a chorus of approval from the group on -the porch.</p> - -<p>“Master Ben, apprentice to an armorer,” -Fitzhugh introduced him. “And now, my lads and -lasses, let us hie us out to the greenwood tree.”</p> - -<p>There was nothing formal about Roderick -Fitzhugh’s friends. The crowd had hardly more -than descended the steps of the porch when the girl -called Maid Rosalind and the man called Sir -Marmaduke Midchester each took one of Ben’s hands -and raced across the lawn. Luckily Ben had pulled -his broad-brimmed hat on tight. His cloak flew -back from his shoulders. And he heard shouts and -laughs from the rest of the party as they followed -pell mell.</p> - -<p>The lawn of the Gables was wide and gently -sloping. When Rosalind and Sir Marmaduke -finally slackened speed Ben found they had come to -a corner where poplars and spruces made a background -against a road. One oak tree stood out by -itself, and there was a small house with picturesque -criss-crossed windows and a door with big -curved hinges.</p> - -<p>“There,” said Sir Marmaduke, “behold the -Forest of Sherwood! There aren’t so many trees, -but each of them is a giant.”</p> - -<p>Rosalind flung herself down near the oak. “Oh, -Master Ben,” she panted, “fan me with your hat.”</p> - -<p>And while Ben gallantly flapped his hat close to -the red-cheeked lady, the others came bounding into -the glade, like so many children just let out -from school.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes Fitzhugh, a paper in his hand, -was calling out directions. Ben, observing everything, -saw a couple of men crossing the lawn with -what looked like a big camera. He turned to -Rosalind. “I know what it is,” he whispered. -“You’re moving-picture people doing a play.”</p> - -<p>“Good for you,” she answered. She nodded -toward Fitzhugh. “He wrote the plot, and we’ve -been dressing up and doing it every day this week.”</p> - -<p>The play began, and went on for an hour or -so, with frequent interruptions. Some scenes were -done over and over again before Fitzhugh was satisfied -with them. He found a part for Ben, and instructed -him carefully how to act before the camera. -And whenever the company got tired the cameramen -turned off their machine, and the actors lounged on -the greensward while somebody sang or did a -fancy dance.</p> - -<p>It was great sport, and Ben was surprised when, -glancing toward the west, he saw that the sun had -set behind the trees.</p> - -<p>“I must be going,” he said to Fitzhugh. “I’ve -had a splendid time.”</p> - -<p>Fitzhugh waved his hand at the cameramen. -“That’s enough for to-day. We always end with a -woodland dance, Ben, and then, back to the house -for dinner.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t stay to dinner,” began Ben; but before -he could say more Rosalind and another girl had -each caught a hand of his and the whole company had -spread out in a ring. Rosalind started to sing, and -all the others took up the song. There followed a -dance, in which Ben did his share, and then the -crowd formed into a line, each with his hands on -the shoulders of the one in front, and led by Fitzhugh -they wound across the wide lawn and back to -the Gables.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Ben to his host, when they arrived -on the porch, “I’ll get into my own clothes and dash -back to Barmouth.”</p> - -<p>“What? Without dinner? I can’t let you go -hungry.” Fitzhugh turned to a servant. “Show -this gentleman up to the yellow guestroom and get -him whatever he wants.”</p> - -<p>It was difficult to argue with such a positive man -as that; and moreover Ben was thoroughly enjoying -his adventure. To be shown up to the yellow guestroom, -and later to dine with such a company of -moving-picture people would be a new and delightful -experience. He would have a story to tell Tom and -David and John Tuckerman when he got back to the -island that would make them open their eyes. So -Ben followed the servant into the house, where the -lamps were already lighted.</p> - -<p>There was a gallery on the second floor, with -ever so many rooms opening from it. The servant -went to a door and turned the knob. “This is the -yellow room, sir. You’ll find clean towels in the -bathroom. If you want anything, there’s an electric -push button.”</p> - -<p>Ben went in and shut the door. He had never -seen a more luxuriously furnished bedroom. He -switched on an electric light and a little orange-shaded -lamp on a table shone forth. He threw his -hat on the bureau and rolled up the sleeves of -his doublet.</p> - -<p>The door of a bathroom stood open. He went -in, turned on the water, and washed his face and -hands. As he was drying them with a towel he -walked over to a window. Looking out, he saw a -garage and a circular driveway. Beyond that was a -lane that led back of a big barn. And on the stone -wall on the opposite side of the lane two boys -were sitting.</p> - -<p>Ben stopped using the towel, and stared. The -two boys looked surprisingly like Tom and Lanky -Larry. They were at some distance from the house -and the shadow of the barn fell across the stone -wall. But they did look like Tom and Lanky. However, -it was inconceivable that those two should be -sitting there. He must be mistaken. For what -could possibly have brought those two to the neighborhood -of the Gables? And why should they perch -on a stone wall as if they had nothing to do?</p> - -<p>Ben turned to go back to the yellow room; but in -the doorway he stopped. Someone was there, at the -bureau, a man in a brown hat and cloak. He had -pulled a bureau drawer out and was looking in it. -Some one of the guests must have mistaken this room -for his own.</p> - -<p>“Hello,” said Ben, “I didn’t know there was -anyone here.”</p> - -<p>The man looked over his shoulder. “My mistake,” -he said. “I thought this was my room. I -beg your pardon. My room is next door.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t wonder you didn’t know the right one,” -Ben said politely. “I never saw a house with so -many rooms. I say, in that cloak and hat you look -very much like me in my costume. I don’t remember -seeing you in the moving-pictures.”</p> - -<p>“I changed my things,” muttered the man. -“Sometimes I wear one set and other times another.” -He walked to the door, opened it, and went down -the hall.</p> - -<p>“That’s funny,” said Ben, half-aloud. “He -keeps his hat on in the house. I suppose he thinks, -because it’s part of his costume, it’s a perfectly -proper thing to do.”</p> - -<p>Before the mirror at the bureau Ben put on his -own broad-brimmed hat, turned on the light at a -wall-bracket, and surveyed himself in the glass.</p> - -<p>“The hat does help to make a fellow look different,” -he said to himself. “I guess I’ll keep mine -on when I go downstairs; though I don’t suppose it -would be the right thing to wear a hat to dinner.”</p> - -<p>He switched off both the lights and went out into -the hall. The gallery and the lower floor of the big -house appeared to be empty; he supposed the guests -had all gone to make ready for dinner. He walked -around the gallery to the staircase. The afterglow -of sunset partly lighted the lower floor, and here and -there soft lamps shed circles of radiance, but -for the most part the house was pleasantly -shadowy, which made its fine furnishings all the -more interesting.</p> - -<p>Ben went down the stairs and stopped in the -large hall to look at a grandfather’s clock that stood -opposite the front door. Above the dial was a painted -ship that sailed on a deep-blue sea. He was admiring -the ship when somewhere in the upper part of the -house someone gave a scream.</p> - -<p>Ben waited a moment. There was another shout. -Doors on the gallery opened. He heard people calling -“What’s the matter?” There was confusion above-stairs. -Someone shouted “Lock the doors! Don’t -let him get away!”</p> - -<p>The front door was open. Ben dashed across the -polished floor to shut it.</p> - -<p>His hand was on the knob when someone caught -him from behind. A rug slipped under his feet and -he came down hard on the floor.</p> - -<p>Someone had fallen on top of him, someone had -tackled him tight about the knees, a regular football -tackle.</p> - -<p>There was a babel of voices. Someone shouted, -“We’ve got him all right!”</p> - -<p>Ben tried to speak, to explain. “Hold on there!” -he grunted.</p> - -<p>But someone else was explaining. He heard -someone say, “We heard the yells, and we came -in at the side door, and we saw this fellow dashing -for the front door.”</p> - -<p>Then Ben heard Fitzhugh’s voice. “Well, he -won’t get away now,” Fitzhugh said. “Suppose you -let him up.”</p> - -<p>The fellow who had made the tackle released -Ben’s knees and Ben turned around and sat up.</p> - -<p>“My eye! If it isn’t Ben Sully!”</p> - -<p>Ben saw Tom and Lanky Larry staring at him -in wide-eyed wonder.</p> - -<p>“Of course it is, Tom, you goat!” Ben responded. -“Who did you think it was?”</p> - -<p>“We thought you were one of the men we -tracked here from the cove,” said Tom. “They -wore cloaks and hats like yours; and you did look -as if you were trying to escape.”</p> - -<p>“I was going to lock the front door,” said Ben, -getting to his feet. “What’s the trouble anyhow, -Mr. Fitzhugh?”</p> - -<p>“Two of the ladies found things missing from -their rooms—jewels,” explained Fitzhugh. “And -one of the men saw a fellow sneaking down a passage.” -He turned to Tom and Lanky. “I don’t -know who you two are, but Ben seems to, so that’s -all right. Let’s see if we can find the thief.”</p> - -<p>Immediately everyone was busy. Some went outdoors, -some hunted through the house. The Gables -blazed with light; the garage and the other outbuildings -were thoroughly searched. But no thief -was found, and half-an-hour later the whole company -met on the porch to talk over the matter.</p> - -<p>Tom and Lanky by turns told their tale, how they -had seen the three men at the cove put on cloaks -and hats and how they had followed the men to the -Gables. The butler, looking rather sheepish, admitted -that the boys had spoken to him about the -strangers and that he had not thought their story -merited his attention. Then Tom said that he and -Lanky had sat on the stone wall until they heard -shouts in the house, and had then run in at a side -door, and in the hall had seen a fellow dressed just -like the three they had followed apparently making -his escape. “We didn’t know Ben was anywhere -near here,” he added; “and anyway we wouldn’t -have recognized him in that blooming hat.”</p> - -<p>Ben told about his finding the stranger, dressed -like himself, hunting through the bureau drawer in -the yellow room. The guests who had missed their -jewels and the man who had seen someone stealing -along a passage repeated their stories. “Well,” -said Fitzhugh, when they had all finished, “you -remember we couldn’t find some of the things we left -in the playhouse the other day. I believe these -fellows took them, and thought they could pass -themselves off as some of my guests and ransack -all the rooms in the house.”</p> - -<p>“They did it,” said Marmaduke Midchester. -“And they must have got away by one of the back -doors while we were all here at the front.”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose they’ve gone back to the -cove?” asked Lanky. “They might have. They -didn’t know we were following them.”</p> - -<p>“That’s an idea,” agreed Fitzhugh. He spoke -to the butler, and in a few minutes the chauffeur -and two other men were receiving instructions to -take the car and drive to the cove, look for the men, -and if they were not to be found there to drive -on to Barmouth and report the thefts to the police.</p> - -<p>“And now, my friends,” Fitzhugh added to his -guests, “let us have dinner. Master Ben’s two pals -must need sustenance after their long tramp. Come, -the soup will be getting cold.”</p> - -<p>They were still at the dinner table when a motor -horn sounded outside. Everyone ran to the door. -It was not Fitzhugh’s car, however, but a much -smaller one. From it descended David, John -Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins.</p> - -<p>“Well, I declare,” exclaimed Tuckerman, “here’s -Tom and Larry! And that fellow in doublet and -hose—why, I do believe that’s Benjamin Sully!”</p> - -<h1 id='t5885'>XV—VARIOUS CLUES</h1> - -<p>John Tuckerman and David and Mr. Perkins -went up on the porch, where Ben introduced them to -Roderick Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh, after shaking hands -cordially with each of them, bowed toward his house-guests. -“My friends,” said he, “we have the pleasure -of welcoming the worthy Chief Counsellor of -Camp Amoussock, and Mr. Tuckerman, who is the -owner of famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell’s Island -in the harbor of Barmouth, and Mr. David Norton—, er, -Ben, what is the best way to describe your good-looking -friend?”</p> - -<p>“The best batter in New England,” piped up -Lanky Larry. “I ought to know. He knocked me -out of the box.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” said Fitzhugh in his amusingly -formal manner. “Mr. David Norton, the famous -Yankee slugger.” He turned to the three new -arrivals. “Gentlemen, let me present you to my -friends,” and he called out the names, beginning -with Maid Rosalind and the other ladies and ending -with Sir Marmaduke Midchester.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman laughed. “I’d no idea Ben mixed -in such high-sounding company. What is he?—Sir -Marmaduke’s squire?”</p> - -<p>“He’s the apprentice to an armorer,” said -Fitzhugh. “Incidentally he was mistaken this evening -for a robber.”</p> - -<p>Then Fitzhugh told the story of the robbery, -including the adventure of Tom and Larry with the -men from the cove.</p> - -<p>“Those men must be the three that belonged to -the fishing-smack,” said David. “I thought there -was something crooked going on. That’s it—they’re -a gang of thieves.”</p> - -<p>David related his adventure, and then Mr. -Perkins told how he and Tuckerman and the boys -from the camp hunted for the three missing fellows. -“We drove in here on the chance that you might -know something about them,” he said to Fitzhugh. -“We came straight up the road from the cove, but -we didn’t see any men answering the description of -the thieves.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Fitzhugh, “we’ll get the police on -their track, and I’ll telephone down to Gosport to -have the people there keep an eye out for that fishing-boat. -And now won’t you come in and let me offer -you some refreshments? Master Ben will want -to change his clothes before he sets out in -his racing-car.”</p> - -<p>While the others were in the dining-room Ben -exchanged his doublet and hose for his everyday -garb. Then he went to the garage and got out the -little car he had borrowed from his uncle in -Barmouth. It clattered up to the front door and -a few minutes later Fitzhugh was saying good-night -to Tuckerman, Perkins and the boys.</p> - -<p>David got into Ben’s car. The car from Camp -Amoussock moved off along the driveway. Roderick -Fitzhugh came up to Ben, who was starting his -engine. “I regret that Mr. Joseph Hastings wasn’t -at home,” he said, “so that you could have learned -whether he did lose a silver snuff-box on Cotterell’s -Island. I’ll ask him when I see him.”</p> - -<p>Ben grinned. “I’d almost forgotten about the -snuff-box,” he answered, “but I think you’ll find -when you ask Mr. Hastings that he did lose it there.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a bright fellow, Master Sully.”</p> - -<p>Fitzhugh gave a wink. “Don’t tell all you know. -And if you’re in the neighborhood any time come -in and see Joseph Hastings.”</p> - -<p>The little car rattled away, following the tail-light -of the other automobile.</p> - -<p>“Who is that man?” asked David, as they turned -into the highroad.</p> - -<p>“Do you mean Mr. Roderick Fitzhugh?” inquired -Ben innocently.</p> - -<p>“Chuck it, Benjie. That isn’t his real name.”</p> - -<p>“Why isn’t it, smartie?”</p> - -<p>“Roderick Fitzhugh! Marmaduke Midchester!” -David repeated the names of some of the other people -he had met at the Gables. “Stuff and nonsense, -Benjie! They made them up.”</p> - -<p>Ben said nothing, and after a few minutes David -began again.</p> - -<p>“Where’d they get those clothes?”</p> - -<p>“Where do people usually get their clothes? -Tailors and dressmakers made them, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“What are they? A crowd of actors?”</p> - -<p>Ben smiled. “They’re not professional actors. -They’re doing a play that Mr. Fitzhugh wrote for -the moving-pictures, and they like their costumes so -much they keep them on most of the time. I’m in the -pictures,” he added in a tone of pride.</p> - -<p>The car clattered loudly over a rough stretch of -road. Then David resumed his questions. “How in -thunder did you happen to get mixed up with them?”</p> - -<p>“I was driving along this morning and I met -Mr. Fitzhugh and he suggested that we go on a -hunt for hooked-rugs.”</p> - -<p>“Hooked-rugs!” exploded David.</p> - -<p>“Yes. They don’t grow on trees. They’re to -be found in the cottages around here. We caught -some fine specimens.”</p> - -<p>David put his hand on Ben’s knee. “It was time -we rescued you from that fellow, my boy,” he said. -“I don’t know anything about hooked-rugs, but I -think your Mr. Fitzhugh has bats in his belfry.”</p> - -<p>The car driven by Mr. Perkins had stopped, and -Ben brought his own noisy equipage to a standstill -at the side of the road. “We’re going to have another -look at the cove,” said Tuckerman. “We -can’t drive in through the woods.”</p> - -<p>But the cove, when they reached it by the path -through the woods, was as deserted as it had been -when the boys from Camp Amoussock explored it -earlier in the evening. Lanky and Tom pointed out -the dory, still beached on the shingle, in which the -three men had come ashore, and the shack in which -they had kept the costumes. “I think the dory is -pretty good proof that they didn’t come back here,” -said Tom. “I guess they must have made off toward -Gosport, to join the fishing-smack somewhere in -that neighborhood.”</p> - -<p>They returned to the two cars and drove on to -Camp Amoussock. There Tom and John Tuckerman -embarked in the <span class='it'>Argo</span> to sail back to Cotterell’s -Island, while Ben and David continued their clattering -ride to Barmouth.</p> - -<p>At Barmouth, Ben restored the car to his uncle, -and the two boys went down to the harbor and -launched the canoe. Over the placid water they -paddled easily, for they were old hands at handling -a canoe together. And presently they landed at the -island, and found the other two sitting on the pier.</p> - -<p>There was much to talk over, and none of them -were sleepy. They sat on the bank above the beach -and swapped adventures. “I’ve been wondering,” -said Tom, “whether there was any connection between -the men who stole those things at Mr. -Fitzhugh’s house and the men I saw here on the -island last night.”</p> - -<p>“And the gigantic footprints,” said David. -“I’ve been thinking about that, too. But how would -you explain the lady’s handkerchief, with the initials -A. S. L.?”</p> - -<p>They argued about that for some time before they -went to bed. Ben, however, took little part in the -discussion. He was trying to find a reason for the -discovery of the silver snuff-box that Joseph -Hastings had bought in Barmouth in the chest hidden -in the cliff.</p> - -<p>Next morning Ben went with Tuckerman to -Cotterell Hall. “What do you make of it, Ben?” -said Tuckerman. “We don’t seem to be any nearer -to finding the treasure than we were when we first -came here. I know you’ve got some theory in that -wise head of yours.”</p> - -<p>Ben walked up and down the living-room. -“Well,” he answered slowly, “I think somebody -has mixed up the trails. Let’s see how the matter -stands. We know that your Uncle Christopher -thought there was a secret. We found that out from -the note in the frame of the picture.”</p> - -<p>“Uncle Christopher knew there was a secret,” -agreed Tuckerman. “I think that’s very clear.”</p> - -<p>Ben nodded. “What did we find next? Those -jottings your uncle made in his notebook.” Ben -stopped at the secretary, took out the notebook, -turned to the marked page, and read aloud. “‘As -regards the saying that the hiding-place is just -beyond the three pines that stand between two rocks -where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured -the island, and come to the opinion that the extreme -southwestern point must be the place intended, -although to-day there are only two pines there. I -have dug at this place, but found only sand.’ That’s -what your uncle wrote. But he didn’t find the treasure -at the southwestern point.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman smiled. “So far so good.”</p> - -<p>Ben ran his eye down the page. “Now we come -to this. ‘Find the mahogany-hued man with the -long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket. That’s -a saying my father handed down. What can it -mean?’ Well, it seems to me that’s where the trails -begin to get mixed.”</p> - -<p>“Why, I thought we decided that referred to -the mahogany secretary,” said Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“So we did,” answered Ben. “But were we -right? Let’s see. We looked in the secretary and -found a piece of parchment with half a message on it. -We couldn’t make out much from that. Then I read -this in the notebook.” He turned again to the page, -“‘I’ve heard that the old clipper ship got some of -the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if -she did, what use is that to us now? She sailed out -of Barmouth Harbor during the Revolution.’”</p> - -<p>“I’ve always thought you were mighty clever in -finding that model of the clipper ship up in the -attic,” said Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“Well,” agreed Ben, “I’m not denying that I -was pretty well pleased with that myself. But what -did we learn? That James Sampson took a box to -the north cliff, meaning to put it on a boat, but found -that there were some people off shore in another boat -and so hid the box in the rocks, and that the rocks -were marked like a cross. Very good. We found -the place and we found a box there. But there wasn’t -anything very valuable in the box when we found it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Tuckerman assented. “But I don’t -see any other clue to the treasure.”</p> - -<p>Ben was staring through the window at the trees -glistening in the sunlight. “I think that box was -hidden in the cliff since we’ve been on the island,” -he said reflectively, “and I don’t believe that any of -the things in it ever came from Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>“You don’t!” exclaimed Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“And that means,” continued Ben, who was following -the line of his own thoughts, “that somebody -was trying to set us on a wrong trail by hiding those -two pieces of parchment in this house.”</p> - -<p>“But what object would anyone have in doing -that?” Tuckerman asked. “I can’t see any good -reason for their taking so much trouble.” He considered -this idea for several minutes, while Ben -continued his study of the trees and the glimpse -of blue water that was to be seen from the window.</p> - -<p>“And we thought we’d kept the problem of the -Cotterell treasure pretty much a secret,” Tuckerman -said presently.</p> - -<p>“Gigantic footprints, lady’s handkerchief, men -prowling about the house in the dark.” Ben chuckled -softly. “That doesn’t look as if we had the island -much to ourselves, does it?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Tuckerman admitted. “We haven’t kept -up the Cotterell tradition for exclusiveness.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Ben, “if somebody has been trying -to set us on a wrong trail, the question is was it the -giant, the lady, or the night-prowlers? Or did the -three belong to one party.”</p> - -<p>“The lady is a stumbling-block,” nodded -Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“If there were two parties,” said Ben, turning -around, “my own opinion is that it’s the giant and -the lady who’ve been making game of us.”</p> - -<p>“Benjamin, what are you driving at?”</p> - -<p>For answer Ben laughed. “Never mind, Professor. -If I should tell you what’s in my mind, and -it shouldn’t prove to be true, think how flat I’d feel. -And now I think it’s time we went back to camp if -we’re going in swimming before dinner.”</p> - -<p>Just before sunset that afternoon the chug of a -motor-boat broke the stillness of the water around -the island. The boat stole up to the landing-stage -and two men got out. They went up the walk toward -Cotterell Hall. “A beautiful mansion, Marmaduke,” -said the man in the white flannel suit to the one in -brown jacket and knickerbockers.</p> - -<p>“I agree with you, Roderick,” said the other. -“I suppose you would like to pick it up and carry it -off to the Gables.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all. But what is to prevent us from -making use of it here? Sir Peter Cotterell defying -the people of Barmouth.” Roderick Fitzhugh pointed -in this direction and that, talking eagerly, until his -companion interrupted him with a whispered, -“They’re coming up in their sailboat.”</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span> touched the landing-stage, and -Fitzhugh and his friend went out on the pier. -“Hello, lads,” cried Fitzhugh. “We came out to -take a look at the famous island Ben told us about.”</p> - -<p>“Did you learn anything about the thieves?” -Tom called from the <span class='it'>Argo</span>.</p> - -<p>“No, not yet. But we’ve got the local police -scouring the country. I don’t expect much from -them,” added Fitzhugh. “What I hope is that the -rascals will make us another call.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve been fishing,” said Ben. “Hope you’ll -stay to supper.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Fitzhugh, “I’ve got my guests at -the Gables.”</p> - -<p>“You wouldn’t take any excuse from me yesterday,” -Ben retorted. “Turn about’s fair play. -You’ve never tasted Dave’s fried flounder.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, we haven’t,” said Marmaduke -Midchester. “I vote to stay.”</p> - -<p>They had supper on the beach, and afterwards -Ben urged Midchester to sing the song he had written.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Master Ben,” Fitzhugh protested, “why -break in on the evening calm?”</p> - -<p>“Go ahead,” said Tom. “We’d all like some -music.”</p> - -<p>“Music?” echoed Fitzhugh. “Who said anything -about music? Well, if you’re determined to -have him commit the crime, on your own heads -be it!”</p> - -<p>Midchester, who was a big man, stood up and -sang in a deep bass, a song about a knight who loved -a lady but who rode off to the wars. It had a spirited -chorus, with many gestures, such as drawing a sword, -waving a hand, and shaking a knight’s banner. By -the time that Midchester sang the second chorus all -the others were up, singing loudly and imitating his -motions. It ended in a final loud cheer that could be -heard at least a mile away.</p> - -<p>“That’s better than I expected,” said Fitzhugh. -“See, it scared the geese.”</p> - -<p>He pointed to the western sky, across which a -distant triangle of wild geese were flying.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Tuckerman, “I will give you a song -of the sea as sung in the prairie schooners of -the west.”</p> - -<p>He had a good voice, and his song was so popular -that he had to give an encore. Afterwards -Fitzhugh said that he must take Midchester away or -he would break out again.</p> - -<p>Good-nights were exchanged on the pier and the -motor-boat headed south.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Tuckerman, “they’re a good pair -of scouts. I don’t suppose this island has heard so -much noise since old Sir Peter’s day. I like guests -myself. And as there doesn’t seem any likelihood of -finding the Cotterell treasure, I don’t see why we -shouldn’t keep open house.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we haven’t given up hope of finding it, -have we?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“Benjie hasn’t,” said David.</p> - -<p>They all looked at the black-haired boy.</p> - -<p>“Why, of course, I haven’t,” he answered calmly. -“And the more people who come out here to look for -it, the more chance we have of finding it, I think. -You don’t suppose Fitzhugh and Midchester came -here just to see us, do you?”</p> - -<p>“I bet they did,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“I bet they didn’t,” said Ben. “They took us -in as a side-show on their way to the big tent.”</p> - -<h1 id='t6309'>XVI—THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH</h1> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span> was scudding along in a good breeze -to Barmouth. Ben was carving a small piece of -wood into what he fancied was a resemblance to a -mermaid. David, his hands clasped behind his head, -lounged in a comfortable corner. Tuckerman was at -the tiller, and Tom surveyed his pupil through -approving eyes.</p> - -<p>“Professor, I think we’re ready to give you -your diploma,” Tom said, as he noticed the easy -manner in which Tuckerman handled the sailboat. -“You’re an able seaman. I’ll give you an honor -mark as a navigator.”</p> - -<p>“And I’ll pass you as a first-rate cook,” said -David, turning and nodding his head. “You fried -those eggs this morning just as well as I could have, -and praise can’t be higher than that.”</p> - -<p>“You coax the fish right out of the sea,” said -Ben, looking up from his carving. “There was a -time when I didn’t believe you’d ever learn to -bait a hook so the fish couldn’t nibble it off; but -you can do it now. I’ll graduate you as a competent -fisherman.”</p> - -<p>“And my swimming?” asked Tuckerman, his -eye on the water curling over the bow.</p> - -<p>“Well, as to that,” said David, “you’re not exactly -a merman, but you can paddle along at a decent -pace. Yes, we’ll call you a swimmer. I should -say you were a pretty good all-around fellow -now, Professor.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman looked pleased. Praise from these -three boys was very satisfying. And he knew that -what they said was not mere idle banter. He had -learned a great deal since he had been camping -with them.</p> - -<p>“Thanks,” he said. “To be able to sail a boat, -to cook, to fish, to swim—why, that’s more than I -ever expected to learn when I came here from the -west. I tell you what! It was a great thing for me -when I decided to take a look at my Uncle -Christopher’s island.”</p> - -<p>“And what are you going to do with it now -that you’ve seen it?” asked Tom.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I’ve got to go back to my home. -I don’t suppose anyone would want to live way out in -the harbor nowadays. There’s not enough to do -there. But I hate to take all those fine old furnishings -out of the house. They belong there, and they -don’t belong anywhere else.”</p> - -<p>“There’s an old house out on the Boston road,” -said Ben, “that the owner keeps up as a sort of a -museum. He has all the old furniture that was used -in colonial days. There’s a great deal of travel on -that road in summer, and he charges a quarter for -every person that goes over the house. There’s a -care-taker, of course. I think she serves tea for a -quarter extra.”</p> - -<p>“That’s an idea,” said Tuckerman. “Only my -house isn’t on a main road. It’s a rather hard place -to reach.”</p> - -<p>“All the better,” put in Tom. “People like -excursions. We could put up signs in Barmouth and -all along the road. ‘Be sure to take the boat to -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell’s Island and hunt -for the treasure!’ That would get them all right. -You could charge as much as you like.”</p> - -<p>“And Tom could run a ferry, and Ben be the -care-taker and serve ginger-ale at a dollar a glass,” -suggested David.</p> - -<p>“And you could cork your face and be the -famous mahogany man from the Barbadoes,” retorted -Ben. “He’s a wonder in a minstrel -show, Professor.”</p> - -<p>“It sounds good,” Tuckerman agreed. “It’s -certainly up-to-date. But somehow I don’t feel that -it’s quite dignified enough for Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>“You can make it dignified enough,” said Tom, -“by charging enormous prices.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman laughed. “You’re right. You fellows -are Yankees sure enough. You make me feel -like a greenhorn.”</p> - -<p>“And think of the business it would bring to -Barmouth,” said Ben, putting the attempt at a mermaid -into his pocket and sitting up straight. “People -who went to the island would probably have to spend -the night at the hotel. Why, you ought to be -able to make a deal with the proprietor to share -his profits.”</p> - -<p>“Ben’s started now,” exclaimed David. “Stop -him somebody quick, or he’ll be spending the money -we’re making from the concern.”</p> - -<p>“I think it’s a great idea,” Ben proceeded, as -usual paying no attention to David’s jibe. “It’ll put -Barmouth on the map. ‘Cotterell Hall, the most -famous treasure house on the Atlantic Coast!’”</p> - -<p>“I wish you wouldn’t use that word ‘treasure,’” -Tom protested. “It has a hoodoo sound.”</p> - -<p>“And speaking of putting things on the map,” -said Tuckerman, “here’s the wharf ahead. Don’t get -me all excited while I bring her up to the dock.”</p> - -<p>The <span class='it'>Argo</span> made a perfect landing. “Good -enough,” said Tom. “That couldn’t have been done -better. Professor, you’re a dandy.”</p> - -<p>They went up the main street and turned off to -the elm-shaded lane where the Halletts lived. They -were going to call on Milly Hallett.</p> - -<p>Milly was at home. She was, in fact, enjoying -an afternoon nap in the Nantucket hammock on the -side porch when Tom spied her from the lane.</p> - -<p>The sound of footsteps woke her, and seeing -who was coming in at the gate she swung her feet -down from the hammock, smoothed her rumpled -skirt, and patted her fluffy hair. And because she -still felt a trifle piqued that Tom was having all the -fun of camping on Cotterell’s Island, she decided -on the spur of the moment to be a little standoffish -with the callers.</p> - -<p>“Hello, Milly,” said her brother, in the offhand -way brothers have, “we thought we’d come over to -see how you were getting along.”</p> - -<p>“Good afternoon, Mr. Tuckerman,” said Milly, -standing up and giving that gentleman the tips of her -fingers. “I hope the boys are looking after you all -right on your island.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t complain,” smiled Tuckerman. “We do -as well as we can, without any ladies to help us.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t you sit down?” Milly invited politely.</p> - -<p>Tuckerman took a chair, and the three boys, impressed -in spite of themselves by Milly’s society manner, -perched on the rail of the porch.</p> - -<p>“We were wondering,” said Tuckerman, -“whether we could induce you to come out to supper -on the island. We hoped the simplicity of the meal -would be atoned for by the beauty of the scenery. -I can promise you a fine sunset.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you for the invitation.” Milly swung -gently back and forth. “Let me see—what did I -have on hand for this evening?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, chuck it, Milly!” said Tom. “Of course -you want to come along.”</p> - -<p>“I remember now,” said Milly suavely. “I have -a date with my friend Sarah Hooper. There’s a new -movie in town.”</p> - -<p>“Well, of course,” said Tuckerman in a regretful -tone, “we can’t compete with a new moving-picture -show.”</p> - -<p>Milly smiled. “The boys are still giving you -plenty of good food, are they? And keeping -you amused?”</p> - -<p>David moved impatiently on his perch. “The -Professor never got better food anywhere. He says -so himself.”</p> - -<p>“I thought perhaps the menu might get a little -tiresome,” Milly suggested sweetly. “Boys are so -apt to stick to one or two of the same things when -they have to cook for themselves.”</p> - -<p>“We don’t,” grunted David.</p> - -<p>“She knows we don’t,” said Tom. “I say, Milly, -what’s your game?”</p> - -<p>“Game?” Milly wrinkled her pretty nose. “I -don’t know what you mean!” She glanced again -at Tuckerman. “Boys are funny creatures, -aren’t they?”</p> - -<p>The boys came down from the rail with one -accord. Indignant replies were on the tongues of -each; but Milly pointed beyond them at the lane. -“Here comes Sarah Hooper now,” she said. “It’s -just possible I can get her to change our date.”</p> - -<p>Up the path came the black-eyed girl, a yellow -sweater on her arm. “Hello, everybody!” she sang -out, as she reached the porch. “What is it? An -experience meeting?”</p> - -<p>“They want me to go to supper with them on -Mr. Tuckerman’s island,” said Milly. “I told them -I had a date with you.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps Miss Sarah Hooper will join the -party,” Tuckerman added promptly. “We’d like -her to.”</p> - -<p>“Fine!” exclaimed Sarah. “I don’t know why -I shouldn’t.”</p> - -<p>“Milly said,” put in Tom, “that you and she -were going to a new movie.”</p> - -<p>A glance passed from Sarah to Milly, and Sarah -nodded her head. “That’s so,” she agreed. “I do -remember we were.”</p> - -<p>“However,” said Milly, “if Sally would really -like to accept your invitation, we can go to the movies -some other time.”</p> - -<p>There was a pause, for Sarah was not sure what -her friend wanted her to say; and then Ben broke -the silence by pounding the porch-rail with his fist. -“By jiminy, girls are funny creatures, aren’t they? -They’re crazy to come, but they don’t want to -admit it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” began Milly. But Tuckerman interposed.</p> - -<p>“The funnier people are, the pleasanter it is to -be with them. We do need the company of ladies on -our island. We’ve only been seeing each other, and -sandpipers and gulls. It would be doing us a great -favor if these two ladies would come and freshen -us up.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Sarah, charmed by this gallant -speech, “I’d be glad to come. It’ll be a perfect -evening.”</p> - -<p>Milly got up from the hammock. “I’ll contribute -a box of fudge.”</p> - -<p>“That’s all that’s needed to make it complete,” -said Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>The girls went indoors, Milly to tell her mother -about the party, and Sarah to telephone to her house.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Tuckerman, on the porch, “we’ve -got to give them as good a time as they’d have had -at the movies.”</p> - -<p>“Milly wanted to come all along,” said Tom. -“Why didn’t she say so?”</p> - -<p>“I think,” answered Ben, “that she wanted to -show us that she was having just as good a time here -at home as we were having in camp; and she knew -she wasn’t.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman smiled and nodded. “Ben’s hit it on -the head. And that’s all the more reason why we -should see that they enjoy themselves this evening.”</p> - -<p>They all agreed to that line of reasoning, and the -first result of it was that they suggested to Milly -that she should sail the <span class='it'>Argo</span> back to the island. -She was very much pleased, and Milly, on her mettle, -handled the craft as skillfully as Tom could have -done himself.</p> - -<p>They landed, and Sarah said that she would like -to see the island, since all she had seen of it on her -first visit had been Cotterell Hall and the shore about -the camp. So the boys and Tuckerman took their -guests on a regular tour, through the woods, where -the russet-green pine-needles made a clean and fragrant -carpet, dappled with patches of sunlight; along -the little beaches, curves of yellow sand, where sandpipers -played and strutted, or flew in silver bands; -up on the ramparts of cliffs, against which the waves -rolled in and slipped and slid in white cascades over -the low-lying ledges, and so to the southern point, -where they watched the sun setting in all its glory, -tinting the sky and the sea in wonderful combinations -of shifting colors.</p> - -<p>Then they went to the camp, where David made -a marvelous fish chowder of cunners and cod that Ben -had caught that morning. And for dessert they had -apple fritters and Milly’s home-made fudge.</p> - -<p>When it was time to take their guests back to -Barmouth, Tom suggested that they sail around the -island. As they cruised up the ocean side they saw -a sail to the east. And after watching the distant -boat intently for some minutes David exclaimed, -“I think that’s the fishing-smack that took me from -the cove to Gosport!”</p> - -<p>Tom shifted the tiller, and the <span class='it'>Argo</span> took a course -toward the larger boat. As they sailed, David, in -answer to Milly’s questions, told of his adventure -with the crew of the smack.</p> - -<p>To the northeast lay a small island, and the -larger boat sailed around its southern point. The -<span class='it'>Argo</span> kept up its chase, and presently came on the -fishing-smack at anchor off a half-moon beach.</p> - -<p>The big boat stood silhouetted against the violet -sky of the summer night. It was too dark to distinguish -figures on her deck. Apparently she had -come to anchor there for the night.</p> - -<p>“How about it, Dave?” asked Ben. “Is that -the craft that kidnapped you?”</p> - -<p>“Looks like her picture,” was the answer.</p> - -<p>“Want to hail your good friend Sam?” inquired -Tom.</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t,” said David. “He might throw -something out here that the girls wouldn’t like.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, don’t mind us,” exclaimed Milly and Sarah -in chorus.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what the smack—if it is Dave’s -boat—is doing around here,” said Tuckerman. -“There can’t be much to steal from that island.”</p> - -<p>For a time the <span class='it'>Argo</span> bobbed about, but there came -no hail from the boat, no light appeared, she might -have been a ship without a crew.</p> - -<p>“Let sleeping hornets lie,” Tuckerman advised. -And at the suggestion Tom sheered away. The -<span class='it'>Argo</span> sailed up the shore of the island and pointed -her bow toward the twinkling lights of the town.</p> - -<p>They were all enjoying the breeze, the star-sprinkled -sky, the soft swish of the water against -the side of the boat when Ben, from a brown study, -spoke. “If the men on that smack are the thieves -who broke into Mr. Fitzhugh’s house, might they be -hunting around here for the Cotterell treasure?”</p> - -<p>“Well, I wish them luck at finding it,” said -David.</p> - -<p>“Thieves who broke into Mr. Fitzhugh’s house!” -cried Milly. “Oh, do tell us about that!”</p> - -<p>Then the whole story came out, and when she had -heard it all Milly said positively, “I think Ben’s -right. They’re planning to steal something from -your island.”</p> - -<p>“Hope they don’t take our cooking outfit,” -said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Or any of my fine old colonial furniture,” -added Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” scoffed David. “It’s the treasure -they’re after.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you want to take our watch-dog back -with you?” said Sarah. “He’s fine at biting tramps.”</p> - -<p>There was a laugh from the crowd. And they -were still talking of ways of protecting the island -from prowlers when the sailboat ran up to the wharf.</p> - -<p>The campers escorted the girls to their homes and -then went back to the harbor.</p> - -<p>On the waterfront they encountered a man—he -had been a sea-captain in his day—smoking a pipe -and regarding the lights of the harbor. He knew -the boys. “Hello, Tom,” he said, “I hear you’re -out on the island, hunting for Sir Peter’s treasure.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we’re camping on the island,” Tom -admitted.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t found the treasure yet, have you?” -The mariner chuckled. “There’s treasure hid all -along the coast, if you believe the stories. I was -brought up on yarns about treasures, Captain Kidd’s -and others. And I’ve hunted for ’em, too. But I -never laid my hands on none. Howsomever, I -always thought there might be something to the story -about Sir Peter. But it’s one thing to think there’s -a treasure, and another to lay hands on it.”</p> - -<p>“Where would you look?” asked Ben.</p> - -<p>The mariner reflected. “Well, if I was hiding -a treasure I’d put it where I could get it if I wanted -it in a hurry. Seems to me I’d pick out a place in -the chimney-breast. I’ve heard of folks hiding things -in places like that.”</p> - -<p>“Seems to me we’ve got to pull the house down,” -said David. “And then like as not we wouldn’t -find it.”</p> - -<p>“Might be so,” the mariner agreed. “It don’t -pay to take too much trouble hunting for things like -that. But some people just have to.”</p> - -<p>The four embarked in the <span class='it'>Argo</span>. “Ben’s one of -the people that just have to,” said David. “I guess -he’ll pull the house down.”</p> - -<p>“I hadn’t thought of the chimney-breast,” said -Ben. “We’d better look there to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Go to it, Tige,” laughed David. “We’ll get -out the pick-ax and crow-bar.”</p> - -<h1 id='t6754'>XVII—PETER COTTERELL</h1> - -<p>Next morning the four campers, following the -suggestion made by the sea-captain on the Barmouth -wharf, resumed their search for the Cotterell treasure. -David treated the whole matter as a joke; he -thought that either the story about Sir Peter having -hidden his silver plate was a legend without any -foundation in fact, or that one of the family had -found the treasure and disposed of it. Tom leaned -to the same opinion, although he did not say so as -openly as did David, perhaps because he saw that -both John Tuckerman and Ben thought the treasure -was yet to be found. Ben was still as positive as -ever, and argued that if Sir Peter’s plate had ever -been discovered that fact would certainly have been -mentioned in Crusty Christopher’s notebooks.</p> - -<p>They examined the chimney-breast in the kitchen -and dining-room, looking for any possible hiding-place. -They went all over the house again, looking -for any secret door or panel that they might have -missed before. They tapped the walls and they -measured them; but nowhere could they figure out -such a place as they were hunting. Finally -Tuckerman said, “I don’t see how we can search -anywhere else, unless we do as Dave suggested—pull -the house down—and I don’t want to do that.”</p> - -<p>“The house is worth more than the treasure,” -said Tom.</p> - -<p>“That’s so,” Tuckerman agreed. He frowned -and bit his lip. “I don’t like to be stumped, that’s -the long and short of it. I don’t like to admit that I -can’t work out the puzzle.”</p> - -<p>“Puzzles never bother me,” said David. “I -think they’re stupid things. I never want to know -the answer to any of the problems in the algebra -books. What good does it do you to know them? -Of course some people get so hipped over knowing -the answers they can’t eat till they find them out—whether -a dog or a rabbit will reach a given point -first, things like that, or about men rowing a boat -against the tide; but they don’t get me the least little -bit excited. Leave them to Benjie, I say.”</p> - -<p>And that was what they did. They left Ben up -in the attic, the last room they had searched. -Attics fascinated Ben. In a way they were like -puzzles; there were so many odds and ends that -needed putting together. He walked idly about, looking -at chairs and tables that had lost some of their -legs, at statuettes that were broken and disfigured, -until he came to the window that opened to the east. -There he stopped in a brown study.</p> - -<p>A distant sail caught his eye. It reminded him -of something. Oh, yes, from the window he could -see the line of the little island where they had found -the fishing-smack at anchor the night before. He -couldn’t tell if this sail belonged to the smack; it -was too far away; but the sight of it started a train -of thought he had been working over that morning.</p> - -<p>He went downstairs and was glad to find that the -others had left the house. In the living-room he took -the two pieces of parchment from the drawer of the -secretary and carefully copied the writing on them on -a large sheet of paper. This he laid on the lid of -the desk and put an inkstand on the paper. Then -he returned the pieces of parchment to the drawer.</p> - -<p>Satisfied with this, he went outdoors and crossed -the island to the beach where he had found the chest. -He sat on a log, and waited patiently. Presently he -saw a sail, to the east; and this time he felt fairly -sure that it was the same fishing-smack that they had -chased the previous night.</p> - -<p>He jumped up and began to burrow in the crevice -between the rocks. He did not attempt to pull the -chest out; it was too heavy for him to do that -unaided; but he kicked his heels and pushed himself -in. And after a while he pushed himself out again -and stood up. Looking at the smack, he decided -that she was near enough for anyone on her deck -to have witnessed his strange performance.</p> - -<p>The next step in his plan came when the dishes -had been washed after dinner. He proposed that -they should sail over to the little island and see if -the smack was still in the neighborhood.</p> - -<p>“After the thieves, are you?” asked David. -“Now see here, my lad, if we should find them, what -then? Are you going to step aboard and tell them -they’re arrested?”</p> - -<p>“Dave’s had enough of his friend Sam,” said -Tom. “He thinks if Sam meets him again he’ll -get a belaying-pin on the back of his head.”</p> - -<p>“Benjie wants to argue with them,” said David. -“I’ll admit I’d like to get square with the rascal, but -I don’t see how we can do it that way.”</p> - -<p>“If Dave’s sure it’s the same boat,” suggested -Tom, “we might notify the police at Barmouth.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Ben, “the only way to make sure -that Dave’s right is to sail around and look at her -in daylight.”</p> - -<p>“That sounds sensible,” Tuckerman agreed. -“We needn’t get into any kind of a scrap with them.”</p> - -<p>So the <span class='it'>Argo</span> set sail and cruised eastward; but -although she rounded the other island several times -that afternoon her crew caught no sight of the bark -they were looking for.</p> - -<p>When they got back to their own island they -found Lanky Larry and Bill Crawford fishing from -the pier. The canoe in which they had paddled over -from Camp Amoussock floated at the landing-stage.</p> - -<p>“If you’re after cunners,” said Ben, “you ought -to try the rocks on the ocean side; if it’s flounders -you’re trying to tempt you won’t find them near -the pier.”</p> - -<p>“We didn’t really come over here to fish,” responded -Bill, “but we always carry a couple of lines -in the canoe; that is, when it doesn’t upset. We came -over to invite you four fellows to the water sports -to-morrow morning. We’ve got a fine program, and -you can enter any of the events when you get there.”</p> - -<p>“I guess the Professor will want to enter the -tub-race,” said Tom with a grin.</p> - -<p>“Maybe I will,” agreed Tuckerman. “Well, -mates, how about it? The invitation sounds very -good to me.”</p> - -<p>Tom and David both nodded and said they would -like to go. “You’d better count me out of it,” said -Ben. “I’ve got a date for to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Date?” inquired Tom. “What sort of a date? -With a lady or a man?”</p> - -<p>“A date with myself.” Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. -“I’ve got something on hand I meant -to do in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“Shucks!” exclaimed David. “All right, Bill, -we’ll be over right after breakfast. And we’ll bring -Benjie along. You might enter him in the fancy -diving contest.”</p> - -<p>Bill and Lanky pulled in their fishing-lines and -embarked in their canoe. The campers started to get -supper. But Ben, making an excuse that he thought -he must have mislaid his pocket-knife in the house, -hurried through the woods to the beach at the -northern end. So far as he could see no one had been -there since he had left in the morning; the chest was -still in the crevice between the rocks.</p> - -<p>That evening Ben prowled about the island. He -went to Cotterell Hall, he went to the beach at the -north again, he kept a watchful eye for sails in any -quarter. When he came back to camp the other -three had turned in. And being very sleepy, he -followed their example.</p> - -<p>He was up at dawn next morning, and again -made his rounds. The paper he had placed on the -lid of the secretary was apparently untouched, the -chest was still in the crevice. Breakfast was waiting -when he returned. “Now, Benjie,” said David, -“get busy with the bacon. We’re going over to -Camp Amoussock, and we want you to show those -fellows your famous flip-flap.”</p> - -<p>“You go along without me,” Ben urged.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” said David. “This is a sporting -proposition, and it’s up to every man to do his bit.”</p> - -<p>So Ben went along with the others.</p> - -<p>All of Camp Amoussock was in bathing-suits, and -the four guests were shortly attired likewise. Then -began all sorts of water sports. Tom and David and -Ben went in for most of the swimming races and the -diving contests. Tom took second place in the fifty-yard -race, and Ben won the competition for fancy -diving. When they came to the tub-race John -Tuckerman entered his name.</p> - -<p>Amid shouts and cat-calls a dozen tubs set out -from the float. The race was to be around a buoy -and back to the starting-place. Tuckerman paddled -easily, keeping his tub out of the course most of the -others were taking. Two tubs jostled, and two boys -were upset into the water. Bill Crawford rounded -the buoy first, then a small, red-headed boy who -sat very still, barely patting the water with careful -finger-tips.</p> - -<p>“Here comes the Professor!” cried Tom from -the beach. “Keep it up, keep it up, Professor! -You’re doing wonders!”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman reached the buoy. He had found -it fairly easy to keep a straight course, but now he -had to steer to the left. To do this he tried to give -a sidewise sweep with his foot. The tub rocked, -rolled. He attempted to counter-balance; and then -he was in the water, splashing about and trying to -get hold of the tub.</p> - -<p>He flopped up on one side, only to slip over on -the other. The tub might have been greased, so -difficult was it to make the round thing stay in one -position for more than a minute. At last he gave up -trying to make it behave, and swam, pushing it before -him, until he could touch bottom with his feet.</p> - -<p>“Never mind, Professor,” said David, as the -bedraggled Tuckerman walked up on the beach. -“Many a man has found a tub-race his Waterloo.”</p> - -<p>There were cheers from the float, and all turned -to look. Bill Crawford and the red-headed boy were -now neck and neck. Someone shouted, “Now’s your -time to spurt, Bill!”</p> - -<p>Bill spurted. His tub lost its balance; Bill somersaulted -backward into the water. The red-headed -boy just managed to avoid Bill’s splashing and paddled -along more cautiously than ever, hardly touching -the water now, just directing his course with his -fingers and toes.</p> - -<p>Up to the float he came. He grasped the edge, -and a moment later the boy and the tub were on -the float, and the race was won.</p> - -<p>“The Tortoise wins!” cried Lanky. “Good old -Tortoise! He may be slow, but he gets there away -ahead of the Hare.”</p> - -<p>Then came dinner, and then the <span class='it'>Argo</span> set sail -again. “Now, Benjie,” said David, “you can keep -that date you were telling us about. My word, but -you look impatient.”</p> - -<p>Ben was impatient. He sat in the bow, keeping -a lookout for a certain sail.</p> - -<p>There were no boats to be seen, however, nearer -than a three-masted schooner that moved like a -pasteboard ship along the rim of the horizon. The -<span class='it'>Argo</span> appeared to have that part of the off-shore -ocean entirely to herself, and except for the swish of -the water against her side there was no noise to -break the quiet of the summer afternoon.</p> - -<p>The island stood out in its shades of green against -the brilliant blue sky. The house was a patch of -white as the sailboat drew up to the pier. The -landing made, the four campers went ashore. Ben -started up the path toward the house, and the others, -as people are apt to do when someone leads the way, -followed without any definite object in mind.</p> - -<p>Ben had almost reached the front steps when the -door of Cotterell Hall opened. He stopped in surprise; -and so did the other three.</p> - -<p>A man in colonial costume, buff-colored coat and -breeches, with a three-cornered hat in his hand, -stepped out at the front door.</p> - -<p>The man made a bow and held out his hat in a -gesture of welcome. “I give you a good-day, gentlemen,” -he said. “What fortunate chance brings -you to Peter Cotterell’s door?”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman took it on himself to answer. Returning -the bow, he said, “The good ship <span class='it'>Argo</span> has -brought four adventurers to your island, worthy sir. -We trust we do not trespass.”</p> - -<p>The gentleman in buff stood with his hat at his -hip. “You’re not from the town of Barmouth?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” said Tuckerman, and added, “Your -island looked so inviting that we made bold to -come ashore.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you’re not from Barmouth,” said the -gentleman. “I have no stomach for those folks, -rebels against His Britannic Majesty’s lawful government. -To visitors such as you my island and my -house are always open. Will you come in and -refresh yourselves?”</p> - -<p>“You are very good, Sir Peter,” said Tuckerman, -with a smile.</p> - -<p>“Why do you call me ‘Sir Peter’?”</p> - -<p>“I understood that was your title.”</p> - -<p>The gentleman frowned. “I believe that some -of the rebels call me that, because of my loyalty to the -King of England. However, it is an honorable title. -I have no objection. Yes,” he added, “you may -call me Sir Peter. I like the sound.”</p> - -<p>“Well then, Sir Peter,” said Tuckerman, “I -think we’ll accept your invitation with the greatest -pleasure.”</p> - -<p>The gentleman on the step stood aside, and the -four marched into the house. Sir Peter indicated -a room on the left. They went into the large drawing-room, -and Ben, casting a hasty glance at the secretary, -saw that the paper he had placed on the lid -was still there.</p> - -<p>“Be seated,” said Sir Peter. He stood for a -moment near the portrait on the wall, and the campers -saw how much his face and figure and the cut of his -clothes resembled those of the man in the picture. -He caught their eyes comparing him with the portrait. -“Yes, my picture,” he said. “It’s considered -a rather fair likeness.” And he added deprecatingly, -“Of course no one can ever judge a likeness -of himself.”</p> - -<p>He pulled a bell-rope that hung by the big fireplace. -“I can offer you a glass of negus,” he -continued. “Something unusual, that I get from -the Barbadoes.”</p> - -<p>A moment later a dark-skinned -servant—mahogany-hued in fact—came -into the room and received -his master’s orders.</p> - -<p>“Will any of you take snuff?” asked Sir Peter, -when the servant had withdrawn. He produced a -small silver snuff-box from his waistcoat pocket.</p> - -<p>He passed the snuff-box, but each of his guests -declined. Ben, looking up with a grin, asked, “Does -your servant come from the Barbadoes, Sir Peter?”</p> - -<p>“Why yes, he does.” Sir Peter helped himself -to a pinch of snuff, then dusted his coat with a fine -cambric handkerchief. “An excellent servant, too. -Indeed, I am much pleased with all my service, from -my steward James Sampson down.”</p> - -<p>“James Sampson!” exclaimed Ben, his eyes -dancing. “Where have I heard that name before?”</p> - -<p>At this point the servant reappeared, bearing a -lacquered tray on which were five glasses and a decanter. -He set the tray on a table, and as Sir Peter -filled the glasses the servant handed them to -the guests.</p> - -<p>The refreshment was delicious. None of the -boys had ever tasted anything like it before, but all -of them declared it fine. Sir Peter poured a second -glass all round, and then, when the servant had left -again, the gentleman in buff seated himself in an -arm-chair, swung one leg over the other, and beamed -at his new friends. “As you say, the negus is -excellent,” he observed, “but several glasses will, to -use a somewhat common expression, begin to make -one see things.”</p> - -<p>“We’re seeing things already,” put in David.</p> - -<p>Sir Peter disregarded this remark. He twisted -his glass in his fingers. “As it happens, I’m particularly -glad that you arrived here to-day,” he continued. -“I have a number of guests here. I am -giving an entertainment this evening. The guests -are at present on the upper floors.”</p> - -<p>There was a light tap of heels in the hall. Sir -Peter looked toward the door. “Here comes one of -them—a lady.” He stood up, and the campers did -likewise. “Ah, it’s Mistress Penelope Boothby,” -Sir Peter declared with a bow.</p> - -<p>A young woman stood in the doorway, a very -lovely young woman in a flowered silk gown. She -courtsied down to the floor, then with a light laugh -exclaimed, “Oh la, Peter Cotterell, whom have you -here? What odd costumes the gentlemen wear!”</p> - -<h1 id='t7167'>XVIII—THE PIRATES ASHORE</h1> - -<p>The gentleman in buff coat and breeches turned -from the young woman in the doorway to the four -campers, who as they glanced at their own rough -outing clothes did look like a line of embarrassed -schoolboys standing in front of a teacher.</p> - -<p>“Now that you mention it, Penelope,” said Peter -Cotterell, “I do note a difference between the garments -of these lads and this gentleman and those we -are accustomed to seeing worn by our neighbors. I -understand, however, that they come from a distance, -and one would hardly expect costumes to be the same -in all the colonies. It occurs to me that possibly my -new guests might like to make fresh toilets in one -of the rooms abovestairs. I have a large wardrobe, -gentlemen, and it is yours to choose from.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a good idea,” said Tom. “I wonder if -you have anything big enough to fit my friend -David Norton?”</p> - -<p>“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” said -Tuckerman. “I’m sure I could pick out something -much better looking than these togs.”</p> - -<p>The young woman stepped into the room. Her -blue eyes were very merry as she looked at the -awkward row. “I think an apricot coat would suit -this one,” she said, nodding at Ben. “Something -in puce this one,” she indicated Tom. “Lavender -for him,” she waved at Tuckerman. “And for the -fourth—let me see—” She squinted her eyes and -tilted her head on one side.</p> - -<p>“A beautiful green,” Ben suggested. “The color -of seaweed in water.”</p> - -<p>Miss Boothby laughed, and David flushed a magnificent -scarlet.</p> - -<p>“He certainly oughtn’t to wear a red coat,” -said Peter Cotterell. “He’d be too much all of -one color.”</p> - -<p>“I like these things I’ve got on,” said David. -“They mayn’t be very good-looking, but they suit -me first rate.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I like them, too,” agreed Miss Boothby, -and her quick smile made David flush again, this time -at the stubbornness of his tone.</p> - -<p>“If you care to look at my wardrobe—” -Cotterell resumed. “Ah, here is James Sampson -now.”</p> - -<p>At the door appeared a man in chocolate-colored -coat and breeches, his brown hair tied in a queue.</p> - -<p>“My steward,” stated Cotterell.</p> - -<p>“So you’re Sampson, are you?” asked Ben. -“I’ve heard of you, and I’m glad to make -your acquaintance. I think I’ve seen some of -your handwriting.”</p> - -<p>“He writes a legible hand,” said Cotterell. “He -keeps some of my accounts. Sampson, please show -my guests to the rooms upstairs. They desire to -change their attire.”</p> - -<p>Miss Boothby touched David’s arm. “For my -sake wear a suit of green,” she whispered.</p> - -<p>David blushed. “Oh, very well,” he said awkwardly. -“But I guess I’ll look like a frog.”</p> - -<p>They followed Sampson into the hall and up the -stairs. As they passed open doors they saw a number -of people in gay, colonial clothes. All through the -house there was the hum of voices.</p> - -<p>Sampson conducted them into the attic, where -many suits and dresses hung on pegs along the walls.</p> - -<p>“Here is the wardrobe,” he said. “I think you -will find everything you may need. And yonder is -a mirror.” With a bow he withdrew.</p> - -<p>“Well,” exclaimed David, when the servant was -out of earshot, “what do you make of all this?”</p> - -<p>“Sir Peter is certainly much more amiable than -I’d been led to suppose,” mused Tuckerman. -“There’s nothing of the hermit about him.”</p> - -<p>“He’s a bird!” chuckled Tom. “I’ll bet he -gives us a mighty fine supper.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t blame him a bit for wanting to keep -those roughnecks over in Barmouth from melting up -his silver,” Ben asserted.</p> - -<p>“See here, you fellows,” broke in David, “I -want to know what’s the game.”</p> - -<p>“Game?” echoed Ben.</p> - -<p>“Game?” said Tom. “What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Game?” repeated Tuckerman, and his tone was -a trifle indignant. “I don’t call it a game when a -gentleman like Sir Peter Cotterell invites us to -his party.”</p> - -<p>David sat down on a sofa. “All right, all right. -I’m the goat, as usual. Fetch me a green coat -and trousers.”</p> - -<p>“I daresay Miss Boothby will dance with you,” -Tom cheered him.</p> - -<p>“<span class='it'>You</span> may like this sort of thing,” said David, -“but it’s not in my line.”</p> - -<p>Ben threw a coat at him. “Take that. Hello, -here’s a shelf full of wigs. Want to try a white -one, Dave?”</p> - -<p>For the next five minutes they looked about the -room, at the coats and the breeches and waistcoats, -at the wigs and the other articles that made up -Sir Peter’s wardrobe.</p> - -<p>Then they began to try on the costumes, seeking -for the proper sizes. Ben could find nothing that -suited him exactly. And while they were trying on -different coats, there came a sound of singing -from downstairs.</p> - -<p>Ben, holding a coat in each hand, went into the -hall and leaned over the banisters. Men and women -were singing a quaint, old-fashioned song in the -dining-room. The tune was fascinating, at times it -sounded like a jig, at times there were different -parts for the different voices. Ben listened, nodding -his head in rhythm with the music. “You ought -to hear this,” he called over his shoulder to the three -in the attic. “It’s a regular musical show.”</p> - -<p>The others came out into the hall. Tuckerman -beat time on the banister with a powdered wig he -had been trying to squeeze on his head. Tom, putting -his hands on David’s shoulders, began to dance to -the tune.</p> - -<p>With a grin, Ben turned and went back to the -attic. “I’ll beat them to it,” he muttered, and flinging -down the two coats he was holding he took a -yellow satin coat, embroidered with silver lace, from -a peg on the wall.</p> - -<p>This coat was a fine sample of the tailor’s art. -But Ben, having taken it down, stared at the peg -from which it had hung, and at the wall behind it.</p> - -<p>He gave an exclamation, a low whistle of surprise. -He knocked on the wall with his knuckles. He -glanced through the open door, and saw that the -others were still occupied with the singing. He -backed away from the wall, still keeping his eyes on -it. And then he stumbled over a footstool and sat -down with a bump on the floor.</p> - -<p>He got up and laid the embroidered coat on a -chair by the window. He looked outdoors. And -then for the second time in five minutes he uttered -an exclamation. The fishing-smack was standing -close inshore on the eastern side of the island. He -could see her moving slowly to the north, her canvas -plainly visible above the tops of the trees.</p> - -<p>“Gee whillikins!” muttered Ben. “I’ll bet my -scheme worked!”</p> - -<p>Another minute and he was out in the hall. The -singing downstairs had stopped and there was a -clapping of hands.</p> - -<p>“Come here!” ordered Ben.</p> - -<p>The other three followed him into the attic, to the -window opening to the east.</p> - -<p>“Is that your fishing-smack, Dave?” Ben -demanded.</p> - -<p>David looked. “By Jove, I believe it is!”</p> - -<p>“Do you want to know where she’s going?” -was Ben’s next question.</p> - -<p>“Shoot,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“She’s going to the beach where I found the chest -in the hiding-place in the rocks. Her crew are after -that chest, I’ll bet you a fiver!”</p> - -<p>The three stared at him in surprise. “What -makes you so certain?” asked Tuckerman.</p> - -<p>“Because I know. I have reasons for knowing. -They’re after that chest. They think it’s the Cotterell -treasure, just as I thought it was.”</p> - -<p>“You mean they’re going to land on our beach -and carry off our chest under our very noses?” -demanded Tom.</p> - -<p>“They are unless we stop them,” nodded Ben.</p> - -<p>“Then,” said David, “I’m going to stop them. -Seems to me there was an old musket somewhere -around here.”</p> - -<p>There was an old musket in the corner of the -attic; there were two, in fact; and a fowling-piece -and a couple of antique duelling-pistols. The boys -and Tuckerman seized on all the firearms, regardless -of the rust that came off on their clothes, and hurried -into the hall.</p> - -<p>Down the stairs they went, making a great noise. -And the clatter of their feet was so loud that the -gentleman in buff and all his friends ran out from the -dining-room to see what was the matter.</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s an army coming!” cried Peter -Cotterell in great surprise.</p> - -<p>The four halted in the front hall.</p> - -<p>“What’s the meaning of this!” exclaimed -Cotterell. “I invited you to share my wardrobe, -not to ransack the house for weapons. Come, will -one of you please explain?” Indignation mingled in -his tone with surprise.</p> - -<p>“There’s a boat off-shore, and her crew is going -to land on the beach at the northern point and steal -your treasure chest,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“My treasure chest! My silver plate!” Cotterell -raised his hand, clenched it into a fist. “Those rascally -rebels from Barmouth!”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know where they come from,” said Ben. -“But we’re going to chase them away.”</p> - -<p>“Chase them away?” Cotterell spurned the suggestion. -“No, sir. We’ll capture them.”</p> - -<p>He looked around at his guests. “Gentlemen, -what do you say? Would you like to bag a -few robbers?”</p> - -<p>There were shouts of approval.</p> - -<p>“Not so loud, not so loud,” said Cotterell. He -turned to the boys and Tuckerman. “Can you spare -us a few of those extra musquetoons, or whatever -they are, that you found abovestairs? With those, -and the fencing swords in the living-room, and a few -other odds and ends, we should do quite nicely. I -have a pistol myself. I never go without it in these -revolutionary days. Let me see. I left it in the -kitchen, in a pot on the shelf, where it would be out -of the way.”</p> - -<p>The firearms were handed around, and shortly a -group of fantastically-garbed people stood in front of -the house. The campers and Cotterell and Sampson -were to lead the expedition, and some of the ladies -insisted on bringing up the rear.</p> - -<p>They had not gone far, however, when Sampson -suggested a new idea to the others, and after a few -minutes’ talk Cotterell’s steward and two of the -other men left the main party and turned off in the -direction of the creek.</p> - -<p>Through the woods went the expedition, a long -line of people following Ben, who had a musket -almost as long as himself stuck over his shoulder, -which necessitated his constantly ducking and dodging -to avoid overhanging branches.</p> - -<p>When they reached the northern edge of the -woods they divided into three bands. One was -headed by Ben and David, the second by Tom and -Cotterell, and the third by Tuckerman. Each band -was to make its way down to the beach in front of -the rocks by a different path, but not to come out -from the shelter of the bushes in the ravines until its -leader was sure that the crew from the fishing-smack -had landed and were looking for the chest. The -ladies were to stay in the woods. To this Miss -Penelope Boothby objected. She said that with the -riding-crop she had picked up in the house she could -easily defend herself against a dozen pirates. -Cotterell said, “I’m sure you could, my dear Penelope. -But the bright colors of your gown might give us -away. And if we have to crawl through the brambles, -what would happen to your light silk dress?”</p> - -<p>Ben and David, with two men, threaded their way -down a ravine to a network of bushes that fringed -the edge of the beach. From here, without being -seen themselves, they could see what was going on. -The fishing-smack had come to anchor a hundred -yards off shore, four men had rowed to the island and -were now on the beach. Pointing to one of these -men, David whispered in Ben’s ear, “That’s my -friend Sam. I’d know his ugly mug anywhere.”</p> - -<p>“They’re after the chest,” Ben returned. “Yes, -they’ve found the right place. See, one of them’s -crawling in, with a rope in his hand.”</p> - -<p>Three bands of watchers, at three places along the -beach, saw the crew of the smack haul the chest out -from the crevice. As soon as they had it out they -threw open the top. And as they all bent over, eager -to lay hands on the Cotterell treasure, a voice hailed -them from a clump of bushes not fifty feet away.</p> - -<p>“Throw up your hands!” cried the voice. -“Throw them up quick!”</p> - -<p>The crew stood up. They saw a man in buff -coat and breeches facing them, a pistol in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Up with your hands!” cried another voice -from a bush on the other side.</p> - -<p>The crew hesitated a second. One of them -glanced over his shoulder. “They’ve got us cornered!” -he muttered, and stuck his hands up over -his head.</p> - -<p>The three scouting parties marched out on to the -beach. The muskets and firearms were leveled at the -four men round the chest.</p> - -<p>“It’s a regular army!” exclaimed one of the -crew. And putting on as much of an air of bravado -as he could with his hands above his head, he demanded, -“What do you want of us? We’re not -stealing anything. We found that chest here.”</p> - -<p>“Keep your hands up!” cautioned Cotterell, as -he walked forward. “As you say, you’re surrounded -by an army. And while your hands are up, I’ll ask -some of my friends to see if you have weapons in -your pockets.”</p> - -<p>The search was quickly made, and each man -relieved of a pistol.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Cotterell, “you may ease your -muscles. But let me tell you the first one who tries to -get away will be knocked down and handcuffed.”</p> - -<p>“All right. We’ll go easy,” said the man who -was known to David as Sam. “But I don’t know -what you’re after. We came ashore and saw this -box in that crack in the rocks.”</p> - -<p>“It’s my box,” said Cotterell. “I own everything -on this island.”</p> - -<p>“Well, take it if it’s yours,” growled Sam. “We -don’t want it. I thought a box on the beach was -public property.”</p> - -<p>“You think a good many things are public property,” -Cotterell retorted. He looked at Ben and -David. “Have either of you seen this man anywhere -before?”</p> - -<p>“I have,” said David. “He’s the fellow who -carried me off in that boat out there.”</p> - -<p>“Has anybody here seen any of these other -men?” Cotterell asked next.</p> - -<p>Tom spoke up. “I’m pretty sure they’re the -fellows Lanky Larry and I followed from the cove -to the house called the Gables.”</p> - -<p>“And what are they suspected of having done at -the Gables?” continued Cotterell.</p> - -<p>“Of stealing some jewels,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>The man in the buff coat nodded. “In other -words, they are probably not very desirable citizens -to have at large. I think it’s my duty to give them -into custody.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, come now,” said Sam. “You don’t really -know anything about us. There’s your chest. You -see we haven’t taken anything from it. We were -sailing along the coast and we came ashore to have -a look at the island. That’s a reasonable thing to do.”</p> - -<p>“You haven’t any right to arrest us!” exclaimed -one of the other men. “You haven’t got a warrant. -And who’s going to believe what that young fellow -said about seeing us somewhere else?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we can supply the authorities with -further proof,” said Cotterell with a smile.</p> - -<p>There came a shout from someone on board the -fishing-smack, and all those on the beach looked in -that direction. A man was waving a handkerchief -over the side of the boat.</p> - -<h1 id='t7598'>XIX—THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE</h1> - -<p>While the campers and Cotterell and his guests -had been making prisoners of the four men on the -beach, the steward Sampson and the two others who -had separated from the main party had embarked in -a motor-boat that was moored in the creek and made -their way out to the fishing-smack. To the surprise -of the skipper, who was the only man aboard, two -men in fantastic knee-breeches had swung themselves -over one side of his boat while he was idly -surveying the northern point of the island from the -other side. He turned to find himself looking at -the muzzle of the most remarkable pistol he had ever -seen. Being unarmed himself, he had immediately -put up his hands. Whereupon the two men had -smiled, and the one with the pistol, lowering that -ancient weapon, had said, “That’s a good fellow. Is -there anyone else aboard?”</p> - -<p>“No,” said the skipper, not wanting to have the -smack searched.</p> - -<p>“Take a look through his clothes for a weapon,” -the man with the pistol said to his companion.</p> - -<p>No weapon was found. The man in the motor-boat -came aboard, and two of the men went into the -smack’s cabin, while the third guarded the skipper.</p> - -<p>When the two returned from the cabin some time -later, one of them went to the rail and shouted and -waved his handkerchief toward shore. And presently -Cotterell and Tom, David and Ben rowed out in the -smack’s boat.</p> - -<p>In the cabin were the hats and cloaks and the -other things that Tom and Lanky had seen in the -shack at the cove. Sampson set out at once in the -motor-boat for Barmouth, and before the sun had -touched the tops of the trees the four men on the -beach and the skipper were in custody of the police, -charged with having stolen certain valuables from -the Gables.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Cotterell, when he and his guests -were again on the island, “my treasure is still secure -from the rebels, thanks to you,” and he bowed to -the campers.</p> - -<p>“Oh, is your famous dinner-set really in that -chest?” asked Miss Penelope Boothby. She went to -the chest and looked at its contents. “Why, it’s only -clothes and bric-a-brac! There’s no silverware there.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Cotterell, smiling. “That is not my -silver plate. I keep it better hid than that.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, do let us dine off it to-night,” begged Miss -Boothby. “I should dearly love to see it.”</p> - -<p>Cotterell looked perplexed. “Why, I should like -you to,” he answered. Then he glanced at the sun. -“But the party waits. And it was my intention to -dance a minuet on the lawn before my house while -it was daylight. Come, friends, come along with me.”</p> - -<p>They went back through the woods. The boys -and Tuckerman branched off by the path to their -camp, promising to come to Cotterell Hall in time to -join the party. And, once out of hearing of the -others, David turned to Ben. “You’re a cute fellow, -Benjie. How’d you ever guess that the men from the -smack would go after that chest?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mind telling you now,” said Ben with -a grin. “I was pretty sure that those men were -snooping around the house, looking for clues to the -treasure, and so I put a copy of that message on the -parchment out on the lid of the desk, where they -couldn’t very well fail to see it. Then I went down -on the beach by the cliff when the smack was fairly -near shore, and tried to give them the notion that I -was looking for something. Well, they bit all right. -They thought the treasure was hidden there, just as I -thought myself when I first saw Sampson’s message.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll hand it to you, sonny,” said Tom. “You -turned the trick! And that’s the crowd that stole the -jewels from the Gables, just as I thought.”</p> - -<p>“They stole some of Mr. Fitzhugh’s costumes,” -said Ben. “It seems to me that the fact that we -found those costumes in the cabin shows what they’ve -been doing.”</p> - -<p>They sat on the bank a few minutes, talking over -the adventure. Then Tuckerman stood up. “Well, -we’re due at Cotterell Hall. Wash your hands and -brush your hair, so you’ll look your smartest.”</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose we’ll have to dance?” asked -David, as he ran a comb through his thatch of hair.</p> - -<p>“I think that one of the ladies has her eye on -you,” said Tuckerman, laughing. “However, if -you’ve got a game leg, I’ll be glad to take your place.”</p> - -<p>As they reached the house Peter Cotterell came -out at the door. Behind him were Miss Boothby -and Sampson. “My wardrobe is still upstairs,” the -buff-coated man said genially. “Make what use of -it you please.”</p> - -<p>This time the campers found costumes quickly. -Even Ben, who kept looking at the row of pegs from -which he had taken down the yellow satin coat, got -into that coat and a pair of breeches. There was -the sound of a violin in front of the house, and as -they came down the steps they found the whole party -taking places for a dance.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid we don’t know the minuet,” said -Tuckerman, hesitating.</p> - -<p>“Oh, it’s easy enough,” said the host. “I’ll -call off the figures.”</p> - -<p>Ben gave Tom a nudge, and pointed out two men -who stood at a little distance with a big camera. -“Sir Peter’s up to date,” he whispered. “I guess -it’s the first time anyone ever took moving-pictures -on Cotterell’s Island.”</p> - -<p>Meantime Miss Boothby had gone up to David -and boldly proclaimed that he was to dance with her. -The suit that David had put on in the attic happened -to be green, and when she reminded him that that -was the color she had asked him to wear he turned -beet red and stammered something about “trying -to please a lady.”</p> - -<div class='imgcenter'> -<img src='images/illus-276.jpg' alt='' id='img4'/> -<p class='caption'>“My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you please.”</p> -</div> - -<p>“We will stand near Mr. Cotterell, and I will -show you all the steps,” she said. “I could tell you -were very light on your feet the very first time I -saw you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I can pick them up pretty well in a clog -or a shuffle,” admitted David.</p> - -<p>“I knew it! I knew it!” exclaimed the delighted -Miss Boothby; and pouncing on David’s hand she led -him to where Peter Cotterell was assigning places -to the dancers.</p> - -<p>Tom and Ben and Tuckerman all had partners. -The violin began to play, and Cotterell led off the -dance. The host was very graceful and so was the -lady he danced with, and they posed and bowed and -courtsied constantly as they went through the stately -measures of the minuet. The others copied their -leaders, and after a few minutes’ practice contrived -to do it well. Meantime the camera clicked, taking -reels of pictures of the old-fashioned dance.</p> - -<p>There was a final bow and courtesy, a final posing -in position. Then Cotterell raised his hand. “That -was beautifully done, my friends,” he said. “Surely -my island home has never witnessed a more graceful -scene. I trust you have all gained an excellent appetite -for dinner.”</p> - -<p>“What a gorgeous sunset!” exclaimed Miss -Boothby, looking toward the water.</p> - -<p>They all moved down in the direction of the -pier. As they came in view of the broad and many-colored -bay they saw a sailboat heading for the landing. -Cotterell stopped and again raised his hand. -“Can it be that the people of Barmouth are coming -out here again?” he demanded indignantly. “I’ll -have nothing to do with them, and they know it! I -will not give them my plate!”</p> - -<p>The sailboat came on. Cotterell, followed by the -others, walked out on the pier.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” called out the buff-coated -man. “This is Cotterell’s Island.”</p> - -<p>“We know it is,” answered a man in the boat. -“Who are you? You look like Sir Peter.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want any rebels from Barmouth landing -here,” came the reply.</p> - -<p>“There aren’t any rebels nowadays. We won -the Revolution.”</p> - -<p>“You shan’t have my silver plate.”</p> - -<p>There were laughs from those in the boat. “We -don’t want it. We’ve brought paper plates of -our own.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Cotterell, “this is most extraordinary!” -He turned to his guests. “Shall I let -them land?”</p> - -<p>“We’ve got an ice cream freezer aboard,” called -a girl in the boat. “Fresh strawberry ice cream.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Miss Boothby, at Cotterell’s elbow, -“we’ll let them land with that cargo.”</p> - -<p>The sailboat touched the landing-stage, and two -men, two women and two girls got out. “Hello, -Benjie,” cried Milly Hallett, waving her hand -to the dark-haired boy. “What grand company -you’ve got!”</p> - -<p>The arrivals were Mr. and Mrs. Hallett and Mr. -and Mrs. Hooper and Milly and Sarah. They went -up on the pier, where Tom introduced them to -Peter Cotterell.</p> - -<p>Mr. Hallett looked at the company. “I’d no -idea, sir,” he said, addressing Cotterell, “that your -island was entertaining so many guests to-day. I -wish I’d brought a dozen gallons of strawberry -ice cream.”</p> - -<p>“You are welcome anyhow, Mr. Hallett,” answered -Cotterell graciously. “I think perhaps I can -supply any deficiency.” He turned to his steward. -“Sampson, will you bring Mr. Hallett’s ice cream -freezer up to the Hall?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Sir Peter,” protested Mr. Hallett. -“We were going to have a simple picnic supper -outdoors.”</p> - -<p>The buff-coated gentleman bowed. “Your pardon, -sir; but I am the overlord here. Those whom -I allow to land on my island are my guests during -their stay. You must dine at my board.”</p> - -<p>Peter Cotterell offered his arm to Mrs. Hallett, -and led the way up to the house. Sampson and Tom -brought up the rear, carrying the ice cream freezer.</p> - -<p>They all went into the large front room. “Dinner -in half-an-hour,” announced the host.</p> - -<p>“That reminds me,” said Miss Boothby; “since -we’re all friends here, aren’t you going to offer us -dinner from your silver plate?”</p> - -<p>“Really, Penelope,” expostulated Cotterell, “you -repeat yourself. That’s the second time this afternoon -you’ve mentioned the same idea.”</p> - -<p>“It seems only hospitable,” pouted Miss Boothby.</p> - -<p>Cotterell looked at the floor. “Well, you see,” he -began. “You see——”</p> - -<p>The lady interrupted. “I believe you’ve forgotten -where you put it!”</p> - -<p>There was an awkward pause. Cotterell flushed, -bit his lip.</p> - -<p>“Well, if he has,” piped up Ben, “he’s only mislaid -it. I think I can show him where it is.”</p> - -<p>Everyone turned to look at the fellow who spoke -with such confidence. John Tuckerman stared, -and so did Tom, while David gave a low whistle -and muttered, “It’s just like Benjie to do something -ridiculous.”</p> - -<p>Cotterell smiled. “I am a great hand at mislaying -things—it’s my besetting sin. Now I would -be very much obliged if you would show me where -I did put that silverware.”</p> - -<p>“How funny,” said Miss Boothby, “that a total -stranger should know. I understand that he came -here for the first time this afternoon.”</p> - -<p>“What joke is he going to play on them?” -Tuckerman whispered to Tom. “I can’t imagine -what he’s got in mind.”</p> - -<p>“He’s putting up a good bluff,” Tom whispered -back. “He looks very much in earnest.”</p> - -<p>And Ben did look as if his statement had been -perfectly reasonable. He nodded at Cotterell. “You -may be a great hand at mislaying things—I don’t -know much about that; but I do know that you’re -a wonder at hiding them.”</p> - -<p>“That’s so, I am,” agreed the buff-coated man -with a pleased chuckle. “I can hide things so well -that very often I don’t know where to look for -them myself.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Miss Boothby, “where is the silver? -It’s almost time for dinner.”</p> - -<p>Ben bowed, imitating the courtly manner of -Cotterell. “Ladies and gentlemen,” said he, “if -you will be so good as to fall into line behind me, -I will endeavor to answer Miss Boothby’s question.”</p> - -<p>Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ben, in his -yellow satin coat and knee-breeches, went into the -hall and up the stairs, followed by Cotterell, Penelope -Boothby, Milly and Sarah, Tuckerman, Tom and -David, and a line of men and women.</p> - -<p>He led them into the attic. When they were all -in the big room he pointed to the wall along which -ran the row of pegs from one of which he had taken -the coat.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said, “please tell me what you see.”</p> - -<p>“A wall,” answered Milly promptly, “with some -pegs to hang things on.”</p> - -<p>“Miss Hallett is certainly right,” said Tuckerman. -“There may be some cobwebs, too, up under -the ceiling. Do you mean the cobwebs, Ben?”</p> - -<p>“There are lots of more interesting things here,” -said Sarah, looking around. “There’s that lovely -green lacquered temple.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t joke with the magician, Sally,” David -admonished her. “He wants you to look at -those pegs.”</p> - -<p>“No, that particular wall is the most interesting -thing in this attic,” Ben declared stoutly. “I think -it’s the most interesting thing in the house.”</p> - -<p>They all looked where he pointed, but none of -them caught what he was driving at.</p> - -<p>“Why, Professor Tuckerman,” said Ben, “I -thought you were a better observer.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I don’t see anything but the pegs and -some rather dingy wallpaper,” Tuckerman confessed.</p> - -<p>“Ah, now you’re talking! You do see the wallpaper, -do you?” Ben continued.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” said Tuckerman. “It’s the pictured -kind, like that in the rooms downstairs.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, it’s not,” exclaimed Ben. “There’s -not another piece like that in Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>“Is that so?” said Tuckerman. “Well, it represents -some sort of outdoor scene.”</p> - -<p>“I think those are meant to be pine trees,” -Cotterell put in.</p> - -<p>“And that looks like a sunset,” Miss Boothby -contributed. “Though some of the red has -rubbed off.”</p> - -<p>Ben bobbed his head. “And those yellowish -things are rocks.” He stepped up to the wallpaper -and pointed with his finger. “Three pines that -stand between two rocks where the sun goes -down.” He turned. “Does that convey anything -to you, Professor?”</p> - -<p>“By Jove! You’re right! So it does!” -Tuckerman exclaimed. “That was the old saying! -The hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that -stand between two rocks where the sun goes down.”</p> - -<p>“Exactly!” said Ben, in a quiet tone of triumph. -He rapped on the wall with his knuckles. “It’s wood. -Mr. Cotterell, have you any objection to our taking -this part of the wall down?”</p> - -<p>“None in the least,” answered Cotterell. -“Sampson, will you be so good as to get some -chisels and hammers? I think you’ll find them in the -little room to the right of the kitchen.”</p> - -<p>While Sampson went on his errand Ben and Tom -and Tuckerman fingered that part of the wall that -was bounded by the picture. They found the edges -of two boards, running from floor to ceiling, and -when they had peeled off the paper that concealed -these edges they discovered there was a panel.</p> - -<p>Sampson returned with a couple of chisels and -hammers. Wedging the chisels in between the boards -and giving a couple of light blows, he pried the panel -loose. Ben pulled it away. Behind it, under the -eaves of the house, was a compartment. And in the -compartment was a big square box.</p> - -<p>Ben and Tom and Tuckerman pulled the box out -into the attic. It was fastened with a single lock. -Hammer and chisel soon knocked the lock off. -Tuckerman raised the lid. “Yes, it’s the Cotterell -silver plate!” he cried. “By Jove, we’ve found -it now!”</p> - -<p>They handed the plate around, magnificent old -silverware that was worth a small fortune. And -they were still admiring it when a dinner gong -sounded downstairs.</p> - -<h1 id='t8027'>XX—SIR PETER’S PARTY</h1> - -<p>When none of his guests could eat any more of -the delicious ice cream that topped off a wonderful -dinner, the buff-coated gentleman rose from his chair -at the head of the table. They had dined from the -famous Cotterell silver service, and the candles that -now illuminated the shining mahogany table were -fastened in exquisite candlesticks that had been in -the treasure chest.</p> - -<p>The buff-coated gentleman raised a glass that -stood beside his plate. “My friends,” he said, “our -guests from Barmouth tell us that the Revolution is -over; so there would be no object in keeping the -Cotterell treasure hidden any longer. But it was well -hidden. So well hidden indeed that it required a -genius like Benjamin Sully to find out where -it was. I propose a toast to that master detective, -Benjamin Sully.”</p> - -<p>All, except Ben, lifted their glasses and drank, -nodding at the dark-haired boy.</p> - -<p>Then Ben stood up. “I propose a toast to Sir -Peter,” he said, “who surely does know how to give -people a good time.”</p> - -<p>That toast was drunk also. Then Tuckerman got -to his feet. “Sir Peter, I am proud of you,” he said. -“I don’t believe a more delightful party was ever -given in Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>The man at the head of the table smiled. “I’m -glad to hear you say that, John Tuckerman,” he -responded. “For, in a way, I felt that to-night I’d -been usurping a place that was rightfully yours. -For, of course, this is your house, and this is your -silver plate.”</p> - -<p>“Then who are you?” piped up Sarah Hooper -from the foot of the table.</p> - -<p>“I think he’s Roderick Fitzhugh,” said Tom, who -sat beside Sarah.</p> - -<p>“I think he’s Mr. Joseph Hastings,” volunteered -Ben.</p> - -<p>The buff-coated gentleman nodded, “You are -both right. Joseph Hastings, Roderick Fitzhugh, -and Peter Cotterell. I’m quite a versatile fellow. -I’ve a passion for acting, to tell the truth.”</p> - -<p>“I thought you were Joseph Hastings,” said Ben, -“when I met you at the Gables.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s my right name. But Roderick -Fitzhugh sounded so much more romantic. And I’d -invited a houseful of guests to help me act a play -I’d written for the moving-pictures. We all took -the names we were to have in the play.” He pointed -to Penelope Boothby. “She was the fair Maid -Rosalind. And my steward Sampson yonder was -Sir Marmaduke Midchester. And we liked our costumes -so much that we wore them most of the time. -That’s how I happened to be in Lincoln green when -Master Ben drove up.”</p> - -<p>“And it was the snuff-box you bought in -Barmouth that I found in the chest in the cliff,” -asserted Ben. “How did it happen to come there?”</p> - -<p>Joseph Hastings pushed his chair back from the -table and crossed his legs. “That’s quite a long -story. But I suppose you’d like to hear it. I have -a friend who knows John Tuckerman very well, and -he wrote me that Tuckerman had come here to take -possession of this island and its house. That sounded -very interesting. So I came over here in my motor-boat -with Martin Locke—that’s Sir Marmaduke, -alias Sampson, and Miss Adelaide Lawson—that’s -Penelope Boothby—it was a day or two before you -campers arrived—and we found we could open one -of the drawing-room windows and get into the house -that way. Then we discovered the note stuck in the -picture frame, and so we learned there was a secret -about a family treasure.”</p> - -<p>“And you left the window open a little when you -went out,” put in Tom. “That’s how it happened -that Ben’s candle blew out.”</p> - -<p>“Did we?” said Hastings. “I didn’t know we -did that. But we found some wax and took an impression -of the key-hole in the front door, and -I had a key made to fit it in Barmouth. I thought -we’d have some fun with John Tuckerman -and his friends.”</p> - -<p>“You did, all right,” said Tuckerman. “I’ll -forgive you for making that key. I suppose that’s -what those men from the fishing-smack did when -they broke in here.”</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry if I set a bad example,” Hastings -answered. “But they didn’t learn the trick from us. -Well, a day or two later we three came back again.”</p> - -<p>“You landed from the creek?” Ben asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes; we didn’t want you to see us, and the -creek was on the other side of the island from -your camp.”</p> - -<p>“And one of you took off his shoes before he -landed?” Ben questioned again.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Martin did. He carried Miss Lawson -ashore.” Hastings laughed. “You saw his footprints, -didn’t you? We thought you might find them, -so we came back later and rubbed them out.”</p> - -<p>“Gigantic footprints,” murmured David.</p> - -<p>They all laughed, while Martin Locke blushed red.</p> - -<p>“Yes, they are pretty big,” Hastings continued. -“Well, when we came that time we found the notebooks -in the drawing-room. Miss Lawson glanced -through them, and read that part about a mahogany -man with long, skinny legs and the clipper ship. We -got an old piece of parchment and some purplish ink -and we wrote out that message and signed it James -Sampson. Then we cut it in two and put one-half -in the secret drawer of the secretary and the other -half in the model of a ship in the attic. We wanted -to find out just how clever you were. We thought you -might take the desk to be the mahogany man.”</p> - -<p>“We got the idea of that from something Sally -Hooper said,” Ben put in. “And the secretary certainly -has long, skinny legs and is made of mahogany. -Still, we mightn’t have connected it with Sir Peter’s -mahogany man, if it hadn’t been for Sally.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you hadn’t,” Hastings continued, -“we’d have thought up some other way to have you -find that message on the parchment. We were very -proud of that little scheme. Martin wrote the letters -with his left hand, so they’d look as if Sir Peter’s -servant might have done them, and he put water into -the ink, so as to give it a nice, antique, faded appearance. -We wanted you to have the fun of finding -some sort of a treasure, you see.”</p> - -<p>“And didn’t you take a look around for the real -treasure mentioned in the note in the picture frame?” -Tuckerman asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, we did take a squint,” Hastings acknowledged. -“But we didn’t think it likely we’d find that, -if none of the Cotterells had been able to do it. We -thought more about having some fun with you -campers.” He looked at the three boys. “And we -did give you a good time, didn’t we?—particularly -Ben?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you did,” nodded Ben. “I was pretty well -excited when I found that second piece of parchment -in the hold of the ship.”</p> - -<p>“When we’d fixed up the message,” Hastings -resumed, “the next thing was to provide the treasure. -Of course we’d already made a note of that crevice -in the cliffs with the mark like a cross. I had an old -chest at the Gables, and we filled it with some old -costumes I had on hand, and then one day when I -was in Barmouth I picked up some odds and ends -from a dealer in antiques there, a fellow by the name -of Haskins.”</p> - -<p>“And that’s where the silver snuff-box comes -in,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Yes, that’s where it comes in,” Hastings admitted. -“Though I must say that I was surprised -when you drove up to the Gables that day and wanted -to know if Joseph Hastings had anything to do with -that snuff-box you’d found on the island. I didn’t -tell the dealer my name.”</p> - -<p>“No, he didn’t know your name,” said Ben. -“I asked him that. You see, as soon as I saw what -was in the chest I had a suspicion that someone was -playing a game on us. Those things weren’t the -Cotterell treasure; and why should anyone take so -much trouble to hide such things on the island? Then -I knew there had been people here, the footprints -by the creek, the handkerchief in the kitchen——”</p> - -<p>“What’s that about a handkerchief?” interrupted -Martin Locke.</p> - -<p>“The Professor found a handkerchief on the -table in the kitchen,” Ben explained. “A lady’s -handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L.”</p> - -<p>“So that’s where I left it!” exclaimed Miss -Lawson. “Those are my initials—Adelaide -Sanderson Lawson.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there was the handkerchief and there were -the footprints,” Ben continued. “That showed we -weren’t the only people who had been to the island. -And so, when we went to Barmouth, I took the snuffbox -along, and dropped in on Mr. Haskins. He knew -the snuff-box at once, and told me that the man who -had bought it from him, and some other things too, -had come in a big red car with a silver eagle on the -radiator cap, and that the car had a Massachusetts -license and the man was wearing green-checked -knickerbockers. He didn’t know the man’s name.”</p> - -<p>“I guess those green checks are rather conspicuous,” -murmured Hastings. “But how did you connect -the purchaser with me?”</p> - -<p>“Through the clerk at the hotel where you -stopped for dinner, and the man you bought a new -tire from,” Ben answered, and he told how he had -found his way to the Gables.</p> - -<p>“Pretty clever,” laughed Hastings. “But instead -of finding out why I’d put those things in the -chest you went hooked-rug hunting with me.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Ben, “when we came back to your -house I thought you must be Joseph Hastings, but I -didn’t get any good opening to follow up the clue. -And then there was all that excitement over the -robbers. But when I saw you doing those moving-pictures -I sized you up as a person who’d like to play -a game of some sort on us.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether that’s a knock at me or -not,” said Hastings. “But I do like to play games. -And that’s why, when I learned that you’d found the -chest, I thought it would be good fun to come over -here as Sir Peter Cotterell, dress my guests in Revolutionary -costumes, and take some moving-pictures -on the island. Martin and I came over to see about -it; that was the afternoon when you invited us to -stay to supper and Martin sang his song.”</p> - -<p>“It was a splendid idea,” said Tuckerman, “and -you did it up brown.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you.” Hastings bowed. “Such words -from a descendant of Sir Peter are a compliment -indeed. We learned that you were going over to the -water sports at Camp Amoussock this morning, so -we thought we’d have a clear field. We brought a -flotilla of boats—they’re moored in the creek now—and -a good supply of costumes, and cooks and food -and the moving-picture camera. I had one of my -men make up like a servant from the Barbadoes, stain -his face and hands with mahogany juice; he’s the -one who brought us the negus; though it isn’t really -negus—it’s loganberry juice and soda-water—and -I got Martin Locke to play the part of Sampson.” -Hastings looked at Locke and laughed. “Though -I don’t think Martin could possibly have carried that -treasure chest all the way from here to the -north shore.”</p> - -<p>“You certainly do things up thoroughly,” said -Mr. Hallett.</p> - -<p>“But what made the party a real success,” said -Hastings, “was what our friend Ben Sully did. -First, the capture of the thieves, and second, the finding -of the real Cotterell treasure. That’s a pretty -fine showing for one day, Ben.”</p> - -<p>“It was just luck I found that chest in the attic,” -Ben answered. “I thought all along that the pines -and the rocks mentioned in that notebook were actual -outdoor pines and rocks, just as I suppose everybody’s -thought who’s hunted for the treasure. I’ve -been up in the attic a lot of times, and never particularly -noticed the wallpaper—it’s pretty much faded -and blurred, as you saw; but when I was taking -this coat off one of the pegs this afternoon, I did -happen to notice that there was a yellowish sun and -some pines and rocks in the design on the wall. Then -the idea struck me all at once. Mightn’t that be the -place the words in the notebook meant? And the -more I looked at that wallpaper the more I felt certain -of it. I suppose Sir Peter told someone jokingly one -day that the treasure was hidden beyond the three -pines that stand between two rocks where the sun -goes down, and that fooled the people who’ve looked -for it ever since. He surely did like his joke.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell us about it as soon as -you hit on that great idea, Benjie?” It was Tom -who asked the question.</p> - -<p>“Why, then I saw the fishing-smack, and wanted -to go after the thieves.”</p> - -<p>“But afterwards?” said Tom. “Don’t tell me -you’d forgotten about it when we stopped at -the camp.”</p> - -<p>Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. “Why, the -fact is,” he replied, “I thought I’d like to spring it at -a dramatic moment. I had an idea that Miss Boothby -would ask Sir Peter again to show us the Cotterell -silver plate—she wanted to tease him about it—and -when she had him up a tree would be the right time -for me to speak out and tell what I’d discovered.”</p> - -<p>“That’s one on you, Adelaide,” laughed Joseph -Hastings. “Ben saw how you love to ask awkward -questions. And he likes dramatic things as much as -I do. He sprung it at just the right moment.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman stood up and walked to the door that -opened into the hall. From there he looked down the -length of the room, at the table gleaming with silver, -at the many candles, at the gaily-clad company. -“Yes,” he said, “I think this is worthy of Sir Peter. -I’m glad that Cotterell Hall has held high festival -once more.”</p> - -<p>“Sir Peter was a dear,” said Miss Lawson. “I’ve -liked him ever since I saw that picture of him in the -drawing-room. And it’s a wonderful house, Mr. -Tuckerman. What are you going to do with it? -Are you going to live here?”</p> - -<p>“I can’t very well,” Tuckerman answered, with -a shake of his head. “My home’s in the middle -West. I’m not like my Uncle Christopher and his -ancestors; I can’t live on an island in solitary grandeur. -I’m too fond of people.”</p> - -<p>“Why don’t you turn it into a show-place?” -suggested Milly Hallett. “That’s getting to be quite -the fashionable thing to do with colonial houses.”</p> - -<p>“We’ve talked about that,” said Tuckerman. -His eyes roved over the fine room; and after a minute -he shook his head. “Cotterell Hall a museum? No, -I couldn’t do that. But I’ll tell you what I would -like to do. I’d like to come here every summer, and -have Tom and Ben and David camp out with me, -and have Joseph Hastings bring his house-parties -over here and spend a week as my guests.”</p> - -<p>There were cheers from all the company, the -rafters rang with the noise as each and every one -shouted his or her acceptance. Hastings jumped to -his feet.</p> - -<p>“In the name of us all I accept your invitation. -We will come, and dance in your drawing-room and -dine from your table, as they did in Sir Peter’s day. -And now, friends and fellow-citizens, I propose -three cheers—three long and rousing cheers—for -John Tuckerman!”</p> - -<p>The cheers were given—long and rousing enough -to suit even Joseph Hastings.</p> - -<p>Then the buff-coated man waved his hand. “As -your host for the evening, I invite you to go to the -drawing-room and dance something a little more -modern than the minuet. Miss Sarah Hooper, will -you do me the honor?”</p> - -<p>Sarah and Mr. Hastings led the way across the -hall to the front room, where the rugs had been -removed from the polished floor. The music was a -piano and violin. And everybody danced, even -David, who contrived to jig about not too awkwardly -with Milly Hallett.</p> - -<p>Then there were songs. Martin Locke sang the -ballad he had written, and Tuckerman sang, and Miss -Lawson sang several times. Presently Hastings -glanced at the clock. “I don’t like to mention it,” -said he, “but it’s almost midnight. To the boats, -to the boats, and away!”</p> - -<p>They all trooped out to the creek, where the -flotilla was moored. Ladies in silks and satins and -beruffled gentlemen embarked. With cheers from -the shore, Joseph Hastings’ fleet steered down the -inlet and turned south.</p> - -<p>Then the sailboat from Barmouth, with the -Halletts and Hoopers, flitted away from the landing-stage -on the other side of the island. The boys and -Tuckerman went along the shore to their camp.</p> - -<p>“Great doings!” said Tom. “But how are -we ever going to keep Benjie busy now that the -treasure is found?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you worry about me,” Ben retorted. -“I’ve got plenty to do. The sea is still full of fish.”</p> - -<p>“He’s after a mahogany fish with long, skinny -legs,” said David.</p> - -<p>“What I want to know,” said Ben, “is whether -there ever was a real mahogany man.”</p> - -<p>“I think there was,” said Tuckerman. “But he -sailed away in the clipper ship. He probably went -to the Barbadoes.”</p> - -<p>Tom gave a great yawn. “Well,” he said, “Ben -can sit up and talk about him as long as he likes; but -for me—I’m going to bed. It’s been what I’d call -a full day.”</p> - -<h1 id='t8457'>XXI—THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN</h1> - -<p>Tuckerman pulled himself up on to the rock -where Tom and David and Ben were sitting in the -sun. The quiet of early morning was on the water; a -few terns were fishing for their breakfast; there was -the distant chug-chug of a lobsterman’s motor-boat -somewhere to the south; but otherwise the campers -had the shore and the bay to themselves. Tuckerman -sat down, sticking his long legs out in front of him. -“I may not be a duck,” he said, “but I’m certainly -getting web-feet. I feel almost as much at home in -the water as on dry land.”</p> - -<p>“You’re a good swimmer,” said Tom. “In -fact, you’re an all-around sport. I don’t believe any -of the Cotterells knew a quarter as much about the -water as you do.”</p> - -<p>“I can’t picture Sir Peter sunning himself on -this rock after a morning swim,” said David.</p> - -<p>“Customs change with the times.” Tuckerman -slapped his wet knees. “But I can tell you I’m glad -I came on East this summer and learned to be a -real man.”</p> - -<p>“So am I,” said Ben. “No, I didn’t mean it that -way. Of course you were a real man before. What -I mean is that the camp on your island has been a -great success. It’s taught me a lot.”</p> - -<p>“Benjie, are you really going to be a professional -detective?” David inquired. “Seems to me I heard -someone say that you were thinking of it.”</p> - -<p>“One mistake I made at first,” Ben remarked -solemnly, “was in thinking that the men who put -that chest in the rocks and those that Tom saw -leaving the island in the sailboat were the same -people. I thought there was only one set of men -prowling around here, when there were really two.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman smiled. “I don’t wonder you got -them mixed. Well, I’m glad Joseph Hastings’ guests -got their jewels back from those thieves.”</p> - -<p>“You see,” Ben continued, following his own -line of thought, “the thieves came out here on the -night when Tom saw them in a sailboat, and not in -the fishing-smack. And I think it must have been -that same sailboat we saw close to the island the -night when we returned from Camp Amoussock in -the <span class='it'>Argo</span>.” He pried loose a sliver of rock and threw -it into the water. “Naturally, I didn’t connect that -sailboat with the fishing-smack.”</p> - -<p>“You’re forgiven,” said Tom. “Don’t let that -weigh on your conscience.”</p> - -<p>“I’m not sure,” suggested David, “but that we -ought to call Benjie the Professor and call Mr. -Tuckerman, John. Benjie’s getting to be a real -professor. Just listen to the way he talks.”</p> - -<p>“Ever since he found the treasure——” began -Tom.</p> - -<p>“Oh, let up on a fellow, can’t you?” Ben interrupted. -“I haven’t mentioned the treasure to-day.”</p> - -<p>David gave a chuckle. “You haven’t been out -of bed an hour yet. And that puts me in mind of -something important. Breakfast is waiting on -the beach.”</p> - -<p>Four splashes of water as the campers dove from -the rock. Tuckerman could manage a very passable -dive now. A swim across to the beach, a rub-down, -a quick donning of clothes, and then preparations for -breakfast. “I’ve never known coffee to taste so -good as it does on Cotterell’s Island,” said -Tuckerman, draining his cup.</p> - -<p>Tom looked up at the man with the horn-rimmed -spectacles. “Have you ever known anything to taste -so good as it does on Cotterell’s Island?” he asked -with a twinkle in his eye.</p> - -<p>“No, now I come to think of it, I don’t believe I -ever have. It’s a wonderful place.”</p> - -<p>“Wonderful cooking, you mean,” put in David.</p> - -<p>“Wonderful fish,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Just listen to them,” expostulated Tom. “Each -taking the credit to himself. When the fact of the -matter is that it’s all due to me. You’d never have -come out here, Professor, would you, if I hadn’t -agreed to come along?”</p> - -<p>“Picture me alone here!” said Tuckerman. -“No, I didn’t believe I should. Alone on a deserted -island. It sounds all right in stories; but for practical -purposes give me three companions. Boys, -when I go back to my middle-western city I’ll think -a great deal about this summer on the coast.”</p> - -<p>“It is pretty good here,” David admitted, looking -across the water to where a white sail was peeping -around a point of land. “And in winter there’s -fine skating.”</p> - -<p>“And wonderful coasting,” said Ben. “There’s -a hill back of Barmouth where you can coast for -a mile.”</p> - -<p>“And skiing,” Tom added. “You ought to be -good at that, Professor, you’ve got such long legs.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman put his hands to his ears. “Hold on, -hold on!” he exclaimed. “You overwhelm me. -Do you want to make me desert my home and business, -and do nothing but play?”</p> - -<p>The three boys laughed. “We don’t play all the -time by any means,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it,” said David. “Sometimes we -wash the dishes.” And taking Ben by the collar of -his flannel shirt he lifted him to his feet. “Benjie’ll -show you how we do it.”</p> - -<p>When they had cleaned the dishes they walked -over to Cotterell Hall. Tuckerman opened the front -door, which was unlocked. “While I was so very -particular about the key,” he chuckled, “both Joseph -Hastings and the crew of the fishing-smack were -coming in whenever they wanted. They made their -own keys to fit the locks. Well, I ought to have -been more hospitable.”</p> - -<p>A week had passed since the famous party, and in -that week the police of Barmouth had found the -jewels that were stolen from the Gables, and also -duplicate keys to the front and back doors of Cotterell -Hall, hidden in the cabin of the fishing-smack. On -the strength of that, and of the testimony of Tom -and David and Lanky Larry as to what they had -seen on the afternoon when they were at the cove, -Sam and the other men had been held in jail for the -next term of court.</p> - -<p>“There’s one thing,” said Ben, as the four went -into the big room on the left of the hall, “that -still puzzles me a bit. Why did Christopher Cotterell -write those lines in his notebook? ‘Find the mahogany-hued -man with the long, skinny legs and look in -his breast pocket. That’s a saying my father handed -down. What can it mean?’” Ben looked at the -others. “What do you suppose the mahogany man -did have in his pocket?”</p> - -<p>“I’m sure I don’t know,” said Tuckerman. “He -certainly didn’t have Sir Peter’s silver plate. That -may be one of those legends, Ben, that get changed -from their original meaning as they are handed down -from one to another.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose that may be it,” agreed Ben, though -he did not look altogether satisfied.</p> - -<p>“Every colonial house,” Tuckerman continued, -“ought to have some legend to make it interesting. -The mahogany man can be the legend of -Cotterell Hall.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman looked at the portrait of his ancestor. -“We’ve found what you meant by the place of the -three pines and the two rocks where the sun goes -down,” he said; “but we haven’t found what it was -that the mahogany man had in his breast pocket. -So you’ve still provided a conundrum for Ben to -puzzle over. Sir Peter, I don’t believe you’d have -any objection to our having found the plate. I think -that to-day you’d be as good an American as any -of the rest of us.”</p> - -<p>“Of course he would,” said Tom, “I can understand -how he’d have objected to his neighbors telling -him to hand over his silver to them. I’d have -objected myself.”</p> - -<p>Tuckerman turned to the three boys. “You -approve of Sir Peter, don’t you?” he asked. “Even -if he was a Tory?”</p> - -<p>“I do,” said Ben promptly.</p> - -<p>“I do,” said Tom.</p> - -<p>“I think he was a corker, Professor,” said David. -“I wish he’d been in my family.”</p> - -<p>“And that’s the opinion of three boys of good -old Barmouth families,” said Tuckerman with a -pleased smile. “Well, boys, you’re to feel free to -camp on Sir Peter’s island and use his house any time -you want.”</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Tom, “the next thing is to get the -Professor to sail us around to the north shore, so we -can get Mr. Hastings’ chest and bring it back to -the house. We don’t want to leave any tempting bait -for other prowlers to find.”</p> - -<p>They went aboard the <span class='it'>Argo</span>, and Tuckerman -took the helm. He was now a proficient skipper, and -he gloried in it, as he gloried in all the new accomplishments -he had acquired in the past month.</p> - -<p>The chest was brought to Cotterell Hall, and -again the <span class='it'>Argo</span> set sail. This time the three boys -fished, while Tuckerman handled the boat. Flounders -were biting in plenty, and soon they had enough for -dinner. Ben pulled in his line. “We’d better leave -some for another day,” he suggested.</p> - -<p>“The wind’s just right for a southerly run,” -said Tom.</p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, Captain,” said Tuckerman, and -brought the bow about.</p> - -<p>South they sailed, past the flag at Camp Amoussock, -past the cove with the shacks on each side, -past Joseph Hastings’ private dock, almost down to -Gosport before Tuckerman came about.</p> - -<p>North to the island and dinner. And as they sat -on the bank afterwards and Tuckerman smoked his -pipe, he said, “Well, to-morrow I must start back -to the city. But I tell you, I’ve learned more since -I’ve camped out in Barmouth Harbor than I ever -learned in college.”</p> - -<p>“If you stayed here much longer,” said David, -“you’d be almost as learned as Benjie.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know about that,” Tuckerman answered. -“I’m not as keen-witted as he is. I’m more lazy, like -you, Dave.”</p> - -<p>David grinned. “Well, it takes something really -important to make me move around. I wouldn’t go -trailing a snuff-box all over the country.”</p> - -<p>“It takes Lanky Larry’s pitching,” said Tom. -“Dave has to get mad before he does his best work.”</p> - -<p>“I wasn’t mad. I was cool as a cucumber,” -David responded. “I have a nice friendly nature.”</p> - -<p>“If it hadn’t been for my following the snuffbox,” -Ben spoke up, “Joseph Hastings wouldn’t -have come out here and given his party; and if he -hadn’t given his party and told us to get our costumes -up in the attic, I wouldn’t have noticed that wallpaper; -and if I hadn’t noticed the wallpaper we’d -never have found the treasure. Q. E. D.”</p> - -<p>“There!” exclaimed David, “Ben’s off again! -No, Professor, I was wrong; you couldn’t possibly -be as learned as he is; nobody could.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve half a mind to duck you for that,” said Ben.</p> - -<p>“Come on!” retorted David, pretending to roll -up his sleeves.</p> - -<p>“Only it’s too soon after dinner,” answered the -dark-haired boy. “I’ll overlook it this once; but -don’t you do it again.”</p> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by -Rupert Sargent Holland - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - -***** This file should be named 43670-h.htm or 43670-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/7/43670/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -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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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/license - - -Title: Peter Cotterell's Treasure - -Author: Rupert Sargent Holland - -Illustrator: Will Thomson - -Release Date: September 8, 2013 [EBook #43670] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE - - - - -[Illustration: John Tuckerman sat down carefully, "Now, Captain Hallett, -give your orders."] - - - - - PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE - - BY - - RUPERT SARGENT HOLLAND - - Author of "The Boy Scouts of Birch-Bark Island," - "The Blue Heron's Feather," etc. - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - WILL THOMSON - - PHILADELPHIA & LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS - PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. - - - - - Table of Contents - - I--JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - II--COTTERELL'S ISLAND - III--BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - IV--VISITORS - V--THE MAHOGANY MAN - VI--THE CLIPPER SHIP - VII--THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - VIII--THE CANOE - IX--THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - X--LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - XI--THE MAN IN GREEN - XII--THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - XIII--ON THE FISHING-SMACK - XIV--BEN AT THE GABLES - XV--VARIOUS CLUES - XVI--THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - XVII--PETER COTTERELL - XVIII--THE PIRATES ASHORE - XIX--THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - XX--SIR PETER'S PARTY - XXI--THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - - - - Illustrations - - John Tuckerman sat down carefully, "Now, Captain Hallett, give - your orders." - - In the marshy ground in front of them were two distinct footprints. - - "Sampson put the chest there," he concluded. - - "My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you please." - - - - - I--JOHN TUCKERMAN COMES TO BARMOUTH - - -Tom Hallett lived in an old town on the Atlantic seaboard, a port of New -Hampshire that was wedged in between the rocky coast of Maine and the -sandy beaches of Massachusetts. If he crossed the broad river to the -north, the beautiful Pesumpscot, by the old toll-bridge that seemed as -ancient as the town itself, he came into the Pine Tree State. If he -sailed to the south, he had not far to go before he reached Cape Ann. -Back of him, to the west, lay the foothills of the White Mountains, and -he had often tramped far enough in that direction to see the noble -outline of Mount Washington rise grandly against the sky. In front--for -people who live along the seacoast always think of the ocean as being at -their front door--was the harbor of Barmouth, a wide semi-circle, its -two horns sticking way out to the east, its broad bosom dotted with many -islands. Once Barmouth town had sent many ships to sea, merchantmen to -the West Indies, around Cape Horn, to the fabled lands of India and -China, fishing fleets to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, whalers to -the Arctic; now, however, ships were not so plentiful, sails had given -place to steam, and the young men stayed ashore to make their living -rather than seek the rigors and gales that were a part of the toll -exacted by Father Neptune. - -Tom Hallett's house had the cupola on top of its roof that told of the -old sailing days, the "widow's watch," as it was commonly called, for -from there the wives of sailors used to watch for the first sign of -homebound sails. His grandfather had been a sea-captain, and the house -was full of the treasures he had collected. Many a time Tom and his -older sister Milly had listened to the amazing yarns the weatherbeaten -mariner had spun by the winter fire. - -Barmouth was an excellent place for a boy to live. There was plenty of -lawn around most of the houses, the streets were wide and well-shaded, -open country was near enough to be reached by a ten-minute walk. There -was coasting and skating in winter--all that one could wish--and the -ponds that rang with the music of steel runners in January were -swimming-holes in July and tempting places to fish. And there was always -the harbor and the wind from the sea, calling young sailors to launch -their dories and try their skill over the rippling waves. - -Tom was sixteen that summer, and wanted something to do--something a -little different from his usual holiday jaunts. He told his father about -it, and his father said he would think the matter over. And then one -evening, as Tom was leaning on the garden gate, wishing that some -adventure would come his way, he found himself addressed by a stranger. - -"Do you know of a young fellow out of a job?" said the stranger. "A -likely young fellow, who doesn't mind roughing it?" - -Tom regarded the man. The latter was tall and spare, and wore big, -horn-rimmed spectacles that gave him the look of a wise and thoughtful -owl. - -"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't," Tom answered, copying the cautious -words and tone of voice that he had often heard his uncle Samuel Jordan, -who was a lawyer, use when he was asked questions. - -"You're Yankee through and through, aren't you?" said the man. "You -don't want to commit yourself to anything definite until you know all -the facts. I don't suppose I could interest you in buying a calico horse -until you'd got out a pail of water and soap and a scrubbing brush to -see if the spots would wash off." - -Tom laughed; the stranger looked so extremely solemn in his big glasses, -and yet his tone indicated a joke. "Even if the spots didn't wash off -I'm not sure you could interest me in that horse," he retorted. "I don't -see how I could use him just now." - -"Well, he's not for sale, my friend. I need him out on the old farm in -Illinois, where I come from." The man stroked his chin while he regarded -Tom reflectively. "I'm looking for a young and able seaman, for to tell -you the truth, I don't know much about salt water. I provide the grub -and the boat and whatever else is needed, and the sailorman provides the -lore of the sea." - -Tom's interest was aroused. If this stranger really wanted a sailor to -help him with a boat it seemed odd that he should be seeking information -from a young fellow lounging on a gate in one of the quiet, elm-shaded -streets of Barmouth. It would have been much more natural to look for -such information along the waterfront, at some of the docks or piers. -"Why don't you hunt up one of the captains?" Tom suggested. "They might -know just the man for you." - -"I don't want a man," was the answer. "I want a likely young fellow, -someone about your age and general cut of jib--that's the right -seafaring expression, isn't it? I've got an adventure on hand, and I -want company. I wouldn't mind two, or even three, young fellows, if they -were the right kind." - -An adventure! Tom pricked up his ears. The man was certainly -interesting, he would like to know more about him. "Where are you going -to sail, and how long would you be away?" he questioned. - -"My cruise will probably be limited to the islands in Barmouth Harbor, -and we'd be away anywhere from a week to a month." - -"Well," began Tom, "I don't know----" - -"Neither do I," said the stranger, with a grin. "There are a number of -things I don't know about this adventure. But then the main point about -an adventure is that we can't tell everything about it in advance. Isn't -that so?" - -"I suppose it is," Tom granted. And after a moment's thought he added, -"I know my way round the harbor pretty well, and I can sail a dory, and -I've got a couple of friends----" - -"Fine!" declared the man. "Do you know, it may seem odd to you, but as I -came along the street and my eyes lighted on you, I said to myself, -'that's precisely the type of messmate I'm looking for; an upstanding -fellow, with a good head on his shoulders.'" - -Naturally Tom felt pleased. He straightened up and stuck his hands in -his pockets. "The only thing I don't understand," he said, "is how you -expect to find a real adventure in the harbor. Of course we could cruise -around, and fish and swim. Is that what you had in mind?" - -"Did you ever hear of Cotterell's Island?" The stranger lowered his -voice. - -Tom nodded. "Of course I have. We call it Crusty Christopher's Island -around here." - -"Have you ever been on it?" - -"No," Tom was forced to admit. "The man who lives there won't let any -one land. He's put up signs warning people off and he keeps watch-dogs." - -"The island belongs to me," announced the stranger, "and I'm going to -camp out on it." - -Tom stared at the man in surprise. "But surely you're not Crusty -Christopher!" he exclaimed. "I always heard he was old and had a white -beard." - -"Mr. Christopher Cotterell," explained the stranger, "was my uncle; -though as a matter of fact I only saw him once, when I was a small boy. -He died last year and I have inherited his island and the house on it. -The house has a history. I'm very much interested in old houses, and -particularly in this one. My name is John Tuckerman." - -"Well," said Tom, "that's interesting, to be sure. I hope you don't -think I meant to call your uncle names." - -"Oh no, you didn't offend me," said the man promptly. "I've heard him -called Crusty Christopher before, and I shouldn't wonder if he deserved -the nickname. There have been a number of queer characters in the -Cotterell family; there was old Sir Peter Cotterell, for instance, who -built that house on the island and lived there during the Revolution." - -"Sir Peter?" queried Tom. "I don't seem to remember him." - -"He wasn't really Sir Peter," Mr. Tuckerman explained. "He was only -plain Mr. Peter, like his neighbors in Barmouth. But he had the bad -taste to side with the King of England when the colonists objected to -paying taxes without being represented in the government--in other -words, he was what they called a Tory--and so the people nicknamed him -Sir Peter in joke. There are lots of stories I could tell you about him. -I'm very much interested in history, you see." - -Tom nodded. The more he listened to this Mr. John Tuckerman the more he -liked him. And yet simply to camp out on an island in the harbor, even -on Cotterell's Island, where he had never set his foot--though he had -often wanted to--didn't strike him as a very thrilling adventure. - -Perhaps Mr. Tuckerman read his thought, for, lowering his voice again, -he said, "There's a mystery connected with the place; I've found -references to it in some old family letters. And the house is full of -old furniture and bric-a-brac. I can hardly wait to explore it." - -The man's tone was undoubtedly eager, and though Tom had never felt any -great interest in old furniture and such things he found his curiosity -rapidly rising. An island and a house to explore--Crusty Christopher's -at that--and possibly a mystery. He might be making a great mistake if -he let this adventure escape. - -Mr. Tuckerman was speaking again. "I might as well explain at once that -I'm a dreadful landlubber. I don't know anything about sailing boats, -and not very much about fishing. I'm afraid my education has been very -much neglected along certain lines. I want to camp on that island, and I -want company. Do you know how to cook--to cook the sort of things -campers eat, I mean?" - -"I can cook some things. But my friend David Norton can cook almost -anything. He's one of the fellows I meant." - -"It would be splendid if we could get David, too. I'd take along plenty -of provisions, but one does get tired of living on canned things." - -"Ben Sully's a corking fisherman," said Tom. "Ben and David and I have -camped out a lot together." - -"I'd like to keep the expedition as quiet as I can," Mr. Tuckerman -stated. "I don't want a lot of curiosity-seekers poking round the -island." - -"I think you're right," agreed Tom. "I'll swear both of them to secrecy; -except to their families, of course. You wouldn't mind our telling our -parents?" - -To that John Tuckerman agreed. "This is just what I hoped to find," he -said, "some young fellows with the spirit of adventure. You know the -ropes, and I don't. Let's see; what's your name?" - -Tom told him. "Wouldn't you like to come in and see my father?" he -suggested. - -"I must be getting back to the hotel," said Tuckerman. "You tell him my -name, and say I'm Mr. Cotterell's nephew. You sign up to go, do you? And -you'll try to get your two messmates? I'll see to the boat and grub and -cooking outfit--and I think I can promise you a bit of adventure." - -"If Father says yes, I sign," agreed Tom, smiling at the man's air of -business. "And the more adventure there is, the better I'll like it, -too. Things are sort of quiet here this summer." - -Tuckerman held out his hand. He had a formal manner about him that -amused Tom greatly. "See you at Lowe's Wharf at two o'clock tomorrow -afternoon." - -"Right," said Tom, shaking hands. "And I'll have the other two fellows -there with me. They've always wanted to have a look at that island." - -The tall, lank man turned, and shortly disappeared behind the big clump -of lilac bushes at the corner of Wentworth Street. Tom, thoughtfully -jingling a bunch of keys in his trouser pocket, chuckled as he -considered the situation. In fifteen minutes this Mr. John Tuckerman, a -total stranger, had persuaded him to camp out for a fortnight or so on -Crusty Christopher's island. Tom could well believe that Mr. Tuckerman -needed some companions who were used to the water and campcraft; he -looked as if he might be a Professor and more knowing about history and -such things than about how to reef a sail or hook a flounder. - -Still grinning at this unusual happening, Tom went into the house, where -in the sitting-room his father was reading, his mother sewing, and his -sister Milly trimming a new straw hat. "I'm going camping on Cotterell's -Island," he declared. "It's a sort of a secret, so you must all promise -not to tell." - -Milly looked up quickly. "On Cotterell's Island? If you step ashore -there, somebody'll pitch you off." - -"Oh no, they won't. I'm going with the owner." - -Milly wrinkled her nose, as she did when she felt scornful. "I suppose -that pleasant old man has sent you an invitation. 'Dear Mr. Thomas -Hallett, I should be _so_ delighted if you'd drop in on me.'" And Milly -tilted the straw hat on her hand so as to judge the effect of the ribbon -around the brim. - -Tom walked across to the fireplace, where he stood with his back to the -hearth, as his father often did when he had an announcement to make. -"Mr. Christopher Cotterell is dead," he said. "I received my invitation -from his nephew, Mr. John Tuckerman." - -Milly turned around, surprised. "What are you springing on us? Where did -you meet this man?" - -"Down at the gate to-night," said Tom calmly. "He wanted a likely young -fellow to help him explore the house and the island he's inherited, and -naturally he came to me." - -"Yes, what Tom says is quite true," declared Mr. Hallett. "Mr. Tuckerman -is the new owner. So he asked you to help him, did he?" - -"He called himself a landlubber. I've an idea too that he doesn't want -to stay on the island alone. I'm to get Ben and David, and we're to sail -his boat for him and fish and cook and keep him company." - -"Humph!" sniffed Milly. "That doesn't sound very exciting. You're to do -the work while he loafs around." - -"Oh, I don't know about that. He hinted that we might find something -very interesting. He called it an adventure. And he let slip something -about a mystery." - -Milly put the hat down. She herself was very fond of camping and sailing -and swimming, and although she pretended to be quite grown up she still -yearned at times for her old tomboy ways. "I suppose he isn't going to -be like Old Crusty--I mean Mr. Christopher Cotterell? He won't mind -people coming out to see that queer old house." - -"That's just what he does mind," said Tom. "He wants to keep the whole -thing dark, for the present, at least. Why, if he didn't, all Barmouth -would be going out there. Most of them never got nearer the place than -to read the signs; and they'd all be crazy to go." - -"Well, it seems to me," argued Milly, "if he's going to explore the -house he ought to have someone out there who knows something about -furnishings. I daresay there's lots of old silver and curtains and rugs -and maybe chests of fine linen. Now of course a woman--well, it's only -natural that a woman--you know what I mean, a woman could help a great -deal in sorting such things out." - -"When you say a woman," inquired Tom, "do you happen to be thinking of -Miss Milly Hallett?" - -Milly, in spite of her tan, flushed a fiery red. "You know perfectly -well, Tom, that you've always said I was a great help on a camping -party." - -"So you are, Milly," Tom admitted loyally. "You cook better even than -Dave does. But Mr. Tuckerman didn't say anything about bringing a girl -along. I'm afraid he'd think that wouldn't be business-like." - -"Tom's right, Milly dear," said Mrs. Hallett. "This is Mr. Tuckerman's -affair, and it wouldn't be right to offer him any suggestions. But -perhaps, while they're out on the island, he wouldn't mind if some day -we went over to look at the house. When do you start, Tom?" - -"To-morrow at two--that is, if father says it's all right." - -"Oh, you're going to ask my consent, are you?" said Mr. Hallett, with a -smile. "Well, if Mr. Tuckerman is such a landlubber as he appears to be, -I think it's only right you should give him your help. I don't see how, -with Ben and David and you, he can possibly get into hot water." - -"He can't," agreed Milly, picking up the hat again and pretending to -shiver. "The water isn't even warm around the islands in the harbor. -However, I don't suppose this Mr. Tuckerman is apt to care much for -swimming." And as she went on twirling the hat in her hands and puffing -out the big blue bow, she hummed a little tune to indicate that she was -much more interested in her millinery than in Tom's prospective -adventure. - -Tom walked down the street to the small, pitched-roof house--a white -house with green shutters and door, and tall pink and red hollyhocks -standing up against the sides--where Benjamin Sully lived. As luck would -have it, David Norton was sitting with Ben on the doorstep. "Hello!" -cried Tom. "I'm looking for a couple of able-bodied seamen." - -"Aye, aye, sir," answered Ben. "What port are you bound for--the Barbary -Coast or Barbadoes or round the Cape of Good Hope?" - -Ben was a small, dark boy, agile as a monkey. When he was with David -Norton he looked smaller and darker than ever, for David was big of -frame and his sandy hair topped a cheerful, freckled face. These two and -Tom Hallett were about of an age, and had always shared each other's -secrets. - -"Cotterell's Island, lads. A place where the foot of a white man has -never set heel before." And standing in front of his two friends, Tom -related John Tuckerman's proposal. - -When he had finished, Ben nodded. "The plan sounds good to me. I've -always meant to have a look at that island. As I've sized it up, Crusty -Christopher wouldn't have been so concerned to keep people away if he -hadn't had something he wanted to keep secret." - -"I don't know about that," said David. "Some people are made that way; -they just naturally don't want other folks around. Maybe the place is -just like any other island." - -"Well, I'm going anyhow," declared Tom. "I guess I can look after Mr. -Tuckerman all right by myself. But I didn't want to seem mean and leave -you two out." - -Ben jumped up. "I'm going, all right. I'd hate to think of you and that -ignorant fellow out there all by yourselves. Count me in on this, Tom." - -"I guess your friend wouldn't get much good cooking," said David, -"without me to superintend." - -"Oh, I don't know about that," retorted Tom. "He's going to take plenty -of good stuff." - -"Canned!" snorted David. "I know--hardtack and beans out of a tin. No, -siree. You'd be squabbling inside of two days if you didn't have me and -some of my famous flapjacks to keep you pleasant." - -"Nice, modest David," said Ben, stroking his big friend's arm. "However, -though he doesn't think very well of himself, I vote that we let him -come along. Maybe he'll be useful." - -"You bet I'll come," announced the tow-headed one. "Do you think I'd let -you two and a queer man go prowling around a mysterious island without -your Uncle David? I'll be there when the boat sails, with my pet -frying-pan!" - - - - - II--COTTERELL'S ISLAND - - -Early the next afternoon the few occupants of Lowe's Wharf--a couple of -men fishing for cunners, a sailor painting the bottom of an upturned -dory, two small boys practising tying various kinds of knots with odds -and ends of rope--saw three young fellows in dark blue jerseys and khaki -coats and trousers and a man rigged out in a homespun Norfolk jacket and -knickerbockers and greenish-gray golf stockings assemble as if they were -about to start on an expedition. - -Tom Hallett, slender but wiry, browned by the wind and the sun, dumped -his duffle-bag of blankets and extra clothing on the wharf and -introduced his companions. "Mr. Tuckerman, this is David Norton, and -this is Ben Sully. They'd both like to go along, if you still want three -of us." - -John Tuckerman shook hands with each. "I'm proud to have such a fine -looking crew," said he. "Though perhaps I ought to put it the other way -about and say three such fine looking captains, I myself being the crew. -It doesn't need more than a glance to tell me that you three know all -about the sea and the woods. Great luck, I call it. And if I'm not -mistaken there's our ship, waiting for us Argonauts to go aboard." - -At one side of the wharf, a man was holding the painter of an -eighteen-foot sailing dory, already loaded with provisions and John -Tuckerman's bags. The three boys quickly had their own things stowed -away. "All right, Mr. Jackson," said Tuckerman to the man from whom he -had rented the boat. "You see I've shipped a good crew. You needn't lie -awake nights wondering what's happened to your _Argo_." - -The owner grinned. "I know 'em. I'll trust 'em with the boat. But her -name's the _Mary J. Jackson_. See, it's painted there in the bow." - -"So it is. _Mary J. Jackson_. That's a very nice name; but somehow it -doesn't seem exactly to suit this business. We're after the Golden -Fleece, like the Argonauts of old; so if you don't mind I'm going to -christen her for this trip the _Argo_. Just a little fancy of mine." - -"Suit yerself, sir. She's a good boat, no matter what you call her." - -"Many thanks, Mr. Jackson." John Tuckerman sat down carefully. "Now, -Captain Hallett, give your orders." - -The dory slid away, the experienced hand of Tom in charge of the tiller. -Out into the harbor she sped, picking up the breeze as she danced along. - -The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, the water was translucent blue, -with here and there wide sweeps of green, on the shore every house and -tree stood out in vivid, fresh-tinted color. Tuckerman folded his arms -and leaned back in great contentment. "This is something like, my lads!" -he exclaimed. "My voyages heretofore have only been made on ocean -grayhounds and fat-bodied ferry-boats." - -Ben looked at him pityingly. "It must be pretty hard," he said, "to live -inland, in a big city." - -"Yes, in some ways, though it has its compensations. You see, my -ancestors grew restless in New England and moved out across the plains. -That is, the Tuckermans did; the Cotterells stayed here. And now there -aren't any Cotterells left. That's how it came about that I own this -island." - -"My father," spoke up David, "says that the Cotterells were once one of -the best known families in Barmouth; but that old Mr. Christopher was as -queer as all get out. He knows lots of stories about him. He says that -Mr. Christopher lived there with a colored man for his servant, and -never saw anybody." - -"Poor old chap!" said Tuckerman. "I can't help feeling dreadfully sorry -for him. Think what a good time he could have had in his big house. Why, -in the old days it was one of the show places along the coast and the -Cotterells used to have celebrated parties." Tuckerman gazed out over -the water and pulled his chin with his fingers, in a habit he had. "Do -you know what I want to do? I want to take that old house and fix it up -properly, make it look as it used to, and give it back its good name." -He smiled. "Maybe you'll think it odd, but I feel as if houses were -almost like people. I hate to see either the one or the other go to -seed." - -"They are something like people," Ben agreed. "There's a church with a -steeple in Barmouth that looks just like the pictures of the Pilgrim -Fathers with their high-crowned hats. And the windows in front look like -eyes, kind of boring eyes that are trying to see right through you." - -"Ben's always thinking of queer things like that," David explained, half -in apology. - -Mr. Tuckerman nodded at the small, dark-browed boy. "I'm glad that Ben -came along. I think he's going to be a great help in fixing up my -house." - -In and out between islands, past long jutting ledges, where pine and -juniper ran down to the water's edge, the dory sailed smoothly. -Sometimes Tom had to tack; again he ran for a stretch on a course due -south. And after about an hour he raised his arm and pointed. "There--on -the port bow--there she lies. See that white, sandy beach. That's -Cotterell's Island." - -Ben and David were familiar with the look of the place of course; they -had cruised around it many times, and had always examined it with -particular interest because it was a forbidden shore; but now they gazed -at it as though it were somehow entirely new, as indeed it was to them, -except for the beach and trees. - -John Tuckerman nodded. "I'll take your word for it, Tom. It lies exactly -where it should according to the map of the harbor; though I can't say -that it looks very much like the small red dot on the chart Mr. Jackson -showed me at his boathouse." - -There was not much to be seen except the whitish-yellow beach, several -headlands of purple rock, and thick-growing pines that stood out -black-green. There was, however, considerable to be heard as the sailing -dory drew near. An immense cawing came from the tree-tops, and finally -as the _Argo_ nosed along close to the shore at least a score of crows -flapped away from their meeting-place and went winging off to a more -secluded grove. - -"Uncle Christopher's neighbors don't seem to like visitors any better -than he did," observed Tuckerman with twinkling eyes. "Crows do sound -dreadfully scolding, don't they? And I never knew such birds for all -wanting to talk at the same time." - -Tom knew where the old pier stood, and brought his boat skilfully up to -the landing-stage. The sail was dropped and furled, baggage and stores -carried ashore, and the four campers looked about them. From the old and -rather decrepit pier a graveled path led up to the front of a wide white -house, partially screened by trees. - -"Cotterell Hall," said Tuckerman, gazing at the ancient mansion. "That's -what they used to call it in Revolutionary days. Well, Tom, it's up to -you to tell us what to do. The house won't run away, and something tells -me it won't be so very long before we'll be hungry." - -"Suppose we look for our camping ground then," said Tom, "since it seems -to be understood that we're not going to bunk in the house." - -"That's the idea," agreed Tuckerman promptly. "Fond as I am of ancestral -halls and that sort of thing, I said to myself when I left the -Middle-West for the New England coast: 'John, you're to sleep out of -doors on a bed of pine boughs, even if the bugs do fall from the trees -on your face and the boughs stick you as full of needles as a porcupine. -You're going back to the wild, that's what you are!'" - -His eyes behind his huge tortoise-shell rimmed spectacles looked so -intensely serious that the three boys didn't know whether to laugh or -not. For all his dignified appearance he did seem extraordinarily -guileless. David, the most outspoken of the three, shook his head -solemnly. "This isn't going to be what you'd call so all-fired wild, you -know. If you're looking for that, you ought to go up in the North -Woods." - -Ben came to the rescue. "It'll do as a starter though, Mr. Tuckerman," -he said encouragingly. "We can't promise you bears or anything like -that, but maybe there'll be owls and loons and other things that sound -sort of strange at night." - -Tuckerman smiled. "Ben, I can see you're a friendly soul. And you must -remember that what may not seem very wild to experienced woodsmen like -you three may prove very thrilling to a tenderfoot like me." - -They decided on their camp readily; a smooth stretch of turf in a -semi-circle of pines on high ground just above a small sandy beach. It -was perhaps a quarter of a mile from the pier and from Cotterell Hall. -Pine boughs were cut, trimmed, and spread out for bedding, stores were -unpacked, driftwood collected for a fire, and the menu determined on for -supper. - -Tuckerman looked out at the water, a sheet of soft and beautiful -opalescent colors in the setting sun. "Is there any reason why we -shouldn't take a bath?" he inquired. "I feel extremely sticky." - -"No reason whatever," answered Tom. "The first rule of camp-life is, -Obey that impulse. There's plenty of room in that bathtub, but you won't -find much hot water." - -In five minutes they were all in the ocean, frisky as a school of -porpoises, making enough noise to scare any wildfowl away. The boys -struck out and swam, trying first one stroke and then another. -Tuckerman, however, came lumbering along, jerking his arms and legs like -an old and stiff-jointed frog. But he enjoyed himself. He was chuckling -and gurgling and slapping his thighs with his hands as they all came out -of the water. - -"Tom, you must teach me to swim," he begged. "I can see I'm not in your -class now, but give me a week or so----" - -"Righto. I bet you'll learn quick." - -In fifteen minutes they were ready for supper. Fried eggs and bacon, -grilled sweet potatoes, coffee, bread and butter, and then flapjacks -with jam. "I can see," said Tuckerman, as he finished his third -flapjack, "that David's reputation as a cook has not been exaggerated. I -always wondered what it meant when I read that the gods lived on -ambrosia and nectar. Now at last I know." - -"You'll make his head swell," cautioned Ben, "and it's large enough -already. We took him to a phrenologist last winter, and the man said -he'd never felt such big bumps." - -The dishes were washed. The moon rose. Tuckerman lighted his pipe. -"Well," said Ben, "aren't we going to have a look at the old house? It -seems to me we ought." - -The house, when they approached it a little later in the moonlight--for -Ben's suggestion had met with favor from the others--presented a blank -and shuttered white surface, against which the dark outline of the trees -around it showed in jagged forms. It had been a fine old dwelling, built -in a day when carpenters and joiners took a real love in their work and -were as eager to make a graceful, artistic window or doorway as the -medieval masons of Europe were to perfect every detail of their great -cathedrals. - -Broad steps led up to the front door, which was wide and adorned with a -big brass knocker and knob. Tuckerman, taking a little electric -flashlight from his pocket, aimed it at the moulding above the door. -"Aha," he exclaimed, "there's the green and gold pineapple in all its -glory! They used to put beautifully carved pineapples like that in such -places in colonial days; they were the emblems of hospitality. My -ancestor Sir Peter seems to have been friendly disposed when he built -his dwelling at least." - -"I've seen pineapples like that over the doors of some old houses in -Barmouth," said Ben, "but I never thought much about them. That was a -pretty nice idea. There's some style to that front." - -"There was style, real dignified style to the houses of those days," -Tuckerman agreed. "We may think we're pretty smart nowadays, but let me -tell you those ancestors of ours who settled the country could teach us -a good deal." He felt in his pocket for a key. "Well, the pineapple bids -us welcome. If there are any ghosts in the house, I think they'll turn -out friendly." - -The lock was rusty, but finally opened to the new owner's efforts. They -stepped into a large hallway, from which a wide stairway ascended at one -side. Using his flashlight, Tuckerman discovered a gatelegged table, on -which stood a cluster of small candlesticks, all ready for use. - -"Now that's something like--hospitality again!" he declared in a pleased -voice. "They used candles in the old days; every guest in the house had -one to light him to bed. I suppose these have been waiting for me here -ever since Uncle Christopher died." Lighting the candles with a match, -he handed one to each of his companions. "I'm beginning to feel at home -already, boys. Welcome to Cotterell Hall." - -Even David, who could see nothing very thrilling in going over an old -house, felt something of the excitement that had so obviously taken -possession of John Tuckerman. As for Tom and Ben, they peered up the -stairway and through the open doors as if they half-expected to see -gentlemen in curled wigs, knee-breeches and small swords advancing to -meet them. - -Tuckerman led the way into the room on the left, a spacious apartment, -wainscoted and with a pictured paper, representing scenes in fields and -woods, covering the walls to the ceiling. There was a large fireplace, -with a carved mantel above it. Fine old pieces of furniture filled the -room, and, except for the musty air that is to be found in all houses -that have been closed for some time, the place looked precisely as -though it were lived in, even to a pile of magazines and books that lay -on the centre-table. - -"The drawing-room," said Tuckerman, holding his candle high as he gazed -about him. "And there, if I'm not mistaken, is old Sir Peter himself." - -Ben gave a start and looked quickly around. But it was not a ghost to -which Tuckerman referred; it was a large painting that hung on the wall -across from the fireplace, the portrait of a man in buff-colored coat -and breeches, wearing a white tie-wig, and with his right hand resting -on the head of a greyhound that rubbed against his knees. - -"Fine looking old fellow," said Tom. - -"Yes," agreed Tuckerman. "Sir Peter was really handsome. I've seen -pictures of him before. He was a great beau in his time, before the -Revolution. What a shame it was that he couldn't agree with his -neighbors about the right of the colonies to be free. That made it -mighty hard for his wife and children." - -He went over to look closer at the portrait, and as he held the candle -near to the canvas he saw a folded piece of paper stuck into a corner of -the heavy frame. "What's this?" he exclaimed, and drew the paper out. -"You don't suppose the old fellow has left me a message?" - -The candle set on the table, Tuckerman opened the sheet. "This is an -authentic portrait of Peter Cotterell, painted in 1770," he read aloud. -"He shared with me, his descendant, Christopher Cotterell, a dislike for -the society of his kind, though for a different reason. But with me the -line of the Cotterells comes to an end, and I care not whether any now -learn my ancestor's secret or not." - -Tuckerman dropped the paper. "So there was a secret, boys! You remember, -Tom, what I told you. And Uncle Christopher knew what it was." - -"Hello!" exclaimed Ben. "My candle's blown out!" He turned. "Why, that -window's open a little at the bottom. See how the curtains blow." - -"Spooks," scoffed David. "It looks to me as if Crusty Christopher were -playing a joke on us." - - - - - III--BEN AND DAVID MAKE A DISCOVERY - - -Although David Norton could get around the bases on the Barmouth High -School baseball diamond as fast as anyone else, when there was need of -it, and could keep on doing a clog-dance in a Minstrel Show until the -audience rose up and begged him to quit, he could also at times be as -lazy as a jelly-fish stranded on the beach, which as everyone knows is -just about the laziest creature in nature. At the present moment he lay -extended on the stern seat of the sailing dory, while little Ben Sully, -as patient and expert a fisherman as was to be found in Barmouth Harbor, -was watching his line for any indication of a flounder nibble. - -"Funny old bird," said David. "Reminds me of someone out of a story -book." - -"Old bird?" queried Ben. "Do you refer to Sir Peter Cotterell or to -Crusty Christopher?" - -"To neither of them, Benjie. Our friend Professor Tuckerman is the -particular feathered creature to whom I was alluding. I opened one eye -last night; and what do you think I saw? Professor Tuckerman was sitting -up, in his suit of flannel pajamas, staring out at the water as if he -saw something." - -"Perhaps he did. Or maybe he was only thinking. Some people do think -sometimes, you know, Dave. I did some thinking myself last night." - -"About old Christopher's secret?" - -At the moment Ben was too busy to reply. With practised care he drew up -his line and threw a fine, flapping flounder on the bottom of the boat. - -"Yes, about the secret," Ben said, as he rebaited his hook. "I believe -there is one. And I think that Christopher Cotterell rather hoped his -nephew John Tuckerman would find out what it was." - -"Why didn't he tell him then, instead of leaving that crazy note?" - -Ben shook his head. "Christopher wasn't like most people. But it seems -to me he was rather proud of that secret,--it had been in the family so -long,--and he didn't want it to be entirely forgotten. So he meant to -let it be known there was a secret, even if nobody ever found out what -it was. A person might do that, you know." - -"It would take a mighty queer sort of person," sniffed David. - -Ben resumed his fishing, watching his line as a cat watches a -mouse-hole. - -But David, in spite of posing as an unbeliever of all things he couldn't -see for himself, had a well-developed bump of curiosity. When he saw -that Ben didn't mean to continue the subject he raised himself on one -arm and demanded, "Do you take any stock in there being a mystery on the -island that goes back to the Revolution?" - -"Sure," was the prompt answer. "The house goes back that far, and some -of the furniture in it, I suppose. Why not a mystery?" - -"Well, it might, perhaps. But see here, Benjie----" - -"Sh-sh-ish, you'll frighten the fish." Ben brought up another flounder -and unhooked it. - -As he dropped in the line again he continued, "Mr. Tuckerman told me a -few things this morning. You see, this Sir Peter was a man of means. He -had a lot of valuable things in this house, silver and such things he'd -had brought over from England. When the people of Barmouth were trying -to do all they could to help George Washington and his army they thought -their rich neighbor out here ought to do his share. But he was a Tory -and wanted King George to win, and so he wouldn't do anything when they -asked him. The colonists came to his house, but they found very little; -his famous silver plate was gone; they took some things, but they always -thought he had tricked them. And after that they wouldn't have anything -to do with Sir Peter." - -"Served him right, the old scamp." - -"Now Mr. Tuckerman thinks the secret may have something to do with the -things the neighbors couldn't find. At least that's a possibility." - -"Huh," chuckled David, "the Revolution was more than a hundred years -ago. If that was the secret, some of the Cotterells since then would -have found out about it. And when they did, there's an end to the -secret." - -Again Ben was busy. A third flounder appeared and was carefully landed. -"You're right, my boy," said Ben, "if they did find out what became of -Sir Peter's valuables. But suppose they didn't? Suppose Crusty -Christopher and his father, and his father before that, knew the old -story, but never could find the things? How about that, my lad?" - -"Well, in that case," answered David slowly, "I should say the betting -was a thousand to one the secret would stay a secret." - -"Mr. Tuckerman calls it a sporting chance," said Ben. "I said to him -just about what you've said to me now; but he grinned and told me he -never gave up conundrums." - -David dropped back into his former comfortable position, his hands -clasped under his head and his cap pulled down over his nose, so as to -shield that sensitive feature from burning a more fiery red than it was -already. "So Tom and the Professor are prowling around the old house -this morning?" he said reflectively. "Well, they're not apt to run into -any ghosts at this time of day." - -Ben, absorbed in his fishing, continued his careful handling of his line -until half-a-dozen flounders were deposited in the boat. Then he stowed -away his tackle, stretched his arms, and looked around. "Now, Dave, you -old duffer, I'm going to take a cruise about our island home. There's -nothing like knowing all the ins and outs of the place where you're -living. Do you think you're strong enough to handle the tiller, or would -you rather dangle your feet over the bow?" - -David sat up with a grunt. "Don't you get sarcastic, young feller. I can -sail this dory with one hand behind my back." And shortly he had the -_Argo_ headed up into the wind, keeping well out from shore so as to -avoid the occasional spits of rock that ornamented the coast. - -They started to make the circuit. Cotterell's Island, so far as they -could judge from the water, was very much like all the other islands -that lay out from Barmouth, thickly wooded for the most part, with -alternating beaches and headlands, and here and there a cliff, with -little rock-bound basins at the foot. On the eastward side, however, -there was an opening, where the tide ran inland for some distance, a -fair sort of harbor except when the wind should blow from that quarter. -"There," said Ben, "there's a snug landlocked channel. If I'd been one -of the Cotterells and wanted to keep a boat hidden that's the place I'd -have picked out." - -"You're making the Professor's ancestors sound like pirates or -smugglers," objected David. "What do you think they did that they wanted -to keep so dark?" - -"That little inlet can't be so far from the back of the house either," -Ben went on, paying no attention to his companion's question. "Yes, that -would be the place to steal away when the neighbors came to call." - -"I'll take a look up there," declared David, who was beginning to feel -that Ben was giving himself airs. "I guess I can find my way up that -inlet as well as any of your blessed Cotterells could." And suiting the -act to the word, he brought the _Argo_ about and kept her bow a little -to the north of west until she had cleared a seaweed-covered reef that -was high up out of the water at ebb-tide. - -Ben said not a word, but picked up a boathook, in case it should be -necessary to fend off the dory at some turn of the shore. But David knew -his business. Up the winding channel he made his way until the _Argo's_ -bottom gently ran on to gravel at the head of the stream. - -"Yes, I was right," said Ben. "There's the roof of the house on the -other side of those trees." A leap, and he landed on shore, the dory -careening on one side from the force of his jump. - -"Hi there, young feller, what are you trying to do?" cried David. "I -didn't tell you you could go ashore." - -Again Ben paid no attention to the other's words. He was looking about -him as if he was very much interested in the place where he had landed. - -David, making sure the _Argo_ was safely aground, clambered over the -side. "Was it your intention, Mr. Sully, to scuttle our good ship here?" -he inquired with mock politeness. - -"Look," said Ben, in a deep and earnest tone. - -David looked. In the marshy ground a little in front of them were two -distinct footprints, uncommonly large footprints, with very wide toes -and very deep heels. - -"My word!" whistled David. "Benjie, we've come to the lair of the -mastodon!" - -"Footprints!" murmured Ben, regarding the marks with the same awed -surprise with which Robinson Crusoe first gazed at the prints in the -sand of his island. - -[Illustration: Distinct Footprints] - -"A giant's footprints," said David. - -"They're never Mr. Tuckerman's or Tom's," said Ben. - -"The Professor has rather small feet," stated David, "and I happen to -remember that Tom wore sneakers this morning." - -"They can't have been there very long,--not for more than a few days at -the most." - -"I should say not. Benjamin, somebody has been trespassing on our -island." - -"I wonder if there are any more." Ben began to search. - -There were no more footprints, however. The stretch of soggy ground was -very limited, almost immediately the soil grew stony. So, after a brief -hunt, the two came back to the shore. "Now I wonder," mused Ben, "what -that very large-footed person was doing here." - -"Do you think," asked David, "he can have been looking for the Cotterell -treasure?" - -"It's much more likely," said Ben, "he was looking for something easier -to find. However--suppose--there's an off chance----" And Ben went on -mumbling to himself, while he jingled a bunch of keys in his pocket, as -was his custom when he was lost in thought. - -"What in the world are you doing?" demanded the exasperated David. - -"Putting two and two together--or at least trying to." - -"Well, they make four. There are times, Benjie," David continued, -imitating the manner of a teacher at the school they both attended, -"when I find myself almost on the point of losing patience with you. The -crew will now return aboard the _Argo_, leaving the mystery of the -mastodon's footprints unsolved." - -When they returned to the beach in front of their camp they found Mr. -Tuckerman and Tom already getting dinner. That is to say, Tom was -actually getting it, while John Tuckerman was carrying out his orders. -At the moment the latter was peeling potatoes. His flannel shirt open at -his throat, his golf-stockings stuck full of little burrs and his face -and arms already showing blisters of sunburn, he looked decidedly -different from the very dignified person who had come upon Tom Hallett -in the lane. - -"Flounders," announced Ben, laying his string of fish on a board that -served as a table. "The very best eating, in my humble opinion." - -"Put them in the refrigerator for supper," said Tom. "You two were gone -so long I decided to knock up an omelette for our midday meal." - -"'Knock up' is good," agreed David. "I suppose, Mr. Tuckerman, Tom -cracked the shells with a baseball bat." - -"I don't know how he did it," Tuckerman said; "it seemed like a miracle -to me. But there's the result; and if anybody ever saw anything more -truly beautiful--anything so calculated to make the mouth water in -anticipation--well, I don't believe anybody ever did." He pointed his -paring knife at a golden-brown, crisp object that lay, garnished with -watercress, on a big tin plate. - -"And speaking of water," said Tom, "we found the well back of Cotterell -Hall. Fresh water, guaranteed sweet and pure. There's a bucket of it." - -They sat down to dinner, and between mouthfuls they talked. - -"Wonderful old house," said Tom. "We explored it from cellar to attic. -Four post bedsteads----" - -"With wonderful canopy tops!" added Tuckerman, his spectacled eyes -gleaming. - -"And enormous chests of drawers," continued Tom. - -"Full of all kinds of clothes," Tuckerman added. "Ladies' laces and -muslins, shawls, mantillas, gentlemen's pantaloons, neckerchiefs, and -what waistcoats!" - -"Funny old kitchen," said Tom. "With a fireplace as big as a cabin." - -"And a crane and a hob and a whole fleet of earthenware crocks," -Tuckerman supplemented. - -"I say, Mr. Tuckerman," cried David, "why don't you turn the place into -a museum? All the people who tour through Barmouth in the summer would -jump out of their skins to see such a place as that." - -"What I want to know," said Ben, "is whether you got any clue to the -Cotterell treasure." - -Tuckerman shook his head. "Rome wasn't built in a day, Benjamin; and a -treasure that's been hidden for over a century doesn't come to light in -twenty-four hours." - -"Ah, just you wait till our Benjie gets busy," said David, waving his -finger wisely. "There's the bright lad for you. While you two pottered -about those gigantic bedsteads and chests of drawers and fireplaces, -what did our Benjie discover?" He paused to heighten his announcement. -"Benjamin Sully discovered a pair of gigantic footprints!" - -It took a moment for this to sink in. - -"Footprints?" said Tuckerman, puzzled. - -"Someone has landed at the little creek near the back of the house," -explained Ben, "and since the last rain, too." - -"Someone with enormous feet," added David. "Now what do you suppose such -a person as that could be doing here?" - -Tuckerman put his hand into his coat pocket and drew out a very small -and crumpled handkerchief. "We found this on a table in the kitchen. My -Uncle Christopher only had a negro man-servant. And yet this belonged to -a lady,--a very particular lady, I should say, a dainty lady." He spread -the handkerchief out. "With beautifully embroidered initials--A. S. L." -He lifted it to his nose. "And it smells of lavender--and quite fresh, -too." - -Solemnly the tiny handkerchief was handed around. Each smelled it and -nodded his head. - -"Someone's been in the house," said Tuckerman, "although all the doors -were locked." - -"A lady with enormous feet," declared David. "My eye, how the plot -thickens!" - - - - - IV--VISITORS - - -Two days later the campers were as much at sea as ever regarding the -secret to which Crusty Christopher had referred in the note left in the -picture frame. They had explored the island and they had explored the -house, and neither outdoors nor indoors had provided them with a clue. - -John Tuckerman--although David persisted in calling him Professor--was -the most exuberant and lively of the four. He delighted in -everything,--in the early swim before breakfast, in the cooking and -eating, especially in the eating, in sleeping out of doors, and even, it -seemed, in washing the dishes. He would sing as he washed, wild, -rollicking songs, the words of which he made up as he went along, all -about pirates and sailors and sea-serpents, with a great many -"Yo-heave-hos" and "Blow the man down, my lads," by way of chorus; all -which he accompanied with a pretended hitching up of his trousers as -sailors were supposed to do to cheer them at their work. - -"There are times when he almost looks like a pirate," David whispered to -Tom, as they watched Tuckerman sharpening a knife on the sole of his -shoe preparatory to sticking it into a cover of a can of baked beans. -"Like a pirate, that is, with one exception,--those horn-rimmed -spectacles." - -It was true; Tuckerman couldn't look like a daredevil with those -enormous glasses. But to offset the studious look they gave him his face -was now a beautiful lobster-like red and beginning to peel. - -Any one could see, moreover, that Cotterell Hall was the apple of his -eye. It amused Tom and David to see the affection and pride with which -he regarded every stick and stone of the old house. Ben was more -sympathetic, for Ben was by nature interested in old things, and had in -turn collected everything from abandoned bird's nests to rusty -jackknives. - -It was Ben who, searching through a cupboard at one side of the -fireplace in the front room at the Hall, pulled out a package of old -letters and gave a shout of joy. "Hi there, see what I've found!" he -cried as he untied the bundle and threw the envelopes loosely on the -table. - -"What is it? Old letters," said Tom, glancing at the yellowing paper. - -"Postage stamps!" triumphed Ben. "Some of the earliest issues! I'll bet -you never saw that St. Louis stamp with the two bears on it before." - -"Humph," said David. "Postage stamps! No one collects them now." - -But John Tuckerman looked over Ben's shoulder, and then snatched up one -of the letters. "You're right, Benjamin. These are rare ones. I -shouldn't wonder if they were worth a great deal of money." - -It was not, however, the money value of the things in the house that -interested Tuckerman. It was partly his love of old things, especially -of things that were beautifully made, and partly his feeling that they -had belonged to the Cotterells for so long, the Cotterells being his own -people. "Uncle Christopher owned all these things," he said. "Poor Uncle -Christopher. He was stiff-necked, no doubt; but he had to suffer for it. -I've found a book he wrote in, and I can see that he was too proud to -sell his heirlooms, and that he had very little money, and didn't want -anyone to know how hard up he was. So he turned hermit. He didn't really -hate other people; he was simply so made up that he couldn't mix with -them on an equal footing." - -David pretended to regard the Cotterell family secret as a great joke, -although he admitted that he was very much puzzled over what he called -"the mystery of the lady with enormous feet." On the same afternoon when -Ben found the rare postage stamps, David, being alone with Tom in the -front room, cocked an eye at the painted gentleman on the wall, and thus -addressed him: - -"Sir Peter, I don't want to be disrespectful; but it does seem to me you -were mighty tight with your silver when your good neighbors were doing -their best to get the thirteen United States started. Or didn't you -really have the things they suspected you of having? You've got a long -nose and a twinkle in your eye, and I'd say it mightn't be beyond you to -have your little game at the expense of Barmouth." - -Tom laughed. "You can't judge Sir Peter by yourself, Dave." - -"Certainly not," was the instant reply. "I'll admit we are very -different. Nothing could induce me to have my picture taken with a dog -like that greyhound cuddling up against my shins. The good people of -Barmouth didn't have any greyhounds or any pie crust tables or -gate-legged tables, or whatever kind of tables it is that the Professor -finds so delightful, and they were envious, and rowed their boats out -here, and tramped up to the door, probably looking for all the world -like a gang of hayseeds." - -"Remember, Dave, your ancestors and mine were probably among them." - -"I'll admit that also," said David, "and for the sake of your feelings, -Tom, I'll take back that about their looking like hayseeds. Let me put -it this way. A crowd of very nice looking, but temporarily cross and -angry people--men and women, and possibly a few dogs--come up to the -house here and demand to see the elegant Sir Peter. Sir Peter doesn't -want to see them; he doesn't approve of them; he thinks that good old -King George is just about the proper cheese to rule over him and his. -But Sir Peter's a gentleman--you can see that from his portrait--and he -doesn't want to disappoint the neighbors, who've come all the way out -here in boats. So he takes a pinch of snuff and he whistles to his -greyhound and he goes out on the front steps. He looks down along his -nose at the people of Barmouth and his right eye twinkles--you notice, -Tom, that it's his right eye that's the humorous one--and he says: -'Friends and fellow citizens, come in and enjoy yourselves. The green -and gold pineapple is over the door and Cotterell Hall is yours for the -afternoon. But the silver plate you're so anxious to lay your hands on -isn't here any more. It's vanished, vamoosed, flown away; and the family -are using the plain blue and white china kitchen set.' Did they believe -him?" - -"No," sang out Tom. - -"Exactly," agreed David, with a bow. "They rushed past him into the -house, and they threw things about, and they buzzed around like a nest -of hornets you happen to hit with a stick. But they didn't find anything -after all; and the reason is simple--there wasn't anything of the sort -they had in mind to find. It was just Sir Peter's little joke. And it -worked to perfection. Ever since people have been wondering what he did -with the silverware he mentioned that day. Sir Peter, my opinion of you -is that you were a first-class joker." - -"You may be right," Tom assented, "but for goodness' sake don't rub that -idea in on Mr. Tuckerman and Ben. They're thrilled to the fingertips -about there being a treasure hidden away somewhere." - -"Babes in the wood!" sniffed David. "I believe you could put almost -anything over on the Professor if you dressed it up in old clothes." - -To the skeptical David and the inclined-to-be-skeptical Tom the other -two now appeared. They had been in the apartment on the second floor -that had been Christopher Cotterell's bedroom and had been rummaging -through a little secretary that stood between the windows. Tuckerman had -a notebook in his hand. "These are jottings my uncle made from time to -time," he declared. "Here's one. 'As regards the saying that the -hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two rocks -where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, and come -to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the place -intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have dug at -this place, but found only sand.'" - -"Maybe we can find another place that answers that description," said -Ben hopefully. "And it stands to reason that the four of us can dig -better than your Uncle Christopher, even if he had his servant to help -him." - -David, under cover of his hand, winked at Tom, who pretended not to see -him. - -"Here's another note," Tuckerman continued. "'Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.' That's a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?" - -"Mahogany-hued man with long, skinny legs," echoed Ben. - -"And a hooked nose and a scar across the left cheek," chortled David. -"Pirate stuff, of course. There's always someone like that. I suppose -he's the fellow who hid the treasure on a dark, stormy night." - -Tuckerman gazed at the speaker with his big, owl-like eyes. "You may be -right, although I rather thought of him as a faithful, old-fashioned -serving-man, from whom Sir Peter had no secrets." - -David grinned; but how could anyone joke on a matter that Tuckerman took -so seriously? "Have it your own way," he said. "Probably you're right. -But hooked-nose pirate or faithful servant I don't see how the mahogany -one can be of much help to us here to-day." - -Tuckerman closed the notebook. "Suppose we go down to the southwestern -point. At least we'll get a good view of the sunset and freshen up for -supper." - -When they came to that end of the island they found the ledges and -neighboring sand covered with a vast array of sandpipers, all with their -heads turned in the same direction, watching, as it were, a score or so -of leaders, who stood out in front, closest to the water. Quietly though -the four crept up, they were still a couple of dozen yards from the rear -ranks when, with one accord and with as smooth a motion as though a sail -were being drawn across the beach, the hundreds of little winged bodies -rose in air and flew out across the waves. - -"By Jove, that's pretty!" said Tom. "They're like ever so many bits of -silver paper blowing about in the wind." - -So they were. Fascinated, the four watched the sandpipers. When the -birds were tilted one way, on one tack, they could hardly be seen -against the light, they actually disappeared. Then a tiny deflection, a -dip and twist of the wings, and they were a network of silver, drawn -this way, then that. They wheeled, they rose, they dropped; no human -beings ever moved in such perfect precision; it was not as if they -followed a leader, it was as if every single sandpiper of the hundreds -knew instinctively what the bird just ahead of him would do. And at last -they descended, like falling leaves, on a flat rock out in the water. - -"I don't see how they can do it," sighed Ben. "We could drill and drill -forever, and never get anything like that. Don't tell me that sandpipers -haven't brains." - -"You bet your boots they have," said David. "Fine little fellows! I -don't see how anybody can possibly want to shoot them." - -The little fellows rose again and went soaring off against the sunset -sky. - -Tuckerman drew a long breath. "You boys who live by the seashore have -much to be thankful for. The pioneers who pushed inland must have been -awfully homesick for just such sights as that. Gee whillikins! What a -gorgeous sky! I could look at it for hours." - -His companions, however, had other things to do. They wanted to locate -the two pines that stood between the two rocks. A short search -discovered them. The trees, old and gnarled, twisted of branches on the -eastern side, where the winter winds had lashed them, still stood like -sentinels between the lichen-covered boulders, where Christopher -Cotterell and doubtless others before him back to the days of Peter had -surveyed them. - -"They're here all right," said Ben. "What was it the notebook said? 'I -have dug at this place, but found only sand.' Well, there's plenty of -sand--oodles of it. But if you ask my opinion, this isn't the place to -dig." - -"You're lazy," scoffed David. "Tell me, Mr. Man, why in your learned -opinion isn't this the right place to dig?" - -"I've a hunch it isn't," answered Ben. - -Tuckerman looked at the serious-faced small fellow, and suddenly gave a -laugh. "I've got the same sort of a hunch myself. My uncle Christopher -dug here and didn't find anything. I don't want to do his work all over -again." - -They let it go at that, and slowly, with an eye to the sunset, which -every moment grew more like a vast palette on which many colors were -mixed, went back by the path through the woods that skirted the western -shore. They reached the old house, and were passing it on their way to -the camp when Tom abruptly halted. "I say, I saw something moving at -that corner window on the second floor! Something white--yes, sir, it -moved. I'll take my word to that!" - -All stopped and gazed at the house. The windows were closed, no curtain -could have been blowing. - -"Nonsense," said David. "What you saw was the sunset reflected on the -glass." - -"I'll bet it wasn't," Tom retorted. And straightway he went up the -graveled walk that led to the front door. - -Now usually John Tuckerman had been careful to lock the door when he -left the house, but this time he had forgotten. Tom turned the knob and -pushed the door open. - -They all went into the hall and stood there listening. Undoubtedly there -was the sound of footsteps on the floor above. - -"That sounds to me like a giggle," whispered Ben. - -"Sh-ssh," warned David. - -Footsteps tapped on the floor, were coming apparently toward the head of -the staircase. - -Then unmistakably there was a laugh, a light and merry laugh, in a -feminine key. - -In the silence that followed David's voice rose. "The lady with the -enormous feet!" he muttered. - -A patter of feet and there came into view two ladies, two ladies in -hoopskirts, with white stockings and little black slippers laced with -black ribbons, and flowered silk waists and flat, mushroom-shaped hats -with streamers falling behind. They stood at the head of the staircase -and stared down at the four below. - -"It's Milly and Sally Hooper!" exclaimed Tom. - -"Did I hear someone whisper 'The lady with the enormous feet?'" Milly -Hallett wrinkled her nose and stuck out the tip of her tongue. "Sarah, -my dear, the gentlemen aren't so gallant as they used to be. Whoever saw -neater, sweeter slippers than these we have on!" - -Slowly, with a hand to each side of their skirts, which swayed like -great balloons, the two girls came down the stairs. - -At the foot John Tuckerman stood, bowing. "Ladies, you greatly honor my -poor house," he declared. - -"Who is the gentleman, Milly?" asked Sarah Hooper, a black-haired, -black-eyed girl with scarlet ribbons to her hat. - -"Faith, I think it must be one of the comely Cotterells," said Milly. -"What a fine sunburn he has!" - -"John Tuckerman, at your service," said that gentleman. "Nephew of Mr. -Christopher." - -Milly Hallett's blue eyes danced with delightful mischief. "And Mr. -Tuckerman, who are the three extraordinary young persons standing in a -row behind you? They do look so funny! Such remarkable clothes." - -David looked at Ben, and Ben looked at Tom, and Tom looked down at his -khaki trousers, which still bore patches of white and green paint -acquired a month ago when he was freshening up his canoe. - -"Ladies, these are three experts," Tuckerman explained. "The gentleman -with the yellow hair and the zebra stripes on his trousers is an expert -skipper, the one with the midnight hair and the rich mahogany skin is an -expert fisherman, and the third--with the splendid red complexion and -the curling locks--can cook a meal that will make you forget every other -breakfast or dinner or supper you ever sat down to." - -"Really!" exclaimed Sarah. "Milly dear, something reminds me that it's a -long time since we tasted food." - -"I was just about to touch on that point," said Tuckerman. "Will you do -us the honor of breaking bread with us? That is, if you won't injure -your exquisite gowns by eating out of doors." - -"They can't sit on the grass in those things," Tom declared. "They'd -ruin them for fair." - -"Oh, can't we!" cried Milly and Sarah in chorus. "Just you watch us do -it!" - -And in spite of hoopskirts and tiny slippers and gingerly-perched hats -the two girls ran to the front door and down the steps to the path. The -other four, catching up with them, piloted them to camp. - -On the way Milly explained. She had felt that she just had to find out -what was going on at Cotterell's Island--she had feared that bears or -ghosts, mosquitoes or robbers might have made an end of her brother and -his friends; so she had gotten Sally Hooper, and they had taken Sally's -father's sailboat and sailed out to the island. They hadn't seen the -boys; but when they went up to the white house they found the front door -unlocked. They went in and looked the place all over. In a room on the -second floor they found oceans of clothes in chests and closets, and -they simply had to try some of them on. Then they thought they'd -surprise the campers. And they certainly had done that, she concluded, -because she had never seen four people look so astonished as those four -had when they saw Sally and her come to the top of the stairs. - -In fifteen minutes supper was under way, a truly marvellous supper, for -David was determined to show these skeptical girls what a howling cook -he was. The guests were not allowed to soil their fingers; as a matter -of fact they found they had their hands full with trying to manage their -ridiculous hoopskirts and sit down in them without smashing the hoops. -But they did contrive to seat themselves on a grassy bank, and Milly -took off her slippers--which were horribly tight--and the two watched -their four serving-men get supper, and occasionally put in a word or so -of advice. - -When each of the six had declared that they could not possibly eat a -single additional pancake--no matter how much golden syrup was offered -as an extra inducement--supper came to a conclusion, and Milly cast a -reflective eye out on the water. - -"Sally and I must be starting back," she said with a sigh; "and I don't -suppose they'd let us land in Barmouth, dressed in these funny old -clothes." - -Sarah Hooper looked at David, who sat cross-legged on the ground, -resting after his labors. "You're a very superior chef," she admitted; -"but I want to know what you meant when you heard us upstairs and -murmured, 'The lady with the enormous feet.' Oh yes, I heard you; and -those were the very words you used." - -David laughed. "I plead guilty. But I didn't refer to either you or -Milly. I was thinking of a little detective work we have on hand." - -Then he had to explain about the discovery of the very large footprints -on the bank of the creek and the finding of a lady's lavender-scented -handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L., in the kitchen. - -"Oh, I love mysteries!" said Sarah. "I'm always reading detective -stories and working them out before the author tells you exactly what -did happen." - -"There's the man for you then," said David, pointing at Ben. "Eats 'em -alive, he does." - -"Huge footprints and a lady's handkerchief," murmured Milly. "That is a -funny combination. But we really must go, or Sally's mother and father -will be sending out searching parties." - -They all walked back to the house, and the two girls went upstairs to -change into their own clothes. When they came down again, much more -comfortably dressed, they found the others in the big front room, where -Tuckerman had lighted the candles. - -"How lovely!" exclaimed the romantic Sarah. "I adore old furniture. What -a duck of a divan! And that beautiful secretary." She looked at a desk -that stood in a corner, at the other end from the fireplace. "It's -mahogany, of course--and what perfect, long, fluted, shiny legs it has!" - -"What's that?" said Ben. "Say it again, and slower." - -"I tell you we must be going back," declared Milly positively. "Never -mind these ducky old things, Sally. Think of your waiting parents." - -So Sally had to go, and they all trooped down to the pier, where Mr. -Hooper's sailboat was bobbing about on the tide. - -Tom insisted that he would take the _Argo_, to convoy the girls home; -but Milly also insisted that he should do nothing of the kind; she knew -how to handle a boat quite as well as her brother, the wind was right, -the water smooth, and she had often sailed later in the evening than -that. Nevertheless when Milly's boat was out from the island, the -campers embarked in the _Argo_ and sailed along after them, until the -lights of Barmouth were visible right ahead. Then, with a good-night -shout, the crew of the _Argo_ brought their craft about and headed back -for the pier. - -They walked through the moonlit woods to their camp, cleaned the dishes, -and made things snug for the night. As Ben, seated on a log, pulled off -his shoes, he said to Tom, who sat near him: "Did you hear what Sally -said about that desk in the corner?" - -"Duck of a thing--some such nonsense." - -"No. She said, 'Mahogany, of course. And what long, fluted, shiny -legs.'" - -"Perhaps she did. I don't remember." - -"Doesn't that convey anything to your mind, Tom?" - -"Can't say it does. Mahogany--legs. Oh, I'm too sleepy to think of -anything." - -"Well, it conveys something to me," said Ben. "I think maybe I've got a -clue, thanks to innocent Sally. I suppose it's too late to go back to -the house to-night?" - -"It's too late to go anywhere except to sleep," answered Tom shortly. "I -guess your clue will keep. If it's got anything to do with Sir Peter's -treasure, it's kept for a hundred years." - -Tom gave a gigantic yawn, and rolled over on to his bed. - -But Ben lay awake for some time, until he got the sound of the lapping -of waves on the beach mixed with John Tuckerman's voice singing -"Yo--heave--ho, my lads," and then he fell asleep. - - - - - V--THE MAHOGANY MAN - - -Mr. Tuckerman was doing the crawl-stroke--slowly and laboriously, with -almost as much splashing as a small paddle-wheel steamboat makes--but -still very much better than he had been able to do it two days before. -He was heading toward a rock, on which Tom, straight as an arrow and -almost as brown as a chocolate drop, stood with his arms pointed -outward, ready to dive. - -Ben stood back of Tom, slapping his dripping thighs and hopping about on -his toes. In the water David was floating, as comfortable and serene as -a harbor seal taking an afternoon nap. "Look out, Professor," he -cautioned; "Tom might land on your head. He's a terrible practical -joker. Don't you let him use you as a cushion." - -Tuckerman plowed along, gasping a little, his eyes fixed on the rock. - -Tom dove, and came up alongside David. "If I was picking out a cushion, -I'd take you. You'd make a bully springboard. Push right along, Mr. -Tuckerman. You're doing nobly." - -Ben gave a whoop. "Look out there!" Lithe as an eel, and seemingly made -of rubber, he sprang from the rock, turned a somersault, and shot -smoothly into the water. He reappeared, looking like a porpoise, his -black hair all shiny, and with a few lusty flaps reached the rock again -just as Tuckerman, breathless, put out his hands to clutch at the -slippery side. - -"You're a regular flying-fish," Ben complimented Tuckerman, as the -latter, careful not to scrape too close against the rough edge of rock, -drew himself slowly up to the level top. "I don't believe any of your -friends out in the plain country of Illinois would know you if they -happened to see you now." - -"I don't believe they would," agreed Tuckerman, sitting down gingerly -and embracing his knees with his hands. "I know I look like a red -Indian, and I feel as if I'd got a thousand more muscles than I ever had -before." - -"If you don't mind----" said Ben; and putting his hands on Tuckerman's -shoulders he made a leap-frog jump over the latter's head and splashed -loudly into the water. - -"Well," said David, changing his position from floating to treading -water, "I think the coffee must be boiling now. It's time I dropped -those eggs." And with leisurely strokes he made for the beach, where he -had thoughtfully left a Turkish towel beside his pile of clothes. - -The others followed suit, and had soon arrayed themselves in the few -garments they thought needful to wear in their island home. David poured -the coffee and attended to the toast and eggs, which had been procured -the day before from a farmer on the mainland. And as they ate, Ben -propounded the question: - -"Fellows, what was it Christopher Cotterell said about a mahogany man?" - -"He said," Tuckerman answered, "'Find the mahogany-hued man with the -long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket.'" - -"Exactly," said Ben slowly. "Well, I've got an idea I know where to find -that man." - -The other three looked at him in utter amazement. "The dickens you have, -Benjie!" retorted Tom. "Why, he couldn't be alive now." - -"Perhaps Ben thinks he's a mummy," suggested David, "or a piece of wood -that's turned to stone." - -"Maybe I do," Ben chuckled. "You're getting warm, old horse. Long, -skinny legs--doesn't that remind you of something? Haven't you seen any -that answer that description in this neighborhood?" - -"You're not referring to mine?" asked Tuckerman. - -The breakfast-party laughed, the Professor wore such a look of injured -dignity. - -"No, sir, not to yours," Ben said. "Yours are fat as a drum compared to -those I have in mind." - -"I remember Ben mumbled something about this last night," mused Tom. -"But I was too sleepy to listen. He said something about Sally Hooper, -too; something about her giving him an idea." - -Ben nodded. "So she did." - -"Didn't I always claim that our Benjie was a real detective?" said -David. "Clean up first; and then for the yarn." - -Breakfast things were put away in their box, and then the three turned -to Ben. "Where's your mahogany man?" they demanded in one voice. - -"There's no hurry," was the tantalizing answer. "Perhaps I'd better go -fishing first." - -Tom laid his hand on the other boy's shoulder and twisted him around. -"Lead us to him," he commanded. - -Ben shrugged. "Oh, very well. You're more interested than you were last -night. Come along, but don't make any noise." - -He led them to Cotterell Hall. Tuckerman had locked the front door after -the girls had left on the night before, and now he opened it with the -key he kept in his trouser pocket. - -Ben led them into the hall, and then into the big front room, which was -now flooded with sunlight. - -"Look around," he announced; "and tell me what you see." - -They looked about the room with puzzled faces. "Rats!" exclaimed David. -"I don't see any man here." - -Ben glanced at Tuckerman. "Long, skinny, mahogany-colored legs," he -murmured. - -"Not Sir Peter's portrait?" said Tuckerman. - -Ben walked across the room in the direction of the secretary. "When -Sally came in here last night," he explained, "she said something about -this desk. 'Mahogany, I suppose--and what long, fluted, shiny legs.' -Well, it has, hasn't it?" He laid his hand on the secretary. "Mightn't -this be the man?" - -"You're joking," Tom protested; while David looked from the desk to his -friend's serious face as if he thought Ben must be plain crazy. - -Tuckerman, however, laid his hand also on the piece of furniture. "They -liked their little joke in the old days," he observed. "It might be, -Ben. If that's so----" He turned the small brass key in the lock of the -lid, and pulling out the two supports on either side of the lower -drawers let the lid down on them. "If that's so; and this is the -mahogany man--where's his breast pocket?" - -There were small drawers inside, and a row of pigeonholes to either side -of a central compartment that was also locked by a key. - -"Somewhere up in his chest," said Ben. - -Tuckerman pulled out the drawers and emptied their contents, small -objects, keys, pencils, bits of sealing-wax, a few sheets of blank -paper. He put his hand in the pigeonholes and drew out several bundles -of letters. "I've been through all these things before," he said with a -shake of his head. - -"That place in the middle," Tom suggested. - -"Only an ink-stand," said Tuckerman; and unlocking the little door he -drew forth a big glass inkstand with a brass top. That was all there was -in the little cupboard; all the contents of the upper part of the -secretary were arrayed on the lid. - -"No go," said David. "The man hasn't anything in his pocket to give us -any clue." - -"I must say," said Tom, "it does seem ridiculous to me that anyone could -have meant that desk----" - -"I've heard," mumbled Ben, who was paying no attention to what the -others were saying, "that old desks have secret compartments. My -grandfather has an old one that looks something like this. Let me -see----" He slipped his hand into the pigeonhole on the right of the -little door Tuckerman had unlocked, and began to feel around. "I say! -Here's something. It feels like a wooden spring." - -Tuckerman put his hand into the central compartment. "Push on the -spring," he directed. - -Ben pushed and Tuckerman at the same moment pulled out the cupboard that -had harbored the inkstand. It was a box that fitted snugly into the -centre of the secretary. - -"Well, that's a great stunt," said Tom. "It comes to pieces like a nest -of drawers." - -The four, their heads close together, looked into the space from which -the cupboard had come. - -All they saw was an unvarnished piece of pine board, apparently the back -of the desk. - -"Looks like my grandfather's," said Ben. "Yes, there's a couple of -holes." And putting his forefinger and thumb into two indentations in -the wood at the back, he wriggled his hand around and drew out a small -drawer. - -"Empty!" he muttered, disappointed, holding the drawer so that the -others could see. - -Again he put his hand into the opening and drew out a second drawer that -had been under the first one. This also was empty. - -"One more chance." He pulled out the bottom drawer. In this there was -something. Holding it upside down, a small roll of paper fell out on the -lid of the desk. - -"A piece of parchment," said Tuckerman, picking up the roll. He opened -it out, holding it taut in his two hands. - -All eyes focussed on the sheet, on which were scrawled, in a faint -purplish ink, these lines: - - I took the box - cliff where was - meaning to es - but they were - and so I hid - pocket in the - are two big - make a mark - -Tuckerman read these words aloud, three times over. Then he gave a -grunt. "Well, that's that. And it's not so very illuminating, is it?" - -Ben took the parchment. "Somebody's cut it across. See, the right hand -words are close to the edge. How disgusting!" - -David and Tom each handled the parchment, which was finally laid on the -desk-lid, with the inkstand to keep it from curling up into its original -tight roll. - -David stroked his chin, pretending to be lost in thought. "Somebody took -the box--to the cliff--but they were--and so somebody hid the box--in -his pocket--there are two big--that make a mark. I gather from that line -about the pocket that the box was pretty small." - -"It doesn't say he hid it in his pocket," Ben objected. "It might have -been a pocket in the cliff just as well." - -"Who do you suppose he was?" asked Tom. - -"Why, Peter Cotterell, of course," David answered promptly. - -"I don't know about that," said Tuckerman. "This handwriting doesn't -look like that of a man who was used to holding the pen. See how he's -gone over some of the letters several times, as if he wasn't precisely -sure how he ought to form them. Sir Peter was a well-educated gentleman. -He must have known how to use a quill." - -"Perhaps he wanted to disguise his handwriting," David suggested. - -"Why would he want to do that?" Ben retorted. "Whoever wrote that meant -to leave a record of what he'd done with the box. There wouldn't be any -sense in faking his handwriting--certainly not if he intended to hide -the parchment away in a secret drawer of the desk." - -"What sense would there be in his cutting it in two then?" Tom inquired. - -Tuckerman, who was sitting on the arm of a chair, threw back his head -and laughed. "Here we are arguing about something that happened ever so -long ago, and we haven't the least idea why it happened this way." He -turned to the portrait on the wall and shook his finger at it. "You--or -some of your household--knew how to make first-class puzzles, Sir -Peter." Then, as he swung around to the three boys, he added: - -"My guess is that there's a pocket in a cliff somewhere on this island, -and that there is--or was--a box hidden in it." - -"Find the cliff," said Tom. - -Ben shook his head. "There are dozens of cliffs." - -"Well, you won't find anything more in your mahogany man's breast -pocket," Tom answered. "You can see for yourself it's empty." - -"My idea is," said David, "that we get the _Argo_ and sail round the -island till we sight a likely-looking cliff." - -"That appeals to me," agreed Tuckerman, "and Tom can give me another -lesson in how to handle a boat." - -The parchment was put in its drawer, the three drawers replaced, the -cupboard pushed back and caught by its spring, and the desk-lid lifted -and locked. - -"I'd a heap rather hunt for clues out of doors on a day like this," said -David. - -But Ben sat down on a divan. "I want to do a little thinking, fellows. -You go along without me. Maybe I'll go fishing for dinners off the rocks -after a while." - -They laughed at Ben; but he would not be dissuaded. He wanted to do some -thinking, and he meant to. "Stubborn as a mule," said Tom. "He gets his -mind set on a thing, and dynamite won't budge him." - -So the others went down to the sailboat; and presently Ben, getting up -from the divan, went out and cut himself a stick of willow. He brought -it back and began to whittle shavings all over the hardwood floor of -Cotterell Hall. He had seen men down on the Barmouth docks whittle -shavings for hours, and he had copied the habit. He found it a great -help when he wanted to think things out. - - - - - VI--THE CLIPPER SHIP - - -Ben Sully was a boy who would rather work out a puzzle than do almost -anything else. He had a tremendous amount of patience, which possibly -explains why he was such a successful fisherman, since he could wait -longer, dangling a piece of bait in the water, than nine out of ten -fishes could resist the temptation to find out what the bait tasted -like. Any kind of a _puzzle_, from cut out sections of cardboard that -fitted together to make a picture all the way to ingenious contraptions -of metal links that didn't want to come apart, was a delight to Ben. He -had boxes and boxes of them stored away in a closet at home. He had -invented secret codes and cryptograms by the score, and when he was only -ten years old had constructed a private language of twenty-five words -that he had taught to Tom and David and which the three of them had used -among themselves to the great admiration and envy of all the rest of -their school. - -Naturally then Ben felt that this _puzzle_ of Peter Cotterell's treasure -was right in his line, and the finding of the half-sheet of parchment -whetted his appetite to discover more. He walked about the room, -whittling shavings right and left, he sat down and kept on whittling, he -stood up again, and since by now the willow-stick had been whittled down -to almost nothing, he threw what was left in the fireplace. - -That done, he went to a bookcase and took down from the shelf on top the -old notebook that Tuckerman had found in his uncle's bedroom. He thumbed -the pages until he came to the place where Tuckerman had inserted a slip -of paper. Ben read the words at the top of the page out loud. "Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That's a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?" Ben -looked at the desk. "Well, we've done that, anyhow." He shook his head -in deep thought. "I don't understand why that piece of parchment wasn't -discovered before. They might not have taken the desk to be the mahogany -man; but surely Crusty Christopher or his father would have known of -those three little drawers. However, they might have found that writing -and left it there. That's possible, of course. Probably it didn't tell -them any more than it's told us so far." - -Turning again to the notebook, he ran his eye down the page. Nothing but -Christopher Cotterell's comments on all sorts of subjects, nothing that -interested Ben. He turned a page, two pages, another, and then his -glance fell on this: "I've heard that the old clipper ship got some of -the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what use is -that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution." - -On and on down the page Ben's eyes traveled, but lighted on nothing that -caught his special attention. So he went back and reread that passage. -Then he closed the book, replaced it on the shelf, stuck his hands in -his pockets, and stared through the window. - -"I wonder if there was a real mahogany man," he mused, "and a real ship. -There might have been. There were men from the West Indies in this part -of the country in those days. One of them might have had valuables in -his clothes, and part of the things he was guarding might have been -carried off in the hold of a ship. Was there a real man, or was it that -secretary? And how about the ship?" - -Presently Ben walked around the drawing-room, as if he were searching -for something. From there he went to the dining-room and the kitchen, -and then upstairs to Christopher Cotterell's bedroom. He looked into -closets and behind curtains, he pulled open wardrobe doors and peered in -at the shelves. But each time he shook his head, as much as to say: -"There's nothing there that I want." - -Under the slanting roof at the top of the house was an attic, already -explored by Tuckerman and the boys. It was filled with every kind of -thing, from an ancient lacquered Indian temple--the green and gold of -the lacquer now sadly tarnished and chipped--to a collection of Red -Men's arrowheads, neatly fastened to a board by small straps of leather. -Ben looked around at the strange medley of objects, thinking how many -countries and how many different races of men had contributed to the -furnishing of this attic; and then his roving eyes lighted on something -that made them glisten--on a bracket against the wall sat the model of a -ship. - -Ben knew the model to be that of a Yankee clipper--three masts, loftily -rigged, with three sky-sail yards, and a long mainyard. She was -beautifully built, every detail complete, the deck and hull shining with -varnish. "Hello," sang out Ben, "clipper ship ahoy!" And pushing a box -close against the wall he stepped up opposite the bracket. - -In the deck of the model was a little lid. He pried this up with his -knife-blade. There was just room for him to squeeze his fingers through, -and when he drew them out again they held a small roll of paper. - -"Yes," said Ben, "it's parchment," and very much thrilled he took his -find over to the window and smoothed it out. - -The ink on this parchment was faint and purplish, like that on the sheet -already found in the desk, and the left hand words were close to the -edge. Ben read them aloud: - - to the north - the boat - cape with it - off the shore - it in the - rocks. There - veins that - like a cross. - James Sampson. - -"Good enough!" said Ben, and ran down the stairs to the first floor. - -The little drawer in the secretary was again made to disgorge its -half-sheet of parchment and Ben laid the two papers side by side on the -desk-lid. They fitted perfectly; now their message was complete. - - I took the box to the north - cliff where was the boat - meaning to escape with it - but they were off the shore - and so I hid it in the - pocket in the rocks. There - are two big veins that - make a mark like a cross. - James Sampson. - -"Well, that's clear enough," said Ben, "though why anyone should cut -James Sampson's writing in two is more than I can understand." He copied -the words on a sheet of paper and put the two pieces of parchment in the -secret drawer. "Now let's see what we've got. Sampson meant to leave the -island with his box at the northern end, but he saw some enemies waiting -there, so he hid the box in a crevice where the rocks are marked like a -cross. All right for Mr. Sampson. That's easy sailing. But why didn't -some of the Cotterells find what was in the hold of that little ship's -model long before this? Funny--that is." Again his brows bent in -thought. "Was James Sampson the real mahogany man? Was there a real -clipper ship?" At last he shook his head. "I don't know. But at least -I've found something." - -Ben left the house. It was noon, and warm. The others were sailing -around the island; there was no knowing when they would be back. He -debated whether to go fishing, and finally decided against it. Without -any definite purpose in mind he took the path at the back of Cotterell -Hall that led toward the little creek. - -It was only a short distance across to the inlet where David and he had -landed. He went through the bushes and trees until he saw the water -before him. There was the creek and there was the marshy ground where -they had found the footprints. He descended the bank to look at the -marks again. - -There were no footprints there now: they had utterly vanished! - -Ben hunted along the edge of the creek, although he was positive where -the marks had been. There was not a sign of them. There had been no rain -to wash them out. The soggy ground was above the reach of the tide. -There was only one explanation: someone had been there since David and -he had landed and had carefully removed any sign of footsteps. - -To discover footprints on a supposedly uninhabited shore is thrilling, -but to discover that those footprints have disappeared is even more -exciting. What did it mean? Well, to Ben it clearly indicated that the -person who had made those marks in the first place had some very good -reason for wanting no one to know that he had been there. - -Cotterell's treasure was an ancient mystery; but this was a new one, no -older in fact than the day before yesterday. This was new matter over -which to cudgel one's brains, and Ben, sitting on the bank, gave deep -consideration to it until he saw the sail of the _Argo_ creeping up from -the south. - -Should he tell the others of his discoveries or not? He decided to keep -them a secret, including the vanished footprints, for a short time at -least. But he jumped up, and ran down to the shore, and sent an -ear-piercing yell across the water. The answer was a wave from Tom, and -presently the _Argo_ drew closer inland and laid her course for a small, -grass-topped headland on Ben's side of the creek. - -"Don't jump; slide down, Benjie, slide," directed Tom. - -"And slide gently," added David. "Not as if you were making for third -base with the ball getting there before you. Remember the Professor's at -the helm and we don't want to tilt the boat." - -"Don't you worry," sang out Ben. "I'll drop in so you'll think I'm as -light as a feather." And as the _Argo_ slipped along under the headland -he let himself down, lightly and easily, but, as it happened, right on -the shoulders of David. - -The big fellow gave a growl. Ben's legs had somehow contrived to twine -themselves around David's neck, and Ben was sitting there on the broad -shoulders, his hands on the other boy's head. - -"Hi there! Look out!" cried Tuckerman. "You'll upset the whole shebang!" - -But Tom came to the skipper's rescue. A steadying hand on the tiller and -the _Argo_ moved out from the shore. - -Slowly Ben pushed David forward until they both came down in a heap in -the little cockpit. "Behave yourselves," ordered Tom. "I've got a dipper -here and I'll souse you both with cold water!" - -The threat was enough. The two sat up. David grinned. "The little -feller's all right; he's got some muscle. I shouldn't wonder if I could -make a real man out of him some day." - -Under Tom's teaching John Tuckerman was learning something about -handling a sailing dory, just as Ben had given him lessons in flounder -fishing, David in making flapjacks, and the three in various swimming -strokes. It was true that he still regarded the _Argo's_ sail, when a -sudden puff of wind filled it, as an inexperienced driver regards his -horse when the animal shows signs of shying--his muscles grew tense, and -he frowned, and stopped talking--but he didn't ask Tom what to do and he -managed to keep the dory fairly close to the course he intended. And he -was a good sport! He didn't try to crawl out of his mistakes by arguing -about them; he admitted them with a grin, and that grin was always so -whole-souled and hearty that it made one want to slap him on the back -and tell him that he hadn't really made a mistake after all. - -When Tuckerman had the _Argo_ well in hand again and could think of -other matters, he said to Ben, "We've seen plenty of rocks and ledges, -but nary a thing that could properly be called a cliff. A cliff, I take -it, is something fairly high and mighty, not so steep as Gibraltar -perhaps, but as large as a good-sized barn-door." - -"While we've been hunting for cliffs," said David, "I suppose Ben has -worked this all out. What are your conclusions, oh wise one?" - -"Never you mind, my boy. The clever magician waits till he has -everything in order before he performs his trick." - -"Ben's got something up his sleeve," put in Tom. "I can always tell when -he talks in that grand way. But there's no use trying to make him tell -us, Dave. The way to make an oyster talk is to pay no attention to it." - -Ben said nothing, though the temptation was great as the _Argo_ reached -the northern end of the island, where high rocks came down to the water. - -Tuckerman admitted these were cliffs, but there were a number of them, -and how was he to tell which was the one they wanted? They sailed slowly -along, watching the shore and speculating as to what the message in the -desk referred. And while the other three talked Ben sat silent, trying -to picture what had happened to James Sampson there more than a century -before. - -Ben had a good imagination, and it led him to see Sampson as a servant -of Sir Peter Cotterell, a faithful serving-man, who always did what his -master told him. When the men of Barmouth threatened to take Sir Peter's -treasure the old Tory gave some of his most valuable possessions to -Sampson, and the latter carried them to this end of the island where he -had a small boat that should carry him to the mainland. When he reached -the shore, however, he saw other Barmouth men patrolling the coast in -their own boats and so his escape that way was cut off. With quick wit -he hid the treasures in a cleft of the rock and blocked up the -hiding-place. Ben could see it all, even to Sir Peter, in knee-breeches -and wig, commending James Sampson when the man returned and related what -he had done. "Good and faithful servant," said Sir Peter; "the rascals -are outwitted again!" And doubtless Sir Peter took Sampson into the -dining-room and poured him out a glass of rum. Ben wasn't sure about -that; it might not have been rum; but rum sounded well, it smacked of -old-time adventure. Yes, probably it was rum; and Sampson had wiped his -mouth with the sleeve of his jacket and laughed with his master at the -thought of the men of Barmouth sitting out there in their boats, like so -many cats waiting outside a mouse-hole. - -"Come out of it, Ben! Wake up!" - -Ben looked up with a start. Tom was laughing at him. "Where are you, -Benjie? A million miles away!" - -"No," answered Ben, "I was listening to Sir Peter talking to a man you -don't any of you know anything about." - -"Your precious mahogany man?" asked Tom. "Don't tell me you learned -something more about him while you were up at the house." - -"He means the man with the big feet," said David. "Did you find his -prints in the house?" - -"David," said Ben solemnly, "you're absolutely certain you saw those -footprints of a man on the bank of the creek, are you?" - -"Absolutely," David stated. "You don't think it was some animal wearing -a man's shoes, do you?" - -"No. I thought you saw them. But I looked this morning in the same -place, and there aren't any prints there now." - -There followed a moment's silence; then Tuckerman exploded a loud -"What?" - -"Vanished, vamoosed, flown away," Ben said with a nod. - -"My eye!" exclaimed David. "This is too horrible! Is the island -haunted?" - -"It is peculiar," said Tuckerman, frowning at the shore. - -"Look out!" sang out Tom. - -The _Argo_, her helmsman unheeding his business, was slowly coming -about, with a ledge of rock dead ahead. Tuckerman wheeled around, put -the tiller over--the dory righted again. - -"Ben," said Tom, "don't you spring anything like that on us again, with -the Professor sailing this boat. If you've got any other fairy tales, -you keep them till we're on shore." - -"My fault," said the skipper. "I'm learning. My first business is to -bring us safe up to the dock." - -"And my first business," added David, "is to get something to eat. -Mysteries may come and go, but three square meals a day are always -needful. How about that, Ben, my son? What did Sir Peter and this other -friend of yours live on?" - -"Rum," said the solemn Ben. - -"Rum! You're a rum one! Are you sure you didn't drink some of Sir -Peter's rum before you went to the creek and found that the footprints -were missing?" - -But Ben only smiled. He could afford to smile when he knew that he, and -he alone, had a copy of James Sampson's complete message tucked away in -his pocket. - - - - - VII--THE TIGERS PLAY CAMP AMOUSSOCK - - -Needless to say, Ben would have liked to start out immediately after -dinner to look for the pocket in the rocks that was marked with a cross, -provided he could have found a good excuse to get away from the others; -for he was still of a mind to keep his discovery a secret for the -present. But the larder was in need of fresh supplies, and as soon as -they had finished their cleaning up Tom announced that their immediate -business was to sail across to Farmer Hapgood's and buy some eggs and -milk. So the _Argo_ put out into the bay again, and soon the four -campers, the sailboat safely moored at the Hapgood landing, were -tramping up the road toward a gray-shingled cottage that had a couple of -beautiful, tall elms at either side of it. - -Mrs. Hapgood sold them eggs, milk, and butter, and some large loaves of -freshly-baked bread. These were packed in a basket the boys had brought. -When they came out from the house they stopped a few moments to chat -with Mrs. Hapgood, and while they were talking two large automobiles -swung in from a crossroad and raced past the farmhouse door. - -The two cars were filled with boys, boys on the seats and on the -running-boards. "They're from Camp Amoussock, down along the shore a -way," Mrs. Hapgood explained. "They're going to have a baseball game -with the boys around here. My Sandy's playing. He's getting into his -things upstairs now, but he'll be down in a minute." - -The cars disappeared in a cloud of dust, and almost immediately a -red-haired, freckle-faced young fellow, in a baseball suit, dashed out -from the front door. - -"Hello," he cried, nodding to the others. "That crowd made as much noise -with their horns as if they'd won the game already." - -"Pretty good team, are they?" asked David. - -"Yes, they're a good team," said Sandy; "but mighty stuck on themselves. -They come from a lot of different cities, and most of them play on their -school nines. They've beaten us the last two summers. Gee, but we'd like -to get back at 'em to-day!" - -"Who's on your team?" asked Tom. - -"Well, we call ourselves the Tidewater Tigers. Most of us live around -here. One, Billy Burns, comes from Barmouth. Native sons of New -Hampshire against the strangers--that's what my father says." - -"We know Billy Burns," said Ben. "He's a good batter." - -"Yes, he's good," agreed Sandy. "But they've got a pitcher who's a -corker. Lanky Larry they call him. He's the goods all right--lots of -speed and a curve. I'll say he is! Fanned me three times last year." -Sandy clutched his bat. "Gee, but I'd like to sting him!" - -"Let's feel it," said David. He took the bat and swung it several times. -"A little light, but not bad," he pronounced judicially. - -"Say, why don't you all come along? We'll show you some real excitement. -You can leave that basket here." - -The boys looked at each other, and suddenly Tuckerman burst out -laughing. "Lead us to it, Sandy. I can see these three have got their -tongues hanging out." - -"Well," said David slowly, "I do hate to pass a good thing by." - -"He wants a sight of this Lanky Larry," said Tom. "A good pitcher to -Dave is like a red rag to a bull." - -Mrs. Hapgood relieved Tom of the basket. "You boys are native sons," she -said with a smile. "Go along and root for the Tigers." - -Up the road they went until they came to an open field marked out with a -baseball diamond. The two automobiles were parked on one side, and on -the other was a crowd of boys and girls, interspersed with a few older -people. Already some of the Tigers and some of the Amoussocks were -knocking out flies to their fielders. - -"There's Lanky, warming up," said Sandy, pointing to a tall, -dark-skinned fellow who was throwing a ball to a catcher in front of the -automobiles. "They're a swell lot, aren't they? They've all got brand -new suits this summer, with red and white stockings, and a red A on -their chests." - -The Amoussocks did look very trim; more especially in contrast to the -native sons, who were dressed in all sorts of suits, the most of them -old and mud-stained. - -"Here's Billy Burns," said Sandy; and as Tuckerman and the three boys -went up to join the crowd, Sandy darted away to report himself to his -captain. - -Billy came up. "Hi, you fellows. What you doing here?" - -"Digging clams for bait," answered David. "Benjie wants to go fishing." - -"Come down to see us smear the strangers?" Billy continued, ignoring -David's joke. - -"I hear that Lanky Larry's a terror." This from Tom. - -"Terror's the word," Billy admitted. "Say, Dave, you think you're some -hitter in Barmouth. But you've never stacked up against his class." - -"Oh, I don't know," said David. "I've sent some good men to the discard. -Howsomever, it's not up to me this afternoon to tackle the strangers. -I'm neutral to-day." - -"Go to it, Billy!" said Ben. "We're going to root for you. Of course we -are. We're not pikers." - -It was clear that this was a big day in the eyes of the community. A -hay-wagon rattled up, loaded with empty boxes and a pile of boards. The -boxes were stood on end on the ground and the planks placed across them, -and the seats thus made were instantly filled by boys and girls. On the -opposite side waved a large banner, white with a gigantic red A in the -centre. There were shouts and cheers from both sides as the two teams -gathered round the umpire; then the Tigers ran out to take the field and -the first Amoussock batter stepped up to the plate. - -The campers from Cotterell's Island sat on the grass with the New -Hampshire boys. Half the fun of watching any contest is in rooting for -one side to win, and naturally the campers were backing the home nine. -The Amoussocks had a superior air, partly due perhaps to their snappy -suits and partly to the fact that they had beaten the Tigers each of the -two summers before. And they knew how to play baseball; there was a snap -and precision about their work that was the result of constant coaching -in teamwork. - -Against them the home team, mostly the sons of neighboring farmers, boys -who had to coach themselves and only played together on Saturdays, -showed at a decided disadvantage. They had plenty of fighting spirit and -kept right up on their toes, playing for all they were worth, taking big -chances in stealing bases and backing each other up on every throw. But -they couldn't hit Lanky Larry--not to any extent; and the Amoussocks -could, and did, hit Sam Noyes, the Tiger pitcher. - -David shook his head as the third inning ended. "That Lanky's got 'em -where he wants 'em," he said. "He eases up a bit, and lets us get a hit -or two; but watch him in the pinches. He can tighten up and shoot 'em -over. Yes, siree,--nothing he likes better than a couple of them on the -bases, and then putting over three strikes, simple as you please." - -Tom took a blade of grass from his mouth. "And he keeps grinning. -Nothing riles a batter worse than that sort of a pitcher. 'See how -simple it is,' he says with that smile. 'Like taking candy from a kid to -get a strike on you'--and he goes ahead and shoots one over while you're -planning how you'll wipe the grin from his face." - -Billy Burns dropped down beside them. "Two to nothing," he declared. -"Sam's doing mighty well, but Lanky's doing better. It's that in-shoot -of his. I know just where it's going, but hang it all! every blessed -time I reach right out for it." - -"He's got your goat," said David. "You're so all-fired mad that you -don't wait for the ball to get near you." - -"Huh, it's easy to talk! I suppose you could wait all day." - -"Well, I wouldn't get tied up tight, stiff as a stick. That's the -trouble with all our team. They're so keen to hit they can't wait. -Larry's got them going before they walk out there; and he knows it too, -believe me!" - -"I suppose you'd be as cool as a cucumber," Billy jeered. - -"As fat as a cucumber, you mean," suggested Ben. "When Dave leans -against the ball it's like a ton of bricks." - -"We're out again," announced Billy, picking up his fielder's glove. -"We're not so worse in the field; but golly, if we could only hit!" - -The Tigers couldn't hit, however. The crowd on the benches rooted as -hard as they could, but the native sons stayed behind. And the visitors -grew more dashing. They kept talking to each other on the bases, little -remarks filled with self-esteem; it was easy to see they were very well -pleased with themselves. - -David kept pulling blades of grass, chewing them, spitting them out. -Every time that a Tiger came to bat David felt as if it were he himself -who was facing that smiling pitcher. - -The fifth inning came and went; the score was still the same. Billy -Burns, in spite of what David had told him, had struck out again. - -Tom stood up and stretched. "No, boys, it isn't our day--unless -something different happens. I guess that old New Hampshire's got to -take the short end." - -Something did happen; but not what Tom expected. Billy Burns, in the -outfield, running after a deep fly to centre, made a dive for the ball -at full speed, stumbled, fell headlong, but held up the ball in his -hand. - -"Batter's out!" cried the umpire. - -The loyal rooters cheered. Billy, however, lay flat, and when, after a -moment, he tried to get up, he sat down quickly again. - -The other fielders ran over to him and stood him up between them. Billy -held up one foot, put it down, gave a groan. "Twisted my ankle, I -guess," he muttered. He tried to take a step forward. "No go," he added. -"Hang it all, just my luck!" - -Two fielders brought him in between them, Billy hopping on one foot. The -Tigers held a consultation, while the Amoussocks threw the ball around. -Then Sam Noyes, the Tiger captain, stepped over to David. "Billy's down -and out," he said. "He can't play any more. But he says you think you -can hit their pitcher; and you're from Barmouth, so that'd be all right. -Want to take Billy's place?" - -David glanced up. He knew by the look on Sam's face that the Tiger -captain didn't believe he could bat any better than the others. "All -right," he answered. "I didn't mean to boast, you know; but I'll do my -darndest." - -"No one can do more," murmured Tuckerman behind him. - -David peeled off his coat and put on Billy's glove. He lumbered out to -centrefield while Sam Noyes explained the substitution to the Amoussock -captain. - -In the last half of the sixth inning David came to bat. Lanky Larry -patted the ball caressingly, surveyed the new player from head to foot, -and then grinned as if he had suddenly remembered a tremendous joke. -David dug his feet into the earth of the batter's box, wishing he had on -the cleated shoes he wore when he played on his school team, swung his -bat--one he had carefully selected from the varied assortment offered by -the Tigers--and then grinned as if he also had thought of something very -funny. - -"I say, what's the joke, you two fellows?" sang out a man who was -standing back of the benches. - -That made everybody laugh, with the result that Lanky, when he pitched -the ball, threw it wide and missed the plate by a couple of inches. - -"Ball one!" proclaimed the umpire. - -"Make it be good!" yelled Ben. - -David hitched up his trousers and lifted his bat again. Lanky patted the -ball and smiled, but not so broadly. He shot the next one across the -plate with speed and precision, David letting it go by without swinging -at it. - -"Strike one!" sang the umpire. - -"You've got him, Lanky!" came a voice from the ranks of the Amoussocks. - -"Oh dear!" sighed a girl on the Tiger's bench, loud enough to be heard -across the diamond; "I thought this fellow looked like he could knock a -home run!" - -There was a titter, a ripple of laughter, and Larry, fondling the ball, -looked over in the direction of the girl and grinned from ear to ear. - -The ball shot from his hand. There was a crack--sharp and -stinging;--Larry reached out, missed the ball as it whizzed by--whizzed -on over the bag at second base, sizzled on into the outfield. -Centrefield couldn't touch it; that ball simply wouldn't stop, and -didn't until it struck a stone wall at the end of the field. - -By the time the ball got back David was standing on third base, and the -Tiger rooters were splitting the air with yells. - -"Dave leaned against it all right, didn't he?" said Ben to Tuckerman. -"He came around on it just as easy; but when he struck he made every -ounce tell." - -"He'd have had a home run if it hadn't been for that stone wall," said -Tuckerman. "The field's too short; it doesn't give our Dave a show." - -Lanky Larry looked less amused. He frowned and grew thoughtful; with the -result that the next Tiger up got a neat hit to right field, and David -came trotting home. - -But the inning ended on the next play, the Tiger being caught out at -second base. The score was two to one, in the Amoussock's favor. The -crowd felt somewhat better as the Tigers took the field again. The -Amoussocks, however, managed to get in another run at their turn at bat, -and had a good lead of two. - -The seventh and eighth innings repeated the same old story. Lanky was in -form again, and none of the batters could hit him. And with the score at -three to one the Amoussocks prepared to mow down their rivals in the -last half of the ninth. - -David was to be the third batter, and he swung two bats over his -shoulder as he waited for his turn. Lanky knew what he was doing, was in -fact watching him out of the corner of his eye, and looking forward to -his next chance at the cocky David. Thinking what he would do to David -he forgot the job in hand, and struck Sam Noyes on the arm. The umpire -sent Sam to first. Larry scowled and bit his lip. The next Tiger got a -hit, and Sam went to second. - -The crowd jumped to its feet, both sides were rooting madly. "If only -there was room for a home run!" sighed Ben. "Old Barmouth could do it! -Keep cool, Dave my lad!" - -David was perfectly cool, to all appearance at least, as he walked up to -the plate. He smiled and gave the least little nod at the tall, -dark-skinned pitcher. - -A duel between these two;--that was what the crowd felt in the air. The -fielders were hopping about, crouching, their hands on their knees; Sam -and the Tiger on first base were flapping their arms, all ready to dash -for the next base. But nobody looked at them; all eyes were on the two -who were regarding each other with pleasant smiles. - -"Strike one!" - -David stepped back, a bit surprised, while the crowd gave a groan. - -"Ball one!" There was a little ripple of satisfaction. - -"But he's got to hit it," Tom muttered in Tuckerman's ear. "A base on -balls won't do. The next fellow'd go out." - -And David knew he'd got to hit it, and kept telling himself not to -tighten up. "Easy does it, easy does it," kept singing over and over in -his mind. If he tried too hard Lanky would get him just as he had gotten -the others; and he knew perfectly well that was what Lanky intended that -he should do. - -"Strike two!" - -Larry had outguessed him that time, giving him a slow drop. David eased -his muscles, smiled his confident smile, settled evenly on his feet. -This next would be the in-shoot. Larry would save that for the last. -"Easy does it; take your time." David looked at the pitcher, not -angrily, not intently, just with a jovial dare. - -And the bat, with David's shoulders behind it, and his waist and his -legs as well, met that ball as it curved in toward him fair and square -on the nose. There was a mighty crack--the sort that sings in the ears -and makes the pulses tingle--and away and away went the ball. Over the -pitcher's head, over the heads of the fielders; far out in the field it -struck the ground at last and bounded over the stone wall. It brought up -against a cow, that was lying down in a meadow, and it gave her such a -bump that she rose in haste and went galloping away, not knowing what -had struck her. And by the time the first Amoussock outfielder touched -that ball Sam Noyes and the next Tiger and David had circled the bases -and the game was won. - -Billy Burns hopped over to David, forgetful of his sprained ankle. "Put -it there, old scout!" he cried, holding out his hand. "I never saw such -a hit! Gee whillikins! Dave, you're the stuff all right!" - -"Easy does it," said David, who couldn't think of anything else to say. - -"Easy!" exclaimed Billy. "You call that easy! I'd like to know what you -do to a ball when you hit it hard!" - - - - - VIII--THE CANOE - - -David would have liked to have taken to his heels and beaten it down the -road to the bay, but he was not allowed to do this. Not only the Tigers, -but all that section of New Hampshire appeared to think that he had -vindicated the honor of the country against the big cities, represented -in this case by the boys of Camp Amoussock. Horny-handed farmers -insisted on coming up and shaking his hand, slapping him on the back, -inviting him to supper. And what tickled Ben more than anything else was -to see the girl who had exclaimed, "I thought this fellow looked like he -could knock a home run!" push her way through the crowd and thrust out -her hand at David. - -Ben nudged Tom. "Look at our brave boy now." - -The girl was saying, "I knew you looked like a winner. I've got a kid -brother at home; he's got a sore foot and couldn't get over here; but -I'm going to tell him how you soaked that ball and hit the old cow, and -maybe he won't be excited! What's your name? He'll want to know." - -No beet was ever redder than David's face as he gave a sheepish grin. -"David Norton," he said. And as the girl insisted on shaking hands he -touched her fingers gingerly. "Much obliged," he stammered. "Hope the -kid's foot gets well again. Funny about that cow;--hope it didn't hurt -her." - -"I wouldn't care," said the girl, "if it broke one of her ribs. But -don't you worry, Mr. Norton. I'm right glad to have met you." And she -pushed her way out of the throng again, delighted to be able to tell her -kid brother that she had shaken hands with the hero of the day. - -"You may be a mighty batter," said Ben, when David was able at last to -rejoin his friends, "but when it comes to the girls you're a beautiful -imitation of a wooden Indian. You shake hands like a pump." - -"Oh, cut it out," growled David, who always stood more or less in fear -of girls, and hated to be teased about them. "I suppose you'd have made -her some kind of a pretty speech; asked her to dance, perhaps." - -"I'd have looked as if I liked being told how fine I was. Oh, what a -shame it is that nobody ever says such things to me," sighed Ben, "when -I'm the one that could really appreciate them!" - -Sandy Hapgood now came up, and David, eager to be rid of any more talk -about the game, hurried his friends away. "Looks like a thunderstorm," -he said, squinting at the sky, where dark clouds were rapidly rising. - -They passed the meadow, where the cow was now peacefully chewing her cud -again. She cast a reproachful eye at the boy in the baseball suit. -"That's the longest hit that was ever made on our field," remarked -Sandy. "And against Lanky Larry, too! Oh boy! Did you see Lanky after -the game? He looked--well, he didn't look so all-fired stuck on -himself." - -"He's a fine pitcher," said David; "a mighty good one." - -They quickened their steps, for big drops of rain were beginning to -fall. They turned in at the Hapgood farmhouse and stopped long enough -for a word with Sandy's mother. Tom swung the basket of provisions on -his arm. - -"Don't you think you'd better wait a short spell," said Mrs. Hapgood. -"Looks to me as if we were in for a right smart shower." - -They looked at the sky--pierced now with frequent sharp jabs of -lightning. - -"It's not raining hard yet," said Tuckerman. "How about it, boys?" - -"Let's beat it," said Tom. - -Out in the road again they jogged down to the water, where the _Argo_ -was fastened. Casting her adrift, Tom took the tiller. - -It was a real summer thunderstorm that had come up quickly--spurts of -rain and banks of black clouds--at the end of the warm day. - -But the boys were used to a wetting, and Tom had often sailed through a -heavier downpour than this. David stretched himself out on a seat in -luxurious comfort. "A shower-bath feels good," he murmured. "All I want -now is a good swim." - -The wind, however, wouldn't stay in any one quarter; it kept jumping -about as if it were trying to box the compass and succeeding pretty -well. Tom had to keep changing course. The _Argo_ zigzagged about like a -darning-needle flying over a pond. And the thunder kept crashing louder, -and the lightning opening bigger and bigger cracks in the violet-black -of the sky. - -"Hello, there's a canoe!" sang out Ben suddenly. - -Ahead of them, an eighth of a mile from shore, a cockleshell craft was -dancing over the waves. There were two people in it, one at either end, -and each was paddling fast. - -"Ticklish business," said Tuckerman. "There's white water off that -point. See how it jerks about. I say, Tom, couldn't we get up near -them?" - -"Righto," answered the skipper. "Confound those blooming gusts!" - -If the _Argo_ was having her hands full in standing up to the constant -squalls that kept chasing over the water, the canoe was finding the -struggle an even more difficult task. She careened, righted, almost -disappeared in a wave. The _Argo's_ crew were now all at the rail, -except the skipper, watching the little craft battle her way along. - -Then Ben sang out: "Why, it's Lanky Larry and the Amoussock captain! -Gee, but that water's rough!" - -A lightning flash so vivid that it seemed to daze the crews of both the -boats, was followed by a roll of thunder that shook the sea and the sky. -Next instant the waves leaped up as if in a frenzy of fright. A great -roller caught the canoe and twisted her nose about; another slapped her -amidships; a third--All that the crew of the _Argo_ saw was a swirl of -wild waters where the little craft had been. - -Tuckerman muttered something. Tom, with a shout of warning, brought the -_Argo_ about. Now there were to be seen in the water two heads, two -tossing paddles, and the upturned bottom of the canoe. - -The point of land was not far distant, and for some reason the boys in -the water were striking out in that direction, possibly because they -thought the sailboat, in such a squall, could not keep her course. - -While Tom manoeuvred the _Argo_, the other three watched the swimmers. -Both were making fair headway, the Amoussock captain somewhat in the -lead. Then suddenly Larry threw up his hands and disappeared. - -Tom swung the sailboat around, and almost instantly Ben and David, coats -and shoes stripped off, dove into the water. For the moment the sea was -calmer, and the two made the most of their chance. Hand over hand, in -great spurts, they drew closer and closer to the place where Larry had -vanished. - -Tom said things to the sail, which would not fill as he wanted. -Tuckerman clutched the rail, his eyes never leaving the swimmers. And at -last--an eternity, it seemed to the watcher--the two boys reached the -spot. A moment later, and in some way they had managed to draw Larry up -between them. - -By now the Amoussock captain had turned and was swimming back; and by -now Tom had contrived to make the _Argo_ behave. With a rush she arrived -where the boys were struggling in the waves. Ben clutched at the side; -with his other hand he helped David lift Larry up into Tuckerman's arms. - -Larry was hauled aboard. David and Ben climbed in. The other boy was -pulled up from the water. - -The _Argo_, restive, cavorting, commenced to dance again. "Can't stop to -pick up the canoe," muttered Tom. "Thank Heaven, Lanky's all right!" - -Larry, very white and shivering, was rubbing the muscles of his legs. -"It was a cramp," he explained. "Doubled me up in a minute." - -Tuckerman put his coat around Larry's shoulders. "Never mind, never -mind," he kept murmuring. "We'll have you up at my house in a couple of -jiffies." - -And, the wind blowing great guns, but keeping in a fairly steady -direction, the _Argo_ soon reached the island. By that time Larry, -assisted by Tuckerman, had managed to rub the kinks out of his leg -muscles, and was able to hobble ashore. - -Cold, and drenched, and all of them shivering more or less, the party -went up to the house. "The kitchen's the place," said Tuckerman. -"There's plenty of firewood there." - -Shortly the logs were blazing on the wide kitchen hearth, and Tuckerman, -finding a tin of coffee in a cupboard, was making a steaming drink. Tom -in the meantime had brought an armful of Christopher Cotterell's clothes -from a room abovestairs, and the boys who had been in the water put on -dry things. - -"Well," said Larry, when he was warm and dry, and had swallowed -half-a-cupful of Tuckerman's steaming hot coffee, "I knew this David -fellow was a good sport when I tried to strike him out this afternoon; -though I tell you it made me mad when he stung that ball for a homer." - -"Don't mention it," said David. "A fellow's got to do his duty." - -"You do yours, all right," nodded Larry. "I guess we'll have to forgive -him now, won't we, Bill?" - -Bill Crawford, the Amoussock captain, gave his knee a great slap. "We'll -have to elect him to the club of good scouts, Lanky. And the rest of -this bunch, too." - -"Pass the coffee pot," said David. - -Stretched at his ease in a cane-bottomed kitchen chair, Larry's eyes -roved around the room. "I thought there wasn't anybody on this island -this summer," he said. "That's the story they tell at the camp." - -"Oh yes, it's deserted," said Ben, "except for Professor Tuckerman and -his three able assistants." - -"What is the Professor doing here?" asked Bill Crawford. - -There was a momentary silence, broken by Ben's solemn voice. "He's busy -polishing up the knocker of the big front door. I don't know whether you -noticed it when you came in, but there is a beautiful knocker, made of -pure brass. He shines it every day." - -An amused snicker from Bill was followed by Larry's asking another -question. - -"This is the Cotterell house, isn't it? There's some old yarn about it, -seems to me I've heard." - -"Did you ever hear of an old house that didn't have some yarn attached -to it?" demanded Tuckerman. - -"Change the subject, Lanky," sang out Bill. "'Tisn't fair to pry into -the family's secrets." - -"Right you are." Larry stretched his arms. "Well, the question before us -is how are we going to get back to camp before they find that canoe, and -us missing?" - -Tom went to the kitchen door and looked out. "The storm isn't over yet," -he announced. "Couldn't you lads stay to supper? If you will, I'll sail -you back afterwards. Likely as not the water'll be smooth as a mill-pond -in an hour or so." - -"They won't be looking for you at your camp yet," said Tuckerman. -"They'll think you landed somewhere, and are waiting for the squall to -blow over." - -"We'll stay to supper," said Bill. "It would be a shame to have you -fellows get wet again on account of us." - -David jumped up. "We've got provisions stowed away right here in the -kitchen." Rolling up his sleeves, he gave directions to his assistant -cooks. - -The kitchen of Cotterell Hall had never seen as much activity as it did -in the next half hour, with the result that a sumptuous feast was soon -set out on the table. - -They ate as if they hadn't tasted food for a week, cleaned up, and -trooped out to the front door. The squall was over, a light wind was -blowing--not enough to ruffle the water--and stars were beginning to -shine in a cloudless sky. - -The _Argo's_ sail was raised, and the skipper sent her across the bay to -the place where the canoe had upset. Search soon found the canoe rocking -in the surf on a sandy beach of the mainland. She was righted and her -painter fastened to a cleat at the stern of the sailboat, and the _Argo_ -took a course alongshore. Presently, rounding a point, the crew saw a -bonfire at Camp Amoussock lighting a stretch of woods. - -They all went ashore, and found the Camp just about to start out on a -search for the missing boys. The visitors had to stay a while and be -entertained by their hosts, and it was not until the moon was high in -the sky that the _Argo_ again pushed her nose across the water, a -southernly breeze filling her sail. - -As they came abreast of the western end of their island another -sailboat, looking like a great white moth in the moonlight, went -scudding away over the silver sea. - -"Hello," said Ben, "what is she doing here? Poaching on our preserves, -it seems to me." - -"The harbor's free to everyone," said David. "I don't suppose even -Crusty Christopher objected to people sailing boats on the water, if -they didn't try to land on his shore." - -"Lanky knew there was some old yarn about the Cotterell house," Ben -continued, paying no attention to David's remark. "And if he knew, why -shouldn't others?" - -"Well," said Tom, "what's the answer?" - -"The answer is that we're likely to have callers. Not the kind that -leave their visiting-cards, but the sort that snoop around when nobody's -home." - -"Thieves?" questioned David. - -"No," said Ben, "I didn't mean thieves exactly. Detectives come nearer -to what I meant." - -Tuckerman chuckled. "Benjamin, you're a wonder! You never let go of an -idea once you get your teeth in it, do you? I'd forgotten all about the -treasure. I was studying the stars, and Dave was thinking about -baseball, and Tom about the course he's steering; but you--why, you were -puzzling your wits about Sir Peter and the mahogany man, and goodness -knows what else. Keep it up, Ben my boy. That's the road to success." - -And Ben, thinking of what he had found that morning, grinned but said -nothing. If he could only work out the scheme he had in his mind, he -felt that he would be prouder than if he knocked home runs against the -very best baseball pitchers in the major leagues. - - - - - IX--THE CHEST IN THE ROCKS - - -John Tuckerman was leaning on his arm and looking out at the sparkling, -gleaming blue-green water when Ben Sully woke next day. Ben kept still -and watched him, as he had watched him on several other mornings. -Tuckerman looked so absorbed, so intent. He seemed to be sniffing the -air. And Ben, to whom a summer morning on the New England coast -presented no novelty, appreciated that to this man everything about him -seemed like a part of wonderland. - -The only sounds were the lapping of waves and the calling of birds in -the woods back of the camp. A great gray-white gull was soaring far out -over the water, slanting first this way, then that, as though he were -trying his wings before he made a real flight. Nearer shore two white -terns circled round and round, and then dropped straight in the bay, -their sharp beaks darting at fish. The shore of the mainland rose in a -green swell, on which pearl-colored fleecy clouds seemed to be floating, -and the shore of the island itself, above the beach, was a tangle of bay -and juniper and wild roses, all shades of greens and pinks in the early -sun. - -Ben saw this through Tuckerman's eyes, and felt the spell of -enchantment. Then David rolled over, stretched his arms, grunted; and -the spell was broken. A pine-cone, tossed by Ben, landed on David's -nose. "Hi there, you mosquito!" exclaimed the nose's owner. He threw the -pine-cone at Tom. "Time to be up, lazybones. Breakfast in half-an-hour, -and those who aren't down when the bell rings won't get any!" - -"The tub's mine first!" shouted John Tuckerman, and pulling off his -pajamas he took a few leaps across the grass and raced over the sand to -the water, where he ducked under a wave and bobbed up again, splashing -and yelling. - -Ben, then David, then Tom, followed, making more noise between them than -all the wildfowl on the island put together. The water was cold, but -fine for a morning swim, and when, after fifteen minutes, the four came -out on the beach again, they seized the Turkish towels that hung -conveniently on a juniper, and rubbed themselves to a brilliant -lobster-like glow. - -"That particular swimming-pool," said John Tuckerman,--"I refer to the -one commonly called the damp spot, or the ocean,--beats all the -porcelain-lined tubs it has ever been my privilege to bathe in. It's -true there's only cold water; but come out into this sun for a few -minutes and you'll be hot enough. Now it seems to me"--but at that -particular moment he began to pull his flannel shirt over his head, and -when his words again became audible he was saying "shake well, and take -a teaspoonful in a glass of water every morning before breakfast." - -Breakfast! Magic word after a swim in the ocean! The boys jumped into -their clothes and set to work. For the next half-hour the thoughts of -all the campers were centred on food. - -But as soon as his plate was cleared Ben began to consider another -matter. He quoted lines to himself, "I took the box to the north -cliff.... I hid it in the pocket in the rocks. There are two veins that -make a mark like a cross." Very good; that was plain. And as soon as the -after-breakfast chores were done he said, rather self-consciously, "I -know where there's a pool full of cunners," and picking up his -fishing-rod and tackle, he hurried into the woods. - -He looked back over his shoulder once or twice, but no one was following -him. Through the thickets, dappled with sunshine, he went at a brisk -trot. This brought him out on the north shore, where the high rocks -towered above the beach like a line of battlements. He swung himself -over a cliff and dropped lightly on to the sand. Leaving his fishing-rod -in a convenient place where he could pick it up quickly if anyone came -by, he began his search. - -There were crevices in the rocks, and each of these had to be explored. -Bushes and trailing vines, growing from little footholds, covered the -seaward surface of many of the cliffs. But Ben, thrilled with the sense -of exploration, and persevering by nature, stuck to his task, and was -rewarded at last by finding what he sought, two veins of a light yellow -color that made the distinct mark of a cross. - -"That's it!" he muttered, excited. "And, by Jove, there's the pocket!" - -Down on his knees he went, and thrust his head into an opening. He -pushed himself forward by digging his toes in the sand. And soon his -outstretched hand touched a large chest, he felt metal bands about it, -he pushed it, but it was wedged in tight. - -Presently he pulled himself out, stood up, and considered the situation. -He had found the box that James Sampson had hid in the rocks. His first -thought was what a tremendously strong man Sampson must have been to -carry such a chest all the way from Cotterell Hall to this north shore. -However, Sampson might not have carried it; he might have brought it in -a cart or by some other means. And his next thought was, how could -Benjamin Sully get that chest out of the pocket. - -That took a good deal of thinking, and he sat down and considered it -from various angles. - -Into his brown study two voices from somewhere back of him made -interruption abruptly. - -"He's fishing for cunners on the dry sand! First time I ever saw that -done. He just coaxes 'em out of the water." - -"Keep quiet! He's counting the grains of sand. He's got up into the -millions." - -"He's thinking up a way to hypnotize the fish. Stare at them hard -enough, and they'll swim right up on the beach." - -"He's copying King Canute. Telling the waves to go back." - -"He's working out a time-table for the tides." - -Ben turned his head. "As a matter of fact, the thing I'm thinking about -is a thousand times more interesting than anything you've guessed." - -The two voices were those of David and Tom. - -"I've always said," observed David, "that you can't catch our Benjie -napping. He seems to be sitting there like a bump on a log, but he's -really thinking of the most remarkable things." - -"I shouldn't wonder," nodded Tom, "if it was something utterly -prodigious--like why the water's wet or fish have scales." - -"No," said Ben pleasantly, "I was wondering how I could get Peter -Cotterell's treasure chest out of the place where his servant James -Sampson hid it. It's rather too heavy for me to handle by myself." - -The other two stared. "Benjie oughtn't to have come out here without a -cork helmet," said David. "I suppose he's got a sunstroke." - -[Illustration: "Sampson put the chest there," he concluded.] - -"What are you driving at?" asked Tom. "Have you really found the -treasure, Ben?" - -Ben pointed negligently toward the cleft in the rock. "There," he -answered. "See that yellow cross? That marks where he hid the chest." - -"You're dreaming!" David snorted. - -"How do you know?" questioned Tom. - -Ben took from his pocket the piece of paper that bore James Sampson's -message. He read it aloud, slowly, giving each word full weight. -"Sampson put the chest there," he concluded. "And there it is now. I -crawled in and found it." - -Even David was impressed by that. He got down on his knees and poked -into the cavern, and when he stood up he nodded solemnly. - -"There is something in there," he said. "I shouldn't wonder if Ben might -be right." - -"Well," said Tom, "there's a rope in the sailboat. We left her around -the point." He hurried away. - -In a few minutes he was back, with a coil of good-sized rope. - -Taking an end of this, Ben again crawled into the opening and made the -rope tight about the chest. Then the three boys took hold of the other -end of the rope and began to pull. The sand was not very secure footing -and the chest was heavy, but gradually they pulled it out. They -discovered it was a box made of hard wood, with iron fastenings. - -"Well," declared Tom, "if James Sampson carried that all the way here by -himself, all I've got to say is that he deserves his name." - -"These mahogany men," added David, "supposing that the fellow who -carried this chest was a mahogany man--must belong to a race of giants. -I wonder if it was a mahogany man who made those footprints on the edge -of the creek?" - -Ben had picked up a flat stone, shaped something like a large Indian -arrowhead, and another round stone; and inserting the first stone under -the lid of the chest, he struck it several blows with the other. - -Tom watched him a moment. "You can't pry it open that way," he asserted. -Looking along the beach, he selected a big, egg-shaped stone and brought -it back to the chest. Lifting it in both hands, he dropped it on the -iron band just above the lock. The iron snapped apart. The stone bounced -off on the sand. - -David and Ben seized the lid. With a creaking of hinges it was lifted. -There before them was a light blue coat, gold-braided, a three-cornered -hat of felt, a sword in a tarnished scabbard. - -"My eye!" exclaimed Tom. "Just clothes! Why in the world did he want to -hide such things?" - -Ben was flinging them aside. Underneath were other garments, several -suits of the style worn by gentlemen in Revolutionary days, and then the -oddest collection of bric-a-brac, candlesticks, pewter pitchers, a -silver snuff-box, a couple of lacquered platters, and even some china -plates. - -David started to laugh. "Well, if that's the Cotterell treasure, I can't -give it much! I don't see why the Barmouth people wanted to lay hands on -it, or why Sir Peter and his precious James Sampson were so eager to get -away with it. Why, it's regular junk-shop stuff. I don't suppose the -whole collection, if they'd sold it at auction, would have fetched -enough to feed a soldier a week." - -Ben looked very much crestfallen. He fingered the suits, the snuff-box, -the platters. "No," he said, "it does seem mighty queer. And to think -that Sampson brought these things over here, intending to take them away -in a boat! I don't understand it at all." - -"Never mind, Benjie." Tom slapped his friend on the shoulder. "You found -the chest anyway." - -"That's right. You did," said David. "You worked out the puzzle. It -isn't your fault if the treasure was just old junk." - -Ben was scratching his head. "But surely Sir Peter did have some -valuable plate," he argued. "The people of Barmouth knew that. Then what -did he do with it?" - -"Maybe he melted it down himself," said David. "Anyhow it isn't in that -chest." - -"That's so." Ben picked up the snuff-box and stuck it in his pocket. -"Where's the Professor?" - -"He went up to the house. Said he was going to write a letter," Tom -answered. "I'll tell you what we'll do, old sport. I'll take you out in -the _Argo_ and let you have some fishing." - -The chest was shut again and pushed back into the pocket. Ben regained -his fishing-rod and tackle, and the three embarked in the sailboat. And -presently the satisfaction of pulling flounders on board made Ben forget -everything else. - -When they returned to camp, with a fine catch of fish, they found John -Tuckerman busy preparing dinner. Ben told his story, while Tuckerman -listened with the greatest interest. "It does seem odd," he said, when -Ben had finished. "Most peculiar, in fact." He mused a moment, his eyes -regarding the water. "But then my good old ancestor Sir Peter was an odd -kind of fish. I wonder now--do you suppose he could possibly have been -planning to have a joke at the expense of his Barmouth neighbors?" - -"You mean," said Tom, "that he might have hid those things expecting the -neighbors to find them?" - -Tuckerman nodded. "It might have been so. Perhaps he, or James Sampson, -even expected the men in the boat that was waiting off shore to find -where Sampson hid the chest." - -"But why all this puzzle then about the pieces of parchment Ben found in -the house?" asked David. - -"Well, I'll admit," said Tuckerman with a smile, "that it's not as clear -as a pikestaff. Only Sir Peter does seem to have liked his joke. -However, the bacon's sizzling." Brandishing a fork in his hand, he bent -over the frying pan. - -That afternoon Tuckerman said that he had an important letter to mail, -and the campers sailed to Barmouth. Tuckerman went to the post-office, -and each of the boys dropped in on his family. Ben had a chat with his -mother, then told her he must do an errand. This took him into a side -street, where there were a number of small, unpretentious shops. - -He stopped before a window that was filled with old furniture, andirons, -odds and ends of china. He opened the door, and a little bell tinkled -somewhere back in the house, and after a moment a small, wizened-faced -man, wearing a big blue checked apron, came into the room. - -"Afternoon, Mr. Haskins," said Ben. - -"It's Ben Sully, ain't it?" said the proprietor. "Well, are you goin' to -get married, an' want a nice set of furniture to go to housekeepin' -with?" - -"Not to-day, Mr. Haskins." Ben acknowledged the joke with a grin. "No, -sir, I'm more interested just as present in what you call antiques." - -"Antiques, eh? Well, what was you thinkin' of wantin'? I've some nice -three-legged kettles, a soup tureen that came over in the _Mayflower_, -an ivory back-scratcher that hails from India. Just look about, an' tell -me what you want." - -"I want you to tell me something about this." Ben put his hand in his -pocket and drew out the snuffbox he had taken from the Cotterell chest. - -"This?" Mr. Haskins took the snuff-box, pulled his spectacles down from -his forehead on to his nose, walked nearer the window, and peered at the -small silver box. - -"What do you want me to tell you?" he asked after a moment. - -"Is it a real old one?" - -"Certainly it is. See that monogram? That's the finest embossed work." -Mr. Haskins gave a chuckle. "I ought to know about that box, I ought." - -"Why ought you?" asked Ben. - -"Well, you see, this here particular snuff-box has been in my shop some -time. I sold it to a customer just about a week ago." - -"I thought perhaps you had," said Ben, trying hard not to show his -excitement. - - - - - X--LIGHTS ON THE ISLAND - - -The information that Ben obtained that afternoon from Mr. Haskins -concerning his sale of the snuff-box gave a new direction to his -thoughts. He could not follow up this new clue just yet, however, -without telling the others, and this he didn't want to do. They would be -waiting for him aboard the _Argo_, and so, after a fifteen-minute talk -with the shopkeeper, he hurried away to join them at the wharf. - -One other thing he did, however, before the sailboat left Barmouth, and -that was to get a canoe he owned out from a shed on the waterfront and -fasten it behind the _Argo_. If he had the _Red Rover_ with him--he had -laboriously painted that name in orange letters on a scarlet background -on the canoe--he would be able to come and go about the harbor as he -wished and to leave the island without explaining his plans, as he would -have to do if he wanted to take the sailboat. - -"What's the idea?" asked David, who never overlooked a chance to ask a -question. "Are you going to teach the Professor how to paddle a canoe?" - -Ben nodded. "I thought that ought to be part of his education. The _Red -Rover's_ steady enough for any beginner to paddle." - -Tuckerman looked askance at the little craft bobbing up and down in the -wake of the _Argo_. "Any canoe's unsteady enough for me to upset in, I -guess. However, I like Ben's idea. It was thoughtful of you, my lad." - -At that they all laughed, for whatever Ben's reason had been for wanting -the canoe at the island it was fairly obvious that he was not taking it -there to further John Tuckerman's seafaring education. - -That evening, however, Tuckerman reminded Ben of his suggestion. The -water was calm, the breeze was light. "How about a paddle?" he asked. -"Just along the shore? I promise not to rock the boat." - -"Righto," said Ben. "Come on." - -They went to the landing-stage at the pier and put the canoe in the -water. Ben got in at the stern and balanced the boat while Tuckerman -gingerly stepped in and squatted down at the bow. - -"Not much room for long legs," said Tuckerman. "I'll have to tie mine up -in a bow." - -"You'll get used to it soon," encouraged Ben. "I'll do the steering. All -you have to do is to put your paddle in, give a long, slow push, and -take it out again." - -"Sounds easy enough." Tuckerman tried to shift the position of his -knees, with the result that the canoe rolled over almost far enough to -ship a gallon of water. He threw his weight the other way, and the canoe -nearly capsized. - -"Plague take it!" he muttered. "It's worse than walking a tight-rope!" - -"Easy there, easy," laughed Ben. "First rule in a canoe is never to move -quickly. When you shift your weight, do it slowly. Pretty soon it'll -come as natural as riding a bicycle." - -"Riding a balky horse, you mean," said Tuckerman. "All right; I'll -remember." He dipped the tip of his paddle into the water and gave a -tiny shove. - -Ben gave a long sweep with his paddle, a dexterous twist at the end of -the stroke, and the _Red Rover_ floated smoothly away from the -landing-stage. - -With Ben's coaching, Tuckerman soon was able to paddle fairly well. He -found it somewhat difficult to keep the bow evenly balanced, but as Ben -anticipated his movements and shifted automatically from side to side, -Tuckerman gained confidence and soon was sitting steady. - -They paddled along shore, past the camp and on to the upper end of the -island. Tuckerman, feeling more and more at ease, was delighted with the -motion, with the gentle swish of the water, with the still, starlit -night, with the panorama of beach and cliffs and woods as they floated -by. - -"Let's go on around the island," he suggested. "This isn't real work at -all." - -Ben smiled to himself. He knew that Tuckerman would discover next -morning several muscles in his back and shoulders that he wasn't -accustomed to feeling. But the night was perfect for a paddle. "All -right," he agreed. "No, don't you try to do any steering. The man in the -stern does that." With a couple of twists he turned the bow to the -north. "There," he said, "there's the cliff where Sampson hid the chest -in the pocket." - -Tuckerman turned to look. The _Red Rover_ wobbled, slanted. - -Ben shifted and righted her quickly. "Hi there!" he warned. - -"My mistake," said the penitent Tuckerman. "I see that it won't do for -me to think of two things at once when I'm out on this lily-pad." - -"Paddle--quickly now," Ben ordered. "But not too quickly. There's a rip -off that ledge." - -They passed the rip and came into smoother water. Presently they were on -the ocean side of the island. "There's the creek where we saw the -footprints," said Ben. - -"Don't point out anything else to me," said Tuckerman. "If I move my -left leg I can't get it back in place." - -By the time they reached the southern end of the island the bow-paddler -felt as if the muscles of his knees were tied in hard knots. "Do you -mind," he said in a tone of apology, "if I stop paddling for a couple of -minutes and unwind myself? I'll move very slowly." - -"Go ahead," said Ben. "I'll balance the canoe." - -Tuckerman pushed himself back, then very carefully unwound his long -legs, stretched them out with an exclamation of relief, rubbed the -muscles, and then readjusted himself in a new and more comfortable -position. "I suppose to be a really proficient canoeist," he observed, -"one ought to be made of rubber. There--how's that? Didn't I do it -cleverly?" - -"Wonderful!" said Ben. - -Tuckerman picked up his paddle again, and, proud of his ability to move -without rocking the boat, stuck the paddle in the water and gave a -mighty sweep. The bow swung around, rocked, tilted; Tuckerman pressed -his arm hard on the left-hand gunwale. - -"Hold on, Professor!" cried Ben. "We don't want to head out into the -ocean. Keep your paddle out of the water. Steady there!" With alternate -strokes to right and left Ben soon had the canoe back on its course -parallel to the shore. - -"I _am_ a duffer," muttered Tuckerman contritely. - -"Oh no, you're not," said Ben. "You're doing very well. Only you must -remember to let the stern man do the steering. A little more practice -and you'll find the _Red Rover_ as easy to manage as falling off a log." - -"Falling off a log is good," was Tuckerman's comment. "Falling into the -water would be more like it." - -They rounded the lower end of the island and came back on the bay side. -They had almost reached the landing-stage when Ben said, "See, there's a -light at Cotterell Hall. It's in the front door. It looks like a pocket -flashlight. I suppose Tom and David went up there to get something." - -Cautiously Tuckerman looked in the direction of the house. There was a -small circle of light. It moved away from the door; after a minute it -shone through a window. - -"I thought I locked the doors," he said. "However, they may have climbed -in through a window." - -The light disappeared. The canoe floated smoothly up to the stage, and -Ben held it level while Tuckerman climbed out. Ben jumped up lightly. -Then they both pulled the _Red Rover_ out and turned it bottom side up. - -They went up the walk to the house. The front door was shut, and when -Tuckerman turned the knob he found that the door was locked. He opened -it with his own key, and the two went in. The hall and the rooms were -dark, there was no sound of voices or footsteps anywhere. - -"That's funny," said Tuckerman. "We didn't see Tom and David come down -the path. Maybe they went out the back way." - -But the kitchen door was locked, and when the two opened it and looked -out there was no sign of the others leaving in that direction. - -"I wonder what they've been up to?" said Ben. "Playing some joke -perhaps." - -They returned to the camp, and there were Tom and David, toasting -marshmallows on long sticks over a bed of hot coals. - -"We were betting ten to one," said David, "that you'd come back nice and -wet. Want to dry your clothes at the fire?" - -"No, thanks," answered Tuckerman. "We've been all round the island, and -we didn't ship a thimbleful of water." - -Tom glanced at Ben. "The Professor hasn't been fooling us, has he? He -didn't know all about handling a canoe, did he?" - -"No," said Ben with a smile. "He didn't know all about handling a canoe -when we started. But he knows almost everything about it now." Then, as -he sat down cross-legged on the grass, Ben said carelessly, "We saw your -light in the house. I suppose you climbed in through a window." - -"Saw our light in the house?" Tom echoed. "What are you giving us?" - -His tone was perfectly sincere. Ben saw that he wasn't joking. - -"Well, we certainly saw some light," Tuckerman stated. "It looked like a -pocket flashlight, at the front door and at one of the windows." - -"Not guilty," said David. "Are you sure it wasn't a firefly?" - -"You two have been right here ever since we left?" asked Ben. - -"Yes," answered the two in chorus. - -"And you haven't seen anyone land, or heard anyone?" Ben continued. - -"No," came the chorus. - -Ben looked at Tuckerman. "Well, someone was in the house. How about -that, Professor?" - -"Somebody was. But I can't imagine what they could have been doing. I -don't suppose they were thieves." - -"It's my opinion," said David sagely, "that they were hunting for the -famous Cotterell treasure. And now that you've found it, Benjie, I'd -suggest that you put up a big placard, stating 'The treasure has been -found. No seekers need apply.'" - -"Very good," said Ben. "Only the real treasure hasn't been found, you -see." - -"What!" exclaimed David. - -"No," said Ben, "that's my humble opinion." And then, as if he wanted to -change the subject, he added, "I'm going to toast one large, juicy -marshmallow, and then I'm going to turn in." - -Half-an-hour later the moon, riding up in the sky, looked down through -the branches and saw that the four campers were sound asleep. There was -the lap-lap of waves, the gentle purring noise as the water washed over -pebbles, and in the tops of the pines a soft lullaby of the breeze. - -Tom stirred, turned, opened his eyes. It seemed to him that something -had waked him. He looked about; there was only the familiar scene. He -gave a satisfied grunt and curled his head in the hollow of his arm. -Then he looked around again to make sure that they had put out all the -embers of the fire. And at some distance through the woods, in the -direction of the pier, he saw a light that moved. - -Immediately he remembered what Ben and Tuckerman had said about seeing a -light in the house. Noiselessly he got up, pulled on his shoes and stuck -his arms in his jacket. Through the woods he stole, stealthy as an -Indian. The light had disappeared, but he thought he heard the sound of -feet on the planks of the pier. - -He came to the trees nearest to the clearing about Cotterell Hall. The -house was dark; there was no sound or light in the neighborhood. But he -was convinced that there had been someone there, and presently he darted -forward and crossed the open space to the shelter of the porch. - -After a few minutes he stole to the corner of the house, and now his -search was rewarded. Someone was leaving by the kitchen door. In the -moonlight he counted three figures. They were heading away from the -shore, toward the grove at the back; he guessed that they intended to -take the path that led down to the creek. - -Tom followed them at a distance. They went through the woods, and now he -saw the moonlight on the water. They had reached the head of the creek, -but they didn't stop there. They went on along the bank to the higher -shore where the creek flowed into the ocean. Then for the first time Tom -noticed the silver tip of a sail. Lying flat behind a bush, he watched -the three men go to the rim of the shore, and, one after another, slide -over the edge where the boat waited. - -He wanted to see that boat, to get a closer view of the men; but there -were no bushes between him and the shore. Now the tip of the sail was -bobbing, now it was filling out; presently it was moving to the -southward, a white wing, still as a floating gull. - -He crept forward and watched. The boat was stealing away, soon she was -only a dancing speck of white in the glittering moonpath. He had no way -of identifying her or of making out her crew. He noted that she did not -turn or tack when she came to the lower end of the island, but held on -to a course that would bring her south along the main shore. - -Tom stood up and eased his feelings by a long whistle. "What were they -doing here? It must be something mighty important," he said aloud. - -No answer occurred to him, and after watching the sail until it -disappeared in the distance he turned and walked back to the house. - -He tried both the doors; they were locked. He looked at the lower -windows; they were all closed. He went down to the pier; the _Argo_ was -there and the _Red Rover_; there was nothing to tell him what these -night-time prowlers had been doing. - -He went back by the beach to the camp. As he stepped up on to the bank -Ben opened his eyes and sat up. "Hello," he said sleepily. "Why, Tom, -what are you doing?" - -"Sh-ssh," murmured Tom. - -Ben rubbed his eyes, crawled out of his bed, caught Tom's arm, and -pulled him down to the beach. "What were you doing?" he demanded in an -insistent whisper. - -"Well, I saw a light, and I went to find out what it was." - -"Yes? And you saw them, did you?" - -"Saw whom, Benjie?" - -"Saw the pirates, did you?" - -"The pirates! You're half-asleep. What are you talking about?" - -Ben nodded his head. "Oh, I know something about them." - -"Well, I saw three men. They went away in a sailboat." - -"Who were they? What did they look like?" - -"I don't know. I didn't get very close." - -"I wish you'd taken me along with you. I'll bet I'd have found out -something." - -That nettled Tom, and he answered more loudly, "Oh, you would, would -you? I thought you knew all about them." - -"Sh-ssh," muttered Ben. But David had wakened now, and his voice boomed -out, "What are you two lobsters quarreling over?" - -"Nothing," said Tom. "Keep quiet, or you'll wake the Professor." - -Tuckerman sat up. "You don't mean to say it's morning!" he exclaimed. - -"No, it's not," Tom answered. "Can't a fellow take a stroll in the -moonlight without rousing the whole town?" - -"Stroll in the moonlight!" chuckled David. - -"Go on with your beauty sleep, Professor. That's what I'm going to do. -Let the two lobsters fight it out." - -"All right," said the sleepy Tuckerman, nestling down again. - -Tom turned to Ben. "So you know something about these pirates, do you?" -he asked. "What were they doing here?" - -"That," said Ben, "is going to take some thinking. You see what you can -find out, and I'll see what I can. They won't be back here to-night. And -I'm too doggone sleepy to argue anyhow." - - - - - XI--THE MAN IN GREEN - - -Ben, having explained to the other three campers that he had important -business to attend to in Barmouth, set out in the _Red Rover_ directly -after breakfast the next morning. He paddled the canoe across the bay, -landed at the town wharf, and went up the main street to Barmouth's one -good hotel. He knew the clerk, Mr. Pollock, and after saying "Good -morning" very politely, he helped himself to a small folded automobile -map from a pile that lay on the counter for anyone to take. - -"Going motoring, Ben?" asked the clerk. "Seems to me I heard you were -camping on Cotterell's Island. How are things over there?" - -"Fine," said Ben; and in return he promptly asked a question. "Had many -automobile parties for dinner the past few days?" - -"Quite a lot. Yes, business is pretty good. They like our special -broiled lobster dinners." - -Ben leaned on the counter, copying the familiar manner he had noted in -hotel guests. "You had a party on Tuesday, didn't you? A big red car, -with a Massachusetts license, driven by a man in green-checked -knickerbockers?" - -"Expect me to remember that?" Nevertheless, Mr. Pollock scratched his -chin and considered the question. "Yes, seems to me I do recall such a -party. Somebody said those knickerbockers were loud enough to be heard -all the way to Boston." The clerk thumbed the pages of the hotel -register and presently pointed out a name. "That's the fellow, Joseph -Hastings. He comes from Cleveland, Ohio. There were four in his party." - -"And he came in a big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?" -Ben persisted. - -"Well, now, I can't say as to that." But Mr. Pollock, being a -good-natured man and having nothing else to do at the moment, scratched -his chin again, and again considered. "I do think of something. He told -me he'd punctured a tire and asked me the best place to go to buy a new -one." - -Ben nodded. "I suppose you told him Hammond's?" - -"You're right. I did. Frank Hammond is a good friend of mine." - -Then Ben changed the conversation to the subject of the big league -pennant race, in which the clerk was very much interested, and after -some further chat, departed from the hotel. - -Frank Hammond knew Ben also, and was not too busy that morning to -exchange a few words with him. After a number of questions about the -state of the roads in the neighborhood of Barmouth, Ben said, "Mr. -Pollock tells me you sold a tire to Joseph Hastings, of Cleveland, Ohio, -Tuesday of this week." - -"That's so," said Mr. Hammond, "I did. I sold him a couple of those big -Vulcan tires for his rear wheels. Is he a friend of yours?" - -"I don't know him very well," Ben evaded. "But I hear he's a fine -fellow. Is he touring along the coast?" - -"No. He said he was staying at a place called the Gables, down on the -Cape Ann Road. Wonderful car he's got. He told me he'd had it built -according to his own ideas." - -"Big red car, with a silver eagle on the radiator cap?" - -"That's the bird. Yes, sir, he must be a millionaire." - -When he left the dealer in automobile supplies Ben went to his uncle's -house and secured the loan of a small, ramshackle car he had often -driven before. He made sure that the car had plenty of gasoline and oil, -that the radiator was full of water, and he took a look at the tires. -Then he drove south from Barmouth over the State Road. - -It was a fine day, and many cars were out. Ben kept a watchful eye for -such a car as that of Joseph Hastings, but none answering the -description passed him. So he jogged along until he came to the fork of -the Cape Ann Road and turned into it. There were fewer automobiles here, -the road was not made for speeding, the little car bounced about a good -deal going over ruts, and rattled like a load of tinware. - -He met a boy on a bicycle and asked him if he knew a place called the -Gables. - -"Down the road a couple of miles," the boy told him. "Big house with a -ship for a weather-vane." - -Ben thanked him and drove on. Pretty soon he saw the weather-vane on a -roof to the left of the road. - -The Gables had a wide lawn, stretching down to a stone wall. The -entrance to the drive was at the southern end, and the gateposts were -flanked with larches. Ben drove to the gate, and stopped. So far his -plan had been simple; now he was undecided what course to follow next. - -He was musing over this when a voice hailed him. - -"Give you greetings, sir. May I ask what you're pondering over?" - -The words were so peculiar that Ben looked around in surprise. A young -man had stepped out from among the trees and was nodding at him. - -"Why--good-morning," said Ben. - -"Has your car run out of juice?" - -The man came up, a broad smile on his face. He himself looked very much -like any sunburned fellow; but his costume was most peculiar. He wore a -tight-fitting jacket of green, open at the throat, without any necktie. -His knee-breeches were green, too, and so were his stockings, and on his -low brown shoes were large brass buckles. - -"No," said Ben, with an answering smile, for there was a twinkle in the -stranger's eye as if he knew some joke, "I've gasoline enough to run -this car all day. I'll admit it isn't the very latest model--not what -you'd call a show car--but we do get wonderful mileage per gallon of -gas." - -"Don't make any apologies for your equipage," said the gentleman in -green. "Many a valiant knight has ridden on a steed that wouldn't have -taken the blue ribbon at the horse show. Don Quixote, for example. You -remember him, of course? The Spanish cavalier who rode forth to tilt at -windmills?" - -"Yes," said Ben with a laugh. And then, seeing that the man was -friendly, he added, "That's a wonderful suit of clothes you're wearing." - -"You like it?" The owner looked down at his costume. "I designed it -myself. It seems to me an improvement on the usual thing. And now, kind -sir, since you tell me that your steed has plenty of fodder, may I ask -how you happen to be sitting here on such a fine day?" - -"This place is called the Gables, isn't it?" asked Ben. "Mr. Joseph -Hastings lives here?" - -"Right you are," answered the man. "But Mr. Hastings isn't at home this -morning. Did you have business with him?" - -"In a way. I wanted to find out if he'd lost a silver snuff-box." - -"A snuff-box? That's interesting. But I don't think Joseph Hastings -takes snuff." - -Ben drew the box from his pocket. The man in green looked at it. "Now -where did you find this?" he asked. - -"On an island in Barmouth Harbor," said Ben. "Cotterell's Island, it's -called." - -"Well!" exclaimed the man. "Well, well--you don't say so!" He looked at -the boy in the car with a new interest. "So that's where you come from, -is it?" He returned the snuff-box. "May I be so inquisitive as to ask -your name?" - -"Benjamin Sully." - -"Thank you. My own appellation is Roderick Fitzhugh. If you have no -objection, Mr. Sully, I should greatly enjoy the pleasure of riding with -you." - -Ben didn't know what to say; and Mr. Fitzhugh evidently took his silence -for consent, for he immediately hopped into the seat beside the driver. - -"That's all right," said Ben; "but you see I wasn't thinking of riding -anywhere. I came to find out whether Mr. Hastings had lost a snuff-box -on Cotterell's Island." - -"Just so. But you can't find that out, as he's not at home at present. -And meantime I suggest that we go on a little adventure. A fine day, a -steed with plenty of gasoline, and two gentlemen looking for amusement." - -Ben was mystified. "What sort of adventure?" he asked. - -"Well, what would you say to hunting for hooked-rugs?" - -"Hooked-rugs?" Ben laughed; he was now so much amused at Roderick -Fitzhugh's company that he wanted to see more of him. "Do they grow on -bushes?" - -"No. They grow in these thrifty Yankee cottages. I'll tell you where to -go." - -Ben started the engine and drove on. At his companion's direction he -soon turned into a by-road that led westward. - -Roderick Fitzhugh nodded toward a cottage, in the yard of which a woman -was scattering grain to a flock of chickens. "There is a likely-looking -hunting-ground," he said. "Please stop when you come to the gate. I will -exchange a few words with this respectable lady." - -The car stopped, making its customary noise of clattering tinware as Ben -put on the brake. The woman looked round, and in the usual neighborly -fashion of farmers walked over to the gate. - -"Morning," she said. - -"Good morning to you, Madam," responded Roderick Fitzhugh. "You have a -fine flock of hens." - -"Yes," she said, looking at the man in the green clothes as if she -didn't know exactly what to make of him. - -"My friend and I," continued Fitzhugh, "were just discussing the subject -of hooked-rugs. As soon as I saw you I said, 'There's a woman who knows -all about them.'" His tone was so deferential that anyone would have -been pleased to be addressed in such a manner. - -The woman smiled. "Well, now, I don't know as how I know all about them; -but I do have a few old rugs. Been in the family some time." - -"You see!" exclaimed Fitzhugh, turning to Ben. And to the woman he -added, "Would it be possible for my friend and me to have a look at -them?" - -"Surely it would. But they're not the new shiny kind you can buy at the -stores in the city." - -Fitzhugh and Ben descended and followed the woman indoors. Presently -they were viewing half-a-dozen antique rugs, all of the hooked variety, -that the woman collected from the upstairs rooms. - -Ben looked on with interest and amusement while his new friend discussed -the rugs with their owner. And after listening to Fitzhugh's admiration -for these things that she evidently regarded as rather faded and only -fit for service in bedrooms and attic, the woman said, "I'd be pleased -to have you take one, if you care to." - -"Oh, madam, you are too generous," Fitzhugh answered. "And yet I should -like to have one. That medium-sized one, with the purple border. I'd be -glad to pay five dollars for it." - -"Why, it's not worth that much." - -"It is to me," said Fitzhugh, and he brought out a five-dollar bill from -his trouser pocket and laid it on the table. - -With the rug they returned to the car. As they drove on again Fitzhugh -said, "They used to tell me, when I was a small boy, that you could take -one egg from a nest, and if there were several others left the mother -bird wouldn't know the difference. I don't know whether that's so. But -I'm certain this good woman won't miss that rug very much. So my -conscience is easy, though I got that prize at a bargain. Now, Mr. -Benjamin Sully, what do you say? Isn't hunting for hooked-rugs -exciting?" - -It was fun to hunt them with this amusing companion. Fitzhugh collected -three more at three other houses, paying five dollars for each. At the -third house the farmer and his wife and children were just sitting down -to dinner and the strangers were invited to join them. They had an -excellent meal, during which the man in green did almost all the -talking, and when they returned to the car and started on again he -rubbed his hands gleefully and said, "Mr. Benjamin Sully, it isn't so -hard to find adventures if you look for them, is it?" - -"Well," Ben answered, "this is all very well; but I set out this morning -to see Mr. Hastings and learn if he'd lost a snuff-box." - -"That's so, you did. Joseph Hastings--a silver snuff-box--found on -Cotterell's Island. What makes you think that the snuff-box you found -there belonged to Joseph Hastings?" - -Ben considered how much to tell this Roderick Fitzhugh, and finally -decided to supply him with more facts. "The snuff-box was bought by Mr. -Hastings at a shop in Barmouth, and I found it yesterday in a chest -hidden in a crevice in the rocks on the island. Why did he put it -there?" - -The man in green beamed with delight. "In a treasure chest? Why, that's -splendid!" He looked at Ben with new approval in his eyes. "So you're -mixed up in a real adventure, are you? Treasure hidden in the rocks--on -an island! Why, that's magnificent! No wonder you didn't get excited -over my tame hooked-rugs. Turn the car about, and drive back to the -Gables. We must investigate this." - -Half-an-hour later the little car turned in between the gate-posts at -the Gables. It clattered up the drive to the front of the house. On the -wide porch were at least a dozen people, men and women; and when they -saw the occupants of the car they gave a shout of welcome. - -"Hello, here's the lad in green!" - -"We thought you'd been kidnapped!" - -"Where'd you find the jitney?" - -"Hope you've had some lunch!" - -"We thought you'd been arrested as a suspicious character in those -clothes!" - -These were some of the exclamations. - -The man got out of the car and threw his bundle of rugs on the steps of -the porch. "My good friends," he said, "Roderick Fitzhugh has been -adventuring, and there's his booty. Four beautiful hooked-rugs to add to -the collection. And this is Mr. Benjamin Sully. Ladies and gentlemen, -Mr. Sully has found a silver snuff-box belonging to Joseph Hastings in a -treasure chest on Cotterel's Island. What do you think of that?" - -There was another chorus of exclamations, expressive of great surprise. - -"Mr. Sully," the man in green continued, "if you'll get down from your -steed we will partake of a long glass of lemonade--two glasses to be -exact." - -Ben climbed down and went up the steps. And then he noticed that all the -people on the porch were dressed in quaint costumes, as milkmaids or -archers or foresters. He looked at Fitzhugh, and the latter nodded. -"Queer crowd, aren't they?" said Fitzhugh. "However, they won't bite." - - - - - XII--THE ADVENTURE AT THE COVE - - -That same morning, while Ben had been hunting for the owner of the red -automobile with the silver eagle on the radiator cap, Tom and David and -John Tuckerman had sailed down to Camp Amoussock in the _Argo_. They -found the boys at the camp in their bathing-suits, practicing for some -water-sports that were to be held that week. A raft, with a -spring-board, was moored off shore, and from this boys were diving and -turning somersaults, backward and forward, like acrobats in a circus. - -Other boys were swimming, practising for races, and still others were -paddling round in tubs, trying to steer with their feet while they -propelled the tubs forward by splashing the water with their hands. - -"There," said John Tuckerman, as he saw a fat youngster revolving round -and round in a tub, "that's the game for me. I believe, with my long -arms and legs, that I'd make a hit at it." - -The fat boy splashed too hard, and the tub went over neatly. There was a -shout of laughter as the boy bobbed up in the water and tried to turn -the slippery tub rightside up again. This was hard work; the tub went -round and round, continually evading his fingers; and finally he swam to -shore, pushing the tub before him. - -"No," said Tuckerman, "that isn't the game for me. I used to be pretty -good at picking up a pea in a tablespoon, but that was on dry land. When -it comes to wrestling with a tub in the water--" He gave an expressive -shrug--"I'd rather let the fishes do it." - -The _Argo_ landed, and the three guests were provided with bathing-suits -from the camp's supply. For half-an-hour they swam and dived and perched -on the raft, watching the boys in tubs. Then a bugle sounded on shore, -telling them it was time to get ready for dinner. - -The guests did full justice to dinner, sitting between Mr. Perkins, the -Chief Counsellor, and Lanky Larry. Afterwards Mr. Perkins and John -Tuckerman had a chat, while Lanky invited Tom and David to take a walk -along the shore. - -"There's a queer sort of place a couple of miles to the south," said -Lanky. "It's a cove with a lot of shanties. Fishermen used to go there; -there are boats and nets lying around; but I think it must be deserted. -I saw some men there one day last week, but they didn't look like -fishermen." - -"Lead us to it," said David. "Deserted villages are right in our line." - -The path along the shore brought them to the cove. A little tidal river -ran inland, wandering up into marshes. On each side of the river was a -stony beach, and a rickety bridge, with a single handrail, connected the -banks of the stream. Small weatherbeaten shacks, doors and shutters -sagging outward, fishing-dories, rusty anchors, lobster-pots, a few nets -with round black buoys, these cluttered up either shore. - -"Nice place, if it wasn't for the shanties," said David, regarding the -cove. - -"I found a chap painting here one day," said Lanky. "He told me it made -a great picture; he liked the shanties first-rate." - -"Funny what things painters like," chuckled David. "The more ramshackle -a house is, the more they want to paint it." - -They went down a rocky path to the nearer beach, and sat on the bottom -of an upturned scow. As they were chatting they heard the creak of a -door, opening on rusty hinges. A man came out from one of the nearer -shacks. His clothes were fairly new, he wore a brown slouch hat and tan -shoes--evidently he was not a fisherman; neither was he a farmer nor a -common loafer; he looked as if he came from a town. He was smoking a -small briar pipe. - -"What are you doing here?" The man's tone was a little peremptory, -though not exactly surly. - -David enjoyed such a question. With a pleasant, friendly smile he -answered, "Just sitting here and thinking." - -"That's all you're doing, eh?" - -"It is at present," David answered. "What are you doing yourself?" - -The man frowned; looked up the creek, looked across at the opposite -shore. "Nobody lives here now," he stated after a minute. "Sometimes I -come and fish from that bridge." - -"What's happened to the place?" asked Lanky. - -"I don't know. Only nobody comes here now." - -"Well, we came this afternoon," said David. "You see, we're explorers." - -"You won't find anything to explore." - -"Oh, I don't know about that." - -The man shot a glance at David, not a very amiable glance. And with that -he walked to the bridge, crossed it, and went into the huddle of shacks -on the other bank. - -"Pleasant sort of customer," said Lanky. - -"He'd make a cow laugh," said Tom. - -"He didn't like our being here," observed David, "Now I wonder why." - -"He wants it all to himself," said Lanky. "He must be some sort of -hermit." - -"And just for that,", said David, "I feel like sitting right here on -this scow till he gets more hospitable." - -As a matter of fact, however, sitting on the upturned boat and watching -the waves surge gently up over the stony beach and then withdraw in a -network of little rivulets that made the stones and pebbles glisten was -not entertaining enough to keep the three boys there more than five -minutes. Tom got up. "I'm going over the bridge," he said. "If our -friend the hermit doesn't like it--well, he'll just have to lump it." - -The bridge shook as the three of them stepped upon it. "For goodness -sake, don't lean against that railing," Lanky warned. "Stop bouncing up -and down as you walk, Dave, or you'll have us all in the water." - -David went on bouncing; but in spite of that they reached the other -shore safely. No one was to be seen here; somewhere in the clutter of -shanties the man had disappeared. - -"I'd like to know what that precious hermit is up to," said David, and -he walked toward the shacks that were furthest from the bridge. - -Lanky and Tom investigated in the other direction, where a clump of oaks -came close down to the stream. At the edge of the trees was a shack a -little larger and better built than the others. The door was open, and -the two boys looked in. "Hello!" exclaimed Tom. "What's that on the -bench? It looks like jewelry." - -A brown cloak, a brown hat with a red feather stuck at one side, and a -chain of gold links with a large green stone as a pendant, were piled on -the bench. - -Tom picked up the ornament. "It's imitation," he said. He looked around -the room. "Why, there's a whole wardrobe of queer hats and cloaks and -things here!" - -"So there is," said Lanky. "What do you suppose they are? Actors' -things?" - -"Actors' things?" Tom glanced at the outfit of costumes that hung on -pegs on one wall. "They're certainly not fishermen's things. But what -would actors be doing in this cove?" - -"I don't know," Lanky admitted. "It is funny, isn't it?" - -They looked at the costumes more closely, and then went out of the -shack. "I wonder if that man knows something about them," Lanky -suggested. "He might have been keeping guard." - -"Let's see what Dave's doing," said Tom, and started along the bank. - -He had only taken a few steps, however, when he stopped. "Here comes a -boat around the point. Let's beat it, and see what they do." - -The two slipped back of a cabin, then to a shelter of bushes. Crouching -there, they watched the boat nose its bow into the cove. - -The boat was a dory. One man was rowing, two others sat in the stern. -They looked no more like the usual type of fishermen than had the man -whom the boys had first encountered. - -With considerable splashing the boat was rowed up to the bridge. The -tide was low, and there was hardly enough water at that point to float -the dory. The rower shipped his oars and tied the boat to the railing of -the bridge. Meantime the other two men stepped over the side and came up -on to the beach. - -All three headed toward the shack that the boys had just left and went -in at the door. - -"They seem to know their way about," whispered Lanky. "I wonder why -Dave's friend didn't come down to meet them." - -In a few minutes the three men came out again, and now they had some of -the cloaks and hats in their hands. Each put on a cloak and a hat and -strutted about; they laughed and joked at each other. - -"What in the world----" muttered Lanky. "Actors. I told you," Tom -whispered. "They look like highwaymen." - -The men now seemed satisfied with their costumes. Hats pulled well down -on their heads and cloaks thrown over their shoulders, they took the -path toward the clump of oaks. - -"I say," muttered Lanky, "what do you suppose they're going to do? Hold -up some farmer's wagon? Come on, I want to find out what's their game." - -"I'd better get Dave," said Tom. "You follow them. I'll catch up with -you in a minute." - -"All right." - -Lanky went one way, and Tom the other. - -Tom ran over the stones between the shanties, and looked in at the open -doors; but he did not see David nor the man they had met first. He gave -the whistle he used to call David in Barmouth. There was no answer. The -shacks on this side of the stream all appeared deserted. - -David was not to be found, and Tom supposed he must have gone further -along the shore. Meantime he would be losing the chance of finding -Lanky, so after whistling several times more Tom turned and ran toward -the oaks. - -The path along the cove was well marked, it traversed the high ground at -the edge of the marshes and turned into fairly thick woods. At a -dog-trot Tom soon came up with Lanky. "I couldn't find Dave," he -grunted. "I guess he found the hermit so fascinating he went for a -stroll with him." - -"I've kept my eye on the three highwaymen," said Lanky. "This seems to -be the only path around here, marshes on one side and the forest -primeval on the other." He glanced at his wrist-watch. "I ought to be -getting back to camp; but I can't leave an adventure like this. It -wouldn't be decent, would it?" - -"It would not," Tom assented. "If they try to blame you, you refer them -to me. I'll say that we thought those fellows were up to some kind of -mischief, and that it seemed to be our duty to investigate them. And -that's telling the truth; they're what Benjie would call 'suspicious -characters.'" - -Every once in a while the boys would catch a glimpse of one or other of -the cloaked men through the vista of the trees. Then the boys would stop -and let the others get well ahead of them. And presently they reached a -dusty road and saw the men tramping along to the south. - -Tom and Lanky had to come out in the open then, but, as Lanky pointed -out, there was no reason why the men, if they saw them, should think the -two boys were at all interested in what they were doing. They walked a -half-mile without encountering anyone, and then the boys saw an -automobile coming toward the three in front. - -"Now," said Tom, "we'll see if they're highwaymen. This is a nice quiet -place to hold up a car." - -But the men disappeared by jumping over a fence that ran along the woods -on the left. The automobile, a man and a woman in it, dashed by the -boys, leaving a cloud of dust. - -"So ho!" exclaimed Lanky, "our friends don't want to be seen! Suppose we -make ourselves scarce till they come back to the road." - -The boys hid in the woods, and presently the three men reappeared on the -road. Tom and Lanky followed suit, and the march was resumed. - -A mile more, and the men came to a crossroad. They turned toward the -west. When the boys reached the crossroad Lanky stopped. "This is a -private lane," he said. "See, it leads up to that barn and stable. And -there's a big house. Our friends are going in the back way." - -There was a screen of trees at the corner. The boys went along the lane -until the screen gave way to a close-cropped hedge. Here they had a view -of a wide, velvety lawn and the large house, red-striped awnings at the -windows, on a gently-rising slope. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Tom. "Look there!" - -There was no heed of his telling Lanky to look. Lanky was staring at -that part of the lawn that was shielded by the trees at the corner. -There was a small, one-story house that looked as if it were made of -cardboard, a very picturesque building, brightly painted to resemble -cross-timbers, with two little lattice windows. And grouped about the -grass in front of the house were a dozen or so men and women, all of -them dressed in fancy costumes, looking as if they had just stepped out -of a picture book or down from the stage of a theatre. - -"My eye!" said Tom. "What is it? A fancy dress party?" - -"Looks like a Robin Hood scene," said Lanky. "Some of them have bows and -arrows. See that girl in pink working that churn." He watched for a -moment; then added, "So that's why our friends the highwaymen came along -this way." - -"They don't seem to have joined the crowd," said Tom. "Why didn't they -jump over the hedge?" - -The people on the lawn were too busy to notice the boys in the lane. -Lanky nodded. "That's so. And it seems to me, Tom, that that crowd are a -different type from our three friends. These people belong here; but I -don't think the others do." - -The boys looked up the lane. The three men had entered at a gate that -led to the rear of the big house. - -"Let's see what they're doing," said Tom. - -Along the lane went the two boys, and turned in at the gate. - -The men had disappeared. Lanky shook his head. "It's queer, mighty -queer. Of course those fellows may belong here. But why should they come -all the way from that cove? And bring those hats and cloaks with them?" -He scratched his ear, as he did when he was puzzled. - -"Come along," said Tom. "Nobody'll throw us out." - -They crossed the lawn to the steps of the porch. A man came out from the -front door, a man in livery, apparently the butler. He held himself very -straight, he was an angular person, with a fishy eye. - -"Yes?" he said; and though the word was a short one he managed to -express in it a cold sense of disapproval. - -"Er--" began Tom, "we would like to know if three men, wearing brown -cloaks and big slouch hats, just came into this house." - -The butler shrugged his shoulders. "There are gentlemen and ladies -wearing every kind of costume coming in and going out all the time," he -answered stiffly. - -That seemed to put an end to further questions; but Lanky, after -considering the matter for a moment, inquired, "Whose place is this?" - -"It belongs to Mr. Hastings," said the butler, eyeing the boys most -disapprovingly. "He is not at home at present. But I can answer any -questions for him." - -Neither Lanky nor Tom, however, could think of any questions to ask. It -seemed absurd to tell this fishy-eyed servant that they had followed the -three men from the cove. And after all the men might have a perfect -right to have entered the house. - -"Very well," said Tom, and turned on his heel, followed by Lanky. - -But when they were out in the lane again, Lanky said, "I'm going to wait -around here a little longer. That servant's a fool. Anybody could put -anything over on him." - -So they climbed up on the stone wall on the other side of the lane and -sat there like two sentries. - - - - - XIII--ON THE FISHING-SMACK - - -When Tom and Lanky had turned to the right and investigated the -fishermen's shanties that were nearest to the marshes, David had turned -to the left, in the direction of the ocean. He had no particular object -in view, except to see what the man they had met on the other bank of -the cove was doing and exchange a few more words with him, if the -opportunity offered. - -He looked through the clutter of small, weatherbeaten sheds without -seeing the man, and came to the beach on the ocean side. A short -distance to the south was a spit of sand, and there, seated on a log, -was the fellow with the straw hat. - -David enjoyed an argument. He was not by nature so curious about other -people as Ben was, but he liked to tease. So, with his hands stuck in -his pockets and a little swagger in his walk, he went toward the man. - -"Looking for a boat to come along and take you for a sail?" he said. -"It's a long walk to town." - -"You'd better be on your way then," the man retorted. His tone was not -very civil, and it made David flush. - -"I can look out for myself." - -"Oh, you can, can you?" The man turned round and glared at the young -fellow. "Well, my advice to you is to make yourself scarce pretty -quick." - -David squared his shoulders. "You don't want me and my friends round -here, do you? A person might think you owned the beach." - -"No," said the man, "I don't want you round here." He looked at the boy -fixedly for a minute. "That's plain enough, isn't it?" - -"Yes, it's plain enough," David admitted. "But I don't see that it's any -reason why we should go." - -"I've business here, and you haven't." - -"Business? You don't seem very busy." - -The man got up from the log and walked away, down the beach toward a -ledge of rock that shut off the southern end. - -What was the man's business? David, rather amused at the other's -surliness, followed after, walking jauntily. - -He climbed the ledge of rock. There was another scallop of beach, with -bushes close down to the sand. The man was not in sight. But there was a -small fishing-smack at anchor not far from the shore, and a dory was -just pulling away from her. - -David stepped down on the beach, and the first thing he knew something -had knocked him flat. He lay sprawling on the sand, a heavy weight on -his back. Someone had caught his two hands and held them like a vise. - -"Holler if you want to," said the man with the straw hat. - -David had no wish to shout. The breath was knocked out of him. - -The man pinned him down, and after kicking a little, David decided the -wisest course was to lie still. - -After a few minutes there was a grating sound on the sand. David twisted -his head enough to see that the dory had landed and that two men were -coming ashore. - -"Hello, Sam, what you got there?" exclaimed one of the strangers. - -"A fresh guy, who wouldn't mind his own business," was the answer. "Now -I'm going to teach him not to meddle:" - -"Good for you, old sport! Give him a good licking." - -"Pity we left the cat-o'-nine-tails out on the boat," said the second -man. - -"Three of them came to the cove," said the man on David's back. "The -other two went away; but this fellow had to go nosing around into other -people's business. I told him to make himself scarce. But not he! Oh no, -he had to find out what I was doing. And now I'm going to take him out -on the boat and watch me do some fishing." - -There was a laugh at this. "You'll let him bait your hook, won't you, -Sam?" asked one. - -"I'll let him take the fish off," Sam retorted. "You fellows row us out, -will you?" - -The others agreed. The man on David's back eased his position. "Now," -said he, "you can come along without any fuss or trouble, or you can -come with a black eye. Suit yourself; it doesn't make any difference to -me." - -Three to one was greater odds than David cared to tackle. "I'll go -along," he grunted. - -The man got up. David followed. Assuming a care-free manner he walked to -the boat and climbed over the high side. A man sat at the oars, and Sam -and the two others took seats on the thwarts. The oars dipped in the -water, and the dory was rowed out to the smack. - -David and Sam went aboard, and the dory with her crew of three rowed -away again in the direction of the cove. - -"Now," said Sam, "make yourself comfortable. You've found out my -business. I'm going to fish for flounders." And he walked aft and down -into the cabin. - -David was puzzled. He could understand that this man might have had a -grudge against him, even that he might have lost his temper and attacked -him as he had; but why should he carry a grudge so far as to make him a -prisoner on his fishing-boat? - -He stared at the shore some time, then walked up toward the bow. Sam had -reappeared from the cabin with fishing-tackle and was angling over the -side. There was a line for David, and so, there being nothing better to -do, David also set to fishing. - -Fish were not biting on that particular afternoon, however. Presently -Sam hauled in his line. "The pesky things never come when you want -them," he said morosely. "I suppose there are lots of them swimming -around everywhere except where _I_ cast my hook." - -"You're not a real fisherman," said David. "There's a knack to catching -fish." - -"No, I'm not; and I don't want to be," was the man's answer. "Of all the -stupid jobs, I think fishing takes the cake." - -David was about to argue this point when another man came out from the -cabin and joined them. At once David, wise in the look of sailormen from -his acquaintance with them on the docks of Barmouth, decided that this -was the skipper. The new arrival stretched his arms and yawned -prodigiously. "Golly, I'm only half-awake yet," he declared. "Sam, -where'd you pick up this fellow?" - -"He wanted to have a look at the boat," said Sam. "In fact he was so set -on having a look at her that I just had to invite him aboard." - -He said this with a sly glance at David, but if he had expected to get -an angry denial he was disappointed, for David, leaning his arms on the -rail, appeared to be in such a deep study of the shore as to allow for -no interruption. - -"The others gone ashore?" asked the skipper, evidently regarding the -reason for David's presence on the boat as a matter of small importance. - -"Yes," said Sam. He pulled a large watch from the upper pocket of his -coat and looked at it. "And it's about time they were coming back." - -There was no sign of them, however; and the sun began to slant toward -the west, and then to dip behind the trees, and still there was no boat -to be seen coming out from the cove. David, strolling up and down the -deck, noticed that Sam was becoming impatient. After a while there was a -fragrant odor of cooking, and David, putting his head in at the cabin -door, saw that the skipper was getting supper in the galley. - -The sun had set when the skipper's voice announced that food was ready. -"Come along," Sam said to David, and though the invitation was not very -cordial David went down to the cabin and ate his fair share of the meal. - -Afterwards the three, on deck, watched the shore for a boat. And when -the beach was quite dark and Sam had looked at his watch a dozen times, -he said, almost angrily, "Well, Captain, I think it's about time to beat -it. They must have changed their plans. We don't want to stay here all -night." - -The skipper glanced at David. "How about him?" he asked, with a jerk of -the head. - -"He can help you sail the boat down to Gosport. That'll pay for his -supper." - -David was tired of inaction. To sail to Gosport attracted him much more -than staying here at anchor any longer. He spoke up quickly: - -"Yes, Captain. I know something about handling sails." - -"Good enough. That's more than Sam does," remarked the skipper. "He's -about as useful in handling this boat as a belaying-pin." - -Shortly the anchor was up and the fishing-smack under way. David carried -out the skipper's orders with proper efficiency. With a gentle breeze -the boat stole southward along the shore, and in half-an-hour the lights -of the little settlement of Gosport were glimmering over the water. - -The smack came up to a wharf. "Now," said Sam to David, "you can go -ashore if you like. The captain and I may do a little cruising, but we -don't need you any longer." - -"Thanks," said David. He had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but -wisely forbore to utter it. He jumped ashore. "If you come to Barmouth, -look me up," he called back. "I'll be glad to show you the town." - -There was a laugh from the skipper, but none from Sam. Immediately the -fishing-smack pushed out again. - -Gosport was a small place, and David knew no one there. He felt in his -pocket, and found he had no money to pay his fare to Barmouth. He walked -along the waterfront, considering what he should do, and presently came -upon a young man, who was starting the engine of a small motor-boat. - -"You're not going anywhere in the neighborhood of Camp Amoussock, are -you?" David asked the man in the boat. - -The other looked around and surveyed the fellow who had asked the -question. "Are you one of the boys from the camp?" - -"I was there at dinner." And in a few words David told the story of what -had happened to him during the afternoon. - -"Well," said the man, "that's a queer yarn. I was just going out for a -moonlight spin, and I might as well go up to the camp as anywhere. Jump -aboard." - -David accepted with alacrity. The motor-boat chugged out from the -landing-stage, and leaving a smooth silver ripple, darted north. - -The owner of the motor-boat--he had told David that his name was Henry -Payson--said that, although he had only been a month at Gosport, he knew -that part of the coast quite well, and had never happened to see any -fishermen in the cove that David described. "That fellow Sam was a -vindictive chap," he added musingly. "But you know, it almost seems as -if he had some other object than merely showing his spitefulness when he -took you off in his boat." - -"That's what I thought," agreed David. "But Tom and Lanky were still at -the cove. He didn't lay hands on them." - -"Well," said Payson, "the cove's around that next point of land. No use -stopping there now, I suppose. Your friends will surely have gone back -to camp." - -When the motor-boat rounded the point, however, Payson changed his mind. -On shore there were a score of lanterns; both banks of the cove fairly -bristled with them. "Hello," exclaimed Payson, "there's something doing -there all right!" And he altered his course so as to bring his craft -into the mouth of the river. - -As the boat ran up to the bridge boys came down from both sides, -apparently all the boys of Camp Amoussock. - -"Why, it's Dave!" cried John Tuckerman. And immediately the two in the -boat were the target of a volley of questions. - -"Hold on!" cried David. "Wait a minute." He swung himself out of the -boat and up to the bridge. - -"Where are Lanky and Tom?" someone asked. - -"Aren't they here?" said David. And as Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins and the -boys from the camp crowded around he told them briefly his adventures -since dinner. - -"We've been hunting for you ever since supper," said Mr. Perkins. "I -can't imagine where Larry and Tom can have gone." - -"Those three men rowed in here in the dory," said David. "Perhaps they -carried Larry and Tom off somewhere." - -"We've hunted through every shack," said Bill Crawford. "And we've been -down the coast a couple of miles." - -The chorus of voices explaining where they had hunted started in again, -interrupted by Mr. Perkins giving the order to his troop to take the -road back to camp. - -David thanked Henry Payson, and the motor-boat chugged away. By the path -along the shore the searchers regained Camp Amoussock. And there Mr. -Perkins and John Tuckerman and David held a council as to what to do -next. - -The upshot was that Mr. Perkins got out a small car, and with Tuckerman -and David set out to see if they could learn any news of the missing -boys. - - - - - XIV--BEN AT THE GABLES - - -Ben that afternoon had a long, cool glass of lemonade on the porch of -the Gables while his friend Roderick Fitzhugh introduced him to the men -and women who were sitting in wicker easy chairs. It seemed to Ben that -their names were somewhat fantastic, but then so were their clothes, and -the names did appear to suit the costumes. - -"This lady," said Fitzhugh, nodding to a rosy-cheeked girl, who wore her -brown hair in two long plaits down her back and whose dress was of -primrose yellow, "is the fair Maid Rosalind. She can sing like a -nightingale and dance like a wave of the sea, and when she churns butter -it comes out pure gold." - -The girl stood up and made a curtsy. "Thanks, kind Master Roderick," she -said. "But perhaps your friend Master Ben doesn't care for gold on his -bread." - -"The more fool he," answered Fitzhugh. - -"However, he can eat plumcake." And Ben's host pushed a plate of -delicious-looking cake toward his guest. - -"Yonder man in the high boots, with the fierce mustaches," Fitzhugh -continued, "bears the high-sounding name of Sir Marmaduke Midchester. He -looks like a sword swallower, but he is really as gentle as a lamb. He -has been known to eat crumbs out of Maid Rosalind's hand." - -"Glad to meet Master Sully," said Sir Marmaduke. "I wrote a song this -morning--words and music both--perhaps he would like to hear me sing -it." - -Fitzhugh held up his hand. "Not just now, Marmaduke, please. Let my -guest digest his plumcake in quiet." - -So the introductions went on, with all sorts of jokes and banter. It was -a jolly crowd, and Ben was enjoying it hugely. He began to find his -tongue and make retorts of his own. But when he had finished the -lemonade and the cake he turned to his host. "I'd like to stay, but I -think I had better be getting back," he said. "I've got to go out to -Cotterell's Island." - -"No, no, Master Ben. If you'd like to stay, you shall stay. Cotterell's -Island can wait. We need you here at present." - -"Well, but----" began Ben. - -"There are no 'buts' about it," answered Fitzhugh. "List to me, my lad. -This place is a green oasis in a desert of modern things. Here we do as -we please. And it pleases us now to be ladies and gentlemen of good -Sherwood Forest and Nottingham." Fitzhugh stood up. "Come with me. I'll -find you more fitting clothes than those simple togs you have on." - -Ben grinned. He was fond of dressing up and had often acted in school -theatricals in Barmouth. He didn't know what Fitzhugh and his friends -were planning, but he thought he would like to take part in the game. -After all, his car would take him quickly back to town and he could -paddle out to the island by moonlight, if necessary. So he followed -Fitzhugh indoors and up a wide staircase to the second floor. - -When he came down again he wore brown doublet and hose, with a brown -cloak slung from his shoulders and a broad-brimmed brown hat on his -head. There was a chorus of approval from the group on the porch. - -"Master Ben, apprentice to an armorer," Fitzhugh introduced him. "And -now, my lads and lasses, let us hie us out to the greenwood tree." - -There was nothing formal about Roderick Fitzhugh's friends. The crowd -had hardly more than descended the steps of the porch when the girl -called Maid Rosalind and the man called Sir Marmaduke Midchester each -took one of Ben's hands and raced across the lawn. Luckily Ben had -pulled his broad-brimmed hat on tight. His cloak flew back from his -shoulders. And he heard shouts and laughs from the rest of the party as -they followed pell mell. - -The lawn of the Gables was wide and gently sloping. When Rosalind and -Sir Marmaduke finally slackened speed Ben found they had come to a -corner where poplars and spruces made a background against a road. One -oak tree stood out by itself, and there was a small house with -picturesque criss-crossed windows and a door with big curved hinges. - -"There," said Sir Marmaduke, "behold the Forest of Sherwood! There -aren't so many trees, but each of them is a giant." - -Rosalind flung herself down near the oak. "Oh, Master Ben," she panted, -"fan me with your hat." - -And while Ben gallantly flapped his hat close to the red-cheeked lady, -the others came bounding into the glade, like so many children just let -out from school. - -In a few minutes Fitzhugh, a paper in his hand, was calling out -directions. Ben, observing everything, saw a couple of men crossing the -lawn with what looked like a big camera. He turned to Rosalind. "I know -what it is," he whispered. "You're moving-picture people doing a play." - -"Good for you," she answered. She nodded toward Fitzhugh. "He wrote the -plot, and we've been dressing up and doing it every day this week." - -The play began, and went on for an hour or so, with frequent -interruptions. Some scenes were done over and over again before Fitzhugh -was satisfied with them. He found a part for Ben, and instructed him -carefully how to act before the camera. And whenever the company got -tired the cameramen turned off their machine, and the actors lounged on -the greensward while somebody sang or did a fancy dance. - -It was great sport, and Ben was surprised when, glancing toward the -west, he saw that the sun had set behind the trees. - -"I must be going," he said to Fitzhugh. "I've had a splendid time." - -Fitzhugh waved his hand at the cameramen. "That's enough for to-day. We -always end with a woodland dance, Ben, and then, back to the house for -dinner." - -"I can't stay to dinner," began Ben; but before he could say more -Rosalind and another girl had each caught a hand of his and the whole -company had spread out in a ring. Rosalind started to sing, and all the -others took up the song. There followed a dance, in which Ben did his -share, and then the crowd formed into a line, each with his hands on the -shoulders of the one in front, and led by Fitzhugh they wound across the -wide lawn and back to the Gables. - -"Now," said Ben to his host, when they arrived on the porch, "I'll get -into my own clothes and dash back to Barmouth." - -"What? Without dinner? I can't let you go hungry." Fitzhugh turned to a -servant. "Show this gentleman up to the yellow guestroom and get him -whatever he wants." - -It was difficult to argue with such a positive man as that; and moreover -Ben was thoroughly enjoying his adventure. To be shown up to the yellow -guestroom, and later to dine with such a company of moving-picture -people would be a new and delightful experience. He would have a story -to tell Tom and David and John Tuckerman when he got back to the island -that would make them open their eyes. So Ben followed the servant into -the house, where the lamps were already lighted. - -There was a gallery on the second floor, with ever so many rooms opening -from it. The servant went to a door and turned the knob. "This is the -yellow room, sir. You'll find clean towels in the bathroom. If you want -anything, there's an electric push button." - -Ben went in and shut the door. He had never seen a more luxuriously -furnished bedroom. He switched on an electric light and a little -orange-shaded lamp on a table shone forth. He threw his hat on the -bureau and rolled up the sleeves of his doublet. - -The door of a bathroom stood open. He went in, turned on the water, and -washed his face and hands. As he was drying them with a towel he walked -over to a window. Looking out, he saw a garage and a circular driveway. -Beyond that was a lane that led back of a big barn. And on the stone -wall on the opposite side of the lane two boys were sitting. - -Ben stopped using the towel, and stared. The two boys looked -surprisingly like Tom and Lanky Larry. They were at some distance from -the house and the shadow of the barn fell across the stone wall. But -they did look like Tom and Lanky. However, it was inconceivable that -those two should be sitting there. He must be mistaken. For what could -possibly have brought those two to the neighborhood of the Gables? And -why should they perch on a stone wall as if they had nothing to do? - -Ben turned to go back to the yellow room; but in the doorway he stopped. -Someone was there, at the bureau, a man in a brown hat and cloak. He had -pulled a bureau drawer out and was looking in it. Some one of the guests -must have mistaken this room for his own. - -"Hello," said Ben, "I didn't know there was anyone here." - -The man looked over his shoulder. "My mistake," he said. "I thought this -was my room. I beg your pardon. My room is next door." - -"I don't wonder you didn't know the right one," Ben said politely. "I -never saw a house with so many rooms. I say, in that cloak and hat you -look very much like me in my costume. I don't remember seeing you in the -moving-pictures." - -"I changed my things," muttered the man. "Sometimes I wear one set and -other times another." He walked to the door, opened it, and went down -the hall. - -"That's funny," said Ben, half-aloud. "He keeps his hat on in the house. -I suppose he thinks, because it's part of his costume, it's a perfectly -proper thing to do." - -Before the mirror at the bureau Ben put on his own broad-brimmed hat, -turned on the light at a wall-bracket, and surveyed himself in the -glass. - -"The hat does help to make a fellow look different," he said to himself. -"I guess I'll keep mine on when I go downstairs; though I don't suppose -it would be the right thing to wear a hat to dinner." - -He switched off both the lights and went out into the hall. The gallery -and the lower floor of the big house appeared to be empty; he supposed -the guests had all gone to make ready for dinner. He walked around the -gallery to the staircase. The afterglow of sunset partly lighted the -lower floor, and here and there soft lamps shed circles of radiance, but -for the most part the house was pleasantly shadowy, which made its fine -furnishings all the more interesting. - -Ben went down the stairs and stopped in the large hall to look at a -grandfather's clock that stood opposite the front door. Above the dial -was a painted ship that sailed on a deep-blue sea. He was admiring the -ship when somewhere in the upper part of the house someone gave a -scream. - -Ben waited a moment. There was another shout. Doors on the gallery -opened. He heard people calling "What's the matter?" There was confusion -above-stairs. Someone shouted "Lock the doors! Don't let him get away!" - -The front door was open. Ben dashed across the polished floor to shut -it. - -His hand was on the knob when someone caught him from behind. A rug -slipped under his feet and he came down hard on the floor. - -Someone had fallen on top of him, someone had tackled him tight about -the knees, a regular football tackle. - -There was a babel of voices. Someone shouted, "We've got him all right!" - -Ben tried to speak, to explain. "Hold on there!" he grunted. - -But someone else was explaining. He heard someone say, "We heard the -yells, and we came in at the side door, and we saw this fellow dashing -for the front door." - -Then Ben heard Fitzhugh's voice. "Well, he won't get away now," Fitzhugh -said. "Suppose you let him up." - -The fellow who had made the tackle released Ben's knees and Ben turned -around and sat up. - -"My eye! If it isn't Ben Sully!" - -Ben saw Tom and Lanky Larry staring at him in wide-eyed wonder. - -"Of course it is, Tom, you goat!" Ben responded. "Who did you think it -was?" - -"We thought you were one of the men we tracked here from the cove," said -Tom. "They wore cloaks and hats like yours; and you did look as if you -were trying to escape." - -"I was going to lock the front door," said Ben, getting to his feet. -"What's the trouble anyhow, Mr. Fitzhugh?" - -"Two of the ladies found things missing from their rooms--jewels," -explained Fitzhugh. "And one of the men saw a fellow sneaking down a -passage." He turned to Tom and Lanky. "I don't know who you two are, but -Ben seems to, so that's all right. Let's see if we can find the thief." - -Immediately everyone was busy. Some went outdoors, some hunted through -the house. The Gables blazed with light; the garage and the other -outbuildings were thoroughly searched. But no thief was found, and -half-an-hour later the whole company met on the porch to talk over the -matter. - -Tom and Lanky by turns told their tale, how they had seen the three men -at the cove put on cloaks and hats and how they had followed the men to -the Gables. The butler, looking rather sheepish, admitted that the boys -had spoken to him about the strangers and that he had not thought their -story merited his attention. Then Tom said that he and Lanky had sat on -the stone wall until they heard shouts in the house, and had then run in -at a side door, and in the hall had seen a fellow dressed just like the -three they had followed apparently making his escape. "We didn't know -Ben was anywhere near here," he added; "and anyway we wouldn't have -recognized him in that blooming hat." - -Ben told about his finding the stranger, dressed like himself, hunting -through the bureau drawer in the yellow room. The guests who had missed -their jewels and the man who had seen someone stealing along a passage -repeated their stories. "Well," said Fitzhugh, when they had all -finished, "you remember we couldn't find some of the things we left in -the playhouse the other day. I believe these fellows took them, and -thought they could pass themselves off as some of my guests and ransack -all the rooms in the house." - -"They did it," said Marmaduke Midchester. "And they must have got away -by one of the back doors while we were all here at the front." - -"Do you suppose they've gone back to the cove?" asked Lanky. "They might -have. They didn't know we were following them." - -"That's an idea," agreed Fitzhugh. He spoke to the butler, and in a few -minutes the chauffeur and two other men were receiving instructions to -take the car and drive to the cove, look for the men, and if they were -not to be found there to drive on to Barmouth and report the thefts to -the police. - -"And now, my friends," Fitzhugh added to his guests, "let us have -dinner. Master Ben's two pals must need sustenance after their long -tramp. Come, the soup will be getting cold." - -They were still at the dinner table when a motor horn sounded outside. -Everyone ran to the door. It was not Fitzhugh's car, however, but a much -smaller one. From it descended David, John Tuckerman and Mr. Perkins. - -"Well, I declare," exclaimed Tuckerman, "here's Tom and Larry! And that -fellow in doublet and hose--why, I do believe that's Benjamin Sully!" - - - - - XV--VARIOUS CLUES - - -John Tuckerman and David and Mr. Perkins went up on the porch, where Ben -introduced them to Roderick Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh, after shaking hands -cordially with each of them, bowed toward his house-guests. "My -friends," said he, "we have the pleasure of welcoming the worthy Chief -Counsellor of Camp Amoussock, and Mr. Tuckerman, who is the owner of -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell's Island in the harbor of Barmouth, -and Mr. David Norton--, er, Ben, what is the best way to describe your -good-looking friend?" - -"The best batter in New England," piped up Lanky Larry. "I ought to -know. He knocked me out of the box." - -"Thank you," said Fitzhugh in his amusingly formal manner. "Mr. David -Norton, the famous Yankee slugger." He turned to the three new arrivals. -"Gentlemen, let me present you to my friends," and he called out the -names, beginning with Maid Rosalind and the other ladies and ending with -Sir Marmaduke Midchester. - -Tuckerman laughed. "I'd no idea Ben mixed in such high-sounding company. -What is he?--Sir Marmaduke's squire?" - -"He's the apprentice to an armorer," said Fitzhugh. "Incidentally he was -mistaken this evening for a robber." - -Then Fitzhugh told the story of the robbery, including the adventure of -Tom and Larry with the men from the cove. - -"Those men must be the three that belonged to the fishing-smack," said -David. "I thought there was something crooked going on. That's -it--they're a gang of thieves." - -David related his adventure, and then Mr. Perkins told how he and -Tuckerman and the boys from the camp hunted for the three missing -fellows. "We drove in here on the chance that you might know something -about them," he said to Fitzhugh. "We came straight up the road from the -cove, but we didn't see any men answering the description of the -thieves." - -"Well," said Fitzhugh, "we'll get the police on their track, and I'll -telephone down to Gosport to have the people there keep an eye out for -that fishing-boat. And now won't you come in and let me offer you some -refreshments? Master Ben will want to change his clothes before he sets -out in his racing-car." - -While the others were in the dining-room Ben exchanged his doublet and -hose for his everyday garb. Then he went to the garage and got out the -little car he had borrowed from his uncle in Barmouth. It clattered up -to the front door and a few minutes later Fitzhugh was saying good-night -to Tuckerman, Perkins and the boys. - -David got into Ben's car. The car from Camp Amoussock moved off along -the driveway. Roderick Fitzhugh came up to Ben, who was starting his -engine. "I regret that Mr. Joseph Hastings wasn't at home," he said, "so -that you could have learned whether he did lose a silver snuff-box on -Cotterell's Island. I'll ask him when I see him." - -Ben grinned. "I'd almost forgotten about the snuff-box," he answered, -"but I think you'll find when you ask Mr. Hastings that he did lose it -there." - -"You're a bright fellow, Master Sully." - -Fitzhugh gave a wink. "Don't tell all you know. And if you're in the -neighborhood any time come in and see Joseph Hastings." - -The little car rattled away, following the tail-light of the other -automobile. - -"Who is that man?" asked David, as they turned into the highroad. - -"Do you mean Mr. Roderick Fitzhugh?" inquired Ben innocently. - -"Chuck it, Benjie. That isn't his real name." - -"Why isn't it, smartie?" - -"Roderick Fitzhugh! Marmaduke Midchester!" David repeated the names of -some of the other people he had met at the Gables. "Stuff and nonsense, -Benjie! They made them up." - -Ben said nothing, and after a few minutes David began again. - -"Where'd they get those clothes?" - -"Where do people usually get their clothes? Tailors and dressmakers made -them, I suppose." - -"What are they? A crowd of actors?" - -Ben smiled. "They're not professional actors. They're doing a play that -Mr. Fitzhugh wrote for the moving-pictures, and they like their costumes -so much they keep them on most of the time. I'm in the pictures," he -added in a tone of pride. - -The car clattered loudly over a rough stretch of road. Then David -resumed his questions. "How in thunder did you happen to get mixed up -with them?" - -"I was driving along this morning and I met Mr. Fitzhugh and he -suggested that we go on a hunt for hooked-rugs." - -"Hooked-rugs!" exploded David. - -"Yes. They don't grow on trees. They're to be found in the cottages -around here. We caught some fine specimens." - -David put his hand on Ben's knee. "It was time we rescued you from that -fellow, my boy," he said. "I don't know anything about hooked-rugs, but -I think your Mr. Fitzhugh has bats in his belfry." - -The car driven by Mr. Perkins had stopped, and Ben brought his own noisy -equipage to a standstill at the side of the road. "We're going to have -another look at the cove," said Tuckerman. "We can't drive in through -the woods." - -But the cove, when they reached it by the path through the woods, was as -deserted as it had been when the boys from Camp Amoussock explored it -earlier in the evening. Lanky and Tom pointed out the dory, still -beached on the shingle, in which the three men had come ashore, and the -shack in which they had kept the costumes. "I think the dory is pretty -good proof that they didn't come back here," said Tom. "I guess they -must have made off toward Gosport, to join the fishing-smack somewhere -in that neighborhood." - -They returned to the two cars and drove on to Camp Amoussock. There Tom -and John Tuckerman embarked in the _Argo_ to sail back to Cotterell's -Island, while Ben and David continued their clattering ride to Barmouth. - -At Barmouth, Ben restored the car to his uncle, and the two boys went -down to the harbor and launched the canoe. Over the placid water they -paddled easily, for they were old hands at handling a canoe together. -And presently they landed at the island, and found the other two sitting -on the pier. - -There was much to talk over, and none of them were sleepy. They sat on -the bank above the beach and swapped adventures. "I've been wondering," -said Tom, "whether there was any connection between the men who stole -those things at Mr. Fitzhugh's house and the men I saw here on the -island last night." - -"And the gigantic footprints," said David. "I've been thinking about -that, too. But how would you explain the lady's handkerchief, with the -initials A. S. L.?" - -They argued about that for some time before they went to bed. Ben, -however, took little part in the discussion. He was trying to find a -reason for the discovery of the silver snuff-box that Joseph Hastings -had bought in Barmouth in the chest hidden in the cliff. - -Next morning Ben went with Tuckerman to Cotterell Hall. "What do you -make of it, Ben?" said Tuckerman. "We don't seem to be any nearer to -finding the treasure than we were when we first came here. I know you've -got some theory in that wise head of yours." - -Ben walked up and down the living-room. "Well," he answered slowly, "I -think somebody has mixed up the trails. Let's see how the matter stands. -We know that your Uncle Christopher thought there was a secret. We found -that out from the note in the frame of the picture." - -"Uncle Christopher knew there was a secret," agreed Tuckerman. "I think -that's very clear." - -Ben nodded. "What did we find next? Those jottings your uncle made in -his notebook." Ben stopped at the secretary, took out the notebook, -turned to the marked page, and read aloud. "'As regards the saying that -the hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand between two -rocks where the sun goes down, I have scoured and scoured the island, -and come to the opinion that the extreme southwestern point must be the -place intended, although to-day there are only two pines there. I have -dug at this place, but found only sand.' That's what your uncle wrote. -But he didn't find the treasure at the southwestern point." - -Tuckerman smiled. "So far so good." - -Ben ran his eye down the page. "Now we come to this. 'Find the -mahogany-hued man with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast -pocket. That's a saying my father handed down. What can it mean?' Well, -it seems to me that's where the trails begin to get mixed." - -"Why, I thought we decided that referred to the mahogany secretary," -said Tuckerman. - -"So we did," answered Ben. "But were we right? Let's see. We looked in -the secretary and found a piece of parchment with half a message on it. -We couldn't make out much from that. Then I read this in the notebook." -He turned again to the page, "'I've heard that the old clipper ship got -some of the cargo that the mahogany man carried. But if she did, what -use is that to us now? She sailed out of Barmouth Harbor during the -Revolution.'" - -"I've always thought you were mighty clever in finding that model of the -clipper ship up in the attic," said Tuckerman. - -"Well," agreed Ben, "I'm not denying that I was pretty well pleased with -that myself. But what did we learn? That James Sampson took a box to the -north cliff, meaning to put it on a boat, but found that there were some -people off shore in another boat and so hid the box in the rocks, and -that the rocks were marked like a cross. Very good. We found the place -and we found a box there. But there wasn't anything very valuable in the -box when we found it." - -"That's so," Tuckerman assented. "But I don't see any other clue to the -treasure." - -Ben was staring through the window at the trees glistening in the -sunlight. "I think that box was hidden in the cliff since we've been on -the island," he said reflectively, "and I don't believe that any of the -things in it ever came from Cotterell Hall." - -"You don't!" exclaimed Tuckerman. - -"And that means," continued Ben, who was following the line of his own -thoughts, "that somebody was trying to set us on a wrong trail by hiding -those two pieces of parchment in this house." - -"But what object would anyone have in doing that?" Tuckerman asked. "I -can't see any good reason for their taking so much trouble." He -considered this idea for several minutes, while Ben continued his study -of the trees and the glimpse of blue water that was to be seen from the -window. - -"And we thought we'd kept the problem of the Cotterell treasure pretty -much a secret," Tuckerman said presently. - -"Gigantic footprints, lady's handkerchief, men prowling about the house -in the dark." Ben chuckled softly. "That doesn't look as if we had the -island much to ourselves, does it?" - -"No," Tuckerman admitted. "We haven't kept up the Cotterell tradition -for exclusiveness." - -"Well," said Ben, "if somebody has been trying to set us on a wrong -trail, the question is was it the giant, the lady, or the -night-prowlers? Or did the three belong to one party." - -"The lady is a stumbling-block," nodded Tuckerman. - -"If there were two parties," said Ben, turning around, "my own opinion -is that it's the giant and the lady who've been making game of us." - -"Benjamin, what are you driving at?" - -For answer Ben laughed. "Never mind, Professor. If I should tell you -what's in my mind, and it shouldn't prove to be true, think how flat I'd -feel. And now I think it's time we went back to camp if we're going in -swimming before dinner." - -Just before sunset that afternoon the chug of a motor-boat broke the -stillness of the water around the island. The boat stole up to the -landing-stage and two men got out. They went up the walk toward -Cotterell Hall. "A beautiful mansion, Marmaduke," said the man in the -white flannel suit to the one in brown jacket and knickerbockers. - -"I agree with you, Roderick," said the other. "I suppose you would like -to pick it up and carry it off to the Gables." - -"Not at all. But what is to prevent us from making use of it here? Sir -Peter Cotterell defying the people of Barmouth." Roderick Fitzhugh -pointed in this direction and that, talking eagerly, until his companion -interrupted him with a whispered, "They're coming up in their sailboat." - -The _Argo_ touched the landing-stage, and Fitzhugh and his friend went -out on the pier. "Hello, lads," cried Fitzhugh. "We came out to take a -look at the famous island Ben told us about." - -"Did you learn anything about the thieves?" Tom called from the _Argo_. - -"No, not yet. But we've got the local police scouring the country. I -don't expect much from them," added Fitzhugh. "What I hope is that the -rascals will make us another call." - -"We've been fishing," said Ben. "Hope you'll stay to supper." - -"Well," said Fitzhugh, "I've got my guests at the Gables." - -"You wouldn't take any excuse from me yesterday," Ben retorted. "Turn -about's fair play. You've never tasted Dave's fried flounder." - -"That's so, we haven't," said Marmaduke Midchester. "I vote to stay." - -They had supper on the beach, and afterwards Ben urged Midchester to -sing the song he had written. - -"Oh, Master Ben," Fitzhugh protested, "why break in on the evening -calm?" - -"Go ahead," said Tom. "We'd all like some music." - -"Music?" echoed Fitzhugh. "Who said anything about music? Well, if -you're determined to have him commit the crime, on your own heads be -it!" - -Midchester, who was a big man, stood up and sang in a deep bass, a song -about a knight who loved a lady but who rode off to the wars. It had a -spirited chorus, with many gestures, such as drawing a sword, waving a -hand, and shaking a knight's banner. By the time that Midchester sang -the second chorus all the others were up, singing loudly and imitating -his motions. It ended in a final loud cheer that could be heard at least -a mile away. - -"That's better than I expected," said Fitzhugh. "See, it scared the -geese." - -He pointed to the western sky, across which a distant triangle of wild -geese were flying. - -"Now," said Tuckerman, "I will give you a song of the sea as sung in the -prairie schooners of the west." - -He had a good voice, and his song was so popular that he had to give an -encore. Afterwards Fitzhugh said that he must take Midchester away or he -would break out again. - -Good-nights were exchanged on the pier and the motor-boat headed south. - -"Well," said Tuckerman, "they're a good pair of scouts. I don't suppose -this island has heard so much noise since old Sir Peter's day. I like -guests myself. And as there doesn't seem any likelihood of finding the -Cotterell treasure, I don't see why we shouldn't keep open house." - -"Oh, we haven't given up hope of finding it, have we?" asked Tom. - -"Benjie hasn't," said David. - -They all looked at the black-haired boy. - -"Why, of course, I haven't," he answered calmly. "And the more people -who come out here to look for it, the more chance we have of finding it, -I think. You don't suppose Fitzhugh and Midchester came here just to see -us, do you?" - -"I bet they did," said Tom. - -"I bet they didn't," said Ben. "They took us in as a side-show on their -way to the big tent." - - - - - XVI--THE CAMPERS CALL AT BARMOUTH - - -The _Argo_ was scudding along in a good breeze to Barmouth. Ben was -carving a small piece of wood into what he fancied was a resemblance to -a mermaid. David, his hands clasped behind his head, lounged in a -comfortable corner. Tuckerman was at the tiller, and Tom surveyed his -pupil through approving eyes. - -"Professor, I think we're ready to give you your diploma," Tom said, as -he noticed the easy manner in which Tuckerman handled the sailboat. -"You're an able seaman. I'll give you an honor mark as a navigator." - -"And I'll pass you as a first-rate cook," said David, turning and -nodding his head. "You fried those eggs this morning just as well as I -could have, and praise can't be higher than that." - -"You coax the fish right out of the sea," said Ben, looking up from his -carving. "There was a time when I didn't believe you'd ever learn to -bait a hook so the fish couldn't nibble it off; but you can do it now. -I'll graduate you as a competent fisherman." - -"And my swimming?" asked Tuckerman, his eye on the water curling over -the bow. - -"Well, as to that," said David, "you're not exactly a merman, but you -can paddle along at a decent pace. Yes, we'll call you a swimmer. I -should say you were a pretty good all-around fellow now, Professor." - -Tuckerman looked pleased. Praise from these three boys was very -satisfying. And he knew that what they said was not mere idle banter. He -had learned a great deal since he had been camping with them. - -"Thanks," he said. "To be able to sail a boat, to cook, to fish, to -swim--why, that's more than I ever expected to learn when I came here -from the west. I tell you what! It was a great thing for me when I -decided to take a look at my Uncle Christopher's island." - -"And what are you going to do with it now that you've seen it?" asked -Tom. - -"I don't know. I've got to go back to my home. I don't suppose anyone -would want to live way out in the harbor nowadays. There's not enough to -do there. But I hate to take all those fine old furnishings out of the -house. They belong there, and they don't belong anywhere else." - -"There's an old house out on the Boston road," said Ben, "that the owner -keeps up as a sort of a museum. He has all the old furniture that was -used in colonial days. There's a great deal of travel on that road in -summer, and he charges a quarter for every person that goes over the -house. There's a care-taker, of course. I think she serves tea for a -quarter extra." - -"That's an idea," said Tuckerman. "Only my house isn't on a main road. -It's a rather hard place to reach." - -"All the better," put in Tom. "People like excursions. We could put up -signs in Barmouth and all along the road. 'Be sure to take the boat to -famous Cotterell Hall on Cotterell's Island and hunt for the treasure!' -That would get them all right. You could charge as much as you like." - -"And Tom could run a ferry, and Ben be the care-taker and serve -ginger-ale at a dollar a glass," suggested David. - -"And you could cork your face and be the famous mahogany man from the -Barbadoes," retorted Ben. "He's a wonder in a minstrel show, Professor." - -"It sounds good," Tuckerman agreed. "It's certainly up-to-date. But -somehow I don't feel that it's quite dignified enough for Cotterell -Hall." - -"You can make it dignified enough," said Tom, "by charging enormous -prices." - -Tuckerman laughed. "You're right. You fellows are Yankees sure enough. -You make me feel like a greenhorn." - -"And think of the business it would bring to Barmouth," said Ben, -putting the attempt at a mermaid into his pocket and sitting up -straight. "People who went to the island would probably have to spend -the night at the hotel. Why, you ought to be able to make a deal with -the proprietor to share his profits." - -"Ben's started now," exclaimed David. "Stop him somebody quick, or he'll -be spending the money we're making from the concern." - -"I think it's a great idea," Ben proceeded, as usual paying no attention -to David's jibe. "It'll put Barmouth on the map. 'Cotterell Hall, the -most famous treasure house on the Atlantic Coast!'" - -"I wish you wouldn't use that word 'treasure,'" Tom protested. "It has a -hoodoo sound." - -"And speaking of putting things on the map," said Tuckerman, "here's the -wharf ahead. Don't get me all excited while I bring her up to the dock." - -The _Argo_ made a perfect landing. "Good enough," said Tom. "That -couldn't have been done better. Professor, you're a dandy." - -They went up the main street and turned off to the elm-shaded lane where -the Halletts lived. They were going to call on Milly Hallett. - -Milly was at home. She was, in fact, enjoying an afternoon nap in the -Nantucket hammock on the side porch when Tom spied her from the lane. - -The sound of footsteps woke her, and seeing who was coming in at the -gate she swung her feet down from the hammock, smoothed her rumpled -skirt, and patted her fluffy hair. And because she still felt a trifle -piqued that Tom was having all the fun of camping on Cotterell's Island, -she decided on the spur of the moment to be a little standoffish with -the callers. - -"Hello, Milly," said her brother, in the offhand way brothers have, "we -thought we'd come over to see how you were getting along." - -"Good afternoon, Mr. Tuckerman," said Milly, standing up and giving that -gentleman the tips of her fingers. "I hope the boys are looking after -you all right on your island." - -"I can't complain," smiled Tuckerman. "We do as well as we can, without -any ladies to help us." - -"Won't you sit down?" Milly invited politely. - -Tuckerman took a chair, and the three boys, impressed in spite of -themselves by Milly's society manner, perched on the rail of the porch. - -"We were wondering," said Tuckerman, "whether we could induce you to -come out to supper on the island. We hoped the simplicity of the meal -would be atoned for by the beauty of the scenery. I can promise you a -fine sunset." - -"Thank you for the invitation." Milly swung gently back and forth. "Let -me see--what did I have on hand for this evening?" - -"Oh, chuck it, Milly!" said Tom. "Of course you want to come along." - -"I remember now," said Milly suavely. "I have a date with my friend -Sarah Hooper. There's a new movie in town." - -"Well, of course," said Tuckerman in a regretful tone, "we can't compete -with a new moving-picture show." - -Milly smiled. "The boys are still giving you plenty of good food, are -they? And keeping you amused?" - -David moved impatiently on his perch. "The Professor never got better -food anywhere. He says so himself." - -"I thought perhaps the menu might get a little tiresome," Milly -suggested sweetly. "Boys are so apt to stick to one or two of the same -things when they have to cook for themselves." - -"We don't," grunted David. - -"She knows we don't," said Tom. "I say, Milly, what's your game?" - -"Game?" Milly wrinkled her pretty nose. "I don't know what you mean!" -She glanced again at Tuckerman. "Boys are funny creatures, aren't they?" - -The boys came down from the rail with one accord. Indignant replies were -on the tongues of each; but Milly pointed beyond them at the lane. "Here -comes Sarah Hooper now," she said. "It's just possible I can get her to -change our date." - -Up the path came the black-eyed girl, a yellow sweater on her arm. -"Hello, everybody!" she sang out, as she reached the porch. "What is it? -An experience meeting?" - -"They want me to go to supper with them on Mr. Tuckerman's island," said -Milly. "I told them I had a date with you." - -"Perhaps Miss Sarah Hooper will join the party," Tuckerman added -promptly. "We'd like her to." - -"Fine!" exclaimed Sarah. "I don't know why I shouldn't." - -"Milly said," put in Tom, "that you and she were going to a new movie." - -A glance passed from Sarah to Milly, and Sarah nodded her head. "That's -so," she agreed. "I do remember we were." - -"However," said Milly, "if Sally would really like to accept your -invitation, we can go to the movies some other time." - -There was a pause, for Sarah was not sure what her friend wanted her to -say; and then Ben broke the silence by pounding the porch-rail with his -fist. "By jiminy, girls are funny creatures, aren't they? They're crazy -to come, but they don't want to admit it." - -"Oh!" began Milly. But Tuckerman interposed. - -"The funnier people are, the pleasanter it is to be with them. We do -need the company of ladies on our island. We've only been seeing each -other, and sandpipers and gulls. It would be doing us a great favor if -these two ladies would come and freshen us up." - -"Well," said Sarah, charmed by this gallant speech, "I'd be glad to -come. It'll be a perfect evening." - -Milly got up from the hammock. "I'll contribute a box of fudge." - -"That's all that's needed to make it complete," said Tuckerman. - -The girls went indoors, Milly to tell her mother about the party, and -Sarah to telephone to her house. - -"Now," said Tuckerman, on the porch, "we've got to give them as good a -time as they'd have had at the movies." - -"Milly wanted to come all along," said Tom. "Why didn't she say so?" - -"I think," answered Ben, "that she wanted to show us that she was having -just as good a time here at home as we were having in camp; and she knew -she wasn't." - -Tuckerman smiled and nodded. "Ben's hit it on the head. And that's all -the more reason why we should see that they enjoy themselves this -evening." - -They all agreed to that line of reasoning, and the first result of it -was that they suggested to Milly that she should sail the _Argo_ back to -the island. She was very much pleased, and Milly, on her mettle, handled -the craft as skillfully as Tom could have done himself. - -They landed, and Sarah said that she would like to see the island, since -all she had seen of it on her first visit had been Cotterell Hall and -the shore about the camp. So the boys and Tuckerman took their guests on -a regular tour, through the woods, where the russet-green pine-needles -made a clean and fragrant carpet, dappled with patches of sunlight; -along the little beaches, curves of yellow sand, where sandpipers played -and strutted, or flew in silver bands; up on the ramparts of cliffs, -against which the waves rolled in and slipped and slid in white cascades -over the low-lying ledges, and so to the southern point, where they -watched the sun setting in all its glory, tinting the sky and the sea in -wonderful combinations of shifting colors. - -Then they went to the camp, where David made a marvelous fish chowder of -cunners and cod that Ben had caught that morning. And for dessert they -had apple fritters and Milly's home-made fudge. - -When it was time to take their guests back to Barmouth, Tom suggested -that they sail around the island. As they cruised up the ocean side they -saw a sail to the east. And after watching the distant boat intently for -some minutes David exclaimed, "I think that's the fishing-smack that -took me from the cove to Gosport!" - -Tom shifted the tiller, and the _Argo_ took a course toward the larger -boat. As they sailed, David, in answer to Milly's questions, told of his -adventure with the crew of the smack. - -To the northeast lay a small island, and the larger boat sailed around -its southern point. The _Argo_ kept up its chase, and presently came on -the fishing-smack at anchor off a half-moon beach. - -The big boat stood silhouetted against the violet sky of the summer -night. It was too dark to distinguish figures on her deck. Apparently -she had come to anchor there for the night. - -"How about it, Dave?" asked Ben. "Is that the craft that kidnapped you?" - -"Looks like her picture," was the answer. - -"Want to hail your good friend Sam?" inquired Tom. - -"No, I don't," said David. "He might throw something out here that the -girls wouldn't like." - -"Oh, don't mind us," exclaimed Milly and Sarah in chorus. - -"I don't know what the smack--if it is Dave's boat--is doing around -here," said Tuckerman. "There can't be much to steal from that island." - -For a time the _Argo_ bobbed about, but there came no hail from the -boat, no light appeared, she might have been a ship without a crew. - -"Let sleeping hornets lie," Tuckerman advised. And at the suggestion Tom -sheered away. The _Argo_ sailed up the shore of the island and pointed -her bow toward the twinkling lights of the town. - -They were all enjoying the breeze, the star-sprinkled sky, the soft -swish of the water against the side of the boat when Ben, from a brown -study, spoke. "If the men on that smack are the thieves who broke into -Mr. Fitzhugh's house, might they be hunting around here for the -Cotterell treasure?" - -"Well, I wish them luck at finding it," said David. - -"Thieves who broke into Mr. Fitzhugh's house!" cried Milly. "Oh, do tell -us about that!" - -Then the whole story came out, and when she had heard it all Milly said -positively, "I think Ben's right. They're planning to steal something -from your island." - -"Hope they don't take our cooking outfit," said Tom. - -"Or any of my fine old colonial furniture," added Tuckerman. - -"Oh, no," scoffed David. "It's the treasure they're after." - -"Don't you want to take our watch-dog back with you?" said Sarah. "He's -fine at biting tramps." - -There was a laugh from the crowd. And they were still talking of ways of -protecting the island from prowlers when the sailboat ran up to the -wharf. - -The campers escorted the girls to their homes and then went back to the -harbor. - -On the waterfront they encountered a man--he had been a sea-captain in -his day--smoking a pipe and regarding the lights of the harbor. He knew -the boys. "Hello, Tom," he said, "I hear you're out on the island, -hunting for Sir Peter's treasure." - -"Well, we're camping on the island," Tom admitted. - -"Haven't found the treasure yet, have you?" The mariner chuckled. -"There's treasure hid all along the coast, if you believe the stories. I -was brought up on yarns about treasures, Captain Kidd's and others. And -I've hunted for 'em, too. But I never laid my hands on none. Howsomever, -I always thought there might be something to the story about Sir Peter. -But it's one thing to think there's a treasure, and another to lay hands -on it." - -"Where would you look?" asked Ben. - -The mariner reflected. "Well, if I was hiding a treasure I'd put it -where I could get it if I wanted it in a hurry. Seems to me I'd pick out -a place in the chimney-breast. I've heard of folks hiding things in -places like that." - -"Seems to me we've got to pull the house down," said David. "And then -like as not we wouldn't find it." - -"Might be so," the mariner agreed. "It don't pay to take too much -trouble hunting for things like that. But some people just have to." - -The four embarked in the _Argo_. "Ben's one of the people that just have -to," said David. "I guess he'll pull the house down." - -"I hadn't thought of the chimney-breast," said Ben. "We'd better look -there to-morrow." - -"Go to it, Tige," laughed David. "We'll get out the pick-ax and -crow-bar." - - - - - XVII--PETER COTTERELL - - -Next morning the four campers, following the suggestion made by the -sea-captain on the Barmouth wharf, resumed their search for the -Cotterell treasure. David treated the whole matter as a joke; he thought -that either the story about Sir Peter having hidden his silver plate was -a legend without any foundation in fact, or that one of the family had -found the treasure and disposed of it. Tom leaned to the same opinion, -although he did not say so as openly as did David, perhaps because he -saw that both John Tuckerman and Ben thought the treasure was yet to be -found. Ben was still as positive as ever, and argued that if Sir Peter's -plate had ever been discovered that fact would certainly have been -mentioned in Crusty Christopher's notebooks. - -They examined the chimney-breast in the kitchen and dining-room, looking -for any possible hiding-place. They went all over the house again, -looking for any secret door or panel that they might have missed before. -They tapped the walls and they measured them; but nowhere could they -figure out such a place as they were hunting. Finally Tuckerman said, "I -don't see how we can search anywhere else, unless we do as Dave -suggested--pull the house down--and I don't want to do that." - -"The house is worth more than the treasure," said Tom. - -"That's so," Tuckerman agreed. He frowned and bit his lip. "I don't like -to be stumped, that's the long and short of it. I don't like to admit -that I can't work out the puzzle." - -"Puzzles never bother me," said David. "I think they're stupid things. I -never want to know the answer to any of the problems in the algebra -books. What good does it do you to know them? Of course some people get -so hipped over knowing the answers they can't eat till they find them -out--whether a dog or a rabbit will reach a given point first, things -like that, or about men rowing a boat against the tide; but they don't -get me the least little bit excited. Leave them to Benjie, I say." - -And that was what they did. They left Ben up in the attic, the last room -they had searched. Attics fascinated Ben. In a way they were like -puzzles; there were so many odds and ends that needed putting together. -He walked idly about, looking at chairs and tables that had lost some of -their legs, at statuettes that were broken and disfigured, until he came -to the window that opened to the east. There he stopped in a brown -study. - -A distant sail caught his eye. It reminded him of something. Oh, yes, -from the window he could see the line of the little island where they -had found the fishing-smack at anchor the night before. He couldn't tell -if this sail belonged to the smack; it was too far away; but the sight -of it started a train of thought he had been working over that morning. - -He went downstairs and was glad to find that the others had left the -house. In the living-room he took the two pieces of parchment from the -drawer of the secretary and carefully copied the writing on them on a -large sheet of paper. This he laid on the lid of the desk and put an -inkstand on the paper. Then he returned the pieces of parchment to the -drawer. - -Satisfied with this, he went outdoors and crossed the island to the -beach where he had found the chest. He sat on a log, and waited -patiently. Presently he saw a sail, to the east; and this time he felt -fairly sure that it was the same fishing-smack that they had chased the -previous night. - -He jumped up and began to burrow in the crevice between the rocks. He -did not attempt to pull the chest out; it was too heavy for him to do -that unaided; but he kicked his heels and pushed himself in. And after a -while he pushed himself out again and stood up. Looking at the smack, he -decided that she was near enough for anyone on her deck to have -witnessed his strange performance. - -The next step in his plan came when the dishes had been washed after -dinner. He proposed that they should sail over to the little island and -see if the smack was still in the neighborhood. - -"After the thieves, are you?" asked David. "Now see here, my lad, if we -should find them, what then? Are you going to step aboard and tell them -they're arrested?" - -"Dave's had enough of his friend Sam," said Tom. "He thinks if Sam meets -him again he'll get a belaying-pin on the back of his head." - -"Benjie wants to argue with them," said David. "I'll admit I'd like to -get square with the rascal, but I don't see how we can do it that way." - -"If Dave's sure it's the same boat," suggested Tom, "we might notify the -police at Barmouth." - -"Well," said Ben, "the only way to make sure that Dave's right is to -sail around and look at her in daylight." - -"That sounds sensible," Tuckerman agreed. "We needn't get into any kind -of a scrap with them." - -So the _Argo_ set sail and cruised eastward; but although she rounded -the other island several times that afternoon her crew caught no sight -of the bark they were looking for. - -When they got back to their own island they found Lanky Larry and Bill -Crawford fishing from the pier. The canoe in which they had paddled over -from Camp Amoussock floated at the landing-stage. - -"If you're after cunners," said Ben, "you ought to try the rocks on the -ocean side; if it's flounders you're trying to tempt you won't find them -near the pier." - -"We didn't really come over here to fish," responded Bill, "but we -always carry a couple of lines in the canoe; that is, when it doesn't -upset. We came over to invite you four fellows to the water sports -to-morrow morning. We've got a fine program, and you can enter any of -the events when you get there." - -"I guess the Professor will want to enter the tub-race," said Tom with a -grin. - -"Maybe I will," agreed Tuckerman. "Well, mates, how about it? The -invitation sounds very good to me." - -Tom and David both nodded and said they would like to go. "You'd better -count me out of it," said Ben. "I've got a date for to-morrow." - -"Date?" inquired Tom. "What sort of a date? With a lady or a man?" - -"A date with myself." Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. "I've got -something on hand I meant to do in the morning." - -"Shucks!" exclaimed David. "All right, Bill, we'll be over right after -breakfast. And we'll bring Benjie along. You might enter him in the -fancy diving contest." - -Bill and Lanky pulled in their fishing-lines and embarked in their -canoe. The campers started to get supper. But Ben, making an excuse that -he thought he must have mislaid his pocket-knife in the house, hurried -through the woods to the beach at the northern end. So far as he could -see no one had been there since he had left in the morning; the chest -was still in the crevice between the rocks. - -That evening Ben prowled about the island. He went to Cotterell Hall, he -went to the beach at the north again, he kept a watchful eye for sails -in any quarter. When he came back to camp the other three had turned in. -And being very sleepy, he followed their example. - -He was up at dawn next morning, and again made his rounds. The paper he -had placed on the lid of the secretary was apparently untouched, the -chest was still in the crevice. Breakfast was waiting when he returned. -"Now, Benjie," said David, "get busy with the bacon. We're going over to -Camp Amoussock, and we want you to show those fellows your famous -flip-flap." - -"You go along without me," Ben urged. - -"No, sir," said David. "This is a sporting proposition, and it's up to -every man to do his bit." - -So Ben went along with the others. - -All of Camp Amoussock was in bathing-suits, and the four guests were -shortly attired likewise. Then began all sorts of water sports. Tom and -David and Ben went in for most of the swimming races and the diving -contests. Tom took second place in the fifty-yard race, and Ben won the -competition for fancy diving. When they came to the tub-race John -Tuckerman entered his name. - -Amid shouts and cat-calls a dozen tubs set out from the float. The race -was to be around a buoy and back to the starting-place. Tuckerman -paddled easily, keeping his tub out of the course most of the others -were taking. Two tubs jostled, and two boys were upset into the water. -Bill Crawford rounded the buoy first, then a small, red-headed boy who -sat very still, barely patting the water with careful finger-tips. - -"Here comes the Professor!" cried Tom from the beach. "Keep it up, keep -it up, Professor! You're doing wonders!" - -Tuckerman reached the buoy. He had found it fairly easy to keep a -straight course, but now he had to steer to the left. To do this he -tried to give a sidewise sweep with his foot. The tub rocked, rolled. He -attempted to counter-balance; and then he was in the water, splashing -about and trying to get hold of the tub. - -He flopped up on one side, only to slip over on the other. The tub might -have been greased, so difficult was it to make the round thing stay in -one position for more than a minute. At last he gave up trying to make -it behave, and swam, pushing it before him, until he could touch bottom -with his feet. - -"Never mind, Professor," said David, as the bedraggled Tuckerman walked -up on the beach. "Many a man has found a tub-race his Waterloo." - -There were cheers from the float, and all turned to look. Bill Crawford -and the red-headed boy were now neck and neck. Someone shouted, "Now's -your time to spurt, Bill!" - -Bill spurted. His tub lost its balance; Bill somersaulted backward into -the water. The red-headed boy just managed to avoid Bill's splashing and -paddled along more cautiously than ever, hardly touching the water now, -just directing his course with his fingers and toes. - -Up to the float he came. He grasped the edge, and a moment later the boy -and the tub were on the float, and the race was won. - -"The Tortoise wins!" cried Lanky. "Good old Tortoise! He may be slow, -but he gets there away ahead of the Hare." - -Then came dinner, and then the _Argo_ set sail again. "Now, Benjie," -said David, "you can keep that date you were telling us about. My word, -but you look impatient." - -Ben was impatient. He sat in the bow, keeping a lookout for a certain -sail. - -There were no boats to be seen, however, nearer than a three-masted -schooner that moved like a pasteboard ship along the rim of the horizon. -The _Argo_ appeared to have that part of the off-shore ocean entirely to -herself, and except for the swish of the water against her side there -was no noise to break the quiet of the summer afternoon. - -The island stood out in its shades of green against the brilliant blue -sky. The house was a patch of white as the sailboat drew up to the pier. -The landing made, the four campers went ashore. Ben started up the path -toward the house, and the others, as people are apt to do when someone -leads the way, followed without any definite object in mind. - -Ben had almost reached the front steps when the door of Cotterell Hall -opened. He stopped in surprise; and so did the other three. - -A man in colonial costume, buff-colored coat and breeches, with a -three-cornered hat in his hand, stepped out at the front door. - -The man made a bow and held out his hat in a gesture of welcome. "I give -you a good-day, gentlemen," he said. "What fortunate chance brings you -to Peter Cotterell's door?" - -Tuckerman took it on himself to answer. Returning the bow, he said, "The -good ship _Argo_ has brought four adventurers to your island, worthy -sir. We trust we do not trespass." - -The gentleman in buff stood with his hat at his hip. "You're not from -the town of Barmouth?" he asked. - -"Oh, no," said Tuckerman, and added, "Your island looked so inviting -that we made bold to come ashore." - -"I'm glad you're not from Barmouth," said the gentleman. "I have no -stomach for those folks, rebels against His Britannic Majesty's lawful -government. To visitors such as you my island and my house are always -open. Will you come in and refresh yourselves?" - -"You are very good, Sir Peter," said Tuckerman, with a smile. - -"Why do you call me 'Sir Peter'?" - -"I understood that was your title." - -The gentleman frowned. "I believe that some of the rebels call me that, -because of my loyalty to the King of England. However, it is an -honorable title. I have no objection. Yes," he added, "you may call me -Sir Peter. I like the sound." - -"Well then, Sir Peter," said Tuckerman, "I think we'll accept your -invitation with the greatest pleasure." - -The gentleman on the step stood aside, and the four marched into the -house. Sir Peter indicated a room on the left. They went into the large -drawing-room, and Ben, casting a hasty glance at the secretary, saw that -the paper he had placed on the lid was still there. - -"Be seated," said Sir Peter. He stood for a moment near the portrait on -the wall, and the campers saw how much his face and figure and the cut -of his clothes resembled those of the man in the picture. He caught -their eyes comparing him with the portrait. "Yes, my picture," he said. -"It's considered a rather fair likeness." And he added deprecatingly, -"Of course no one can ever judge a likeness of himself." - -He pulled a bell-rope that hung by the big fireplace. "I can offer you a -glass of negus," he continued. "Something unusual, that I get from the -Barbadoes." - -A moment later a dark-skinned servant--mahogany-hued in fact--came into -the room and received his master's orders. - -"Will any of you take snuff?" asked Sir Peter, when the servant had -withdrawn. He produced a small silver snuff-box from his waistcoat -pocket. - -He passed the snuff-box, but each of his guests declined. Ben, looking -up with a grin, asked, "Does your servant come from the Barbadoes, Sir -Peter?" - -"Why yes, he does." Sir Peter helped himself to a pinch of snuff, then -dusted his coat with a fine cambric handkerchief. "An excellent servant, -too. Indeed, I am much pleased with all my service, from my steward -James Sampson down." - -"James Sampson!" exclaimed Ben, his eyes dancing. "Where have I heard -that name before?" - -At this point the servant reappeared, bearing a lacquered tray on which -were five glasses and a decanter. He set the tray on a table, and as Sir -Peter filled the glasses the servant handed them to the guests. - -The refreshment was delicious. None of the boys had ever tasted anything -like it before, but all of them declared it fine. Sir Peter poured a -second glass all round, and then, when the servant had left again, the -gentleman in buff seated himself in an arm-chair, swung one leg over the -other, and beamed at his new friends. "As you say, the negus is -excellent," he observed, "but several glasses will, to use a somewhat -common expression, begin to make one see things." - -"We're seeing things already," put in David. - -Sir Peter disregarded this remark. He twisted his glass in his fingers. -"As it happens, I'm particularly glad that you arrived here to-day," he -continued. "I have a number of guests here. I am giving an entertainment -this evening. The guests are at present on the upper floors." - -There was a light tap of heels in the hall. Sir Peter looked toward the -door. "Here comes one of them--a lady." He stood up, and the campers did -likewise. "Ah, it's Mistress Penelope Boothby," Sir Peter declared with -a bow. - -A young woman stood in the doorway, a very lovely young woman in a -flowered silk gown. She courtsied down to the floor, then with a light -laugh exclaimed, "Oh la, Peter Cotterell, whom have you here? What odd -costumes the gentlemen wear!" - - - - - XVIII--THE PIRATES ASHORE - - -The gentleman in buff coat and breeches turned from the young woman in -the doorway to the four campers, who as they glanced at their own rough -outing clothes did look like a line of embarrassed schoolboys standing -in front of a teacher. - -"Now that you mention it, Penelope," said Peter Cotterell, "I do note a -difference between the garments of these lads and this gentleman and -those we are accustomed to seeing worn by our neighbors. I understand, -however, that they come from a distance, and one would hardly expect -costumes to be the same in all the colonies. It occurs to me that -possibly my new guests might like to make fresh toilets in one of the -rooms abovestairs. I have a large wardrobe, gentlemen, and it is yours -to choose from." - -"That's a good idea," said Tom. "I wonder if you have anything big -enough to fit my friend David Norton?" - -"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," said Tuckerman. "I'm sure I could -pick out something much better looking than these togs." - -The young woman stepped into the room. Her blue eyes were very merry as -she looked at the awkward row. "I think an apricot coat would suit this -one," she said, nodding at Ben. "Something in puce this one," she -indicated Tom. "Lavender for him," she waved at Tuckerman. "And for the -fourth--let me see--" She squinted her eyes and tilted her head on one -side. - -"A beautiful green," Ben suggested. "The color of seaweed in water." - -Miss Boothby laughed, and David flushed a magnificent scarlet. - -"He certainly oughtn't to wear a red coat," said Peter Cotterell. "He'd -be too much all of one color." - -"I like these things I've got on," said David. "They mayn't be very -good-looking, but they suit me first rate." - -"Oh, I like them, too," agreed Miss Boothby, and her quick smile made -David flush again, this time at the stubbornness of his tone. - -"If you care to look at my wardrobe--" Cotterell resumed. "Ah, here is -James Sampson now." - -At the door appeared a man in chocolate-colored coat and breeches, his -brown hair tied in a queue. - -"My steward," stated Cotterell. - -"So you're Sampson, are you?" asked Ben. "I've heard of you, and I'm -glad to make your acquaintance. I think I've seen some of your -handwriting." - -"He writes a legible hand," said Cotterell. "He keeps some of my -accounts. Sampson, please show my guests to the rooms upstairs. They -desire to change their attire." - -Miss Boothby touched David's arm. "For my sake wear a suit of green," -she whispered. - -David blushed. "Oh, very well," he said awkwardly. "But I guess I'll -look like a frog." - -They followed Sampson into the hall and up the stairs. As they passed -open doors they saw a number of people in gay, colonial clothes. All -through the house there was the hum of voices. - -Sampson conducted them into the attic, where many suits and dresses hung -on pegs along the walls. - -"Here is the wardrobe," he said. "I think you will find everything you -may need. And yonder is a mirror." With a bow he withdrew. - -"Well," exclaimed David, when the servant was out of earshot, "what do -you make of all this?" - -"Sir Peter is certainly much more amiable than I'd been led to suppose," -mused Tuckerman. "There's nothing of the hermit about him." - -"He's a bird!" chuckled Tom. "I'll bet he gives us a mighty fine -supper." - -"I don't blame him a bit for wanting to keep those roughnecks over in -Barmouth from melting up his silver," Ben asserted. - -"See here, you fellows," broke in David, "I want to know what's the -game." - -"Game?" echoed Ben. - -"Game?" said Tom. "What do you mean?" - -"Game?" repeated Tuckerman, and his tone was a trifle indignant. "I -don't call it a game when a gentleman like Sir Peter Cotterell invites -us to his party." - -David sat down on a sofa. "All right, all right. I'm the goat, as usual. -Fetch me a green coat and trousers." - -"I daresay Miss Boothby will dance with you," Tom cheered him. - -"_You_ may like this sort of thing," said David, "but it's not in my -line." - -Ben threw a coat at him. "Take that. Hello, here's a shelf full of wigs. -Want to try a white one, Dave?" - -For the next five minutes they looked about the room, at the coats and -the breeches and waistcoats, at the wigs and the other articles that -made up Sir Peter's wardrobe. - -Then they began to try on the costumes, seeking for the proper sizes. -Ben could find nothing that suited him exactly. And while they were -trying on different coats, there came a sound of singing from -downstairs. - -Ben, holding a coat in each hand, went into the hall and leaned over the -banisters. Men and women were singing a quaint, old-fashioned song in -the dining-room. The tune was fascinating, at times it sounded like a -jig, at times there were different parts for the different voices. Ben -listened, nodding his head in rhythm with the music. "You ought to hear -this," he called over his shoulder to the three in the attic. "It's a -regular musical show." - -The others came out into the hall. Tuckerman beat time on the banister -with a powdered wig he had been trying to squeeze on his head. Tom, -putting his hands on David's shoulders, began to dance to the tune. - -With a grin, Ben turned and went back to the attic. "I'll beat them to -it," he muttered, and flinging down the two coats he was holding he took -a yellow satin coat, embroidered with silver lace, from a peg on the -wall. - -This coat was a fine sample of the tailor's art. But Ben, having taken -it down, stared at the peg from which it had hung, and at the wall -behind it. - -He gave an exclamation, a low whistle of surprise. He knocked on the -wall with his knuckles. He glanced through the open door, and saw that -the others were still occupied with the singing. He backed away from the -wall, still keeping his eyes on it. And then he stumbled over a -footstool and sat down with a bump on the floor. - -He got up and laid the embroidered coat on a chair by the window. He -looked outdoors. And then for the second time in five minutes he uttered -an exclamation. The fishing-smack was standing close inshore on the -eastern side of the island. He could see her moving slowly to the north, -her canvas plainly visible above the tops of the trees. - -"Gee whillikins!" muttered Ben. "I'll bet my scheme worked!" - -Another minute and he was out in the hall. The singing downstairs had -stopped and there was a clapping of hands. - -"Come here!" ordered Ben. - -The other three followed him into the attic, to the window opening to -the east. - -"Is that your fishing-smack, Dave?" Ben demanded. - -David looked. "By Jove, I believe it is!" - -"Do you want to know where she's going?" was Ben's next question. - -"Shoot," said Tom. - -"She's going to the beach where I found the chest in the hiding-place in -the rocks. Her crew are after that chest, I'll bet you a fiver!" - -The three stared at him in surprise. "What makes you so certain?" asked -Tuckerman. - -"Because I know. I have reasons for knowing. They're after that chest. -They think it's the Cotterell treasure, just as I thought it was." - -"You mean they're going to land on our beach and carry off our chest -under our very noses?" demanded Tom. - -"They are unless we stop them," nodded Ben. - -"Then," said David, "I'm going to stop them. Seems to me there was an -old musket somewhere around here." - -There was an old musket in the corner of the attic; there were two, in -fact; and a fowling-piece and a couple of antique duelling-pistols. The -boys and Tuckerman seized on all the firearms, regardless of the rust -that came off on their clothes, and hurried into the hall. - -Down the stairs they went, making a great noise. And the clatter of -their feet was so loud that the gentleman in buff and all his friends -ran out from the dining-room to see what was the matter. - -"Why, it's an army coming!" cried Peter Cotterell in great surprise. - -The four halted in the front hall. - -"What's the meaning of this!" exclaimed Cotterell. "I invited you to -share my wardrobe, not to ransack the house for weapons. Come, will one -of you please explain?" Indignation mingled in his tone with surprise. - -"There's a boat off-shore, and her crew is going to land on the beach at -the northern point and steal your treasure chest," said Ben. - -"My treasure chest! My silver plate!" Cotterell raised his hand, -clenched it into a fist. "Those rascally rebels from Barmouth!" - -"I don't know where they come from," said Ben. "But we're going to chase -them away." - -"Chase them away?" Cotterell spurned the suggestion. "No, sir. We'll -capture them." - -He looked around at his guests. "Gentlemen, what do you say? Would you -like to bag a few robbers?" - -There were shouts of approval. - -"Not so loud, not so loud," said Cotterell. He turned to the boys and -Tuckerman. "Can you spare us a few of those extra musquetoons, or -whatever they are, that you found abovestairs? With those, and the -fencing swords in the living-room, and a few other odds and ends, we -should do quite nicely. I have a pistol myself. I never go without it in -these revolutionary days. Let me see. I left it in the kitchen, in a pot -on the shelf, where it would be out of the way." - -The firearms were handed around, and shortly a group of -fantastically-garbed people stood in front of the house. The campers and -Cotterell and Sampson were to lead the expedition, and some of the -ladies insisted on bringing up the rear. - -They had not gone far, however, when Sampson suggested a new idea to the -others, and after a few minutes' talk Cotterell's steward and two of the -other men left the main party and turned off in the direction of the -creek. - -Through the woods went the expedition, a long line of people following -Ben, who had a musket almost as long as himself stuck over his shoulder, -which necessitated his constantly ducking and dodging to avoid -overhanging branches. - -When they reached the northern edge of the woods they divided into three -bands. One was headed by Ben and David, the second by Tom and Cotterell, -and the third by Tuckerman. Each band was to make its way down to the -beach in front of the rocks by a different path, but not to come out -from the shelter of the bushes in the ravines until its leader was sure -that the crew from the fishing-smack had landed and were looking for the -chest. The ladies were to stay in the woods. To this Miss Penelope -Boothby objected. She said that with the riding-crop she had picked up -in the house she could easily defend herself against a dozen pirates. -Cotterell said, "I'm sure you could, my dear Penelope. But the bright -colors of your gown might give us away. And if we have to crawl through -the brambles, what would happen to your light silk dress?" - -Ben and David, with two men, threaded their way down a ravine to a -network of bushes that fringed the edge of the beach. From here, without -being seen themselves, they could see what was going on. The -fishing-smack had come to anchor a hundred yards off shore, four men had -rowed to the island and were now on the beach. Pointing to one of these -men, David whispered in Ben's ear, "That's my friend Sam. I'd know his -ugly mug anywhere." - -"They're after the chest," Ben returned. "Yes, they've found the right -place. See, one of them's crawling in, with a rope in his hand." - -Three bands of watchers, at three places along the beach, saw the crew -of the smack haul the chest out from the crevice. As soon as they had it -out they threw open the top. And as they all bent over, eager to lay -hands on the Cotterell treasure, a voice hailed them from a clump of -bushes not fifty feet away. - -"Throw up your hands!" cried the voice. "Throw them up quick!" - -The crew stood up. They saw a man in buff coat and breeches facing them, -a pistol in his hand. - -"Up with your hands!" cried another voice from a bush on the other side. - -The crew hesitated a second. One of them glanced over his shoulder. -"They've got us cornered!" he muttered, and stuck his hands up over his -head. - -The three scouting parties marched out on to the beach. The muskets and -firearms were leveled at the four men round the chest. - -"It's a regular army!" exclaimed one of the crew. And putting on as much -of an air of bravado as he could with his hands above his head, he -demanded, "What do you want of us? We're not stealing anything. We found -that chest here." - -"Keep your hands up!" cautioned Cotterell, as he walked forward. "As you -say, you're surrounded by an army. And while your hands are up, I'll ask -some of my friends to see if you have weapons in your pockets." - -The search was quickly made, and each man relieved of a pistol. - -"Now," said Cotterell, "you may ease your muscles. But let me tell you -the first one who tries to get away will be knocked down and -handcuffed." - -"All right. We'll go easy," said the man who was known to David as Sam. -"But I don't know what you're after. We came ashore and saw this box in -that crack in the rocks." - -"It's my box," said Cotterell. "I own everything on this island." - -"Well, take it if it's yours," growled Sam. "We don't want it. I thought -a box on the beach was public property." - -"You think a good many things are public property," Cotterell retorted. -He looked at Ben and David. "Have either of you seen this man anywhere -before?" - -"I have," said David. "He's the fellow who carried me off in that boat -out there." - -"Has anybody here seen any of these other men?" Cotterell asked next. - -Tom spoke up. "I'm pretty sure they're the fellows Lanky Larry and I -followed from the cove to the house called the Gables." - -"And what are they suspected of having done at the Gables?" continued -Cotterell. - -"Of stealing some jewels," said Tom. - -The man in the buff coat nodded. "In other words, they are probably not -very desirable citizens to have at large. I think it's my duty to give -them into custody." - -"Oh, come now," said Sam. "You don't really know anything about us. -There's your chest. You see we haven't taken anything from it. We were -sailing along the coast and we came ashore to have a look at the island. -That's a reasonable thing to do." - -"You haven't any right to arrest us!" exclaimed one of the other men. -"You haven't got a warrant. And who's going to believe what that young -fellow said about seeing us somewhere else?" - -"Perhaps we can supply the authorities with further proof," said -Cotterell with a smile. - -There came a shout from someone on board the fishing-smack, and all -those on the beach looked in that direction. A man was waving a -handkerchief over the side of the boat. - - - - - XIX--THE COTTERELL SILVER PLATE - - -While the campers and Cotterell and his guests had been making prisoners -of the four men on the beach, the steward Sampson and the two others who -had separated from the main party had embarked in a motor-boat that was -moored in the creek and made their way out to the fishing-smack. To the -surprise of the skipper, who was the only man aboard, two men in -fantastic knee-breeches had swung themselves over one side of his boat -while he was idly surveying the northern point of the island from the -other side. He turned to find himself looking at the muzzle of the most -remarkable pistol he had ever seen. Being unarmed himself, he had -immediately put up his hands. Whereupon the two men had smiled, and the -one with the pistol, lowering that ancient weapon, had said, "That's a -good fellow. Is there anyone else aboard?" - -"No," said the skipper, not wanting to have the smack searched. - -"Take a look through his clothes for a weapon," the man with the pistol -said to his companion. - -No weapon was found. The man in the motor-boat came aboard, and two of -the men went into the smack's cabin, while the third guarded the -skipper. - -When the two returned from the cabin some time later, one of them went -to the rail and shouted and waved his handkerchief toward shore. And -presently Cotterell and Tom, David and Ben rowed out in the smack's -boat. - -In the cabin were the hats and cloaks and the other things that Tom and -Lanky had seen in the shack at the cove. Sampson set out at once in the -motor-boat for Barmouth, and before the sun had touched the tops of the -trees the four men on the beach and the skipper were in custody of the -police, charged with having stolen certain valuables from the Gables. - -"Well," said Cotterell, when he and his guests were again on the island, -"my treasure is still secure from the rebels, thanks to you," and he -bowed to the campers. - -"Oh, is your famous dinner-set really in that chest?" asked Miss -Penelope Boothby. She went to the chest and looked at its contents. -"Why, it's only clothes and bric-a-brac! There's no silverware there." - -"No," said Cotterell, smiling. "That is not my silver plate. I keep it -better hid than that." - -"Oh, do let us dine off it to-night," begged Miss Boothby. "I should -dearly love to see it." - -Cotterell looked perplexed. "Why, I should like you to," he answered. -Then he glanced at the sun. "But the party waits. And it was my -intention to dance a minuet on the lawn before my house while it was -daylight. Come, friends, come along with me." - -They went back through the woods. The boys and Tuckerman branched off by -the path to their camp, promising to come to Cotterell Hall in time to -join the party. And, once out of hearing of the others, David turned to -Ben. "You're a cute fellow, Benjie. How'd you ever guess that the men -from the smack would go after that chest?" - -"I don't mind telling you now," said Ben with a grin. "I was pretty sure -that those men were snooping around the house, looking for clues to the -treasure, and so I put a copy of that message on the parchment out on -the lid of the desk, where they couldn't very well fail to see it. Then -I went down on the beach by the cliff when the smack was fairly near -shore, and tried to give them the notion that I was looking for -something. Well, they bit all right. They thought the treasure was -hidden there, just as I thought myself when I first saw Sampson's -message." - -"I'll hand it to you, sonny," said Tom. "You turned the trick! And -that's the crowd that stole the jewels from the Gables, just as I -thought." - -"They stole some of Mr. Fitzhugh's costumes," said Ben. "It seems to me -that the fact that we found those costumes in the cabin shows what -they've been doing." - -They sat on the bank a few minutes, talking over the adventure. Then -Tuckerman stood up. "Well, we're due at Cotterell Hall. Wash your hands -and brush your hair, so you'll look your smartest." - -"Do you suppose we'll have to dance?" asked David, as he ran a comb -through his thatch of hair. - -"I think that one of the ladies has her eye on you," said Tuckerman, -laughing. "However, if you've got a game leg, I'll be glad to take your -place." - -As they reached the house Peter Cotterell came out at the door. Behind -him were Miss Boothby and Sampson. "My wardrobe is still upstairs," the -buff-coated man said genially. "Make what use of it you please." - -This time the campers found costumes quickly. Even Ben, who kept looking -at the row of pegs from which he had taken down the yellow satin coat, -got into that coat and a pair of breeches. There was the sound of a -violin in front of the house, and as they came down the steps they found -the whole party taking places for a dance. - -"I'm afraid we don't know the minuet," said Tuckerman, hesitating. - -"Oh, it's easy enough," said the host. "I'll call off the figures." - -Ben gave Tom a nudge, and pointed out two men who stood at a little -distance with a big camera. "Sir Peter's up to date," he whispered. "I -guess it's the first time anyone ever took moving-pictures on -Cotterell's Island." - -Meantime Miss Boothby had gone up to David and boldly proclaimed that he -was to dance with her. The suit that David had put on in the attic -happened to be green, and when she reminded him that that was the color -she had asked him to wear he turned beet red and stammered something -about "trying to please a lady." - -[Illustration: "My wardrobe is still upstairs. Make what use of it you -please."] - -"We will stand near Mr. Cotterell, and I will show you all the steps," -she said. "I could tell you were very light on your feet the very first -time I saw you." - -"Well, I can pick them up pretty well in a clog or a shuffle," admitted -David. - -"I knew it! I knew it!" exclaimed the delighted Miss Boothby; and -pouncing on David's hand she led him to where Peter Cotterell was -assigning places to the dancers. - -Tom and Ben and Tuckerman all had partners. The violin began to play, -and Cotterell led off the dance. The host was very graceful and so was -the lady he danced with, and they posed and bowed and courtsied -constantly as they went through the stately measures of the minuet. The -others copied their leaders, and after a few minutes' practice contrived -to do it well. Meantime the camera clicked, taking reels of pictures of -the old-fashioned dance. - -There was a final bow and courtesy, a final posing in position. Then -Cotterell raised his hand. "That was beautifully done, my friends," he -said. "Surely my island home has never witnessed a more graceful scene. -I trust you have all gained an excellent appetite for dinner." - -"What a gorgeous sunset!" exclaimed Miss Boothby, looking toward the -water. - -They all moved down in the direction of the pier. As they came in view -of the broad and many-colored bay they saw a sailboat heading for the -landing. Cotterell stopped and again raised his hand. "Can it be that -the people of Barmouth are coming out here again?" he demanded -indignantly. "I'll have nothing to do with them, and they know it! I -will not give them my plate!" - -The sailboat came on. Cotterell, followed by the others, walked out on -the pier. - -"What do you want?" called out the buff-coated man. "This is Cotterell's -Island." - -"We know it is," answered a man in the boat. "Who are you? You look like -Sir Peter." - -"I don't want any rebels from Barmouth landing here," came the reply. - -"There aren't any rebels nowadays. We won the Revolution." - -"You shan't have my silver plate." - -There were laughs from those in the boat. "We don't want it. We've -brought paper plates of our own." - -"Well," said Cotterell, "this is most extraordinary!" He turned to his -guests. "Shall I let them land?" - -"We've got an ice cream freezer aboard," called a girl in the boat. -"Fresh strawberry ice cream." - -"Yes," said Miss Boothby, at Cotterell's elbow, "we'll let them land -with that cargo." - -The sailboat touched the landing-stage, and two men, two women and two -girls got out. "Hello, Benjie," cried Milly Hallett, waving her hand to -the dark-haired boy. "What grand company you've got!" - -The arrivals were Mr. and Mrs. Hallett and Mr. and Mrs. Hooper and Milly -and Sarah. They went up on the pier, where Tom introduced them to Peter -Cotterell. - -Mr. Hallett looked at the company. "I'd no idea, sir," he said, -addressing Cotterell, "that your island was entertaining so many guests -to-day. I wish I'd brought a dozen gallons of strawberry ice cream." - -"You are welcome anyhow, Mr. Hallett," answered Cotterell graciously. "I -think perhaps I can supply any deficiency." He turned to his steward. -"Sampson, will you bring Mr. Hallett's ice cream freezer up to the -Hall?" - -"Oh, no, Sir Peter," protested Mr. Hallett. "We were going to have a -simple picnic supper outdoors." - -The buff-coated gentleman bowed. "Your pardon, sir; but I am the -overlord here. Those whom I allow to land on my island are my guests -during their stay. You must dine at my board." - -Peter Cotterell offered his arm to Mrs. Hallett, and led the way up to -the house. Sampson and Tom brought up the rear, carrying the ice cream -freezer. - -They all went into the large front room. "Dinner in half-an-hour," -announced the host. - -"That reminds me," said Miss Boothby; "since we're all friends here, -aren't you going to offer us dinner from your silver plate?" - -"Really, Penelope," expostulated Cotterell, "you repeat yourself. That's -the second time this afternoon you've mentioned the same idea." - -"It seems only hospitable," pouted Miss Boothby. - -Cotterell looked at the floor. "Well, you see," he began. "You see----" - -The lady interrupted. "I believe you've forgotten where you put it!" - -There was an awkward pause. Cotterell flushed, bit his lip. - -"Well, if he has," piped up Ben, "he's only mislaid it. I think I can -show him where it is." - -Everyone turned to look at the fellow who spoke with such confidence. -John Tuckerman stared, and so did Tom, while David gave a low whistle -and muttered, "It's just like Benjie to do something ridiculous." - -Cotterell smiled. "I am a great hand at mislaying things--it's my -besetting sin. Now I would be very much obliged if you would show me -where I did put that silverware." - -"How funny," said Miss Boothby, "that a total stranger should know. I -understand that he came here for the first time this afternoon." - -"What joke is he going to play on them?" Tuckerman whispered to Tom. "I -can't imagine what he's got in mind." - -"He's putting up a good bluff," Tom whispered back. "He looks very much -in earnest." - -And Ben did look as if his statement had been perfectly reasonable. He -nodded at Cotterell. "You may be a great hand at mislaying things--I -don't know much about that; but I do know that you're a wonder at hiding -them." - -"That's so, I am," agreed the buff-coated man with a pleased chuckle. "I -can hide things so well that very often I don't know where to look for -them myself." - -"Well," said Miss Boothby, "where is the silver? It's almost time for -dinner." - -Ben bowed, imitating the courtly manner of Cotterell. "Ladies and -gentlemen," said he, "if you will be so good as to fall into line behind -me, I will endeavor to answer Miss Boothby's question." - -Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Ben, in his yellow satin coat and -knee-breeches, went into the hall and up the stairs, followed by -Cotterell, Penelope Boothby, Milly and Sarah, Tuckerman, Tom and David, -and a line of men and women. - -He led them into the attic. When they were all in the big room he -pointed to the wall along which ran the row of pegs from one of which he -had taken the coat. - -"Now," he said, "please tell me what you see." - -"A wall," answered Milly promptly, "with some pegs to hang things on." - -"Miss Hallett is certainly right," said Tuckerman. "There may be some -cobwebs, too, up under the ceiling. Do you mean the cobwebs, Ben?" - -"There are lots of more interesting things here," said Sarah, looking -around. "There's that lovely green lacquered temple." - -"Don't joke with the magician, Sally," David admonished her. "He wants -you to look at those pegs." - -"No, that particular wall is the most interesting thing in this attic," -Ben declared stoutly. "I think it's the most interesting thing in the -house." - -They all looked where he pointed, but none of them caught what he was -driving at. - -"Why, Professor Tuckerman," said Ben, "I thought you were a better -observer." - -"Well, I don't see anything but the pegs and some rather dingy -wallpaper," Tuckerman confessed. - -"Ah, now you're talking! You do see the wallpaper, do you?" Ben -continued. - -"Of course," said Tuckerman. "It's the pictured kind, like that in the -rooms downstairs." - -"Oh, no, it's not," exclaimed Ben. "There's not another piece like that -in Cotterell Hall." - -"Is that so?" said Tuckerman. "Well, it represents some sort of outdoor -scene." - -"I think those are meant to be pine trees," Cotterell put in. - -"And that looks like a sunset," Miss Boothby contributed. "Though some -of the red has rubbed off." - -Ben bobbed his head. "And those yellowish things are rocks." He stepped -up to the wallpaper and pointed with his finger. "Three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down." He turned. "Does that convey -anything to you, Professor?" - -"By Jove! You're right! So it does!" Tuckerman exclaimed. "That was the -old saying! The hiding-place is just beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down." - -"Exactly!" said Ben, in a quiet tone of triumph. He rapped on the wall -with his knuckles. "It's wood. Mr. Cotterell, have you any objection to -our taking this part of the wall down?" - -"None in the least," answered Cotterell. "Sampson, will you be so good -as to get some chisels and hammers? I think you'll find them in the -little room to the right of the kitchen." - -While Sampson went on his errand Ben and Tom and Tuckerman fingered that -part of the wall that was bounded by the picture. They found the edges -of two boards, running from floor to ceiling, and when they had peeled -off the paper that concealed these edges they discovered there was a -panel. - -Sampson returned with a couple of chisels and hammers. Wedging the -chisels in between the boards and giving a couple of light blows, he -pried the panel loose. Ben pulled it away. Behind it, under the eaves of -the house, was a compartment. And in the compartment was a big square -box. - -Ben and Tom and Tuckerman pulled the box out into the attic. It was -fastened with a single lock. Hammer and chisel soon knocked the lock -off. Tuckerman raised the lid. "Yes, it's the Cotterell silver plate!" -he cried. "By Jove, we've found it now!" - -They handed the plate around, magnificent old silverware that was worth -a small fortune. And they were still admiring it when a dinner gong -sounded downstairs. - - - - - XX--SIR PETER'S PARTY - - -When none of his guests could eat any more of the delicious ice cream -that topped off a wonderful dinner, the buff-coated gentleman rose from -his chair at the head of the table. They had dined from the famous -Cotterell silver service, and the candles that now illuminated the -shining mahogany table were fastened in exquisite candlesticks that had -been in the treasure chest. - -The buff-coated gentleman raised a glass that stood beside his plate. -"My friends," he said, "our guests from Barmouth tell us that the -Revolution is over; so there would be no object in keeping the Cotterell -treasure hidden any longer. But it was well hidden. So well hidden -indeed that it required a genius like Benjamin Sully to find out where -it was. I propose a toast to that master detective, Benjamin Sully." - -All, except Ben, lifted their glasses and drank, nodding at the -dark-haired boy. - -Then Ben stood up. "I propose a toast to Sir Peter," he said, "who -surely does know how to give people a good time." - -That toast was drunk also. Then Tuckerman got to his feet. "Sir Peter, I -am proud of you," he said. "I don't believe a more delightful party was -ever given in Cotterell Hall." - -The man at the head of the table smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that, -John Tuckerman," he responded. "For, in a way, I felt that to-night I'd -been usurping a place that was rightfully yours. For, of course, this is -your house, and this is your silver plate." - -"Then who are you?" piped up Sarah Hooper from the foot of the table. - -"I think he's Roderick Fitzhugh," said Tom, who sat beside Sarah. - -"I think he's Mr. Joseph Hastings," volunteered Ben. - -The buff-coated gentleman nodded, "You are both right. Joseph Hastings, -Roderick Fitzhugh, and Peter Cotterell. I'm quite a versatile fellow. -I've a passion for acting, to tell the truth." - -"I thought you were Joseph Hastings," said Ben, "when I met you at the -Gables." - -"Yes, that's my right name. But Roderick Fitzhugh sounded so much more -romantic. And I'd invited a houseful of guests to help me act a play I'd -written for the moving-pictures. We all took the names we were to have -in the play." He pointed to Penelope Boothby. "She was the fair Maid -Rosalind. And my steward Sampson yonder was Sir Marmaduke Midchester. -And we liked our costumes so much that we wore them most of the time. -That's how I happened to be in Lincoln green when Master Ben drove up." - -"And it was the snuff-box you bought in Barmouth that I found in the -chest in the cliff," asserted Ben. "How did it happen to come there?" - -Joseph Hastings pushed his chair back from the table and crossed his -legs. "That's quite a long story. But I suppose you'd like to hear it. I -have a friend who knows John Tuckerman very well, and he wrote me that -Tuckerman had come here to take possession of this island and its house. -That sounded very interesting. So I came over here in my motor-boat with -Martin Locke--that's Sir Marmaduke, alias Sampson, and Miss Adelaide -Lawson--that's Penelope Boothby--it was a day or two before you campers -arrived--and we found we could open one of the drawing-room windows and -get into the house that way. Then we discovered the note stuck in the -picture frame, and so we learned there was a secret about a family -treasure." - -"And you left the window open a little when you went out," put in Tom. -"That's how it happened that Ben's candle blew out." - -"Did we?" said Hastings. "I didn't know we did that. But we found some -wax and took an impression of the key-hole in the front door, and I had -a key made to fit it in Barmouth. I thought we'd have some fun with John -Tuckerman and his friends." - -"You did, all right," said Tuckerman. "I'll forgive you for making that -key. I suppose that's what those men from the fishing-smack did when -they broke in here." - -"I'm sorry if I set a bad example," Hastings answered. "But they didn't -learn the trick from us. Well, a day or two later we three came back -again." - -"You landed from the creek?" Ben asked. - -"Yes; we didn't want you to see us, and the creek was on the other side -of the island from your camp." - -"And one of you took off his shoes before he landed?" Ben questioned -again. - -"Yes, Martin did. He carried Miss Lawson ashore." Hastings laughed. "You -saw his footprints, didn't you? We thought you might find them, so we -came back later and rubbed them out." - -"Gigantic footprints," murmured David. - -They all laughed, while Martin Locke blushed red. - -"Yes, they are pretty big," Hastings continued. "Well, when we came that -time we found the notebooks in the drawing-room. Miss Lawson glanced -through them, and read that part about a mahogany man with long, skinny -legs and the clipper ship. We got an old piece of parchment and some -purplish ink and we wrote out that message and signed it James Sampson. -Then we cut it in two and put one-half in the secret drawer of the -secretary and the other half in the model of a ship in the attic. We -wanted to find out just how clever you were. We thought you might take -the desk to be the mahogany man." - -"We got the idea of that from something Sally Hooper said," Ben put in. -"And the secretary certainly has long, skinny legs and is made of -mahogany. Still, we mightn't have connected it with Sir Peter's mahogany -man, if it hadn't been for Sally." - -"Well, if you hadn't," Hastings continued, "we'd have thought up some -other way to have you find that message on the parchment. We were very -proud of that little scheme. Martin wrote the letters with his left -hand, so they'd look as if Sir Peter's servant might have done them, and -he put water into the ink, so as to give it a nice, antique, faded -appearance. We wanted you to have the fun of finding some sort of a -treasure, you see." - -"And didn't you take a look around for the real treasure mentioned in -the note in the picture frame?" Tuckerman asked. - -"Well, we did take a squint," Hastings acknowledged. "But we didn't -think it likely we'd find that, if none of the Cotterells had been able -to do it. We thought more about having some fun with you campers." He -looked at the three boys. "And we did give you a good time, didn't -we?--particularly Ben?" - -"Yes, you did," nodded Ben. "I was pretty well excited when I found that -second piece of parchment in the hold of the ship." - -"When we'd fixed up the message," Hastings resumed, "the next thing was -to provide the treasure. Of course we'd already made a note of that -crevice in the cliffs with the mark like a cross. I had an old chest at -the Gables, and we filled it with some old costumes I had on hand, and -then one day when I was in Barmouth I picked up some odds and ends from -a dealer in antiques there, a fellow by the name of Haskins." - -"And that's where the silver snuff-box comes in," said Ben. - -"Yes, that's where it comes in," Hastings admitted. "Though I must say -that I was surprised when you drove up to the Gables that day and wanted -to know if Joseph Hastings had anything to do with that snuff-box you'd -found on the island. I didn't tell the dealer my name." - -"No, he didn't know your name," said Ben. "I asked him that. You see, as -soon as I saw what was in the chest I had a suspicion that someone was -playing a game on us. Those things weren't the Cotterell treasure; and -why should anyone take so much trouble to hide such things on the -island? Then I knew there had been people here, the footprints by the -creek, the handkerchief in the kitchen----" - -"What's that about a handkerchief?" interrupted Martin Locke. - -"The Professor found a handkerchief on the table in the kitchen," Ben -explained. "A lady's handkerchief, with the initials A. S. L." - -"So that's where I left it!" exclaimed Miss Lawson. "Those are my -initials--Adelaide Sanderson Lawson." - -"Yes, there was the handkerchief and there were the footprints," Ben -continued. "That showed we weren't the only people who had been to the -island. And so, when we went to Barmouth, I took the snuffbox along, and -dropped in on Mr. Haskins. He knew the snuff-box at once, and told me -that the man who had bought it from him, and some other things too, had -come in a big red car with a silver eagle on the radiator cap, and that -the car had a Massachusetts license and the man was wearing -green-checked knickerbockers. He didn't know the man's name." - -"I guess those green checks are rather conspicuous," murmured Hastings. -"But how did you connect the purchaser with me?" - -"Through the clerk at the hotel where you stopped for dinner, and the -man you bought a new tire from," Ben answered, and he told how he had -found his way to the Gables. - -"Pretty clever," laughed Hastings. "But instead of finding out why I'd -put those things in the chest you went hooked-rug hunting with me." - -"Well," said Ben, "when we came back to your house I thought you must be -Joseph Hastings, but I didn't get any good opening to follow up the -clue. And then there was all that excitement over the robbers. But when -I saw you doing those moving-pictures I sized you up as a person who'd -like to play a game of some sort on us." - -"I don't know whether that's a knock at me or not," said Hastings. "But -I do like to play games. And that's why, when I learned that you'd found -the chest, I thought it would be good fun to come over here as Sir Peter -Cotterell, dress my guests in Revolutionary costumes, and take some -moving-pictures on the island. Martin and I came over to see about it; -that was the afternoon when you invited us to stay to supper and Martin -sang his song." - -"It was a splendid idea," said Tuckerman, "and you did it up brown." - -"Thank you." Hastings bowed. "Such words from a descendant of Sir Peter -are a compliment indeed. We learned that you were going over to the -water sports at Camp Amoussock this morning, so we thought we'd have a -clear field. We brought a flotilla of boats--they're moored in the creek -now--and a good supply of costumes, and cooks and food and the -moving-picture camera. I had one of my men make up like a servant from -the Barbadoes, stain his face and hands with mahogany juice; he's the -one who brought us the negus; though it isn't really negus--it's -loganberry juice and soda-water--and I got Martin Locke to play the part -of Sampson." Hastings looked at Locke and laughed. "Though I don't think -Martin could possibly have carried that treasure chest all the way from -here to the north shore." - -"You certainly do things up thoroughly," said Mr. Hallett. - -"But what made the party a real success," said Hastings, "was what our -friend Ben Sully did. First, the capture of the thieves, and second, the -finding of the real Cotterell treasure. That's a pretty fine showing for -one day, Ben." - -"It was just luck I found that chest in the attic," Ben answered. "I -thought all along that the pines and the rocks mentioned in that -notebook were actual outdoor pines and rocks, just as I suppose -everybody's thought who's hunted for the treasure. I've been up in the -attic a lot of times, and never particularly noticed the wallpaper--it's -pretty much faded and blurred, as you saw; but when I was taking this -coat off one of the pegs this afternoon, I did happen to notice that -there was a yellowish sun and some pines and rocks in the design on the -wall. Then the idea struck me all at once. Mightn't that be the place -the words in the notebook meant? And the more I looked at that wallpaper -the more I felt certain of it. I suppose Sir Peter told someone jokingly -one day that the treasure was hidden beyond the three pines that stand -between two rocks where the sun goes down, and that fooled the people -who've looked for it ever since. He surely did like his joke." - -"Why didn't you tell us about it as soon as you hit on that great idea, -Benjie?" It was Tom who asked the question. - -"Why, then I saw the fishing-smack, and wanted to go after the thieves." - -"But afterwards?" said Tom. "Don't tell me you'd forgotten about it when -we stopped at the camp." - -Ben looked a trifle embarrassed. "Why, the fact is," he replied, "I -thought I'd like to spring it at a dramatic moment. I had an idea that -Miss Boothby would ask Sir Peter again to show us the Cotterell silver -plate--she wanted to tease him about it--and when she had him up a tree -would be the right time for me to speak out and tell what I'd -discovered." - -"That's one on you, Adelaide," laughed Joseph Hastings. "Ben saw how you -love to ask awkward questions. And he likes dramatic things as much as I -do. He sprung it at just the right moment." - -Tuckerman stood up and walked to the door that opened into the hall. -From there he looked down the length of the room, at the table gleaming -with silver, at the many candles, at the gaily-clad company. "Yes," he -said, "I think this is worthy of Sir Peter. I'm glad that Cotterell Hall -has held high festival once more." - -"Sir Peter was a dear," said Miss Lawson. "I've liked him ever since I -saw that picture of him in the drawing-room. And it's a wonderful house, -Mr. Tuckerman. What are you going to do with it? Are you going to live -here?" - -"I can't very well," Tuckerman answered, with a shake of his head. "My -home's in the middle West. I'm not like my Uncle Christopher and his -ancestors; I can't live on an island in solitary grandeur. I'm too fond -of people." - -"Why don't you turn it into a show-place?" suggested Milly Hallett. -"That's getting to be quite the fashionable thing to do with colonial -houses." - -"We've talked about that," said Tuckerman. His eyes roved over the fine -room; and after a minute he shook his head. "Cotterell Hall a museum? -No, I couldn't do that. But I'll tell you what I would like to do. I'd -like to come here every summer, and have Tom and Ben and David camp out -with me, and have Joseph Hastings bring his house-parties over here and -spend a week as my guests." - -There were cheers from all the company, the rafters rang with the noise -as each and every one shouted his or her acceptance. Hastings jumped to -his feet. - -"In the name of us all I accept your invitation. We will come, and dance -in your drawing-room and dine from your table, as they did in Sir -Peter's day. And now, friends and fellow-citizens, I propose three -cheers--three long and rousing cheers--for John Tuckerman!" - -The cheers were given--long and rousing enough to suit even Joseph -Hastings. - -Then the buff-coated man waved his hand. "As your host for the evening, -I invite you to go to the drawing-room and dance something a little more -modern than the minuet. Miss Sarah Hooper, will you do me the honor?" - -Sarah and Mr. Hastings led the way across the hall to the front room, -where the rugs had been removed from the polished floor. The music was a -piano and violin. And everybody danced, even David, who contrived to jig -about not too awkwardly with Milly Hallett. - -Then there were songs. Martin Locke sang the ballad he had written, and -Tuckerman sang, and Miss Lawson sang several times. Presently Hastings -glanced at the clock. "I don't like to mention it," said he, "but it's -almost midnight. To the boats, to the boats, and away!" - -They all trooped out to the creek, where the flotilla was moored. Ladies -in silks and satins and beruffled gentlemen embarked. With cheers from -the shore, Joseph Hastings' fleet steered down the inlet and turned -south. - -Then the sailboat from Barmouth, with the Halletts and Hoopers, flitted -away from the landing-stage on the other side of the island. The boys -and Tuckerman went along the shore to their camp. - -"Great doings!" said Tom. "But how are we ever going to keep Benjie busy -now that the treasure is found?" - -"Don't you worry about me," Ben retorted. "I've got plenty to do. The -sea is still full of fish." - -"He's after a mahogany fish with long, skinny legs," said David. - -"What I want to know," said Ben, "is whether there ever was a real -mahogany man." - -"I think there was," said Tuckerman. "But he sailed away in the clipper -ship. He probably went to the Barbadoes." - -Tom gave a great yawn. "Well," he said, "Ben can sit up and talk about -him as long as he likes; but for me--I'm going to bed. It's been what -I'd call a full day." - - - - - XXI--THE BOYS AND JOHN TUCKERMAN - - -Tuckerman pulled himself up on to the rock where Tom and David and Ben -were sitting in the sun. The quiet of early morning was on the water; a -few terns were fishing for their breakfast; there was the distant -chug-chug of a lobsterman's motor-boat somewhere to the south; but -otherwise the campers had the shore and the bay to themselves. Tuckerman -sat down, sticking his long legs out in front of him. "I may not be a -duck," he said, "but I'm certainly getting web-feet. I feel almost as -much at home in the water as on dry land." - -"You're a good swimmer," said Tom. "In fact, you're an all-around sport. -I don't believe any of the Cotterells knew a quarter as much about the -water as you do." - -"I can't picture Sir Peter sunning himself on this rock after a morning -swim," said David. - -"Customs change with the times." Tuckerman slapped his wet knees. "But I -can tell you I'm glad I came on East this summer and learned to be a -real man." - -"So am I," said Ben. "No, I didn't mean it that way. Of course you were -a real man before. What I mean is that the camp on your island has been -a great success. It's taught me a lot." - -"Benjie, are you really going to be a professional detective?" David -inquired. "Seems to me I heard someone say that you were thinking of -it." - -"One mistake I made at first," Ben remarked solemnly, "was in thinking -that the men who put that chest in the rocks and those that Tom saw -leaving the island in the sailboat were the same people. I thought there -was only one set of men prowling around here, when there were really -two." - -Tuckerman smiled. "I don't wonder you got them mixed. Well, I'm glad -Joseph Hastings' guests got their jewels back from those thieves." - -"You see," Ben continued, following his own line of thought, "the -thieves came out here on the night when Tom saw them in a sailboat, and -not in the fishing-smack. And I think it must have been that same -sailboat we saw close to the island the night when we returned from Camp -Amoussock in the _Argo_." He pried loose a sliver of rock and threw it -into the water. "Naturally, I didn't connect that sailboat with the -fishing-smack." - -"You're forgiven," said Tom. "Don't let that weigh on your conscience." - -"I'm not sure," suggested David, "but that we ought to call Benjie the -Professor and call Mr. Tuckerman, John. Benjie's getting to be a real -professor. Just listen to the way he talks." - -"Ever since he found the treasure----" began Tom. - -"Oh, let up on a fellow, can't you?" Ben interrupted. "I haven't -mentioned the treasure to-day." - -David gave a chuckle. "You haven't been out of bed an hour yet. And that -puts me in mind of something important. Breakfast is waiting on the -beach." - -Four splashes of water as the campers dove from the rock. Tuckerman -could manage a very passable dive now. A swim across to the beach, a -rub-down, a quick donning of clothes, and then preparations for -breakfast. "I've never known coffee to taste so good as it does on -Cotterell's Island," said Tuckerman, draining his cup. - -Tom looked up at the man with the horn-rimmed spectacles. "Have you ever -known anything to taste so good as it does on Cotterell's Island?" he -asked with a twinkle in his eye. - -"No, now I come to think of it, I don't believe I ever have. It's a -wonderful place." - -"Wonderful cooking, you mean," put in David. - -"Wonderful fish," said Ben. - -"Just listen to them," expostulated Tom. "Each taking the credit to -himself. When the fact of the matter is that it's all due to me. You'd -never have come out here, Professor, would you, if I hadn't agreed to -come along?" - -"Picture me alone here!" said Tuckerman. "No, I didn't believe I should. -Alone on a deserted island. It sounds all right in stories; but for -practical purposes give me three companions. Boys, when I go back to my -middle-western city I'll think a great deal about this summer on the -coast." - -"It is pretty good here," David admitted, looking across the water to -where a white sail was peeping around a point of land. "And in winter -there's fine skating." - -"And wonderful coasting," said Ben. "There's a hill back of Barmouth -where you can coast for a mile." - -"And skiing," Tom added. "You ought to be good at that, Professor, -you've got such long legs." - -Tuckerman put his hands to his ears. "Hold on, hold on!" he exclaimed. -"You overwhelm me. Do you want to make me desert my home and business, -and do nothing but play?" - -The three boys laughed. "We don't play all the time by any means," said -Ben. - -"Not a bit of it," said David. "Sometimes we wash the dishes." And -taking Ben by the collar of his flannel shirt he lifted him to his feet. -"Benjie'll show you how we do it." - -When they had cleaned the dishes they walked over to Cotterell Hall. -Tuckerman opened the front door, which was unlocked. "While I was so -very particular about the key," he chuckled, "both Joseph Hastings and -the crew of the fishing-smack were coming in whenever they wanted. They -made their own keys to fit the locks. Well, I ought to have been more -hospitable." - -A week had passed since the famous party, and in that week the police of -Barmouth had found the jewels that were stolen from the Gables, and also -duplicate keys to the front and back doors of Cotterell Hall, hidden in -the cabin of the fishing-smack. On the strength of that, and of the -testimony of Tom and David and Lanky Larry as to what they had seen on -the afternoon when they were at the cove, Sam and the other men had been -held in jail for the next term of court. - -"There's one thing," said Ben, as the four went into the big room on the -left of the hall, "that still puzzles me a bit. Why did Christopher -Cotterell write those lines in his notebook? 'Find the mahogany-hued man -with the long, skinny legs and look in his breast pocket. That's a -saying my father handed down. What can it mean?'" Ben looked at the -others. "What do you suppose the mahogany man did have in his pocket?" - -"I'm sure I don't know," said Tuckerman. "He certainly didn't have Sir -Peter's silver plate. That may be one of those legends, Ben, that get -changed from their original meaning as they are handed down from one to -another." - -"I suppose that may be it," agreed Ben, though he did not look -altogether satisfied. - -"Every colonial house," Tuckerman continued, "ought to have some legend -to make it interesting. The mahogany man can be the legend of Cotterell -Hall." - -Tuckerman looked at the portrait of his ancestor. "We've found what you -meant by the place of the three pines and the two rocks where the sun -goes down," he said; "but we haven't found what it was that the mahogany -man had in his breast pocket. So you've still provided a conundrum for -Ben to puzzle over. Sir Peter, I don't believe you'd have any objection -to our having found the plate. I think that to-day you'd be as good an -American as any of the rest of us." - -"Of course he would," said Tom, "I can understand how he'd have objected -to his neighbors telling him to hand over his silver to them. I'd have -objected myself." - -Tuckerman turned to the three boys. "You approve of Sir Peter, don't -you?" he asked. "Even if he was a Tory?" - -"I do," said Ben promptly. - -"I do," said Tom. - -"I think he was a corker, Professor," said David. "I wish he'd been in -my family." - -"And that's the opinion of three boys of good old Barmouth families," -said Tuckerman with a pleased smile. "Well, boys, you're to feel free to -camp on Sir Peter's island and use his house any time you want." - -"Now," said Tom, "the next thing is to get the Professor to sail us -around to the north shore, so we can get Mr. Hastings' chest and bring -it back to the house. We don't want to leave any tempting bait for other -prowlers to find." - -They went aboard the _Argo_, and Tuckerman took the helm. He was now a -proficient skipper, and he gloried in it, as he gloried in all the new -accomplishments he had acquired in the past month. - -The chest was brought to Cotterell Hall, and again the _Argo_ set sail. -This time the three boys fished, while Tuckerman handled the boat. -Flounders were biting in plenty, and soon they had enough for dinner. -Ben pulled in his line. "We'd better leave some for another day," he -suggested. - -"The wind's just right for a southerly run," said Tom. - -"Aye, aye, Captain," said Tuckerman, and brought the bow about. - -South they sailed, past the flag at Camp Amoussock, past the cove with -the shacks on each side, past Joseph Hastings' private dock, almost down -to Gosport before Tuckerman came about. - -North to the island and dinner. And as they sat on the bank afterwards -and Tuckerman smoked his pipe, he said, "Well, to-morrow I must start -back to the city. But I tell you, I've learned more since I've camped -out in Barmouth Harbor than I ever learned in college." - -"If you stayed here much longer," said David, "you'd be almost as -learned as Benjie." - -"I don't know about that," Tuckerman answered. "I'm not as keen-witted -as he is. I'm more lazy, like you, Dave." - -David grinned. "Well, it takes something really important to make me -move around. I wouldn't go trailing a snuff-box all over the country." - -"It takes Lanky Larry's pitching," said Tom. "Dave has to get mad before -he does his best work." - -"I wasn't mad. I was cool as a cucumber," David responded. "I have a -nice friendly nature." - -"If it hadn't been for my following the snuffbox," Ben spoke up, "Joseph -Hastings wouldn't have come out here and given his party; and if he -hadn't given his party and told us to get our costumes up in the attic, -I wouldn't have noticed that wallpaper; and if I hadn't noticed the -wallpaper we'd never have found the treasure. Q. E. D." - -"There!" exclaimed David, "Ben's off again! No, Professor, I was wrong; -you couldn't possibly be as learned as he is; nobody could." - -"I've half a mind to duck you for that," said Ben. - -"Come on!" retorted David, pretending to roll up his sleeves. - -"Only it's too soon after dinner," answered the dark-haired boy. "I'll -overlook it this once; but don't you do it again." - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Peter Cotterell's Treasure, by -Rupert Sargent Holland - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PETER COTTERELL'S TREASURE *** - -***** This file should be named 43670.txt or 43670.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/6/7/43670/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -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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