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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..93c4743 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61486 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61486) diff --git a/old/61486-h.zip b/old/61486-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ac583f4..0000000 --- a/old/61486-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/61486-h/61486-h.htm b/old/61486-h/61486-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 15a2d6c..0000000 --- a/old/61486-h/61486-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9215 +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= us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of the Steel Horse, by Harry Castlemon. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.small { - font-size: small} - -.medium { - font-size: medium} - -.large { - font-size: large} - -.x-large { - font-size: x-large} - - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; /*font-weight: bold;*/ } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } -.ph5 { font-size: small; margin: 1.12em auto; text-align: center;} -.ph6 { font-size: x-small; margin: 1.12em auto; text-align: center; } -.hang { - text-indent: -2em; - padding-left: 2em} - -p.drop:first-letter { - font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; - font-size: xx-large; - line-height: 70%} - -.uppercase { - font-size: small; - text-transform: uppercase} - - - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%} -hr.full {width: 95%;} - -hr.r5 {width: 5%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;} -hr.r65 {width: 65%; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em;} - - - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - - .tdl {text-align: left;} - .tdr {text-align: right;} - .tdc {text-align: center;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - - - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - - -.bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} - -.bl {border-left: solid 2px;} - -.bt {border-top: solid 2px;} - -.br {border-right: solid 2px;} - -.bbox {border: solid 2px;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.u {text-decoration: underline;} - - - - - -.caption {text-align: center; -font-size: smaller;} - - - - - - - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - - - - - - - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -@media handheld { - .hidehand {display: none; visibility: hidden;} -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Steel Horse, by Harry Castlemon - -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: The Steel Horse - The Rambles of a Bicycle - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: February 22, 2020 [EBook #61486] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STEEL HORSE *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Graeme Mackreth and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"><span class="smcap">Boy Saved by the Light-ship's Men.</span></p> - - - - - -<p class="ph1">THE STEEL HORSE</p> - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;">OR</p> - -<p class="ph3" style="margin-top: 5em;">THE RAMBLES OF A BICYCLE</p> - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;">BY</p> - -<p class="ph4">HARRY CASTLEMON</p> - -<p class="ph5">AUTHOR OF "GUNBOAT SERIES," "ROUGHING IT SERIES," -"ROD AND GUN SERIES," ETC.</p> - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 10em;">PHILADELPHIA</p> -<p class="ph4">HENRY T. COATES & CO.</p> - - - - - - - - - - -<p class="ph2">CONTENTS.</p> - - - - -<table summary="toc" width="55%"> -<tr><td align="right">CHAPTER</td><td></td> <td align="right">PAGE</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">In Which I make my Bow</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">The Strange Wheelman</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">A Case of Mistaken Identity</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Rowe Shelly, the Runaway</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Roy in Trouble</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_98">98</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Another Surprise for Roy</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Some Startling News</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">On Board the White Squall</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">A Swim in Rough Water</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">The Boy who Wouldn't be Pumped</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">On the Road Again</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Joe's Wild Ride</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_266">266</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Going into a Hot Place</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Arthur's Ready Rifle</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_311">311</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Mr. Holmes's Warning</span>,</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Two Narrow Escapes</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_355">355</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">An Unexpected Meeting</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_375">375</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII.</a></td> <td><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span>,</td> <td align="right"><a href="#Page_399">399</a></td></tr> -</table> - - - - - - - - - -<p class="ph2" style="margin-top: 10em;">THE STEEL HORSE;</p> -<p class="ph5">OR,</p> -<p class="ph4">THE RAMBLES OF A BICYCLE.</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></p> - -<p class="center">IN WHICH I MAKE MY BOW.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"S<span class="uppercase">cotland's</span> a-burning! Look out, fellows! Put on the brakes, or you -will be right on top of it the first thing you know."</p> - -<p>"On top of what?"</p> - -<p>"Why, can't you see? If it hadn't been for my lamp I should have taken -the worst header anybody ever heard of. How some fellows can run around -on their wheels after dark without a light, and take the chances of -breaking their necks, beats my time, I wouldn't do it for any money."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Great Scott! How do you suppose that pile of things came on the track?"</p> - -<p>"It isn't a pile of things. It is a big rock which has rolled down from -the bank above, and we have discovered it in time to prevent a terrible -railroad disaster."</p> - -<p>"The rains loosened it, probably."</p> - -<p>"Well, what are we standing here for? Let's take hold, all hands, and -roll it off before the train comes along."</p> - -<p>"We can't roll it off. It's half as big as Rube Royall's cabin. It -seems strange to me that it stopped so squarely in the middle of the -track. I should think it ought to have gathered headway enough during -its descent to roll clear across the road-bed, and down into the gulf -on the other side."</p> - -<p>The speakers were your old friends Joe Wayring and his two chums, Roy -Sheldon and Arthur Hastings; and I am one of the Expert Columbians who -were introduced to your notice in the concluding chapters of the second -volume of this series of books. I have been urged by my companions to -describe the interesting and exciting incidents that happened during<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> -our vacation run from one end of the State to the other and back again, -on which we set out just a week ago to-day. I have begun the task with -many misgivings. This is my first appearance as a story-teller; but -then my friends, Old Durability and the Canvas Canoe, labored under the -same disadvantage. When I am through it will be for you to decide which -one of us has interested you the most.</p> - -<p>You will remember that when the Canvas Canoe's adventures were ended -for the season and he was "laid up in ordinary" (by which I mean the -recess in Joe Wayring's room), it was midwinter. The ponds and lakes -were frozen over, and the hills surrounding the little village of Mount -Airy were covered with snow. The canoe had just been hauled up from the -bottom of Indian River, where he had lain for four long, dismal months, -wondering what was to become of him and the six thousand dollars he -had carried down with him when he was "Snagged and Sunk" by the big -tree that was carried out of Sherwin's Pond by the high water. You know -that Roy Sheldon discovered him with the aid of his "water-scope,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> -that Joe got his canoe back (a little the worse for his captivity, it -must be confessed, for there was a gaping wound in his side), and that -the money quickly found its way into the hands of the officers of the -Irvington bank, from whom it had been stolen by the two sneak-thieves -who were finally captured by Mr. Swan and his party.</p> - -<p>Before this happened Matt Coyle's wife and boys had been shut up in the -New London jail to await their trial, which was to come off as soon as -Matt himself had been arrested. The truth of the matter was, the Indian -Lake guides were so incensed at Matt for his daring and persistent -efforts to break up their business and to ruin the two hotels at the -lake, that they threatened to make short work of him and all his -worthless tribe; and as the guides were men who never said a thing -of this sort unless they meant it, the authorities were of opinion -that the old woman and the boys would be safer in the New London -lock-up than they would be if confined in the tumble-down calaboose at -Irvington. But now it appeared that Matt Coyle could not be arrested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> -and brought to trial, for the good and sufficient reason that he was -dead. He was drowned when the canvas canoe was snagged and sunk.</p> - -<p>Joe Wayring and his chums declared, from the first, that if the -squatter had attempted to run out of the river into Sherwin's Pond -during the freshet that prevailed at the time of his flight, he had -surely come to grief. If three strong boys, who were expert with the -oars, could not pull a light skiff against the current that ran out -of the pond, how could Matt Coyle hope to stem it in a heavily-loaded -canoe and with a single paddle? If he had been foolish enough to try -it, he would never be heard of again until his body was picked up -somewhere in the neighborhood of the State hatchery. The finding of -the canoe and his valuable cargo at the bottom of the river led others -to Joe's way of thinking, and it was finally conceded on all hands -that the squatter would never again rob unguarded camps, or renew his -attempts to "break up the business of guiding." Nothing remained, then, -but to remove his wife and boys to Irvington and hold them for trial -at the next term of the circuit court. The grand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> jury first took the -matter in hand, and Joe Wayring and his chums, much to their disgust, -were summoned to appear before it as witnesses.</p> - -<p>When Tom Bigden and his cousins, Loren and Ralph Farnsworth, heard of -that, they shook in their boots. And well they might; for, as you know, -Tom was accessory to some of Matt's violations of the law. More than -that, rumor said that the old woman had told all she knew, and that she -had even gone so far as to assure the officers of the Irvington Bank -that she and her family would not have been half so bad as they were, -if one Tom Bigden had not advised and urged them to commit crime.</p> - -<p>"It's all over with me, boys," groaned Tom, when one of his -school-fellows incidentally remarked in his hearing that he had seen -Joe Wayring and his two friends take the train for Irvington that -morning to testify before the grand jury. "You know Joe is jealous of -me and that he will do anything he can to injure me."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Ralph, plunging his hands deep into his pockets and -looking thoughtfully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> at the ground, "what would <i>you</i> do to a fellow -who was the means of having you tied to a tree with a fair prospect of -a good beating with hickory switches on your bare back? Would you be -friendly to him or feel like shielding him from punishment?"</p> - -<p>"But I didn't tell Matt to tie Joe Wayring to a tree and thrash him," -retorted Tom. "I never thought of such a thing."</p> - -<p>"I didn't say you did," replied Ralph. "I said you were the cause of -it, and so you were; for you told Matt that you had seen the valises -that contained the six thousand stolen dollars in Joe's camp-basket."</p> - -<p>"Matt was a fool to believe it," said Loren. "One little camp-basket -wouldn't hold both those gripsacks."</p> - -<p>"That doesn't alter the facts of the case," answered Ralph. "Matt did -believe the story, ridiculous as it was, and Tom's fate is in the hands -of a boy whom we have abused and bothered in all possible ways ever -since we have been here."</p> - -<p>"And we didn't have the slightest reason or excuse for it," added -Loren.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p> - -<p>"So you're going back on me, are you?" exclaimed Tom.</p> - -<p>"Not at all. We are simply telling you the truth."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps Joe doesn't know that Tom put it into Matt's head to follow -him and his friends to No-Man's Pond," suggested Loren. "I haven't -heard a word said about it."</p> - -<p>"Neither have I; but that's no proof that Joe doesn't know all about -it," answered Ralph.</p> - -<p>"Who do you think told him?" asked Tom. "It couldn't have been Matt -Coyle, for I told him particularly not to mention my name in Joe's -hearing, or drop a hint that would lead him to suspect that Matt had -seen me in the Indian Lake country."</p> - -<p>"The squatter didn't care <i>that</i> for your injunctions of secrecy," said -Ralph, snapping his fingers in the air. "What he said to you during -those interviews you held with him ought to convince you that he would -just as soon get you into trouble as anybody else. Being a social -outcast, Matt believes in mak<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>ing war upon every one who is higher up -in the world than he is."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Tom, with a sigh of resignation, "if Joe knows as much as -you think he does, my chances of getting out of the scrapes I've got -into are few and far between. He'll tell everything, and be glad of the -chance. I wish from the bottom of my heart that we had never seen or -heard of Mount Airy."</p> - -<p>"Joe Wayring will tell nothing unless it is forced out of him," said -Ralph stoutly; and for the first time in his life Tom did not scowl -and double up his fists as he had been in the habit of doing whenever -either of his cousins said anything in praise of the boy he hated -without a cause. If Joe was as honorable as Ralph seem to think he was, -Tom thought he saw a chance to escape punishment for his wrong-doing. -"He'll not commit perjury nor even stretch the truth to screen you," -continued Ralph, as if he read the thoughts that were passing in Tom's -mind. "But he'll not volunteer any evidence; I am sure of that."</p> - -<p>If Ralph had been one of Joe Wayring's most intimate friends he could -not have read him bet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>ter. The latter was very much afraid that he -would be compelled to say something that would criminate Tom, but to -his surprise and relief the members of the grand jury did not seem to -know that there was such a fellow in the world as Tom Bigden, for they -never once mentioned his name. If the old woman and her boys had tried -to throw the blame for their misdeeds upon his shoulders, they hadn't -made anything by it. All the jury cared for was to find out just how -much Joe and his friends knew about the six thousand dollars that had -been stolen from the Irvington Bank; and as the boys knew but little -about it, it did not take them long to give their evidence. Finally one -of the jurymen said:</p> - -<p>"Matt Coyle bothered you a good deal by stealing your canvas canoe and -other property, I believe."</p> - -<p>Joe replied that that was a fact.</p> - -<p>"Would you prosecute him for it, if you had a chance?"</p> - -<p>Joe said he never expected to have a chance, because Matt was dead.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he is, and perhaps he isn't," said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> the juryman, with a laugh. -"Matt Coyle is a hard case, if all I hear about him is true, and it -sorter runs in my mind that he will turn up again some day, as full of -meanness as he ever was."</p> - -<p>"You wouldn't think so if you could see Indian River booming as it was -on the day we came home," said Joe, earnestly. "It must have been a -great deal worse when Matt saw it, but he had the hardihood to face it."</p> - -<p>"And went to the bottom," added Roy.</p> - -<p>"Would you have the law on him for tying you to a tree and threatening -to wallop you with switches?" asked the juryman.</p> - -<p>"No sir, I would not," said Joe, truthfully. "All we ask of Matt Coyle -or any other tramp is to keep away from us and let us alone."</p> - -<p>"Do you believe any one told Matt that you had the bank's money and -sent him to No-Man's Pond to whip it out of you?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't."</p> - -<p>"Matt's boys stick to it that such is the fact."</p> - -<p>"I don't care what Matt's boys say or what they stick to," answered -Joe. "You can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> imagine what the evidence of such fellows as they are -amounts to. Folks who will steal are not above lying, are they?"</p> - -<p>"That juryman isn't half as smart as he thinks he is," said Roy, when -he and his companions had been dismissed with the information that they -might start for Mount Airy as soon as they pleased. "I was awfully -afraid that his next question would be: 'Did you ever hear that Tom -Bigden was accessory to Matt Coyle's assault upon you at No-Man's -Pond?' You could not have wiggled out of that corner, Mr. Wayring."</p> - -<p>"I didn't wiggle out of any corner," answered Joe. "I made replies to -all the questions he asked me, didn't I? That juryman knew his business -too well to ask me any such question as that. My answer would have been -simply hearsay, and that's not evidence. See the point?"</p> - -<p>"Why, didn't Jake Coyle declare in your hearing that Tom Bigden told -his father that the money was in your camp-basket?" demanded Arthur.</p> - -<p>"Well, what's that but hearsay? Do you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> expect me to take Jake's word -for anything? I didn't hear Tom tell him so."</p> - -<p>"No; but you have as good proof as any sensible boy needs that Tom did -it. If not, why did Matt fly into such a rage at the mention of his -name, and cut Jake's face so unmercifully with that switch?"</p> - -<p>"I don't believe that would pass for evidence, although it might -lead the jury to put a little more faith in Jake's story and Sam's," -answered Joe. "We didn't come here to get Tom into trouble. Didn't they -say at the start that all they wanted of us was to tell what we knew -about that money? We've done that, and my conscience is clear. I think -Tom will take warning and mind what he is about in future."</p> - -<p>"I'll bet you he won't," Roy declared. "He'll get you into difficulty -of some sort the very first good chance he gets."</p> - -<p>"If he does, and I can fasten it on him, I'll give him such a punching -that his cousins won't know him when they see him. I'm getting tired of -this sort of work, and I'll not put up with it any longer. If Tom will -not leave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> off bothering us of his own accord, I'll make him."</p> - -<p>In due time the jury returned a "true bill" against Jake Coyle for -burglary. Mr. Haskins had little difficulty in proving that Jake broke -the fastenings of his door before he robbed the cellar, gave a list of -the things he had lost, and Rube Royall, the watchman at the hatchery, -testified that those same articles appeared on Matt Coyle's table on -the following morning. Jake went to the House of Refuge for five years; -but nothing could be proved against Sam and the old woman, and they -were turned over to a justice of the peace to be tried for vagrancy. -They got ninety days each in the New London work-house.</p> - -<p>"There, Ralph," said Tom, when he read this welcome news in his -father's paper. "You said Matt Coyle didn't care the snap of his finger -for my wishes, but now you see that you were mistaken, don't you? Matt -never told Joe Wayring that I sent them to his camp after that money, -and his boys didn't blab it, either. If they had, Joe would have said -some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>thing about it when he was brought before the grand jury."</p> - -<p>"Well, what are you going to do to Joe now?" inquired his cousin. "I -mean, what kind of a scrape are you going to get into next?"</p> - -<p>"I do not intend to get into any scrape," answered Tom; and when he -said it he meant it. "I shall treat Joe and everybody who likes him -with the contempt they deserve. I wish I might never see them again. -I tell you, fellows, I feel as if a big load had been taken from my -shoulders. Matt will never again demand that I shall act as receiver -for the property he steals, his vagabond family are safe under lock and -key, I am free from suspicion, and what more could I ask for? For once -in my life I am perfectly happy."</p> - -<p>But, as it happened, Tom was not long permitted to live in this very -enviable frame of mind—not more than a couple of hours, to be exact. -Of late he had stayed pretty close around the house when he was not at -school. He could not bear to loaf about the village, as he used to do, -for fear that he might hear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> something annoying. But on this particular -day (it was Saturday) he was so light of heart that he could not keep -still, so he proposed a walk and a cigar. He and his cousins did not -mind smoking on the streets now, for they had long ago given up all -hope of ever being admitted to the ranks of the Toxopholites. But their -desire to belong to that crack and somewhat exclusive organization was -as strong as ever. Another thing, they were not on as friendly terms -with the drug-store crowd as they used to be. A decision rendered by -umpire Bigden during a game of ball excited the ire of George Prime and -some of his friends, and as the weeks rolled on the dispute waxed so -hot that on more than one occasion the adherents of both sides had been -called on to interfere to keep George and Tom from coming to blows over -it. Ralph reminded his cousin of this when the latter proposed a walk -and a cigar.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Prime has forgotten all about it before this time," said Tom -confidently. "He has had abundant leisure to recover his good-nature, -for the fuss began last fall."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Don't you owe him something?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; about fifty cents or so. But George isn't mean enough to raise a -row about a little thing like that."</p> - -<p>Ralph and Loren had their own ideas on that point; and when they walked -into the drug store and looked at the face Prime brought with him when -he came up to the cigar-stand, they told themselves that if the clerk -had had opportunity to recover his good-nature, he certainly had not -improved it. He looked as sour as a green apple.</p> - -<p>"Hallo, George," said Tom, cordially.</p> - -<p>"How are you!" was the gruff reply.</p> - -<p>"Fine day outside," continued Tom. "Been sleigh-riding much?"</p> - -<p>"A time or two. What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Some cigars, please."</p> - -<p>Prime languidly reached his hand into the show-case and brought out a -box.</p> - -<p>"Chalk these, will you?" said Tom, after he and his cousin had made -their selections.</p> - -<p>Without saying a word the clerk turned and walked toward the -prescription counter at the back part of the store. Tom evidently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> -thought the matter settled, for he gave Ralph the wink, lighted his -cigar and was about to go out when Prime called to him. Tom faced -around, and saw that he held in his hand something that looked like a -package of bills.</p> - -<p>"I'll chalk this, because you've got the cigars and I can't very well -help myself," said Prime, as he came up. "But the next time you want -anything in our line you had better come prepared to settle up. Do you -know how much you owe the house?"</p> - -<p>"I've kept a pretty close run of it," said Tom shortly, "and I guess -seventy-five cents will foot the bill. These weeds are three for a -quarter, I suppose?"</p> - -<p>"That's the price; but you owed me just four times seventy-five cents -before you got these last three. There's your bill!"</p> - -<p>Tom opened his eyes when he heard this. He picked up the paper that -Prime tossed upon the show-case before him, and saw that, if the -figures on it told the truth, he had smoked much oftener than he -supposed.</p> - -<p>"George," said he, as soon as he could speak, "I don't owe you three -dollars."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You owe me three dollars and a quarter, counting in the three you just -got," was Prime's reply.</p> - -<p>"I say I don't; and what's more to the point, I won't pay it. If you -want to impose upon somebody and make him pay for cigars that you have -smoked yourself, try some one else. You can't come it over me."</p> - -<p>"You mean to repudiate your honest debts, do you?" said Prime hotly. -"Well, I don't know that I ought to have expected anything else of you. -A fellow who will associate with tramps and thieves, as you have done -ever since you poked your meddlesome nose into Mount Airy, is capable -of anything."</p> - -<p>"Look here," said Tom, his face growing red and pale by turns. "Step -out from behind the counter and say that again, will you?"</p> - -<p>"I can talk just as well from where I stand," was Prime's answer; and -then he clenched one of his hands and pounded lightly upon the top -of the show-case while he looked fixedly at Tom. "Perhaps you think -because you were in the woods when these things happened that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> the -folks in Mount Airy don't know all about them," he went on.</p> - -<p>"What things?" Tom managed to ask, while Ralph and Loren nerved -themselves for what was coming.</p> - -<p>"What things!" repeated Prime, in a tone that almost drove Tom frantic. -"Don't you suppose I know as well as you do that when Matt Coyle stole -Joe Wayring's canvas canoe a year ago last summer, he did it with your -knowledge and consent? I will say more than that. You urged him to take -it."</p> - -<p>"Why—why, you—" Tom began, and then he paused. There was a look on -Prime's face which told him that there was more behind; and now that he -was in for it, Tom thought it would be a good plan to find out just how -much the Mount Airy people knew of his dealings with the squatter.</p> - -<p>"It has all come out on you," continued Prime. "And I know, too, that -it was through the information you gave him that Matt followed Wayring -to No-Man's Pond and committed that assault upon him."</p> - -<p>"The idea!" exclaimed Tom, trying to look<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> surprised, though inwardly -he quaked with fear. "I never told Matt to follow Joe Wayring to -No-Man's Pond. I never saw him while I was in the woods,—did I, boys?" -he added, appealing to his cousins.</p> - -<p>"I know a story worth half a dozen of that," said the clerk, before -either Ralph or Loren could collect their wits for a reply. "Some of -the sportsmen who were stopping at one of the Indian Lake hotels saw -you wait for him at a certain place for more than an hour; and when at -last Matt arrived, you held quite a lengthy consultation with him."</p> - -<p>Tom was so amazed that he could not utter a word. Prime seemed to have -the story pretty straight—so straight, in fact, that Loren did not -think it best for him to deny it; so he hastened do say:</p> - -<p>"If all these ridiculous things which you say you have heard are true, -how does it happen that they did not come before the Grand Jury?"</p> - -<p>"There were two good reasons for it," answered Prime. "In the first -place, there was no one to appear against Tom; and in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> second, Jake -Coyle, who was the only one of the family tried before the Circuit -Court, was not accused of stealing the canoe or of making an assault -upon Joe Wayring. He was charged with breaking open the door of -Haskins's cellar, and for that he received his sentence. If Matt Coyle -had been on trial, there would have been other and more interesting -developments. I tell you, Mr. Bigden, it was a lucky thing for you that -he was drowned."</p> - -<p>"Now, let me say a word in your private ear," said Tom, who had had -time to take a hasty review of the situation. "There is such a thing -as wagging your tongue too freely, and it constitutes an offense of -which the law sometimes takes notice. You don't want to publish the -outrageous stories you pretend to have heard of me. They are false from -beginning to end."</p> - -<p>"Why, bless your heart, I can't publish them," answered the clerk, with -a most provoking laugh. "The facts are as well known to other folks as -they are to me. Every man, boy, and girl you meet on the street knows -them by heart."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p> - -<p>This astounding piece of news fairly staggered Tom. While he was trying -to frame a suitable rejoinder a party of ladies came into the store, -and the clerk hastened away to attend to them. This gave Tom and -his cousins an opportunity to escape, and they were prompt to avail -themselves of it.</p> - -<p>"Worse and worse!" exclaimed Loren, as soon as he could speak freely -without fear of being overheard. "Tom, Tom, what have you brought upon -yourself!"</p> - -<p>"I was afraid that something of this kind would be sprung upon me -sooner or later," groaned the guilty boy. "Every girl I meet on the -street knows all about it," he added, recalling the clerk's last words. -"I don't believe it. Or, if they have heard about it, they don't take -any stock in it, for I have received just as many invitations and gone -to as many parties as I ever did. Can you two raise three dollars and -a quarter between you? Then lend it to me, and I will get Prime's debt -off my mind without a moment's delay."</p> - -<p>"That's the idea," said Ralph, approvingly. "Go now while those ladies -are in the store,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> and he can't say anything more to annoy you."</p> - -<p>Loren had a five-dollar bill which he handed over, and Tom got it -broken at the most convenient place, because he did not want to wait -for Prime to make change. He laid the exact amount of his indebtedness -upon the counter, pocketed his receipted bill, and left the store -firmly resolved that he would never cross its threshold again.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE STRANGE WHEELMAN.</p> - - -<p class="drop">L<span class="uppercase">oren</span> and Ralph often declared that if Tom Bigden's "cheek" had not -been "monumental," he never could have lived through the winter as he -did. He went everywhere, and although, to quote from the Canvas Canoe, -he did not "shoot off his chin" quite as much as he formerly did, or -take as deep an interest in things, he did not by any means keep in the -background, as most boys would have done under like circumstances. As -time wore on, he and his cousins began telling one another that Prime -did not confine himself to the truth when he said that every one in the -village knew how intimate Tom and Matt Coyle had been during the two -last summers, for certainly he was as well treated and as cordially -received wherever he went as he ever was. Joe Wayring and his friends -always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> had a good word for him, and that went far toward satisfying -Tom that they did not believe he had anything to do with the loss of -the canvas canoe or with the No-Man's Pond affair. It was not long -before their example and silent influence began to tell upon Tom, who -more than once astonished his cousins by saying, in their hearing, that -he believed it would be worth while for him to turn over a new leaf and -try to lead a better life.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Joe and his chums thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a -quiet way, as boys always do when they have abounding health, clear -consciences, and plenty of things around them to make life pleasant. In -company with some of their school-fellows, of whom Tom Bigden and his -cousins generally made three, they paid several visits to Indian River -to fish through the ice for pickerel, going Friday night and returning -Saturday. They saw any amount of sport during these short outings, -and always brought home a fine string of fish; but they never drew so -valuable a prize from the river as Joe and his friends did when they -went there during the winter vacation. Noth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>ing ever happened to mar -their pleasure during these encampments, not even when Roy took Tom -Bigden to task somewhat sharply for shooting a grouse after the first -of January. Tom pleaded ignorance of the law, promised never to do it -again, and so the offense was overlooked.</p> - -<p>But winter with its storms and drifts and sports passed away, and -spring came with the usual alternations of driving rains and high -winds which quickly cleared the lake of ice, and made the huge limbs -of the grand old trees on the lawn sway about in every direction. -Finally the croaking of frogs was heard from the marshes and the maple -buds appeared; whereupon sleds, skates and toboggans were tumbled -unceremoniously into some convenient corner, to be taken care of when -other duties were not quite so pressing, and Joe and his inseparable -companions shouldered their double-barrels and sallied out in search of -snipe. But in due time hunting gave way to trout-fishing; and I have -heard it said that Old Durability held his own, and captured quite -as many fish as any rod that was brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> into competition with him. -Occasionally I heard Joe boast over some extra fine strings Fly-rod had -taken for him; but as I was kept closely confined to my quarters I did -not see them.</p> - -<p>At last my time came. As soon as the spring rains ceased and the mud -disappeared and the roads became ridable, I was taken out for a spin. -At first Joe rode with considerable caution, for he was afraid (so he -told his chums) that I might "kick up and throw him"; but his skill -came back with practice, and before a week had passed we were on -exceedingly good terms. He devoted nearly all his leisure time to me, -and although he kept up his membership with the various organizations -to which he belonged, he was not unfrequently called upon to hand over -a fine that had been imposed upon him for non-attendance of drills and -parades. Of course the annual review of the Mount Airy Fire Department -was not forgotten, but the canoe meet was, and for the first time in -years the summer passed without a single struggle for the championship -of Mirror Lake. The boys who were enthusiastic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> canoeists twelve months -ago were earnest wheelmen now.</p> - -<p>As soon as the weather became settled a new question presented itself -to Joe Wayring and his friends, and it was one that could not be -decided at a moment's notice. Up to this time it had been understood -that there was but one place at which their summer vacation could be -passed, and that place was Indian Lake; but four weeks of comparative -inactivity were not to be thought of this year.</p> - -<p>"Of course if we go to the lake we shall have more fishing and see less -excitement than we did last year and the year before, because Matt -Coyle will not be there to trouble us," said Arthur. "But rolling about -on a blanket under the shade of an evergreen is slow work compared with -a brisk run over good roads on a horse who never tires, and who asks -nothing but a good rubbing, and no oats, when his day's task is done, -to keep him in good trim. Camping out makes a fellow too lazy for any -use; and I am not as much in favor of being lazy as I used to be."</p> - -<p>"It is quite the fashion for wheelmen to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> start off singly or in small -parties, and travel through the country and see what they can find that -is worth looking at," said Roy. "Let's send for a guide-book and go -somewhere."</p> - -<p>"That's what I say," replied Joe. "But what guide-book shall we send -for, and where shall we go?"</p> - -<p>"Through our own State, of course. Uncle Joe Wayring says that a fellow -ought not to visit foreign countries until he has seen the wonders of -his own."</p> - -<p>"Of course it is a settled thing that we three spend this vacation on -the road," said Joe. "And when we start, I propose that we go prepared -to stop wherever night overtakes us. Then if we can't find a hotel, or -if the farmers object to taking in strangers who have no letters of -introduction, we can camp by the road-side, and snap our fingers at -people who live in houses and sleep under shingle roofs."</p> - -<p>"How about the grub?" said Arthur.</p> - -<p>"Oh, that'll be all right. We do not intend to go outside of a fence, -and consequently we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> can purchase supplies anywhere along the road."</p> - -<p>"We mustn't forget to take our pocket fishing-tackle cases with us -and—say, fellows," exclaimed Roy, suddenly interrupting himself, "I -saw an advertisement the other day, of a Stevens rifle furnished with a -bicycle case, and it struck me at once that it would be a nice thing to -have along on a trip of this kind. If we have one or two of those handy -little weapons in the party, we can shoot a mess of young squirrels as -often as we get hungry between times."</p> - -<p>"I wish we had just one more year on our shoulders," said Arthur, "for -then we could apply for admittance to the League of American Wheelmen. -No doubt we would find friends in it who could give us pointers."</p> - -<p>"The year will pass soon enough, and when it has gone you may wish it -back again," replied Joe. "It makes no difference if we are not in the -League. Wheelmen are always good to one another, and I shall make it my -business to bounce every strange bicyclist who comes to town, if I can -catch him. If he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> has been on the road I will get some ideas out of him -before I let up."</p> - -<p>Roy and Arthur said that was a suggestion worth acting upon, and the -three made such good use of the opportunities that were constantly -presented that by the time the school term was ended and the long -vacation came, they considered themselves fully posted on all important -matters relating to their proposed run across the State and back. The -strange wheelmen who now and then ran into Mount Airy for a day or two -proved to be a jolly, companionable lot of fellows, and full of stories -of the road which they were as ready to tell as the boys were to listen -to them.</p> - -<p>"Let me give you one word of warning," said a bronzed bicyclist, who -had come all the way from Omaha on his wheel: "Do not neglect your -training for a single day. I've no doubt that you can run all round -this little burg without feeling any the worse for it, but you will -find that three or four days in the saddle will test your endurance. I -remember of hearing of a couple of wheelmen who started<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> to run from -Cleveland to Buffalo. They made no special preparation for the journey, -believing, no doubt, that their short daily runs had sufficiently -hardened their muscles; but when they reached their destination they -were in a somewhat demoralized condition. They hung around the Genesee -House for a day or two, and took the cars when they wanted to go home."</p> - -<p>"We'll never do that," said Arthur. "If our wheels take us away from -home they must bring us back."</p> - -<p>"Well," said the Veteran, "you will find that it will take a good many -motions with the pedals to carry you over a journey of seven hundred -miles; but get yourselves in good trim before you start, inquire your -way at every place you stop, steer clear of tramps, look out for -skittish horses, keep off the tow-path, don't get mad if you meet some -old curmudgeon who will not give you your share of the road, and you -will come out all right and have a splendid time besides. You'll sleep -as you never slept before, eat every crumb placed within your reach on -the table,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> and handle things as though there was no break to them."</p> - -<p>"Why should we give the tow-path a wide berth?" inquired Roy. "Our -guide-book says that the road from New London to Bloomingdale is -knee-deep in sand, and advises all wheelmen going that way to take to -the tow-path."</p> - -<p>"You'll find the unspeakable mule there," replied their new friend, -"and he'll get you into trouble with the canalers. Now, a mule doesn't -care any more for a bike than he does for the boat he is towing; but he -pretends that he is very much afraid of it. I have seen them turn like -a flash and run as if they were scared half to death: but it was all -put on, for they were always careful to stop before they took up all -the slack in the tow-line, and got themselves jerked off off the path -into the canal. Of course that makes the steersman mad, and he tells -you what he thinks of you and your wheel in the first words that come -into his mind. Besides, a fellow on a bike offers so tempting a mark -that no canal boy I ever saw can resist firing a stone at him. If<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> he -don't throw at you, it will be because he can't find anything before -you get out of range."</p> - -<p>"If a fellow should try that on me I'd run him down and give him such -a thrashing that he'd not trouble the next wheelman who came along," -said Tom Bigden, who happened to come up while the conversation was in -progress.</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't advise you to try it," said the stranger, with a light -laugh. "In the first place you couldn't catch him, for as soon as he -saw that you were overhauling him, he would leave the tow-path and take -to the rocks; and while you were following him, if you were foolish -enough to do it, some of his companions would run up and tumble your -machine into the canal. The easiest way is the best."</p> - -<p>"I suppose we shall find the country people all right?" said Joe.</p> - -<p>"W-e-l-l,—yes; the majority of them are all right, but now and then -you will find a mean one even among the farmers, who will tell you that -your machines are a nuisance because they scare the horses; and if -you meet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> such a man as that on the road, he'll take particular pains -to crowd you off into the ditch. Take it by and large, the road is an -admirable school for young fellows like you. You've got to take the bad -with the good in this world, and make up your minds that what can't be -cured must be endured."</p> - -<p>"So it seems that even 'cycling has its shadowy side," said Roy, as he -and his friends walked homeward after thanking the Omaha wheelman for -the advice and information he had given them. "Tramps and canalers must -be avoided, and we mustn't get angry when some crusty old fellow pushes -us off the road."</p> - -<p>"And there are the dogs," said Arthur. "But he didn't say anything -about them, did he?"</p> - -<p>"No; but other wheelmen have, and I should think that in some places -(in the South, for instance, where every granger keeps half a dozen -or more worthless curs around him) they would be a big source of -annoyance," said Joe. "But others have gone through all right, and we -are going, too."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I wonder if Tom Bigden and his cousin are going anywhere," said -Arthur. "If they are I hope they will take some route that will lead -them out of our line of travel."</p> - -<p>The others hoped so, too. While they tried to live in peace with Tom, -they did not care to have him for a traveling companion.</p> - -<p>Joe and his chums thought it best to heed the Omaha man's friendly word -of caution, and if they had ridden hard before, they rode harder now. A -ten-mile spin in the cool of the evening was an every-day occurrence. -Of course they did not ride on Sunday, and, furthermore, they did not -think much of a fellow who did.</p> - -<p>The morning set for the start dawned clear and bright, and after an -early breakfast Joe Wayring waved his adieu to the family who had -assembled on the porch to see him off, and wheeled gaily out of his -father's grounds just in time to meet Arthur Hastings. Picking up Roy -Sheldon a few minutes later, the three set off at a lively pace over -a good road, their long journey being fairly begun. The trunks which -contained most of their luggage had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> been forwarded to the wheelmen's -headquarters at New London, with the request that they might be held -until called for; but several handy little articles, which they might -need at any time, were made up into neat bundles and tied to their -safety-bars. Of course their lamps and cyclometers were in their -places, and so were their Buffalo tool-bags; and each boy carried -slung over his shoulder a bicycle gun-case containing a fourteen-inch -pocket rifle. They were innocent-looking little pop-guns, but "spiteful -things to shoot," and one of them came very near bringing the boys into -serious trouble.</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't take a dollar for my chance of enjoying myself this trip," -said Roy, as he wheeled into line behind his companions. "During our -two last outings Matt Coyle and his interesting family made things -quite too lively to suit me, but they'll not bother us any more. Now -isn't this glorious? I remember of reading somewhere that if one has a -hankering for wings, and feels as if he would like to glide out into -space and leave the world with its cares and troubles behind, all he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> -has to do is to buy a bicycle, and learn to ride it."</p> - -<p>Roy's companions must have felt a good deal as he did, for both of -them had something to say about the "joys that no one but a wheelman -knows," but their exuberance of spirit did not lead them to commit the -blunder of riding hard at the start. When they drew up in front of -wheelmen's headquarters in New London that night, their cyclometers -registered thirty-six miles; not a very speedy run, to be sure, but -then they had not set out with any intention of trying to break the -record. In accordance with their request the hotel clerk assigned them -to rooms "as close together as he could get them," and after seeing -their wheels safely stored, the boys disappeared for a while to remove -all travel-stains from their hands, faces and clothing. Then they ate -a hearty supper, and adjourned to the reading-room to decide where -they would spend the evening. A long time had elapsed since they last -visited New London, and they had planned to remain in the city until -they had taken a look at all the new<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> things there were to be seen. -That would take three or four days, they thought; but, as it happened, -some strange events occurred which prolonged their stay, and threatened -at one time to bring their trip to an inglorious close.</p> - -<p>"What's going on to-night, any way?" said Arthur, picking up a paper -and glancing at the advertisements that appeared under the heading -"Amusements!" "Some pianist, with an unpronounceable name, assisted by -a celebrated baritone, is to hold forth at the Academy of Music."</p> - -<p>"Let's take that in," said Joe; and the matter was settled, for all the -boys liked to listen to good music.</p> - -<p>Having plenty of time at their disposal Joe and his companions strolled -leisurely along, taking note of all that passed in their immediate -vicinity, and now and then stopping to look in at a show-window, -especially if it chanced to be one in which bicycle goods or -hunting and fishing equipments were displayed. That, I believe, is -characteristic of people, both old and young, who are not accustomed to -the sights of a big city—a sort of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> distinguishing trait, so to speak. -At any rate the interest that Joe and his chums seemed to take in the -well-filled windows attracted the attention of a spruce young fellow, -who after following them for an entire block, and looking up and down -the street as if to make sure that his movements were unobserved, -stepped up to the nearest of the boys and tapped him on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Beg pardon," said he, smilingly, as Arthur Hastings turned and faced -him. "You young gentlemen are wheelmen, I take it."</p> - -<p>Arthur replied that the stranger had hit center the very first time -trying.</p> - -<p>"Members of the L.A.W.?"</p> - -<p>"No, but we hope to be next year. You see we are not quite eighteen -yet. Do you ride?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Owned a bike ever since I was knee-high to a duck. Wouldn't -know how to exist without it. Going anywhere? If you are, perhaps some -of us can be of assistance to you."</p> - -<p>"You're very kind, and I'm sure we are obliged to you," said Arthur. -"We've<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> always found wheelmen ready to tell us anything we wanted to -know."</p> - -<p>"Best lot of fellows in the world," replied the stranger, with -enthusiasm. "And the best of it is, you will find them wherever you go. -A wheel is a passport to the best society in the land. You don't live -in the city? I thought not. You are from the country."</p> - -<p>"What makes you think that?" inquired Joe.</p> - -<p>"Didn't we get it all off?" exclaimed Roy, turning first one side, then -the other, and giving his uniform a good looking-over. "I'm sure I used -my brush the best I knew how."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is pretty dusty, that's a fact," said the stranger. "I ought -to know, for I have been on the road myself to-day. There's nothing -about you or your uniforms to attract attention, but I knew you were -from the country the minute I put my eyes on you, because you are so -careless with your money. Look at that. If it hadn't been for me you -would have lost it, beyond a doubt."</p> - -<p>So saying he held out his hand and exhibited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> a well-filled purse; -whereupon all the boys instinctively thrust their hands into their -pockets.</p> - -<p>"If it wasn't so full I should think it was mine. No, it does not -belong to me, although it looks enough like my purse to be its twin -brother," said Joe, after he had made sure that his modest sum of -pocket-money was safe.</p> - -<p>"It doesn't belong to me, either," added Roy.</p> - -<p>"And I am sure it isn't mine," chimed in Arthur. "Where did you find -it?"</p> - -<p>"Right down there, close to your feet," replied the stranger, -indicating the exact spot. "It must belong to one of you, for I know it -wasn't there when I stopped at this window not two minutes ago to look -at those bicycle stockings. What shall I do with it? I've got to leave -town on the first train."</p> - -<p>"Give it to a policeman," suggested Roy. "He'll take care of it and -find the owner, too."</p> - -<p>"Well, you are a greeny, that's a fact," exclaimed the stranger, in -tones that were very different from those he had thus far used in -addressing the boys. "Can't you see that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> purse is chuck full, -and don't you know that the owner will be willing to give something -handsome to get it back? There'll be a big reward offered for it in -to-morrow's papers, and—"</p> - -<p>"I don't know who would be mean enough to demand a reward for restoring -lost property," said Roy, with a slight accent of contempt in his voice.</p> - -<p>"I fail to see where the meanness comes in. What is there to hinder me -from keeping the whole of it? But I was taught to be honest, and if I -had time to stop over and take this money to the owner to-morrow, I -should thankfully pocket the fifty or hundred dollars that he would be -sure to give me, and think none the less of myself for doing it. Say," -added the stranger, sinking his voice to a confidential whisper, "I'll -tell you what I'll do with you fellows, seeing you're wheelmen. I'll -give the purse into your keeping for twenty-five dollars, and in the -morning you can claim the reward. I haven't the least doubt that you -will make a hundred dollars by it. Why, just look here," he continued, -lifting the catch and exposing to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> view a big roll of greenbacks. -"There's money, I tell you, and the reward you will receive for -restoring it will pay all your expenses during a pretty long bicycle -tour. I wouldn't think of trusting every one as I am willing to trust -you, but seeing that you belong to the fraternity—eh?"</p> - -<p>Roy and Arthur were plainly becoming disgusted with their new -acquaintance. They opened their lips to utter an indignant refusal of -his generous offer; but before they could say a word, Joe Wayring spoke -up.</p> - -<p>"I'll take you," said he, quietly.</p> - -<p>"All right," said the stranger briskly, while Roy and Arthur were -struck dumb with amazement. "You are the most sensible man in your -party—meaning no offense to your friends, <i>of</i> course."</p> - -<p>"Why, Joe," began Roy, as soon as he found his tongue.</p> - -<p>But Joe shook his head and waved his open hands up and down in the air, -indicating by this pantomime that his mind was made up, and it would be -of no use for his friends to argue the matter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It's all right," said he, when he had succeeded in silencing them. "If -there are a hundred dollars to be made honestly, I don't know why we -should turn our backs upon it. We've a long run before us, our expenses -will be heavy—"</p> - -<p>"That's the idea!" exclaimed the now smiling stranger. "I don't suppose -that your fathers are as liberal with you as they might be. I know mine -wasn't, and that my supply of pocket-money was mighty slim when I had -to depend upon him for it. Where's the cash?"</p> - -<p>"Hand over the purse," replied Joe.</p> - -<p>"Let me see first that you have twenty-five dollars to give me," was -the answer.</p> - -<p>"I'm a wheelman," said Joe, severely. "And my machine is a passport to -the best society in the land—eh?"</p> - -<p>"Of course; of course. But you see—"</p> - -<p>"And would I be admitted to the best society in the land if I were -untruthful or dishonest?" continued Joe, while his two friends wondered -what in the world he meant by addressing the stranger in his own -words. "Hand over what<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> you have found, if you want me to make a deal -with you. We're from the country, you know, and consequently we are -suspicious of every stranger we meet in the city. If you had your -passport—I mean your wheel—with you now, why then I shouldn't be -afraid of you."</p> - -<p>"Haven't I showed you that I am perfectly willing to trust you to -return this big wad of greenbacks to the owner? Of course if I had the -faintest suspicion that you would not give it to him—"</p> - -<p>"I was taught to be honest, the same as you were. Being a wheelman, I -have no more intention of taking advantage of you in any way than you -have of taking advantage of me."</p> - -<p>So saying, Joe thrust his hand into his pocket. Observing this -movement, which seemed to be indicative of a desire on the young -wheelman's part to have the negotiations brought to a close, the -stranger stepped closer to him and slyly passed over the purse.</p> - -<p>"Be quick," said he, in a cautious whisper. "Some one might see us."</p> - -<p>"What if they do?" replied Joe, speaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> in his usual tone of voice. -"This is a fair, square and honest transaction, as I understand it. If -it isn't—"</p> - -<p>"Of course; of course it is. But don't publish it. Be in a hurry, for a -policeman might happen along."</p> - -<p>"Let him happen. We haven't done anything to make us afraid of a -policeman."</p> - -<p>"There it is. Now hand out the twenty-five dollars."</p> - -<p>As soon as the fingers of Joe Wayring's right hand closed about the -article in question, he took the other hand out of his pocket; but he -brought it forth empty.</p> - -<p>"I am very glad to see that you are not afraid to trust a humble member -of the noble fraternity of wheelmen," said he, as he lifted the catch -and opened the purse. "Now, when I take this money to its owner in the -morning, he will pay the reward out of what it contains, won't he? -Well, I'll do the same by you, and you may trust me to tell him (I am -a wheelman, you know) that I have already paid twenty-five dollars -to—Hallo? Where are you going? A bargain is a bar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>gain. Come back and -get your money. Moses Taylor! Where did he go in such haste?"</p> - -<p>Joe might well ask that. The place whereon the strange wheelman had -stood a second before was vacant, and he had disappeared from view.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></p> - -<p class="center">A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY.</p> - - -<p class="drop">T<span class="uppercase">he</span> expression that came upon Arthur's face and Roy's when the sleek -and plausible stranger hurried away from them, without waiting for the -money that Joe was getting ready to give him, was a study. Joe gave -them one quick glance, and then, utterly heedless of the fact that he -was drawing the amused attention of many of the passing crowd, placed -his hands upon his hips and laughed—not boisterously, as he would -if he had been in the woods or even in Mount Airy, but none the less -heartily.</p> - -<p>"Was—was it a bite?" inquired Arthur, as soon as he could speak.</p> - -<p>"I should say it was," replied Joe, wiping the tears from his eyes. -"And you fellows thought I was taken in by it. Don't you read the -papers, you two? Why, that game is old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> enough to be gray-headed No one -ever tried to play it on me before, but I recognized it in a minute."</p> - -<p>"I confess that I don't see where the trick comes in," said Roy.</p> - -<p>"Don't you? Well, look here. The reason that fellow gave for turning -the purse over to us was because he couldn't wait until morning to -claim the reward that would surely be offered for its recovery, being -obliged to leave town by the first train. Some folks would believe that -story. The purse is fat enough to excite the cupidity of a dishonest -man, who, nine times out of ten, will pay the sharper out of his own -pocket, rather than open the purse and let him see what there is in -it. Now, suppose I had given that fellow twenty-five good and lawful -dollars of the Republic; let's see what I would have received in -return."</p> - -<p>As Joe said this he turned out the contents of the purse, and Roy and -Arthur discovered, to their no small astonishment, that what they had -taken for a greenback was nothing more nor less than the advertisement -of a quack medi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>cine, warranted to cure every conceivable form of -disease. It was wrapped around a roll of brown paper, the ends being -turned over to hide it from view.</p> - -<p>"He thought I would give him the money he wanted out of my own pocket," -continued Joe. "But when he found that I was not quite so green, and -that his little game would be exposed in a minute more, and perhaps in -the presence of a policeman, he took himself off."</p> - -<p>Yes, that was one reason why the sharper left without taking time to -say good-by, but there was another that the boys knew nothing about. -I must speak of it here so that you will be able to understand what -happened afterward.</p> - -<p>Just as Joe Wayring was about to open the purse, the sharper cast a -furtive glance over his shoulder and saw standing within a few paces -of him, and intently watching his every movement, a short, thick-set -man, dressed in a plain gray suit. It was evident that the two were not -strangers to each other, for when the man in gray scowled and jerked -his thumb<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> over his shoulder, the sharper lost no time in getting out -of sight. At the same instant Roy Sheldon turned his face that way, and -the man in the gray suit, as if afraid of being seen and recognized, -promptly wheeled about and looked toward the street. But he did not -lose sight of the boys. He followed them to the Academy of Music, and -sat within a few feet of them during the whole of the performance.</p> - -<p>"I'll chuck these things down there so that they can never be used -to fool anybody," said Joe, when he and his friends had examined the -purse and its contents to their satisfaction, and with the words he -tossed the unlucky sharper's stock in trade into an opening between -the grating on which they stood and the bottom of the store window. "I -wonder what he thinks of country wheelmen by this time."</p> - -<p>"He was a pretty sleek talker, wasn't he?" said Roy. "Do you suppose he -rides?"</p> - -<p>"No," answered Arthur, emphatically. "He is a professional swindler, -and has no time to devote to riding. Besides, such chaps don't get into -the L.A.W. Well, we've made a very fair beginning; only twelve hours -from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> home, and one adventure to our credit already. I hope if we have -any more they will all turn out as well as this one has."</p> - -<p>Having been shown to their seats in the Academy of Music, the boys -devoted themselves to the business of the hour and forgot all about the -sharper and his disappointment. Their quiet demeanor evidently excited -the surprise of the gentleman in gray, and drew from him some remarks -which were addressed to one who came in and took a seat beside him just -as the entertainment was about to begin.</p> - -<p>"Takes it most too cool, don't he?" said the man in gray. "You're quite -sure that there's no mistake about it? Bear in mind that I haven't -seen him since his last escapade two years ago, and he has had time to -change a good deal since then."</p> - -<p>"How in the world can there be any mistake about it?" asked the other, -in reply. "Don't I see him every day, and oughtn't I to know him if -anybody?"</p> - -<p>The first speaker drew a photograph from the inside pocket of his coat -and looked at it intently, now and then raising his eyes to com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>pare it -with the profile of one of the boys in front, which was occasionally -turned toward him. At length he appeared to be satisfied with his -examination, for he replaced the picture, at the same time remarking, -with something like a sigh of resignation:</p> - -<p>"It's a go if you insist upon it; but I want you to understand very -distinctly that if any trouble follows the arrest, I am not the one to -stand the brunt of it."</p> - -<p>"How is there going to be any trouble about it? Didn't the old man -stand by you before? He did, and paid you well into the bargain. He'll -do the same this time, and you may depend upon it."</p> - -<p>"But you say he isn't at home now."</p> - -<p>"I know it; but I am simply obeying orders, and my word is good till he -comes."</p> - -<p>"If the boy has everything he wants, including all the money he can -spend, and is as kindly treated and as well cared for as you say he is, -I don't for the life of me see why he should run away from home," said -the man in gray. "Boys don't generally desert home<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> and friends without -a cause. At least they didn't the first time I was on earth."</p> - -<p>"Well, this foolish fellow will do it every chance he gets, because he -is determined to find his father. His uncle always tried to make him -believe that his parents were both dead; but some gossip or another had -to go and tell him different, and the old man hasn't seen a days peace -of mind since. He lives in constant fear that the boy will give him the -slip. This is the second time he has tried it, and some day he'll get -off. Then there <i>will</i> be a time, I tell you."</p> - -<p>"Why doesn't his uncle tell him where his father is, and let him go and -see him?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, that would never do. Don't you know that the money goes with the -boy? His father isn't fit to handle it, for he is a worthless scamp who -would squander the last dime of it in less than no time. The law gave -him to his uncle, who is also his guardian, and he intends to hold fast -to him."</p> - -<p>"And the money, too, I suppose. Well, all I have to say is, that if I -were in that boy's place my uncle would have to keep a double<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> guard -over me night and day. If I wanted to see my father I'd see him in -spite of everybody. Besides, the boy is pretty near old enough to -choose his own guardian."</p> - -<p>"Don't say that," whispered the other, hastily. "Whatever you do, don't -say that where he can hear it. That's a point of law that he doesn't -know anything about, and his uncle wouldn't like to have him posted."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! I shan't say anything. If I am employed to catch him as often as -he runs away, so much the better for my pocket-book. I am too old to -quarrel with my bread and butter."</p> - -<p>When the entertainment was ended Joe Wayring and his chums left with -the others, and close behind them in the aisle came the man in gray and -his companion. In the hall they encountered two dense living streams -that came pouring down from the galleries, and in the crush that -followed the boys became separated. Joe and Arthur found each other -again on the sidewalk, but nothing was to be seen of Roy. As Arthur -locked arms with his friend to prevent a second separation,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> they -noticed a little knot of curious people gathered by the curbstone, and -saw a close carriage driven rapidly away.</p> - -<p>"Move on!" exclaimed a burly policeman. "It's nothing at all except a -fellow resisting arrest. Move on, please."</p> - -<p>The two boys would have been glad to wait for Roy; but as the guardian -of the night emphasized his order by resting his club lightly against -Joe's back, they concluded that they had better move on. They walked -the length of the block and then returned, but no Roy Sheldon was in -sight. There were but few people coming out of the hall now, but there -was the watchful policeman with his ready club and his stereotyped -command:</p> - -<p>"Move on, please. Don't block up the walk."</p> - -<p>"Roy has certainly come out before this time, and that blue-coat has -driven him away," said Joe. "He knows the road to the hotel, and -there's where we shall find him."</p> - -<p>The boys turned about and went down the street again, and the first -thing that attracted their attention when they entered their hotel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> -was the familiar uniform which they had adopted for their own—dark -blue tights, white flannel shirt with blue trimmings, and white helmet. -The boy who wore it was standing with his back to them, examining the -register.</p> - -<p>"I never noticed before that Roy was so fine a figure," whispered -Arthur. "Look at the muscles on his legs. He fills out those tights as -though he had been melted and poured into them."</p> - -<p>Without saying or doing anything to attract the boy's notice, the two -friends slipped up behind him, and Arthur threw his arms over his -shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Now, you runaway, give an account of yourself!" he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>The effect produced by these innocent words was surprising in the -extreme. In less than a second the supposed Roy Sheldon proved that he -was quite as muscular as he looked to be. Uttering a cry of surprise -and alarm he doubled himself up like a jack-knife and lunged forward -with all his strength, and then almost as quickly jerked himself -backward. By the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> movement he came within a hair's breadth of -throwing Arthur Hastings heavily on his head; and by the second he -slipped out of his grasp like an eel. Then he straightened up and faced -him with clenched hands and flashing eyes.</p> - -<p>"Don't touch me!" he began, fiercely. "If you or any of your hirelings -lay an ugly finger on me again—"</p> - -<p>When he had said this much he stopped and looked hard at Arthur and -then at Joe, while an expression of great astonishment settled on -his face. My master and his friend were equally amazed. That was Roy -Sheldon's uniform, if they ever saw it, but it wasn't Roy who was in -it, although he looked almost exactly like him. There were the same -clear-cut features, hazel eyes and wavy brown hair, and the same faint -suspicion of a mustache; but they did not belong to Roy Sheldon. A -second look showed them that.</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" demanded the young fellow, at length.</p> - -<p>"I think that is a proper question for us to ask you," replied Arthur, -who, having never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> before been handled so easily by any boy of his -size, felt disposed to resent it. "What are you doing in our uniform, -we'd be pleased to have you tell us."</p> - -<p>"Your uniform!" exclaimed the stranger eagerly. "Are you from -Jamestown?"</p> - -<p>"No. Never heard of such a place about here. Don't even know where it -is. We are from Mount Airy."</p> - -<p>"Then we are even," said the stranger, in a disappointed tone, "for I -don't know where Mount Airy is."</p> - -<p>"Then of course you live a good way from here."</p> - -<p>"Not so very far; not more than twenty miles, but it might as well be -a thousand for all I know about this city. But you are wheelmen, of -course. Well, now I wish—but say," added the speaker, as if something -had just occurred to him. "Why did you grab me and call me a runaway?"</p> - -<p>"Because we thought you were. I mean we took you for a runaway from our -party," said Joe; and then he wondered why it was that the stranger -exhibited so much anxiety and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> even alarm at the words. "There is -another fellow in our party, but we have lost him in some unaccountable -manner."</p> - -<p>"Does he look anything like me?"</p> - -<p>"He does, indeed; so very much like you that when we saw you with our -uniform on we took you for our missing friend. You are a little stouter -than he is. That's all the difference there is in your figures; but to -look at your faces a little distance away, any one not well acquainted -with you would take you for twin brothers. How did you happen to choose -that uniform? What club do you belong to?"</p> - -<p>"I don't belong to any club. How does it come that you happened to -choose it when there were so many more that you might have taken?"</p> - -<p>"We made it up all out of our own heads," replied Arthur.</p> - -<p>"I can't say that I did. I copied it. The Jamestown boys wear it, and I -have seen a good many bicyclists running along the road past our island -dressed in the same way."</p> - -<p>"Your island!" repeated Joe.</p> - -<p>"Yes; my island prison, for that is just<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> what it is to me. Let's go -into the reading-room," said the stranger, seeing that the hotel clerk -was becoming interested in their conversation. "I don't care to have -everybody hear what I say."</p> - -<p>He moved away from the desk as he said this, and Joe and Arthur -followed, lost in wonder. If there wasn't a mystery in this young -fellow's life he was out of his head. That was plain to both of them.</p> - -<p>"My real name is Rowe Shelly," began the stranger, taking possessing -of a chair at one of the tables and drawing two others alongside of -him, "but when I registered I signed myself Robert Barton, and gave -Baltimore as my home."</p> - -<p>"What made you do that? What have you been up to?" inquired Joe, while -Arthur began to wonder if they had fallen in with another sharper who -would presently make an effort to cheat them out of some money.</p> - -<p>"I haven't done anything that either of you would not do if you were -in my place," answered young Shelly, if that was really his name. "To -make a long story short, money is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> at the bottom of all my trouble. My -grandfather, when he died, willed the most of his large property to -my father, who was his only child, on condition that he quit the sea -and settled down on shore with his family, mother and me. There was a -step-son, who had assumed the family name in the hope of getting some -of the money, but he was left without a dollar. Our home at that time -was near some southern sea-port whose name I do not remember, for I -was too young to know anything. This step-son, who had been dubbed -"colonel" on account of his supposed wealth, happened to be at home -when grandfather died, and what did he do but get possession of the -will, spread the report that father had been lost at sea, take out -letters of administration, turn mother out of the house, and have -himself appointed my guardian. I don't pretend to know what trickery he -resorted to, to bring all this about, but I know he did it."</p> - -<p>"Humph! I wouldn't live with such a villain," exclaimed Joe, who was -deeply interested. He believed this strange story, and so did Arthur, -who told himself that he must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> have been about half crazy when he -suspected a boy who bore so close a resemblance to Roy Sheldon of being -a sharper.</p> - -<p>"I don't live with him any more," replied Rowe. "I have left him for -good; but of course I did not take the trouble to ask his consent."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's what made you jump and look frightened when I caught -hold of you and called you a runaway, was it?" said Arthur. "If your -guardian finds you can he make you go back against your will?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. He has often given me to understand that he will have full -control of my actions as well as of my property until I am twenty-one -years old."</p> - -<p>"Then he told you what isn't so," declared Joe.</p> - -<p>"I guess not," answered Rowe doubtfully. "At any rate, when I ran away -from him two years ago he gobbled me with the aid of a policeman and -took me back."</p> - -<p>"But you are older now than you were then," said Joe. "How old are you, -if it is a fair question?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I was eighteen last month."</p> - -<p>"Then snap your fingers at that guardian of yours, and tell him you are -done with him."</p> - -<p>"That wouldn't make a particle of difference to him," replied Rowe. "He -would have detectives after me, and I don't know but there are some on -my track this very minute. That's why I registered under a fictitious -name, and adopted this uniform. It is worn by so many wheelmen around -here that it will not be likely to attract attention. But I am going to -change it the first thing in the morning, trade off my Rudge safety for -another wheel, and then put for the country and stay there as long as -my money lasts."</p> - -<p>"Say, Joe," said Arthur suddenly, "he looks a good deal like Roy -Sheldon, doesn't he?"</p> - -<p>"He is the very picture of him," answered Joe, surprised.</p> - -<p>"And you say," added Arthur, this time addressing himself to Rowe -Shelly, "that your guardian put detectives on your track when you ran -away from him two years ago,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> and that he has probably got them on your -track to-night?"</p> - -<p>"I don't think I used those words, but that was what I meant," replied -Rowe. "Why do you ask the question, and what makes you glare at me in -that fashion?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't know that I was glaring at you," said Arthur. "But I wish -from the bottom of my heart that you had changed that uniform for -another a hundred years ago, or else that you had never adopted it, -for it has been the means of getting one of the best fellows that ever -lived into trouble."</p> - -<p>"Art," exclaimed Joe, starting up in his chair, "do you think—do you -mean to say—"</p> - -<p>"Doesn't everything go to show it?" exclaimed Arthur, who was very -highly excited. "His uniform is the counterpart of ours; he looks so -much Roy that a stranger couldn't tell one from the other if he were to -see them together; he has the best of reasons for believing that his -guardian has put detectives on his track, and who knows—"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Good gracious!" cried Joe, starting up in his turn; "I never once -thought of that."</p> - -<p>"What are you afraid of?" inquired Rowe, whose face betrayed the -keenest anxiety and apprehension. "I hope you don't think that my -resemblance to your friend has brought him into difficulty."</p> - -<p>"That is just what we are afraid of," replied Joe soothingly, while -Arthur Hastings paced the room like a caged tiger. "But, of course, -nobody can blame you for it. If one of the detectives you spoke of saw -him, he probably mistook him for you, just as Arthur and I mistook you -for Roy Sheldon. It's a case of mistaken identity, and that's all that -can be made of it."</p> - -<p>"Nonsense!" exclaimed Arthur; "it is a clear case of abduction."</p> - -<p>"We'll have to see a lawyer about that."</p> - -<p>"Then let's be about it. What are we wasting time here for?"</p> - -<p>"Let us first make sure that Roy has been spirited away by somebody who -thought he was Rowe Shelly. Say, Art, you remember the carriage that -was driven away just as we came<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> out of the Academy of Music, don't -you? Well how do we know but Roy was in it, and that he was the fellow -who resisted arrest?"</p> - -<p>"That's so," exclaimed Arthur. "Suppose we go right back and interview -that policeman if we can find him."</p> - -<p>When Arthur proposed this plan Rowe Shelly's face grew white again.</p> - -<p>"That will be a dead give-away on me, won't it?" said he.</p> - -<p>"I don't see why it should be," replied Joe. "We're not going to tell -any one that we have seen you. If you are afraid of it, go somewhere -while we are gone, and then we can say, if we are asked questions we -don't care to answer, that we don't know where you are."</p> - -<p>The young stranger evidently thought this a suggestion worth heeding, -for when Joe and his companion left the room he followed slowly after -them, first carefully reconnoitering the office to make sure there was -no one there he did not want to meet.</p> - -<p>"What's your opinion of that fellow, any way?" asked Joe, as he and -Arthur hurried along the street toward the Academy of Music.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> "He tells -a queer story, but I really believe there are some grains of truth in -it."</p> - -<p>"So do I," answered Arthur. "And if it turns out that Roy has been -kidnapped, I shall believe it is all true. I wish that Shelly boy had -been in Guinea before he adopted our uniform."</p> - -<p>"Or else that we had been there," added Joe. "He's got as much right to -it as we have. Look here, Art. We mustn't let the Mount Airy folks know -anything about this."</p> - -<p>"Not by a long shot. They'd order us home as they did when they read in -the papers that Matt Coyle had tied you to a tree in the woods. If Roy -is in a scrape we'll help him out of it and get well on our way beyond -Bloomingdale before we say a word about it."</p> - -<p>The boys were not obliged to go all the way to the hall in which they -had passed the evening, for they met the officer of whom they were in -search at the lower end of his beat. Arthur thought he looked at them -rather sharply as they came up, but he answered their questions civilly -enough.</p> - -<p>"Policeman," said Joe, "will you please<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> tell us what sort of a looking -fellow it was who was put into a carriage in front of the Academy of -Music, and driven away just as the performance ended? You were on duty -there at the time."</p> - -<p>"Aw! go on now!" replied the officer good-naturedly. "He must have been -one of your own crowd, for he wore the same kind of clothes."</p> - -<p>"What was his name?" asked Arthur, whose heart seemed to sink down into -his boots when he heard this answer.</p> - -<p>"Aw, now!" said the officer again, "what's the use of my wasting my -time with you? You know more about him than I do; but I will tell you -one thing: you had better keep clear of him, or he will bring you into -trouble. He's a bad nation. He stole a pile of money from his guardian -before he ran away."</p> - -<p>"Not the boy who was put into the carriage, if it was the one we think -it was," said Joe earnestly. "In the first place, he has no guardian, -and he never stole a cent, for his father gives him all the money he -needs. There's been a big mistake made here, Mr. Officer."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Haw, haw!" laughed the policeman. He turned on his heel and started -back along his beat, but he did not shake off the boys. They wanted to -learn something before they left him, so they kept close to him, one on -each side.</p> - -<p>"But I assure you there has been the biggest kind of a blunder made," -Joe insisted. "The wrong boy has been arrested. His name is Roy -Sheldon, and he left Mount Airy with us this morning. Everybody there -knows him and us, too."</p> - -<p>"No, I guess not," replied the policeman, with another laugh. "Bab's -been in the business too long to make a mistake that might get him into -trouble."</p> - -<p>"Who's Bab?"</p> - -<p>"Why, Bab—Babcock, the detective," answered the officer, in a tone -which implied that he had no patience with a boy who could ask him so -foolish a question. "The youngster had the cheek to appeal to me for -protection, but I told him he had better go along peaceable and quiet, -for it would only make matters worse for him if he didn't. I knew Bab, -you see."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Well, this is a pretty state of affairs, I must say," exclaimed -Arthur, his anger getting the better of his prudence. "Of course Roy -resisted, as any other decent fellow would have done under the same -circumstances; and when he asked for protection from one of whom he had -a right to expect it, he was told that he had better go along if he -wanted to keep out of worse trouble."</p> - -<p>"That's enough from you, young man," said the officer, shortly. "If you -give me any more of your insolence I will run you in to keep company -with that runaway and thief. Move on, now."</p> - -<p>Arthur didn't wait for a second order. He faced about at once and -started back toward his hotel; but Joe stayed behind. He wanted to ask -another question or two, although he hardly expected that the policeman -would answer them.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ROWE SHELLY, THE RUNAWAY.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"J<span class="uppercase">ust</span> one more word, Mr. Officer," continued Joe Wayring, when he had -seen his discomfited friend Arthur vanish in the crowd, "and then I -will cease troubling you."</p> - -<p>"Be in a hurry, then," was the gruff rejoinder. "Don't say anything to -confirm the suspicion I have that you are trying to make game of me, -for if you do you will spend the rest of the night under lock and key, -sure pop."</p> - -<p>"I assure you that my only desire is to gain some reliable information -regarding my missing friend," answered Joe, choking back his wrath. -"What precinct does this man Babcock belong to?"</p> - -<p>"He doesn't belong to any. He is a private detective, and works -wherever he is called."</p> - -<p>"What agency does he belong to?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Wilcox's; two-thirty-four Bank street."</p> - -<p>"Thank you. That's one point gained. I suppose he will report the -arrest at his own headquarters, will he not?"</p> - -<p>"Very likely he will, and I'll report it to my captain."</p> - -<p>"I wasn't aware that a private detective could make an arrest without a -warrant, except in cases where there is a fight or some other violation -of the public peace. I thought he was obliged to call upon a policeman."</p> - -<p>"Well, wasn't I here?" exclaimed the officer, with some indignation in -his tones. "I want you to understand that I know my business, and that -you nor nobody like you can teach it to me. Move on. I've had enough of -you."</p> - -<p>"All right," replied Joe cheerfully. "But first allow me to apologize -for troubling you, and to thank you for your courteous answers to my -questions."</p> - -<p>If this was intended for sarcasm it had no effect whatever upon the -policeman, who walked off with a very dignified step, while Joe moved -on to find Arthur Hastings. He dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>covered him in the reading-room -of the hotel, holding an earnest conversation with a young fellow in -citizen's clothes. It was Rowe Shelley; but when he left his uniform in -his room he seemed to have left with it nearly all the resemblance he -had once borne to Roy Sheldon. Joe could see now that the two boys did -not look so very much alike after all.</p> - -<p>"I want to assure you of one thing, Wayring," said Rowe, as Joe seated -himself in a chair by his side; "what that policeman told you about -my stealing a lot of money before I left home, is utterly false. The -little I have with me is what I have managed to save during the last -two years out of my regular allowance. I have the best of reasons for -believing that every cent there is in that house rightfully belongs to -me, but I have never touched any of it except when it was given to me."</p> - -<p>"Are there any stores on the island?" inquired Joe.</p> - -<p>Rowe replied that there were not. The entire island was claimed by his -guardian, who said he was Rowe's uncle, although he was no relation to -him. Besides the family mansion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> and the barns and other out-buildings -that belonged to it, there were four tenement houses that were occupied -by his guardian's hired help.</p> - -<p>"And I know they are not hired simply to work the place and keep the -grounds in order," said Rowe bitterly. "They are employed to keep an -eye on me, although they do not seem to pay any attention to me. When I -had saved a little money and began laying my plans to skip out, there -was not one among them to whom I could go for help, or whom I dared -take into my confidence. I had to depend upon myself."</p> - -<p>"Then what was the use of a regular allowance of money if you couldn't -spend it?" inquired Arthur.</p> - -<p>"I could save it for an emergency like this, couldn't I? Besides, -whenever I wanted anything, I could send for it by some one who was -coming to the city. Did you learn anything more about your missing -friend? Hastings tells me that there is no doubt he was mistaken for me -and sent away in that carriage."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That is what I think," answered Joe. "I know the name of the detective -who arrested him, as well as the agency to which the detective belongs. -It's Wilcox's, two-thirty-four Bank street, and there's where we must -go the first thing in the morning."</p> - -<p>"Great Scott!" cried Arthur. "Can't we do anything for Roy before -morning? Must he be put in a cell and—"</p> - -<p>"By no means," exclaimed Rowe. "Your friend will fare as well at my -home as you will here at a hotel. Beyond a doubt my guardian's steam -yacht was in waiting at one of the piers along the river side, and -Roy is probably half way to the island by this time. Of course the -detective will stay with him till he gets there, for fear that Roy will -jump overboard or do some other desperate thing to escape from Willis."</p> - -<p>"Who is Willis?"</p> - -<p>"He is my guardian's superintendent and my jailer. At least, that is -what I call him, although he is very friendly to me, and has seldom -interfered with me. When I ran away two years ago, he followed me up -and put the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> detectives on my track. I'd got away sure, if it hadn't -been for him."</p> - -<p>"Of course if Babcock goes to the island he can't report the arrest to -his superior before morning," said Joe, turning to Arthur. "So what's -the use in going there (to the agency, I mean) before we can learn -something?"</p> - -<p>"I don't see why you should go to the agency, or give yourselves the -least uneasiness about the matter," said Rowe. "As soon as Willis has -taken a good look at Roy, he will know that the detectives has made -a mistake, and then he will lose no time in setting his prisoner at -liberty and sending him back to the city."</p> - -<p>"We'll call upon Mr. Wilcox the first thing in the morning," said Joe, -decidedly. "At least Art and I will, and you had best pack your bundle -and dig out before daylight. As soon as your guardian finds out that—"</p> - -<p>"He isn't at home," interrupted Rowe. "He has gone away somewhere on -business, and that's why I am here. I took advantage of his absence."</p> - -<p>"At any rate the search for you will be renewed when it becomes known -that a mistake<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> has been made, and if I were in your place I would not -stay here. I think you were very imprudent to come to the city at all."</p> - -<p>"That's because you don't know what extraordinary precautions I took to -make everybody think I was going the other way," replied Rowe.</p> - -<p>"But it seems that the tricks to which you resorted, whatever they -were, did not work," said Arthur. "This man Willis, who probably runs -things during your guardian's absence, must have come to the city or -sent word to some one to be on the watch for you. If he didn't do one -or the other, how does it come that Roy was molested? Joe, what course -are you going to follow when you get to the agency?"</p> - -<p>"I'm simply going to tell the man in charge that one of his detectives -has made a blunder and arrested Roy Sheldon when he thought he was -arresting some one else, and ask him to undo his night's work and bring -our friend back to us as quick as he knows how."</p> - -<p>"But he'll want evidence, won't he?"</p> - -<p>"I shall be provided with the evidence,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> replied Joe quietly. "Rowe, -you wouldn't mind writing a couple of letters, one to your guardian's -superintendent and the other to the detective, stating the facts, would -you?"</p> - -<p>"Why—why, I don't see how I can do it without putting the detectives -on my own track," stammered Rowe, who was very much astonished at this -proposition. "I'd have to sign my right name to the letters, wouldn't -I?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. A fictitious name would be of no use to us, and we'll see -that you don't get into trouble by it. Write the letters containing a -full statement of the case, make yourself scarce about here without -telling us where you are going, and then we can't answer any questions -that may be asked us. If he don't do it," added Joe mentally, "the only -thing I can do is to bring in some of father's business friends and -Uncle Joe's to vouch for us, and add weight to our story. I am opposed -to that, and I believe Roy himself would kick against it; for of course -those friends would write the full particulars to the folks at home, -and that would knock our trip across the State into a cocked hat."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p> - -<p>"If he doesn't do it," said Arthur to himself, seeing that Rowe still -hesitated, "he will find that we are not to be trifled with. I'll -denounce him as soon as I can find anybody to denounce him to. He got -Roy into this scrape, and it is no more than fair that he should help -get him out."</p> - -<p>"Is there no other way in which I can assist you?" inquired Rowe, after -a long pause.</p> - -<p>"There is none that occurs to me just now," answered Joe. "Can you -think of any?"</p> - -<p>"I can't think of anything. My mind is in a whirl, and has been ever -since I left the island."</p> - -<p>"I thought as much," said Arthur, drily. "Otherwise you would never -come to the city and put up at wheelmen's headquarters. Don't you -know that this is the very hotel of all others that you ought to have -shunned?"</p> - -<p>"I thought the very boldness of the thing would throw my pursuers, if I -had any, off the track; and I believe it did, for I have seen no one to -be afraid of since I came here. Do you think the chief detective will -be ready<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> to undo this work when you ask him?" added Rowe, addressing -himself to Joe.</p> - -<p>"I think he will. I would, if I were in his place, for it would hurt -my business to have it get out. If people knew that Wilcox kept such a -blunderhead as that Babcock about, they would not be apt to give him -much to do."</p> - -<p>"All right. It shall be as you say," exclaimed Rowe, getting upon his -feet and hastening into the office, whence he presently returned with a -couple of envelopes and as many sheets of paper in his hand. "Have you -any influential friends in town?" he asked, as he seated himself at the -table.</p> - -<p>"We've enough to make it exceedingly uncomfortable for those people on -the island if they don't turn that boy loose in a little less than no -time," replied Arthur, with emphasis. "Tell your man Willis to put that -in his pipe."</p> - -<p>"He'll not need any such threat to quicken his movements," said Rowe, -with a smile, the first one Joe had seen on his face that evening. -"When he discovers that Babcock has not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> brought him the right boy, he -will be only too glad to get rid of him. But I'll put it in."</p> - -<p>After a few minutes spent in rapid writing Rowe handed Joe the -following, which was addressed to George Willis, Shelly's Island, New -London Harbor:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"You have probably found out by this time that the man Babcock, whom -you notified to be on the lookout for me, has made a mistake that -is likely to get him and every one concerned in it into serious -difficulty. He has made a prisoner of Roy Sheldon, who lives in Mount -Airy. He has friends there, as well as in this city, who will make it -hot for you if you don't treat him well while he is on the island, -and send him back with the least possible delay. Tell my guardian, -when he returns, that I have grown weary of waiting for him to tell -me where my father and mother are, and have set out to find them. I -know I shall succeed this time, and then there will be a change of -administration on Shelly's Island, or I shall miss my guess.</p> - -<p>"Now I should like to know what you mean by spreading the report that -I stole a lot of money before I went away. You know it to false. If -any of my money has disappeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> (it is my money, mind you, and not -my guardian's) I would as soon think you took it as to accuse anybody -else.</p> - -<p>"If you haven't sent that boy back already, do it as soon as you read -this, if you don't want to have some papers served on you."</p></blockquote> - -<p>"Is that satisfactory?" inquired Rowe, as Joe passed the letter to -Arthur.</p> - -<p>"Perfectly. If Willis fails to understand it, it will not be your -fault. But why don't you get another guardian and put it out of this -man's power to harass you with detectives every time you leave the -island?"</p> - -<p>"I wish to goodness I could; but I can't. The law put him where he is."</p> - -<p>"And the law can take him out. When he was appointed your guardian he -must have perjured himself if he swore that he was your next of kin. -But here's a question: Do you know that your parents are still alive?"</p> - -<p>"No; I don't know it, but I think so. I do know, however, that my -father was not lost at sea, as my guardian reported. Since that time -people who know him have seen and talked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> with him. He was alive when I -tried to find him two years ago."</p> - -<p>"Where does he live?"</p> - -<p>"Somewhere in the State of Maryland. On the coast, I suppose, for he is -fond of the water, and has been a sailor all his life."</p> - -<p>"Now just think a moment," said Joe, earnestly. "Can't you see that -you show a wonderful lack of <i>something</i> in starting off on your wheel -to hunt a needle in a haystack? You must remember that Maryland has an -area of more than eleven thousand square miles, not counting in the -bay, which has a coast line three hundred and eighty miles in length. -You have set yourself something of a job, old fellow."</p> - -<p>"So I have," said Rowe nervously. "Do you know, I never once thought of -that? There was but one idea in my mind, and that was to get safely off -the island and away from New London, so that I could hide myself among -strangers. Then, after the excitement had had time to die away, and my -guardian had given up looking for me, I thought it would be the easiest -thing in the world to run down into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> Maryland and find my parents. It -wouldn't be too long a run, would it? I think I have heard of a man who -went from San Francisco to Boston on his wheel."</p> - -<p>"No doubt you did; and that man, if you are thinking of the same one I -am, is now on his way around the world. The run wouldn't trouble you, -but finding the objects of your search would not be so easy as you seem -to think. You have gone about it in the wrong way."</p> - -<p>"How would you act, if you were in my place?"</p> - -<p>"My first hard work would be to rid myself of that guardian," exclaimed -Joe.</p> - -<p>"Haven't I told you that he was appointed by the court?"</p> - -<p>"Of course he was, or else he could not have slipped into the position. -But you were too young to have any voice in the matter. You are older -now than you were then, and have reached an age when the law says you -are capable of choosing your own guardian."</p> - -<p>Howe became greatly excited when he heard this. He threw his pen upon -the table, jumped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> to his feet, and paced the floor with long and rapid -strides.</p> - -<p>"I hope you know what you are telling me," said he, as soon as he could -say anything.</p> - -<p>Joe replied that he was sure of his ground.</p> - -<p>"How shall I go to work?" continued Rowe. "What shall I do first?"</p> - -<p>"Go to some honest lawyer, tell him your story just as you have told -it to us, going rather more into details, and he will tell you what to -do. If you give the case into his hands, he will probably advertise for -your people. He'll not start off alone to hunt them up, unless he knows -pretty near where they are; I can tell you that much."</p> - -<p>"And will the law really help me to rid myself of that man?" cried -Rowe, as if he could hardly believe it. "And will I have my father and -mother to live with me, and be free to come and go, as other fellows -do? It seems too good to be true. Why didn't you tell me this long ago?"</p> - -<p>"I have been on the point of telling you half a dozen times," answered -Joe, "but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> somehow I always got switched off on another track. You know -it now, and if you remain shut up any longer deprived of your rights, -it will be your own fault."</p> - -<p>"I shall not let the grass grow under my feet, I assure you," said -Rowe, seating himself at the table and once more taking up his pen. "I -shall not leave the city until this thing has been settled. How would -it do to add a line to the letter I have written to Willis?"</p> - -<p>"Telling him what you intend to do?" exclaimed Joe. "I wouldn't. Spring -it on 'em and take them by surprise before they have a chance to run -away with any of the money. If the man who claims to be your uncle got -his position by fraud, he wouldn't be above cheating you if he saw an -opportunity to do it without detection."</p> - -<p>It was much harder work for Rowe to write this letter than it was to -write the first, because he was so nervous and excited that he could -scarcely hold his pen steady. But he finished it at last, and handed it -over to Joe to read. It was much the same as the other, ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>cept that -there was no allusion made to the story that Willis or somebody else -had spread abroad, that Rowe had appropriated a sum of his guardian's -money to help him in his runaway scheme. Then the letters were sealed, -stamped and addressed, and Joe went out to put them into the box. -He wanted them to reach their destination as soon as possible; and -furthermore, he intended to allow the one that was addressed to the -detective ample time to have an effect before he called at the agency -on the following morning. They had done all that could be done that -night, and when Joe went back to the reading-room he announced his -intention of going to bed.</p> - -<p>"Then I will bid you good-by, for it is not at all likely that I shall -be here when you come down in the morning," said Rowe, shaking each of -them cordially by the hand. "If you only knew what a terrible load you -have lifted from my heart by the friendly encouragement and advice you -have given me, you would believe me when I say that I am glad to have -met you, and sorry indeed that your friend got into trouble through me. -Please<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> say as much, to him when you see him, and add that I shall live -in hopes of some day making his acquaintance. I suppose you can't tell -me where to address you in case I should have anything interesting to -communicate?"</p> - -<p>Joe was sorry to say that he could not; for although their proposed -route had been marked out in their road-book before they left home, -there was no certainty that they would stick to it. But he and his -friends would like much to know how Rowe succeeded in his efforts to -assert his rights, and a letter addressed to them at Mount Airy would -follow them until it caught them. There were their cards. Good-night -and good luck!</p> - -<p>"He's a simple-hearted fellow and totally unused to the ways of the -world; and although he hasn't got much sense to boast of in some -things, he can sling ink better than I can," said Arthur, as he and Joe -ascended to their rooms. "Do you suppose he has ever been to school?"</p> - -<p>"No, I don't. He had a private teacher."</p> - -<p>"Then why didn't he make a confidant of him?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Because he was afraid to. Perhaps his teacher was some -poverty-stricken scholar, who was told to keep his mouth, eyes and ears -closed as long as he remained on the island, and was well paid for -doing it. More than that, the guardian was careful to tell his side of -the story first, so that the tutor would be likely to take anything -Rowe said to him with a grain or two of allowance."</p> - -<p>"It does not seem possible that such things can happen in this day and -age of the world," said Arthur reflectively. "That fellow told us a -strange story, and I shall do as I please about believing it until we -hear from Roy Sheldon. Well, good-night. Call me when you get up."</p> - -<p>The first thing the two friends did when they went down to the office -in the morning was to inquire for Robert Barton; for you will remember -that that was the name the runaway signed to the register.</p> - -<p>"He left a message for you to the effect that he had decided to take -the night boat for Bloomingdale," replied the clerk. "He will put in -the time visiting friends there until you arrive."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That means that Rowe Shelly has gone into hiding somewhere in the -city," said Joe, as he followed Arthur into the dining-hall. "Of course -he wouldn't be foolish enough to say that he was going up the river on -a steamer if he really meant to do it."</p> - -<p>"I don't know whether he would or not," answered Arthur, doubtfully. -"He acknowledges to doing a great many foolish things. Putting up at -this hotel was one of them."</p> - -<p>After eating a very slender breakfast the boys inquired the way to Bank -street, and left the hotel to obtain an interview with Mr. Wilcox. -About half an hour later a carriage was driven up to the sidewalk, and -a boy clad in a bicycle uniform got out and hurried into the hotel; -but I doubt if such a boy and such a uniform had ever been seen in the -Lafayette House before. He seemed anxious to escape observation, for -it was not until he had concealed himself behind one of the wide front -doors that he stopped to pay his hackman. Then he stepped up to the -desk and looked at the astonished clerk with his right eye. He wore a -handkerchief over the other one, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> there was a suspicion of blood -on the handkerchief. One sleeve of his shirt had disappeared, and so -had his cap; and when the clerk came to take a second look at him, he -saw that, although his uniform was dry, it looked as though it had been -dumped in the harbor—as indeed it had.</p> - -<p>"Well, well," exclaimed the clerk, as soon as he had in some measure -recovered from his astonishment. "What in the world have you been doing -to yourself, Mr.—ah—er—Barton?" he added, consulting the register to -make sure of the name. "Did the steamer sink or burn up?"</p> - -<p>"What steamer? I don't know anything about a steamer."</p> - -<p>"Why, didn't you tell the clerk whom I relieved that you were going to -take the night boat for Bloomingdale?"</p> - -<p>"Not much I didn't. I wasn't here last night, and furthermore, my -name isn't Barton. There's my name, Roy Sheldon; and I came to town -yesterday afternoon in company with that fellow and that one," said the -new-comer, pointing out Joe's name and Arthur's.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Then, who was the chap who left a message for Wayring and Hastings?" -exclaimed the puzzled clerk.</p> - -<p>"I'm sure I don't know. Did he beat you out of anything?" inquired -Roy, thinking of the swindler who had tried to palm off those bogus -greenbacks upon him and his friends.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no! He settled up all fair and square, and said he would wait -for Wayring and Hastings at Bloomingdale. It couldn't have been your -brother, could it? He looked like you."</p> - -<p>"Don't own any brother. Say," cried Roy, an idea striking him. "Wasn't -it Rowe Shelly?"</p> - -<p>The clerk backed away from his desk and looked at Roy without speaking.</p> - -<p>"I don't know who else it could have been, for I was mistaken for him, -kidnapped, and carried over to the island, and just escaped being taken -to sea by the skin of my teeth," continued Roy, growing excited as he -thought of it. "Rowe must have been here and scraped an acquaintance -with my friends, or he wouldn't have left a message for them. I did say -I would make trouble for somebody if I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> ever got ashore, but since I -have had time to think the matter over, I am not as mad as I was. Did -it blow much here last night and early this morning? Well, I was out in -the whole of it."</p> - -<p>"Do you mean to say that that fool Rowe Shelly has run away from home -again?" said the clerk, as if he could hardly believe the story.</p> - -<p>"He has run away, but I don't know whether he's a fool or not. I am -inclined to think he isn't. Where are those friends of mine?"</p> - -<p>The clerk didn't know. They left the hotel after inquiring the way to -Bank street, but he couldn't tell what business they had on hand, or -how long they would be gone.</p> - -<p>"They'll show up when they get ready," said Roy. "In the mean time, if -you will give me the key to forty-seven, I will go up and try to make -myself a little more presentable."</p> - -<p>"What have you been doing to get yourself into such a plight?" asked -the interested clerk.</p> - -<p>"The story is too long to be told in detail,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> and all I can say just -now is that I have had a time of it. But if Rowe got away I don't care. -I would go through as much more to help him, although he is a perfect -stranger to me. Don't say anything about this, please, for I positively -decline to be interviewed. I don't want my folks to hear of it, for -fear they will order me home," added Roy to himself. "That's the plain -English of the matter."</p> - -<p>So saying he took his key and went up to his room.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ROY IN TROUBLE.</p> - - -<p class="drop">Y<span class="uppercase">ou</span> will remember that it was during the crush which occurred at the -Academy of Music when the "gallery gods" came pouring down into the -main hall from both sides, that Roy Sheldon became separated from his -friends Joe and Arthur. While he was making his way slowly toward the -door, he felt a hand laid upon his arm, and without turning his head to -see who it was, supposing, of course, that one of his companions was -close at his side, Roy took hold of the hand and drew it through his -arm. When he reached the sidewalk he looked around to say something -uncomplimentary regarding the rough fellow who had elbowed him rather -too sharply in his haste to get out, and then he found that it was not -a boy who had hold of him, but a man whom he had never seen before—a -brown-whis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>kered man dressed in gray clothes. Thinking of the swindler -whom he and his friends had encountered during the early part of the -evening, Roy made an effort to twist himself out of the stranger's -grasp, but found that he could not do it. The man had a grip like a -vise.</p> - -<p>"Softly, softly," said he, in a low tone. "The game's up, and you might -as well give in. You know me, and you know, too, that I wouldn't see -you harmed. The carriage is ready and waiting."</p> - -<p>"I don't know you, either," said Roy, greatly astonished. "Let go my -arm, or I'll black your eye for you."</p> - -<p>"If you strike me," said the man, who seemed rather surprised at this -display of spirit, "I shall have to put the irons on you right here, -and you don't want to make a scene before all these people. It wouldn't -look well for a young fellow of your standing."</p> - -<p>Roy, too amazed to speak again, looked around for his friends; but -they seemed to have disappeared very mysteriously. He was surrounded -by strange people, the majority of whom seemed to be paying no sort -of attention<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> to him, while others looked on in wonder, and the rest -laughed at him. An arrest in the crowded streets of New London was too -common an occurrence to attract more than a passing notice.</p> - -<p>All this while Roy was being led slowly but surely toward a carriage, -whose door was held invitingly open by a rather genteel-looking man who -carried a heavy cane in his hand. When Roy saw that preparations had -been made to convey him away secretly, he recovered his power of action -and the use of his tongue at the same instant. He resisted with all -his strength, and finally appealed to a policeman who, for a wonder, -chanced to appear at that opportune moment.</p> - -<p>"What do you mean, anyway?" he exclaimed, giving his arm a sudden -wrench, but with no other effect than to cause the man in gray to -tighten his grasp until Roy could scarcely endure the pain. "Mr. -Officer, do you see what this villain is doing? I ask you to interfere -for my protection."</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">The Arrest.</span></p> - -<p>Roy, in his simplicity, supposed that the guardian of the city's peace -would rush up and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> knock his assailant down with his club, or else -take him into custody; but he did nothing of the sort. He strolled -leisurely up to the carriage, saying, in a drawling tone:</p> - -<p>"I suppose it is all right, Bab?"</p> - -<p>"Of course it is," replied the man in gray, "or I wouldn't be in it. I -am too old a dog to bark up the wrong tree."</p> - -<p>"It's all right, sonny," said the policeman, soothingly. "Go along -quiet and peaceable and you won't get into trouble with Bab. He'll take -good care of you."</p> - -<p>"But who is he, and by what authority does he commit this outrage?" -demanded Roy, who was so angry and astonished that he hardly knew what -he was saying.</p> - -<p>But his indignant words met with no verbal response. The policeman, -who, according to Roy's way of thinking, ought to have helped him, -lent effective assistance to his assailant by taking the boy by the -other arm and gently pushing him into the carriage. The minute the two -men released their hold of him, Roy jumped for the other side of the -vehicle, intending to open the door and take to his heels,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> but the man -who carried the heavy cane was there before him.</p> - -<p>"What's the use of cutting up like this?" said he, with a cunning smile -that exasperated the prisoner to the highest degree. "One would think, -from your actions, that you were going to prison, instead of to the -pleasantest home that any boy of your size ever had. Why can't you stay -there and be contented? There's many a youngster in this city who would -be glad to be in your boots."</p> - -<p>As the man said this he mounted to a seat on the box beside the driver, -and at the same moment his companion, who had got into the carriage and -closed the door behind him, seized Roy by the arm and drew him away -from the window.</p> - -<p>"Sit down and take it easy," said he, pleasantly. "The game is up, as I -told you, and you might as well give in and wait until you see another -chance to run away."</p> - -<p>"Run away!" repeated Roy. "Where from?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, come now. What's the use of playing off in that way? I know it's -quite a while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> since I saw you, but I knew you the minute I put eyes on -you. That chap didn't fool you, did he?"</p> - -<p>"What chap?"</p> - -<p>"Why, the fellow who tried to play the pocket-book game on you and -those two wheelmen you picked up somewhere."</p> - -<p>"Did you see that operation?" exclaimed Roy, forgetting for the moment -that he was being taken somewhere against his will, and that there -might be disagreeable things in store for him.</p> - -<p>"I saw it all. I followed you from the Lafayette House—say, Rowe, -don't you think you were foolish to go to that hotel where all the -wheelmen stop? That was the very first place I went to find you when -Willis told me that you had skipped again. What made you go there?"</p> - -<p>"Who is Willis?" asked Roy, in reply.</p> - -<p>"Oh, get out!" exclaimed his companion, in a tone of disgust. "If you -want me to talk to you, you must talk sense."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, where are you going to take me?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That isn't sense, either. <i>I</i> might be liable to make a mistake, -seeing it's two years and better since I last met you, but Willis ought -to know you."</p> - -<p>"Who does he think I am?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, quit your nonsense. I am in no humor for foolishness. I was up all -last night working on a case, and now I've got to stay up till I see -you safe at home. I'm cross for want of rest."</p> - -<p>"You don't talk as if you were cross," said Roy. "I'll stop bothering -you if you will tell me who you are, who you think I am, and why you -kidnapped me as you have done."</p> - -<p>"Bless your heart, you won't bother me if you will only talk sense. -I didn't kidnap you. I arrested you for a runaway, and there's my -authority for doing it."</p> - -<p>As the man said this he squared around on his seat, drew back the lapel -of his coat, and the light of a street lamp, which streamed in through -the window at that moment, fell full upon a detective's shield.</p> - -<p>"My name is Babcock," he continued. "Of course you remember me now. -Bab, you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> know; the same man who arrested you when you lit out two -years ago. <i>Bab</i>, you recollect."</p> - -<p>"Never heard your name before, and never saw you, till you bounced -me back there in the hall," said Roy, who told himself that he was -learning something every minute.</p> - -<p>"Oh, come now," replied the detective, in an injured tone. "Everybody -knows Bab."</p> - -<p>"Everybody except me, perhaps. But you never arrested me for the simple -reason that I never ran away from home. It's much too pleasant a place -for me to leave voluntarily, I can tell you. It is plain enough to me -that you have mistaken me for somebody else."</p> - -<p>"But there's Willis," said the detective; and if Roy could have seen -his face distinctly he would have had the satisfaction of knowing that -he had aroused a train of disagreeable thoughts in that official's mind.</p> - -<p>"Who's Willis?" asked Roy, again.</p> - -<p>"Your uncle's superintendent; the man on top with the driver. He has -known you all your life, and he says you are Rowe Shelly."</p> - -<p>"Well, I am not. I am Roy Sheldon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> my home is in Mount Airy. If -you don't want to take my word for it, tell your hackman to drive us -to the Lafayette House. You will find a couple of my friends there, -and in an hour I can bring a hundred more from among New London's best -business men."</p> - -<p>"If you have so many acquaintances in the city, why did you put up at a -hotel? That statement will hardly wash."</p> - -<p>"It's the truth whether it will wash or not," Roy insisted. "Having -just so much time at our disposal, we made all our arrangements before -we left home, and we didn't want our friends to interfere with our -plans in any way. You may save yourself trouble by going to my hotel."</p> - -<p>"No; I don't guess I would," replied the detective, with a yawn. "I'd -a little rather trust Willis than you, for you know that you are full -of tricks, and that you came within one of giving me the slip two years -ago. Remember it, don't you?"</p> - -<p>Roy replied that it had slipped his mind entirely, and then went back -to the point from which he started, hoping that by setting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> out on a -new tack he could induce the detective to tell him who Rowe Shelly was, -where he lived, and why he had run away from home.</p> - -<p>"If you are an officer, as you pretend to be, what is the reason you -did not arrest that fellow when he was trying to play the pocket-book -game on my friends and me?" said he. "You say you saw it all."</p> - -<p>"And I say so yet; but I didn't want to have anything to do with him -just then, for I had bigger game in sight. That was you, and I was -afraid you would recognize me if I showed you my face. So I just -nodded to the swindler to let him know that I was on to his little -performance, pointed down the street, and he took the hint and cleared -out."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's the reason he went off in such a hurry, was it?" exclaimed -Roy. "We thought it was because he was afraid his game was about to be -exposed. Now that I think of it, I believe I did see you standing near -by, but your back was turned toward us."</p> - -<p>"No doubt. And you saw me when I took you in at Peach Grove two years -ago, didn't you? Come, now, be honest."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I don't know where Peach Grove is, and I tell you I never saw you -before to-night," replied Roy. "How far do you intend to take me in -this close carriage?"</p> - -<p>"Not much farther. We're most to the pier now."</p> - -<p>"Then I've got to go the rest of the way by water, have I?" said Roy. -"Why don't you let down the windows? It's suffocating in here."</p> - -<p>"It's pretty warm, that's a fact," assented the detective, taking off -his hat and drawing his handkerchief across his forehead. "You'd holler -if I put the windows down."</p> - -<p>"No, I wouldn't," protested the boy.</p> - -<p>"And that wouldn't be pleasant; because it would attract attention," -continued the detective. "You'd be sorry enough for it after you'd had -time to cool off, and, besides, your uncle wouldn't like to have so -much publicity given to this matter. He wants everything done on the -quiet, and I promise you it shall be, if you will do just as I say."</p> - -<p>"Who's my uncle?" asked Roy, believing that he had got upon the right -track at last.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why, your uncle; Colonel Shelly; the man who owns the island where you -live," answered the detective. And then, as if he was angry at himself -for giving his questioner this much satisfaction, he added: "I declare, -if Job was here in my place he'd lose patience and be tempted to shake -you. But go on with your foolishness. I've got to keep awake somehow."</p> - -<p>"Then let down the windows so that a fellow can breathe," said Roy, -prompt to take advantage of this permission. "If I speak louder than my -ordinary tone of voice it will not take you long to put them up again. -There, now. That's better. You say you are going to take me to an -island. Are there any people on it?"</p> - -<p>"A dozen, or such a matter, I should say."</p> - -<p>"Have they been long in Colonel Shelly's employ?"</p> - -<p>"Some have been there always, and some ain't."</p> - -<p>"That's all I want to know on that point," said Roy, who was greatly -relieved. "Of course the minute those old-timers see me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> they will know -that you have made a mistake."</p> - -<p>"Of course, they won't know nothing of the kind," replied the -detective, angrily. "They know, and so does everybody else, that Bab -understands his business and is not in the habit of making mistakes. -Don't you build any hopes on that."</p> - -<p>"Colonel Shelly will know that I am not his nephew, won't he? I can at -least build some hopes on that."</p> - -<p>"He ain't at home, and you know it as well as I do. If he was, you -and I wouldn't be here in this carriage. You waited until he went off -somewhere on business, and then you skipped."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that was the way of it. The colonel must be rich if he can afford -to own a whole island so near a big city like New London, mustn't he?"</p> - -<p>"Aw! Go on now," replied the detective. "He's awful rich, and so are -you. At least you will be one of these days."</p> - -<p>"That's news to me. I've seen the time when I thought I was well off if -I had fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> cents in my pocket. What's the matter?" inquired Roy, -seeing that his companion was twisting uneasily about on his seat. -"Don't I talk fast enough to keep you awake?"</p> - -<p>"You make me tired," answered the detective. "But I'll tell you one -thing, young man. If Willis has made a mistake and you are not Rowe -Shelly, you're a trifle the coolest customer I have seen for many a -day."</p> - -<p>"I don't deny that I was frightened at first," said Roy, "but I don't -feel at all uneasy now. Of course I know that you have made a mistake, -for there's nothing that you or any one else can gain by running me off -in this way."</p> - -<p>"Well, look here," said the detective earnestly. "If there's been a -blunder made, you mustn't blame me for it. Blame Willis."</p> - -<p>"What's the name of the boy you took me for—Rowe Shelly? Do I look -much like him?"</p> - -<p>"That's another question that makes me tired," answered Babcock. "Look -like him! You <i>are</i> him, otherwise you wouldn't be here."</p> - -<p>"But I say I am Roy Sheldon and nobody<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> else, as I can prove if you -will give me a chance. When we get to some place where we can borrow a -light, I want you to take a good look at my face. You never saw a boy -who looked exactly like me, and I'll bet on it."</p> - -<p>This was just what the detective had determined to do. The boy was -altogether too much at his ease to suit him; he did not act at all as -a disappointed runaway ought to act, and the fear that, for once, he -had committed a blunder was almost enough to drive Babcock frantic. -If he had made a prisoner of the wrong boy he could look for nothing -but a prompt discharge from his employer, who would not be likely to -recommend him to any other private detective bureau. But then he never -would have made the arrest if Willis had not urged it, and repeatedly -declared that he knew Rowe Shelly when he saw him, and that there was -no chance for a mistake. And besides, there was the money that Rowe -was said to have stolen from his guardian! To do the detective justice -he did not believe that part of the story, but told himself that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> the -superintendent had concocted it in order to make the case against the -runaway as bad as it could be.</p> - -<p>"I don't much like this private detective business, and never did," -thought Babcock. "If there is a mean piece of work to be done, -something so low down that the city officers won't touch it, we are -called upon to do it. I'll have a good look at this boy's face as soon -as we reach the pier, and if I am not entirely satisfied with what I -see there, I'll wash my hands of the whole business, and leave Willis -to take him to the island and get out of the scrape afterwards as well -as he can. That's what I'll do."</p> - -<p>Seeing that his companion had suddenly grown very unsociable, Roy -settled back on his seat and thought over the situation. What would Joe -and Arthur think when they missed him, and what would they do about it? -When they found that he had not returned to the hotel would they become -frightened, report the matter at police headquarters, and write to the -folks in Mount Airy about it? The bare thought of such a thing alarmed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> -Roy, who was almost tempted to burst open the door and take to his -heels.</p> - -<p>"But that plan wouldn't work at all," said he to himself. "Babcock -would have me hard and fast before I could get fairly on my feet. I -must wait until we reach the pier, and then I'll make a dash, if they -give me the least show. If Joe and Arthur write home about it, that -will be the end of our trip, and I'll pick a quarrel with the pair of -them as soon as I can find them."</p> - -<p>But, after all, Roy did not borrow a great deal of trouble on this -score. His friends had never yet "gone back on him," and Roy did not -believe they would do it now, when there was so much at stake.</p> - -<p>While these thoughts were passing through his mind, the carriage, which -had been driven at as high a rate of speed as the hackman thought he -could venture upon without attracting the attention of the police, -turned off the main thoroughfare into a narrow street, then into -another, and finally into a third, which was so dark and gloomy that -the street lamps looked as though they were shining<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> through a fog. -Presently it came to a standstill.</p> - -<p>"Here we are," said Babcock, with alacrity. "Jump out. Not that side, -but this one. Aha! You'll bear watching, won't you?"</p> - -<p>But Roy could not have made his exit through the door toward which he -turned, without bringing on a useless struggle with his captors: for -the minute the carriage stopped, the man Willis clambered down from the -box and appeared at the window.</p> - -<p>"Rowe Shelly must be a slippery fellow," thought Roy, as he faced about -and followed the detective, "and no doubt he has given these two men a -lesson that they will not soon forget. They won't let me have the ghost -of a chance to run."</p> - -<p>When Roy got out of the carriage he saw that it had stopped at the end -of a pier which jutted out into the harbor for a hundred feet or more. -There was no possible chance for escape, unless he were reckless enough -to jump into the water and trust himself to the tide, which was running -out at a rapid rate, but his captors were so very much afraid of him, -that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> they kept fast hold of both his arms while they marched him to -the farther end of the pier, where they found a natty little yacht with -steam up, ready for a start.</p> - -<p>"Do you intend to take me away on this thing?" inquired Roy. "Well, -before you do it, hadn't you better get a lantern and satisfy -yourselves that you have made no mistake in the boy? I tell you I am -not Rowe Shelly. If he has any good reason for running away from his -uncle, I hope he is a thousand miles from here at this moment, and that -you will never catch him. But if you don't quit fooling with me here -and now, I'll make trouble for you as sure as I live to get ashore."</p> - -<p>"I'm used to such talk as that," said Willis, with a laugh. "Yes," he -added, in reply to a low question from a man on the forecastle who -proved to be the captain of the yacht, "we've found him already. Had no -trouble at all in tracking him. Are you ready? Then cast off and—"</p> - -<p>"Hold on," interrupted the detective. "I want to say a few words to you -in private, Willis. Captain, can this boy be locked in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> cabin with -any certainty that we shall find him there when we want him?"</p> - -<p>The man appealed to said he was sure of it; whereupon Roy was conducted -down the companion ladder, and into an elegantly furnished little -room in the stern of the yacht. The hanging lamp gave out a brilliant -light, and Roy, believing that the detective would never have a better -opportunity to take a good look at his face, placed his hands on his -hips and stood in such a position that the rays from the reflector fell -full upon him.</p> - -<p>"Now what do you think?" said he. "Can you truthfully say that you ever -saw me before?"</p> - -<p>"Why, what's the matter?" inquired Willis, while Roy was sure he looked -somewhat concerned and anxious. "What are you talking about, Rowe? You -don't pretend to deny yourself, do you? If that's your scheme, it won't -work."</p> - -<p>"Of course I do not mean to deny my identity," replied Roy. "But I do -say I am not Rowe Shelly."</p> - -<p>"What nonsense!" exclaimed Willis.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> "Shove off, captain. We are wasting -time here. Mr. Babcock will go to the island with us, as he did before."</p> - -<p>"Don't be in a hurry, captain," interposed the detective. "It is -possible that I shall want to stay ashore. Now, Willis, come on deck -and tell me who is to pay me for this night's work."</p> - -<p>Willis knew, and so did Roy Sheldon, that this was simply a ruse on -Babcock's part to take the superintendent out of the prisoner's hearing -so that he could speak his mind to him without fear of being overheard. -I afterward learned all about that rather stormy interview, and so I -will tell of it here in its proper place.</p> - -<p>"Look here," said Babcock, as soon as he and Willis had gained the -deck. "You have brought me into a pretty mess, and I am going to get -out of it with the least possible delay. I am as near the island as I -am going to-night."</p> - -<p>"You—you don't suppose—" began Willis.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I mean to say that you have made me arrest the wrong boy," -exclaimed the detective, as if he read the thoughts that were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> passing -in his companion's mind; "and if you don't know it, too, your face -belies you. What do you say, captain? Who is that boy we just left in -the cabin?"</p> - -<p>"Why, it's Rowe Shelly, of course. Who else should it be?"</p> - -<p>"Did you take a good look at him?"</p> - -<p>"I did. I would know him if I had met him in Europe."</p> - -<p>"There, now," said Willis, angrily, "I hope you're satisfied. I've -heard that boy talk. He can almost make one believe that black is -white, and I can see plain enough that he tried his blarney on you -while you were in the carriage with him. You wouldn't have made the -arrest if it hadn't been for me."</p> - -<p>"You're right, I wouldn't. I believed you when you said you knew the -boy, and now I've got into a nice pickle by it. I hope the colonel will -give you your walking-papers the minute he hears of it."</p> - -<p>"Oh, he dassent do that. I know too much about—" began Willis, and -then he stopped, frightened at what he had said.</p> - -<p>"You know too much about him and his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> affairs, do you?" exclaimed -Babcock, finishing the sentence for him. "That's what I have thought -for a long time."</p> - -<p>"I didn't say so," replied Willis, hastily, at the same time taking the -detective by the arm and leading him out of earshot of the captain of -the yacht. "You ought not to have spoken so plainly in the presence of -a third party. I tell you it's all right."</p> - -<p>"And I tell you I am sure it isn't. If you will take my advice, you -will bring that boy out of the cabin and show him the way to his hotel -at once. If he is a stranger in town he could not find his way there -alone on a dark night like this."</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't do that for no money," said Willis, alarmed at the mere -mention of such a thing. "Just see the trouble I'd get into."</p> - -<p>"You'll get into more if you don't do as I say. Well, good-by. I'm off."</p> - -<p>"Won't you see Rowe safe to the island?"</p> - -<p>"Not by a great sight. I'll have no more to do with the case."</p> - -<p>So saying the detective jumped ashore, and Willis was left to his own -discretion.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ANOTHER SURPRISE FOR ROY.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"W<span class="uppercase">ell</span>, this is a pretty way to treat a fellow, I do think," -soliloquized the puzzled and anxious superintendent, as he stood on the -yacht's deck and watched the retreating form of the detective until it -was swallowed up in the darkness. "He gets me into difficulty and then -clears out, leaving me to sink or swim, he don't care which. What do -you say, captain?" he added, turning to the master of the yacht, who -came up when he saw Babcock spring ashore. "You're quite positive that -the boy below is Rowe Shelly, and nobody else?"</p> - -<p>"What's the matter with you and Babcock?" asked the captain, testily. -"You act like a couple of—I don't know what."</p> - -<p>"And that's the way I feel," replied Willis. "Babcock has been worked -upon in some mys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>terious way, and now he's gone away and left me to -bear the brunt of the whole thing alone."</p> - -<p>"Well, wasn't that what you expected to do when you got back to the -island?" inquired the captain. "His guardian being absent, you will -have to take full charge of Rowe until he returns. That's what you did -the last time he ran away, and you never made any fuss over it. I know -it is disagreeable business, this standing guard over an uneasy fellow -who won't stay where he is put, but seeing that we are well paid for -it, and know that it is for the boy's best good, where's the harm?"</p> - -<p>"But Babcock seems to think that Rowe has slipped through our fingers, -and that we have brought back the wrong boy."</p> - -<p>The captain made a gesture of impatience but said nothing.</p> - -<p>"All right," exclaimed Willis. "Cast off the fasts and get under way as -quickly as possible."</p> - -<p>"Where's his wheel?" inquired the captain. "I didn't see you bring it -aboard."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p> - -<p>"We didn't stop for it," answered Willis, "for the youngster was in -fighting humor, and would have drawn a crowd about us if we hadn't -hustled him into the carriage just as we did. We'll have to send for it -when he gets ready to tell us where he left it."</p> - -<p>"Don't he feel inclined to talk? That isn't at all like Rowe, who -usually has gab enough."</p> - -<p>"Bless you, he's nothing but talk; but the trouble is, he won't tell -the truth. He has hit upon a new plan this time. He says he is somebody -else, and sticks to it. But you know him and I know him, even if -Babcock doesn't; so it's all right. Now get underway. It <i>must</i> be all -right, although I confess that Babcock frightened me by talking and -acting as he did," said Willis, as the master of the yacht hastened -forward to take his place at the wheel. "I had a good view of him while -he stood in front of that window with those two young wheelmen; I sat -almost within reach of him during the entire evening; and I've had -several good looks at him since. Babcock had all the chances he wanted -to compare his face with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> the photograph I gave him, and he didn't -think there was anything wrong until after Rowe had had opportunity -to talk to him. I'd give something handsome to know what passed -between them while I was on the box with the driver; then, perhaps I -should know what to do. I ought to have stayed with them, but I never -dreamed of anything like this. However, I shall be prepared for any -emergencies. I'll take Tony into my confidence just as soon as I can -get Rowe into the house and up to his room."</p> - -<p>So saying, the superintendent faced about and went into the cabin to -see what the prisoner thought of the situation. To his surprise he -found him reading a paper he had taken from the table. According to -Willis's way of thinking, that was a bad sign. Why didn't he walk the -floor and shake his fists in the air and utter threats, and in various -other ways act as if he had taken leave of his senses? That was the way -he did the last time he was captured, and Willis could not understand -why he didn't do so now.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Roy, laying down his paper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> and squaring around in his -chair. "What conclusion did you and Babcock come to?"</p> - -<p>"What conclusion?" repeated Willis, innocently.</p> - -<p>"Yes. You went on deck to hold a private confab, and I should like to -know what came of it. It is a matter in which I am somewhat interested."</p> - -<p>"I don't see how you can be. Bab wanted to know who was to pay him for -interfering with your plans, and I told him he would have to go to your -uncle for that. There was nothing private about it."</p> - -<p>"I suppose I am at liberty to believe that or not," replied Roy. -"Babcock knows that when he caught me he didn't get the boy he wanted, -and you know it, too. I don't say you knew it when you took me away -from my friends in front of the hall, but you do now!"</p> - -<p>Roy said this at a venture, and, no doubt, would have been greatly -amazed if he had known just how close he had shot to the mark. He was -sitting a little to one side of the reflector, so that the rays from -the hanging lamp fell squarely upon him, and now that Willis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> had -leisure to look at him without fear of interruption from a crowd of -curious by-standers, the cold chills began creeping over him. There -was a wonderful resemblance, it is true, between the prisoner and Rowe -Shelly, and yet Willis could not help seeing that they were different -in a good many particulars. Roy had a way of holding his head, and even -of sitting in his chair, which were unlike anything the superintendent -had ever noticed in Rowe. How earnestly he wished that Roy would -own up, confess that he was the runaway, and thus put an end to his -suspense!</p> - -<p>"Where's Babcock now?" asked Roy, after a short pause.</p> - -<p>"On deck," answered Willis, who did not think it would be good policy -to tell the prisoner just what had passed between himself and the -detective. "It always makes him sea-sick to remain in a close cabin -when on the water, and so he stayed where he could get the breeze."</p> - -<p>"It works that way with me, too," said Roy; but Willis could not be -made to believe it.</p> - -<p>"It won't do, Rowe," said he, with some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>thing that was intended for -a good-natured smile. "I've seen you on the water too often, and you -can't crowd any such story down me. I wouldn't mind allowing you to go -on deck if I could trust you; but I have learned that I can't. Your -word isn't good for anything."</p> - -<p>"Your remarks may apply to Rowe Shelly, but I want you to understand -that they don't hit me. My word is always good. But what's the use of -talking?" said Roy, again, picking up the paper. "I've told my story to -the detective, who probably told it to you, and in a few hours you will -learn that it is a true one. Where has Colonel Shelly gone, and when is -he expected to return?"</p> - -<p>Willis answered that he didn't know.</p> - -<p>"It's immaterial," said Roy. "When my friends come to the island after -me, as they surely will as soon as they find out where I have been -taken, I shall go ashore with them, no matter whether the colonel is -there or not."</p> - -<p>It was right on the point of Roy's tongue to add: "And you will go -also, for I don't intend to submit to treatment of this sort." But he -did not utter the words. It came into his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> mind like a flash, that -possibly this man Willis might have it in his power to shut him up in -some strong room on the island, and if that was the case Roy did not -wish to make him angry.</p> - -<p>"You still stick to it that you are not Rowe Shelly, do you?" exclaimed -Willis, trying to look and speak as if he were becoming indignant, -though the effort was a sorry failure. He was frightened, and Roy saw -it plain enough. "You might as well give up, for everybody who has ever -seen you knows who you are."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'll give up because I can't well help myself," replied Roy. "In -fact I have a curiosity to see the thing out, and to know what you and -Babcock will do when you find that you have put your feet in it. So -long as I get good treatment, a soft bed to sleep in—I have been in -the saddle nearly all day, and consequently I feel rather tired—and -plenty to eat, I would just as soon—indeed, I would rather stay on an -island to-night than sleep at my hotel. I never did like a city hotel, -and if I were sure that my friends are not worrying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> about me, my mind -would be quite at rest. Hal-lo! What have I said now, I wonder."</p> - -<p>"By the piper that played before Moses, that ain't Rowe Shelly," said -Willis, to himself, as he sprang from his chair and bolted up the -companion-ladder. "Babcock was right, and I'm in for it, sure enough. -Rowe's got sublime cheek, but it can't compare with this fellow's. Now -what shall I do?"</p> - -<p>It was plain as daylight to me, when I heard of it, that there was -but one course of action open to the superintendent, and that was the -honest and manly one. When he became convinced, or even suspected, -that he had made a blunder, the best thing he could do was to order -the yacht back to the pier and conduct Roy Sheldon to his hotel with -such apologies as he could think up on the spur of the moment. But, -unfortunately, Willis had never been known to do an honest and manly -thing. Probably he never thought of it. He wasn't above a mean act, and -when detected in it generally did something meaner to cover it up. And -that was what he decided to do in this case. He did not go into the -cabin again, but paced the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> deck, lost in thought. He turned over in -his mind a dozen wild schemes for ridding himself of the prisoner in -case he did not prove to be the boy he wanted, but through it all he -clung to the hope that he was Rowe Shelly, and nobody else. It couldn't -be possible, he told himself, that there was a boy in the world who -looked enough like the runaway to deceive everybody at first sight. At -any rate, it would not take long to settle the matter now, for here -was the island close at hand. There were several people on the jetty -awaiting the yacht's return, and every one of them would be able to -tell at a glance whether or not he had brought Rowe Shelly with him.</p> - -<p>"I'll not so much as drop a hint that I am afraid there is something -wrong," said Willis, to himself. "I'll just walk him ashore as if it -was all right, and leave them to find a difference between him and the -runaway, if they can. If they don't say anything, I shall know that I -have been a fool for allowing Babcock's words to have so much weight -with me."</p> - -<p>When the yacht whistled for the landing, Willis stuck his head down the -companion-way<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> and told Roy he might come on deck; a privilege of which -the weary prisoner was prompt to avail himself. He had been asleep, -with his head resting on the table, and now all he cared for was to -get to bed. It would be time enough, he thought, to look into his -surroundings and inquire about Rowe Shelly and his reasons for leaving -home, after he had had a good night's rest. But by the time the yacht -was stopped at the jetty and the lines made fast and the gang-plank -shoved out, he was wide awake.</p> - -<p>"He's come," said somebody on the jetty. "Don't you see his white shirt -and cap? That's him. That's Rowe."</p> - -<p>"Now this is mighty strange," said Roy to himself. "These folks appear -to be friendly to the boy I am supposed to be, and yet they don't want -to have him run away, although he must have good reasons for it, having -tried it twice. When they get a closer view of my face we'll see how -quick they will sing another tune."</p> - -<p>But, to Roy's surprise, they didn't do anything of the sort. -They crowded about him,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> as he walked down the staging by the -superintendent's side (for a wonder the man did not take hold of -his arm, as Roy expected him to do), all eager to shake him by the -hand. They even gazed into his face, which was plainly visible, owing -to the bright light emitted by the blazing torch that was standing -among the rocks at the end of the jetty. The climax was reached when -a motherly-looking woman, who was waiting for them at the shore end -of the jetty, threw her arms around the neck of the startled boy and -kissed him on the nose before he knew what she was going to do.</p> - -<p>"Bless his heart, has he come back again?" she exclaimed, holding him -off at arm's length so that she could get a good view of him. "Come -right into the house and get a good supper before you go to bed. I know -you must be tired to death, and don't suppose you have had a bite to -eat since you went away, seeing that you did not take any money with -you."</p> - -<p>"Let us go in, Mrs. Moffat," interrupted Willis, who grew nervous when -the housekeeper began talking about money.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you what's a fact: this is getting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> serious," soliloquized -Roy, as he moved toward the house in company with Willis and Mrs. -Moffat, one walking on each side of him. "But I don't know that I care -so very much. I'll see how it looks in the morning." Then aloud he -said: "I don't want anything to eat, Mrs.—beg pardon, I didn't quite -catch the name."</p> - -<p>"Good laws! Just listen at the child," exclaimed the housekeeper, -throwing up her hands and looking the picture of astonishment.</p> - -<p>"He's been going on that way ever since we found him, Mrs. Moffat," -said Willis in a low tone. "He don't know me nor Babcock nor the -captain nor nobody. He acts as if he had lost all his senses."</p> - -<p>"That's just what I have been afraid of for a longtime," answered the -housekeeper in a loud, shrill whisper. "No boy who was in his right -mind would want to run away and leave a kind uncle and a beautiful home -like this. I've suspected it, and so have others whose names I could -mention."</p> - -<p>Willis started when he heard this, and so did Roy. The woman's words -suggested an idea to both of them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I've sense enough to know that I am not hungry," said Roy. "All I ask -is to get to bed and be left alone for the rest of the night. I'm tired -and sleepy; and besides, I want a chance to think about this business," -he added, to himself.</p> - -<p>The housekeeper hastened to assure him that it should be just as he -said, and a few minutes later Roy was conducted up the front steps and -into a wide hall from which winding stairs led to the floor above. -Fortunately, his guides did not leave him here, for if they had, Roy -would not have known what to do. No doubt he would have confirmed the -housekeeper's suspicions by requesting her to show him to his room. But -she and Willis did that without being asked. They led him up-stairs -to a handsomely furnished apartment, and even accompanied him into -it. There was a student lamp on the center-table, a bright wood-fire -burning in the grate (although it was summer, the breeze that came -off the Sound was raw and chilly), and everything looked cheerful and -inviting.</p> - -<p>"I haven't touched the room since you went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> away, except to slick it -up a little," said Mrs. Moffatt. "Now, is there anything I can do for -you before I say good-night? Hadn't you better let me bring up a little -lunch for fear that you may get hungry before morning?"</p> - -<p>"I don't care for any, because I never eat during the night. When I -once fall asleep, I don't know anything more till daylight comes. -There's nothing you can do, thank you," replied Roy.</p> - -<p>The motherly housekeeper was evidently disappointed because the boy -did not make some complaints or order something, for she lingered as -if waiting for him to speak again, while Willis walked the floor with -his hands behind his back. He was lost in a brown study from which he -presently aroused himself to say:</p> - -<p>"Very well. If there is nothing we can do for you, we'll bid you -good-night. If you want anything you know how to get it."</p> - -<p>"I'll be shot if I do," said Roy, mentally. "Rowe Shelly must be a -queer chap if he has to be waited on during the night. If that's the -way he has been brought up he had better stay at home as long as he -can, for he'll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> have to take hard knocks when he gets out into the -world. I declare, he lives in clover, does he not?" added Roy, glancing -around at the expensive furniture, the pictures on the walls, the -ornaments on the mantel, which included the model of a full-rigged -ship, and the well-filled book-cases that stood on each side of the -fire-place. Through an open door at the farther end of the apartment, -Roy caught a glimpse of the runaway's bed-room.</p> - -<p>"But I'll not go in there," said he, to himself. "I'll move this sofa -pillow to the lounge, borrow a book, if I can find one to suit me, and -read myself to sleep. So long as I am treated like one of the masters -of the house instead of an interloper, I don't see why I shouldn't make -the best of the situation. Of course Joe and Art will be along in the -morning, and they will be able to prove to Willis's satisfaction that -I don't belong here. I knew it would be of no use to argue the matter -with Mrs. Moffatt after Willis told her I was out of my head."</p> - -<p>While Roy talked to himself in this way he ran his eye over the volumes -in one of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> book-cases, took out "Gulliver's Travels," and lay down -upon the lounge; but before he had read half a page the hand that held -the book gradually fell away from his face until the volume rested -on the floor by his side. There was no sham about his weariness. His -thirty-six mile ride had tired every muscle in his body, and Roy was -fast asleep. Would his slumber have been as peaceful as it was if he he -had known what was going on outside the house?</p> - -<p>When Roy awoke it was with a start and the indescribable feeling that -sometimes comes over a sleeper when a stranger unexpectedly enters his -room. He looked around, and sure enough he was not alone. Willis was -standing a little distance away, and Roy was almost certain that he saw -him turn and signal to another man, who whisked out of the door before -he could obtain a fair view of him. It might have been nothing but the -vagary of a dream, but still Roy thought it worth while to speak of it.</p> - -<p>"What do you want now?" he demanded. "Why do you come in without -awaking me,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> and who was that fellow who just went out?"</p> - -<p>"What fellow?" asked Willis, answering the last question first, and at -the same time facing about and looking at the door, which was still -slowly and softly closing.</p> - -<p>"That's what I asked <i>you</i>," replied Roy, springing off the lounge, -jerking the door wide open and looking out into the hall. There was no -one there. If there had been Roy certainly would have seen him, for the -lamps were still burning.</p> - -<p>"Why, what's the matter?" inquired Willis, as if he thought this a very -strange proceeding on Roy's part. "What are you afraid of?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know that I am afraid of anything; but I'd like to have you to -tell me who came into this room with you, and why you are here. I told -you I shouldn't want anything to-night."</p> - -<p>"I thought you might, and that's why I came," replied the man. "There -is no one with me. I am alone." And then, as if he had just thought of -the object of his visit, he continued: "I was sure you would like to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> -hear some word from your friends—the two who were with you when that -bunco-steerer tried to cheat you out of some money. I know I might have -waited until morning, and since you were sleeping so soundly, I am -sorry I didn't. I have found out—"</p> - -<p>"Great Scott, man!" interrupted Roy, who could scarcely believe that he -heard aright. "Don't talk about waiting till morning when you have good -news to tell. Where are my friends? Are they here—on the island? How -did you get word from them? Go on, please, and tell me what you have -found out."</p> - -<p>If Willis had not already received as good evidence as he wanted that -the boy before him was not Rowe Shelly, he had it now. The real runaway -could not have talked and acted as Roy did at that moment.</p> - -<p>"I heard of them through Babcock," Willis began.</p> - -<p>"Then he didn't come to the island with us, did he? I wondered why I -did not see him."</p> - -<p>"No. He left me at the pier and went to the city to make inquiries -about you. He went straight to the—the—"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Lafayette House," prompted Roy, when the man hesitated.</p> - -<p>"That's the place. The Lafayette House, and saw your name on the -register. Let me see; what did he say it was?"</p> - -<p>"Was it Roy Sheldon?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it was. Sounds a good deal like Rowe Shelly, don't it? He found -your name there, and also the names of—"</p> - -<p>Here Willis hesitated again, for he was not quite sure of his ground. -You must remember that he did not know as much about the prisoner as -Babcock did, for Roy had not had the same chance to talk to him. So he -stopped as often as he needed posting, and, strange to say, Roy never -suspected that there was anything wrong. He afterward had occasion to -take himself to task for his stupidity.</p> - -<p>"My two friends, Joe Wayring and Arthur Hastings?" again prompted -Roy. "Did Babcock see them, and what did they have to say about my -disappearance? I hope they haven't thought of writing home about it. I -wouldn't have them do that for anything."</p> - -<p>This was something that Roy ought to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> kept to himself; but he said -it, and Willis was quick to make a note of it.</p> - -<p>"I don't know about that," he replied. "Babcock didn't see 'em to speak -to 'em, and they didn't come off with him."</p> - -<p>"Now—why didn't they?" exclaimed the disappointed Roy, who had -secretly cherished the hope that the fellow who so suddenly disappeared -through the door was one of his chums. It would have been just like Art -Hastings to play a trick of that kind on him.</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you why he didn't speak to—what's their names?" answered -Willis. "He spoke to the clerk instead, because he did not want to -raise a row, and he told him all about you."</p> - -<p>"The clerk did?" said Roy. "Why, he doesn't know anything about me. He -never saw me until I went into his hotel in company with my friends."</p> - -<p>"That's what he told Bab; but he knew you were from—what is the name -of that place again?"</p> - -<p>"Mount Airy?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's it. He knew you came from there, and more than that, he saw the -genuine Rowe Shelly."</p> - -<p>"There, now," cried Roy. "That's evidence worth having. Did he catch -him?"</p> - -<p>"No; but he is close on his trail. He brought this news over to me just -now, Babcock did, and then went back to follow him up."</p> - -<p>"I hope he'll not catch him," said Roy. "I'm sure I can't understand -why a boy as well fixed and as kindly treated as young Shelly seems to -be should want to run away from home, but I suppose he has good reasons -for it."</p> - -<p>"Not the first; not the smallest shadow of a reason," protested Willis.</p> - -<p>"Then he's crazy; that's flat."</p> - -<p>"Now you have hit it. That's what's the matter with him, and you -heard Mrs. Moffatt say she had suspected it for a long time. You look -surprisingly like Rowe, or else all those folks who met us on the -jetty wouldn't have taken you for him. You've got the same hair, eyes, -and mustache, and your clothes are ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>actly like his; but when I had -a chance to exchange a word with you, I knew that Bab had made a big -mistake."</p> - -<p>"Bab says you are the one who made the mistake, and that if I blame -anybody for what has happened to me to-night, I must blame you."</p> - -<p>"Well, you wouldn't blame anybody if you could see Rowe Shelly," said -Willis, deprecatingly. "Of course any amends that—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't ask any amends," interposed Roy. "I've had an agreeable -adventure, and I shall not make any trouble on account of it. All I ask -is that you will send me to the city at once, so that I may relieve the -anxiety of my friends. Now, what do you want me to do? Are you going to -send me off in the yacht?"</p> - -<p>"I'd like to, but I can't," answered Willis. "The captain's asleep, and -steam has gone down, so that it would take an hour to get ready for the -start. I'll have to send you ashore in a boat, if you don't mind going -that way."</p> - -<p>"Any way to get there," said Roy, picking up his cap. "I'm ready if you -are."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p> - -<p>Willis left the room at once, and Roy followed him downstairs and out -of the house. Did the man move with cautious footsteps as if he were -afraid of disturbing somebody? Roy was sure he did, and thought it -looked suspicious.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">SOME STARTLING NEWS.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"I <span class="uppercase">don't</span> much like the idea of sneaking out as if I were a thief," said -Roy, involuntarily following the guide's motions and speaking in a -low and guarded tone. "What's the object of so much secrecy? I know I -have no right here, but since I was brought against my will, I have a -perfect right to go out open and above board."</p> - -<p>"Easy, easy," whispered Willis, raising his hand with a warning -gesture. "We don't want to disturb Mrs. Moffatt for nothing. The timid -old soul lives in constant fear of a visit from New London burglars, -and if we should wake her up she would be scared to death."</p> - -<p>Roy did not think to ask himself whether or not this was a good reason -for Willis's stealthy movements, for his mind was too busy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span> with other -matters. He wanted to see the boat that was to take him across to the -city, and fervently hoped it might prove to be a large and seaworthy -one; for when he got out of the house he saw that the sky was overcast, -that the wind was rising, and that the surface of the bay looked dark -and threatening.</p> - -<p>"Isn't it going to be an ugly night?" said he, as he accompanied his -guide down one of the broad carriageways that had been laid out along -the beach. "What a lovely road for a wheel," he went on, without giving -Willis a chance to reply. "It is as hard as rock and level as a floor."</p> - -<p>"Yes; here's where Rowe learned to ride," said Willis. "We have twenty -miles of just such roads on the island."</p> - -<p>"Then that was what you meant when you said Rowe's clothes were just -like mine; he is a wheelman," said Roy. "He has a nice place for -his regular runs, and I should much like to see it by daylight; but -I should think he would get lonely and long to take a spin on the -mainland now and then. I tell you it's going to blow," he added, as a -strong gust of wind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> shook the branches of the trees that shaded the -road on both sides. "Are you going to the city with me?"</p> - -<p>"I can't leave the island until I put the hands to work in the -morning," replied Willis. "But I will give you a good crew and a stanch -boat. You'll go over all right. You are not afraid of a capful of wind, -I hope?"</p> - -<p>"No, but I am afraid of a gale. I am used to smooth water, and don't at -all relish the idea of being out in a storm."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it isn't going to storm. But if you get frightened after you are -out a little way, tell the men to bring you back or to put you aboard -some coaster, bound in. Here we are."</p> - -<p>As Willis said this he turned off the road and led the way down the -bank and to the beach, where Roy found a boat and two men who were -evidently waiting for him.</p> - -<p>"Here he is," said Willis, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He -doesn't much like the idea of going out in this breeze—"</p> - -<p>"The breeze don't blow to hurt anything," growled one of the men, -pulling his sou'wester<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> lower over his forehead and turning the collar -of his pea-jacket up around his ears.</p> - -<p>"That's what I told him; but of course his wishes must be respected, -and I want you to mind this: If it gets too heavy for you, you will -either bring him back, or put him aboard some larger craft, bound in. -If you will step this way a minute, Tony, I will give you an order for -some goods I want brought from the city."</p> - -<p>The superintendent drew off on one side out of earshot, and one of the -muffled figures followed him.</p> - -<p>"Me and Bob hain't yet made up our minds whether we'll have a hand in -this business or not," said he, in a hoarse whisper. "Looks most too -risky, don't it?"</p> - -<p>"There isn't a particle of risk about it," replied Willis. "Do you -think I would put the colonel's nephew in danger for the sake of a -paltry five hundred dollars? I tell you, there's nothing to fear. The -colonel told me to attend to this business for him, and when he finds -I've not done it, what shall I say to him? Do you want me to tell him -that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> wouldn't obey orders because you were afraid?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I am afraid, and that's flat," said Tony, doggedly. "I have -heared of Cap'n Jack, and I'm scared to trust myself on board his ship."</p> - -<p>"You needn't be, for the colonel will protect you. Give him this the -minute you get aboard, and it will see you through," said Willis, -slipping an envelope into the pocket of Tony's pea-jacket. "Now, hurry -up, for the captain is in a great taking to go to sea, and he's liable -to run out at any moment. He's been waiting a long time—"</p> - -<p>"He's been waiting long enough to get good and mad, and I wouldn't be -one of the crew he takes to sea with him this trip for all the money -there is in the broad world," said Tony, with a shudder. "He'll haze -'em till they'll be glad to jump overboard."</p> - -<p>"You and I have nothing whatever to do with the way Captain Jack Rowan -sees fit to treat his crew," said Willis impatiently. "All you and Bob -have to do is to set this boy on board the White Squall, so that he can -get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> that money. But mind you: You are not to tell him where you are -going. He's as much afraid of the White Squall as you seem to be, and -wouldn't put a foot over her rail if he knew it. He thinks he going -into the city, and that you are to take him straight to a hack-stand. -Say yes or no, and be quick about it. The wind is rising every moment, -and if you don't start pretty soon you'll not be able to get away from -the beach."</p> - -<p>"All right, Mr. Willis. We'll tend to the business for you."</p> - -<p>Tony spoke these words in a tone loud enough to reach the ears of Roy -Sheldon, who remained near the boat in company with the man Bob. The -former supposed the words had something to do with the "order" of which -Willis had spoken, but Bob knew they were intended to convey to him the -information that the job on hand was to be carried out just as it had -been planned.</p> - -<p>"Jump aboard, lad," said he, motioning Roy to get into the boat. -"Holler good-by to the old man, and that will do just as well as -shaking hands with him."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Roy had no opportunity to "holler" his farewell, even if he had -thought of it; for by the time the boat was fairly afloat, the crew in -their places, and the oars shipped, the thick darkness of the on-coming -storm closed down over them, and the beach was shut out from view.</p> - -<p>"I reckon that's the last of this scrape for one while," soliloquized -Willis, as he pulled his hat down over his ears and retraced his steps -to the house. "If there ever were two born fools in the world, they are -me and Babcock. How we managed to make such a blunder, I can't for the -life of me imagine. Now Rowe Shelly can cut his lucky and go and find -his father and mother, for all me. I'll never try to catch him, for my -cue now is to make folks believe I've had him here, and that he gave me -the slip and cleared out. Is that you, Benny? You don't know how you -startled me."</p> - -<p>Just then some one stepped out into the road and confronted the -superintendent. It was his son; and all I know about him is that he was -called "a chip of the old block," so he must have been a rascal. The -first words the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> young man spoke proved that this was not the first -interview they had had that night.</p> - -<p>"Well, how is it?" said he.</p> - -<p>"They've gone," replied his father shortly.</p> - -<p>"Then we've seen them for the last time; for when they get back we'll -not be here. Captain Jack will be sure to carry them off with him."</p> - -<p>"Ain't you kinder sorry to treat Tony and Bob that way? They've been -good, faithful fellows, and I hate to think of their being kicked and -knocked about by those mates."</p> - -<p>"They're used to it," replied Benny indifferently. "Besides, what -else could you do? You couldn't keep the boy, for he was not Rowe -Shelly; and if you had let him go, he would have had the law on you for -abduction. You couldn't have hired Bob and Tony to take him aboard the -White Squall and leave him there, because they wouldn't have done it, -and they would have blabbed about it into the bargain. By doing as I -said, you've got rid of the whole of them at once, and they'll never -come back to trouble you."</p> - -<p>The superintendent groaned.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I know what you're afraid of," continued Benny. "You're scared that -the ship will go to the bottom with all hands. Well, then, what made -you be such a dunce as to capture the wrong boy? You got into the -scrape and you had to get out, didn't you? Now I'm going to bed."</p> - -<p>"There's going to be the biggest kind of a commotion on this island, -and before long, too," said Willis dolefully. "I have warning of it in -every breath of wind that comes off the bay."</p> - -<p>I do not suppose that Willis closed his eyes in slumber that night. -It would have been a wonder if he had slept, with so guilty a -conscience for company. He arose at an early hour, saw the yacht when -she put off through the white-caps shortly after daylight to bring -the morning's mail from the city, and waited with what patience he -could for her return. She did not bring any of Roy Sheldon's friends -with her, but she landed a larger supply of mail than usual, and in -it the superintendent found a letter addressed to himself in Rowe -Shelly's well-known handwriting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> Its contents were enough to drive one -frantic, Willis told himself. He had hoped that the runaway would be -satisfied now that he had got off the island, and that he would quietly -disappear and never "turn up" again; but here he was threatening the -superintendent with the terrors of the law if he did not at once -release the boy who had been mistaken for himself.</p> - -<p>"Somebody put him up to that," groaned Willis, "for Rowe never would -have thought of such a thing himself. I wish I <i>could</i> send that boy -back where he belongs, and if I had ever dreamed of this, I would -have done it. I made a mistake in taking Benny's advice and sending -Roy Sheldon away to be "shanghaied," for instead of getting out of -trouble, I have only pulled myself deeper into it. What is it, Jobson?" -he added, addressing himself to one of the hired men who just then -appeared at the door.</p> - -<p>"I came in to see if you could tell me anything about Tony and Bob -Bradley," was the reply; and the words added big weight to the -superintendent's heavy load of anxiety.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> "They are not on the island, -and a boat that looks wonderfully like theirs is being driven ashore -from the Sound. I didn't know but you might have sent them to the city -for something."</p> - -<p>"In all that storm?" exclaimed Willis. "Say, Jobson," he continued, -changing the subject, for it was one he did not like to dwell upon, -"was the storm so very hard? I mean, was it severe enough to keep -vessels from going and coming?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no. I see the White Squall has left her anchorage. She must have -gone out in the height of it, for she was there when I went to bed."</p> - -<p>"If those two men went away last night they did it without any orders -from me," said Willis. "It's nothing to worry over. No doubt they will -come around presently. So the White Squall has gone at last!" he added, -as Jobson left to continue his search for Bob and Tony. "She has been -anchored out there in the bay for more than two weeks, waiting for a -chance to drug and steal a crew, and if she has sailed, that interloper -must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> have sailed with her. In that case it will be a long time before -he shows up again, for he'll not touch land this side of Cape Town. -This is too damaging a thing to lay around loose, so I will chuck it in -there," he added, tossing Rowe's letter into the grate. "Those people -from the city will be along in the course of an hour or so, and I know -what I am going to say to them. Now, why doesn't Mrs. Moffatt come in -and tell me that Rowe has run away again?"</p> - -<p>Willis picked up one of the papers which the yacht had brought from the -city, and the minute it was opened his eye fell upon this startling -paragraph:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p class="center">MUTINY IN THE HARBOR.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">An Infamous Vessel and a Rebellious Crew.—A Sailor Prefers Death -to a Voyage in the White Squall.</span></p> - -<p>"Pilot-boat No. 29, Caleb Rogers master, which was driven into the -harbor by the gale, reports a suicide committed under peculiarly -distressing circumstance. When off the light-ship bound in, Captain -Rogers passed the White Squall going out. As the readers of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> <i>The -Tribune</i> have often been told, this interesting ship had lain at -anchor in the outer bay for nearly three weeks, waiting for a crew; -but no man who sails out of this port, so long as he kept a level -head on his shoulders, could be induced to affix his name to her -shipping articles. Now and then a few foreigners, under promise of -big pay, plenty to eat and kind treatment, have been coaxed aboard -of her, but they always deserted when they found out where they were -and who the captain was. With the aid of shipping agents, or in some -other underhanded way, the captain at last succeeded in mustering -crew enough to handle his vessel, and this morning she went out in -the teeth of the storm that forced Captain Rogers to seek shelter. -When off the light-ship a man was seen to spring upon her rail and -deliberately throw himself into the water. At the same time a white -fishing-boat was cut loose from her starboard quarter, and the wind -blew it out of sight. This, Captain Rogers thinks, made it evident -that the crew had laid their plans to desert in a body, and that the -plot was discovered and thwarted by the officers. Captain Rogers at -once rounded to, lowered a boat, and made diligent search for the -poor fellow who preferred to die rather than trust himself to the -tender mercies of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> Captain Jack Rowan and his brutal mates, but he -must have sunk immediately, for he was not seen after striking the -water. At certain stages of the tide, heavy vessels like the White -Squall are obliged to pass quite close to the ledge that bounds the -northern side of the channel, and in ordinary weather a fair swimmer -might succeed in reaching the light-ship; but under the circumstances -Captain Rogers thinks there was no chance for this unfortunate -man's life. The White Squall kept on her way without making the -least effort to pick him up. Now what is the use of having any law, -we should like to know, if it is not intended to reach just such -ruffians as this Captain Jack and his officers? If that sailor made -way with himself in his desperate efforts to escape their brutality, -they ought to be punished with the utmost severity."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Willis read this paragraph with eyes that seemed ready to start from -their sockets, and long before he finished the paper was shaking so -violently in his hands that the noise it made could have been heard -across the room. He understood some portions of the paragraph as well -as though he had stood upon the White Squall's deck and witnessed the -thrilling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> scenes that must have taken place there before that unhappy -sailor gave himself up to the mercy of the waves. But was it a <i>sailor</i> -who jumped overboard? Might it not have been some one else? How did he -know but it was—The exclamations that fell from the superintendent's -lips when this thought came into his mind can not be expressed in -words, for I do not know how to spell them.</p> - -<p>"Benny's plan worked too well," said Willis, throwing down the paper -and getting upon his feet. "Why didn't he stay here and see me through, -instead of going off in the yacht the first thing in the morning? They -were all shanghaied, as we meant they should be; but was there any one -in the white fishing-boat that was cast adrift from the ship and which -Jobson says is now coming toward the island? And who was the fellow -who jumped overboard? That is a question that will haunt me till I -go ashore and learn the truth. I do not think Tony or Bob would do a -thing like that, for they are used to hard treatment at the hands of -shipmasters; and if it was Roy—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>Gracious Peter! I'm in a worse scrape -than I thought."</p> - -<p>Willis did not have time to follow out this train of thought, for just -then Mrs. Moffat came into the room. The man knew well enough what she -was going to say, for the look of anxiety her face wore could be easily -interpreted.</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Mr. Willis," said she, with a sorry attempt to appear as -cheerful as usual. "Have you seen Rowe since we left him in his room -last night?"</p> - -<p>"I have not," replied the superintendent, resuming his seat and once -more unfolding the paper. "What makes you ask?"</p> - -<p>"Why, I went up just now to tell him breakfast would soon be ready, and -he wasn't there," answered the housekeeper. "More than that, his bed -was not slept in."</p> - -<p>"That doesn't signify. He took to the lounge probably, and went out -before any of us were up for his usual morning's spin on his wheel."</p> - -<p>"But he took his wheel when he went to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> city, and you did not bring -it back," Mrs. Moffatt reminded him.</p> - -<p>"That's so. I had forgotten about it. I'll send for it as soon as he is -ready to tell me where he left it. Then he took his pony."</p> - -<p>"The pony hasn't been out this morning. The hostler told me so. Mr. -Willis," said the housekeeper, becoming earnest, "I'm afraid he's gone."</p> - -<p>"Again?" exclaimed Willis, as if the thought had just been suggested to -him. "Why, we only brought him back last night."</p> - -<p>"I can't help that. I don't believe he is on the island."</p> - -<p>The man knew he must make a stir about it, for any lukewarmness or -show of indifference on his part would be reported when the colonel -returned, and Willis was not yet ready to give up his lucrative -position. He wanted to make a little more money out of it first. So -he hurried from the house, making a great show of nervousness and -apprehension; and every man he met he sent off to make inquiries about -Rowe Shelly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p> - -<p>"If he has run away again I shall surely think he is out of his head," -he took occasion to remark, in Mrs. Moffatt's hearing. "He couldn't go -back to the city without crossing the bay, and no boy, or man either, -would think of trying that in such a gale as we had last night and this -morning, unless he was clean gone crazy. Have you brought any news, -Jobson?"</p> - -<p>"The little I've got is bad enough," replied the hired man. "The boat -I was telling you about a while ago has come ashore down there in the -cove—"</p> - -<p>"And there's nobody in it," exclaimed the superintendent. "Mrs. -Moffatt, I fear the worst. Rowe tried to reach the city in that boat, -and the storm capsized him. I am afraid we shall never see him again."</p> - -<p>"If Rowe went off in that boat Bob and Tony must have gone with him," -said Jobson, "for they ain't either one of them to be found on the -island, and their folks don't know anything about them."</p> - -<p>"Do you think it possible that Rowe could have bribed them to take him -across to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> mainland?" said Willis anxiously. "If he did, then they -have all gone to their death."</p> - -<p>"How could he have bribed anybody when he had no money?" cried Mrs. -Moffatt.</p> - -<p>"Madam," replied the superintendent impressively, "he had money, and -plenty of it, too."</p> - -<p>"When and how did he get it?"</p> - -<p>"You tell. All I know is, that every dollar of the funds the colonel -left in my hands to pay expenses during his absence has disappeared."</p> - -<p>"I don't care if it is," snapped the housekeeper. "Rowe Shelly never -took it. He isn't capable of such a thing."</p> - -<p>To an inexperienced rascal it would have seemed as though the situation -was about as bad as it could be, and even Willis trembled when he tried -to look far enough into the future to see what the outcome was likely -to be. But, as it happened, he was saved from the consequences of his -folly and wickedness (for the present, at least), by one of those -unexpected freaks of fortune that sometimes happen in this world. He -did not want to talk about the stolen money, especially to a person<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> -as sharp of tongue and as firmly convinced of Rowe's innocence as Mrs. -Moffatt was, so he sent word to the captain of the yacht to get ready -for an immediate return to the city, and hastened to his room. His -first care was to make some important changes in his wearing apparel, -and his second to hide the morning papers and take possession of a -well-filled pocket-book he found in his bureau.</p> - -<p>"I don't know as there is any sense in putting those papers out of Mrs. -Moffatt's sight," said he to himself, "but somehow I don't want her -to see the account of that suicide until I am away from here and out -of reach of her tongue. I thought, by the way she looked at me, that -she rather suspected me of stealing that money; and didn't Rowe say in -his letter that if there was any money gone, he'd sooner think I took -it than accuse anybody else? Well, here it is, and more besides, and -into my pocket it goes. It sort of runs in my head that I am going to -see and hear something before I get back; and if it should be anything -unpleasant, I shall be prepared to take the train."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> - -<p>Having arranged things so that he could run or stay, as circumstances -seemed to require, Willis hurried to the jetty and ordered the captain -of the yacht to shove off. Of course the strange events that had taken -place on board the White Squall were in the mouths of all the yacht's -crew, for they had heard all about them during their first trip to the -city, and besides they had read the <i>Tribune</i>. Wherever Willis went, -into the pilot-house, the engine-room, or on the forecastle, he was -sure to hear them discussed; and after repeatedly declaring that he -didn't know anything about them, and that he was going to New London -to see if he could learn any additional particulars, Willis finally -retreated to the cabin and tried to interest himself in a paper.</p> - -<p>What it was that induced him to jump ashore the minute the yacht -landed, and draw a bee-line for the Lafayette House, the superintendent -could not have told. But he went, as if impelled by some impulse he -could not resist, and the first person he saw when he entered the -reading-room was the very one he did not want to see. It was Roy -Sheldon.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> He wore a bandage over one eye, the other was slightly -discolored, and Willis noticed that when he moved his right arm he did -it with some difficulty. It had evidently been injured in some way. He -had on different clothes, a dress suit, in fact, consisting of blue -broadcloth knickerbockers and shirt, black silk stockings, low shoes, -and new white helmet. If Willis had never seen him before, he would -have rushed up and called him Rowe Shelly; but he knew it wasn't Rowe. -He took just one glance at him, then wheeled about to retire without -attracting his notice, when Roy, who was impatiently waiting for Joe -and Arthur, looked up and saw him. In an instant he was on his feet -and coming toward the man, who could not retreat. Roy had but to say a -word to bring in the policeman who was standing in front of the hotel. -But, to the superintendent's great surprise, he did not say it. On the -contrary he held out his hand, and even tried to smile. What in the -world did it mean? Willis asked himself.</p> - -<p>"Good-morning," said Roy, in cheery tones. "I made it, as you see, but -I had a tight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> squeak for it. Say! I am sorry for Tony and his friend. -The waves and wind got so heavy they couldn't make headway against -them; they dared not round to and go back to the island for fear of a -capsize, so they hailed a ship that was getting under way. We supposed -that she was going to pull farther into the harbor for shelter; in -fact, one of her officers told us so. But, by gracious! the minute we -got aboard what did that scoundrel of a captain do but—Sit down, and -I will tell you all about it. It's a little ahead of anything I ever -heard of. Seen this morning's <i>Tribune</i>?"</p> - -<p>"No; that is to say, yes. I've seen the <i>Tribune</i>, but no other paper," -replied Willis, who was so astounded that he hardly knew what he said.</p> - -<p>"Then, of course, you know about the poor sailor-man who preferred -death to a voyage in the White Squall," continued Roy. "Well, there -wasn't any suicide. The fellow who deliberately threw himself into the -water was I; and I tell you—Why don't you sit down? I'm as lame as -though I had been pounded with a club, although I know I was struck -only twice,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> once in each eye, and almost had my arm jerked out of -place. I can't stand long at a time."</p> - -<p>Willis mechanically seated himself and listened like one in a dream, -while Roy related the following story of his adventure.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ON BOARD THE WHITE SQUALL.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"J<span class="uppercase">ust</span> one word before you begin your story," said Willis, who was not -entirely satisfied with Roy's friendly speech and manner, believing, as -he did, that the boy might have some sinister object in view. He was -afraid to trust anybody, knowing full well that he could not be trusted -himself.</p> - -<p>"As many words as you please," replied Roy, resuming his seat and -placing his injured arm in a comfortable position on the table at -his side. "I told the clerk when I first came back that I wouldn't -be interviewed; but I know he has sent three reporters after me. All -they learned didn't do them much good. You see I don't want my name -to appear in the papers, for my folks would be sure to see it; then -good-by to all my fine plans for the summer. Of course you'll not say a -word."</p> - -<p>"Not I," replied Willis. "I don't want<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> everybody to know what fools -Babcock and I made of ourselves. By the way, have you seen Bab this -morning?"</p> - -<p>Roy said he hadn't.</p> - -<p>"That's all right," said Willis to himself; and he was so immensely -relieved that he could scarcely keep still in his seat. "Then of course -you don't know that I didn't tell you the truth when I said Bab had -warned me that you were not Rowe Shelly. That's <i>all</i> right. Now, how -much does this boy know or suspect, I wonder?" Then aloud he added: "I -am sorry you haven't seen Bab, for he would show you a photograph of -Rowe Shelly he has in his possession; and after you had taken one look -at it, you would see how we came to mistake you for our runaway. I hope -you don't bear me any ill-will for—"</p> - -<p>"Of course I don't," interrupted Roy. "I don't feel hard toward you or -Babcock either. I came within an ace of losing my life (I don't see -how I managed to save it, having never swum a stroke in so rough water -before), but here I am, safe if not sound, and all's well that ends -well."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You and Rowe are as much alike as two peas," began Willis.</p> - -<p>"I can easily believe that, for when I walked up to the desk the clerk -began asking me questions I couldn't understand; but I can see the -drift of some of them now, for those three reporters have been at me -since then, and I know Rowe Shelly was here in this hotel last night, -and that he went somewhere on a steamer. When I came in all bunged up, -the clerk wanted to know if the boat had burst her boiler."</p> - -<p>"Which way did Rowe go?" asked Willis, who was deeply interested.</p> - -<p>"I don't know, and you wouldn't expect me to tell you if I did, would -you? I have seen how nicely he is fixed over there on the island, and -I am sure that if there wasn't some good reason for it, he would never -leave a home like that and go out among strangers."</p> - -<p>"He might if he was crazy," suggested Willis.</p> - -<p>"And where's the boy who would not go crazy after years of solitary -confinement, no matter if his prison was furnished like a pal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>ace?" -exclaimed Roy. "I'll bet you that you could not keep me shut up in any -such place as that. I would find some way to open communication with -a lawyer, who would call upon that uncle of mine to show cause for -detaining me against my will."</p> - -<p>"I believe you would," thought Willis, who, as he gazed into the boy's -flashing eyes, told himself that money would not tempt him to take -charge of such a prisoner as Roy would be likely to prove. He knew too -much, was altogether too wide-awake, and the desperate measures he -had adopted to escape from the White Squall, after he had been fairly -kidnapped, showed that he was by no means lacking in courage.</p> - -<p>Willis wondered if any of those rebellious ideas had been put into Rowe -Shelly's head since he ran away. If so, the next time his guardian saw -him he would probably have an attorney at his back, and then there -would be fun on the island. Willis really wanted information on this -point, and while he was wondering how he could get it without asking -questions that might excite Roy's suspicions,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> the matter was settled -in a most unexpected way. All on a sudden Roy staggered to his feet -with an exclamation of surprise and pleasure on his lips, and darted -forward to fall into the arms of two new-comers, namely Arthur Hastings -and Joe Wayring.</p> - -<p>"Where have you been?" said Roy, as soon as he could speak. "I have -waited and watched for the last seven hours, and you don't know how -lonely I have been without you."</p> - -<p>"Haw!" laughed Joe. "We haven't been gone from the hotel more than an -hour, and you were not here when we went away."</p> - -<p>"We've been up on Bank Street to call upon Mr. Wilcox," replied Arthur, -with a sidelong glance at Willis. "Where have <i>you</i> been to get mussed -up in this way? You are a nice looking specimen, I must say. Who's been -at you?"</p> - -<p>"I can't let everything out at once, so you must ask your questions one -at a time," said Roy, motioning to his chums to seat themselves. "In -the first place, this is Mr. Willis, Colonel Shelly's superintendent. -My two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> friends, Joe Wayring and Arthur Hastings, Mr. Willis."</p> - -<p>To Roy's great surprise his companions did not seem particularly -pleased to make the acquaintance of Mr. Willis. They nodded, but did -not offer to shake hands with him.</p> - -<p>"Babcock has made his report and told everything just as it happened," -said Arthur. "We have seen him, and he says he never would have made -the mistake he did if Willis had not insisted that you were the boy -they were looking for."</p> - -<p>"Then Babcock told you what wasn't so," exclaimed Willis.</p> - -<p>"That's what he told us, anyhow," said Joe. "He's outside now waiting -for us, and you can speak to him about it, if you want to."</p> - -<p>"Waiting for you?" repeated Roy. "Where are you going?"</p> - -<p>"We intended to hire a tug and go over to the island after you," -answered Arthur.</p> - -<p>"But you see there's no need of it, don't you? Mr. Willis attended to -that as soon as he became satisfied that I wasn't Rowe Shelly."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Ah! That puts a different look on the matter," said Joe. "But where -did you get those black eyes if you didn't get them while escaping from -the island?"</p> - -<p>"I got them on the White Squall," replied Roy, "and that brings me to -the story I was getting ready to tell Mr. Willis when you came in. But -before I begin, go out and ask that detective to come here. I should -like to see the photograph he's got in his pocket. I am told it looks -just like me."</p> - -<p>"And so it does, at first glance," said Arthur, rising from his seat. -"But the more one gazes upon it, the less it looks like you. You shall -see for yourself."</p> - -<p>"Let me go after Babcock, please," Willis interposed, "and you stay -here and talk to your friends. I will bring him right in."</p> - -<p>There was nothing strange in this proposition, so Arthur sat down -again, while Willis went out to make things straight with the -detective. He didn't want him to come into Roy's presence until he had -opportunity to post him.</p> - -<p>"So that's the scamp who got you into so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> much trouble, is it?" said -Arthur, in tones of disgust. "We meant to have him arrested if he -didn't talk pretty smoothly to us, and yet we find you and him here as -thick as a couple of thieves."</p> - -<p>"Now, what's the sense in going on like that?" demanded Roy. "If I -am satisfied with his story, I'm sure you ought to be. Willis is all -right. The minute he learned that I wasn't Rowe Shelly, he woke me up -in the middle of the night, put me into a boat with two good men to row -it, and sent me over to the city. He was as anxious to be rid of me -as I was to find you. Now see if you can't treat him decently when he -comes back."</p> - -<p>How Willis would have hugged himself if he could have heard Roy Sheldon -say this! There was not the faintest suspicion in the boy's mind that -the superintendent had been guilty of treachery, and that he had sent -him on board the White Squall intending that he should be "shanghaied" -and carried so far away from America that he would not get back for -six months or a year. If Roy had mistrusted that there was anything -wrong, his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> fears on that score would have vanished when he saw Bob and -Tony driven forward to do duty before the mast, and their boat given -up to the mercy of the waves. He thought they had unwittingly brought -themselves and him into serious trouble. That was all there was of it.</p> - -<p>I never heard just how Willis went to work to put himself on a friendly -footing with the detective, but my impression is that he told him the -whole truth, and offered Babcock a bonus if he would back up anything -he might say in the hearing of Roy and his friends. At all events that -was what the detective did. When he entered the reading-room he took -a photograph from his pocket, and after spending a minute or two in -comparing it with the face of the boy before him, he stepped up and -handed it to Roy.</p> - -<p>"So that's the way I look when I haven't a black eye and a lame arm, -is it?" said the latter, as his gaze rested on the picture. "I know -something now I never knew before."</p> - -<p>"What is it?" asked Joe.</p> - -<p>"That I am the handsomest and most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> stylish looking chap in our party," -replied Roy.</p> - -<p>"We haven't time for any more nonsense of that sort," said Arthur. "Mr. -Babcock, our missing friend has turned up, as you see, and so we shall -not be obliged to go to the island. How much do we owe you?"</p> - -<p>"Not a red cent," said the detective, who was glad indeed that his -mistake and Willis's seemed in a fair way to straighten itself out, and -that he wasn't going to get into difficulty through the blunder he had -made the night before. "I am heartily sorry that I caused you and your -friend so much trouble and anxiety."</p> - -<p>"But he did his best to undo it," chimed in Willis. "He went over to -the island and told me to set the boy ashore as soon as I could, and -give him a guide to show him to his hotel, and that was the way I came -to send him off in the boat that was caught in the storm. I might have -waited until morning, but Roy wouldn't hear of it."</p> - -<p>"Of course not," assented Roy. "I wanted to see my friends and relieve -their suspense."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I guess we have asked questions enough for the present," said Arthur, -who was impatient to know how Roy came to have those black eyes, "and -now we'd like to have you tell us why you didn't come ashore in better -shape, when you had a boat and two good men to manage it for you."</p> - -<p>Roy's story was none the less interesting because it had been so long -delayed. I have told you how he left the island without opportunity to -shout his adieu to the superintendent, even if he had thought of it; -but he didn't. The waves made a fearful noise as they broke upon the -beach, and came with such force that Bob and Tony were obliged to wade -in until the water reached to their waists before they could launch the -boat and ship the oars. By the time this had been done, darkness closed -down upon them and shut the island from view.</p> - -<p>When they got out from under the cliffs where the wind had a fair -sweep, the way the boat began to pitch and toss about was alarming, and -Roy lived in momentary expectation of seeing her come about and start -back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> for the island. But he was a canoeist instead of a deep-water -sailor, and perhaps that was the reason he was frightened. For he was -frightened, as he was afterwards free to confess; more so than he would -have been if he could have had a hand in the management of the boat. -But there were only two oars, and no rudder to steer by, and all Roy -could do was to sit still in the stern-sheets and wish the trip was at -an end.</p> - -<p>"What are you holding so far to the right for?" Roy demanded at length, -shouting at the top of his voice in order to make himself heard. "The -city is off there, more to the left."</p> - -<p>"There's a hack-stand where we are headin' for," came a hoarse voice, -in reply, "and there you can get a carriage to take you straight to -your hotel. More'n that, we dassent run afore the waves with only two -oars, for fear that one of 'em will come in over the starn an' sink us. -We have to run kinder criss-cross of 'em."</p> - -<p>"But you don't take them quartering," protested Roy. "You are holding -so that they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> strike almost broadside. I'd rather you'd round to and go -back. That's what Mr. Willis told you to do in case you found the wind -and sea too heavy for you."</p> - -<p>"I'd like mighty well to do it," Tony made answer, "but I dassent. Now -that we've got this fur, we've got to go on. If we should turn around -the sea would come pourin' in over the side an' take all hands to the -bottom afore you could say 'hard-a-starboard' with your mouth open. Do -you see that bright light dead ahead? Well, there's where the pier is, -if we can keep afloat till we get there."</p> - -<p>Roy may have been mistaken, but he was positive he heard the man add, -in a lower tone, as if the words were intended only for his companion's -ears:</p> - -<p>"Cap'n Jack must be a-lookin' for a crew to-night, else he wouldn't -have that light out so open and suspicious like. Well, it's the best -kind of a night for that sort of work, but I'm sorry for the poor chaps -he gets."</p> - -<p>The next time Tony faced about on his seat to make sure of the course -he was pursuing, the bright light had disappeared; and when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> wind -lulled for a moment, the faint clanking of a capstan came to his ears. -The sound seemed to nerve him and Bob to greater exertion.</p> - -<p>"Pull, ye rascal," shouted Tony, so that Roy could hear it. "It's -comin' harder every blessed minute, an' the wind an' tide together is -takin' us out to sea as fast as they can. Pull, why don't ye? Do you -see a ship or a coaster anywheres, I don't know? If you do, sing out -an' ask 'em can we come aboard of her till the wind dies down a bit."</p> - -<p>"Look out!" yelled Roy, as something black and huge loomed out of the -darkness directly in their course. "We're running into a block of -houses."</p> - -<p>But it was a heavy ship that barred their way, as Roy found when they -got a little closer to her. She was weighing anchor, and the clanking -of the capstan came from her forecastle.</p> - -<p>"On deck there!" shouted Tony. "Goin' to change your berth, or what you -goin' to do?"</p> - -<p>Some answer came back, but, although the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> words were plain enough, Roy -could not understand it. It was evident, however, that Tony could, for -he called out:</p> - -<p>"Goin' to pull farther in for shelter, are you? All right. Will you let -some tired sailor-men aboard of you to ride in? We'll be glad to lend a -hand."</p> - -<p>This time there was no mistaking the answer.</p> - -<p>"You're as welcome as the flowers in May," said a deep voice. "Drop -around under our lee and come up."</p> - -<p>"Be in a hurry, Bob," cried Tony, as he dropped back upon his seat and -gave way on his oar. "The staysail is fillin', an' if she falls off -much she'll run us under."</p> - -<p>That was a moment of fearful suspense to the inexperienced Roy, who, -dark as it was, could see that the immense ship was gradually swinging -around toward the boat, slowly, to be sure, but with a power that -seemed irresistible. But his crew were equal to the occasion. They -easily got out of her reach, dropped around under her stern, and when -Tony gave the word, Bob seized the painter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> and tossed it up to some -one on deck, who promptly made it fast.</p> - -<p>"Up you come with a jump," said a commanding voice, as Bob went up the -painter hand over hand, while Tony lingered to stow the oars so that -the waves would not wash them out of the boat.</p> - -<p>"Toddle for'ard and lend a hand with the head-sails, if you know enough -to find the ropes in the dark. Do you?" added the voice, as Bob tumbled -over the side and stood upon the deck facing the speaker, who held up -a lighted lantern so that he could have a good view of the sailor's -features. His own features were revealed as well, and Bob stared hard -at them.</p> - -<p>"Well, if you are Cap'n Jack Rowan," was his mental reflection, "you -are as fine a specimen of a sea-tiger as I ever looked at; an' I wish -Tony an' Willis an' that young monkey who brought me into your den was -all sunk a hunderd fathoms deep, so I do."</p> - -<p>"Here's another and another," exclaimed the man with the lantern, as -Roy and Tony<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> came over the rail. "Is that all of you? Go for'ard and -lend a hand."</p> - -<p>"Hold hard, sir," said Tony. "I've got a letter for you." And after -considerable fumbling in the pocket of his pea-jacket with his hand, -Tony drew it out and gave it to the captain, who said "All right," and -hurried to his cabin to read it; for the light of the lantern was so -dim that he could not even decipher the writing on the envelope.</p> - -<p>"A letter for him!" thought Roy. "It's very strange. That looks as -though Tony expected to find this ship here, and that he was holding -straight for her when he declared he was heading for a hack-stand. But -what's the odds? I'd rather have a good ship under me than be out in -this wind in a cranky little boat."</p> - -<p>Having never been aboard a seagoing vessel before, Roy Sheldon would -have taken the deepest interest in all that was going on around him -if there had only been light enough for him to see plainly; but he -made some observations in spite of the darkness. He found that the -deck under his feet seemed to be as solid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> as the ground; that the -waves which had tossed Tony's boat like a chip in a mill-pond had but -little effect upon the ship's huge bulk; and he gave it as his private -opinion that she was big enough and strong enough to ride out any storm -that ever swept the ocean. But there was one thing Roy did not know, -and he was two or three hundred miles from New London harbor when he -found it out. Strong as she appeared to be, the ship was unseaworthy, -her timbers were decayed, and the underwriters wouldn't look at her. -The owner was taking his personal risk in sending her abroad with a -valuable cargo, and that was one reason why she had found it so hard to -ship a crew.</p> - -<p>"Lay for'ard an' lend a hand with the head-sails," said Tony, when the -man with the lantern disappeared down the companion-way. "Come along, -lad, and we'll make a sailor-man of you."</p> - -<p>Nothing loth, Roy stumbled forward in Tony's wake, laid hold of a -rope when his guide did, and pulled with all his strength, although -he had not the slightest idea what he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> and the rest were pulling for. -As often as the flashes of lightning illumined the scene, he improved -the opportunity to take a survey of his surroundings; but all he saw -was that there was a heavy sail slowly rising over his head, and that -there were a goodly number of men on deck, all of whom were working at -something. He was so deeply occupied with his own thoughts, wondering -how he would feel if he were going to sea on that ship as one of the -crew, and be required to scrub decks, tug at wet ropes, go aloft in -all sorts of weather, and submit to hard fare and hard treatment -besides.—Roy's mind was so busy with these reflections that he did -not hear the command, "'Vast heavin'. Slack away on that halliard," -nor did he dream that the order was addressed to himself, until the -rope, at which he was still pulling with all his might, was jerked from -his hands with such force that Roy was sent headlong to the deck. He -scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, but before he reached a -perpendicular some enraged sailor gave him a hearty kick.</p> - -<p>"I guess they don't want me around,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> thought Roy, "and no doubt I am -in the way so I'll go aft. Is that the way they use a foremast hand, I -wonder—kick him when he falls down through no fault of his own? I am -glad I am not a sailor."</p> - -<p>When Roy had a chance to look about him, as he did as often as the -lightning flashed over the deck, he saw that a good many things had -been done during the few minutes that had elapsed since he boarded the -vessel. Besides the sailors who were busy with the head-sails, a second -party of men, under another officer, had been equally active on the -quarter-deck; another huge sail had been given to the breeze, and a man -sent to the wheel. The vessel was gathering rapid headway, and, what -seemed strange to Roy, she was not rounding to in order to go up the -harbor, because the lights which pointed out the position of the piers -in the lower end of the city were still on the left hand, and one by -one they danced away out of sight over the port quarter. The ship was -holding straight for the entrance to the bay, through which she would -soon pass to the open sea.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p> - -<p>"By gracious! We shall be in a pretty fix if we don't get off -immediately," soliloquized Roy, holding fast to the rail and looking -in vain for Tony and Bob. "What can those men be thinking of? If they -delay much longer I shall cast off in that boat and do the best I can -by myself."</p> - -<p>"Lay aloft and loose to'gallantsails," shouted a voice, almost in Roy's -ear. "Up you go, ye young sea-monkey!"</p> - -<p>"I don't belong here," replied Roy, turning about and finding himself -face to face with one of the mates, who emphasized his order by waving -his arm toward the topsail yard. "But I'll do the best I can if you -think you can trust me. How long before you are going to run into the -harbor?"</p> - -<p>If the mate heard and understood the question he did not take the -trouble to reply to it. He simply shouted, "Lay aloft and be quick -about it!" and then backed up against the rail so that he could watch -the movements of the men who had already responded to the command to -loose topgallant-sails.</p> - -<p>"I know I'll not be of the least use up there,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> said Roy, as he -scrambled up the ratlines, "but I'll have something to talk about when -I get ashore."</p> - -<p>Roy worked his way upward until his progress was stopped by something -that frightened him. It was the futtock-shrouds, the terror of every -greenhorn. Above his head was a sort of platform, with an opening -through it large enough to admit of the passage of an ordinary sized -man, and over the edge of it ran a rope ladder to a second series of -shrouds leading to a similar platform still higher up. That was the way -Roy described the situation to himself, and it is the only way I can -describe it, for an Expert Columbia is not supposed to know any thing -about ships.</p> - -<p>"Great Scott!" panted Roy; "do the sailors, every time they go aloft, -have to creep around the outer edge of that platform, and hang with -their backs downward, like flies on a ceiling? or do they go through -that opening close to the mast? I wonder if that isn't the 'lubber's -hole' I have so often read of? I don't care what it is; I'll stay here. -But why don't the ship come about and go toward the harbor,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> if she's -going to? I wonder if that light off there, which blazes up so brightly -every minute or two and then disappears, isn't on the light-ship. If it -is, this ship's going to sea, and we'll go with her if we don't get off -directly."</p> - -<p>While the boy was talking to himself in this way he did not permit -anything that transpired within the range of his vision to escape his -notice. He might never again have opportunity to see sail made aboard -ship, and now was the time for him to learn something. He heard an -almost constant scurrying of feet below, mingled with a chorus of -unintelligible commands, some of which were addressed to the dozen or -more men who were clinging to a swaying yard over his head, and finally -an answering "Ay, ay, sir," came out of the darkness and the men began -to "lay down from aloft." Before Roy knew what they meant to do, they -were crowding past him on their way to the deck. The last to go by him -was Tony.</p> - -<p>"What you doin' here, lad?" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you come up -higher an' lend a hand with the topsail?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The mate or some other officer told me to come, and here I am; -although I assured him I wouldn't be of any use," replied Roy. "I was -afraid to go any higher. Look here; isn't it about time we were going -ashore? I don't believe this ship means to go up the harbor at all."</p> - -<p>Tony made some reply under his breath, but Roy did not understand it.</p> - -<p>"What's that flash I see every little while off the port bow?" he -continued. "It comes from the light-ship which is anchored at the mouth -of the harbor, doesn't it? We're going as close to her as we can lie -in this wind, and when we pass her we'll be outside, won't we? You had -better find out whether or not the captain wants to send any word off -in response to the letter you gave him, and then we'll go ashore."</p> - -<p>Roy was not a little surprised by the way Tony acted while he was -talking to him. He clung to the shrouds with one hand, holding his hat -on with the other, all the time uttering the most incomprehensible -ejaculations, and glaring wildly around as if he were trying to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> get -his bearings. At last he seemed to recover his power of speech by -a mighty effort, and something he said sent a thrill of horror all -through Roy Sheldon.</p> - -<p>"She's a-goin', easy enough, an', lad, me an' you an' Bob is -shanghaied," stammered Tony.</p> - -<p>Roy did not grasp the full meaning of the last word. It was the -sailor's manner that impressed and frightened him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></p> - -<p class="center">A SWIM IN ROUGH WATER.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"Y<span class="uppercase">es</span>, sir, we're shanghaied," repeated Tony, looking over his shoulder -at the lights on shore, which appeared to be moving away from the ship, -and going faster and faster as the minutes flew by. "That's what's -the matter of me an' you an' Bob. We've been stole from our homes an' -friends an' tooken to sea agin our will."</p> - -<p>"No!" gasped Roy, who was almost paralyzed by these ominous words. "It -can't be possible."</p> - -<p>"That's what the matter of us, an' you'll find it so."</p> - -<p>"But I'll not go. I don't belong aboard this ship, and the captain has -no business to take me to sea against my will."</p> - -<p>"Small odds it makes to the likes of him whether he's got any business -to do it or not,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> answered Tony, who, far from showing the least sign -of anger over the outrage of which he was the victim, seemed disposed -to accept his fate with as much fortitude as he was able to command. -"Where have you lived all your life, that you don't know that that's -the way shipmasters sometimes do when they can't raise a crew as fast -as they want to? They get men aboard their vessels an' run away with -'em. That's what they are doin' with us."</p> - -<p>"But I'll not do duty, I tell you," exclaimed Roy, fairly dazed by the -gloomy prospect before him. "I can't, for I am not a sailor. Let's go -down and tell the captain to luff and let us off."</p> - -<p>"'Twon't do no good," answered Tony, with a sigh of resignation. "He'll -only swear at you an' say that the mates will very soon break you in -an' larn you your duty. We're in for a long, hard voyage, an' might as -well give up all thoughts of gettin' ashore first as last."</p> - -<p>"Never!" said Roy, wrathfully. "If there is such a thing—"</p> - -<p>"Lay down from aloft!" shouted a voice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> from the deck, following up the -command with a volley of oaths and threats that were enough to make a -landsman shudder.</p> - -<p>"Ay, ay, sir," replied Tony. "Why don't you say the same, lad? You've -got to come to it, for it will be worse for you if you don't. There -ain't the least use in kickin', for Cap'n Jack has got us hard an' -fast."</p> - -<p>Roy, who could plainly hear the beating of his heart above the howling -of the gale, which seemed to be increasing in fury every moment, -followed Tony to the deck, and immediately made his way aft to demand -an interview with the captain. He found him easily—at least he found -the man who went below with the lantern—and thus addressed him:</p> - -<p>"Captain, I thought you were going into the harbor for shelter, but I -find you are going to sea. Will you luff long enough to let me and my -crew get into our boat and shove off?"</p> - -<p>To Roy's surprise and indignation the captain did not appear to be -listening to him at all. He kept his gaze fastened upon something ahead -of the ship, and now and then turned to give an order to the man at -the wheel. If Roy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> had only known it, he was forcing himself upon the -captain's notice at a most critical time. The latter was trying to take -his vessel out of the bay without the aid of a pilot, and of course his -attention was so fully occupied that he had neither the leisure nor the -inclination to listen to any requests or complaints.</p> - -<p>"Starboard a spoke or two. Steady at that. Mr. Crawford," shouted the -captain, addressing one of his mates, "if that man with the lead can't -speak so that I can hear him, knock him overboard and put somebody else -in his place. How close to the light-ship can I run in this tide?"</p> - -<p>"If you don't run in closer than you are now you'll be aground in a -minute more," was the reply that was shouted aft. "Quarter less three -on the port bow."</p> - -<p>Roy paid little attention to this conversation, though he thought of it -afterward, for it was a most fortunate thing for him that the vessel -was obliged to run within a stone's throw of the light-ship. He wanted -the skipper to speak to him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Captain," said he in a louder tone, at the same time drawing a step -nearer and taking the unwarrantable liberty to pluck him by the -coat-sleeve. "Captain, will you please—"</p> - -<p>"What do you want here?" thundered the angry skipper, kicking at the -boy with his heavy boot. But the words, which came just a second or two -before the kick, served as a warning of what might be expected, and -when the captain's boot got where he had been, Roy wasn't there. He -dodged out of the way very cleverly, and raised his voice in useless -remonstrance.</p> - -<p>"Do you know who you are kicking at?" he exclaimed. "I am not one of -your crew to be driven about in this fashion. I came aboard under a -misapprehension, and want to go ashore. My boat is alongside."</p> - -<p>What the skipper would have said or done if it had not been for -something that happened just then, I don't pretend to know. Beyond a -doubt he would have made the free-spoken Roy sup sorrow with a big -spoon, if Tony and Bob had not unwittingly created a diversion in his -favor. When they saw Roy standing so near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> the captain they took heart, -and came aft to say a word for themselves, but repented of it when the -enraged skipper undertook to drive the boy forward with a kick. But -then it was too late for them to escape punishment for their assurance -in venturing into the captain's presence without being asked. One of -the mates saw them when they went aft, and made it his business to -follow them with a piece of rope in his hand. Roy saw him swing it in -the air and knew what he meant to do with it; but before he had time to -shout a warning to the men for whose backs it was intended, the rope -fell twice in quick succession, and with such force that Tony and Bob -staggered under the blows.</p> - -<p>"Lay for'ard, where you belong, and come on the quarter-deck when -you've got business here," shouted the mate. He raised the rope to give -emphasis to his order, but the two men hurried out of his reach. Then -the mate looked at Roy.</p> - -<p>"Give him a dose, too, Mr. Crawford," said the captain. "He's no right -to come here bothering me at this juncture. You might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> as well teach -him his place one time as another."</p> - -<p>Roy opened his lips to protest against such an outrage, but seeing the -mate advancing upon him, he turned and took to his heels. In half a -minute more he was hauling at a rope in company with somebody whom he -took to be Tony; but it proved to be a sailor who was posted in regard -to the vessel and her contemplated movements.</p> - -<p>"What ship is this?" whispered Roy, trying hard to swallow a big lump -that seemed to be rising in his throat.</p> - -<p>"The White Squall," was the answer.</p> - -<p>"Is she going to sea?"</p> - -<p>The sailor prepared to give a profane response to the question, which -was so simple that a blind boy ought to have been able to answer it for -himself, but when he came to look at Roy he hesitated, and choked back -the words that arose to his lips.</p> - -<p>"Yes, she's bound out, and you haven't any call to go with her, have -you?" said he. "It's a hard case, but I don't see what you can do about -it."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Isn't there any law to punish a captain for taking men to sea against -their will?" asked Roy.</p> - -<p>"Not on the high seas," was the reply. "The only law there is outside -is the cap'n's will. How come you aboard here in the first place?"</p> - -<p>Roy explained the situation as briefly as he could, whereupon the -sailor laughed incredulously.</p> - -<p>"That crew of your'n must be into the plot," said he.</p> - -<p>"What plot?" inquired Roy.</p> - -<p>"Why, isn't there somebody ashore who don't want you there, and who -would be glad to have you carried so far away that you would never get -back again?"</p> - -<p>"Of course there isn't," said Roy, amazed at the idea.</p> - -<p>"Then it's mighty strange," continued the sailor, reflectively. "The -wind don't blow to hurt anything, and that crew of your'n could have -taken you to the city if they had been so minded."</p> - -<p>"You're mistaken there. They dared not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> turn about for fear our boat -would be capsized. It isn't likely that they would have come aboard -this ship if they had known that they were going to be kidnapped, would -they?"</p> - -<p>"Aha!" exclaimed the sailor. "So they have been shanghaied too, have -they? Then I can't understand the matter at all. No, they wouldn't have -come here if they had known that, for I have heard that the cap'n is -one of the worst brutes that any poor chap ever sailed under."</p> - -<p>"Then why do you sail with him? Were you shanghaied, too?"</p> - -<p>"Oh no; I was shipped all straight enough, but, bless you, I never knew -what sort of a craft I was getting onto till it was too late to back -out. But I never expect to reach Canton alive."</p> - -<p>"Canton?" cried Roy. "Is that where this ship is bound?"</p> - -<p>"It's the port the old man intends to bring up in if he can keep afloat -that long. Being as I'm here, I'm going to do an able seaman's duty as -long as I am on top of water. You<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> say you came off in a boat. Where is -she now?"</p> - -<p>Roy replied that she was towing alongside.</p> - -<p>"Well, look here," said the sailor hastily. "Do you see that flash -ahead? It comes from the light-ship. If you know when you are well off, -you will jump into that boat of your'n and pull for that light the best -you know how. It's your only chance, for I don't believe this old tub -will ever see port again."</p> - -<p>"So I can," said Roy joyfully. "Will you go with me? and I can tip Tony -and Bob the wink and have them go too?"</p> - -<p>"Not by no means," said the sailor, as if the idea of such a thing was -enough to frighten him. "Take care of yourself, and let the rest do the -same. Are you going to try it?" he added, when Roy let go his hold upon -the rope and looked around to see what had become of the mate. "Then -make a sure thing of it the first time trying. Don't allow yourself to -be brought back, for if you do you'll wish you had never been born. -You'd better sink right here in the harbor than trust yourself to this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> -ship and her officers. It don't matter about me, for I am used to hard -knocks."</p> - -<p>The sailor's earnest words frightened Roy, but did not deter him from -carrying out the bold plan he had suddenly formed in his mind. Casting -his eye around the deck to make sure that the mate with the rope's end -was nowhere in sight, he moved swiftly along the weather rail, until he -thought he saw a chance to dart over to the other side without being -seen. He crossed the deck with a few quick steps and looked over into -the water. There was the boat, still right side up, and her painter -was within easy reach of his hand. More than that, as if to encourage -him in his desperate resolve, the flash from the light-ship, now close -aboard, burst through the gloom, and showed him everything as plainly -as though it had been broad daylight. The dark waves with their white -caps looked very threatening, but so did the prospect he had before him -of making a long voyage under brutal officers and in an unseaworthy -vessel.</p> - -<p>"It's now or never," thought Roy, shutting his teeth hard and calling -all his courage to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> his aid. "In five minutes more that light-ship will -be so far out of reach—"</p> - -<p>Just then something took him full in the eye, and Roy, who had bent -over while working at the boat's painter, straightened up with a jerk, -and flopped down upon his back. Scarcely realizing what had happened to -him, the boy scrambled to his feet only to receive a blow in the other -eye, and to hear the mate shout at him, in tones of suppressed fury:</p> - -<p>"Going to desert, were you? I expected it, and have had my gaze -fastened on you all along. Take that and that, and see if it will do -you until I can get a better chance at you."</p> - -<p>Did the enraged officer intend to kill him where he lay? Roy wondered, -as he raised his arm to ward off the heavy blows from the rope's end -that were aimed at his head. It is quite possible that the brute would -have disabled him had not the captain, who had witnessed the whole -proceeding, called out:</p> - -<p>"Cast the boat adrift, Mr. Crawford. That will put an end to all such -nonsense."</p> - -<p>The officer turned to obey the order, and in an instant Roy was on -his feet. At the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> instant, too, the sailor's warning words came -into his mind like an inspiration: "Don't allow yourself to be brought -back, for if you do you will wish you had never been born. You'd better -sink right here in the harbor than trust yourself to this ship and her -officers," and something the mate said while he was striking at him -with the rope's end satisfied Roy that there was more punishment of -some sort coming as soon as the officer could find time to administer -it.</p> - -<p>"Another such a beating as that would lay me up sure," thought Roy, -drawing his hand across his face and looking around to see where he -was. "I can't stand it and I won't."</p> - -<p>Roy sprang away from the rail, but quick as the action was, the -movement the vigilant officer made to defeat it was almost as quick. -His brawny hand shot out like a flash, and by the merest chance missed -a hold upon Roy's arm. His strong fingers fastened into the boy's -shirt-sleeve, and during the brief but furious struggle that followed -either the stitches or cloth gave away. At any rate when the mate -straightened up he was holding the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> sleeve of Roy's shirt in his grasp, -and Roy himself, having cleared the deck in two or three jumps, was -standing upon the lee rail.</p> - -<p>"Come back here, you villain," roared the mate, starting forward, "or -I'll haze you till you'll be glad to go overboard in mid-ocean."</p> - -<p>But the boy preferred to go overboard in the harbor, where he stood a -chance—a bare chance—of rescue. He did not see the pilot-boat that -dashed by just then, but he saw the light-ship riding at her anchorage -a short distance away, and without pausing to take another look at the -angry waters, for fear that the sight of them would be too much for -his courage, he sprang into the air. The mate reached the side just a -minute too late. The deserter was well out of his way.</p> - -<p>"That's the end of him, sir," said he, turning to the captain.</p> - -<p>"Let the pilot-boat take care of him," said the latter gruffly. "I -can't stop to bother with him."</p> - -<p>This was all that was said aboard the White Squall, and nothing -whatever was done to aid the deserter; but the pilot-boat officers had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> -more humanity. As soon as their vessel could be thrown up into the wind -a boat was put into the water, and for half an hour or more the crew -pulled about in various directions, looking for Roy, who was swimming -for the light-ship with slow and easy strokes. He was by all odds the -best swimmer in Mount Airy, and his skill and long wind stood him well -in hand now. He was badly frightened at first when the waves broke over -his head and bore him under, but he always came to the surface in time -to catch the next one, which not only carried him rapidly toward his -haven of refuge, but kept him afloat long enough to get his breath and -fill his lungs for the next plunge.</p> - -<p>Roy afterward said that that long swim in rough water was more like a -dream than a reality. When he found that he had no trouble in keeping -on top of the water long enough to breathe fully and freely, but two -ideas filled his mind. One was to reach the light-ship before his -strength gave out; the second to lose no time, after he got ashore, -in doing something for Bob and Tony who were being carried away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> in -that unseaworthy ship. He was afterwards sorry that he wasted so much -sympathy upon them.</p> - -<p>About the time the pilot-boat's crew began to despair of picking up -the deserter, and filled away to the city to tell the story of his -"deliberate suicide" to eager reporters, who published it in their -papers the next morning, and Roy was becoming weary of buffeting the -waves, the swim was ended and help speedily came. A friendly billow -threw him against one of the swaying hawsers that kept the light-ship -in place, and the boy held fast to it.</p> - -<p>"Boat ahoy!" yelled Roy, with all the strength of his lungs.</p> - -<p>An instant later the sagging of the cable soused him under; but the -wind caught up his voice and carried it across the intervening space to -the deck of the light-ship, and when Roy came up again he saw a couple -of tarpaulins above her rail, and as many lanterns hanging over the -side.</p> - -<p>"Where away?" shouted a voice, that somewhat resembled the deep bass of -a fog-horn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Here I am; holding fast to the anchor rope," replied Roy. "Can't you -see me now?"</p> - -<p>The boy's hand instinctively went to his head; but the cap he intended -to wave in the air to show the light-ship's men where he was, had been -left aboard the White Squall to keep company with his shirt-sleeve. But -if the men couldn't see him they heard his words, for the wind brought -them plainly to their ears; and instead of stopping to ask him what he -was doing in the water and how he got there in the first place, they -pulled up their lanterns and hurried away.</p> - -<p>"Hurrah for me!" said Roy to himself. "They've gone to lower a boat and -I am all right—"</p> - -<p>Just then another wave broke over his head; but when he came up again, -Roy continued his soliloquy as if nothing had happened.</p> - -<p>"Or shall be in a few minutes," said he. "I've learned a good many -things to-night, and one of them is, that a wind that would keep our -Mount Airy people ashore don't bother these deep-water fellows at all. -I call<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> this a gale; but these watermen, who are used to such things, -run around in small boats as fearlessly as we take to Mirror Lake when -there isn't a capful of wind to ruffle the surface."</p> - -<p>Roy was plunged under a good many times while he waited for the men -to come and take him off, but presently their boat hove in sight. She -looked too large and heavy for two men to row, but she was built for -just the work she was doing now, and Roy Sheldon was not the only one -who owed his life to her and the gallant fellows who manned her. She -came over the waves like a duck, and almost before Roy knew it he was -sitting in her stern-sheets with a heavy coat around him. The men -uttered exclamations of astonishment when they saw how he was dressed, -but not a question did they ask until they had taken him safe aboard -the light-ship and into a warm, well-lighted cabin.</p> - -<p>"Pull off them wet duds and put on these here," said one of the men, -laying some dry clothing on a chair near the stove.</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to occasion you so much<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> trouble," began Roy, who saw that -the oil-skin suits his rescuers wore were dripping with spray. "I have -given you a long, hard pull."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's nothing," was the reply. "We're used to picking up folks, -specially during the racing season when a yacht turns bottom side up -now and then. But what made you get sick of your bargain so soon? Why -didn't you let yourself go down, like you'd oughter?"</p> - -<p>"What bargain?" exclaimed Roy. "And why ought I to let myself go down?"</p> - -<p>"Why, you jumped off that there ship on purpose, 'cause me and my -pardner seen you when you done it. We've been kinder looking for you -ever since. We didn't go out after you, 'cause number 29's boat struck -the water most as soon as you did."</p> - -<p>"Who bunged your eyes for you?" asked the man who had not spoken -before, and who was getting ready to give Roy a pot of hot coffee.</p> - -<p>"Are they black?" said the boy angrily.</p> - -<p>He glanced around the cabin, and seeing a small mirror fastened against -the bulkhead on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> the other side, he walked over and looked into it. -Yes, his eyes were black.</p> - -<p>"The ship I deserted from was the White Squall," said Roy; whereupon -the light-ship men nodded, as much as to say that the whole matter had -been made clear to them. "I didn't belong to her. I was—what do you -call it?—shanghaied? Yes; that was what was done to me, and also to -the two men who started to row me from Shelly's Island to New London. -One of the sailors told me I had better get off if I could see half -a chance, and that was the way I came to be in the water. One of the -mates knocked me down twice while I was working at the painter of our -boat, and pounded me with a piece of rope till—well, look at that," -added Roy, who, when he came to pull off his wet shirt, found that he -could not do it without assistance. His arm pained him, and he could -not use it as readily as usual. This led him to make an examination, -and he found that the arm was bruised and discolored from shoulder to -elbow.</p> - -<p>"Yas," remarked one of the men, as if he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> were speaking of an every-day -occurrence, "I've seen a good many such whacks in my time."</p> - -<p>"Do all officers pound their men in this fashion, and do you fellows -submit to it?" cried Roy, in great surprise. "Well, I won't, I bet you. -I'll have those two men arrested; the captain for kidnapping me, and -the mate for using me up in this way."</p> - -<p>"Drink this coffee and tell us when you're going to do all that," said -one of the men.</p> - -<p>"Yas," said the other. "And while I am helping you rub them bruises -with this arnica, tell us how you're going to do it."</p> - -<p>"When and how?" repeated Roy, as he submitted to the old sea-dog's -rough but kindly administrations.</p> - -<p>"Yas. You can't get ashore before morning, and by that time the White -Squall will be miles and miles at sea. It'll be two years, mebbe -three, before she makes this port again, and like as not there won't -be a single man in her crew that she took away with her. Then where'll -your witnesses be to prove that you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> was shanghaied, and that the mate -knocked you down and beat you with a rope's end?"</p> - -<p>Roy backed toward the nearest bunk, sat down upon it and took a long -and hearty drink of the hot coffee before he made any reply. He had -comforted himself with the mental assurance that it would be an easy -matter for him to bring the master of the White Squall to justice, but -now he discovered that there were difficulties in the way.</p> - -<p>"Law ain't made for the poor chaps that sail the high seas, but for -landsmen," said the one who gave him the coffee. "Sailor-men ain't got -no use for it, for nobody cares for them. I've heard enough about that -ship and her cap'n to know that I shouldn't like to sail on her, and I -tell you that you was mighty lucky to get away with a whole skin. The -mate knocked you over while you was trying to cast off your boat; then -what happened?"</p> - -<p>"I made a dash for the other side of the ship and went overboard," -answered Roy. "The mate made a grab for me, and besides tearing the -sleeve out of my shirt he must have given my arm an awful wrench, for -I can hardly lift<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> that pot of coffee with it. There isn't any danger -that she will stop and take me off this boat, is there?"</p> - -<p>The light-ship men chuckled and winked at each other as though they -thought Roy had said something amusing.</p> - -<p>"Bless your simple heart! She's hull down before this time," one of -them remarked. "You don't think that a ship that has been loaded and -waiting for two or three weeks would stop to pick up a deserter, do -you? and him a landsman that don't know one side of the deck from -t'other? You'll never see the White Squall again less'n you stay here -and look for her. What sort of clothes is them, any way, that you just -took off? Looks something like a rowing rig, but 'tain't."</p> - -<p>Roy replied that it was a bicycle uniform, and then went on to tell his -story, hoping that the mention of Rowe Shelly's name might lead the men -to give him some information concerning the runaway. They lived but a -short distance from his island home, and Roy thought it possible they -might know him; but he very soon became satisfied that they didn't. -They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> held little communication with the people on the neighboring -islands, all their supplies, as well as the limited number of papers -they read, being received from the mainland, and they did not act as -though they had ever heard of Rowe Shelly before; but they showed Roy -very plainly that there were some portions of his narrative they found -it hard to believe. One of them turned on his heel with the remark -that the wind didn't "blow to do any hurt," that there was no need of -anybody "going aboard a ship for shelter on such a night" as that one -was, and went on deck to see how things were going there; while the -other, with the suspicion of a smile about his mouth, said to Roy:</p> - -<p>"You're getting kinder white around the gills. Hadn't you better lay -down in that there bunk before it gets worse on you? That's my advice."</p> - -<p>"I do feel rather queer, that's a fact," answered the boy. "I suppose -the pounding and swim together were too much for me."</p> - -<p>"Yas; I reckon they were. But you'll be all right after a while."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span></p> - -<p>The man followed his companion to the deck, and Roy lay down upon the -bunk; but very gradually a suspicion crept into his mind that the -beating he had received and his long swim in rough water had little to -do with his miserable feelings.</p> - -<p>"I am sea-sick," groaned Roy. "That's what's the matter with me. Being -shut up in this warm, close cabin has done the business for me."</p> - -<p>The boy made a shrewd guess. Many a long hour dragged its weary length -away before he was "all right" again.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></p> - -<p class="center">THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T BE "PUMPED."</p> - - -<p class="drop">A<span class="uppercase">ll</span> the rest of the night Roy Sheldon, who was ill indeed, rolled and -tossed in his bunk without once closing his eyes in sleep. At first he -was very much afraid that the light-ship would go down, she pitched -so furiously; and as his malady grew upon him, he wished from the -bottom of his heart that she would spring a leak and sink, and so put -him out of his misery. To make matters worse, his rescuers never came -near to sympathize with him, or ask if there was anything they could -do to relieve him. They left him to fight the battle alone, and their -neglect made Roy so indignant that he resolved he would not speak to -them again, not even to thank them for the important service they -had rendered him. Shortly after daylight, however, he fell into a -refreshing slumber, and when he awoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> two hours later his sickness was -all gone, and he was as hungry as a wolf.</p> - -<p>"Well, my hearty," was the cordial way in which he was greeted when he -rolled out of his bunk, "you don't look quite as blue about the gills -as you did when you turned in. Feel any better? Set down and take -another pot of coffee."</p> - -<p>"Thank you. I feel a good deal more like myself," was Roy's reply. "I -can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to you, or how glad I am that -I went overboard when I did, and that I succeeded in laying hold of -that anchor-rope before my wind and strength gave out. I was getting -tired, I tell you. If I were aboard that ship now how far at sea would -I be?"</p> - -<p>"A hundred miles, or such a matter, in this wind, and with a fair -chance of seeing furrin countries before you come back."</p> - -<p>"I would have stood a better chance of becoming food for the sharks, if -all I heard about her is true," said Roy, as he seated himself at one -end of the mess-chest which served as a table. "The sailor who advised -me to desert said he never expected to reach Canton<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> alive. Now, how -soon can I get ashore to relieve the anxiety of my friends?"</p> - -<p>That was a matter that was settled with half a dozen words. He was -given to understand that he would be carried over to the nearest pier -as soon as he had eaten his breakfast; and his mind being set at rest, -he ate a hearty one. When he thanked the men for their kindness they -laughed and said "that was all right," and showed some curiosity to -know why Roy was so careful to take their names and address.</p> - -<p>"I like to keep track of my acquaintances," said the boy; "I may want -to call upon you at some future time, and if I do, I shall know where -to find you."</p> - -<p>Breakfast being over, Roy, who had put on his own clothes when he -left his bunk, climbed into the boat and was pulled ashore. There was -a hack-stand near the pier on which he was landed, and although Roy -did not know it at the time, Tony and Bob could have put him ashore -there the night before if the instructions they received from Colonel -Shelly's superintendent had not led them to follow a different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> course. -Being anxious to escape observation Roy took a hurried leave of the -light-ship's men, hastened toward the hack-stand, and dived into the -first carriage he came to.</p> - -<p>"Pull up the windows, put down the curtains so that no one can see me, -and go for the Lafayette House at your very best licks," said Roy to -the astonished driver, who looked critically at the boy's sleeveless -shirt and bandaged eye, and seemed in no particular hurry to obey.</p> - -<p>"Been in a fight?" said he.</p> - -<p>"Yes; been in half a dozen. Whipped more than forty men, and swam in -from a hundred miles out at sea," replied Roy, impatiently. "I've money -in my pocket and more at the hotel, if that is what you want to know. -Hurry up, and I will give you double fare."</p> - -<p>That was something the hackman could understand. Looking curiously at -his passenger the while he hastened to obey his orders, and in a few -seconds had made the carriage as close as an oven. But Roy did not care -for that. He settled back in the corner, and wondered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> what Arthur and -Joe would say when he walked into their presence.</p> - -<p>"I know I am a nice looking object," was his mental reflection, "but I -should like to see either one of those fellows go through what I did -and come out in better shape. I tell you I have had a narrow escape, -and Rowe Shelly, whoever he may be, can thank his lucky stars that he -was not in my place. I can't do anything for Bob and Tony, but I can -bear those light-ship men in mind, and I will too."</p> - -<p>With the prospect of a double fare before him the hackman drove as -rapidly as he dared, and when he drew rein in front of the hotel -to which he had been directed, Roy threw open the door and jumped -out, crossed the wide sidewalk with a few swift steps, and sought -concealment behind one of the front doors, every move he made being -closely followed by the driver, who wanted to make sure of his money -before he let his strange passenger out of sight. Then came that -hurried interview with the hotel clerk, who could hardly be made -to believe that Roy Sheldon was not Robert Barton, after which the -new-comer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> went to his room to change his clothes and send the porter -out for a new helmet to take the place of the one he had left on board -the White Squall.</p> - -<p>"There," said Roy, as he stood before the mirror and tied a clean -handkerchief over his left eye, "that looks a little more respectable, -but not much. I must have a pretty hard head or that mate would have -knocked me senseless. Suppose he had, and that I had been kicked out of -the way or carried down into the forecastle, and never come to myself -until this morning! I'd been a hundred miles or more at sea, and in a -rotten old ship that is liable to go to pieces in the very first storm -she encounters. It makes me shudder to think of it."</p> - -<p>Having fixed himself up as well as he could, Roy went downstairs and -into the reading-room to wait for Joe and Arthur to "show up." At the -same time a sharp-looking gentleman, whose eyes were everywhere at -once, walked briskly up to the clerk's desk and leaned upon it.</p> - -<p>"What do you know?" said he. "I must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> make out a column some way or -other, and if you don't help me out, I shall always think you ought to."</p> - -<p>"I don't know a thing," replied the clerk. "Go into the reading-room -and pump that fellow with the bunged-up eye. He's a wheelman from Mount -Airy. Came in yesterday with two others, and got into trouble before he -had fairly eaten his supper. That's his name right there," added the -clerk, as the sharp-looking man, who was a newspaper reporter, pulled a -note-book from his pocket and wrote something in it in short-hand. "He -just as good as told me that he was mistaken for Rowe Shelly, kidnapped -and taken over to the island, and barely escaped being carried to sea."</p> - -<p>"On what vessel?" exclaimed the reporter, showing some excitement and -no little interest.</p> - -<p>"Don't know. Didn't think to ask him, for he was in a great hurry to go -to his room."</p> - -<p>"So Rowe Shelly has skipped again, has he?" said the reporter. "That -won't do me any good, for Shelly owns some of our stock and we can't -dip into his private affairs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> Don't tell anybody else of it, there's a -good fellow, for I want to get a scoop on this whole business. Did this -what's his name—Sheldon, look as though he had been in the water?"</p> - -<p>"Come to think of it, he did. His uniform was shrunk and mussed, one -sleeve of his shirt was missing, and both his eyes were blacked. At -least one was, for I saw it. He kept the other covered up."</p> - -<p>"I'll bet it's the same chap. Haven't you seen this morning's -<i>Tribune</i>? Well, there's an article in it, with the blackest kind of -headlines, entitled, 'Mutiny in the Harbor. A Sailor prefers Death to a -Voyage in the White Squall,' and so forth and so on, <i>et cetera</i>. One -of our fellows wrote that up, and now you just watch me get the sequel. -Hoop-la! My column's safe. How'll I know him—by his bunged-up eyes?"</p> - -<p>"Look right through the door. That's him, with the blue uniform on and -a paper in his hand. But hold on a minute," said the clerk, as the -reporter turned away. "If you mean to get anything out of him you'll -have to be sly about it, for he says he won't be pumped."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh, won't he? We'll see about that."</p> - -<p>Roy Sheldon, who was deeply interested in that article in the -<i>Tribune</i>, and congratulating himself on the fact that his name was -not mentioned in it, and that consequently his father and mother would -never hear of his adventure until he was ready to tell them about it, -did not so much as raise his eyes when the reporter came in and sat -down near him. He went on with his reading until he heard a pleasant -voice say:</p> - -<p>"Good morning, Mr. Sheldon. You have had a pretty rough experience, -have you not?"</p> - -<p>If the chair in which he was sitting had suddenly given away and let -him down on the floor, Roy would not have been half as much astonished -as he was when he heard himself addressed in this way by a man whom he -had never seen before. He looked at him over the top of his paper, and -then drew his head down behind it; whereupon the reporter pulled out -his handkerchief and mopped his face to conceal the smile that came to -his lips.</p> - -<p>"Of course you don't mind what those light-ship men said to <i>me</i>," he -continued.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Oh! did they tell you about it?" exclaimed Roy, and that was all the -reporter wanted to show him that he was on the right track. Being -shrewd and experienced in his profession, he had already made up his -mind just what that 'sequel' was going to be. The sailor, who was -seen by the captain of pilot-boat number twenty-nine to jump into the -harbor, was not a seafaring man, but a wheelman. He had succeeded in -reaching the light-ship, whose crew rescued him, brought him ashore in -the morning, and here he was. Roy had told the clerk he would not be -interviewed; but that did not worry the reporter.</p> - -<p>"Yes; I have heard all about it," said he. "You see, I am the fellow -who supplies those light-ship men with some of their reading-matter."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said Roy again, "I was afraid you might be a reporter."</p> - -<p>"My dear sir, do I look as if I were that low down in the world? What's -the reason you don't want to see any news-gatherers? You have been the -hero of an adventure, and most boys would like to see it in print."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It's in print already, but fortunately the man who wrote about it did -not know my name," replied Roy. "There's a long account of it in the -<i>Tribune</i>?"</p> - -<p>"And is that account correct?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly. But my father takes the <i>Tribune</i>, and if he had seen my -name in that article he would have ordered me home in short order."</p> - -<p>"And you don't want to go, I suppose?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly not," answered Roy, who then went on to tell where he <i>did</i> -want to go; and to prove that his father would be likely to tell him to -come home if he got into trouble, he related what Mr. Wayring had done -when he learned through the New London papers that Matt Coyle had tied -Joe to a tree and threatened to beat him with switches.</p> - -<p>"I remember of reading about that," said the reporter. "One of the -<i>Tribune's</i> staff was stopping at the Sportsman's Home at the time, and -he was the one who wrote it up. I don't blame you for not wanting your -name mentioned in connection with that little episode in the harbor -last night, and you are wise in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> keeping your weather eye open for -reporters. That's the only one you can keep open, isn't it? Who shut up -the other one for you?"</p> - -<p>It was by such ingenious and apparently disinterested questions as -these, that the reporter gradually led Roy Sheldon on to tell his -story from beginning to end. He was really astonished when the boy -brought his narrative to a close, and told himself that he was master -of some secrets that would eventually bring Colonel Shelly and his -superintendent into trouble, and the runaway Rowe into his rights. More -than one reporter has run to earth criminals whom the best detectives -could not track, and Roy's visitor suddenly resolved that he would do a -little in that line himself. He would have given something handsome to -know where Rowe was at that minute and what he intended to do; but Roy -could not enlighten him. On the other hand, he asked the reporter to -tell him what he knew about Rowe himself.</p> - -<p>"That boy is well fixed over there on the island," said he. "Everybody -is kind to him, he has everything money can buy, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> wouldn't -run away unless there was good cause for it," said Roy. "I wasn't on -the island long enough to learn much about him; can't you tell me -something?"</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to say I can't," said the reporter, as he arose from his -chair. "I have never been on the island, and don't know the first thing -about Rowe Shelly and his family relations, except what I have heard -in a roundabout way. Look here," he added, sinking his voice almost -to a whisper; "do you see those three fellows talking with the clerk? -Look out for them. They are reporters for evening papers. Tell 'em -you're busy—that your eyes are so black you can't talk to 'em—tell -'em anything you can think of, for if you don't, they will have you in -print sure pop. So-long, and a pleasant trip if I don't see you again -before you leave the city."</p> - -<p>So saying the reporter winked at Roy, and hurried away to write up the -"sequel" for the evening edition of his paper, while Roy hid behind his -copy of the <i>Tribune</i>. The three men against whom he had been warned -came in at last, but if they wanted information they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> did not get much. -Roy was very unsociable, and they finally departed with the conviction -that the <i>Tribune's</i> man had been too sharp for them this time.</p> - -<p>Roy's next visitor was Willis, and the next two were Joe Wayring and -Arthur Hastings, who would scarcely have recognized him if it had not -been for his uniform. They listened in great amazement to his story, -which I afterward heard just as I have tried to tell it, and never -once said a word to interrupt him. Arthur's indignation was almost -unbounded; while the clear-sighted Joe saw two or three things in -the narrative which proved to his satisfaction that Roy's visit to -the White Squall was not purely accidental. But the trouble was, Roy -himself did not think so, and he had not really said anything that was -calculated to throw suspicion upon the superintendent. It was plain, -however, that Willis was afraid he might say something, for as soon as -Roy's story was finished he got upon his feet and put on his hat.</p> - -<p>"As you remarked a little while ago, 'all's well that ends well,'" -said he. "I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span> heartily glad you got safely out of that scrape, Mr. -Sheldon, and hope you will speedily recover from the effects of your -treatment at the hands of that brutal mate. I wish he might be punished -for it; but it is just as those men on the light-ship told you. The -White Squall will not return for two or three years, and by that time -the men who now comprise her crew may be scattered to the ends of the -globe. I wish you good-morning, and a pleasant run across the State."</p> - -<p>So saying, Willis bowed himself out of the reading-room, and Babcock -went with him, leaving the three friends alone.</p> - -<p>"Say, old fellow," exclaimed Joe, settling back in his chair and -looking at Roy, "you've more pluck than I ever gave you credit for, but -not half as much mother-wit."</p> - -<p>"What has gone wrong with you now?" asked Roy, in reply.</p> - -<p>"Nothing whatever; but if you don't find that something has gone wrong -with you, I shall miss my guess. And you are the boy who wouldn't be -pumped, are you? Well, you are a good one."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I tell you I didn't give those three reporters the first grain of -information," said Roy, bridling up.</p> - -<p>"No; but you gave the first one who gained your ear all the information -he wanted. That fellow who came his Oily Gammon over you and told you -that he supplied the light-ship's crew with a portion of their reading -matter, was a reporter. He'll have the whole thing in his paper to -night, and you will have to go home."</p> - -<p>"And that means all of us," added Arthur.</p> - -<p>"No!" gasped Roy, alarmed by the thought. "Let's get away from the city -without an hour's delay. If we do that, we can prolong our run as far -as Bloomingdale; for you know that was the first place at which we were -to stop for letters."</p> - -<p>"But you can't ride," said Joe.</p> - -<p>"What's the reason I can't?" inquired Roy. "I know my arm is almost -useless, but my legs are all right, as I will show you when we are -fairly on the road again. Say, fellows, let's make the pace hot enough -to reach Bloomingdale and get beyond it before any return orders can -catch us."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Why not avoid the place altogether?" suggested Arthur. "Have you had -your arm examined by a surgeon?"</p> - -<p>Roy said he hadn't thought of it, and Arthur continued: "Then we'll -have it done at once. If he says you can ride, we'll take to the road -at once. If he says you can't, that settles it."</p> - -<p>Great was their relief when the medical man, to whom they were -directed, told Roy that, although he had received a pretty severe fall -(he thought Roy had taken a header and the latter was quite willing to -have it so), he would be able to continue the run provided he could -manage his wheel with one hand, and would promise not to run too fast.</p> - -<p>"But," added the doctor, "it's a little the queerest hurt I ever saw -from a header. I don't quite see how you managed to black both your -eyes and injure your arm in one fall. If you had been in a fight with -the canalers I could understand it. You mustn't think of going on for -at least two or three days. Lie still to-morrow and next day, take a -short run on Saturday, stop over somewhere in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> country on Sunday, -and make a fresh start on Monday."</p> - -<p>When the boys heard this their countenances fell; but, as Arthur had -said, "that settled it." All they could do was to make themselves -miserable for the rest of the day and the whole of the two succeeding -ones. They could not even visit their friends in the city, for if they -did, every one would want to know where Roy Sheldon was, and why he -didn't show himself.</p> - -<p>"I'm a pretty looking fellow to go calling, am I not?" said the latter -dolefully. "It can't be done, boys. I'd have to tell the truth, and I -might as well go home at once as to do that. I'm going to hug my room -the best I know how, and you'll have to see that I don't starve; for -now that I have found you, I am not going to exhibit myself in that -reading-room again. Now, come up-stairs and tell me all you know about -Rowe Shelly."</p> - -<p>The story his friends had to tell was not near as long as his own, but -it was fully as interesting. It required but a few words from them to -make everything clear to Roy's com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>prehension. The man who claimed to -be Colonel Shelly and Rowe's guardian was a fraud, the boy's parents -were still living, and he was determined to find them in spite of all -the obstacles that could be thrown in his way. That was all there was -of it.</p> - -<p>"I hope from the bottom of my heart that he will succeed," said Roy -earnestly. "When I was in the water swimming for the light-ship, I felt -bitter toward everybody; but now that I have come safely out of the -worst scrape I ever was in, I don't feel so. The clerk, who evidently -knows a little about Rowe and his affairs, declared that he was a -fool for running away, but somehow I couldn't believe it. Now I know -he isn't. If one of us was in his place they'd have to put guards all -around that island to keep him there."</p> - -<p>"How far was it from the White Squall to the light-ship?"</p> - -<p>"About twice as far as Mirror Lake is wide. The swim wasn't anything to -be afraid of, but the rough water—"</p> - -<p>"And the sharks," interposed Arthur.</p> - -<p>"By gracious!" exclaimed Roy, jumping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> up from the bed on which he had -but a moment before laid himself down. "I never thought of sharks, -and I'm glad I didn't. It would have made a coward of me sure, and I -was near enough to that as it was. But they do have them around that -light-ship, don't they? I have seen the fact stated in the papers -before now. It took all the pluck I had to face the waves, and if I had -thought of sharks I don't believe you ever would have seen me again."</p> - -<p>"Rowe wouldn't have had the courage to do what you did," observed -Arthur.</p> - -<p>"I don't think he would," said Joe. "But then he never would have been -called upon to do it, for that man Willis would not have sent him -aboard the White Squall to be carried to sea."</p> - -<p>"You don't think Willis got Tony and Bob and me shanghaied on purpose, -do you?" exclaimed Roy, who had not dreamed of such a thing. "You are -surely mistaken. I saw those men driven to duty with a piece of rope."</p> - -<p>"I don't say they knew they were going to be kidnapped when they took -you aboard that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> vessel, but that it was a part of the superintendent's -plan for getting rid of the whole of you," replied Joe, who then went -on to tell why he thought so. Three different sailor men with whom Roy -had conversed assured him that the wind didn't blow to hurt anything, -that there was no need that anybody in a small boat should seek shelter -on a vessel on such a night as last night was, and if Roy could not see -that that proved something, he was by no means as bright as Joe thought -he was.</p> - -<p>"I can see it now," said Roy. "If I could only bring it home to him -wouldn't I—"</p> - -<p>"No doubt you would: but there's the trouble. You can't prove anything. -I am sorry you let that reporter bamboozle you into telling him all -about your adventure. The fellows he told you to look out for were on -rival papers, and it was his business to keep them from getting any -information out of you if he could. I wish the evening papers were out."</p> - -<p>The others wished so too, but four long hours passed before the voice -of the newsboy was heard in the street, and then Arthur made a rush for -the door. When he returned he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> a copy of all the evening papers on -sale, but the <i>Tribune</i> was the only one Roy cared to see, and it was -promptly passed over to him.</p> - -<p>"Here it is in black and white," he groaned, almost as soon as he -opened the sheet. "'A Plucky Wheelman. Something that might have been -a Tragedy. The Truth about it.' Read it out and then go and pound that -reporter."</p> - -<p>Arthur complied with many misgivings, but as he read he often paused -to look at his chums, who stared at him and at each other in turn. -Everything that happened on board the White Squall was truthfully -described, the brutality of the ship's officers was denounced in no -measured terms, Roy's short but desperate struggle with the mate was -told in graphic language, but the only ones whose real names were -mentioned were the two light-ship men, Captain Jack Rowan and the -scoundrel Crawford. Roy Sheldon was called Peter Smith without a word -of excuse or apology, while Rowe Shelly, his guardian, and Willis, -the superintendent, were not spoken of at all. The boys could not -understand it; but then they did not know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> that Rowe's guardian was -part owner of the <i>Tribune</i> and had influence enough to cause the -discharge of any man on it who did not write to suit him. As soon as -Arthur finished the article they all went to work to examine the other -papers; but there was nothing in them about the "Plucky Wheelman." The -<i>Tribune</i> had a "scoop" on all its competitors.</p> - -<p>"That bangs me," said Roy, at length.</p> - -<p>"It suits you, does it not?"</p> - -<p>"Perfectly. It's better than I thought it could be. Of course our folks -will read it, but they'll never dream that one of us had anything to do -with it. That reporter is a brick. You needn't mind pounding him, boys."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Joe, drily. "I had no intention of trying anything of -the kind. I have heard of fellows going out to thrash newspaper men and -coming home on a shutter. It might have been so in this case."</p> - -<p>Arthur Hasting voiced the sentiments of his companions when he said -he felt as if a big load had been taken off his shoulders. Their run -wasn't "blocked" after all.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ON THE ROAD AGAIN.</p> - - -<p class="drop">A<span class="uppercase">lthough</span> Roy Sheldon and his friends were greatly relieved, and felt -duly thankful to the reporter who had concealed the "plucky wheelman's" -identity under a fictitious name, and thus prevented their trip from -being brought to a sudden end, they were none the less impatient to -take the road again, and their two days of enforced inactivity hung -heavily on their hands. It would not be prudent for them to call upon -their friends in the city, for, as Roy ruefully affirmed, they would -have to tell them the truth, and they might as well go home as to do -that. Concealment was the only thing left to them, but reading and -sleeping, with an occasional discussion of their recent experience, -were monotonous ways for healthy boys to pass the time. Roy's bruises -demanded a little of their care and attention, and before long he had -the satisfaction of knowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> that his arm was not as lame as it had -been, and that his eyes were slowly resuming their natural color. But -it was two weeks before the wondering rustics ceased to turn and gaze -after him as he wheeled swiftly along the road.</p> - -<p>Saturday morning came at last, and after a light breakfast the three -Columbias were brought from their dark closet and set in motion again. -Of course we—that is, my two companions and I—knew nothing of the -strange things that had taken place on the night we were put into our -closet for safe-keeping, and we were on the road at least a week before -we heard as much of the story as I have already told you. We were fully -two hundred miles from New London when we, most unexpectedly, heard -more of it, and back in Mount Airy when we heard the conclusion; so you -see I am not yet through with the events that grew out of Roy Sheldon's -visit to the city.</p> - -<p>Saturday's run was short, for my master insisted that the doctor's -orders should be implicitly obeyed, but still it was a hard one. Before -they were fairly out of the city limits the sand that was "knee-deep" -obstructed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span> their way, and made the young wheelmen cast longing glances -toward the tow-path which was in plain view. But the sight of several -groups of ragged urchins, some of whom tried hard and perseveringly to -get a stone up to them, and the knowledge that one of their number was -in no condition for a fight, if one was forced upon them, made them -keep to the highway.</p> - -<p>"But I tell you we'll not do it on Monday for all the canalers in the -State," said Roy that night, when he and his companions dismounted -before the little inn that was to be their stopping place. "We are so -far out of the city now that we shall not see very many boats, and as -often as we come in sight of a settlement of shanties, we'll climb up -to the road and go around it."</p> - -<p>The proprietor of the inn said he was used to the company of wheelmen, -and the bountiful supper he set before the boys proved that he was. -He gave them comfortable beds too, and on Monday morning showed them -a path by which they could take their wheels down to the bank of the -canal. It was much easier rid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span>ing there than it was on the highway, -but, as the Omaha wheelman said, they found the "unspeakable mule" -there. They met a good many boats going into the city, and nearly -every one of them was towed by a span of these interesting creatures. -The boys dismounted and got out of the way as often as they saw them -coming, but the mules were not to be deceived or cheated out of a -stampede by any such shallow artifice as that. They saw the glittering -wheels, and that was enough for them. They invariably turned like a -flash and tore back along the path as though they were frightened out -of their wits, but always stopped their headlong flight just in time -to avoid being jerked into the canal. It seemed to me that reasonable -persons would have been satisfied with the precautions taken by the -boys to avoid trouble, but I soon learned that the boatmen were not -reasonable. They swore lustily, hurling their oaths at mules and -cyclists with perfect impartiality, and now and then a very angry -captain would order his steersman to "hold her clost in to the bank -so't he could jump ashore an' pitch them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> nuisances into the drink"; -but when the boys heard such talk as that they mounted and sped lightly -along, leaving the captain to recover his good-nature as soon as he -got ready, and the driver to manage the mules in anyway he could. -By following this course, and by making a flank movement on every -"settlement of shanties" that hove in sight, they finally reached -Bloomingdale without doing very much riding in the sand.</p> - -<p>They were now about a hundred and forty miles from home, and considered -their journey fairly begun. Leaving out their first night in New -London, they were more than pleased with their experience. Their health -was perfect, their brains, to quote from Roy Sheldon, were "as clear -as whistles," and they felt equal to any amount of hard work either on -the road or at the table. Taking timid women, skittish horses, foolish -mules, peppery canal-boat captains, combative boys and ugly dogs into -consideration, a trip like this had just enough of the exciting and -perilous in it to make it interesting.</p> - -<p>Although my master and his chums longed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> to hear from home, they opened -the letters they found waiting for them in Bloomingdale with some -fear and trembling. As I looked at it, it did not seem possible that -adventures like Roy Sheldon's, and an exploit such as he had performed, -could be kept covered up for any length of time (I have been told that -such things have a way of "leaking out somewhere"), nor was it at all -probable that every one who heard of them would be as considerate of -Roy's wishes as the <i>Tribune</i> reporter had shown himself to be. I -awaited the result with as much excitement as Roy Sheldon exhibited -when he seated himself on the porch in front of the hotel and opened -one of his mother's letters—the one that bore the latest date. I saw -him run his eyes over the closely written pages, and when he laid that -letter aside and picked up another, intending to read them in the order -in which they were written, I knew before he said a word that his fears -were groundless and that no return orders had been received.</p> - -<p>"My folks don't suspect anything; how is it with yours?" said he, -gleefully. "Mother<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> doesn't say a word about Peter Smith who was -shanghaied and jumped overboard to escape being carried to sea, and -that's all the evidence I want that she does not think I am that -identical Peter."</p> - -<p>Thanks to the thoughtful reporter, who did not want Roy to be called -home although he <i>did</i> want all the news the boy had it in his power -to give him, the truth was never suspected, and after a short rest the -young wheelmen turned their backs upon the tow-path and the pugnacious -youngsters who lived beside it, and struck out again, this time running -through a fine farming country, with just enough timber along the road -to break the monotony of the scenery, and afford them shade as often as -they felt inclined to take a breathing spell. They were not the only -cyclists on the road, as they found before they had left Bloomingdale -a dozen miles behind. They were wheeling along in Indian file at a -moderate pace, when Joe Wayring, who brought up the rear, was surprised -to hear a voice close to him say:</p> - -<p>"If you have a mind to listen to it, I believe I can give you young -gentlemen a word of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> advice that may some day be of use to you." And -before Joe could turn his head, a tall stranger on a big wheel rode up -beside him. "Where have you come from and where are you going, if it -is a fair question?" he continued, after returning Joe's greeting. "I -judge from your bundles that you are on a trip; but I guess you haven't -been out very long, or else you followed a different route from mine, -for you are not half as dirty as I am."</p> - -<p>This broke the ice, and in a few minutes the boys were on the best of -terms with the strange wheelman, who could not, however, give them -any "pointers" regarding their route, for he was going another way, -and besides he was depending entirely upon his road-book. He had been -out four weeks, but was on the way home now, weighed twenty pounds -more than he did when he set out, and felt strong enough to tackle any -dinner that was set before him. My master expressed his regrets because -the stranger was not going their way, and asked him what that word of -advice was he said he could give them.</p> - -<p>"You wobble too much," said the wheel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>man, coming to the point at once. -"I have been following behind for the last mile or so, and took notice -of the fact that an eighteen inch plank would scarcely be wide enough -to cover your tracks."</p> - -<p>"I've noticed that too," replied Roy, "but never thought it worth while -to take the trouble to ride any differently. What's the odds so long as -one has the whole road to wobble in?"</p> - -<p>"None whatever," said the stranger, with a laugh, "only experts who -come on your track will think you are not at all careful as to your -style, or else they will put you down as new hands at the business. But -suppose you should come to a railroad bridge with only a single plank -laid down for one to walk upon. If you tried to run over it you would -go off sure; and it would be a job to dismount and carry your wheels. -Besides, when you got home you wouldn't like to confess that you had -done such a thing."</p> - -<p>"But you see we haven't found any bridges of that sort in our way yet, -and we don't mean to," replied Joe. "Our plan is to follow the road and -keep clear of the tracks."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's the resolve I made when I set out, but I haven't held to it. I -am pretty well satisfied now that you are not very far from home."</p> - -<p>"What makes you think so?"</p> - -<p>"Because you don't seem to care anything for distance; but wait until -you have been in the saddle a week at a stretch, and you will be glad -to cut off all the miles you can. You will find that the railroad -generally follows the shortest route between two points, and if you -have made up your minds to stop for the night at a certain place, you -will want to get there the easiest way you can. That's the time you -will probably take to the track and find some of the bridges I spoke of -a minute ago."</p> - -<p>The boys traveled several miles in company with the pleasant stranger -who, to quote once more from Roy Sheldon, "was just chuck full of good -stories and advice," and it was with much regret that they took leave -of him, saw him turn off from their route and continue his journey -alone. How often it happens that little things bring about great -events! You shall presently see what grew out of this short in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>terview -which happened by the merest accident.</p> - -<p>"From this day forward I mend my style of riding," said Joe Wayring, -when their chance companion had been left out of sight. "I never knew -before that a wheelman left traces by which an expert could judge of -his skill, but I know it now, and by this time next week I bet you -I'll be steady enough to ride a six-inch plank on top of the highest -railroad bridge in the country."</p> - -<p>The others said the same, and from that moment began exercising more -care in the management of their wheels. If that stranger could have -come up behind them now, he would not have seen so many zig-zag tracks -in the road. But no doubt he would have laughed at them for so quickly -forgetting their resolve to "stick to the highway and steer clear of -the railroad tracks"; for that was just what they did. Before a week -had passed over their heads they began to realize that it required -a good many motions with the pedals to take them a day's journey, -and bring them to the place at which they had beforehand de<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>cided to -pass the night, that there was a good deal of sameness in wheeling, -in spite of the new scenes and new faces that were constantly coming -before them, and they were not so very long in learning by actual test -that "the railroad usually follows the shortest route between two -points." But, strange to say, they encountered but few cattle-guards, -no bridges or trestle-works, and the culverts were so well covered that -they scarcely knew when they passed over them. Except when following -these short cuts they adhered rigidly to the instructions laid down -in their road-book, but one day even that guide, which ought to have -been infallible, led them astray; and here is the passage that did the -mischief:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"After a good nooning among the Bergen shades a bee-line can be -struck for Dorchester, over a road with occasional patches of sand. -Luckily these patches can be avoided by making use of portages in -the shape of the ever-welcome cow-path, which winds off to the side -of the road most conveniently. The cow figures most usefully in -touring as a path-maker in districts where the road commissioners are -derelict. Also as a dispenser of a beverage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> which is the best of all -drinks anywhere, and especially on the road."</p></blockquote> - -<p>The guide-book also went on to say that at one place along the route -a cow-path led directly to a brook, at which the weary and hungry -wheelman might stop and cast a line with a more than reasonable -expectation of catching a good-sized trout for his dinner.</p> - -<p>"We've struck it," said Arthur, who had read aloud the route for that -particular day before the three left their hotel in the morning. -"Here's the sand, and it's knee-deep too, as sand always is. Now, where -is the cow-path that leads to the brook?"</p> - -<p>"Here's a path, but whether it goes to the brook or not, I can't -guess," answered Joe. "Let's try it, and see if it will take us to a -dispenser of that beverage, whatever it is, the book speaks of."</p> - -<p>"It's milk," said Roy, smacking his lips. "I'd a little rather have it -off the ice, but I wouldn't refuse it warm just now, for I am thirsty -and hungry besides."</p> - -<p>"That's nothing new," retorted Joe.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> "You've been that way ever since -we left home. Come on, fellows. Somebody has been through here, for the -most of the branches have been removed, and a log or two cut out of the -path."</p> - -<p>"What is that welcome sound that comes faintly to my ears?" said Roy, -in a heavy voice, as he mounted his wheel and followed his leader -through the woods. "Is it what Byron calls the tocsin of the soul, the -dinner bell? No; it is a cow bell. Push on, Joe. Who's got a cup handy?"</p> - -<p>Their first hard work was to locate the cow which wore the bell, and -their second to ascertain whether or not she would permit the boys to -approach her on short acquaintance. They had no trouble at all in going -straight to the little glade from which the bell sounded, for the path -took them to it. There were half a dozen cows in sight, but they were -evidently accustomed to having wheelmen intrude upon them, for they -merely looked at the boys and went on with their feeding. The three -bicycles were leaned against convenient trees, the cup Roy wanted was -quickly brought to light, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> then Joe and Arthur began a cautious -stalking of the nearest cow.</p> - -<p>"That's no way to do business," said Roy, who brought up the rear with -the cup in his hand. "Go straight up to her as if you had a secret to -tell her, for if you go to sneaking she'll get suspicious and dig out. -That's the way to do it, Joe. Now scratch her on the neck or behind the -horns, and I'll soon have a cupful of that beverage which is the best -of all drinks anywhere, and especially on the road. I declare, she's -as gentle as an old cow, and it's going to be a good deal easier than -I thought. Art, you had better lumber back to the bikes and bring two -more cups. We'll have a jolly tuck-out on milk while we are about it."</p> - -<p>In a few minutes more three hungry and tired boys, each with a brimming -cup of rich country milk in one hand and a sandwich in the other, were -sitting on the ground under the shade of a spreading beech, enjoying a -substantial lunch and fervently thanking the author of their road-book -for his timely suggestions regarding cow-paths and the kindly animals -which made them. Of course it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> much better than any lunch they ever -had at home, and they had but one fault to find with it; there wasn't -enough of it.</p> - -<p>"I move that we let that trout brook alone," said Joe. "We are not so -hungry but that we can stand it until we reach the end of our day's -run, and besides, we can find better angling nearer home when we have -more time at our disposal."</p> - -<p>"That's what I say," chimed in Arthur. "We've twelve miles farther to -go, and I am in favor of setting out at once; for the longer we stay -here the lazier we'll get. Let's follow the path until we get on the -other side of those patches of sand, and then make the pace hot and get -to Dorchester as soon as we can. We'll have to lie by to-morrow, for -it's going to rain."</p> - -<p>The clouds certainly looked threatening, and the prospect of being -caught in a smart shower before they could reach the shelter of the -hotel at which they intended to stop for the night, was enough to put -energy even into Roy Sheldon, who was called the laziest boy in the -party. He didn't want to be put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> to the trouble of cleaning the mud -off his fine wheel before he went to bed; so he led the way at a brisk -gait, paying little or no attention to where he was going so long as -the path was smooth and plain, and the first thing he knew he was -brought up standing by a brush pile in front of him.</p> - -<p>"This bangs me; now where's the trail?" was all he had to say about it.</p> - -<p>"It has ended as nearly all trails do," replied Joe, quoting from one -of his favorite authors and trying to get a glimpse at the clouds -through the net-work of branches above his head. "It branched off to -right and left, grew dimmer and slimmer, degenerated into a rabbit -path, petered out in a squirrel track, ran up a tree and lost itself in -a knot-hole."</p> - -<p>"But I don't think I shall go up to find it," answered Roy. "It will be -easier to take the back track."</p> - -<p>And it was easier to say that than it was to do it, as Arthur Hastings -found when he came to make the attempt. When the line faced about he -became the leader, and before he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> gone a dozen yards he found -himself at fault. The ground was so hard and so thickly covered with -leaves that their wheels left no trail that could be followed, and as -the bell had been left out of hearing they could not find the glade. -To make matters worse, all the signs seemed to indicate that the cows -which were pastured there had done nothing during the past year but -travel about from one end of the wood-lot to the other; for the trails -they had made were numerous, and twisted about in the most bewildering -way. In sheer desperation Arthur turned into every one he came to, -trundling his wheel beside him, and his companions blindly followed in -his wake.</p> - -<p>"This will begin to get interesting if we don't get out pretty soon," -said Joe, glancing at his watch. "Night is coming on apace and we're -twelve miles from shelter."</p> - -<p>"But we are within easy reach of our blankets, matches and camp-axes," -replied Arthur, "and if we have to sleep in the woods, it will not be -the first time we have done it."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But we haven't a bite to eat," groaned the hungry boy of the party.</p> - -<p>At last Arthur fell back to the rear and gave place to Joe Wayring, -who in his turn gave way to Roy; but one guide was about as good as -another, for all the best of them did was to lead his companions -farther from the road they wanted to find and deeper into the woods. -There were paths enough, otherwise they would have found it impossible -to walk as far as they did, for the bushes on each side were so thick -that they could not have carried their wheels through them. But the -difficulty was, those paths ran in every direction, and did not tend -toward any particular point of the compass. The woods grew darker every -minute, and at last, when they were beginning to talk seriously of -making a camp and going supper-less to bed, Roy Sheldon shouted out -that he could see daylight before him, and presently the three boys -emerged from the woods.</p> - -<p>"I knew I could bring you out if you would trust to my superior -knowledge of woodcraft," said Roy complacently. "I tell you, you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> can't -lose me in any little piece of woods like this."</p> - -<p>"But what sort of a place have you brought us to with your superior -knowledge?" exclaimed Arthur. "This isn't our road."</p> - -<p>"I didn't say it was, my friend," was Roy's reply. "I simply said I had -brought you out of the woods."</p> - -<p>"Only to lose us again," chimed in Joe. "This is a railroad."</p> - -<p>"And a one-track concern at that," said Arthur. "Crooked as a ram's -horn, so that we can't see a train until it is close upon us, and -consequently dangerous. It's been raining hard here. The ditches on -each side are full of water."</p> - -<p>"Which means muddy wheels to clean to-night in case a train drives us -off the track. Shall we try it?"</p> - -<p>"Of course. But which end of the road will take us to our destination? -That's what I should like to know."</p> - -<p>"Ask us something easy," answered Joe, as he lifted his wheel over the -ditch and placed it upon the track. "Dorchester must be at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> one end or -the other, but we'll have to go it blind. Which way shall we start?" -added Joe, who while he was speaking kept turning his wheel first up -and then down the track. "The majority rules."</p> - -<p>"That way," said Roy.</p> - -<p>"Come on then. Let's cover as many miles as we can while daylight -lasts. We'll have to touch a match to our lamps pretty soon."</p> - -<p>It was fine wheeling on the hard road-bed, and Joe Wayring made the -pace hot enough to satisfy anybody but a professional racer; but fast -as he went, the darkness traveled faster, and when they had gone about -three miles, he suggested that the lamps ought to be lighted.</p> - -<p>"These thick woods and high banks on each side shut out what little -light there is," said he, "and it is darker where we are than it ought -to be. We have never been this way before, and no one knows how soon we -may blunder into a cattle-guard and get a broken head without a chance -to see what hurt us."</p> - -<p>Another start at a more moderate pace was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> made as soon as the lamps -had been lit, and by the time the fourth mile had been left behind, it -was as dark as a pocket. This was a new experience, and the boys did -not like it. Although they had often seen wheelmen running about the -streets when it was so dark they could not tell where they were going, -Joe and his chums had never tried to do it themselves, because they did -not like to trust so much to luck. A small stone or a stick which some -careless boy had left in the track might send them to the ground, and -my master was not fond of taking headers. Thus far he and his friends -had been very fortunate in avoiding any very serious falls, and they -did not care to run any risk of spoiling their record. But Joe came -within a hair's breadth of scoring a bad fall on this particular night. -Although he thought he was paying especial attention to the road close -in front of him, he was really paying more to the rippling of a brook -that flowed through a yawning gulf on his right hand, and at the same -time he was keeping a bright lookout for a locomotive headlight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's an awful pokerish place over in there," Arthur remarked, -jerking his head sideways toward the ravine of which I have spoken, -"and the railroad seems to have been built on the very brink of it. Why -didn't the engineers cut out more of the hill on the opposite side and -put it farther—eh?"</p> - -<p>A warning shout from Joe Wayring cut short Arthur's criticism, and -brought him and Roy to a sudden halt. There was a rock lying on the -track, and it was so large that it covered the rails on both sides. -Then followed that hurried consultation which I have recorded at the -beginning of my story. While it was going on Joe, with the aid of his -lamp, examined the face of the bluff, and could distinctly trace the -path made by the bowlder when it rolled down from the top, and the -others took a good look at the rock itself. Two things were plain to -them: The rock was on the track, and they could not muster force enough -to get it off. The first train that came along would find it there, as -well as a gulf of unknown depth ready to receive all the cars that were -tumbled into it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Suppose it should be a passenger train?" gasped Roy.</p> - -<p>"Or an excursion?" added Arthur.</p> - -<p>Something must be done, and that, too, with out the loss of a moment.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">JOE'S WILD RIDE.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"B<span class="uppercase">oys</span>, we've got to stop that train," said Joe, speaking rapidly but -calmly.</p> - -<p>"But how do we know which way it is coming from?" asked Roy, who did -not show half as much pluck now as he did while he was struggling with -the mate on board the White Squall.</p> - -<p>"We don't know," answered Joe. "It's our business to find out. Art, you -go back along the way we have come, and I'll go ahead. Roy, you stay -here and be ready to signal either way in case anything happens to us -and we don't succeed in stopping the train. Raise your lamp as high in -the air as you can and lower it suddenly. That's 'down brakes' on the -Mount Airy road, and I suppose the signal is the same the world over. -At any rate an engineer with half sense will understand it. Off we go -now. Don't be reckless of headers, Art, but speed along lively."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p> - -<p>In two seconds more my master and Arthur Hastings were hurrying away -in different directions, and Roy, having carried his wheel across the -ditch and placed it against the face of the bluff, was sitting on -the rock with his lamp in his hand. In another two seconds Joe and I -whirled around a sharp bend and were out of sight of everybody.</p> - -<p>That was the wildest and most reckless run I ever undertook, for my -master did not by any means follow the advice he had given Arthur -Hastings. When Joe Wayring went into a thing he went in with his whole -heart. I went ahead faster that I had ever been driven before, but a -tricycle could not have run with more steadiness. Joe did not need the -whole road-bed to travel in as he would if he had attempted a fast gait -a week before, but held me firmly in one track. I could plainly see the -way for a short distance in front of me, catch the glimmering of the -wet rails on each side, and hear the faint "swishing" sound made by the -rubber tires as they spurned the ground under them; but all on a sudden -this sound ceased—or, rather, it gave way to a very low rumble,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span> such -as I had never heard before. The high bank on the left sank out of -sight; the gurgling of the stream far below became a roar; solid walls -of blackness surrounded us on all sides, relieved only by that little -streak of light in front; and to my inexpressible horror I discovered -that we no longer had the firm road-bed beneath us. We had left it, and -were rushing with almost breathless speed over a trestle-work whose -height could only be guessed at. An eight-inch plank nailed to the -timbers between the tracks was our pathway. It was plenty wide enough -for Joe, now that he had "mended his style of riding," if the plank -had only been on the ground, and he had had daylight to show him where -he was going; but there was plenty of room for accident. Suppose the -plank should not extend entirely across the trestle, which was so long -that I began to wonder if there was any other end to it! Or what if -a tire should come off? Such accidents sometimes happen to the most -careful bicyclists, and when I pictured to myself Joe Wayring lying -stunned and bleeding among those timbers, and in danger of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> slipping -through into the rocky bed of the stream beneath while I toppled over -the edge—when I thought of these things, I shivered so violently that -my nickel-plated spokes would have rattled if they had not been tangent -and tied together.</p> - -<p>As for Joe Wayring, there was not the faintest exclamation from him -to show that he realized his danger, although I knew well enough that -he couldn't help seeing it. If his nerves had not been in perfect -health, something disastrous would surely have happened. He struck the -plank and passed over thirty feet of its length before he had time to -take in the situation. Once started along the trestle he had to go -on; there was no help for it. The light from the lamp was all thrown -ahead, and an effort to dismount in the darkness might have resulted -in a disabling fall among the timbers with me on top. Then what would -become of the train, if it approached from the direction in which he -was going? Plainly his only chance was to keep in motion; and Joe not -only did that, but he laid out extra power on the pedals, and sent -me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span> ahead with increased speed. The rails looked like two continuous -streaks of light, and the timbers passed behind with such rapidity -that they presented the appearance of a solid floor. So great was our -speed that by the time I had thought of all this, and become so badly -frightened that I would have tumbled over if my momentum had not kept -me right side up, that low rumbling sound ceased as suddenly as it -had begun, the graveled road-bed, trodden smooth in the middle, shot -into view and came rushing under the wheels, two high bluffs came out -of the darkness and shut us in on both sides, and the trestle and its -terrors were left behind. At the same instant, as if by a preconcerted -signal, a bright light appeared far up the track, which at this point -was perfectly straight, and another still nearer. The first was from -the headlight of the approaching train, and the second was emitted by a -lantern in the hands of a man who seemed to be searching for something, -for he held his light first toward one rail and then toward the other. -He was moving away from us.</p> - -<p>"It's the track-walker," gasped Joe, as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> sounded his bell; and those -were the first words I had heard him speak since we left the rock. -"Suppose I had run onto him while I was scooting along that narrow -plank! I'd be dead now, sure."</p> - -<p>The moment the man with the lantern heard the bell he faced about; but, -to my surprise, he did not appear to be at all alarmed. The orders he -straightway began shouting at us showed conclusively that he was used -to wheelmen and their methods.</p> - -<p>"Git aff the track, ye shpalpeen," he yelled, frantically flourishing -his lantern in the air. "Don't ye see the kyars coming forninst ye, -an' haven't I towled ye times widout number, that if ye gets killed ye -can't get no damages from the company? Will yees git aff the track?"</p> - -<p>"Stop that train," shouted Joe, in reply. "There's an obstruction on -the track just beyond the trestle."</p> - -<p>"What for lookin' abstraction is it?" inquired the track-walker, -incredulously.</p> - -<p>"A big rock," replied Joe; and seeing at once that he had a stupid, and -no doubt an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> obstinate, man to deal with, he did not neglect to make -preparations to stop the train himself. He promptly got me out of the -way and detached the lamp; and when he bent over so that the light fell -upon his face, I started in spite of myself. He was as white as a sheet.</p> - -<p>"Aw! G'long wid ye now," said the track-walker. "Don't I be goin' down -beyant there onct or twicst bechune trains iv'ry blessed day of me -loife for three years an' better? An' don't I know—"</p> - -<p>"I don't care what you have done during the last three years, or what -you know," interrupted Joe, as he ran back to the track and signaled -"down brakes" with his lamp. "There's a rock on the track—What are -you trying to do, you loon?" exclaimed Joe, hotly, as the man made an -effort to push him away and take his lamp from him. "Let me alone or -I will report you. There'll be a wreck here in a minute more, and you -will lose your place on the road."</p> - -<p>Although the man didn't like the idea of allowing an outsider to -interfere with his business, Joe's words had just the effect upon him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> -that the boy intended they should have, and after a little hesitation -he began signaling with his own light. Between them they succeeded in -attracting the attention of the engineer, who called for brakes, and -stopped his train within a few feet of the place where Joe and the -track-walker stood.</p> - -<p>"What's the trouble?" he asked from his cab window; and while Joe was -explaining, the conductor came up and listened. The latter looked first -at my master and then at me, and presently said:</p> - -<p>"You didn't ride across the trestle, of course."</p> - -<p>"Of course I did," replied Joe, "I couldn't have got across any other -way. I would have been afraid to walk that narrow plank in the dark. -How high is it above the water?"</p> - -<p>"Sixty feet in some places, and the trestle is just half a mile long," -answered the conductor. "Here, boys, put that wheel into the baggage -car. Young man, you come with me, and I will take you to Dorchester."</p> - -<p>"That's where we want to go," said Joe, surprised to learn that he and -his friends had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> been riding on the back track ever since they struck -the railroad.</p> - -<p>In obedience to the conductor's order I was hoisted into the baggage -car, placed against a pile of trunks so that I could see through the -wide-open door and the engineer pulled slowly ahead. I had little idea -how far we had run after leaving the trestle, but we were fully five -minutes in getting back to it, and much longer in crossing it. There -seemed to be no bottom to the gulf it spanned. It was so deep that I -could see nothing but the tops of the trees that grew in it. About the -time we got to the other end of it the baggage-master, who had been -leaning half-way out the opposite door, drew in his head long enough to -remark to some one whom I took to be his assistant:</p> - -<p>"There's a chap out there calling for brakes the best he knows how," -and I straightway made up my mind that it must be Roy Sheldon. "This -would be a bad place for an accident with such a trainful of passengers -as we've got. There's the rock," he added, a moment later, "and it's as -big as this car."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span></p> - -<p>It wasn't quite as large as that, nor do I suppose it was even half -as large as Rube Royall's cabin; but it was big and heavy enough to -tax the strength of all the men who could get around it, including the -engineer, fireman, conductor, all the brakemen, some of the passengers -and two wheelmen. With the aid of levers and much lifting and pushing -they got it started at last, and it went down into the gulf with a -terrific crash. I heard the engineer say, as he climbed back into his -cab, that if he had struck that rock going as fast as he usually did at -that place, he would have demolished his train so completely that it -would have taken a microscope to find the wreck.</p> - -<p>"All clear," shouted the conductor. "All aboard. Pass along that other -wheel."</p> - -<p>"One moment, please. There's another man in our party who went down -that way because we didn't know where to look for the first train," -said Joe, waving his hand in the direction in which Arthur Hastings -had disappeared. "He'll be back directly, and as we don't care to be -separated, perhaps you had better leave<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> us here. We're just as much -obliged to you, however."</p> - -<p>"Has the other man got a lamp? All right, Jake," said the conductor, -addressing the engineer, "keep a lookout for another wheelman a mile or -so down the road. That'll be all right. Pile in."</p> - -<p>Joe and Roy went into one of the passenger cars, while the latter's -wheel was placed at my side against the trunks. The first words he -uttered were:</p> - -<p>"It's just dreadful to think of, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>"Not so much so as it might be," said I. "If I had broken Joe Wayring's -head for him while he was driving me at top speed across that trestle, -then you might have had something to talk about."</p> - -<p>"We've enough as it is. I know it might have been worse, and some -unknown villains meant it should be. Roy Sheldon showed the marks to -the engineer as soon as he got out of his cab."</p> - -<p>"What marks?"</p> - -<p>"Why, the marks on the rock. The engineer called the conductor's -attention to them,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> and together they made it up not to say a word -about it in the hearing of the passengers for fear of frightening them."</p> - -<p>"What in the world did the passengers have to be frightened about so -long as Joe and I stopped the train and averted the disaster? They -ought to be tickled."</p> - -<p>"Well, they wouldn't be if they knew how that rock came to be on the -track. You probably did not see the conductor when he threw some -pieces of round wood over the brink into the ravine, but I did, and I -know that they were the rollers that were used to bring that bowlder -into place after it had been tumbled down from the bluff. There's -train-wreckers in this country, I tell you."</p> - -<p>Roy's bike was so excited over what might have happened if we had found -that railroad half an hour later, that he could not tell a straight -story; but this is what I managed to draw from him after much patient -and ingenious questioning:</p> - -<p>When Joe and I disappeared in one direction and Arthur Hastings and his -wheel sped swiftly away in the other, Roy Sheldon seated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> himself upon -the rock with his lamp in his hand, and whistled softly, keeping time -with his heels, for a full minute; then he grew tired of doing nothing, -jumped off the rock and made a circuit of it, looking closely at it on -all sides. It had cut a deep gash in the bluff as it came down, but Roy -thought the ditch ought to have stopped it, because it was lower than -the track. Somehow Roy could not bring himself to believe that it had -come down with speed enough to run across a three foot ditch, up a hill -that was eighteen inches high and six feet long, and stop so squarely -in the middle of the track.</p> - -<p>"There's something rather queer about it," soliloquized the young -wheelman, as he moved around the obstruction. "Now, then, what's that?"</p> - -<p>Just then something attracted his attention, and he bent over to -examine it. It was the print of a foot in the soft earth at the end of -one of the sleepers. Roy placed his own foot within it, and found, to -his consternation, that it was at least a third larger than his shoe. -Then he made another impression be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span>side it, and the difference in size -satisfied him beyond all doubt that he had not made that suspicious -track himself. There were hobnails in the track, and that proved that -none of Roy's party could have stepped in that particular spot, for -there were no nails of that sort in their foot-gear.</p> - -<p>"This rock was put here for a purpose," said Roy; and when the thought -passed through his mind the cold chills crept all over him. "There -must have been a good many of them in the gang, for half a dozen men -couldn't roll so heavy a weight out of the ditch unless they had -something to work with. What's this and this, and those pieces of -timber over there?"</p> - -<p>The longer the boy continued his investigations, the more he found -to confirm the alarming suspicions that had arisen in his mind. The -objects that now attracted his notice were several pieces of round -wood, with the bark scratched and torn from them, and as many sticks -of timber that were likewise covered with wounds and abrasions. There -were other large footprints too in abundance—in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> fact the ground about -looked as though a large party of men had been at work there for a long -time—and presently the boy discovered marks upon the bowlder itself -which might have been made with a spade or crowbar.</p> - -<p>"Were we all blind that we didn't notice these things when we first -came here?" said Roy to himself. "Probably we were so highly excited -that we couldn't notice any thing except the rock. The fiends who put -this thing on the track with the intention of wrecking the train ought -to be hanged without judge or jury. I am glad I didn't know what I know -now, for I wouldn't have had the courage to stay here alone."</p> - -<p>Just then the thought flashed through Roy's mind that perhaps the -would-be train-wreckers were concealed somewhere in the vicinity -waiting for the time when they could descend into the gulf and complete -their work, and that their evil eyes might at that very moment be -fastened upon him, while they were discussing plans for getting him out -of their way. If Joe and Arthur had known all this, would they have -been so ready to dash off into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> darkness to warn the unsuspecting -engineer of his peril? How easily one of those concealed villains could -have tumbled both his friends out of their saddles with a shot from -a revolver! And what had prevented them, when the boys first started -away, from throwing from the top of the bluff an obstruction upon the -track that would have sent both the wheelmen to the ground? No doubt it -was because Roy and his friends acted with so much promptness that they -did not have time to think of it; but hadn't they had plenty of time -since then to recover from their surprise and plan vengeance? This fear -almost unnerved Roy. He took one step toward his wheel, but the thought -that passed through his mind was driven out as quickly as it came. Come -what might, he would not desert his post. He would stay there and warn -the train, if one of his companions did not succeed in doing it, and in -the mean time if those scoundrels wanted a fight, they could have it.</p> - -<p>Roy's first care was to put his lamp behind the rock out of sight, and -his second to pull his bicycle case off his shoulder and take out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> the -rifle it contained. He had done considerable shooting with it since -he had been on the road, although it had not yet brought him a young -squirrel for his dinner. As often as he and his companions halted for -a rest their little weapons were brought out, and Roy had learned by -actual test that the one he owned could be depended on to shoot "right -where it was held."</p> - -<p>"Now I am ready for them," said Roy, taking his stand behind the rock -outside the circle of light that came from the lamp. "If they advance -along the road they had better make sure work of me at the start, for -if they don't, some of them will get hurt."</p> - -<p>If the train-wreckers were hidden where they could see him (and it was -reasonable to suppose they were), they must have taken note of Roy's -movements, and perhaps they saw that he had a weapon of some sort in -his hands and was ready to defend himself. Be that as it may, they did -not molest him, and the boy stuck to his post until the glare of the -locomotive headlight fell upon him. The train was moving slowly, and -that was proof enough that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> Joe Wayring had warned it; but to make sure -of it, Roy caught up his lamp and "called for brakes the best he knew -how." The engineer was the first man to speak to him, and when Roy -called his attention to the marks on the rock, the big footprints on -the ground and the timbers that were scattered about, the brave fellow -turned so white that it showed through the black on his face. He in -turn told the conductor, and the latter at once threw the timbers into -the ditch, and pitched the pieces of round wood into the gulf.</p> - -<p>"Don't lisp a word of it," he said, earnestly. "We've got a heavy, -packed train, and the folks would be scared to death. Young fellow," he -added, turning to give Joe Wayring a hearty slap on the shoulder, "you -have been the means of preventing a slaughter. I'll bet there isn't -another wheelman in the State who can ride over that trestle."</p> - -<p>"Haw, haw!" laughed Joe. "I guess you haven't seen many wheelmen, have -you?"</p> - -<p>"Or who would have the courage to attempt it in daylight, let alone -a dark night like this," continued the conductor. "Why, man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> alive, -it's a very narrow plank that was put there for the convenience of the -track-walker, and the trestle is sixty feet high and half a mile long."</p> - -<p>"I am glad I didn't know that when I was going over it," was all Joe -had to say in reply.</p> - -<p>This is what I meant when I said a while ago that little things often -bring about great events. I now know that my master was frightened out -of a year's growth when he found himself on that trestle, but he had -confidence and nerve enough to go ahead without attempting to dismount. -It was that short interview with the strange wheelman that did it, and -made Joe Wayring the steady rider he was that night. He knew as well as -anybody that he "wobbled too much," but he supposed that was something -every novice did, and that the fault would correct itself without any -care or trouble on his part. But as soon as his attention was called to -it he promptly set about "mending his style," and this was the result. -He was glad of it now. It was the only thing that put it in his power -to save the train, for on the day he encountered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> that strange wheelman -he could not have ridden fifty feet on an eight-inch plank at full -speed without falling off.</p> - -<p>By this time all the trainmen had come forward, accompanied by some of -the wakeful passengers who wanted to inquire into the cause of this -second stoppage, and by their united efforts the rock was tumbled -harmlessly over the brink of the gulf and the engineer pulled out for -Dorchester, keeping watch along the way for Arthur Hastings. He found -him about two miles farther on, but the boy was not signaling, because -the appearance of the train was proof enough that Joe had met and -warned it. Arthur was surprised to see it come to a stop at the place -where he got off the track, and to hear the engineer shout at him to -chuck his bike into the baggage car and get aboard, for he was half -an hour behind already. But he lost not a moment in thinking about it -after he saw Joe and Roy beckoning to him from the platform of one of -the passenger cars, and the train once more started on its way, this -time moving at a rate of speed that gave me a faint idea of the crash -that would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> followed and the fearful loss of life that would have -taken place if it had come in contact with that bowlder.</p> - -<p>This is the substance of the story Roy's wheel told me during the run -to Dorchester, and the one to which Joe and Arthur listened while -perched upon the wood-box in one of the crowded cars. The conductor -could not give them a seat, for every one was filled with weary -travelers who had slumbered serenely through it all, and who when they -awoke at intervals, and looked with sleepy eyes toward the three dusty, -white-faced boys behind the stove-pipe, never dreamed that one of -them, a short half-hour before, held all their lives in his hand. The -conductor knew it and could hardly find words with which to express his -gratitude, although he tried hard enough. The young wheelmen conversed -in whispers and looked frightened, as indeed they were; and Joe Wayring -hoped from the bottom of his heart that no such responsibility would -ever devolve upon him again.</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you fellows want to go to Dorchester for," said -the conductor, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> came into their car as soon as the train was -fairly under way. "The place has a big name, but there are only three -houses in it. There's no hotel at which you can stop. There is a -boarding-house, but I tell you plainly that it will be of no use to go -there, for old man Kane won't let you in. He says he can eat anybody -who comes along, but he can't and won't sleep 'em."</p> - -<p>"That's queer," said Joe. "The author of our road-book has been -through here, and says he got the best kind of treatment at Kane's -boarding-house."</p> - -<p>"Oh, the old fellow sets a good table, and can be civil and obliging -enough when he feels like it; but he won't get up after he has gone to -bed. It's against his principles."</p> - -<p>"Why do you stop at such an out-of-the-way place?"</p> - -<p>"Because there's a horse railroad there that connects with a little -town a few miles back in the country, and there are some people aboard -who want to get off. The depot is always kept locked at night, and I -am afraid you will have to bunk on the platform unless you will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> go on -with me. Will you? I'll bring you back."</p> - -<p>The boys thanked him, but said they didn't think that was the best -thing they could do. Their route ahead was laid out, and they wanted to -stick as closely to it as they could. They were used to camping out, -had warm blankets in their bundles, and would just as soon sleep on the -platform as in a bed, provided old man Kane could be prevailed upon to -give them a good breakfast in the morning.</p> - -<p>"But there's one thing about it," said Joe. "Every wheelman in the -State ought to be warned that if he intends to travel this route, he -had better time his runs so as to pass through this contemptible little -Dorchester in daylight, unless he is prepared to camp out."</p> - -<p>Arthur Hastings thought it would be a good plan for one of them to -state the facts of the case to the man who wrote the guide-book, so -that he could have the warning put in subsequent editions.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">GOING INTO A HOT PLACE.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"W<span class="uppercase">here</span> have you started for, anyway?" inquired the conductor, after a -little pause.</p> - -<p>Joe replied that they had set out from Mount Airy to run across the -State, and that when they reached the farther end of their route they -would be about three hundred miles from home.</p> - -<p>"I suppose your object is to have fun and see the country, isn't -it?" said the conductor. "Now of course I don't know anything about -wheeling, but I should say that you could not have selected a worse -route. You'll see the wildest bit of country there is, but how much fun -you'll have I don't know. After you leave Dorchester you'll get into -the mountains, and then your road will be all up-hill."</p> - -<p>"But the ascent is so gradual that we can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> easily accomplish it," said -Roy. "Our road-book tells us it is so very gradual that we will hardly -know we are going up. We understand that there is plenty of sport in -the way of hunting and trout fishing in the neighborhood of Glen's -Falls, and we intend to take our first rest there, if we can find any -one who is willing to board us for a few days."</p> - -<p>"And if we can't do that, we shall camp out," added Joe. "We came -prepared to do it."</p> - -<p>"I don't know much about hunting and fishing either," said the -conductor. "All I do know is railroading; but some of my friends used -to spend a month or so about the Glen every year, and always came back -with the report that they had had the best kind of a time. But I notice -they don't go there any more."</p> - -<p>"What's the reason they don't?"</p> - -<p>"Doesn't your guide-book warn you that there are some fellows up that -way you had better keep clear of?" asked the conductor in reply.</p> - -<p>"It doesn't hint at such a thing."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span></p> - -<p>"It ought to. How long since it was written?"</p> - -<p>"Two years; but it has been revised since then."</p> - -<p>"Couldn't it be possible that no change was made in this particular -route—I mean the one you are now taking?" inquired the official. "A -good many things have happened at the Glen during the last two years. -To begin with, the town had over a thousand inhabitants, and now it has -hardly a quarter as many. Take 'em as a class, they're a rough set up -there. They are lazy and shiftless, hate work as bad as so many tramps, -and would be called tramps if it were not for the fact that they have -permanent abodes most of the year. The rest of the time they are in the -woods shooting game in violation of the law."</p> - -<p>"Are there no officers in the vicinity?" asked Arthur.</p> - -<p>"Oh, there are officers enough, but they are afraid to do anything -toward bringing the law-breakers to justice. You see the latter are -in the majority. They steal timber as often as they feel like it, go -through every logging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> camp they find unguarded, and if you lodge a -complaint against one of them, the whole band will turn in to clear -him by false swearing, and then they will take satisfaction out of you -by burning your mill, barn or house, and by shooting or poisoning your -cattle. They're a fine lot, I assure you, and I shouldn't think you -would like to go among them."</p> - -<p>"What a splendid place that would be for Matt Coyle if he were on deck -now!" exclaimed Roy. "Why didn't he hunt up that band—did you say -there was a band of them?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; and I have heard it is regularly organized, and that when one of -them has to stand trial or give bonds to keep the peace with those he -has threatened, he gets help from all over the county."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't Matt hunt up that band and live among them instead of going -to such a place as Indian Lake?" said Roy.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps he wouldn't have got any independent guiding in that part of -the State," suggested Joe.</p> - -<p>"There are, or used to be, plenty of guides<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> up there," said the -conductor, "but I don't suppose they get much to do now. A man who goes -into the woods for fun doesn't pick guides from among a lot of fellows -who will rob him the first chance they get. Of course there are some -nice people about the Glen, and they will be glad to take you in if the -Buster band will let them do it."</p> - -<p>"What has the Buster band to say about it?" demanded Joe.</p> - -<p>"Who are they, and where did they get that name?" added Roy.</p> - -<p>"They are the ones I have been telling you about—the lawless people in -the Glen's Falls neighborhood," replied the conductor. "They 'bust up' -property when things don't go to suit them, and that's the reason they -call themselves the Buster band."</p> - -<p>"But what's the reason they will not allow any of the nice folks in -town to board us if they want to?" asked Arthur.</p> - -<p>"Of course I am not sure that they will object to any arrangements you -may be able to make with the family whose name I shall presently give -you, but I think they will,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> answered the conductor. "You see, Dave -Daily, the leader of the band, was indicted for arson, and there's a -warrant out for him now. He and a companion were arrested for stealing -timber; but they got out of jail somehow (every one says they must have -had help from the outside in order to do it), and that night the man -who complained of them lost everything he had in the world. Everything -that would burn went up in smoke, and his stock was either poisoned or -shot. After that Daily and his friend took to the woods, and Daily is -there yet, or was the last I heard of him; but the friend was run down -by a Middleport officer who went up there for that purpose."</p> - -<p>"That was all right," said Joe, when the conductor paused. "I wish he -had caught Daily also."</p> - -<p>"So do I; but it seems he didn't. What I was going to say is this: That -officer went up to Glen's Falls on his wheel."</p> - -<p>"Ah! That explains it, and the matter is perfectly clear to me now," -said Arthur. "You think that Daily or his friends will think we are -officers too, and that they will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> tell this man to whom you are going -to direct us—what did you say his name is?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't say," answered the conductor, with a laugh. "But his name is -Holmes, and he lives on the road you will have to take to reach the -town. I don't know him personally, but my friends who have been there -say he keeps the best house, and that he is the best guide for that -neck of the woods. Yes; that is what I was thinking of. Some of the -band will be sure to see you if you stop there, and they may—mind I -don't say they will, but they may—send him word to get rid of you in -short order. He'll have to do it, for the board you would be likely -to pay him wouldn't recompense him for the loss of his cow, horse, or -barn."</p> - -<p>"Of course it wouldn't," replied Joe. "We'll state the case to him as -plainly as we know how, if we can find him, and if we learn that your -suspicions are well-grounded, we'll not ask him to shelter us."</p> - -<p>"Well, if this isn't a pretty state of affairs I wouldn't say so," -exclaimed Arthur, who was very much disgusted. "They must be a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> brave -lot up there to let a few lawless people keep them so completely under -their thumbs."</p> - -<p>"But don't you know that they are in the minority?" demanded Joe.</p> - -<p>"Yes; and a big one, too," added the conductor.</p> - -<p>"If the members of that Buster band don't work, how do they live?" -inquired Roy.</p> - -<p>"They don't live; they just stay. They all own a little land, and work -it enough to raise a few vegetables, like turnips and potatoes, and -a little corn. Their meat they get out of the woods. They will steal -timber, and then walk up and sell it to the man to whom it belongs, and -who is generally the owner of a saw-mill he can't afford to have burned -down. They sell their pigs, and by various other shifts make out to -keep themselves in tobacco and clothes. And between you and me," added -the conductor, sinking his voice to a whisper, "I believe they had -something to do with the rock you young gentlemen found on the track."</p> - -<p>"Is <i>that</i> the sort of folks they are?" exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Of course I can't prove anything against them, but I bet you that when -I make my report, there'll be a detective sent up there to look into -the matter. I understand that there are spies in that band now, working -in the interests of law and order, and if the detective can only strike -one of them, he may learn something. There's Dorchester," he continued, -as a long whistle from the engine awoke the echoes of the woods, "and -I must say good-by. I don't want you to forget that you have made a -friend of every man on the road by—"</p> - -<p>"We should think you a mighty queer set if we hadn't," Joe interposed. -"It's all right. Any decent fellows in the world would do the same, of -course, but it happened to come in our way. We are greatly obliged for -the information and warning you have given us."</p> - -<p>"You will change your route then?" replied the conductor, and the boys -thought he looked relieved when he said it. "I was sure you would, when -you knew what sort of folks they are in that section of the country. -Good-by and good luck to you."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p> - -<p>When the young wheelmen stepped upon the platform they shook hands -with all the trainmen, who wished them a pleasant trip and no end of -fun while it lasted, and then leaned their wheels under the eaves of -the little building that served as warehouse, operator's office and -waiting-room, and looked about them. The light that shone from the -conductor's lantern, and from the windows of the horse-car standing -upon the branch track, gave them a clear view of their surroundings, -which were so cheerless that the boys wondered how any road-book maker -could advise wheelmen to come that way, unless he wanted to have them -fooled as he had been fooled himself. At least that was the way Arthur -Hastings expressed it.</p> - -<p>"He probably came through here in the day-time, when old man Kane had -a good dinner ready for him, and everything looked different," said -Joe. "He wouldn't have had so much to say in favor of Dorchester's -boarding-house if he had passed through in the night and been shut out -of doors."</p> - -<p>"Are we going to let what the conductor said about that Buster band -induce us to change<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> our route?" inquired Roy, who, as soon as the -train pulled out and the horse-car disappeared down the branch track, -began untying his bundle and taking out his blankets as if it were a -settled thing that he and his companions were to camp right where they -stood. "That's the question now before the house."</p> - -<p>"I stand ready to yield to the majority, but for myself I say 'No,'" -answered Joe.</p> - -<p>"Hear, hear!" cried Arthur. "But it does look dark now that the lights -have gone, don't it? To tell the truth, I wish that detective had -not gone up there on his wheel. Somehow it brings to my mind all the -stories I have read about the sudden and mysterious disappearance of -men who have been foolish enough to wear blue blouses through the -regions where the moonshiners hang out. Those interesting people think -that every one who dresses in blue must be a revenue officer, and make -it a point to shoot him from the bushes without troubling him with any -questions."</p> - -<p>"That's a cheerful way to talk to homeless boys who have nearly sixty -miles of mountain travel before them," said Joe, driving his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> knife -into the side of the building and hanging his lighted lamp upon it. -"That makes things look a little pleasanter, doesn't it? I don't know -how it is with you, but I am tired and sleepy, and I'm going to lie -down."</p> - -<p>After fastening their wheels together with a couple of chains and -padlocks, so that if any light-footed prowler happened along and -carried one of them off he would have to take all, the boys spread -their blankets upon the platform, and went to sleep. Just before he -closed his eyes Arthur said he knew he would dream of that rock and a -train tumbling over into the gulf, but he slept too soundly to dream -about anything until he was aroused by the stentorian voice of old man -Kane, the man who would eat anybody who came that way but wouldn't -sleep him. As soon as he opened his doors he saw the wheels resting -against the station-house, and came over to ask the boys if they didn't -think it about time to get up to breakfast.</p> - -<p>"All right," replied Arthur. "We'll be there directly. It was that -jolly, good-natured face of his that deceived the author of our -road-book, and made him think Kane was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> bully landlord," he added, as -the man turned away to hurry up the breakfast. "If we had a piece of -bread as big as a walnut I'd see him happy before I would show my face -inside the house he keeps locked against belated wheelmen. No one will -ever come this route by my advice."</p> - -<p>But after he had bathed his hands and face in the cold water that came -from the spring behind the house, drank two big cups of coffee, and -eaten two boys' share of the excellent breakfast that was placed before -him, Arthur did not feel quite so much disposed to growl at old man -Kane. He voted him a number one caterer, and that was more than could -be said of every boarding-house keeper.</p> - -<p>While they were at the table they heard a train stop at the -station-house, and after what seemed a long delay, they saw the -horse-car pass the window with a lot of passengers aboard; but they -thought nothing of it until they went into the office, which was also -the sitting and loafing room, and stepped up to the desk to pay their -bill.</p> - -<p>"Put that back! Put that money back,"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> exclaimed the landlord, almost -fiercely. "Bless my heart! I've a good notion to come out from behind -the desk and shake the last one of you boys, and I can do it too, old -as I am. I've just heard about it. Why didn't you wake me up last -night, instead of going to bed there on the platform?"</p> - -<p>Roy tried to explain that they did not want to disturb him after he had -gone to bed (he didn't say why), and that their blankets afforded them -as soft a bed as they cared for, but the old man did so much talking -himself that Roy finally gave it up. He listened while the landlord -told that the men on the up-train, as well as the passengers they had -seen go by the dining-room window, had brought a full report of last -night's doings, and he wanted to give them a breakfast to pay them for -it, because he would have felt bad if that train had run into the rock -and been smashed up.</p> - -<p>"I always did look upon wheelmen as a nuisance," said he, with -refreshing candor. "They eat you out of house and home, and the fifty -cents you charge 'em for it don't begin to pay for the damage they do; -but now I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> know that they ain't a nuisance. I've seen that trestle, and -I say that the boy who can ride over it in the dark has got the right -kind of pluck to make a man out of him some of these days. No, sir, I -won't tax you a cent for that breakfast; but I want to see the chap -that went over that plank. Which one was it?"</p> - -<p>"It's nothing to make a fuss about," answered Joe, who knew that if -he did not speak Roy and Arthur would. He thought the man would have -something complimentary to say to him; but instead of that he pushed -the register toward him with the request that Joe would draw a line -under his name so that he (Kane) would know it the next time he saw it.</p> - -<p>"Do you know what I am going to do?" said he, when the boy handed back -the pen. "I'm going to show that name to every wheelman who comes -along, and double-dare him to go up to the trestle and ride over that -plank. If he'll do it, and prove that he does it, I'll give him all he -can eat as long as he has a mind to stay."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was right on the point of Roy Sheldon's tongue to inquire: "And will -you expect him to sleep on the platform of nights?" But instead of that -he said: "Then you will be bankrupt in less than six months if many -wheelmen come this way."</p> - -<p>Old man Kane declared that he didn't believe a word of it, and the -boys went out on the porch and sat down to read over the day's route, -and fix it firmly in their minds, so that they would not be obliged to -refer constantly to the guide-book. It was a short one, only twenty-six -miles, but it was all they would want to do in one day, because it was -the worst part of the sixty-mile mountain road that lay before them. -The next day's run would take them to Glen's Falls, which, so the book -said, was just the place for a brain-weary wheelman to stop and take a -few days' rest. But in order to reap the full benefit of it, he ought -to go at once, before telegraph communication was opened with the rest -of the world, as it certainly would be next year.</p> - -<p>"As the book was written two years ago that means last year," said -Joe. "Unless that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> conductor was greatly mistaken, the town is as much -secluded now as it was then."</p> - -<p>"More so, and further away from telegraphic communication with the rest -of the world," said Roy, "because that Buster band has driven every one -away from there. Who knows but it will drive us away too? Let's get -there and see."</p> - -<p>Having taken leave of old man Kane and thanked him for the good -breakfast he had given them, the boys mounted and rode away. Joe -Wayring was right when he said that Dorchester probably looked more -cheerful in broad daylight than it did in the dark. Although there -were but few people stirring, and they were mostly section hands, and -there was little business done except at train time, it was a pleasant -spot, and one that many a sweltering city boy would be glad to get -away to during his summer vacation. The guide-book said there was fine -fishing in the neighboring ponds, and the boys knew that squirrels were -abundant, for they heard them barking on all sides as they crossed the -railroad and wheeled away among the trees on the other side.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span></p> - -<p>This proved to be the hardest day's run so far, but the boys "took -it easy," stopped beside every babbling brook they found, and long -before the hands on their watches told them it was twelve o'clock, -every crumb of the generous lunch that old man Kane put up for them had -disappeared. The road was steeper than they expected to find it, the -log bridges over the streams were not in the best of repair, and there -were so many stones on the hill that any attempt at coasting would -have been perilous. The house at which they intended to stop for the -night, provided the owner did not object to the company of strangers, -looked very cool and inviting when they came within sight of it. It was -nestled among the trees at the farther end of a long bridge, there was -a neat mill beside it, and the rumble of the machinery was just dying -away as the boys drew up in front of the open door.</p> - -<p>"Hallo!" said a voice from the interior, removing all doubts from their -minds at once. "How many of you fellows are there, anyway? Went down -to New London t'other day and saw as many as seventy-five or thirty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span> -of you, all going somewhere, but you're the first to come our way this -season. Alight and hitch."</p> - -<p>"Thank you; but our horses stand without hitching," replied Arthur. -"Will it be convenient for you to keep us to-night?"</p> - -<p>The dusty miller, following his voice to the door, said it would not -only be quite convenient, but he would be glad to do it, for he was -lonely up there in the hills, and he and his family were always pleased -to see new faces. The first wheelman who ever came that way stopped -with him for a week, and promised to tell any who came after him to do -the same. The miller was surprised when Arthur produced the road-book, -showed him his name, and told him that they had had him and his house -in mind ever since they left Mount Airy.</p> - -<p>"And do you mean to say that you have come that distance with nothing -but a book to guide you?" he exclaimed. "Now that is the neatest kind -of a trick, ain't it? Well, come in and we'll get some of the dust off."</p> - -<p>That night after supper, while they were sitting on the porch, the boys -told Mr. Hudson<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> (that was the miller's name) that they were going on -to Glen's Falls with the intention of taking a few days' rest there, -and to their surprise and relief he did not say a word to turn them -from their purpose, as they were sure he would have done if the people -in that neighborhood had been the desperate lot that the conductor -represented them to be. This led Joe to believe that the conductor had -been misinformed, and I heard him say as much to his chums when the -miller went into the house after his pipe.</p> - -<p>"And don't you believe in the existence of the Buster band either?" I -heard Roy ask him.</p> - -<p>"Oh, there may be lawless men about Glen's Falls, and where in the -world will you go amiss of them?" answered Joe. "But I don't, and never -have, put any faith in that story about an organized band of outlaws -who terrorize the country, and roam around destroying buildings and -stock when things do not go to please them. Why, just think of the -absurdity of it! How long would it be before the whole power of the -State would be put forth to bring them to justice?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I never placed much faith in the tales I have heard and read of men -being shanghaied and taken to sea against their will," said Roy, with a -wink at Arthur; "but I do now."</p> - -<p>"I don't blame you," answered Arthur, "and we may be quite as willing -to swallow all we have heard about that Buster band before we are a -week older. I don't think that conductor meant to fool us, but he -certainly did exaggerate things and make mountains out of mole-hills."</p> - -<p>I had hoped so all along, and now I began to be sure of it. You can -imagine, then, how astounded and frightened I was when I heard the -miller say to his wife, after Joe and his friends had gone up-stairs to -bed:</p> - -<p>"I really wish those boys would keep away from Glen's Falls, for I am -afraid they will get into trouble if they do not. I suppose I ought to -tell them about the Buster band, who make targets of the officers of -the law, and destroy the houses of those who complain of them, but, -Mollie, I am afraid to do it. Every dollar I have in the world is -invested right here beside this little stream of water, and if I tried -to put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span> the boys on their guard, and they should go up to the Falls and -repeat what I said to them, how long do you think my buildings would -stand? They're strangers to me, and I don't know how far to trust them."</p> - -<p>"And don't you remember that the detective who arrested that friend of -Dave Daily's came up here on a wheel?" said Mrs. Hudson. "And haven't -the band said that every man who comes into the country on a wheel can -make up his mind to go out of it on foot? I think myself that your -safest plan is to keep still. If you knew the boys could be depended -on, the case would be different. I'm almost sorry you agreed to keep -them all night."</p> - -<p>"So am I," said the miller. "I don't believe I shall ever do the like -again."</p> - -<p>I shivered all over as I leaned against the side of the house and -listened to this conversation. If my master had heard it, I am sure he -would have turned back and given Glen's Falls a wide berth.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">ARTHUR'S READY RIFLE.</p> - - -<p class="drop">K<span class="uppercase">nowing</span> nothing of the fears that disturbed the minds of the miller -and his wife Joe and his friends slept soundly, and after an early -breakfast resumed their journey with light hearts; but there was -something in Mr. Hudson's manner, more than in his words, when he bade -them good-by that made the boys wonder if he had anything on his mind -that he was keeping from them.</p> - -<p>"You've had the best kind of luck so far and I hope it may continue; -but I don't know," said he, kicking a pebble out of the path. "Looks -to me as though wheeling through a country that you are not acquainted -with, and going among people you don't know anything about, is mighty -risky business. If I was your folks, I'd be sort o' uneasy till I saw -you safe back."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I don't know whether we've had the best kind of luck so far or not," -said Arthur, as the three lifted their caps to the miller's wife and -wheeled away. "What would he say if he knew about Roy's long swim in -New London harbor?"</p> - -<p>"Or about Joe's wild ride over that trestle?" chimed in Roy. "Of course -he had good luck in getting over without a broken head, but it was bad -luck that brought him into the scrape."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Hudson probably had reference to the dangers of wheeling, and not -to anything else," replied Joe. "I wouldn't give a cent to go on a trip -of this kind if we did not pass through a strange country and see new -faces at every mile of the way. Now for a coast; the first we have had -since we struck this lovely road. Look out for heads everybody."</p> - -<p>"And for the corduroy bridge at the bottom of the hill," added Arthur, -quoting from the guide-book.</p> - -<p>The latter faithfully warned them of all the bad places that were to be -found in the road when its author passed that way two years<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> before, -but it was silent on the subject of some things that were more to be -feared than sticks, stones, and corduroy bridges. They encountered two -of them about three o'clock that afternoon, when they thought they -ought to be within a mile or two of Glen's Falls. Joe Wayring, who was -leading the way, was the first to discover them. They were vagabond -dogs which came slowly out of the thick bushes on one side of the -road, dragging after them something that proved to be the carcass of a -freshly slaughtered sheep.</p> - -<p>Now if there was anything in the world that Joe was afraid of it was -an ugly dog; and that these brutes were ugly as well as bold (if -they hadn't been bold they would not have killed that sheep in broad -daylight) was quickly made apparent. The minute Joe came within sight -of them he sounded his bell, whereupon the dogs dropped their prey and -raised their heads; but instead of taking themselves off, as my master -thought they would, they stood their ground, snarling and showing their -white, gleaming fangs as a welcome to the advancing wheelman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span></p> - -<p>"By gracious! They want a fight!" exclaimed Joe.</p> - -<p>"All right. They can have it," replied Roy. "Sheep-killing dogs have no -rights that any one is bound to respect, and these villains have been -caught in the act."</p> - -<p>"Down with them," cried Arthur, whipping his ready rifle from its case -before his wheel fairly came to a standstill. "We've more right to the -road than they have, and if they won't let us go by—"</p> - -<p>"Don't do anything hasty," interrupted Joe. "Think of the reputation of -the people to whom these brutes undoubtedly belong, and bear in mind -that we've got to go through Glen's Falls or turn back."</p> - -<p>"We haven't come almost fifty miles over the worst road in the United -States to be turned back now," answered Roy. "Did anybody ever see -uglier looking things, I wonder?" he added, as the two yellow, -stump-tailed dogs, with their dripping lips raised, and their short -ears laid back close to their heads, crouched upon the body of the -sheep like panthers preparing for a spring. "Let's see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> what effect a -stone will have upon their courage."</p> - -<p>By this time the young wheelmen had dismounted; they had to, for the -savage beasts had possession of the road. There was room enough on -one side to run by them, and Joe and his friends would have made the -attempt if they had had any reason to suppose that the dogs would -remain close to the sheep while they were doing it; but that would be -taking too much risk. If the dogs jumped at them while they were going -by, no matter whether they succeeded in laying hold of one of their -number or not, they would be pretty certain to throw somebody from -his saddle, and then there would be trouble. The unfortunate sheep's -throat looked as though it had been cut with a knife, and that proved -that their long teeth were sharp. Joe and Arthur were not in favor of -beginning a fight with the dogs, hoping that if they were left alone -they would drag the sheep across the road and into the woods on the -other side; but before they could say or do anything to prevent it, -Roy Sheldon made one of his sure, left-hand shots; a heavy stone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> took -one of the canine vagabonds plumb in the mouth and tumbled him over -backward.</p> - -<p>"Whoop-pee! That was a bully shot, Jakey," yelled Roy, recalling some -of the incidents of the first battle he and his chums had with Matt -Coyle and his family. "Throw another, Jakey. Great Scott! They're -coming for us."</p> - -<p>That was plain enough to boys who could see as well as Joe and Arthur -could. The stone certainly had an effect upon them, for they no longer -stood on the defensive. They charged at once, the stricken brute -leading the way, and his companion keeping close at his heels. I tell -you the sight they presented was enough to frighten anybody, unless his -nerves were made of steel, as mine were, but we did not run. I couldn't -without help, and Joe and his chums wouldn't. In less time than it -takes to tell it one of the charging brutes was knocked flat by a -second stone from Roy's unerring hand, and the other fell with a bullet -in his brain, shot fairly in the eye by Arthur Hastings's pocket rifle. -But the death of his companion and the crack of the cartridge did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> -not take the fight out of the surviving dog. Almost stunned as he was, -he sprang up again in an instant, only to be floored by Joe Wayring. A -second later Arthur's little rifle spoke again, and this time the dog -did not get up. He was as dead as the sheep he had helped pull out of -the bushes.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">The Death of Matt Coyle's Dogs.</span></p> - -<p>"This is rather ahead of my time," said Joe, who was the first to -speak. "I never dreamed that domestic dogs could be so savage. Why, a -couple of wild-cats or panthers couldn't have made a worse fight, nor -frightened me more," he added, lifting his cap and wiping the big drops -of perspiration from his forehead. "I hope this is the last of it, but -I'm afraid it isn't."</p> - -<p>Before Joe's friends had time to ask him what he meant, or to recover -from the nervousness into which they had been thrown by the sudden -onset of the sheep-killers, they heard a great crashing in the bushes, -which were so thick on both sides of the road that one could not see -any object in them at the distance of ten feet, and a heavy voice -called out:</p> - -<p>"So you've come again, have you? Three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> on you this time 'stead of -one. All right. I'll be there directly. I'm coming jest as fast as the -bresh'll let me."</p> - -<p>"There comes the owner of these dogs," said Joe. "Now we are in for it -sure."</p> - -<p>"Who cares?" replied Roy. "If he thinks we are going to stand still and -let his ferocious dogs eat us up, he don't know us; that's all."</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the noise in the bushes grew louder, and now a tall, heavily -built man forced his way out and stepped into the middle of the road.</p> - -<p>"Come again, have you?" was the way in which he greeted the boys. "And -brung two fellers with you to help. Wal, you'll need 'em all. Take me, -if you want to. See!" he went on rapidly, laying his rifle upon the -ground and standing erect with his arms spread out as if to show that -he had no other weapon about him. "I'll put my shooting-iron outen -my hands and ask you again to take me if you have come here for that -purpose. I double-dare you to lay a finger on me. Come now!"</p> - -<p>A blind man could have told by the tones of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> his voice that the -new-comer was "as full of mad as he could hold"; so very angry in fact, -that he scarcely took two looks at the boys to whom he was talking -until after he had laid down his rifle and spread out his arms. When -he saw that he was confronting a trio of boys, and not bearded men, he -dropped his hands and gave utterance to two emphatic words; but as they -were swear-words I don't repeat them.</p> - -<p>"Who did you think we were?" inquired Joe, who saw at once that the -broad-shouldered backwoodsman had make a mistake.</p> - -<p>"I took you for jest what I thought you was—the detective that come up -here on one of them two-wheeled wagons and run my pardner to earth like -a woodchuck in his hole," said the man, nodding at the bicycles. "But -you ain't, be you?"</p> - -<p>"Of course we are not officers," answered Roy. "We are tourist-wheelmen -traveling for pleasure."</p> - -<p>"Oh," said the man, in a rather doubtful tone, as if he did not quite -understand what the boys were, after all. Then he turned his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span> head over -his shoulder and shouted at the woods: "It is all right, boys, and -you can come along without shooting. You see," he went on, as another -crashing in the bushes told Joe and his friends that there were more -men coming, "I seen you from my place up there on the mounting when -you crossed over the brook below, and I was kinder laying for you. -Understand? These here fellers are pardners of mine," he continued, as -two stalwart woodsmen presented themselves to view. "They was laying -back there in the bresh where they had a fair squint at you; if you'd a -put a finger on to me when I dropped my rifle and told you to come on, -some of you would have been deader now than them dogs you plumped over. -What did you do it with? I heared something pop like a gun-cap, and -over them dogs went."</p> - -<p>Arthur Hastings handed over his rifle because he held it in plain -sight, and did not think it would be prudent to do anything else. The -man seemed to grow friendly as soon as he was satisfied that the boys -were not detectives who had come to the mountains for the purpose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> of -arresting him, and Arthur was afraid that if anything were done to -excite his rage, he might become as savage as the dogs from whose fangs -he and his chums had been saved by his good shooting.</p> - -<p>The man took the pocket rifle with many exclamations of wonder and -amusement, and while he and his "pardners" were giving it a good -looking-over, Arthur and his friends improved the opportunity to -take an equally close survey of the mountaineers; but there was some -apprehension mingled with their curiosity, for they knew, as well as -they knew anything, that they were in the presence of some of the -Buster band. The first one who showed himself was Dave Daily, the -leader of the band, who had been in hiding for a year or so to escape -arrest.</p> - -<p>"That's a mighty cute little trick of a gun," said the latter, when he -handed back the pocket rifle. "But you wouldn't like to bet a dollar -that she can beat my deer-killer at the distance of a hundred yards, -would you? No, I don't reckon you would, because you would be certain -sure to lose your dollar. Do you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> know who's talking to you?" he added, -abruptly.</p> - -<p>Joe replied that they not only knew his name, but that they had heard -something about him down at Dorchester; and then he wondered why the -man did not say something about the dogs that were lying in plain -sight. Did they belong to him, and was he going to raise a fuss with -his friend Arthur for shooting them? If he did, there would be but one -way out of the scrape, and that was to pay the man every cent he chose -to demand for the worthless brutes.</p> - -<p>"I'll bet you didn't hear nothing good about us down Dorchester way," -said Daily, for it was he. "But I'll tell you what is a fact: We're not -the terrible chaps that some folks would try to make you think we are. -So long as everybody minds their own business and lets us alone, so -long do we mind our business and let other folks be. Set down a while," -he added, growing communicative, "and I'll tell you jest how the fuss -commenced in the first place."</p> - -<p>There was nothing for it but to comply with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> this request, for Daily -did not look or speak like a man who would take "no" for an answer -unless he felt like it. So the boys leaned their wheels against -convenient trees, seated themselves by Daily's side under the shade of -another, while his two friends stretched their heavy frames upon the -leaves close by, and the leader went on with his story.</p> - -<p>"Us and our folks was raised right here in this neck of woods, we've -always lived here, and we don't know no other country outside," said -he. "We never had no fuss with nobody so long as we was let alone. We -cultivated our little craps, shot our meat in the woods when we wanted -it, ketched our trout in the brooks, sot lines through the ice for -pickerel in winter, went to school when we wanted to, and were happy -like the Injuns was before the white man come to this country and -drove them out. First thing we knew, some fellers down in Washington, -wherever that is, kicked up a war with somebody else, and sent word to -our folks that they'd got to come and help fight it out. Well, they -wouldn't do it, our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> folks wouldn't, because it wasn't their fight, -they hadn't no hand in getting it up, they didn't care which one -whipped, and so they said they'd stay to home. Then what does them big -fellers in Washington do but send an officer of some sort up here to -take down the names of all of us, except the little boys, so't they -could be drafted into the army. Our folks told him he wasn't wanted -here and that he'd better go home, but he wouldn't, and so they run him -out and everybody like him who came here afterwards."</p> - -<p>"In short, you resisted the draft," said Joe.</p> - -<p>"You're right we did, and we'll do it again," said Daily, in savage -tones. "Whenever we raise a fight amongst ourselves, we stick to it -till one or t'other gets licked; but we don't take up outsiders' -quarrels. Well, that was where the fuss commenced, and for as much -as four years our folks had to keep hid in the mountings so't them -drafting officers couldn't get a hold of 'em. When the war was over -we thought we should have peace and be let alone like we was before; -but we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span> wasn't. Some smart Alecks, who had been elected to go to the -Capital, and who had never been up here, passed a law—without once -asking us, mind you—that deer shouldn't be killed at such and such -times; that trout mustn't be ketched only jest when they said so; and -that if we didn't give some heed to them laws, they would take us up -and put us in jail. Well, they tried it, and how did they come out? -Tell me that, will you?"</p> - -<p>"At the little end of the horn," said one of the "pardners," who had -thus far kept silent.</p> - -<p>"You're right they did, Spence; at the little end of the horn," -exclaimed Daily. "And that's the way everybody will come out who takes -it upon himself to make laws for us. We're free Amerikin citizens and -we mean to keep so. We don't ask no outsiders to make laws for us, -because we can take care of ourselves. We kept right along jest as -we had always been doing, shooting deer whenever we wanted the meat -(violating the law they called it), and one night Zeb Harris and me was -took outen our beds and slapped into the jail down<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span> at Machias. You see -we didn't have no jail up here at Glen's Falls, because we never needed -such a thing. We knew well enough who it was that complained of us, for -our friends kept us posted; so I writ him a little letter telling him -what Zeb and me allowed to do as soon as we got out. We did get out -pretty quick, and somehow everything happened to him jest as we said -it would. While I was in jail I writ to the papers about it, so't the -folks outside could know how we had been treated and trod upon, and all -my pieces was published jest as I writ 'em. Don't believe it, do you?" -said Daily, thrusting his hand into an inside pocket and pulling out a -greasy note-book. "I want you to understand that I can write as well -as anybody, even if I haven't had much schooling, and when it comes to -poetry, I don't give in to no living man on top of the broad earth. -Look at that, and see if you can beat it with all your education."</p> - -<p>As Daily said this he placed in Roy Sheldon's hands a clipping from -a newspaper, with the request that he would "read her out loud so't -everybody could hear it." The boy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> found that it was going to be a -task to read it at all, for the paper had been so often and so roughly -handled that in some places the words were quite obliterated. The poem, -if that was the right name for the chief law-breaker's effusion, was -nearly a column in length, and it required no little effort on Roy's -part to make out the first two verses of it. They ran as follows:</p> - -<p style="margin-left: 10%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">"it was in the town of glens fals</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">as you shal understand</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">thair lived a crowd of young men</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">thay was cald the buster band</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">and thay was accused of menny</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">a bad deed let them be gilty or not</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">but thay hunted deer the year round</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">and for the wardens made it hot</span><br /> -<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">thair was one young man among them</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">the wardens all knew wel</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">and by this felows rifl</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">thair was menny a fine deer fel</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">he hunted upon an old stream</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">i would have you all to know</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">and sed that that was one place</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">the wardens dast not go"</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>"What was the reason the wardens dared not go there?" inquired Arthur, -when Roy handed back the paper declaring that the letters were so dim -he could not make sense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> out of the rest of it. "What were they afraid -of?"</p> - -<p>"Of me. I was up there," answered Daily, who seemed to think he had -done something very brave when he concealed himself in the woods and -sent word back to the settlement that he would fire upon the first -officer who came along his trail to arrest him. "I tell you it wasn't -healthy around where I was about that time for anybody but me and my -friends. If you don't believe it, read that."</p> - -<p>With the words another choice bit of composition was thrust into Roy's -hand. It proved to be a warning to one of the recently appointed -wardens that the Buster band, having "commenced the fun" by burning the -house of the man who had dared to enter complaint against Dave Daily -and his friend Zeb Harris, would keep it up by visiting the home of -the warden if he did not at once throw up his office and let unlawful -deer-hunters alone. There was still a third clipping which proved of -more interest to the boys than either of the others, for it related -to the detective who had come to Glen's Falls on his wheel. It was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span> -addressed to the very man whose house they had intended to make their -headquarters during their stay at the Falls. It ran thus:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Mr. Jon Homes:—if you keep that black whiskered felow with the nee -britches about your house any longer you will have roast pig to and -in short order we know he is a detektive be cause he has been talking -with one of our boys who he thinks is a spy on us in the pay of what -you call the law and order sosiation but thair ant no spies amongst -our crowd i want you to understand git rid of him for if you dont -you will be burnt out before a week goes by we have started the fun -and we will keep it up we mean bisness git rid of him and your all -rite if you dont down she comes by the time you git this we shal have -taken some of your stock as proof that we mean bisiness, from a frind -remember."</p></blockquote> - -<p>By the time Roy Sheldon had finished reading this precious document he -and his two friends were so angry that they could scarcely refrain from -telling Dave Daily what they thought of so mean and cowardly a villain -as these productions of his proved him to be. Joe Wayring showed very -plainly that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> had had quite enough of this nonsense. He got upon his -feet, brushed the leaves from his clothes, and remarked that it was -high time he and his chums were moving.</p> - -<p>"What's your hurry?" inquired Dave. "You can't find no better company -than we be anywhere about the Falls. Where do you stop when you get -there, seeing there ain't no hotel to put up at?"</p> - -<p>"We're not going to put up at the Falls," replied Joe. "We shall stop -there just long enough to buy a glass of milk or beg a drink of water -of somebody, and then we shall take to the road for a ten-mile run -before dark."</p> - -<p>"Those dogs over there," said Roy, jerking his head toward the -prostrate animals, "disputed the right of way with us, and when I tried -to drive them out of the road they came at us with such fury that we -had to shoot them in self-defense. I hope they don't belong to any of -you?"</p> - -<p>Roy said this, not because he cared a straw who owned the worthless -curs, but for the reason that he felt some curiosity to know why<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span> Daily -and his companions were so very indifferent regarding them and their -fate. He had looked for a row the minute the men saw the bodies of -the four-footed vagabonds; but instead of that, the woodsmen had not -referred to the matter since they asked to see the weapon with which -the shooting was done.</p> - -<p>"No; the dogs don't belong to none of us nor the sheep, neither," -answered Daily. "Do you see them letters on the critter's head all -mixed up together? That's Holmes's mark, and them dogs or any others -are welcome to kill all the sheep he's got, for all we care. We don't -like him none too well, for he harbored that detective till we told -him to shove him out, and he would be one of the wardens if he wasn't -afraid. Matt'll be staving blind mad when he hears of it, and mebbe -you'd best keep outen his way when you get started, for he'll make you -pay ten times what the critters was fairly worth. He sets a heap of -store by them, for he brought 'em up here for watch-dogs to tell him -when there was anybody coming to his shanty."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Did you say <i>Matt</i> would be mad?" asked Joe, with a strange look on -his face. "Matt who? What is his other name?"</p> - -<p>"His whole name is Matt Coyle," replied Daily.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a></p> - -<p class="center">MR. HOLMES'S WARNING.</p> - - -<p class="drop">T<span class="uppercase">his</span> was a surprise, and for some reasons it was a most disagreeable -one. Of course Joe Wayring and his chums were not sorry that their old -enemy, Matt Coyle, had escaped with his life when the canvas canoe -was snagged and sunk in Indian River, but they were sorry that they -had stumbled upon him in this unexpected way. Beyond a doubt Matt's -failure to make himself master of the six thousand dollars that had -been stolen from the Irvington bank, taken in connection with the loss -of all his worldly goods and the imprisonment of his wife and boys, had -had an effect upon him, and if such a thing were possible, Matt hated -Joe and his friends with greatly increased hatred. The fact that the -boys were in no way to blame for his misfortunes would not make the -least difference to Matt Coyle. His bad luck began on the very day he -made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span> the acquaintance of the Wayring family, he looked upon Joe as his -evil genius, and the young wheelmen knew well enough that unless they -got out of the Glen's Falls neighborhood before Matt learned they were -there, they would surely find themselves in trouble of some sort.</p> - -<p>"His whole name is Matt Coyle," repeated Daily. "He was the best guide, -boatman and hunter down the Injun Lake way, but for some reason or -other the rest of the men who were in that business didn't take to him, -and so they clubbed together and drove him out. That wouldn't have -been so very hard on Matt, for Ameriky is a tolerable big country and -there's plenty of places for a guide and hunter to go; but they had -to go and smash up everything he had so't he couldn't stay. They even -took all his money and his rifle and clothes away from him, and turned -him out to starve. He made his way up here by accident, and he's been -living with us ever since. He's a good chap, and when he told me his -story, I said to him that if I was in his place, I wouldn't sleep sound -till every man and boy who had had a hand in mistreating me was burned -outen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> house and home. Why, he lost six thousand dollars in hard money, -Matt did; all the savings of years of honest work."</p> - -<p>"But he knows a way to get it all back and more too," said one of -Dave's partners. "We expect him home with some of the boys to-day, and -when he comes we'll all be rich."</p> - -<p>"Spence, you talk too much for a little man," said Dave, sternly. "Matt -won't take it kind of you telling all his secrets. He warned us all not -to say anything about it."</p> - -<p>"Fellows, we must be going," exclaimed Joe. "I know that everything -these men have to say is full of interest, but listening to stories -will not take us to our journey's end. By the way, how far is the -railroad from here? I mean the one that runs through Dorchester?"</p> - -<p>"Fifteen miles, or such a matter," answered Daily. "But you couldn't -never get there. The woods is so thick you couldn't take them wagons -through. Your best plan is to stick to the road. Where did you say you -was going to stop to-night?"</p> - -<p>"If we stay here much longer we'll have to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span> stop in town," replied Joe. -"We don't want to do that, so we shall keep going and get as close to a -level country as we can before the dark overtakes us. Good-by."</p> - -<p>This was a moment that all the boys had been looking forward to with -many misgivings. Would Daily and his men permit them to leave when they -got ready? was a question that had often shaped itself in their minds, -and which would now be answered in a very few seconds. To their immense -relief the men who had been ready to shoot them half an hour before, -showed no disposition to molest them or their property. They might -be thieves and law-breakers, but they were not highwaymen. They said -"So-long" very cordially, and saw the boys mount and ride away.</p> - -<p>"Now here's a mess, or will be if we don't make the best time we know -how before night comes," said Arthur, when the first turn in the road -took them out of sight of Dave Daily and his friends. "I don't know -when I have been more astounded than I was when that outlaw pronounced -Matt Coyle's name."</p> - -<p>"Didn't that juryman say that he believed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span> Matt would some day turn up -alive and as full of mischief as ever?" said Roy Sheldon. "And didn't -we say that the Glen's Falls neighborhood would be just the place for -him if he were on deck? Well, he's here. He must have had a time of it -tramping all the way from Sherwin's Pond through the woods. But then I -suppose he is used to such things."</p> - -<p>"He is at home wherever night overtakes him," said Arthur. "But I -shouldn't think he would stick to the woods when there were so many -roads handy."</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't he want to keep out of sight of the officers who were -looking for the money he was known to have in his possession? So those -six thousand dollars were the fruits of his honest toil, were they? -And Matt was the best guide, boatman, and hunter in the Indian Lake -country? That's news to me."</p> - -<p>"It's news to all of us," answered Joe; "but, to my notion, there's -worse behind it. Where has Matt been with those men who are going to -make the Buster band rich when they return?"</p> - -<p>"That's so," exclaimed Arthur. "Where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> has he? I noticed you inquired -the distance to the railroad, and that made me think you were disturbed -by the same suspicions I was. Do you believe Matt and his crowd were -down there, and that they had anything to do with the rock we found on -the track?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what else to think," replied Joe. "It was the way those -men acted rather than what they said that aroused my suspicions. Matt -has been rich once, that is to say, he has had the handling of more -money than he will ever make by his own labor, and isn't it natural -to suppose that when he lost it he set his wits at work to conjure up -some plan to get more? A man who will do the things Matt Coyle has done -and threatened, will do worse if he gets the chance. It's time that -fellow was shut up. The next time he tries to wreck a train he may be -successful."</p> - -<p>This was all the boys had to say on the subject, but it was easy enough -to see that they had resolved to put an officer on the squatter's -track at the first opportunity. But then there was Tom Bigden, with -whose doings I was by this time pretty well acquainted. Would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span> they -want him disgraced by the revelations Matt would be sure to make if he -were brought before a court to be tried for his crimes? As Roy Sheldon -afterward remarked, a big load would have been taken off Tom Bigden's -shoulders if Matt Coyle had never been born.</p> - -<p>As soon as Daily and his men had been left out of sight Arthur Hastings -began making the pace; and he made it so rapid that scarcely twenty -minutes elapsed before they passed through an open gate and drew up -before the back door of Mr. Holmes's house. They knew it when they -saw it; and as they looked at all the evidences of thrift and comfort -with which it was surrounded, they wished most heartily that Daily and -all the rest of the Buster band might be brought to justice and that -speedily.</p> - -<p>"Boys, we'll not put this fine property in jeopardy by stopping here," -said Joe, in a low tone. "We'd be worse than heathen if we did, and -Mr. Holmes ought to kick us off the place for hinting at such a thing. -Good-evening, sir," he added, touching his cap to a gray-headed man in -his shirt sleeves who just then came around the corner with a bucket of -water<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> in his hand. "Have you a pitcher of milk to spare, and can you -give us a good big lunch to eat along the way?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, I can do that," replied the man, whose countenance grew -clouded when he saw the boys getting off their wheels, but brightened -again at once when he learned that they did not intend to ask him for -lodgings. "Plenty of milk and provender to spare, but no beds made up."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Holmes, we understand you perfectly," Joe hastened to reply. "We -know just how you are situated, we sympathize with you, and we wouldn't -stay in your house to-night if we knew your doors were open to us. We -met Daily up the road a piece."</p> - -<p>"You did?" exclaimed Mr. Holmes. "And did you tell him you were going -to stop here?"</p> - -<p>"We simply told him we should stop somewhere in town long enough to buy -a glass of milk or beg a drink of water, and he raised no objection to -it. I think you ought to know that Matt Coyle's dogs have been on the -warpath again, and you have lost another sheep. Daily said it was in -your mark."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That's too bad; too bad," said the old man, who had long ago ceased to -hope for better times. "If they keep on they will kill all my stock. -The members of the Buster band don't always go into the woods after -meat now. The pastures are handier, and a sheep, calf, or nice young -heifer is easier to shoot than deer. We can't prove anything against -them, and are afraid to prosecute if we could."</p> - -<p>"Those dogs will never kill any more sheep for you," said Roy. "They -wouldn't give us the road and we shot them. They're deader than -herrings."</p> - -<p>I noticed that Roy always said "we" when speaking of this little -circumstance. If anything unpleasant grew out of it, he did not mean -that his friend Arthur should bear all the blame or take all the -punishment. Mr. Holmes's face grew bright again, but he showed a little -anxiety when he asked:</p> - -<p>"Did Daily see you do it, or does he know anything about it? Then I am -surprised that he didn't make you pay for the dogs. Say," he went on, -in a more guarded tone, "where are you going to stop to night?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span></p> - -<p>Joe answered that they intended to camp in the woods, and hoped he -could furnish them grub enough for supper and breakfast the next -morning.</p> - -<p>"Of course I'll do that," said Mr. Holmes. "But take my advice and -don't light a fire. The owner of the dogs you shot is a savage. He gets -around at night as well as in the day-time, and since he came here last -fall, he has put more mischief into the Buster band than they ever had -in them before, and that was quite unnecessary. They never thought of -shooting stock for their own use before he went among them, but they -often do it now. They seem to take delight in breaking open every -door that is fastened of nights, no matter whether they want to steal -anything or not. I'd give something to know positively what that man -Coyle intended to do with the spades, crowbar and axes he took out of -my tool-house the other night."</p> - -<p>"What do you think he meant to do with them?" inquired Arthur, who -thought from the way the man spoke that he had his suspicions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span></p> - -<p>"I'm almost afraid to speak it out loud, for it don't seem possible -that any man can be so wicked," replied Mr. Holmes. "The lawless acts -of the Buster band have driven nearly everything away from us, but -we've got the post-office left, and last night I got my weekly papers -out of it. In one of them I read that a terrible railroad accident had -been averted by the coolness and courage of a wheelman who rode across -a trestle in the dark to warn the engineer of an approaching train that -there was a rock on the track."</p> - -<p>"He rode over a trestle in the dark?" exclaimed Roy, who, impatient as -he was to hear what else Mr. Holmes had to say, could not resist the -temptation to torment Joe Wayring. "Now that's what I call pluck."</p> - -<p>"That is what the papers call it too," said Mr. Holmes. "Well, when the -trainmen came to look into things they found that that rock didn't get -upon the track by accident, but had been dug out of its bed on the top -of the bluff and rolled there. Since then that bluff has been examined -by detectives in the employ of the railroad, who found there a couple -of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> spades, an axe and a crowbar all marked J.H. Those are the initials -of my name, and they are on every tool I've got. They're in New London -now, and if I thought anything would come of it, I would run down and -look at them. If they are mine, that man Coyle was the leader of the -gang who tried to wreck the train. At least he stole the tools, and I -say he is the leader because the Buster band never would have thought -of such a thing if he had not put it into their heads."</p> - -<p>"How do you know he stole your tools?" asked Roy, in some excitement.</p> - -<p>"Because I saw the prints of his feet in front of the door of the shop. -They're as big as all out-doors, and his shoes are so nearly torn to -pieces that it is a wonder to me how he can keep them on. Mebbe it's -a little thing to build so much upon, but I know I am right," said -the old man, earnestly. "If you could see that track once you would -recognize it again the minute you saw it."</p> - -<p>Now, when it was too late to make amends for the oversight, Roy Sheldon -proceeded to take himself severely to task for not making a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span> closer -examination of those big footprints he had seen about the rock. If Matt -Coyle's track was there he could have picked it out from among the -rest, for hadn't he and his companions taken a good look at it on the -night Mr. Swan "surrounded" Matt's camp, and Matt crept up in their -rear and stole all their boats? That "hoof" of his, as Mr. Swan called -it, had "given the squatter away" on one occasion, and seemed in a fair -way to do it again. Evidence that Matt was one of those who had tried -to wreck the train was accumulating with encouraging rapidity. No doubt -he and his gang had expected to bring a rich harvest out of that gulf -after the sleeping passengers had been plunged into it, and that was -what Daily's companion meant by saying that Matt would make them all -wealthy when he came back. But what would they say when they learned -that he had not brought a cent with him?</p> - -<p>"Of course it is not my place to offer advice, Mr. Holmes," said -Arthur, at length, "but I really think it would be a good plan for you -to go to the city and look at those tools. If they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span> are yours you can -say so, and may be the means of breaking up this nest of ruffians. -There'll be a detective sent up."</p> - -<p>"But I don't want one sent here," exclaimed Mr. Holmes. "I'd be afraid -to have him around, for the minute he went away I'd lose everything -I've got."</p> - -<p>"He need not come near you," replied Arthur.</p> - -<p>"And he need not come on a wheel, either," added Joe. "If he does, he -may get some innocent tourist into trouble. Let him be a tramp or a -fugitive from justice, if you please."</p> - -<p>"That's the idea," interrupted the old man, excitedly. "Young fellow, -your head's level. That would be his game, if he would only consent to -play it, for fugitives and tramps are the ones the Buster band always -receive with open arms."</p> - -<p>"That is what I thought. Well, they have a good one now, and what's -more, they must like him, for Daily said Matt was a fine fellow; or -something like that," soliloquized Joe. He did not utter the words -aloud, for he wasn't sure it would be prudent to tell Mr. Holmes that -he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> and his two friends were better acquainted with Matt Coyle than -anybody in the Glen's Falls country. If they could help it, the boys -did not mean to tell who they were or where they came from, for fear -that the information might reach Matt's ears in a roundabout way. He -was glad when Roy said:</p> - -<p>"Haven't we stayed here about long enough? If we want this to be our -last night in the mountains we had better take to the road again."</p> - -<p>"I guess you had," replied Mr. Holmes, reluctantly. "I never was guilty -of so inhospitable an act before, except when I showed Daily's letter -to the detective who was stopping with me and asked him what I had -better do about it, and I would not be guilty of it now if I could do -as I pleased. Remember my advice and go to bed in the dark; for if you -don't I am afraid you will have visitors before morning."</p> - -<p>The boys promised to bear the matter in mind, at the same time assuring -the old man that it was no hardship for them to sleep out of doors, -and Mr. Holmes hurried away to get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span> the pitcher of milk and have a -supper and breakfast put up for them. Being apprehensive that some of -the Buster band might be on the watch, hoping to collect some damaging -evidence against the farmer that would warrant them in burning his -house, Joe Wayring and his friends did not once venture across the -threshold, although often urged, but ate a lunch and drank their fill -of milk while sitting on the back steps. When the boys offered to pay -for being so royally entertained, Mr. Holmes would not listen to it. -By putting it out of the power of those sheep-killing dogs to do any -more mischief, they had done him and all the rest of the law-abiding -men in the settlement a kindness, and he wished they could stay there -for a week so that he and his neighbors might show them how grateful -they were for it. If any citizen of that region had shot those dogs, he -would have been homeless before another week had passed over his head.</p> - -<p>"I hope that Matt will not think that a citizen did do it, and proceed -to wreak vengeance upon some one against whom he happens to hold a -grudge," said Roy, as they moved swift<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span>ly out of the gate and turned -down the road. "I still think that if Mr. Holmes and a few determined -men would wake up and go about it in earnest, they could put an end to -this reign of terror. I can't see why they don't try it."</p> - -<p>But there was one thing that Roy and his friends did not know, and Mr. -Holmes had forgotten to speak of it. There was not a single building in -Glen's Falls that had a dollar's worth of insurance upon it. The risks -had all been canceled at the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, -and there had been none taken there since. This was one thing that made -Mr. Holmes and his neighbors so very timid.</p> - -<p>The town of Glen's Falls was a dreary looking spot, as the boys -found when they came to ride through it. There was a forest of fine -shade-trees on each side of the wide principal thoroughfare, but there -was grass instead of walks under them, and the buildings behind were -rapidly falling to pieces. The evidences of former prosperity that -met their eyes on every hand proved that there had once been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span> money -and brains in the place, and that it would have amounted to something -before this time if Dave Daily and the rest of the Buster band had been -out of the way. They slaked their thirst at a pump on the corner of a -cross-road and continued on their way without meeting a single person. -If it had not been for an occasional head they saw through the windows -of some of the houses they passed, they would have said that the town -was deserted.</p> - -<p>Their guide-book told them that the road that led from Glen's Falls -through the mountains to the low country beyond was so plain it could -not be missed, and perhaps it was when the man who wrote the book -passed that way on his wheel; but it was not so now. Roads there were -in abundance, and they all ran down hill in the direction the boys -wanted to go; but they were filled with obstructions, and no particular -one of them showed more signs of travel than another.</p> - -<p>"I'd like to see the fellow who says he had a mile of the best of -coasting along this road try his hand at it now," said Roy, seating -himself on a log and cooling his flushed face with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span> his cap while he -waited for one or the other of his friends to go ahead and take the -lead. "I'm tired out, and if I was sure it would be quite safe to do -so, I should be in favor of going into camp."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe he ever came along this road," said Joe. "We've got a -little out of our reckoning, that's all."</p> - -<p>"And not only are there no cows near by to give us a drink of milk, but -we wouldn't dare go after it if there were, for fear of that villain -Matt Coyle," groaned Roy. "Doesn't it beat you how that fellow keeps -turning up?"</p> - -<p>"And at the very time he isn't wanted," chimed in Arthur. "If you want -to stop, all right; but don't let's stop here. I think it would be -safer to go into the bushes and hide. I don't much like the idea of -passing the night without a fire, but I confess that what Mr. Holmes -said frightened me. I wish we might get a hundred miles away before -Matt comes home and hears that his watch-dogs have been shot."</p> - -<p>The others wished so too, but they hadn't energy enough to go any -farther that night,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> and besides the appearance of the road ahead of -them was discouraging. It ran down a steep bank until it was lost -among the trees and bushes as its foot, and probably there was another -bank just as rough and steep on the other side of the brook which ran -through the gully. They made the descent, and there they found a stream -of water so sparkling and cold that the sight of it was more than they -could resist. They carried their wheels into the bushes, making as -little trail as possible, and at the distance of ten or fifteen yards -from the road found a camping place; or, rather, a thicket that would -be a nice spot for a camp when some of its interior was cut away so -that they could spread their blankets. They did not use their camp-axes -for fear that the noise they would necessarily make in chopping away -the brush would serve as a guide to some one they did not care to see. -They worked silently with their knives, and at the end of half an hour -had as comfortable a camp as a tired boy would wish to see, if there -had only been a cheerful fire to light it. They ate their supper in -the dark, took a refreshing bath in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> brook, and then lay down with -their blankets about them and their loaded pocket rifles close at hand. -This was the first time they had found it necessary to adopt this -precaution, and they hoped it would be the last.</p> - -<p>About an hour after my master's regular breathing told me that he had -fallen fast asleep, I was startled by hearing voices a little distance -away. I could not tell which direction they came from, but I knew they -were men's voices, and that they were angrily discussing some point -on which there seemed to be a difference of opinion. I was still more -startled when Arthur Hastings raised himself upon his elbow, shook Joe -Wayring roughly by the shoulder, and whispered in his ear:</p> - -<p>"Wake up, here. Matt Coyle's coming."</p> - -<p>"Where?" asked Joe, who was wide awake in an instant.</p> - -<p>"Coming along the very road we'd had to go up if we'd climbed the hill -on the other side of the brook," replied Arthur. "Do you hear that? -They're stopping for a drink. Reach over and give Roy a shove. Be -careful to put<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> your hand on his mouth for he is apt to speak out when -he is suddenly aroused."</p> - -<p>Be careful maneuvering on Joe's part Roy was awakened without betraying -his presence to the men, who had by this time halted at the brook, and -then the three boys sat up on their blankets and listened.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a></p> - -<p class="center">TWO NARROW ESCAPES.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"I <span class="uppercase">tell</span> you I feel so savage that I could bite a nail in two an' not -half try," were the first words that came to the ears of the listening -wheelmen. They were preceded by a long-drawn sigh of satisfaction, such -as a thirsty boy sometimes utters when he has taken a hearty drink of -water. "Seems to me that I can't turn in no direction no way but I find -them oneasy chaps at my heels to pester the life out of me. They're to -blame for me losin' them six thousand dollars of mine that I worked -hard fur, dog-gone 'em."</p> - -<p>How the boys trembled when that harsh voice grated on their ears. It -was Matt Coyle's, sure enough. They had heard it so often that there -could be no mistake about it.</p> - -<p>"They was the ones that blocked this little game of mine, an' sent me -an' the fellers hum empty-handed when we thought to come back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> rich," -Matt went on, growing angrier and raising his voice to a higher key as -he proceeded. "I seen 'em as plain as daylight; an' now I come hum to -find that they've been here an' shot them two dogs that I was dependin' -on to keep the constable away from my shanty. Did anybody ever hear of -sich pizen luck?"</p> - -<p>"If you saw them there at the rock, what was the reason you did not -drive them off so't the train could run into it?" inquired another -familiar voice,—in point of fact, the voice of Dave Daily. The boys -were surprised to know that he was there, and wondered if he had come -out to meet Matt and put him on their trail. If he had, what was his -object in doing it? Did he want to see them punished for shooting those -savage dogs, or did he want to have them robbed?</p> - -<p>"You say you and your crowd worked hard to get that rock down the bluff -and onto the track, and yet you sot there in the bresh and let one -single boy turn you from your purpose, which was to bust up the train," -continued Daily. "He must have been alone,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> for you say yourself that -one of his friends went one way and t'other went t'other to tell the -engineer to watch out. Why didn't you go down and pitch him into the -ravine?"</p> - -<p>"What would have been the good of doin' that, seein' that Joe an' -Arthur had already went off?" demanded the squatter, with some show of -spirit. "An' don't I tell you that he had a pistol or something in his -hand."</p> - -<p>Daily uttered an exclamation of impatience.</p> - -<p>"'Twasn't a pistol nor nothing of the sort," said he. "It was a little -pop-gun that wouldn't hit the side of a barn nor shoot through a piece -of card-board. Before I would say that I was scared by a little thing -like that I would go off and hide myself; wouldn't you, Spence?"</p> - -<p>"Them pop-guns was big enough an' ugly enough to kill them two dogs of -mine, an' I ain't got no call to face sich we'pons," retorted Matt, -who, as you know, always took care to look out for number one. "An' -here we've been hidin' around in the bresh fur most a week, fearin' the -officers, when we might as well come hum to onct. That's another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span> thing -that makes me mad. I do wish I could get my two hands onto them boys -fur a little while, an' you fellers here to help me. I'd larrup 'em -so't they wouldn't ever come nigh here agin, I bet you."</p> - -<p>"I don't know whether you would or not," replied Daily. "I kinder liked -'em, and as long as they ain't officers—"</p> - -<p>"That's so," interrupted Matt. "But they're jest the chaps to put the -constables onto your trail an' mine. That's their best holt. Didn't you -say that if you was in my place you wouldn't rest easy till everybody -who had had a hand in mistreatin' you had been burned outen house an' -home? Well, them are three of 'em."</p> - -<p>"Now why didn't you say so?" demanded the chief of the Buster band.</p> - -<p>"If we'd only knowed that, we'd a kept 'em for you," added Spence's -voice. "Wouldn't we, Dave? Now that I come to think of it, the -youngsters never told us who they was or where they come from, and we -didn't think to ask them."</p> - -<p>"They'd a lied to you if you had," said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span> Matt, and the boys judged by -the sound of crunching gravel that he was pacing back and forth across -the road like some caged wild animal. "That's the kind of fellers they -be; an' now I'll tell you what's a fact: If you don't help me ketch -them fellers an' hold 'em so't they can't get away till we get ready to -let 'em, this country of your'n will be thick with officers afore two -weeks more has gone by. That's the way it was down to Injun Lake."</p> - -<p>"And this is what we get by taking you in and feeding you when you was -nigh about dead, is it?" exclaimed Daily, in angry tones. "I bet you -that the next tramp who comes this way will be kicked out before he has -time to tell his story. You've brought some of our boys into trouble by -talking them big notions of your'n into their heads, and telling how -easy it was to smash a train and get thousands of dollars outen the -pocket of the folks—Ugh! I can't bear to think of what fools we made -of ourselves by listening to you. Now you clear yourself, before we -make an end of you for good."</p> - -<p>"I come here 'cause I had to go somewhere,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> didn't I?" said Matt, in -tones that were fully as angry and fierce as Daily's. "I'm sorry enough -I done it, for you're not the men I took you for. You're willin' to -stand here with your hands in your pockets an' let them rich folks tell -you what an' when you shall eat."</p> - -<p>"No, we ain't," roared Daily. "We're free Amerikin citizens, and we -don't allow nobody to tell us what we shall do."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, what makes you talk to me that-a-way?" cried Matt. "I come -here to help, an' I've told you of more ways to bother the folks who -want to make laws for you than you would have thought of in ten years' -time. As fur puttin' that rock on the track, nobody suspicions who done -it, an' we laid around in the bresh so't the officers, if any happened -to be here, shouldn't see us comin' from t'wards the railroad. I'm free -to say that I didn't want to go down to the track alone an' face the -we'pon that Sheldon boy had in his hand (I knowed him dark as it was), -but I offered to go if any one would go with me; an' they wouldn't. Ask -'em if it ain't so."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span></p> - -<p>This proved to Roy Sheldon's entire satisfaction that he had done the -right thing when he pulled his pocket rifle from its case, shoved a -cartridge into it, and prepared to defend himself if the train-wreckers -thought it best to attack him. It seems that they did watch him and -discuss plans for getting him out of their way, but some of the -timid ones among them saw the light reflected from the nickel-plated -ornaments on his rifle, and could not muster courage enough to show -themselves.</p> - -<p>"Nobody don't suspicion that we put the rock on the track," repeated -Matt, "an' that ain't why the officers will come here. You're the one -who done the mischief—you, yourself. As soon as one of them boys began -to let on that they knowed who you was, you showed them all the letters -an' things you writ for the papers, an' talked to 'em like they was -friends of your'n. You will find yourself in trouble all along of that -nonsense, if you don't do what I say."</p> - -<p>"That puts a different look on the matter," said Daily, in a much -milder tone, "and, Matt, I'm sorry I jawed you that-a-way. Fact<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</a></span> -of it is, I couldn't help it. We've been in a power of trouble and -trib'lation ever since them rich folks down to Washington sent for us -to go and fight their war for 'em, and then went and made laws against -shooting deer and ketching trout, and we've got pretty well riled up. -What do you think we had best do?"</p> - -<p>"Nab them boys fust an' foremost," said the squatter emphatically. -"That's the fust thing; then, after I have had my satisfaction outen -'em, by tyin' 'em to a tree an' larrupin' 'em with hickories, like I -would have done with that there pizen Joe Wayring if them friends of -his'n hadn't come up an' rescooed him—after I've done all that, I'll -take a day off an' think what we'll do next. One thing is sartin: them -boys must not be let go out of these mountings till their mouths has -been shut about the Buster band in some way or 'nuther."</p> - -<p>"Ketching of 'em is going to be the hardest part of the whole -business," remarked Spence. "They skum along right peart after we let -them go, and I b'lieve they are plumb outen the mountings by this time. -If they are—"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</a></span></p> - -<p>"But they ain't, I tell you," Matt Coyle interposed. "It don't lay in -no steam injun, let alone a bisickle, to get outen these mountings -betwixt five o'clock an' dark. They're camped summers between here -an' Ogden, an' all we've got to do is to circle round to our usual -lookin'-out place an' stay there till we see 'em comin'; then we'll run -down an' stop 'em. When I get my hands onto 'em they'd best watch out, -fur I feel jest like poundin' 'em plumb to death to pay'em fur stickin' -that innercent ole woman of mine in jail. An' the boys too; the very -best, honestest an' hardest workin' boys that any pap ever had. They're -likewise shut up all along of that pizen Joe Wayring an' his rich -friends."</p> - -<p>These words were followed by the strangest sounds the boys had ever -heard. If they had not known Matt Coyle as well as they did, they would -have been sure he was crying.</p> - -<p>All this while the men (and there seemed to be a large party of them) -had been taking turns drinking at the brook; and having quenched -their thirst they started on again with a common impulse, not along -the road,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</a></span> but up the stream on whose right-hand bank the boys were -encamped. There could be no doubt of it, for there was no longer any -crunching of gravel under the heels of their heavy boots, but the -bushes snapped and swayed, and the voices came more distinctly to their -ears. Matt Coyle was the one who did most of the talking. He did not -seem to take his failure to wreck the train so very much to heart, -but he bewailed the loss of his dogs, whose good qualities could not -be enumerated by any one man, and asked who would warn him now if the -officers came to his shanty some dark night to arrest him.</p> - -<p>"They are coming this way as sure as the world," whispered Roy, drawing -his feet closer to him and placing an elbow on each knee so that he -could have a dead rest with his rifle. "Why don't the fools stick to -the road? It's easier walking there than it is in the bushes."</p> - -<p>"This is no doubt a short cut to their hiding-place," replied Joe. -"Stand together, fellows, and we'll show them what we are made of. -We'll give them fair warning, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</a></span> if they are foolish enough to -disregard it, they will have to take the consequences."</p> - -<p>"That's what's the matter," whispered Arthur, cautiously moving a -little closer to his friends. "I'm afraid, but I'll never be tied to a -tree and whipped; they can bet on that."</p> - -<p>I can not begin to tell you how frightened I was as I stood there and -listened to the voices and footsteps of those desperate men who were -every minute drawing nearer to our place of concealment. Remember, I -was utterly helpless. However good my will may have been, I did not -possess the power to do the first thing to aid my master in the fight -which I firmly believed would be commenced in less than ten seconds. -And bear another thing in mind: If the young wheelmen were found there, -and were overpowered and taken captive, the shooting of Matt Coyle's -worthless dogs was not the only thing for which they would be punished. -They knew Matt's secret. They knew that he and some of his party had -tried to wreck a train. They had talked about it where the boys could -plainly hear every word they uttered. Of course Matt would know it, if -he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</a></span> found them there in the bushes, and what would he do? How would -he go to work to "shut up their mouths," as he had spoken of doing? -I assure you this thought was enough to make even my steel nerves -shake; and I believe it must have passed through Joe Wayring's mind and -frightened him, for I heard him say, in a scarcely audible whisper:</p> - -<p>"It's do or die, fellows. That villain will be wild with rage if he -learns that we heard all he said to Dave Daily. If the worst must come, -be sure of your man before you shoot."</p> - -<p>That moment's terrible suspense is something I never shall forget; then -the reaction came, and I felt as if I were going to fall in a heap -like a piece of wet rope. There was a tolerably well-beaten path along -the bank of the brook, but it was on the other side. Dave Daily and -his gang of villains followed it, and that was all that saved us. If -there had been a spark of fire on our side the brook as big as the end -of your finger, I should have had a different story to tell. I was so -confused that I could not pay any attention to their conversation, but -I counted them as they passed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</a></span> along in Indian file, and when at last -they were out of hearing and Roy Sheldon spoke, I knew his count agreed -with mine.</p> - -<p>"Thirteen," was all he said; and then he lay down on his blanket and -probably looked as nerveless as I felt.</p> - -<p>"And at least half of them must have been with Matt," added Arthur -Hastings. "I know it took six or seven men to roll that bowlder out of -the ditch and place it on the track. Great Scott! Wasn't that a narrow -escape!"</p> - -<p>"I'd like to know how we shall come out to-morrow," said Joe, -anxiously. "That 'looking-out place' that Matt spoke of must command a -view of the road along which we will have to go to get to Ogden, and if -we do not mind what we are about, Matt will meet and stop us there."</p> - -<p>This was another thing the young wheelmen had to worry over, and -taken in connection with the vivid recollection of the exciting scene -through which they had just passed, it effectually banished sleep from -their eyes for the rest of the night. And daylight was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</a></span> long time -coming, as it always is when anxiously waited and watched for. They ate -breakfast as they had eaten supper—in the dark—and when the birds -began singing picked up their wheels and struck out for the road, which -they found to be quite as bad as it looked on the previous evening. -The first hill they encountered was a hard one, as they knew it was -going to be, and when they gained the top they had to go down again on -the other side. Of course the woods were about as dark as they could -be, and it was anything but pleasant for the leading boy to feel his -way while trundling his wheel beside him. But the fear of Matt Coyle's -wrath and the hope of passing his "looking-out place" before the sun -arose, drove them on, and to such good purpose that, by the time they -could see to ride, they found themselves on a smooth, well-traveled -highway. They did not stop to ask one another whether or not it was the -road they wanted to find. It led away from the mountains, and that was -all they cared to know.</p> - -<p>"Away we go on our wheels, boys," sang<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</a></span> Joe; and suiting the action to -the word he sprang into his saddle and set out at a lively pace. "Now, -Matt Coyle, come on. It would take a better horse than you ever did or -ever will own to stop us."</p> - -<p>"But a stick thrown into the road might do the business for us," -suggested Roy.</p> - -<p>"You don't suppose Matt knows that, do you?" said Arthur. "Does anybody -see anything that looks as though it might be used for a lookout -station?"</p> - -<p>Nobody did. There was nothing to be seen but a cultivated field on the -right hand, a thickly wooded hill-side on the left, and a farm house -in the distance. True there was a high, bald peak a little to the left -of the hill over which the road disappeared, but it was all of ten or -fifteen miles away, and a man stationed on its summit would have needed -a good glass to make us out. At least that was what Joe Wayring said, -and then he dismissed all fears of Matt Coyle from his mind, and made -a motion with his hand as if to throw open the breech of his pocket -rifle, which he had thus far carried in readiness for any emergency -that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</a></span> might arise, and remove the cartridge; but, on reflection, he -decided to wait a little longer. It was lucky he did so, and that his -companions followed his example.</p> - -<p>If the Buster band really had a "looking-out place" anywhere within -sight of the road I don't know it, but I do know that by taking short -cuts through the mountains they managed to reach the highway in -advance of us, for when we reached the top of the hill of which I have -spoken, and the wheelmen were about to stow the rifles in their cases -preparatory to a coast, Matt Coyle and Dave Daily suddenly stepped -out of a thicket on one side of the road, and as many more ruffians -arose from behind the fence on the other. They were about thirty yards -away, and although all except Matt carried guns in their hands, I was -relieved to see that there was not a club or stone among them. They -supposed that all they had to do was to form across the road, call upon -the boys to halt, and they would be obeyed.</p> - -<p>"Them's the fellers—the very chaps I've been a-lookin' fur," yelled -the squatter, shaking his fists in the air and striking up a war-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</a></span>dance -in the middle of the road. "Now I'll have the whole on you, an' there -won't be nobody to interfere when I—"</p> - -<p>"Full speed, boys," said Joe, in a low tone. "Hold fast to your guns -and be ready to stop if anybody gets unhorsed. It's our only chance. -Get out of the way," he cried, flourishing his cocked rifle above his -head with one hand while he guided me with the other. "Get out of the -way or we will run you down. If we strike you, you are dead men."</p> - -<p>It never occurred to Matt and Dave to ask each other what would become -of the boys themselves if their headlong progress were suddenly -stopped, and neither did they linger to try the experiment. The three -Columbias fairly whistled through the air; and when Matt saw that his -peremptory orders to halt were disregarded, and that we were charging -down upon him with apparently irresistible force, he scuttled out of -the way with the greatest haste, and Dave Daily, the terrible man who -hid in the woods and shot at officers unawares, was not an inch behind -him.</p> - -<p>"Look out for them pop-guns," he yelled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Yes, look out for them," shouted Arthur. "They're death on all sorts -of varmints."</p> - -<p>In less time than it takes to tell it the danger was over. Moving -abreast and going at almost railroad speed we flew down the hill, and -the way was clear. I caught just one glimpse of Matt Coyle's scowling -and astonished face as we sped by, and that was the first and last time -I ever saw him. After that I did not wonder that my master and his -friends were resolved to fight to the death and take any risks rather -than fall into his power, for if I ever saw an evil face I saw it then. -But the man who carried it around with him was a coward, and so was -the leader of the Buster band, who was afraid of the pocket rifles. If -those handy little weapons had brought their owners into difficulty, -they had also assisted in getting them out of it.</p> - -<p>Being afraid to apply the brakes the boys regulated their speed with -the pedals as well as they could, and when the foot of the hill was -reached they stopped and looked behind them. There was no one in sight.</p> - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus4.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> -<p class="caption"> <span class="smcap">The Run for Safety.</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</a></span></p> - -<p>"That was another tight squeak," said Roy, holding fast to his wheel -with one hand and fanning himself with the other, as he always did when -a halt was made, "and nothing but Matt's ignorance and Dave's brought -us through. Well, I don't know that we are to blame if they didn't have -sense enough to throw something in the road in front of us."</p> - -<p>The excitement for that day was all over now, and I was very glad of -it. The road being good and the coasting places frequent, we bowled -along at a lively pace, and at four o'clock in the afternoon rode -into the village of Ogden, where we halted for the night. One of the -loungers on the porch was reading aloud from a weekly paper which had -but just arrived with news that was no news to city people by this -time. Of course the work of the train-wreckers was given a prominent -place, as well as a lengthy notice. As I leaned against the porch and -listened, I asked myself what those loungers would have said if some -one had told them that the three dusty boys who had just disappeared -through the door<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</a></span>way were the ones who brought the efforts of the -train-wreckers to naught. Roy and Arthur respected Joe's wishes, and -never, in any one's hearing, spoke of what he had done that night.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.</p> - - -<p class="drop">F<span class="uppercase">rom</span> the morning Joe Wayring and his friends left Ogden up to the time -they wheeled over the old familiar road that led into Mount Airy, not -a single thing happened to mar the pleasure of their trip. I do not -mean to say that the roads were always good, or that they were never -weather-bound; for those petty annoyances fall to the lot of every -tourist, he expects them, and knows how to make the best of them. But -they found no more train-wreckers along the route, nor were there any -Buster bands or Matt Coyles to be afraid of. They spent many a night -in camp; their pocket rifles brought them all the young squirrels -they cared to eat; they encountered tramps on nearly every mile of -the way, and although they never had the least trouble with these -social outcasts, they listened to a story from the lips of two of them -that interested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</a></span> them exceedingly, and proved to Roy Sheldon's entire -satisfaction that the clear-sighted Joe Wayring had hit pretty close to -the mark when he declared that Roy's presence aboard the White Squall -had not been brought about by accident.</p> - -<p>Their destination was Plymouth, a little sea-port town situated on -a bay of the same name. They spent a day roaming about the wharves, -looking at everything there was to be seen, especially the ships, -which would hardly have attracted more than a passing notice from -them, had it not been for Roy's experience in New London harbor. They -went aboard of one, looked all over it, marveled at its strength and -more at the power of the winds and waves which could so easily make a -wreck of man's best handiwork. They turned up their noses at the dingy -forecastle, smelling of tar and bilgewater, and wondered how any one -could bring himself to bunk in it during a long voyage.</p> - -<p>"I would much rather sleep on a bed of hemlock boughs," said Joe, "and -go out in the morning and catch my own breakfast from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</a></span> sparkling -waters of a lake or brook, and serve it up on a piece of clean bark. If -I had been in love with the sea when I came here, I would be all over -it now."</p> - -<p>"It's rough, isn't it?" said Roy, as he and his companions went down -the gang-plank to the wharf; and he trembled all over when he thought -how near he had come to being carried to distant countries against his -will. "The little I saw of a sailor's life while I was on the White -Squall convinced me that the officers are more to be dreaded than the -forecastle. They can be as brutal as they please when they are out of -sight of land, and there's no law to touch them."</p> - -<p>"There's law enough," answered Joe, "but the trouble is, a sailor man -can't use it. Suppose he has the officers of his vessel arrested for -cruelty while he has the rest of the crew at hand to prove it against -them. They are put under bonds, but the case is postponed on one -pretext or another, and while that is being done, how is Jack going -to live? Of course the minute he gets ashore he makes haste to spend -his wages, and when his last dollar is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</a></span> gone what recourse has he but -to ship for another voyage? Then the case is called, and there being -no one to prosecute, the captain and his mates are discharged and go -aboard their vessel to play the same game over again."</p> - -<p>"That's about the way those light-ship men put it when I threatened to -have Captain Jack punished for kidnapping me," said Roy. "That may be -law, but it isn't justice. I wonder where the White Squall and Tony and -Bob are now."</p> - -<p>"I shouldn't think you would care," replied Arthur. "I know I shouldn't -if I had been treated as you have."</p> - -<p>"I don't much care what becomes of the ship and her officers, but I am -sorry for the crew. I tell you that Tony and Bob were shanghaied the -same as I was."</p> - -<p>Becoming weary of Plymouth and its surroundings at last, the boys took -the road again, this time with their faces turned toward Mount Airy. -They went back by a different route, as they intended to do when they -set out; but they had another reason for it now. Money<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[Pg 379]</a></span> would not have -hired them to return across the mountains and take their chances of -capture by Matt Coyle and the Buster band. Now that they could think -over their adventures with calmness, they were surprised at the ease -with which they had slipped through those ruffians' fingers. They knew -they couldn't do it again, and they would have gone home by rail rather -than try the mountain route a second time. There was one thing about -it, Arthur repeatedly declared: The man who wrote their guide-book must -be posted so that he could warn wheelmen to keep away from Glen's Falls -until the mischief-making squatter and his new allies had been arrested -and lodged in jail.</p> - -<p>On the afternoon of the second day after leaving Plymouth, the boys -came suddenly upon a couple of tramps who had halted under the shade -of a tree by the road-side to eat the bread and meat they had begged -at the nearest farmhouse. But these men were not like the other tramps -they had seen. They were sailors on the face of them, and looked out of -place there in the country so far from salt water. Roy Sheldon was sure -there was something<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[Pg 380]</a></span> familiar about them, and hardly knowing why he did -so, he called out, as he moved past them, "Bob, Tony," whereupon the -men jumped to their feet and stared hard at him without saying a word. -They were evidently frightened, and would have taken to their heels if -they had seen the least chance for escape.</p> - -<p>"I declare, I believe they are Tony and Bob," said Roy, who was utterly -amazed at the effect his words had produced upon the tramps; and -turning about, he rode back to the tree under which they stood. "How in -the name of all that's wonderful did you get stranded here?"</p> - -<p>"Is—is it Rowe Shelly?" one of the men managed to ask.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir, they are Tony and Bob," exclaimed Roy, getting off his wheel -and nodding at his companions. "Dusty as they are, I know them. What's -the matter?" he added, as the men began backing away as if they did -not want him to come any nearer. "You are not afraid of me, are you? I -am not a ghost, and neither am I Rowe Shelly, although my name sounds -somewhat like his, and I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</a></span> been told that I look like him. I am a -different boy altogether. Now let's have the straight of this thing -before we go any farther. I saw you carried to sea on the White Squall. -How did you escape from her, and where is she now?"</p> - -<p>"At the bottom of the ocean," replied one of the men; and the boys -thought from the way he spoke he was glad to be able to say it.</p> - -<p>"At the bottom of—" began Roy, incredulously. "Serves her just right. -She had no business to—but everything goes to show that you took me -aboard of her on purpose to have me kidnapped. What have you to say -about it? Sit down and eat your dinner. You can talk just as well, and -you act as though you were very hungry."</p> - -<p>"So we are, sir," said the one whom Roy had picked out, and who he -afterward addressed as Tony. "We never done such a thing before, sir, -but we had to come to it. It's no use trying to hide the truth any -longer, for it has come out on us. Yes, sir; me and Bob did take you -aboard that ship on purpose."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</a></span></p> - -<p>"There, now," cried Joe, indignantly, while Arthur Hastings looked and -acted as though he wanted to light.</p> - -<p>"But what object did you have in doing it?" continued Roy. "Who put you -up to it—Willis?"</p> - -<p>"He's the very chap, sir: but we've been punished for it, and we hope—"</p> - -<p>"You've nothing whatever to fear from me, if that is what you want to -say," interposed Roy, who was impatient to get at the bottom of what -was to him a deep mystery. "You know how I got away, and here I am, -safe and sound. Your actions proved that you did not think you were -going to be shanghaied yourselves—what are you looking for?"</p> - -<p>"You're right we didn't know it, sir," answered Tony, who pulled out -his ditty-bag, and after a little fumbling in it drew forth a piece of -soiled paper which he handed to Roy. "That, sir, is the letter I took -to Cap'n Jack that night. If I had only known what was writ onto it, me -and Bob would have kept clear of that ship, you may be sare. The cap'n -dropped it on deck shortly after you went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</a></span> overboard, and I made bold -to pick it up without saying a word to him about it. I thought it would -come handy some day. Read it for yourself, sir, and you will see that -me and Bob was innocent of any intention of doing the least harm to -you, sir."</p> - -<p>"Didn't you know that I was going to be kidnapped?" exclaimed Roy, -almost fiercely. "You did. Everything goes to prove it; but you thought -you could get me into trouble and slip off the ship without getting -into trouble yourselves."</p> - -<p>"Not a bit of it, sir," said Tony, with so much earnestness that Roy -was almost ready to believe him. "Read that paper, and then I will tell -you just what was said and done in my house on the beach while you was -fast asleep up-stairs."</p> - -<p>The letter, which bore neither date nor signature, ran as follows:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Captain Jack Rowan</span>:—Knowing that you have been delayed -nearly three weeks waiting for a crew, I send you three men who, I -think, will be of use to you. Two of them used to be sailors, but the -other is green and will have to be broken in. Ask no questions, but -take them along.</p> - -<p> -<span class="smcap">A Friend.</span>"<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</a></span></p> - -<p>Roy Sheldon was so surprised that he could not speak again immediately. -He leaned his wheel against the tree, looked first at Tony and then at -his friends, and finally sat down on a convenient bowlder.</p> - -<p>"Seems to me that there letter clears me and Bob of everything except -taking you aboard the White Squall when we didn't want to do it," said -Tony, after a pause. "We was as innocent as babbies of what happened -afterwards."</p> - -<p>"If you didn't want to do it what made you?" demanded Joe.</p> - -<p>This brought Tony to the story he had to tell; and as I believe I can -make it clearer to you than he did to Joe and his friends, I will tell -it in my own language.</p> - -<p>Rowe Shelly's guardian, who was fond of the water, kept a swift -sailing-vessel as well as a steam yacht, and Tony and Bob Bradley -belonged to it. The colonel furnished them a house, gave them regular -employment during the yachting season, and in the winter time permitted -them to make what money they could by shooting water-fowl at the lower -end of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</a></span> island for the New London markets. They knew nothing -whatever of the colonel's private affairs. They had heard a good many -rumors.</p> - -<p>"I want to say a word right there," interrupted Roy. "Where did those -rumors come from?"</p> - -<p>The boys had seated themselves on the ground on each side of the -sailors, who ate their dinner as they talked. Tony acted as spokesman, -but his brother jogged his memory with a word now and then. The former -could not say where the rumors came from, but the mischief was all done -by an old sailor, who settled on one of the uninhabited islands in the -harbor and went to fishing for a livelihood. Rowe Shelly chanced to run -athwart his hawse one day while sailing about in his boat. He talked -with the old fellow for more than two hours, and when he came home he -exploded a bomb-shell in his guardian's ear. In other words, he told -the colonel that there was no relationship between them; that he had -no business with the money he was squandering; that his father had not -been lost at sea, as the colonel affirmed; that he was still alive, -and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</a></span> so was his mother; that they lived in Chelsea, Maryland; and that -he was going to them as soon as he could get off the island.</p> - -<p>"I know that was a sassy way for him to talk to the man who had always -been so good to him, seeing that he hadn't no better evidence than an -old sailor-man's unsupported word to back him up," said Tony, "but the -way the colonel acted satisfied Rowe at once that there was more'n a -grain of truth in what he had heard. The first thing he done was to -take away the boy's boat, and shut him up on the island as close as if -it had been a jail, and his second, to get rid of the fisherman. How he -done it nobody seems to know; but he wasn't never seen again, nuther by -Rowe Shelly nor nobody else. But the mischief had been done, and the -first thing we knowed, Rowe Shelly couldn't be found. How he got off -the island nobody couldn't tell, but he and his bisickle was gone. They -was gone for more'n two weeks; but Willis, who acts like he was as big -a man on the island as the colonel himself, follered him up and ketched -him with the help of detectives."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</a></span></p> - -<p>"How did this fisherman happen to know so much about Rowe's father and -mother?" inquired Arthur.</p> - -<p>"He was shipmates with 'em; lived next door to them in some town down -South," replied Tony. "He knowed the little boy, Rowe Shelly, and used -to trot him on his knee and tell him stories of furrin parts, and he -knowed well enough that there was some sort o' hocus-pocus about it, -or the colonel wouldn't never had that money the old grandfather left. -You see it sorter hurt the old feller when Cap'n Shelly, who was his -only child, married a widder with a growed-up son against his will, -and it hurt him, too, to have the cap'n keep on going to sea when he -didn't want him to; and so he said that the cap'n shouldn't never have -a red cent of his money. But when Grandfather Shelly found that he'd -got to pass in his checks, and that the dark river was waiting for him, -he gives in and willed all the money to the cap'n, provided he would -settle down on shore."</p> - -<p>When this happened, as you have already heard, Captain Shelly was at -sea. His ship,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</a></span> the Mary Ann Tolliver, was lost, and as nothing was -heard from him or any of the crew everybody supposed that all hands -had been lost with her. This was the opportunity for the rascally -step-son, and straightway he was up and doing. With his mother's full -and free consent he was appointed Rowe's guardian and administrator of -the property that had fallen to him, and then he was in clover. Finding -that the boy's mother was in his way, and that she was strenuously -opposed to any squandering of Rowe's money, he proceeded to rid himself -of her presence. He did not exactly turn her out of doors, as Rowe -thought he did, but he <i>lost</i> her—sent her away on a visit, and when -she returned he wasn't to be found. He and Rowe were in Europe, and -there they stayed until the guardian thought she had had ample time to -die or forget him. Then he came back, bought an island in New London -harbor, so that he could not readily be intruded upon and Rowe could -not easily slip out of his grasp if he wanted to, and set himself up -for a gentleman of wealth and leisure.</p> - -<p>In the mean time Captain Shelly and some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</a></span> of his men, who had been -picked up and carried to some distant port, returned, and the captain -and his wife were reunited; but the former, being broken in health and -spirits and ruined financially (every dollar he owned in the world went -down with his ship), did not and could not make any very persevering -effort to find out what had become of his scapegrace step-son and the -little boy who was worse than orphaned. After a year or two spent -in useless search he gave them up for lost; but others interested -themselves in the matter, not for the purpose of aiding in restoring -Captain Shelly to his rights, but simply to benefit their own pockets, -and two of them, who succeeded in learning enough to keep Rowe's -guardian in constant fear of exposure, were Willis and his son, Benny, -who were given a home and paying situations on the island.</p> - -<p>"If that isn't the biggest piece of villainy I ever heard of I wouldn't -say so," exclaimed Joe, his face flushing with honest indignation. "Did -you ever talk to Rowe Shelly about these things?"</p> - -<p>"Who? Me?" cried Tony, in surprise.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</a></span> "Not by a great sight, sir. If I -had, I would have been bundled off that there island so quick that I -couldn't have told what my name was. I had a good home, and didn't want -to lose it by meddling in things that didn't concern me."</p> - -<p>"Well, your story agrees with the one Rowe told us on the night our -friend was kidnapped and taken to the island, and I, for one, am -inclined to believe it."</p> - -<p>"I give it to you, sir, just as I got it," answered Tony. "You asked -what them rumors was that we heard, and I have told you. If there -wasn't no truth in 'em, what made the colonel act as he did—take the -boy's boat away from him and keep him close about home, with orders to -all of us from Willis to watch out for him?"</p> - -<p>"That also confirms Rowe's story," said Arthur. "You know he told us he -thought every one on the island was hired to keep an eye on him. We are -all satisfied so far," he continued, turning to the old sailor. "Now, -go ahead and tell us how you came to take Roy Sheldon over to that ship -when you didn't want to?"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</a></span></p> - -<p>"Me and Bob never served aboard that ship till we was shanghaied on -her," answered Tony, "but we had heard enough about her to make our -hair stand on end. She was so rotten in some places that you could -jab a knife into her timbers the whole length of the blade, and the -companies wouldn't put a cent of insurance on her, and nobody but such -reckless men as Cap'n Jack and his mates would sail on her. They got -good pay for doing it, and for shipping crews against their will and -holding a still tongue about the vessel's condition. But she's gone -now," said Tony, rubbing his horny hands together almost gleefully, -"and nobody will ever be fooled with her again. She sprung a leak in -less'n half a gale 'bout two hunderd miles off the Cape, and went down -like a log spite of all we could do at the pumps. We kept her afloat -for seventy-two hours, and just as we were nigh going down, the brig -Sarah West took us off and brung us into Plymouth."</p> - -<p>"Where are you going now?" asked Roy.</p> - -<p>"Back to the island where our families is," replied Tony. "We ain't got -no place else to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</a></span> go, but we ain't going to stay there. We'll take our -dunnage and go somewheres else, for fear that the island may sink into -the harbor with such men aboard of it. We dassent stay there no longer. -If Rowe has got safe off, knowing what he does, he'll kick up a row -there, and if they'll let me into court, I'd just like to shove this -paper at the judge and ask him will he take a squint at it, if he wants -to see what sort of a landshark that man Willis is. We are powerful -glad to see you again," he added, extending his hand to Roy, who shook -it cordially, "and to know you didn't come to no harm all along of our -taking you aboard the White Squall."</p> - -<p>After this Tony went on with his story, to which, in order to make it -plain to you, I will add a few things that he did not know. They came -out months afterward, but this is the place to speak of them.</p> - -<p>Although the housekeeper and all the people who were on the jetty when -the yacht arrived were willing to believe that Roy Sheldon was really -Rowe Shelly, Willis himself was perfectly well satisfied that he and -Babcock had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</a></span> made the biggest kind of a blunder. The question was: -How should he get out of his difficulty? Willis looked everywhere for -Benny, who was his right-hand man in all emergencies; but that worthy -had gone over to the city that afternoon, and would probably return -on a hired tug some time in the morning. You will remember that while -Mrs. Moffatt was talking to Roy, and urging him to let her send up -a lunch to that he might have a bite handy in case he became hungry -before morning, the superintendent paced the room lost in thought. As -he looked at the matter, it was absolutely necessary that Roy should -be got rid of before daylight, and so effectually that no trace of him -could be discovered. The superintendent's first thought was to drug -him, put him into a boat, and shove him out into the harbor in time for -the storm, which was already muttering in the distance, to blow him -to sea. But that would involve too many risks of a rescue, and Willis -at last decided to hold to his original plan and "take Tony into his -confidence."</p> - -<p>When he went downstairs with Mrs. Moffatt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</a></span> he left the house and -hurried to Tony's cabin on the beach.</p> - -<p>"The minute he come into the door I knew there was something the matter -of him," said the sailor, "for I had never seen him look so queer and -wild before; but how he ever made out to pull the wool over my eyes -and Bob's as he done by the ridikilis tale he told us, is something I -can't now get through my head. Nuther can Bob, and we've talked about -it a hunderd times or more. Seems now that we'd oughter known it wasn't -so, but we didn't. 'Boys,' says he, mighty soft and palavering like, -but all the while acting as though there wasn't nothing wrong, 'I want -you to do something for me. Two weeks ago Cap'n Jack Rowan of the White -Squall borrered five hundred dollars of the old man (that was Colonel -Shelly, you know), and the old man told me to be sure and get it of him -before he sailed. While I was in the city I got a letter from the cap'n -stating that if I would send for the money to-night, I could have it; -so I want you and Bob to take Rowe and go and get it. I'll give him an -order for it. Be lively, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</a></span> there'll be a gale on in an hour or so.' -That was what Willis said to me and Bob; and although we didn't much -like the idee of going aboard the White Squall, knowing what sort of a -chap Cap'n Jack was, we told him we'd go, like a couple of fools. 'All -right,' says he. 'You get the boat ready, and I'll go and tell Rowe to -hurry up. But mind, you mustn't say one word to him where you're going. -If you do, he'll stay ashore and I won't get that money.' And then what -does that old scamp do," exclaimed Tony, with rising indignation, "but -run up to the house and write this here letter to Cap'n Jack, telling -him that here was three men for him, and he'd best take us along -without asking no questions."</p> - -<p>"Then he came into the room where I was and told me a funny story, -too," said Roy, who was listening with all his ears. "I should like to -know who came in with him, and what the pair of them would have done if -I had not awakened just as I did."</p> - -<p>"I guess it was Benny," said Bob; and he guessed right. "Them two is -both tarred with the same stick."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</a></span></p> - -<p>Benny was ashore, as I told you, and by the merest chance met the -detective Babcock, who made a clean breast of the whole business; -whereupon Benny hired a tug, and started for home. By the time he got -there he was as frightened as was his father, whom he met setting out -for Tony's house.</p> - -<p>"You needn't waste words with me," said the dutiful son, the minute he -saw that his sire was about to begin a lengthy explanation. "I saw Bab, -and he told me all about it. You are a pretty pair, I must say. Who is -this chap who looks so much like Rowe, and what are you going to do -with him?"</p> - -<p>"His name is Roy Sheldon, and he is a Mount Airy wheelman," replied -Willis. "I am going to send him to sea on the White Squall."</p> - -<p>"The very plan I had in my own head," said Benny, approvingly. "Who's -going to take him there?"</p> - -<p>"I thought of asking Tony and Bob. I'll offer—"</p> - -<p>"Don't offer them a cent," interrupted Benny. "Tell them to go and get -five hun<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</a></span>dred dollars that Cap'n Jack borrowed of the old man, and send -this wheelman along as Rowe Shelly, to get it. Understand?"</p> - -<p>No; the superintendent did not quite grasp his son's meaning, and he -was afraid Roy might not be willing to personate Rowe Shelly. It took -Benny a long time to explain, but he succeeded at last, and then he -asked his father if there was not some way in which he could get a -glimpse of Roy so that he could satisfy himself that a mistake had been -made. This was the way he came to be introduced into the presence of -the young wheelman, who was fast asleep. The moment Benny's eyes rested -upon the boy's face he knew he had never seen him before.</p> - -<p>"You've done it as sure as the world," said he, in a savage whisper. -"Get rid of him. Send him to the White Squall, and have Tony and Bob -shanghaied at the same time, or they will get you into deeper trouble. -Wake him up, tell him you have found out who he is, and say that you're -going to send him back to his friends. In that way you can get him off -without any fuss, and—"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</a></span></p> - -<p>Just then Roy stirred in his sleep, and Benny took to his heels, barely -having time to close the door behind him before the boy was wide-awake.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></p> - -<p class="center">CONCLUSION.</p> - - -<p class="drop">"B<span class="uppercase">enny</span> is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain. "If you was -to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em -would come out first for meanness. That's our story, sir. You know what -happened after we got aboard the White Squall."</p> - -<p>"What did Willis mean when he called you off on one side saying that he -had an order for you?" inquired Roy. "Did he want me to believe that he -was about to send you to the city for goods?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what he meant you should believe; he jest wanted to give -me a few parting instructions. He said you didn't much like the idee of -going out in that wind, and that if you raised a fuss about it after we -got started, we must quiet you by saying that we dassent turn around -for fear of a capsize.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</a></span> He said, furder, that we mustn't talk to you -more'n we could help, for you'd kick if you found you was going aboard -the White Squall. He said you had the order for the money in your -pocket, and what was writ on the paper he give me was meant to hurry -Cap'n Jack up, so't we could get back to the island before the wind riz -any higher. But t'wasn't no such thing," continued Tony, wrathfully. -"It told Cap'n Jack to take us to sea and say nothing about it."</p> - -<p>"And were you stupid enough to believe that our friend Roy was Rowe -Shelly? You stood within arm's-length of him, and it looks to me as -if you ought to have seen at a glance that it wasn't any one you -knew," said Arthur, forgetting that he had once stood within less than -arm's-length of Rowe Shelly, and never suspected that he wasn't Roy -Sheldon until he had come pretty near being thrown on his head.</p> - -<p>"We never knew the difference," said Tony, earnestly, "for the reason -that we didn't know there was anything wrong. We knew Rowe had run -away, and as me and Bob supposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_401" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</a></span> that he had been ketched and brung -back, like he was before, we didn't ask no questions. Of course we -thought it was Rowe that we were going to take off to the ship after -that money, and why should we not? How could we tell one from t'other -when the night was so dark, and they were both dressed alike and the -wind blowed so loud that we couldn't re<i>cog</i>nize his voice?"</p> - -<p>"What did you think when you saw him jump into the harbor?" inquired -Joe.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, we was scared to death, and there isn't no manner of sense -in saying we wasn't. We wouldn't never dared to show our faces in New -London again if I hadn't found this letter, 'cause we'd been afraid -that we might be tooken up for trying to make way with Rowe, though -Lord knows we wouldn't a raised a finger against him. What's writ onto -this here paper will clear us, won't it, sir?"</p> - -<p>"I think it will; but if you need any more evidence, drop a line to me. -I will give you my address," said Roy. "What made you back away from me -when I got off my wheel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_402" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</a></span> and walked toward you? Did you think I was a -ghost?"</p> - -<p>"I ain't quite sure that there is such things as ghosts in the world," -replied Tony, "though in my time I've talked to more'n one who has seen -'em; but wouldn't you feel kinder oneasy under them circumstances? We -took you aboard the ship a purpose, like we told you, but we didn't do -it to get you used like you was."</p> - -<p>"Then you knew that ship was the White Squall, and that she was not -going into the harbor for shelter?" said Joe.</p> - -<p>"Course we did, sir. What would any craft want to run from a fair -sailing wind like that for? We knew she was going to sea, and was in -a hurry to get you aboard so't you could get the money we thought you -wanted. We thought it kinder queer 'cause you didn't give the cap'n -the order when I give him the letter, but we didn't mistrust anything -till we seen you go overboard. Of course we knew before that, that we -had all been shanghaied; but what I mean is, that we never mistrusted -till then that mebbe you wasn't Rowe Shelly.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_403" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</a></span> We didn't think he'd have -the pluck to jump overboard, for he isn't much of a boy for going a -swimming. When we was running into Plymouth some of them Bethel fellers -flung a lot of papers aboard of us, and me and Bob happened to get hold -of one that told us all about it, only it didn't say anything about -Rowe Shelly. Ain't your name Peter Smith?"</p> - -<p>"Not much," replied Roy, with a laugh. "But I am the fellow who jumped -overboard, all the same. Now, what induced you two to tramp back to New -London instead of shipping on some vessel that would take you there?"</p> - -<p>"There are two reasons for it," answered Tony. "In the first place, -there wasn't no ship in port that was going where we wanted to go; -and in the next, we've had enough of the water and thought we'd like -to stay on shore for a spell. You see, we ain't by no means as young -as we used to be, and can't stand the hard knocks as well. We never -got a blow after we was drove for'ard that night, 'cause we know what -a sailor man's duty is and we done it; but them was a rough lot of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_404" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</a></span> -officers, I tell you. Do you know where Rowe Shelly is now?"</p> - -<p>"I am sorry to say we don't," replied Arthur. "We hoped to hear from -him before this time, but if he has written us, the letter hasn't -caught up with us. But we can tell you one thing: when you get back to -the island you'll not find matters as they were when you left. My two -friends here saw Rowe, mistook him for me just as Willis and Babcock -mistook me for Rowe, had a long talk with him, and put some ideas into -his head. Colonel Shelly will have to give up Rowe's money and get out -of that—you'll see; and if Captain Shelly is still alive, he will come -to that island and take possession."</p> - -<p>Joe Wayring and his friends spent the best part of the afternoon in -Tony's company and Bob's, and did not take leave of them until they -had learned as much of Rowe Shelly's history as the men were able to -tell them. They also asked after Captain Jack; but that worthy and his -mates had disappeared the moment the Sarah West had reached the wharf -at Plymouth, and Tony could not say where they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_405" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</a></span> were. No doubt they -had gone to New London on the cars, while the foremast hands, having -no money at their command, had to ship again as soon as they could, -or turn tramps for a season as Tony and Bob had done. Roy gave them -his address, advised them to use all the means in their power to open -communication with Rowe when they reached the city, and stand by to aid -him in getting his rights; and then he and his friends shared their -small stock of money with them, and once more turned their faces toward -Mount Airy.</p> - -<p>"Didn't I tell you that you were taken aboard the White Squall on -purpose?" said Joe, as they shot around the first bend in the road and -left the sailors out of sight. "I guess you are willing to believe it -now."</p> - -<p>"And I think you are equally willing to believe that I was right when -I said that Tony and Bob were shanghaied the same as I was," retorted -Roy. "That man Willis is a schemer from way back. I shall always think -that the easiest way for him to get out of his difficulty would have -been to send me ashore, as I thought he was going to do. I never would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_406" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</a></span> -have made him trouble, for up to the time I was sent aboard that ship I -was treated as well as I wanted to be."</p> - -<p>"I think Willis was afraid he would lose his situation if he told the -colonel that he had made a mistake, captured the wrong boy, and given -Rowe a chance to get away," said Arthur.</p> - -<p>"I don't see why he should be, for if I understand the situation, his -employer would not dare discharge him," continued Roy. "For some reason -or other Willis made up his mind that the only thing he could do was -to get rid of me; he was afraid to hire Tony and Bob to take me aboard -that ship and leave me there, for that would give them a hold upon him; -so he thought the best way was to get rid of the whole of us in a lump. -I will say this much for Willis: he came pretty near doing it. I felt -tolerable mad at Tony and Bob when you fellows suggested that they had -been hired to have me kidnapped, and here I've gone and divided my last -dollar with them."</p> - -<p>"And we felt just as angry at Rowe for getting you into a scrape, and -yet we are ready to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_407" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</a></span> stand by him," said Joe. "On the whole, I am -satisfied with what we have done on this trip."</p> - -<p>I thought he had reason to be. There was no one along the route who -knew what Joe had done to avert that railroad disaster, but the folks -at home had been posted before this time. On the day they left Plymouth -Arthur and Roy mailed the full details of Joe's "Wild Ride," but the -latter knew nothing of it until a week had passed, and they stopped -for the night at a railway station where they found their trunks and -a package of mail waiting for them. When Joe glanced at his mother's -letter beginning: "My dear boy, how could you do it? I am frightened -every time I think of it," and the first line of Uncle Joe's, which -ran: "I am proud of my brave namesake. You have covered yourself with -glory enough for one summer, and had better come home and relieve -your mother's anxiety," he knew just what had been going on, and -congratulated himself on having escaped return orders until his face -was toward Mount Airy. All he said to his friends was:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_408" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</a></span></p> - -<p>"You fellows spread ink a trifle too freely while we were in Plymouth. -If I had suspected it, I would have dropped the pair of you over the -end of the pier like a couple of kittens."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps that wouldn't have been so easy, either," replied Arthur. -"More than twenty days' steady wheeling has brought us a tolerable -muscle, I want you to remember. But what's the odds? It was bound to -come out, and Roy and I kept still about it until we were homeward -bound. When you write all you've got to do is to tell Uncle Joe we're -coming."</p> - -<p>Joe wrote that very night, and his letter contained a complete history -of Roy's doings in New London harbor, and told how Arthur had come near -getting them into serious trouble by shooting Matt Coyle's watch-dogs. -He omitted nothing, and when he finished, he flattered himself that -he had described the thing in language so graphic that Roy and Arthur -would be invited to expedite their return.</p> - -<p>The next time they came up with their letters, they also found papers -containing some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_409" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</a></span> surprising as well as gratifying intelligence. -Every man in the Buster band, including Matt Coyle and his gang of -train-wreckers, had been arrested and put under lock and key. Acting -upon the advice given him by the young wheelmen, Mr. Holmes had gone to -New London and identified his property; that is, the implements that -had been used to force that big rock from its bed and roll it upon the -track. It was by his suggestion (which in the first place came from one -of our three friends, as you will remember) that a couple of officers, -disguised as tramp hunters, came to Glen's Falls and proceeded to -"spot" every man they wanted. More strange tramps came in at intervals, -and when the officers, for that was what they really were, were nearly -equal in number to the law-breakers, they "corralled the whole business -and ran them in." To quote from Roy Sheldon, who was so highly excited -that he wanted to yell, it was a "pretty slick scheme," and by the time -Matt was through serving the sentence that would surely be passed upon -him, they would no longer stand in any fear of him, for they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_410" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</a></span> would be -big enough to punch his head if he didn't let them alone.</p> - -<p>"But I am really afraid our friend Bigden will see fun now," said Roy, -in conclusion. "If Matt gets half a chance he will tell all he knows."</p> - -<p>"I don't believe the things he did in the Indian Lake country will be -brought against him," said Joe. "He'll come in for trying to wreck the -train; and by the time he has been punished for that, he won't want to -get into any more scrapes."</p> - -<p>"And where will we come in? Look here, Bub," exclaimed Roy, shaking his -finger at Joe. "When you took that unworthy revenge upon Art and me, -and told your mother what we have done and suffered since we have been -on the road, you told her that we laid in the bushes and heard all Matt -and his fellow rascals had to say, didn't you? I thought as much. Well, -<i>that</i> will be sure to come out, with all the rest of the things, and -the last one of us will be <i>subp[oe]naed</i>. If any one of us spread ink -too freely, you are the man."</p> - -<p>"I didn't see Matt that night," protested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_411" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</a></span> Joe, "for it was so dark I -couldn't see anybody."</p> - -<p>"No matter, you heard his voice. You will be called upon to tell how -you knew it was his voice, and all that, and the first thing you know -there'll be something wormed out of you that you don't mean to tell."</p> - -<p>Joe Wayring did not like to think about that, but still he did not eat -or sleep any the less for fear of it. He enjoyed the homeward run and -so did his friends, for they had done what they set out to do, and more -too. They stopped for one night at the Lafayette House, and spent the -evening at the Academy of Music; but there was no detective waiting -to take one of them by the arm when they came out, and neither did -they meet any one who could give them any information concerning Rowe -Shelly. They sent a despatch to their parents, telling where they were, -and when they would be home, and the result was that about three miles -out of Mount Airy they found a delegation of wheelmen waiting for them. -Of course the drug-store crowd was not represented, but Tom Bigden and -his cousins<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_412" id="Page_412">[Pg 412]</a></span> were there. Joe thought he knew what Tom had come for, and -was made sure of it when Tom ranged alongside of him, after a short -halt had been made and the hand-shaking was over, and in a roundabout -way began making inquiries concerning Matt Coyle. Joe was sorry he -couldn't tell much about him, but he said enough to set Tom's fears at -rest. He declared—not as if he thought Tom had the least interest in -the matter, but merely as an item of news—that he would not prosecute -Matt for stealing his canoe or tying him to a tree, because he would -have enough to answer for when he was brought up for putting that rock -on the railroad track. Joe was not revengeful, but he did want to see -the squatter punished for that.</p> - -<p>It is hardly necessary to add that Tom Bigden breathed easier after his -talk with Joe, and when he left the latter at his gate and told him he -was glad he and his friends had had an enjoyable run and come safely -home, in spite of everybody and everything that had tried to hinder -them, the words came from his heart. Tom had been on nettles ever since -he read in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_413" id="Page_413">[Pg 413]</a></span> the papers that Matt was still alive, and in a fair way to -be brought to justice, and although he felt relieved, he knew he would -not sleep soundly until Matt's trial was over and prison doors had -closed upon him.</p> - -<p>"Six hundred and forty-two miles in thirty-five days," said Joe, when -he had kissed his mother and shaken hands with every one who was on -the back porch. "A little over eighteen miles a day. That wouldn't be -anything to brag of if the roads had been good all the way; but when -you take the mountains and long patches of sand into consideration—"</p> - -<p>"And Matt Coyle and the train-wreckers," added Uncle Joe.</p> - -<p>"They didn't delay us any to speak of," replied the young wheelman, -"but that Roy Sheldon, with his black eyes and lame arm, did. Well, I'm -glad to get back, and why don't you say you are glad to see me?"</p> - -<p>Every one of them had said so more than once, for I had heard them, -and besides, they showed it very plainly by their actions. Everybody -in town was glad to see him, and he had so much visiting to do that -for a time I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_414" id="Page_414">[Pg 414]</a></span> entirely neglected. One morning I had a chance to -say "hello!" to the Canvas Canoe and Fly-rod as they were carried -across the porch and down the path that led to the lake, and when they -returned at dark I exchanged a few words with them before they were -taken up-stairs. In as few words as possible I told them where I had -been and what I had seen during my long absence, and in return Fly-rod -told me that he had that day seen two old acquaintances; or as he -expressed it, "the whole of one and a part of the other."</p> - -<p>"In the show-case in which I stood before Joe Wayring bought me, were -a couple of high-priced lads, a split-bamboo and a double-barrel -shot-gun, who wouldn't say a civil word to me because I was worth only -six dollars and a half," said Fly-rod, with a ring of triumph in his -tones. "The gun was purchased by a dude who went into the woods because -it was fashionable, and the bamboo became the property of one of the -handsomest little girls you ever saw. Well, I saw that rod to-day -lying flat in the mud, while his owner was paddling in the water with -bare feet. He was rusted all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_415" id="Page_415">[Pg 415]</a></span> over where there was any thing to rust, -and you could see daylight between his ribs where they had been glued -together. He was ashamed to speak to me, for he had boasted that he was -going to Canada to do battle with the lordly salmon. A little while -afterward we heard a booming up the lake and saw a commotion in a -boat whose crew were engaged in shooting wood-ducks. The Canvas Canoe -took us up there in a hurry, and we found that a gun had burst in the -hands of one of the party—the very dude who bought that double-barrel -shot-gun. There wasn't much left of the gun, nothing but the stock and -locks, in fact, but I knew him. The dude wasn't hurt, for a wonder, but -he was mad, and the minute he recovered from the fright into which he -had been thrown, he grabbed the wreck of that gun and sent it as far -as he could into the bushes. Here <i>I</i> am, sound as a dollar, thanks to -the good treatment I have received, supple as ever and ready to catch -another black bass any time I am called upon."</p> - -<p>The next thing that interested me was hearing a letter from Rowe Shelly -read on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_416" id="Page_416">[Pg 416]</a></span> porch. He hadn't written before for the very good reason -that he had nothing to say; and although he had plenty now, he had no -time to say it, for he was going after his father and mother who were -alive and well, but poor owing to ill health. He went into hiding, as -Joe said he did, and found a lawyer to interest himself in his case; -but although the latter went to work very quietly, Colonel Shelly and -Willis and Benny had taken the alarm and cleared out. His parents had -been advertised for and found, and Rowe was going to them by the first -train. He would have more to tell them in his next letter, and wanted -them, one and all, to get ready to visit him the minute he sent them -word. He owed them everything he had, or was going to have, and they -would see that he wasn't the boy to forget such things.</p> - -<p>And neither did Roy Sheldon forget those men on the light-ship. Of -course they did nothing more than their duty when they pulled Roy out -of the water and took care of him, but that did not lessen the boy's -gratitude nor his father's, either. Mr. Sheldon made it his busi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_417" id="Page_417">[Pg 417]</a></span>ness -to drop into a bank shortly after Roy came home, and when he left it -those old sea dogs had a handsome sum of money to draw on, though they -were advised to let it accumulate so that they would have something to -fall back upon when they became too old to attend to the light-ship.</p> - -<p>Before I went into winter quarters I had the satisfaction of knowing -that everything had turned out just as Joe Wayring and his friends -wished. Rowe Shelly found his parents and easily established their -identity, with his lawyer's help, and the rascally guardian, as well -as those who aided him in keeping the boy out of his rights, were -overhauled before they had left the city many miles behind; but they -were not brought to trial. They simply surrendered their ill-gotten -gains, Captain Shelly took quiet possession of his island home, and -that was the end of the matter so far as they were concerned; but the -gossips had something to talk about for weeks afterward. Joe Wayring -and his friends were not needed when Matt Coyle was brought before the -court in Bloomingdale, for those tramp detectives<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_418" id="Page_418">[Pg 418]</a></span> had all the evidence -they wanted to send him and his gang to prison. Then Tom Bigden felt -safe, and I hope he has turned over a new leaf as he has often promised -to do. Although every one in Mount Airy heard of the things that George -Prime threw up to him, there were few who believed them, thanks to the -way Joe and his chums stuck to him through thick and thin.</p> - -<p>A few days ago Rowe Shelly wrote that he was ready and waiting for Joe -and the "rest of his crowd," and the sooner they came to see him the -better he would like it. They will accept the invitation for the coming -holidays; and if I am any judge of boys' tastes they will find few -topics of conversation that will be of more interest to them than the -incidents I have attempted to describe in my story, and which happened -during <span class="smcap">The Rambles of a Bicycle</span>.</p> - - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> - - - -<p style="margin-top: 10em;">FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS.</p> - - -<p>GUNBOAT SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 6 vols. 12mo.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank the Young Naturalist.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank in the Woods.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank on the Lower Mississippi.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank on a Gunboat.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank before Vicksburg.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank on the Prairie.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. -Cloth.</p></blockquote> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank among the Rancheros.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank in the Mountains.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Frank at Don Carlos' Ranch.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>SPORTSMAN'S CLUB SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. -Cloth.</p></blockquote> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">The Sportsman's Club in the Saddle.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">The Sportsman's Club Afloat.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">The Sportsman's Club among the Trappers.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>FRANK NELSON SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. 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Cloth.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">George in Camp.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">George at the Wheel.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">George at the Fort.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>ROD AND GUN SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Don Gordon's Shooting Box.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">The Young Wild Fowlers.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Rod and Gun Club.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>GO-AHEAD SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Tom Newcombe.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Go-Ahead.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">No Moss.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>FOREST AND STREAM SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 3 vols. 12mo. -Cloth.</p></blockquote> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Joe Wayring.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Snagged and Sunk.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Steel Horse.</span></span><br /> -</p> - -<p>WAR SERIES. By <span class="smcap">Harry Castlemon</span>. 5 vols. 12mo. Cloth.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">True to his Colors.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Rodney the Overseer.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Marcy the Refugee.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Rodney the Partisan.</span></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;"><span class="smcap">Marcy the Blockade-Runner.</span></span><br /> -</p> - - -<p><i>Other Volumes in Preparation.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1888 by Porter & Coates.</span></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph2">FAMOUS STANDARD JUVENILE LIBRARIES.</p> - -<p>ANY VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY AT $1.00 PER VOLUME</p> - -<p>(Except the Sportsman's Club Series, Frank Nelson Series and Jack -Hazard Series.).</p> - -<p>Each Volume Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth.</p> - -<p>HORATIO ALGER, JR.</p> - - -<p>The enormous sales of the books of Horatio Alger, Jr., show the -greatness of his popularity among the boys, and prove that he is one -of their most favored writers. I am told that more than half a million -copies altogether have been sold, and that all the large circulating -libraries in the country have several complete sets, of which only two -or three volumes are ever on the shelves at one time. If this is true, -what thousands and thousands of boys have read and are reading Mr. -Alger's books! His peculiar style of stories, often imitated but never -equaled, have taken a hold upon the young people, and, despite their -similarity, are eagerly read as soon as they appear.</p> - -<p>Mr. Alger became famous with the publication of that undying book, -"Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York." It was his first book for -young people, and its success was so great that he immediately devoted -himself to that kind of writing. It was a new and fertile field for a -writer then, and Mr. Alger's treatment of it at once caught the fancy -of the boys. "Ragged Dick" first appeared in 1868, and ever since then -it has been selling steadily, until now it is estimated that about -200,000 copies of the series have been sold.</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">—<i>Pleasant Hours for Boys and Girls.</i></span><br /> -</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Steel Horse, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STEEL HORSE *** - -***** This file should be named 61486-h.htm or 61486-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/4/8/61486/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Graeme Mackreth and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -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: The Steel Horse - The Rambles of a Bicycle - -Author: Harry Castlemon - -Release Date: February 22, 2020 [EBook #61486] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STEEL HORSE *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Graeme Mackreth and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Boy Saved by the Light-ship's Men.] - - - - - THE STEEL HORSE - - OR - - THE RAMBLES OF A BICYCLE - - - BY - - HARRY CASTLEMON - - AUTHOR OF "GUNBOAT SERIES," "ROUGHING IT SERIES," - "ROD AND GUN SERIES," ETC. - - - PHILADELPHIA - HENRY T. COATES & CO. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. In Which I make my Bow, 1 - - II. The Strange Wheelman, 25 - - III. A Case of Mistaken Identity, 50 - - IV. Rowe Shelly, the Runaway, 74 - - V. Roy in Trouble, 98 - - VI. Another Surprise for Roy, 121 - - VII. Some Startling News, 145 - - VIII. On Board the White Squall, 169 - - IX. A Swim in Rough Water, 194 - - X. The Boy who Wouldn't be Pumped, 219 - - XI. On the Road Again, 242 - - XII. Joe's Wild Ride, 266 - - XIII. Going into a Hot Place, 289 - - XIV. Arthur's Ready Rifle, 311 - - XV. Mr. Holmes's Warning, 333 - - XVI. Two Narrow Escapes, 355 - - XVII. An Unexpected Meeting, 375 - - XVIII. Conclusion, 399 - - - - - THE STEEL HORSE; - OR, - THE RAMBLES OF A BICYCLE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -IN WHICH I MAKE MY BOW. - - -"Scotland's a-burning! Look out, fellows! Put on the brakes, or you -will be right on top of it the first thing you know." - -"On top of what?" - -"Why, can't you see? If it hadn't been for my lamp I should have taken -the worst header anybody ever heard of. How some fellows can run around -on their wheels after dark without a light, and take the chances of -breaking their necks, beats my time, I wouldn't do it for any money." - -"Great Scott! How do you suppose that pile of things came on the track?" - -"It isn't a pile of things. It is a big rock which has rolled down from -the bank above, and we have discovered it in time to prevent a terrible -railroad disaster." - -"The rains loosened it, probably." - -"Well, what are we standing here for? Let's take hold, all hands, and -roll it off before the train comes along." - -"We can't roll it off. It's half as big as Rube Royall's cabin. It -seems strange to me that it stopped so squarely in the middle of the -track. I should think it ought to have gathered headway enough during -its descent to roll clear across the road-bed, and down into the gulf -on the other side." - -The speakers were your old friends Joe Wayring and his two chums, Roy -Sheldon and Arthur Hastings; and I am one of the Expert Columbians who -were introduced to your notice in the concluding chapters of the second -volume of this series of books. I have been urged by my companions to -describe the interesting and exciting incidents that happened during -our vacation run from one end of the State to the other and back again, -on which we set out just a week ago to-day. I have begun the task with -many misgivings. This is my first appearance as a story-teller; but -then my friends, Old Durability and the Canvas Canoe, labored under the -same disadvantage. When I am through it will be for you to decide which -one of us has interested you the most. - -You will remember that when the Canvas Canoe's adventures were ended -for the season and he was "laid up in ordinary" (by which I mean the -recess in Joe Wayring's room), it was midwinter. The ponds and lakes -were frozen over, and the hills surrounding the little village of Mount -Airy were covered with snow. The canoe had just been hauled up from the -bottom of Indian River, where he had lain for four long, dismal months, -wondering what was to become of him and the six thousand dollars he -had carried down with him when he was "Snagged and Sunk" by the big -tree that was carried out of Sherwin's Pond by the high water. You know -that Roy Sheldon discovered him with the aid of his "water-scope," -that Joe got his canoe back (a little the worse for his captivity, it -must be confessed, for there was a gaping wound in his side), and that -the money quickly found its way into the hands of the officers of the -Irvington bank, from whom it had been stolen by the two sneak-thieves -who were finally captured by Mr. Swan and his party. - -Before this happened Matt Coyle's wife and boys had been shut up in the -New London jail to await their trial, which was to come off as soon as -Matt himself had been arrested. The truth of the matter was, the Indian -Lake guides were so incensed at Matt for his daring and persistent -efforts to break up their business and to ruin the two hotels at the -lake, that they threatened to make short work of him and all his -worthless tribe; and as the guides were men who never said a thing -of this sort unless they meant it, the authorities were of opinion -that the old woman and the boys would be safer in the New London -lock-up than they would be if confined in the tumble-down calaboose at -Irvington. But now it appeared that Matt Coyle could not be arrested -and brought to trial, for the good and sufficient reason that he was -dead. He was drowned when the canvas canoe was snagged and sunk. - -Joe Wayring and his chums declared, from the first, that if the -squatter had attempted to run out of the river into Sherwin's Pond -during the freshet that prevailed at the time of his flight, he had -surely come to grief. If three strong boys, who were expert with the -oars, could not pull a light skiff against the current that ran out -of the pond, how could Matt Coyle hope to stem it in a heavily-loaded -canoe and with a single paddle? If he had been foolish enough to try -it, he would never be heard of again until his body was picked up -somewhere in the neighborhood of the State hatchery. The finding of -the canoe and his valuable cargo at the bottom of the river led others -to Joe's way of thinking, and it was finally conceded on all hands -that the squatter would never again rob unguarded camps, or renew his -attempts to "break up the business of guiding." Nothing remained, then, -but to remove his wife and boys to Irvington and hold them for trial -at the next term of the circuit court. The grand jury first took the -matter in hand, and Joe Wayring and his chums, much to their disgust, -were summoned to appear before it as witnesses. - -When Tom Bigden and his cousins, Loren and Ralph Farnsworth, heard of -that, they shook in their boots. And well they might; for, as you know, -Tom was accessory to some of Matt's violations of the law. More than -that, rumor said that the old woman had told all she knew, and that she -had even gone so far as to assure the officers of the Irvington Bank -that she and her family would not have been half so bad as they were, -if one Tom Bigden had not advised and urged them to commit crime. - -"It's all over with me, boys," groaned Tom, when one of his -school-fellows incidentally remarked in his hearing that he had seen -Joe Wayring and his two friends take the train for Irvington that -morning to testify before the grand jury. "You know Joe is jealous of -me and that he will do anything he can to injure me." - -"Well," said Ralph, plunging his hands deep into his pockets and -looking thoughtfully at the ground, "what would _you_ do to a fellow -who was the means of having you tied to a tree with a fair prospect of -a good beating with hickory switches on your bare back? Would you be -friendly to him or feel like shielding him from punishment?" - -"But I didn't tell Matt to tie Joe Wayring to a tree and thrash him," -retorted Tom. "I never thought of such a thing." - -"I didn't say you did," replied Ralph. "I said you were the cause of -it, and so you were; for you told Matt that you had seen the valises -that contained the six thousand stolen dollars in Joe's camp-basket." - -"Matt was a fool to believe it," said Loren. "One little camp-basket -wouldn't hold both those gripsacks." - -"That doesn't alter the facts of the case," answered Ralph. "Matt did -believe the story, ridiculous as it was, and Tom's fate is in the hands -of a boy whom we have abused and bothered in all possible ways ever -since we have been here." - -"And we didn't have the slightest reason or excuse for it," added -Loren. - -"So you're going back on me, are you?" exclaimed Tom. - -"Not at all. We are simply telling you the truth." - -"Perhaps Joe doesn't know that Tom put it into Matt's head to follow -him and his friends to No-Man's Pond," suggested Loren. "I haven't -heard a word said about it." - -"Neither have I; but that's no proof that Joe doesn't know all about -it," answered Ralph. - -"Who do you think told him?" asked Tom. "It couldn't have been Matt -Coyle, for I told him particularly not to mention my name in Joe's -hearing, or drop a hint that would lead him to suspect that Matt had -seen me in the Indian Lake country." - -"The squatter didn't care _that_ for your injunctions of secrecy," said -Ralph, snapping his fingers in the air. "What he said to you during -those interviews you held with him ought to convince you that he would -just as soon get you into trouble as anybody else. Being a social -outcast, Matt believes in making war upon every one who is higher up -in the world than he is." - -"Well," said Tom, with a sigh of resignation, "if Joe knows as much as -you think he does, my chances of getting out of the scrapes I've got -into are few and far between. He'll tell everything, and be glad of the -chance. I wish from the bottom of my heart that we had never seen or -heard of Mount Airy." - -"Joe Wayring will tell nothing unless it is forced out of him," said -Ralph stoutly; and for the first time in his life Tom did not scowl -and double up his fists as he had been in the habit of doing whenever -either of his cousins said anything in praise of the boy he hated -without a cause. If Joe was as honorable as Ralph seem to think he was, -Tom thought he saw a chance to escape punishment for his wrong-doing. -"He'll not commit perjury nor even stretch the truth to screen you," -continued Ralph, as if he read the thoughts that were passing in Tom's -mind. "But he'll not volunteer any evidence; I am sure of that." - -If Ralph had been one of Joe Wayring's most intimate friends he could -not have read him better. The latter was very much afraid that he -would be compelled to say something that would criminate Tom, but to -his surprise and relief the members of the grand jury did not seem to -know that there was such a fellow in the world as Tom Bigden, for they -never once mentioned his name. If the old woman and her boys had tried -to throw the blame for their misdeeds upon his shoulders, they hadn't -made anything by it. All the jury cared for was to find out just how -much Joe and his friends knew about the six thousand dollars that had -been stolen from the Irvington Bank; and as the boys knew but little -about it, it did not take them long to give their evidence. Finally one -of the jurymen said: - -"Matt Coyle bothered you a good deal by stealing your canvas canoe and -other property, I believe." - -Joe replied that that was a fact. - -"Would you prosecute him for it, if you had a chance?" - -Joe said he never expected to have a chance, because Matt was dead. - -"Perhaps he is, and perhaps he isn't," said the juryman, with a laugh. -"Matt Coyle is a hard case, if all I hear about him is true, and it -sorter runs in my mind that he will turn up again some day, as full of -meanness as he ever was." - -"You wouldn't think so if you could see Indian River booming as it was -on the day we came home," said Joe, earnestly. "It must have been a -great deal worse when Matt saw it, but he had the hardihood to face it." - -"And went to the bottom," added Roy. - -"Would you have the law on him for tying you to a tree and threatening -to wallop you with switches?" asked the juryman. - -"No sir, I would not," said Joe, truthfully. "All we ask of Matt Coyle -or any other tramp is to keep away from us and let us alone." - -"Do you believe any one told Matt that you had the bank's money and -sent him to No-Man's Pond to whip it out of you?" - -"No, I don't." - -"Matt's boys stick to it that such is the fact." - -"I don't care what Matt's boys say or what they stick to," answered -Joe. "You can imagine what the evidence of such fellows as they are -amounts to. Folks who will steal are not above lying, are they?" - -"That juryman isn't half as smart as he thinks he is," said Roy, when -he and his companions had been dismissed with the information that they -might start for Mount Airy as soon as they pleased. "I was awfully -afraid that his next question would be: 'Did you ever hear that Tom -Bigden was accessory to Matt Coyle's assault upon you at No-Man's -Pond?' You could not have wiggled out of that corner, Mr. Wayring." - -"I didn't wiggle out of any corner," answered Joe. "I made replies to -all the questions he asked me, didn't I? That juryman knew his business -too well to ask me any such question as that. My answer would have been -simply hearsay, and that's not evidence. See the point?" - -"Why, didn't Jake Coyle declare in your hearing that Tom Bigden told -his father that the money was in your camp-basket?" demanded Arthur. - -"Well, what's that but hearsay? Do you expect me to take Jake's word -for anything? I didn't hear Tom tell him so." - -"No; but you have as good proof as any sensible boy needs that Tom did -it. If not, why did Matt fly into such a rage at the mention of his -name, and cut Jake's face so unmercifully with that switch?" - -"I don't believe that would pass for evidence, although it might -lead the jury to put a little more faith in Jake's story and Sam's," -answered Joe. "We didn't come here to get Tom into trouble. Didn't they -say at the start that all they wanted of us was to tell what we knew -about that money? We've done that, and my conscience is clear. I think -Tom will take warning and mind what he is about in future." - -"I'll bet you he won't," Roy declared. "He'll get you into difficulty -of some sort the very first good chance he gets." - -"If he does, and I can fasten it on him, I'll give him such a punching -that his cousins won't know him when they see him. I'm getting tired of -this sort of work, and I'll not put up with it any longer. If Tom will -not leave off bothering us of his own accord, I'll make him." - -In due time the jury returned a "true bill" against Jake Coyle for -burglary. Mr. Haskins had little difficulty in proving that Jake broke -the fastenings of his door before he robbed the cellar, gave a list of -the things he had lost, and Rube Royall, the watchman at the hatchery, -testified that those same articles appeared on Matt Coyle's table on -the following morning. Jake went to the House of Refuge for five years; -but nothing could be proved against Sam and the old woman, and they -were turned over to a justice of the peace to be tried for vagrancy. -They got ninety days each in the New London work-house. - -"There, Ralph," said Tom, when he read this welcome news in his -father's paper. "You said Matt Coyle didn't care the snap of his finger -for my wishes, but now you see that you were mistaken, don't you? Matt -never told Joe Wayring that I sent them to his camp after that money, -and his boys didn't blab it, either. If they had, Joe would have said -something about it when he was brought before the grand jury." - -"Well, what are you going to do to Joe now?" inquired his cousin. "I -mean, what kind of a scrape are you going to get into next?" - -"I do not intend to get into any scrape," answered Tom; and when he -said it he meant it. "I shall treat Joe and everybody who likes him -with the contempt they deserve. I wish I might never see them again. -I tell you, fellows, I feel as if a big load had been taken from my -shoulders. Matt will never again demand that I shall act as receiver -for the property he steals, his vagabond family are safe under lock and -key, I am free from suspicion, and what more could I ask for? For once -in my life I am perfectly happy." - -But, as it happened, Tom was not long permitted to live in this very -enviable frame of mind--not more than a couple of hours, to be exact. -Of late he had stayed pretty close around the house when he was not at -school. He could not bear to loaf about the village, as he used to do, -for fear that he might hear something annoying. But on this particular -day (it was Saturday) he was so light of heart that he could not keep -still, so he proposed a walk and a cigar. He and his cousins did not -mind smoking on the streets now, for they had long ago given up all -hope of ever being admitted to the ranks of the Toxopholites. But their -desire to belong to that crack and somewhat exclusive organization was -as strong as ever. Another thing, they were not on as friendly terms -with the drug-store crowd as they used to be. A decision rendered by -umpire Bigden during a game of ball excited the ire of George Prime and -some of his friends, and as the weeks rolled on the dispute waxed so -hot that on more than one occasion the adherents of both sides had been -called on to interfere to keep George and Tom from coming to blows over -it. Ralph reminded his cousin of this when the latter proposed a walk -and a cigar. - -"Oh, Prime has forgotten all about it before this time," said Tom -confidently. "He has had abundant leisure to recover his good-nature, -for the fuss began last fall." - -"Don't you owe him something?" - -"Yes; about fifty cents or so. But George isn't mean enough to raise a -row about a little thing like that." - -Ralph and Loren had their own ideas on that point; and when they walked -into the drug store and looked at the face Prime brought with him when -he came up to the cigar-stand, they told themselves that if the clerk -had had opportunity to recover his good-nature, he certainly had not -improved it. He looked as sour as a green apple. - -"Hallo, George," said Tom, cordially. - -"How are you!" was the gruff reply. - -"Fine day outside," continued Tom. "Been sleigh-riding much?" - -"A time or two. What do you want?" - -"Some cigars, please." - -Prime languidly reached his hand into the show-case and brought out a -box. - -"Chalk these, will you?" said Tom, after he and his cousin had made -their selections. - -Without saying a word the clerk turned and walked toward the -prescription counter at the back part of the store. Tom evidently -thought the matter settled, for he gave Ralph the wink, lighted his -cigar and was about to go out when Prime called to him. Tom faced -around, and saw that he held in his hand something that looked like a -package of bills. - -"I'll chalk this, because you've got the cigars and I can't very well -help myself," said Prime, as he came up. "But the next time you want -anything in our line you had better come prepared to settle up. Do you -know how much you owe the house?" - -"I've kept a pretty close run of it," said Tom shortly, "and I guess -seventy-five cents will foot the bill. These weeds are three for a -quarter, I suppose?" - -"That's the price; but you owed me just four times seventy-five cents -before you got these last three. There's your bill!" - -Tom opened his eyes when he heard this. He picked up the paper that -Prime tossed upon the show-case before him, and saw that, if the -figures on it told the truth, he had smoked much oftener than he -supposed. - -"George," said he, as soon as he could speak, "I don't owe you three -dollars." - -"You owe me three dollars and a quarter, counting in the three you just -got," was Prime's reply. - -"I say I don't; and what's more to the point, I won't pay it. If you -want to impose upon somebody and make him pay for cigars that you have -smoked yourself, try some one else. You can't come it over me." - -"You mean to repudiate your honest debts, do you?" said Prime hotly. -"Well, I don't know that I ought to have expected anything else of you. -A fellow who will associate with tramps and thieves, as you have done -ever since you poked your meddlesome nose into Mount Airy, is capable -of anything." - -"Look here," said Tom, his face growing red and pale by turns. "Step -out from behind the counter and say that again, will you?" - -"I can talk just as well from where I stand," was Prime's answer; and -then he clenched one of his hands and pounded lightly upon the top -of the show-case while he looked fixedly at Tom. "Perhaps you think -because you were in the woods when these things happened that the -folks in Mount Airy don't know all about them," he went on. - -"What things?" Tom managed to ask, while Ralph and Loren nerved -themselves for what was coming. - -"What things!" repeated Prime, in a tone that almost drove Tom frantic. -"Don't you suppose I know as well as you do that when Matt Coyle stole -Joe Wayring's canvas canoe a year ago last summer, he did it with your -knowledge and consent? I will say more than that. You urged him to take -it." - -"Why--why, you--" Tom began, and then he paused. There was a look on -Prime's face which told him that there was more behind; and now that he -was in for it, Tom thought it would be a good plan to find out just how -much the Mount Airy people knew of his dealings with the squatter. - -"It has all come out on you," continued Prime. "And I know, too, that -it was through the information you gave him that Matt followed Wayring -to No-Man's Pond and committed that assault upon him." - -"The idea!" exclaimed Tom, trying to look surprised, though inwardly -he quaked with fear. "I never told Matt to follow Joe Wayring to -No-Man's Pond. I never saw him while I was in the woods,--did I, boys?" -he added, appealing to his cousins. - -"I know a story worth half a dozen of that," said the clerk, before -either Ralph or Loren could collect their wits for a reply. "Some of -the sportsmen who were stopping at one of the Indian Lake hotels saw -you wait for him at a certain place for more than an hour; and when at -last Matt arrived, you held quite a lengthy consultation with him." - -Tom was so amazed that he could not utter a word. Prime seemed to have -the story pretty straight--so straight, in fact, that Loren did not -think it best for him to deny it; so he hastened do say: - -"If all these ridiculous things which you say you have heard are true, -how does it happen that they did not come before the Grand Jury?" - -"There were two good reasons for it," answered Prime. "In the first -place, there was no one to appear against Tom; and in the second, Jake -Coyle, who was the only one of the family tried before the Circuit -Court, was not accused of stealing the canoe or of making an assault -upon Joe Wayring. He was charged with breaking open the door of -Haskins's cellar, and for that he received his sentence. If Matt Coyle -had been on trial, there would have been other and more interesting -developments. I tell you, Mr. Bigden, it was a lucky thing for you that -he was drowned." - -"Now, let me say a word in your private ear," said Tom, who had had -time to take a hasty review of the situation. "There is such a thing -as wagging your tongue too freely, and it constitutes an offense of -which the law sometimes takes notice. You don't want to publish the -outrageous stories you pretend to have heard of me. They are false from -beginning to end." - -"Why, bless your heart, I can't publish them," answered the clerk, with -a most provoking laugh. "The facts are as well known to other folks as -they are to me. Every man, boy, and girl you meet on the street knows -them by heart." - -This astounding piece of news fairly staggered Tom. While he was trying -to frame a suitable rejoinder a party of ladies came into the store, -and the clerk hastened away to attend to them. This gave Tom and -his cousins an opportunity to escape, and they were prompt to avail -themselves of it. - -"Worse and worse!" exclaimed Loren, as soon as he could speak freely -without fear of being overheard. "Tom, Tom, what have you brought upon -yourself!" - -"I was afraid that something of this kind would be sprung upon me -sooner or later," groaned the guilty boy. "Every girl I meet on the -street knows all about it," he added, recalling the clerk's last words. -"I don't believe it. Or, if they have heard about it, they don't take -any stock in it, for I have received just as many invitations and gone -to as many parties as I ever did. Can you two raise three dollars and -a quarter between you? Then lend it to me, and I will get Prime's debt -off my mind without a moment's delay." - -"That's the idea," said Ralph, approvingly. "Go now while those ladies -are in the store, and he can't say anything more to annoy you." - -Loren had a five-dollar bill which he handed over, and Tom got it -broken at the most convenient place, because he did not want to wait -for Prime to make change. He laid the exact amount of his indebtedness -upon the counter, pocketed his receipted bill, and left the store -firmly resolved that he would never cross its threshold again. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE STRANGE WHEELMAN. - - -Loren and Ralph often declared that if Tom Bigden's "cheek" had not -been "monumental," he never could have lived through the winter as he -did. He went everywhere, and although, to quote from the Canvas Canoe, -he did not "shoot off his chin" quite as much as he formerly did, or -take as deep an interest in things, he did not by any means keep in the -background, as most boys would have done under like circumstances. As -time wore on, he and his cousins began telling one another that Prime -did not confine himself to the truth when he said that every one in the -village knew how intimate Tom and Matt Coyle had been during the two -last summers, for certainly he was as well treated and as cordially -received wherever he went as he ever was. Joe Wayring and his friends -always had a good word for him, and that went far toward satisfying -Tom that they did not believe he had anything to do with the loss of -the canvas canoe or with the No-Man's Pond affair. It was not long -before their example and silent influence began to tell upon Tom, who -more than once astonished his cousins by saying, in their hearing, that -he believed it would be worth while for him to turn over a new leaf and -try to lead a better life. - -Meanwhile Joe and his chums thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a -quiet way, as boys always do when they have abounding health, clear -consciences, and plenty of things around them to make life pleasant. In -company with some of their school-fellows, of whom Tom Bigden and his -cousins generally made three, they paid several visits to Indian River -to fish through the ice for pickerel, going Friday night and returning -Saturday. They saw any amount of sport during these short outings, -and always brought home a fine string of fish; but they never drew so -valuable a prize from the river as Joe and his friends did when they -went there during the winter vacation. Nothing ever happened to mar -their pleasure during these encampments, not even when Roy took Tom -Bigden to task somewhat sharply for shooting a grouse after the first -of January. Tom pleaded ignorance of the law, promised never to do it -again, and so the offense was overlooked. - -But winter with its storms and drifts and sports passed away, and -spring came with the usual alternations of driving rains and high -winds which quickly cleared the lake of ice, and made the huge limbs -of the grand old trees on the lawn sway about in every direction. -Finally the croaking of frogs was heard from the marshes and the maple -buds appeared; whereupon sleds, skates and toboggans were tumbled -unceremoniously into some convenient corner, to be taken care of when -other duties were not quite so pressing, and Joe and his inseparable -companions shouldered their double-barrels and sallied out in search of -snipe. But in due time hunting gave way to trout-fishing; and I have -heard it said that Old Durability held his own, and captured quite -as many fish as any rod that was brought into competition with him. -Occasionally I heard Joe boast over some extra fine strings Fly-rod had -taken for him; but as I was kept closely confined to my quarters I did -not see them. - -At last my time came. As soon as the spring rains ceased and the mud -disappeared and the roads became ridable, I was taken out for a spin. -At first Joe rode with considerable caution, for he was afraid (so he -told his chums) that I might "kick up and throw him"; but his skill -came back with practice, and before a week had passed we were on -exceedingly good terms. He devoted nearly all his leisure time to me, -and although he kept up his membership with the various organizations -to which he belonged, he was not unfrequently called upon to hand over -a fine that had been imposed upon him for non-attendance of drills and -parades. Of course the annual review of the Mount Airy Fire Department -was not forgotten, but the canoe meet was, and for the first time in -years the summer passed without a single struggle for the championship -of Mirror Lake. The boys who were enthusiastic canoeists twelve months -ago were earnest wheelmen now. - -As soon as the weather became settled a new question presented itself -to Joe Wayring and his friends, and it was one that could not be -decided at a moment's notice. Up to this time it had been understood -that there was but one place at which their summer vacation could be -passed, and that place was Indian Lake; but four weeks of comparative -inactivity were not to be thought of this year. - -"Of course if we go to the lake we shall have more fishing and see less -excitement than we did last year and the year before, because Matt -Coyle will not be there to trouble us," said Arthur. "But rolling about -on a blanket under the shade of an evergreen is slow work compared with -a brisk run over good roads on a horse who never tires, and who asks -nothing but a good rubbing, and no oats, when his day's task is done, -to keep him in good trim. Camping out makes a fellow too lazy for any -use; and I am not as much in favor of being lazy as I used to be." - -"It is quite the fashion for wheelmen to start off singly or in small -parties, and travel through the country and see what they can find that -is worth looking at," said Roy. "Let's send for a guide-book and go -somewhere." - -"That's what I say," replied Joe. "But what guide-book shall we send -for, and where shall we go?" - -"Through our own State, of course. Uncle Joe Wayring says that a fellow -ought not to visit foreign countries until he has seen the wonders of -his own." - -"Of course it is a settled thing that we three spend this vacation on -the road," said Joe. "And when we start, I propose that we go prepared -to stop wherever night overtakes us. Then if we can't find a hotel, or -if the farmers object to taking in strangers who have no letters of -introduction, we can camp by the road-side, and snap our fingers at -people who live in houses and sleep under shingle roofs." - -"How about the grub?" said Arthur. - -"Oh, that'll be all right. We do not intend to go outside of a fence, -and consequently we can purchase supplies anywhere along the road." - -"We mustn't forget to take our pocket fishing-tackle cases with us -and--say, fellows," exclaimed Roy, suddenly interrupting himself, "I -saw an advertisement the other day, of a Stevens rifle furnished with a -bicycle case, and it struck me at once that it would be a nice thing to -have along on a trip of this kind. If we have one or two of those handy -little weapons in the party, we can shoot a mess of young squirrels as -often as we get hungry between times." - -"I wish we had just one more year on our shoulders," said Arthur, "for -then we could apply for admittance to the League of American Wheelmen. -No doubt we would find friends in it who could give us pointers." - -"The year will pass soon enough, and when it has gone you may wish it -back again," replied Joe. "It makes no difference if we are not in the -League. Wheelmen are always good to one another, and I shall make it my -business to bounce every strange bicyclist who comes to town, if I can -catch him. If he has been on the road I will get some ideas out of him -before I let up." - -Roy and Arthur said that was a suggestion worth acting upon, and the -three made such good use of the opportunities that were constantly -presented that by the time the school term was ended and the long -vacation came, they considered themselves fully posted on all important -matters relating to their proposed run across the State and back. The -strange wheelmen who now and then ran into Mount Airy for a day or two -proved to be a jolly, companionable lot of fellows, and full of stories -of the road which they were as ready to tell as the boys were to listen -to them. - -"Let me give you one word of warning," said a bronzed bicyclist, who -had come all the way from Omaha on his wheel: "Do not neglect your -training for a single day. I've no doubt that you can run all round -this little burg without feeling any the worse for it, but you will -find that three or four days in the saddle will test your endurance. I -remember of hearing of a couple of wheelmen who started to run from -Cleveland to Buffalo. They made no special preparation for the journey, -believing, no doubt, that their short daily runs had sufficiently -hardened their muscles; but when they reached their destination they -were in a somewhat demoralized condition. They hung around the Genesee -House for a day or two, and took the cars when they wanted to go home." - -"We'll never do that," said Arthur. "If our wheels take us away from -home they must bring us back." - -"Well," said the Veteran, "you will find that it will take a good many -motions with the pedals to carry you over a journey of seven hundred -miles; but get yourselves in good trim before you start, inquire your -way at every place you stop, steer clear of tramps, look out for -skittish horses, keep off the tow-path, don't get mad if you meet some -old curmudgeon who will not give you your share of the road, and you -will come out all right and have a splendid time besides. You'll sleep -as you never slept before, eat every crumb placed within your reach on -the table, and handle things as though there was no break to them." - -"Why should we give the tow-path a wide berth?" inquired Roy. "Our -guide-book says that the road from New London to Bloomingdale is -knee-deep in sand, and advises all wheelmen going that way to take to -the tow-path." - -"You'll find the unspeakable mule there," replied their new friend, -"and he'll get you into trouble with the canalers. Now, a mule doesn't -care any more for a bike than he does for the boat he is towing; but he -pretends that he is very much afraid of it. I have seen them turn like -a flash and run as if they were scared half to death: but it was all -put on, for they were always careful to stop before they took up all -the slack in the tow-line, and got themselves jerked off off the path -into the canal. Of course that makes the steersman mad, and he tells -you what he thinks of you and your wheel in the first words that come -into his mind. Besides, a fellow on a bike offers so tempting a mark -that no canal boy I ever saw can resist firing a stone at him. If he -don't throw at you, it will be because he can't find anything before -you get out of range." - -"If a fellow should try that on me I'd run him down and give him such -a thrashing that he'd not trouble the next wheelman who came along," -said Tom Bigden, who happened to come up while the conversation was in -progress. - -"I wouldn't advise you to try it," said the stranger, with a light -laugh. "In the first place you couldn't catch him, for as soon as he -saw that you were overhauling him, he would leave the tow-path and take -to the rocks; and while you were following him, if you were foolish -enough to do it, some of his companions would run up and tumble your -machine into the canal. The easiest way is the best." - -"I suppose we shall find the country people all right?" said Joe. - -"W-e-l-l,--yes; the majority of them are all right, but now and then -you will find a mean one even among the farmers, who will tell you that -your machines are a nuisance because they scare the horses; and if -you meet such a man as that on the road, he'll take particular pains -to crowd you off into the ditch. Take it by and large, the road is an -admirable school for young fellows like you. You've got to take the bad -with the good in this world, and make up your minds that what can't be -cured must be endured." - -"So it seems that even 'cycling has its shadowy side," said Roy, as he -and his friends walked homeward after thanking the Omaha wheelman for -the advice and information he had given them. "Tramps and canalers must -be avoided, and we mustn't get angry when some crusty old fellow pushes -us off the road." - -"And there are the dogs," said Arthur. "But he didn't say anything -about them, did he?" - -"No; but other wheelmen have, and I should think that in some places -(in the South, for instance, where every granger keeps half a dozen -or more worthless curs around him) they would be a big source of -annoyance," said Joe. "But others have gone through all right, and we -are going, too." - -"I wonder if Tom Bigden and his cousin are going anywhere," said -Arthur. "If they are I hope they will take some route that will lead -them out of our line of travel." - -The others hoped so, too. While they tried to live in peace with Tom, -they did not care to have him for a traveling companion. - -Joe and his chums thought it best to heed the Omaha man's friendly word -of caution, and if they had ridden hard before, they rode harder now. A -ten-mile spin in the cool of the evening was an every-day occurrence. -Of course they did not ride on Sunday, and, furthermore, they did not -think much of a fellow who did. - -The morning set for the start dawned clear and bright, and after an -early breakfast Joe Wayring waved his adieu to the family who had -assembled on the porch to see him off, and wheeled gaily out of his -father's grounds just in time to meet Arthur Hastings. Picking up Roy -Sheldon a few minutes later, the three set off at a lively pace over -a good road, their long journey being fairly begun. The trunks which -contained most of their luggage had been forwarded to the wheelmen's -headquarters at New London, with the request that they might be held -until called for; but several handy little articles, which they might -need at any time, were made up into neat bundles and tied to their -safety-bars. Of course their lamps and cyclometers were in their -places, and so were their Buffalo tool-bags; and each boy carried -slung over his shoulder a bicycle gun-case containing a fourteen-inch -pocket rifle. They were innocent-looking little pop-guns, but "spiteful -things to shoot," and one of them came very near bringing the boys into -serious trouble. - -"I wouldn't take a dollar for my chance of enjoying myself this trip," -said Roy, as he wheeled into line behind his companions. "During our -two last outings Matt Coyle and his interesting family made things -quite too lively to suit me, but they'll not bother us any more. Now -isn't this glorious? I remember of reading somewhere that if one has a -hankering for wings, and feels as if he would like to glide out into -space and leave the world with its cares and troubles behind, all he -has to do is to buy a bicycle, and learn to ride it." - -Roy's companions must have felt a good deal as he did, for both of -them had something to say about the "joys that no one but a wheelman -knows," but their exuberance of spirit did not lead them to commit the -blunder of riding hard at the start. When they drew up in front of -wheelmen's headquarters in New London that night, their cyclometers -registered thirty-six miles; not a very speedy run, to be sure, but -then they had not set out with any intention of trying to break the -record. In accordance with their request the hotel clerk assigned them -to rooms "as close together as he could get them," and after seeing -their wheels safely stored, the boys disappeared for a while to remove -all travel-stains from their hands, faces and clothing. Then they ate -a hearty supper, and adjourned to the reading-room to decide where -they would spend the evening. A long time had elapsed since they last -visited New London, and they had planned to remain in the city until -they had taken a look at all the new things there were to be seen. -That would take three or four days, they thought; but, as it happened, -some strange events occurred which prolonged their stay, and threatened -at one time to bring their trip to an inglorious close. - -"What's going on to-night, any way?" said Arthur, picking up a paper -and glancing at the advertisements that appeared under the heading -"Amusements!" "Some pianist, with an unpronounceable name, assisted by -a celebrated baritone, is to hold forth at the Academy of Music." - -"Let's take that in," said Joe; and the matter was settled, for all the -boys liked to listen to good music. - -Having plenty of time at their disposal Joe and his companions strolled -leisurely along, taking note of all that passed in their immediate -vicinity, and now and then stopping to look in at a show-window, -especially if it chanced to be one in which bicycle goods or -hunting and fishing equipments were displayed. That, I believe, is -characteristic of people, both old and young, who are not accustomed to -the sights of a big city--a sort of distinguishing trait, so to speak. -At any rate the interest that Joe and his chums seemed to take in the -well-filled windows attracted the attention of a spruce young fellow, -who after following them for an entire block, and looking up and down -the street as if to make sure that his movements were unobserved, -stepped up to the nearest of the boys and tapped him on the shoulder. - -"Beg pardon," said he, smilingly, as Arthur Hastings turned and faced -him. "You young gentlemen are wheelmen, I take it." - -Arthur replied that the stranger had hit center the very first time -trying. - -"Members of the L.A.W.?" - -"No, but we hope to be next year. You see we are not quite eighteen -yet. Do you ride?" - -"Certainly. Owned a bike ever since I was knee-high to a duck. Wouldn't -know how to exist without it. Going anywhere? If you are, perhaps some -of us can be of assistance to you." - -"You're very kind, and I'm sure we are obliged to you," said Arthur. -"We've always found wheelmen ready to tell us anything we wanted to -know." - -"Best lot of fellows in the world," replied the stranger, with -enthusiasm. "And the best of it is, you will find them wherever you go. -A wheel is a passport to the best society in the land. You don't live -in the city? I thought not. You are from the country." - -"What makes you think that?" inquired Joe. - -"Didn't we get it all off?" exclaimed Roy, turning first one side, then -the other, and giving his uniform a good looking-over. "I'm sure I used -my brush the best I knew how." - -"Yes, it is pretty dusty, that's a fact," said the stranger. "I ought -to know, for I have been on the road myself to-day. There's nothing -about you or your uniforms to attract attention, but I knew you were -from the country the minute I put my eyes on you, because you are so -careless with your money. Look at that. If it hadn't been for me you -would have lost it, beyond a doubt." - -So saying he held out his hand and exhibited a well-filled purse; -whereupon all the boys instinctively thrust their hands into their -pockets. - -"If it wasn't so full I should think it was mine. No, it does not -belong to me, although it looks enough like my purse to be its twin -brother," said Joe, after he had made sure that his modest sum of -pocket-money was safe. - -"It doesn't belong to me, either," added Roy. - -"And I am sure it isn't mine," chimed in Arthur. "Where did you find -it?" - -"Right down there, close to your feet," replied the stranger, -indicating the exact spot. "It must belong to one of you, for I know it -wasn't there when I stopped at this window not two minutes ago to look -at those bicycle stockings. What shall I do with it? I've got to leave -town on the first train." - -"Give it to a policeman," suggested Roy. "He'll take care of it and -find the owner, too." - -"Well, you are a greeny, that's a fact," exclaimed the stranger, in -tones that were very different from those he had thus far used in -addressing the boys. "Can't you see that the purse is chuck full, -and don't you know that the owner will be willing to give something -handsome to get it back? There'll be a big reward offered for it in -to-morrow's papers, and--" - -"I don't know who would be mean enough to demand a reward for restoring -lost property," said Roy, with a slight accent of contempt in his voice. - -"I fail to see where the meanness comes in. What is there to hinder me -from keeping the whole of it? But I was taught to be honest, and if I -had time to stop over and take this money to the owner to-morrow, I -should thankfully pocket the fifty or hundred dollars that he would be -sure to give me, and think none the less of myself for doing it. Say," -added the stranger, sinking his voice to a confidential whisper, "I'll -tell you what I'll do with you fellows, seeing you're wheelmen. I'll -give the purse into your keeping for twenty-five dollars, and in the -morning you can claim the reward. I haven't the least doubt that you -will make a hundred dollars by it. Why, just look here," he continued, -lifting the catch and exposing to view a big roll of greenbacks. -"There's money, I tell you, and the reward you will receive for -restoring it will pay all your expenses during a pretty long bicycle -tour. I wouldn't think of trusting every one as I am willing to trust -you, but seeing that you belong to the fraternity--eh?" - -Roy and Arthur were plainly becoming disgusted with their new -acquaintance. They opened their lips to utter an indignant refusal of -his generous offer; but before they could say a word, Joe Wayring spoke -up. - -"I'll take you," said he, quietly. - -"All right," said the stranger briskly, while Roy and Arthur were -struck dumb with amazement. "You are the most sensible man in your -party--meaning no offense to your friends, _of_ course." - -"Why, Joe," began Roy, as soon as he found his tongue. - -But Joe shook his head and waved his open hands up and down in the air, -indicating by this pantomime that his mind was made up, and it would be -of no use for his friends to argue the matter. - -"It's all right," said he, when he had succeeded in silencing them. "If -there are a hundred dollars to be made honestly, I don't know why we -should turn our backs upon it. We've a long run before us, our expenses -will be heavy--" - -"That's the idea!" exclaimed the now smiling stranger. "I don't suppose -that your fathers are as liberal with you as they might be. I know mine -wasn't, and that my supply of pocket-money was mighty slim when I had -to depend upon him for it. Where's the cash?" - -"Hand over the purse," replied Joe. - -"Let me see first that you have twenty-five dollars to give me," was -the answer. - -"I'm a wheelman," said Joe, severely. "And my machine is a passport to -the best society in the land--eh?" - -"Of course; of course. But you see--" - -"And would I be admitted to the best society in the land if I were -untruthful or dishonest?" continued Joe, while his two friends wondered -what in the world he meant by addressing the stranger in his own -words. "Hand over what you have found, if you want me to make a deal -with you. We're from the country, you know, and consequently we are -suspicious of every stranger we meet in the city. If you had your -passport--I mean your wheel--with you now, why then I shouldn't be -afraid of you." - -"Haven't I showed you that I am perfectly willing to trust you to -return this big wad of greenbacks to the owner? Of course if I had the -faintest suspicion that you would not give it to him--" - -"I was taught to be honest, the same as you were. Being a wheelman, I -have no more intention of taking advantage of you in any way than you -have of taking advantage of me." - -So saying, Joe thrust his hand into his pocket. Observing this -movement, which seemed to be indicative of a desire on the young -wheelman's part to have the negotiations brought to a close, the -stranger stepped closer to him and slyly passed over the purse. - -"Be quick," said he, in a cautious whisper. "Some one might see us." - -"What if they do?" replied Joe, speaking in his usual tone of voice. -"This is a fair, square and honest transaction, as I understand it. If -it isn't--" - -"Of course; of course it is. But don't publish it. Be in a hurry, for a -policeman might happen along." - -"Let him happen. We haven't done anything to make us afraid of a -policeman." - -"There it is. Now hand out the twenty-five dollars." - -As soon as the fingers of Joe Wayring's right hand closed about the -article in question, he took the other hand out of his pocket; but he -brought it forth empty. - -"I am very glad to see that you are not afraid to trust a humble member -of the noble fraternity of wheelmen," said he, as he lifted the catch -and opened the purse. "Now, when I take this money to its owner in the -morning, he will pay the reward out of what it contains, won't he? -Well, I'll do the same by you, and you may trust me to tell him (I am -a wheelman, you know) that I have already paid twenty-five dollars -to--Hallo? Where are you going? A bargain is a bargain. Come back and -get your money. Moses Taylor! Where did he go in such haste?" - -Joe might well ask that. The place whereon the strange wheelman had -stood a second before was vacant, and he had disappeared from view. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. - - -The expression that came upon Arthur's face and Roy's when the sleek -and plausible stranger hurried away from them, without waiting for the -money that Joe was getting ready to give him, was a study. Joe gave -them one quick glance, and then, utterly heedless of the fact that he -was drawing the amused attention of many of the passing crowd, placed -his hands upon his hips and laughed--not boisterously, as he would -if he had been in the woods or even in Mount Airy, but none the less -heartily. - -"Was--was it a bite?" inquired Arthur, as soon as he could speak. - -"I should say it was," replied Joe, wiping the tears from his eyes. -"And you fellows thought I was taken in by it. Don't you read the -papers, you two? Why, that game is old enough to be gray-headed No one -ever tried to play it on me before, but I recognized it in a minute." - -"I confess that I don't see where the trick comes in," said Roy. - -"Don't you? Well, look here. The reason that fellow gave for turning -the purse over to us was because he couldn't wait until morning to -claim the reward that would surely be offered for its recovery, being -obliged to leave town by the first train. Some folks would believe that -story. The purse is fat enough to excite the cupidity of a dishonest -man, who, nine times out of ten, will pay the sharper out of his own -pocket, rather than open the purse and let him see what there is in -it. Now, suppose I had given that fellow twenty-five good and lawful -dollars of the Republic; let's see what I would have received in -return." - -As Joe said this he turned out the contents of the purse, and Roy and -Arthur discovered, to their no small astonishment, that what they had -taken for a greenback was nothing more nor less than the advertisement -of a quack medicine, warranted to cure every conceivable form of -disease. It was wrapped around a roll of brown paper, the ends being -turned over to hide it from view. - -"He thought I would give him the money he wanted out of my own pocket," -continued Joe. "But when he found that I was not quite so green, and -that his little game would be exposed in a minute more, and perhaps in -the presence of a policeman, he took himself off." - -Yes, that was one reason why the sharper left without taking time to -say good-by, but there was another that the boys knew nothing about. -I must speak of it here so that you will be able to understand what -happened afterward. - -Just as Joe Wayring was about to open the purse, the sharper cast a -furtive glance over his shoulder and saw standing within a few paces -of him, and intently watching his every movement, a short, thick-set -man, dressed in a plain gray suit. It was evident that the two were not -strangers to each other, for when the man in gray scowled and jerked -his thumb over his shoulder, the sharper lost no time in getting out -of sight. At the same instant Roy Sheldon turned his face that way, and -the man in the gray suit, as if afraid of being seen and recognized, -promptly wheeled about and looked toward the street. But he did not -lose sight of the boys. He followed them to the Academy of Music, and -sat within a few feet of them during the whole of the performance. - -"I'll chuck these things down there so that they can never be used -to fool anybody," said Joe, when he and his friends had examined the -purse and its contents to their satisfaction, and with the words he -tossed the unlucky sharper's stock in trade into an opening between -the grating on which they stood and the bottom of the store window. "I -wonder what he thinks of country wheelmen by this time." - -"He was a pretty sleek talker, wasn't he?" said Roy. "Do you suppose he -rides?" - -"No," answered Arthur, emphatically. "He is a professional swindler, -and has no time to devote to riding. Besides, such chaps don't get into -the L.A.W. Well, we've made a very fair beginning; only twelve hours -from home, and one adventure to our credit already. I hope if we have -any more they will all turn out as well as this one has." - -Having been shown to their seats in the Academy of Music, the boys -devoted themselves to the business of the hour and forgot all about the -sharper and his disappointment. Their quiet demeanor evidently excited -the surprise of the gentleman in gray, and drew from him some remarks -which were addressed to one who came in and took a seat beside him just -as the entertainment was about to begin. - -"Takes it most too cool, don't he?" said the man in gray. "You're quite -sure that there's no mistake about it? Bear in mind that I haven't -seen him since his last escapade two years ago, and he has had time to -change a good deal since then." - -"How in the world can there be any mistake about it?" asked the other, -in reply. "Don't I see him every day, and oughtn't I to know him if -anybody?" - -The first speaker drew a photograph from the inside pocket of his coat -and looked at it intently, now and then raising his eyes to compare it -with the profile of one of the boys in front, which was occasionally -turned toward him. At length he appeared to be satisfied with his -examination, for he replaced the picture, at the same time remarking, -with something like a sigh of resignation: - -"It's a go if you insist upon it; but I want you to understand very -distinctly that if any trouble follows the arrest, I am not the one to -stand the brunt of it." - -"How is there going to be any trouble about it? Didn't the old man -stand by you before? He did, and paid you well into the bargain. He'll -do the same this time, and you may depend upon it." - -"But you say he isn't at home now." - -"I know it; but I am simply obeying orders, and my word is good till he -comes." - -"If the boy has everything he wants, including all the money he can -spend, and is as kindly treated and as well cared for as you say he is, -I don't for the life of me see why he should run away from home," said -the man in gray. "Boys don't generally desert home and friends without -a cause. At least they didn't the first time I was on earth." - -"Well, this foolish fellow will do it every chance he gets, because he -is determined to find his father. His uncle always tried to make him -believe that his parents were both dead; but some gossip or another had -to go and tell him different, and the old man hasn't seen a days peace -of mind since. He lives in constant fear that the boy will give him the -slip. This is the second time he has tried it, and some day he'll get -off. Then there _will_ be a time, I tell you." - -"Why doesn't his uncle tell him where his father is, and let him go and -see him?" - -"Oh, that would never do. Don't you know that the money goes with the -boy? His father isn't fit to handle it, for he is a worthless scamp who -would squander the last dime of it in less than no time. The law gave -him to his uncle, who is also his guardian, and he intends to hold fast -to him." - -"And the money, too, I suppose. Well, all I have to say is, that if I -were in that boy's place my uncle would have to keep a double guard -over me night and day. If I wanted to see my father I'd see him in -spite of everybody. Besides, the boy is pretty near old enough to -choose his own guardian." - -"Don't say that," whispered the other, hastily. "Whatever you do, don't -say that where he can hear it. That's a point of law that he doesn't -know anything about, and his uncle wouldn't like to have him posted." - -"Pooh! I shan't say anything. If I am employed to catch him as often as -he runs away, so much the better for my pocket-book. I am too old to -quarrel with my bread and butter." - -When the entertainment was ended Joe Wayring and his chums left with -the others, and close behind them in the aisle came the man in gray and -his companion. In the hall they encountered two dense living streams -that came pouring down from the galleries, and in the crush that -followed the boys became separated. Joe and Arthur found each other -again on the sidewalk, but nothing was to be seen of Roy. As Arthur -locked arms with his friend to prevent a second separation, they -noticed a little knot of curious people gathered by the curbstone, and -saw a close carriage driven rapidly away. - -"Move on!" exclaimed a burly policeman. "It's nothing at all except a -fellow resisting arrest. Move on, please." - -The two boys would have been glad to wait for Roy; but as the guardian -of the night emphasized his order by resting his club lightly against -Joe's back, they concluded that they had better move on. They walked -the length of the block and then returned, but no Roy Sheldon was in -sight. There were but few people coming out of the hall now, but there -was the watchful policeman with his ready club and his stereotyped -command: - -"Move on, please. Don't block up the walk." - -"Roy has certainly come out before this time, and that blue-coat has -driven him away," said Joe. "He knows the road to the hotel, and -there's where we shall find him." - -The boys turned about and went down the street again, and the first -thing that attracted their attention when they entered their hotel -was the familiar uniform which they had adopted for their own--dark -blue tights, white flannel shirt with blue trimmings, and white helmet. -The boy who wore it was standing with his back to them, examining the -register. - -"I never noticed before that Roy was so fine a figure," whispered -Arthur. "Look at the muscles on his legs. He fills out those tights as -though he had been melted and poured into them." - -Without saying or doing anything to attract the boy's notice, the two -friends slipped up behind him, and Arthur threw his arms over his -shoulders. - -"Now, you runaway, give an account of yourself!" he exclaimed. - -The effect produced by these innocent words was surprising in the -extreme. In less than a second the supposed Roy Sheldon proved that he -was quite as muscular as he looked to be. Uttering a cry of surprise -and alarm he doubled himself up like a jack-knife and lunged forward -with all his strength, and then almost as quickly jerked himself -backward. By the first movement he came within a hair's breadth of -throwing Arthur Hastings heavily on his head; and by the second he -slipped out of his grasp like an eel. Then he straightened up and faced -him with clenched hands and flashing eyes. - -"Don't touch me!" he began, fiercely. "If you or any of your hirelings -lay an ugly finger on me again--" - -When he had said this much he stopped and looked hard at Arthur and -then at Joe, while an expression of great astonishment settled on -his face. My master and his friend were equally amazed. That was Roy -Sheldon's uniform, if they ever saw it, but it wasn't Roy who was in -it, although he looked almost exactly like him. There were the same -clear-cut features, hazel eyes and wavy brown hair, and the same faint -suspicion of a mustache; but they did not belong to Roy Sheldon. A -second look showed them that. - -"Who are you?" demanded the young fellow, at length. - -"I think that is a proper question for us to ask you," replied Arthur, -who, having never before been handled so easily by any boy of his -size, felt disposed to resent it. "What are you doing in our uniform, -we'd be pleased to have you tell us." - -"Your uniform!" exclaimed the stranger eagerly. "Are you from -Jamestown?" - -"No. Never heard of such a place about here. Don't even know where it -is. We are from Mount Airy." - -"Then we are even," said the stranger, in a disappointed tone, "for I -don't know where Mount Airy is." - -"Then of course you live a good way from here." - -"Not so very far; not more than twenty miles, but it might as well be -a thousand for all I know about this city. But you are wheelmen, of -course. Well, now I wish--but say," added the speaker, as if something -had just occurred to him. "Why did you grab me and call me a runaway?" - -"Because we thought you were. I mean we took you for a runaway from our -party," said Joe; and then he wondered why it was that the stranger -exhibited so much anxiety and even alarm at the words. "There is -another fellow in our party, but we have lost him in some unaccountable -manner." - -"Does he look anything like me?" - -"He does, indeed; so very much like you that when we saw you with our -uniform on we took you for our missing friend. You are a little stouter -than he is. That's all the difference there is in your figures; but to -look at your faces a little distance away, any one not well acquainted -with you would take you for twin brothers. How did you happen to choose -that uniform? What club do you belong to?" - -"I don't belong to any club. How does it come that you happened to -choose it when there were so many more that you might have taken?" - -"We made it up all out of our own heads," replied Arthur. - -"I can't say that I did. I copied it. The Jamestown boys wear it, and I -have seen a good many bicyclists running along the road past our island -dressed in the same way." - -"Your island!" repeated Joe. - -"Yes; my island prison, for that is just what it is to me. Let's go -into the reading-room," said the stranger, seeing that the hotel clerk -was becoming interested in their conversation. "I don't care to have -everybody hear what I say." - -He moved away from the desk as he said this, and Joe and Arthur -followed, lost in wonder. If there wasn't a mystery in this young -fellow's life he was out of his head. That was plain to both of them. - -"My real name is Rowe Shelly," began the stranger, taking possessing -of a chair at one of the tables and drawing two others alongside of -him, "but when I registered I signed myself Robert Barton, and gave -Baltimore as my home." - -"What made you do that? What have you been up to?" inquired Joe, while -Arthur began to wonder if they had fallen in with another sharper who -would presently make an effort to cheat them out of some money. - -"I haven't done anything that either of you would not do if you were -in my place," answered young Shelly, if that was really his name. "To -make a long story short, money is at the bottom of all my trouble. My -grandfather, when he died, willed the most of his large property to -my father, who was his only child, on condition that he quit the sea -and settled down on shore with his family, mother and me. There was a -step-son, who had assumed the family name in the hope of getting some -of the money, but he was left without a dollar. Our home at that time -was near some southern sea-port whose name I do not remember, for I -was too young to know anything. This step-son, who had been dubbed -"colonel" on account of his supposed wealth, happened to be at home -when grandfather died, and what did he do but get possession of the -will, spread the report that father had been lost at sea, take out -letters of administration, turn mother out of the house, and have -himself appointed my guardian. I don't pretend to know what trickery he -resorted to, to bring all this about, but I know he did it." - -"Humph! I wouldn't live with such a villain," exclaimed Joe, who was -deeply interested. He believed this strange story, and so did Arthur, -who told himself that he must have been about half crazy when he -suspected a boy who bore so close a resemblance to Roy Sheldon of being -a sharper. - -"I don't live with him any more," replied Rowe. "I have left him for -good; but of course I did not take the trouble to ask his consent." - -"Oh, that's what made you jump and look frightened when I caught -hold of you and called you a runaway, was it?" said Arthur. "If your -guardian finds you can he make you go back against your will?" - -"Certainly. He has often given me to understand that he will have full -control of my actions as well as of my property until I am twenty-one -years old." - -"Then he told you what isn't so," declared Joe. - -"I guess not," answered Rowe doubtfully. "At any rate, when I ran away -from him two years ago he gobbled me with the aid of a policeman and -took me back." - -"But you are older now than you were then," said Joe. "How old are you, -if it is a fair question?" - -"I was eighteen last month." - -"Then snap your fingers at that guardian of yours, and tell him you are -done with him." - -"That wouldn't make a particle of difference to him," replied Rowe. "He -would have detectives after me, and I don't know but there are some on -my track this very minute. That's why I registered under a fictitious -name, and adopted this uniform. It is worn by so many wheelmen around -here that it will not be likely to attract attention. But I am going to -change it the first thing in the morning, trade off my Rudge safety for -another wheel, and then put for the country and stay there as long as -my money lasts." - -"Say, Joe," said Arthur suddenly, "he looks a good deal like Roy -Sheldon, doesn't he?" - -"He is the very picture of him," answered Joe, surprised. - -"And you say," added Arthur, this time addressing himself to Rowe -Shelly, "that your guardian put detectives on your track when you ran -away from him two years ago, and that he has probably got them on your -track to-night?" - -"I don't think I used those words, but that was what I meant," replied -Rowe. "Why do you ask the question, and what makes you glare at me in -that fashion?" - -"I didn't know that I was glaring at you," said Arthur. "But I wish -from the bottom of my heart that you had changed that uniform for -another a hundred years ago, or else that you had never adopted it, -for it has been the means of getting one of the best fellows that ever -lived into trouble." - -"Art," exclaimed Joe, starting up in his chair, "do you think--do you -mean to say--" - -"Doesn't everything go to show it?" exclaimed Arthur, who was very -highly excited. "His uniform is the counterpart of ours; he looks so -much Roy that a stranger couldn't tell one from the other if he were to -see them together; he has the best of reasons for believing that his -guardian has put detectives on his track, and who knows--" - -"Good gracious!" cried Joe, starting up in his turn; "I never once -thought of that." - -"What are you afraid of?" inquired Rowe, whose face betrayed the -keenest anxiety and apprehension. "I hope you don't think that my -resemblance to your friend has brought him into difficulty." - -"That is just what we are afraid of," replied Joe soothingly, while -Arthur Hastings paced the room like a caged tiger. "But, of course, -nobody can blame you for it. If one of the detectives you spoke of saw -him, he probably mistook him for you, just as Arthur and I mistook you -for Roy Sheldon. It's a case of mistaken identity, and that's all that -can be made of it." - -"Nonsense!" exclaimed Arthur; "it is a clear case of abduction." - -"We'll have to see a lawyer about that." - -"Then let's be about it. What are we wasting time here for?" - -"Let us first make sure that Roy has been spirited away by somebody who -thought he was Rowe Shelly. Say, Art, you remember the carriage that -was driven away just as we came out of the Academy of Music, don't -you? Well how do we know but Roy was in it, and that he was the fellow -who resisted arrest?" - -"That's so," exclaimed Arthur. "Suppose we go right back and interview -that policeman if we can find him." - -When Arthur proposed this plan Rowe Shelly's face grew white again. - -"That will be a dead give-away on me, won't it?" said he. - -"I don't see why it should be," replied Joe. "We're not going to tell -any one that we have seen you. If you are afraid of it, go somewhere -while we are gone, and then we can say, if we are asked questions we -don't care to answer, that we don't know where you are." - -The young stranger evidently thought this a suggestion worth heeding, -for when Joe and his companion left the room he followed slowly after -them, first carefully reconnoitering the office to make sure there was -no one there he did not want to meet. - -"What's your opinion of that fellow, any way?" asked Joe, as he and -Arthur hurried along the street toward the Academy of Music. "He tells -a queer story, but I really believe there are some grains of truth in -it." - -"So do I," answered Arthur. "And if it turns out that Roy has been -kidnapped, I shall believe it is all true. I wish that Shelly boy had -been in Guinea before he adopted our uniform." - -"Or else that we had been there," added Joe. "He's got as much right to -it as we have. Look here, Art. We mustn't let the Mount Airy folks know -anything about this." - -"Not by a long shot. They'd order us home as they did when they read in -the papers that Matt Coyle had tied you to a tree in the woods. If Roy -is in a scrape we'll help him out of it and get well on our way beyond -Bloomingdale before we say a word about it." - -The boys were not obliged to go all the way to the hall in which they -had passed the evening, for they met the officer of whom they were in -search at the lower end of his beat. Arthur thought he looked at them -rather sharply as they came up, but he answered their questions civilly -enough. - -"Policeman," said Joe, "will you please tell us what sort of a looking -fellow it was who was put into a carriage in front of the Academy of -Music, and driven away just as the performance ended? You were on duty -there at the time." - -"Aw! go on now!" replied the officer good-naturedly. "He must have been -one of your own crowd, for he wore the same kind of clothes." - -"What was his name?" asked Arthur, whose heart seemed to sink down into -his boots when he heard this answer. - -"Aw, now!" said the officer again, "what's the use of my wasting my -time with you? You know more about him than I do; but I will tell you -one thing: you had better keep clear of him, or he will bring you into -trouble. He's a bad nation. He stole a pile of money from his guardian -before he ran away." - -"Not the boy who was put into the carriage, if it was the one we think -it was," said Joe earnestly. "In the first place, he has no guardian, -and he never stole a cent, for his father gives him all the money he -needs. There's been a big mistake made here, Mr. Officer." - -"Haw, haw!" laughed the policeman. He turned on his heel and started -back along his beat, but he did not shake off the boys. They wanted to -learn something before they left him, so they kept close to him, one on -each side. - -"But I assure you there has been the biggest kind of a blunder made," -Joe insisted. "The wrong boy has been arrested. His name is Roy -Sheldon, and he left Mount Airy with us this morning. Everybody there -knows him and us, too." - -"No, I guess not," replied the policeman, with another laugh. "Bab's -been in the business too long to make a mistake that might get him into -trouble." - -"Who's Bab?" - -"Why, Bab--Babcock, the detective," answered the officer, in a tone -which implied that he had no patience with a boy who could ask him so -foolish a question. "The youngster had the cheek to appeal to me for -protection, but I told him he had better go along peaceable and quiet, -for it would only make matters worse for him if he didn't. I knew Bab, -you see." - -"Well, this is a pretty state of affairs, I must say," exclaimed -Arthur, his anger getting the better of his prudence. "Of course Roy -resisted, as any other decent fellow would have done under the same -circumstances; and when he asked for protection from one of whom he had -a right to expect it, he was told that he had better go along if he -wanted to keep out of worse trouble." - -"That's enough from you, young man," said the officer, shortly. "If you -give me any more of your insolence I will run you in to keep company -with that runaway and thief. Move on, now." - -Arthur didn't wait for a second order. He faced about at once and -started back toward his hotel; but Joe stayed behind. He wanted to ask -another question or two, although he hardly expected that the policeman -would answer them. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ROWE SHELLY, THE RUNAWAY. - - -"Just one more word, Mr. Officer," continued Joe Wayring, when he had -seen his discomfited friend Arthur vanish in the crowd, "and then I -will cease troubling you." - -"Be in a hurry, then," was the gruff rejoinder. "Don't say anything to -confirm the suspicion I have that you are trying to make game of me, -for if you do you will spend the rest of the night under lock and key, -sure pop." - -"I assure you that my only desire is to gain some reliable information -regarding my missing friend," answered Joe, choking back his wrath. -"What precinct does this man Babcock belong to?" - -"He doesn't belong to any. He is a private detective, and works -wherever he is called." - -"What agency does he belong to?" - -"Wilcox's; two-thirty-four Bank street." - -"Thank you. That's one point gained. I suppose he will report the -arrest at his own headquarters, will he not?" - -"Very likely he will, and I'll report it to my captain." - -"I wasn't aware that a private detective could make an arrest without a -warrant, except in cases where there is a fight or some other violation -of the public peace. I thought he was obliged to call upon a policeman." - -"Well, wasn't I here?" exclaimed the officer, with some indignation in -his tones. "I want you to understand that I know my business, and that -you nor nobody like you can teach it to me. Move on. I've had enough of -you." - -"All right," replied Joe cheerfully. "But first allow me to apologize -for troubling you, and to thank you for your courteous answers to my -questions." - -If this was intended for sarcasm it had no effect whatever upon the -policeman, who walked off with a very dignified step, while Joe moved -on to find Arthur Hastings. He discovered him in the reading-room -of the hotel, holding an earnest conversation with a young fellow in -citizen's clothes. It was Rowe Shelley; but when he left his uniform in -his room he seemed to have left with it nearly all the resemblance he -had once borne to Roy Sheldon. Joe could see now that the two boys did -not look so very much alike after all. - -"I want to assure you of one thing, Wayring," said Rowe, as Joe seated -himself in a chair by his side; "what that policeman told you about -my stealing a lot of money before I left home, is utterly false. The -little I have with me is what I have managed to save during the last -two years out of my regular allowance. I have the best of reasons for -believing that every cent there is in that house rightfully belongs to -me, but I have never touched any of it except when it was given to me." - -"Are there any stores on the island?" inquired Joe. - -Rowe replied that there were not. The entire island was claimed by his -guardian, who said he was Rowe's uncle, although he was no relation to -him. Besides the family mansion, and the barns and other out-buildings -that belonged to it, there were four tenement houses that were occupied -by his guardian's hired help. - -"And I know they are not hired simply to work the place and keep the -grounds in order," said Rowe bitterly. "They are employed to keep an -eye on me, although they do not seem to pay any attention to me. When I -had saved a little money and began laying my plans to skip out, there -was not one among them to whom I could go for help, or whom I dared -take into my confidence. I had to depend upon myself." - -"Then what was the use of a regular allowance of money if you couldn't -spend it?" inquired Arthur. - -"I could save it for an emergency like this, couldn't I? Besides, -whenever I wanted anything, I could send for it by some one who was -coming to the city. Did you learn anything more about your missing -friend? Hastings tells me that there is no doubt he was mistaken for me -and sent away in that carriage." - -"That is what I think," answered Joe. "I know the name of the detective -who arrested him, as well as the agency to which the detective belongs. -It's Wilcox's, two-thirty-four Bank street, and there's where we must -go the first thing in the morning." - -"Great Scott!" cried Arthur. "Can't we do anything for Roy before -morning? Must he be put in a cell and--" - -"By no means," exclaimed Rowe. "Your friend will fare as well at my -home as you will here at a hotel. Beyond a doubt my guardian's steam -yacht was in waiting at one of the piers along the river side, and -Roy is probably half way to the island by this time. Of course the -detective will stay with him till he gets there, for fear that Roy will -jump overboard or do some other desperate thing to escape from Willis." - -"Who is Willis?" - -"He is my guardian's superintendent and my jailer. At least, that is -what I call him, although he is very friendly to me, and has seldom -interfered with me. When I ran away two years ago, he followed me up -and put the detectives on my track. I'd got away sure, if it hadn't -been for him." - -"Of course if Babcock goes to the island he can't report the arrest to -his superior before morning," said Joe, turning to Arthur. "So what's -the use in going there (to the agency, I mean) before we can learn -something?" - -"I don't see why you should go to the agency, or give yourselves the -least uneasiness about the matter," said Rowe. "As soon as Willis has -taken a good look at Roy, he will know that the detectives has made -a mistake, and then he will lose no time in setting his prisoner at -liberty and sending him back to the city." - -"We'll call upon Mr. Wilcox the first thing in the morning," said Joe, -decidedly. "At least Art and I will, and you had best pack your bundle -and dig out before daylight. As soon as your guardian finds out that--" - -"He isn't at home," interrupted Rowe. "He has gone away somewhere on -business, and that's why I am here. I took advantage of his absence." - -"At any rate the search for you will be renewed when it becomes known -that a mistake has been made, and if I were in your place I would not -stay here. I think you were very imprudent to come to the city at all." - -"That's because you don't know what extraordinary precautions I took to -make everybody think I was going the other way," replied Rowe. - -"But it seems that the tricks to which you resorted, whatever they -were, did not work," said Arthur. "This man Willis, who probably runs -things during your guardian's absence, must have come to the city or -sent word to some one to be on the watch for you. If he didn't do one -or the other, how does it come that Roy was molested? Joe, what course -are you going to follow when you get to the agency?" - -"I'm simply going to tell the man in charge that one of his detectives -has made a blunder and arrested Roy Sheldon when he thought he was -arresting some one else, and ask him to undo his night's work and bring -our friend back to us as quick as he knows how." - -"But he'll want evidence, won't he?" - -"I shall be provided with the evidence," replied Joe quietly. "Rowe, -you wouldn't mind writing a couple of letters, one to your guardian's -superintendent and the other to the detective, stating the facts, would -you?" - -"Why--why, I don't see how I can do it without putting the detectives -on my own track," stammered Rowe, who was very much astonished at this -proposition. "I'd have to sign my right name to the letters, wouldn't -I?" - -"Certainly. A fictitious name would be of no use to us, and we'll see -that you don't get into trouble by it. Write the letters containing a -full statement of the case, make yourself scarce about here without -telling us where you are going, and then we can't answer any questions -that may be asked us. If he don't do it," added Joe mentally, "the only -thing I can do is to bring in some of father's business friends and -Uncle Joe's to vouch for us, and add weight to our story. I am opposed -to that, and I believe Roy himself would kick against it; for of course -those friends would write the full particulars to the folks at home, -and that would knock our trip across the State into a cocked hat." - -"If he doesn't do it," said Arthur to himself, seeing that Rowe still -hesitated, "he will find that we are not to be trifled with. I'll -denounce him as soon as I can find anybody to denounce him to. He got -Roy into this scrape, and it is no more than fair that he should help -get him out." - -"Is there no other way in which I can assist you?" inquired Rowe, after -a long pause. - -"There is none that occurs to me just now," answered Joe. "Can you -think of any?" - -"I can't think of anything. My mind is in a whirl, and has been ever -since I left the island." - -"I thought as much," said Arthur, drily. "Otherwise you would never -come to the city and put up at wheelmen's headquarters. Don't you -know that this is the very hotel of all others that you ought to have -shunned?" - -"I thought the very boldness of the thing would throw my pursuers, if I -had any, off the track; and I believe it did, for I have seen no one to -be afraid of since I came here. Do you think the chief detective will -be ready to undo this work when you ask him?" added Rowe, addressing -himself to Joe. - -"I think he will. I would, if I were in his place, for it would hurt -my business to have it get out. If people knew that Wilcox kept such a -blunderhead as that Babcock about, they would not be apt to give him -much to do." - -"All right. It shall be as you say," exclaimed Rowe, getting upon his -feet and hastening into the office, whence he presently returned with a -couple of envelopes and as many sheets of paper in his hand. "Have you -any influential friends in town?" he asked, as he seated himself at the -table. - -"We've enough to make it exceedingly uncomfortable for those people on -the island if they don't turn that boy loose in a little less than no -time," replied Arthur, with emphasis. "Tell your man Willis to put that -in his pipe." - -"He'll not need any such threat to quicken his movements," said Rowe, -with a smile, the first one Joe had seen on his face that evening. -"When he discovers that Babcock has not brought him the right boy, he -will be only too glad to get rid of him. But I'll put it in." - -After a few minutes spent in rapid writing Rowe handed Joe the -following, which was addressed to George Willis, Shelly's Island, New -London Harbor: - - "You have probably found out by this time that the man Babcock, whom - you notified to be on the lookout for me, has made a mistake that - is likely to get him and every one concerned in it into serious - difficulty. He has made a prisoner of Roy Sheldon, who lives in Mount - Airy. He has friends there, as well as in this city, who will make it - hot for you if you don't treat him well while he is on the island, - and send him back with the least possible delay. Tell my guardian, - when he returns, that I have grown weary of waiting for him to tell - me where my father and mother are, and have set out to find them. I - know I shall succeed this time, and then there will be a change of - administration on Shelly's Island, or I shall miss my guess. - - "Now I should like to know what you mean by spreading the report that - I stole a lot of money before I went away. You know it to false. If - any of my money has disappeared (it is my money, mind you, and not - my guardian's) I would as soon think you took it as to accuse anybody - else. - - "If you haven't sent that boy back already, do it as soon as you read - this, if you don't want to have some papers served on you." - -"Is that satisfactory?" inquired Rowe, as Joe passed the letter to -Arthur. - -"Perfectly. If Willis fails to understand it, it will not be your -fault. But why don't you get another guardian and put it out of this -man's power to harass you with detectives every time you leave the -island?" - -"I wish to goodness I could; but I can't. The law put him where he is." - -"And the law can take him out. When he was appointed your guardian he -must have perjured himself if he swore that he was your next of kin. -But here's a question: Do you know that your parents are still alive?" - -"No; I don't know it, but I think so. I do know, however, that my -father was not lost at sea, as my guardian reported. Since that time -people who know him have seen and talked with him. He was alive when I -tried to find him two years ago." - -"Where does he live?" - -"Somewhere in the State of Maryland. On the coast, I suppose, for he is -fond of the water, and has been a sailor all his life." - -"Now just think a moment," said Joe, earnestly. "Can't you see that -you show a wonderful lack of _something_ in starting off on your wheel -to hunt a needle in a haystack? You must remember that Maryland has an -area of more than eleven thousand square miles, not counting in the -bay, which has a coast line three hundred and eighty miles in length. -You have set yourself something of a job, old fellow." - -"So I have," said Rowe nervously. "Do you know, I never once thought of -that? There was but one idea in my mind, and that was to get safely off -the island and away from New London, so that I could hide myself among -strangers. Then, after the excitement had had time to die away, and my -guardian had given up looking for me, I thought it would be the easiest -thing in the world to run down into Maryland and find my parents. It -wouldn't be too long a run, would it? I think I have heard of a man who -went from San Francisco to Boston on his wheel." - -"No doubt you did; and that man, if you are thinking of the same one I -am, is now on his way around the world. The run wouldn't trouble you, -but finding the objects of your search would not be so easy as you seem -to think. You have gone about it in the wrong way." - -"How would you act, if you were in my place?" - -"My first hard work would be to rid myself of that guardian," exclaimed -Joe. - -"Haven't I told you that he was appointed by the court?" - -"Of course he was, or else he could not have slipped into the position. -But you were too young to have any voice in the matter. You are older -now than you were then, and have reached an age when the law says you -are capable of choosing your own guardian." - -Howe became greatly excited when he heard this. He threw his pen upon -the table, jumped to his feet, and paced the floor with long and rapid -strides. - -"I hope you know what you are telling me," said he, as soon as he could -say anything. - -Joe replied that he was sure of his ground. - -"How shall I go to work?" continued Rowe. "What shall I do first?" - -"Go to some honest lawyer, tell him your story just as you have told -it to us, going rather more into details, and he will tell you what to -do. If you give the case into his hands, he will probably advertise for -your people. He'll not start off alone to hunt them up, unless he knows -pretty near where they are; I can tell you that much." - -"And will the law really help me to rid myself of that man?" cried -Rowe, as if he could hardly believe it. "And will I have my father and -mother to live with me, and be free to come and go, as other fellows -do? It seems too good to be true. Why didn't you tell me this long ago?" - -"I have been on the point of telling you half a dozen times," answered -Joe, "but somehow I always got switched off on another track. You know -it now, and if you remain shut up any longer deprived of your rights, -it will be your own fault." - -"I shall not let the grass grow under my feet, I assure you," said -Rowe, seating himself at the table and once more taking up his pen. "I -shall not leave the city until this thing has been settled. How would -it do to add a line to the letter I have written to Willis?" - -"Telling him what you intend to do?" exclaimed Joe. "I wouldn't. Spring -it on 'em and take them by surprise before they have a chance to run -away with any of the money. If the man who claims to be your uncle got -his position by fraud, he wouldn't be above cheating you if he saw an -opportunity to do it without detection." - -It was much harder work for Rowe to write this letter than it was to -write the first, because he was so nervous and excited that he could -scarcely hold his pen steady. But he finished it at last, and handed it -over to Joe to read. It was much the same as the other, except that -there was no allusion made to the story that Willis or somebody else -had spread abroad, that Rowe had appropriated a sum of his guardian's -money to help him in his runaway scheme. Then the letters were sealed, -stamped and addressed, and Joe went out to put them into the box. -He wanted them to reach their destination as soon as possible; and -furthermore, he intended to allow the one that was addressed to the -detective ample time to have an effect before he called at the agency -on the following morning. They had done all that could be done that -night, and when Joe went back to the reading-room he announced his -intention of going to bed. - -"Then I will bid you good-by, for it is not at all likely that I shall -be here when you come down in the morning," said Rowe, shaking each of -them cordially by the hand. "If you only knew what a terrible load you -have lifted from my heart by the friendly encouragement and advice you -have given me, you would believe me when I say that I am glad to have -met you, and sorry indeed that your friend got into trouble through me. -Please say as much, to him when you see him, and add that I shall live -in hopes of some day making his acquaintance. I suppose you can't tell -me where to address you in case I should have anything interesting to -communicate?" - -Joe was sorry to say that he could not; for although their proposed -route had been marked out in their road-book before they left home, -there was no certainty that they would stick to it. But he and his -friends would like much to know how Rowe succeeded in his efforts to -assert his rights, and a letter addressed to them at Mount Airy would -follow them until it caught them. There were their cards. Good-night -and good luck! - -"He's a simple-hearted fellow and totally unused to the ways of the -world; and although he hasn't got much sense to boast of in some -things, he can sling ink better than I can," said Arthur, as he and Joe -ascended to their rooms. "Do you suppose he has ever been to school?" - -"No, I don't. He had a private teacher." - -"Then why didn't he make a confidant of him?" - -"Because he was afraid to. Perhaps his teacher was some -poverty-stricken scholar, who was told to keep his mouth, eyes and ears -closed as long as he remained on the island, and was well paid for -doing it. More than that, the guardian was careful to tell his side of -the story first, so that the tutor would be likely to take anything -Rowe said to him with a grain or two of allowance." - -"It does not seem possible that such things can happen in this day and -age of the world," said Arthur reflectively. "That fellow told us a -strange story, and I shall do as I please about believing it until we -hear from Roy Sheldon. Well, good-night. Call me when you get up." - -The first thing the two friends did when they went down to the office -in the morning was to inquire for Robert Barton; for you will remember -that that was the name the runaway signed to the register. - -"He left a message for you to the effect that he had decided to take -the night boat for Bloomingdale," replied the clerk. "He will put in -the time visiting friends there until you arrive." - -"That means that Rowe Shelly has gone into hiding somewhere in the -city," said Joe, as he followed Arthur into the dining-hall. "Of course -he wouldn't be foolish enough to say that he was going up the river on -a steamer if he really meant to do it." - -"I don't know whether he would or not," answered Arthur, doubtfully. -"He acknowledges to doing a great many foolish things. Putting up at -this hotel was one of them." - -After eating a very slender breakfast the boys inquired the way to Bank -street, and left the hotel to obtain an interview with Mr. Wilcox. -About half an hour later a carriage was driven up to the sidewalk, and -a boy clad in a bicycle uniform got out and hurried into the hotel; -but I doubt if such a boy and such a uniform had ever been seen in the -Lafayette House before. He seemed anxious to escape observation, for -it was not until he had concealed himself behind one of the wide front -doors that he stopped to pay his hackman. Then he stepped up to the -desk and looked at the astonished clerk with his right eye. He wore a -handkerchief over the other one, and there was a suspicion of blood -on the handkerchief. One sleeve of his shirt had disappeared, and so -had his cap; and when the clerk came to take a second look at him, he -saw that, although his uniform was dry, it looked as though it had been -dumped in the harbor--as indeed it had. - -"Well, well," exclaimed the clerk, as soon as he had in some measure -recovered from his astonishment. "What in the world have you been doing -to yourself, Mr.--ah--er--Barton?" he added, consulting the register to -make sure of the name. "Did the steamer sink or burn up?" - -"What steamer? I don't know anything about a steamer." - -"Why, didn't you tell the clerk whom I relieved that you were going to -take the night boat for Bloomingdale?" - -"Not much I didn't. I wasn't here last night, and furthermore, my -name isn't Barton. There's my name, Roy Sheldon; and I came to town -yesterday afternoon in company with that fellow and that one," said the -new-comer, pointing out Joe's name and Arthur's. - -"Then, who was the chap who left a message for Wayring and Hastings?" -exclaimed the puzzled clerk. - -"I'm sure I don't know. Did he beat you out of anything?" inquired -Roy, thinking of the swindler who had tried to palm off those bogus -greenbacks upon him and his friends. - -"Oh, no! He settled up all fair and square, and said he would wait -for Wayring and Hastings at Bloomingdale. It couldn't have been your -brother, could it? He looked like you." - -"Don't own any brother. Say," cried Roy, an idea striking him. "Wasn't -it Rowe Shelly?" - -The clerk backed away from his desk and looked at Roy without speaking. - -"I don't know who else it could have been, for I was mistaken for him, -kidnapped, and carried over to the island, and just escaped being taken -to sea by the skin of my teeth," continued Roy, growing excited as he -thought of it. "Rowe must have been here and scraped an acquaintance -with my friends, or he wouldn't have left a message for them. I did say -I would make trouble for somebody if I ever got ashore, but since I -have had time to think the matter over, I am not as mad as I was. Did -it blow much here last night and early this morning? Well, I was out in -the whole of it." - -"Do you mean to say that that fool Rowe Shelly has run away from home -again?" said the clerk, as if he could hardly believe the story. - -"He has run away, but I don't know whether he's a fool or not. I am -inclined to think he isn't. Where are those friends of mine?" - -The clerk didn't know. They left the hotel after inquiring the way to -Bank street, but he couldn't tell what business they had on hand, or -how long they would be gone. - -"They'll show up when they get ready," said Roy. "In the mean time, if -you will give me the key to forty-seven, I will go up and try to make -myself a little more presentable." - -"What have you been doing to get yourself into such a plight?" asked -the interested clerk. - -"The story is too long to be told in detail, and all I can say just -now is that I have had a time of it. But if Rowe got away I don't care. -I would go through as much more to help him, although he is a perfect -stranger to me. Don't say anything about this, please, for I positively -decline to be interviewed. I don't want my folks to hear of it, for -fear they will order me home," added Roy to himself. "That's the plain -English of the matter." - -So saying he took his key and went up to his room. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -ROY IN TROUBLE. - - -You will remember that it was during the crush which occurred at the -Academy of Music when the "gallery gods" came pouring down into the -main hall from both sides, that Roy Sheldon became separated from his -friends Joe and Arthur. While he was making his way slowly toward the -door, he felt a hand laid upon his arm, and without turning his head to -see who it was, supposing, of course, that one of his companions was -close at his side, Roy took hold of the hand and drew it through his -arm. When he reached the sidewalk he looked around to say something -uncomplimentary regarding the rough fellow who had elbowed him rather -too sharply in his haste to get out, and then he found that it was not -a boy who had hold of him, but a man whom he had never seen before--a -brown-whiskered man dressed in gray clothes. Thinking of the swindler -whom he and his friends had encountered during the early part of the -evening, Roy made an effort to twist himself out of the stranger's -grasp, but found that he could not do it. The man had a grip like a -vise. - -"Softly, softly," said he, in a low tone. "The game's up, and you might -as well give in. You know me, and you know, too, that I wouldn't see -you harmed. The carriage is ready and waiting." - -"I don't know you, either," said Roy, greatly astonished. "Let go my -arm, or I'll black your eye for you." - -"If you strike me," said the man, who seemed rather surprised at this -display of spirit, "I shall have to put the irons on you right here, -and you don't want to make a scene before all these people. It wouldn't -look well for a young fellow of your standing." - -Roy, too amazed to speak again, looked around for his friends; but -they seemed to have disappeared very mysteriously. He was surrounded -by strange people, the majority of whom seemed to be paying no sort -of attention to him, while others looked on in wonder, and the rest -laughed at him. An arrest in the crowded streets of New London was too -common an occurrence to attract more than a passing notice. - -All this while Roy was being led slowly but surely toward a carriage, -whose door was held invitingly open by a rather genteel-looking man who -carried a heavy cane in his hand. When Roy saw that preparations had -been made to convey him away secretly, he recovered his power of action -and the use of his tongue at the same instant. He resisted with all -his strength, and finally appealed to a policeman who, for a wonder, -chanced to appear at that opportune moment. - -"What do you mean, anyway?" he exclaimed, giving his arm a sudden -wrench, but with no other effect than to cause the man in gray to -tighten his grasp until Roy could scarcely endure the pain. "Mr. -Officer, do you see what this villain is doing? I ask you to interfere -for my protection." - -[Illustration: The Arrest.] - -Roy, in his simplicity, supposed that the guardian of the city's peace -would rush up and knock his assailant down with his club, or else -take him into custody; but he did nothing of the sort. He strolled -leisurely up to the carriage, saying, in a drawling tone: - -"I suppose it is all right, Bab?" - -"Of course it is," replied the man in gray, "or I wouldn't be in it. I -am too old a dog to bark up the wrong tree." - -"It's all right, sonny," said the policeman, soothingly. "Go along -quiet and peaceable and you won't get into trouble with Bab. He'll take -good care of you." - -"But who is he, and by what authority does he commit this outrage?" -demanded Roy, who was so angry and astonished that he hardly knew what -he was saying. - -But his indignant words met with no verbal response. The policeman, -who, according to Roy's way of thinking, ought to have helped him, -lent effective assistance to his assailant by taking the boy by the -other arm and gently pushing him into the carriage. The minute the two -men released their hold of him, Roy jumped for the other side of the -vehicle, intending to open the door and take to his heels, but the man -who carried the heavy cane was there before him. - -"What's the use of cutting up like this?" said he, with a cunning smile -that exasperated the prisoner to the highest degree. "One would think, -from your actions, that you were going to prison, instead of to the -pleasantest home that any boy of your size ever had. Why can't you stay -there and be contented? There's many a youngster in this city who would -be glad to be in your boots." - -As the man said this he mounted to a seat on the box beside the driver, -and at the same moment his companion, who had got into the carriage and -closed the door behind him, seized Roy by the arm and drew him away -from the window. - -"Sit down and take it easy," said he, pleasantly. "The game is up, as I -told you, and you might as well give in and wait until you see another -chance to run away." - -"Run away!" repeated Roy. "Where from?" - -"Oh, come now. What's the use of playing off in that way? I know it's -quite a while since I saw you, but I knew you the minute I put eyes on -you. That chap didn't fool you, did he?" - -"What chap?" - -"Why, the fellow who tried to play the pocket-book game on you and -those two wheelmen you picked up somewhere." - -"Did you see that operation?" exclaimed Roy, forgetting for the moment -that he was being taken somewhere against his will, and that there -might be disagreeable things in store for him. - -"I saw it all. I followed you from the Lafayette House--say, Rowe, -don't you think you were foolish to go to that hotel where all the -wheelmen stop? That was the very first place I went to find you when -Willis told me that you had skipped again. What made you go there?" - -"Who is Willis?" asked Roy, in reply. - -"Oh, get out!" exclaimed his companion, in a tone of disgust. "If you -want me to talk to you, you must talk sense." - -"Well, then, where are you going to take me?" - -"That isn't sense, either. _I_ might be liable to make a mistake, -seeing it's two years and better since I last met you, but Willis ought -to know you." - -"Who does he think I am?" - -"Oh, quit your nonsense. I am in no humor for foolishness. I was up all -last night working on a case, and now I've got to stay up till I see -you safe at home. I'm cross for want of rest." - -"You don't talk as if you were cross," said Roy. "I'll stop bothering -you if you will tell me who you are, who you think I am, and why you -kidnapped me as you have done." - -"Bless your heart, you won't bother me if you will only talk sense. -I didn't kidnap you. I arrested you for a runaway, and there's my -authority for doing it." - -As the man said this he squared around on his seat, drew back the lapel -of his coat, and the light of a street lamp, which streamed in through -the window at that moment, fell full upon a detective's shield. - -"My name is Babcock," he continued. "Of course you remember me now. -Bab, you know; the same man who arrested you when you lit out two -years ago. _Bab_, you recollect." - -"Never heard your name before, and never saw you, till you bounced -me back there in the hall," said Roy, who told himself that he was -learning something every minute. - -"Oh, come now," replied the detective, in an injured tone. "Everybody -knows Bab." - -"Everybody except me, perhaps. But you never arrested me for the simple -reason that I never ran away from home. It's much too pleasant a place -for me to leave voluntarily, I can tell you. It is plain enough to me -that you have mistaken me for somebody else." - -"But there's Willis," said the detective; and if Roy could have seen -his face distinctly he would have had the satisfaction of knowing that -he had aroused a train of disagreeable thoughts in that official's mind. - -"Who's Willis?" asked Roy, again. - -"Your uncle's superintendent; the man on top with the driver. He has -known you all your life, and he says you are Rowe Shelly." - -"Well, I am not. I am Roy Sheldon, and my home is in Mount Airy. If -you don't want to take my word for it, tell your hackman to drive us -to the Lafayette House. You will find a couple of my friends there, -and in an hour I can bring a hundred more from among New London's best -business men." - -"If you have so many acquaintances in the city, why did you put up at a -hotel? That statement will hardly wash." - -"It's the truth whether it will wash or not," Roy insisted. "Having -just so much time at our disposal, we made all our arrangements before -we left home, and we didn't want our friends to interfere with our -plans in any way. You may save yourself trouble by going to my hotel." - -"No; I don't guess I would," replied the detective, with a yawn. "I'd -a little rather trust Willis than you, for you know that you are full -of tricks, and that you came within one of giving me the slip two years -ago. Remember it, don't you?" - -Roy replied that it had slipped his mind entirely, and then went back -to the point from which he started, hoping that by setting out on a -new tack he could induce the detective to tell him who Rowe Shelly was, -where he lived, and why he had run away from home. - -"If you are an officer, as you pretend to be, what is the reason you -did not arrest that fellow when he was trying to play the pocket-book -game on my friends and me?" said he. "You say you saw it all." - -"And I say so yet; but I didn't want to have anything to do with him -just then, for I had bigger game in sight. That was you, and I was -afraid you would recognize me if I showed you my face. So I just -nodded to the swindler to let him know that I was on to his little -performance, pointed down the street, and he took the hint and cleared -out." - -"Oh, that's the reason he went off in such a hurry, was it?" exclaimed -Roy. "We thought it was because he was afraid his game was about to be -exposed. Now that I think of it, I believe I did see you standing near -by, but your back was turned toward us." - -"No doubt. And you saw me when I took you in at Peach Grove two years -ago, didn't you? Come, now, be honest." - -"I don't know where Peach Grove is, and I tell you I never saw you -before to-night," replied Roy. "How far do you intend to take me in -this close carriage?" - -"Not much farther. We're most to the pier now." - -"Then I've got to go the rest of the way by water, have I?" said Roy. -"Why don't you let down the windows? It's suffocating in here." - -"It's pretty warm, that's a fact," assented the detective, taking off -his hat and drawing his handkerchief across his forehead. "You'd holler -if I put the windows down." - -"No, I wouldn't," protested the boy. - -"And that wouldn't be pleasant; because it would attract attention," -continued the detective. "You'd be sorry enough for it after you'd had -time to cool off, and, besides, your uncle wouldn't like to have so -much publicity given to this matter. He wants everything done on the -quiet, and I promise you it shall be, if you will do just as I say." - -"Who's my uncle?" asked Roy, believing that he had got upon the right -track at last. - -"Why, your uncle; Colonel Shelly; the man who owns the island where you -live," answered the detective. And then, as if he was angry at himself -for giving his questioner this much satisfaction, he added: "I declare, -if Job was here in my place he'd lose patience and be tempted to shake -you. But go on with your foolishness. I've got to keep awake somehow." - -"Then let down the windows so that a fellow can breathe," said Roy, -prompt to take advantage of this permission. "If I speak louder than my -ordinary tone of voice it will not take you long to put them up again. -There, now. That's better. You say you are going to take me to an -island. Are there any people on it?" - -"A dozen, or such a matter, I should say." - -"Have they been long in Colonel Shelly's employ?" - -"Some have been there always, and some ain't." - -"That's all I want to know on that point," said Roy, who was greatly -relieved. "Of course the minute those old-timers see me they will know -that you have made a mistake." - -"Of course, they won't know nothing of the kind," replied the -detective, angrily. "They know, and so does everybody else, that Bab -understands his business and is not in the habit of making mistakes. -Don't you build any hopes on that." - -"Colonel Shelly will know that I am not his nephew, won't he? I can at -least build some hopes on that." - -"He ain't at home, and you know it as well as I do. If he was, you -and I wouldn't be here in this carriage. You waited until he went off -somewhere on business, and then you skipped." - -"Oh, that was the way of it. The colonel must be rich if he can afford -to own a whole island so near a big city like New London, mustn't he?" - -"Aw! Go on now," replied the detective. "He's awful rich, and so are -you. At least you will be one of these days." - -"That's news to me. I've seen the time when I thought I was well off if -I had fifteen cents in my pocket. What's the matter?" inquired Roy, -seeing that his companion was twisting uneasily about on his seat. -"Don't I talk fast enough to keep you awake?" - -"You make me tired," answered the detective. "But I'll tell you one -thing, young man. If Willis has made a mistake and you are not Rowe -Shelly, you're a trifle the coolest customer I have seen for many a -day." - -"I don't deny that I was frightened at first," said Roy, "but I don't -feel at all uneasy now. Of course I know that you have made a mistake, -for there's nothing that you or any one else can gain by running me off -in this way." - -"Well, look here," said the detective earnestly. "If there's been a -blunder made, you mustn't blame me for it. Blame Willis." - -"What's the name of the boy you took me for--Rowe Shelly? Do I look -much like him?" - -"That's another question that makes me tired," answered Babcock. "Look -like him! You _are_ him, otherwise you wouldn't be here." - -"But I say I am Roy Sheldon and nobody else, as I can prove if you -will give me a chance. When we get to some place where we can borrow a -light, I want you to take a good look at my face. You never saw a boy -who looked exactly like me, and I'll bet on it." - -This was just what the detective had determined to do. The boy was -altogether too much at his ease to suit him; he did not act at all as -a disappointed runaway ought to act, and the fear that, for once, he -had committed a blunder was almost enough to drive Babcock frantic. -If he had made a prisoner of the wrong boy he could look for nothing -but a prompt discharge from his employer, who would not be likely to -recommend him to any other private detective bureau. But then he never -would have made the arrest if Willis had not urged it, and repeatedly -declared that he knew Rowe Shelly when he saw him, and that there was -no chance for a mistake. And besides, there was the money that Rowe -was said to have stolen from his guardian! To do the detective justice -he did not believe that part of the story, but told himself that the -superintendent had concocted it in order to make the case against the -runaway as bad as it could be. - -"I don't much like this private detective business, and never did," -thought Babcock. "If there is a mean piece of work to be done, -something so low down that the city officers won't touch it, we are -called upon to do it. I'll have a good look at this boy's face as soon -as we reach the pier, and if I am not entirely satisfied with what I -see there, I'll wash my hands of the whole business, and leave Willis -to take him to the island and get out of the scrape afterwards as well -as he can. That's what I'll do." - -Seeing that his companion had suddenly grown very unsociable, Roy -settled back on his seat and thought over the situation. What would Joe -and Arthur think when they missed him, and what would they do about it? -When they found that he had not returned to the hotel would they become -frightened, report the matter at police headquarters, and write to the -folks in Mount Airy about it? The bare thought of such a thing alarmed -Roy, who was almost tempted to burst open the door and take to his -heels. - -"But that plan wouldn't work at all," said he to himself. "Babcock -would have me hard and fast before I could get fairly on my feet. I -must wait until we reach the pier, and then I'll make a dash, if they -give me the least show. If Joe and Arthur write home about it, that -will be the end of our trip, and I'll pick a quarrel with the pair of -them as soon as I can find them." - -But, after all, Roy did not borrow a great deal of trouble on this -score. His friends had never yet "gone back on him," and Roy did not -believe they would do it now, when there was so much at stake. - -While these thoughts were passing through his mind, the carriage, which -had been driven at as high a rate of speed as the hackman thought he -could venture upon without attracting the attention of the police, -turned off the main thoroughfare into a narrow street, then into -another, and finally into a third, which was so dark and gloomy that -the street lamps looked as though they were shining through a fog. -Presently it came to a standstill. - -"Here we are," said Babcock, with alacrity. "Jump out. Not that side, -but this one. Aha! You'll bear watching, won't you?" - -But Roy could not have made his exit through the door toward which he -turned, without bringing on a useless struggle with his captors: for -the minute the carriage stopped, the man Willis clambered down from the -box and appeared at the window. - -"Rowe Shelly must be a slippery fellow," thought Roy, as he faced about -and followed the detective, "and no doubt he has given these two men a -lesson that they will not soon forget. They won't let me have the ghost -of a chance to run." - -When Roy got out of the carriage he saw that it had stopped at the end -of a pier which jutted out into the harbor for a hundred feet or more. -There was no possible chance for escape, unless he were reckless enough -to jump into the water and trust himself to the tide, which was running -out at a rapid rate, but his captors were so very much afraid of him, -that they kept fast hold of both his arms while they marched him to -the farther end of the pier, where they found a natty little yacht with -steam up, ready for a start. - -"Do you intend to take me away on this thing?" inquired Roy. "Well, -before you do it, hadn't you better get a lantern and satisfy -yourselves that you have made no mistake in the boy? I tell you I am -not Rowe Shelly. If he has any good reason for running away from his -uncle, I hope he is a thousand miles from here at this moment, and that -you will never catch him. But if you don't quit fooling with me here -and now, I'll make trouble for you as sure as I live to get ashore." - -"I'm used to such talk as that," said Willis, with a laugh. "Yes," he -added, in reply to a low question from a man on the forecastle who -proved to be the captain of the yacht, "we've found him already. Had no -trouble at all in tracking him. Are you ready? Then cast off and--" - -"Hold on," interrupted the detective. "I want to say a few words to you -in private, Willis. Captain, can this boy be locked in the cabin with -any certainty that we shall find him there when we want him?" - -The man appealed to said he was sure of it; whereupon Roy was conducted -down the companion ladder, and into an elegantly furnished little -room in the stern of the yacht. The hanging lamp gave out a brilliant -light, and Roy, believing that the detective would never have a better -opportunity to take a good look at his face, placed his hands on his -hips and stood in such a position that the rays from the reflector fell -full upon him. - -"Now what do you think?" said he. "Can you truthfully say that you ever -saw me before?" - -"Why, what's the matter?" inquired Willis, while Roy was sure he looked -somewhat concerned and anxious. "What are you talking about, Rowe? You -don't pretend to deny yourself, do you? If that's your scheme, it won't -work." - -"Of course I do not mean to deny my identity," replied Roy. "But I do -say I am not Rowe Shelly." - -"What nonsense!" exclaimed Willis. "Shove off, captain. We are wasting -time here. Mr. Babcock will go to the island with us, as he did before." - -"Don't be in a hurry, captain," interposed the detective. "It is -possible that I shall want to stay ashore. Now, Willis, come on deck -and tell me who is to pay me for this night's work." - -Willis knew, and so did Roy Sheldon, that this was simply a ruse on -Babcock's part to take the superintendent out of the prisoner's hearing -so that he could speak his mind to him without fear of being overheard. -I afterward learned all about that rather stormy interview, and so I -will tell of it here in its proper place. - -"Look here," said Babcock, as soon as he and Willis had gained the -deck. "You have brought me into a pretty mess, and I am going to get -out of it with the least possible delay. I am as near the island as I -am going to-night." - -"You--you don't suppose--" began Willis. - -"Yes; I mean to say that you have made me arrest the wrong boy," -exclaimed the detective, as if he read the thoughts that were passing -in his companion's mind; "and if you don't know it, too, your face -belies you. What do you say, captain? Who is that boy we just left in -the cabin?" - -"Why, it's Rowe Shelly, of course. Who else should it be?" - -"Did you take a good look at him?" - -"I did. I would know him if I had met him in Europe." - -"There, now," said Willis, angrily, "I hope you're satisfied. I've -heard that boy talk. He can almost make one believe that black is -white, and I can see plain enough that he tried his blarney on you -while you were in the carriage with him. You wouldn't have made the -arrest if it hadn't been for me." - -"You're right, I wouldn't. I believed you when you said you knew the -boy, and now I've got into a nice pickle by it. I hope the colonel will -give you your walking-papers the minute he hears of it." - -"Oh, he dassent do that. I know too much about--" began Willis, and -then he stopped, frightened at what he had said. - -"You know too much about him and his affairs, do you?" exclaimed -Babcock, finishing the sentence for him. "That's what I have thought -for a long time." - -"I didn't say so," replied Willis, hastily, at the same time taking the -detective by the arm and leading him out of earshot of the captain of -the yacht. "You ought not to have spoken so plainly in the presence of -a third party. I tell you it's all right." - -"And I tell you I am sure it isn't. If you will take my advice, you -will bring that boy out of the cabin and show him the way to his hotel -at once. If he is a stranger in town he could not find his way there -alone on a dark night like this." - -"I wouldn't do that for no money," said Willis, alarmed at the mere -mention of such a thing. "Just see the trouble I'd get into." - -"You'll get into more if you don't do as I say. Well, good-by. I'm off." - -"Won't you see Rowe safe to the island?" - -"Not by a great sight. I'll have no more to do with the case." - -So saying the detective jumped ashore, and Willis was left to his own -discretion. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ANOTHER SURPRISE FOR ROY. - - -"Well, this is a pretty way to treat a fellow, I do think," -soliloquized the puzzled and anxious superintendent, as he stood on the -yacht's deck and watched the retreating form of the detective until it -was swallowed up in the darkness. "He gets me into difficulty and then -clears out, leaving me to sink or swim, he don't care which. What do -you say, captain?" he added, turning to the master of the yacht, who -came up when he saw Babcock spring ashore. "You're quite positive that -the boy below is Rowe Shelly, and nobody else?" - -"What's the matter with you and Babcock?" asked the captain, testily. -"You act like a couple of--I don't know what." - -"And that's the way I feel," replied Willis. "Babcock has been worked -upon in some mysterious way, and now he's gone away and left me to -bear the brunt of the whole thing alone." - -"Well, wasn't that what you expected to do when you got back to the -island?" inquired the captain. "His guardian being absent, you will -have to take full charge of Rowe until he returns. That's what you did -the last time he ran away, and you never made any fuss over it. I know -it is disagreeable business, this standing guard over an uneasy fellow -who won't stay where he is put, but seeing that we are well paid for -it, and know that it is for the boy's best good, where's the harm?" - -"But Babcock seems to think that Rowe has slipped through our fingers, -and that we have brought back the wrong boy." - -The captain made a gesture of impatience but said nothing. - -"All right," exclaimed Willis. "Cast off the fasts and get under way as -quickly as possible." - -"Where's his wheel?" inquired the captain. "I didn't see you bring it -aboard." - -"We didn't stop for it," answered Willis, "for the youngster was in -fighting humor, and would have drawn a crowd about us if we hadn't -hustled him into the carriage just as we did. We'll have to send for it -when he gets ready to tell us where he left it." - -"Don't he feel inclined to talk? That isn't at all like Rowe, who -usually has gab enough." - -"Bless you, he's nothing but talk; but the trouble is, he won't tell -the truth. He has hit upon a new plan this time. He says he is somebody -else, and sticks to it. But you know him and I know him, even if -Babcock doesn't; so it's all right. Now get underway. It _must_ be all -right, although I confess that Babcock frightened me by talking and -acting as he did," said Willis, as the master of the yacht hastened -forward to take his place at the wheel. "I had a good view of him while -he stood in front of that window with those two young wheelmen; I sat -almost within reach of him during the entire evening; and I've had -several good looks at him since. Babcock had all the chances he wanted -to compare his face with the photograph I gave him, and he didn't -think there was anything wrong until after Rowe had had opportunity -to talk to him. I'd give something handsome to know what passed -between them while I was on the box with the driver; then, perhaps I -should know what to do. I ought to have stayed with them, but I never -dreamed of anything like this. However, I shall be prepared for any -emergencies. I'll take Tony into my confidence just as soon as I can -get Rowe into the house and up to his room." - -So saying, the superintendent faced about and went into the cabin to -see what the prisoner thought of the situation. To his surprise he -found him reading a paper he had taken from the table. According to -Willis's way of thinking, that was a bad sign. Why didn't he walk the -floor and shake his fists in the air and utter threats, and in various -other ways act as if he had taken leave of his senses? That was the way -he did the last time he was captured, and Willis could not understand -why he didn't do so now. - -"Well," said Roy, laying down his paper and squaring around in his -chair. "What conclusion did you and Babcock come to?" - -"What conclusion?" repeated Willis, innocently. - -"Yes. You went on deck to hold a private confab, and I should like to -know what came of it. It is a matter in which I am somewhat interested." - -"I don't see how you can be. Bab wanted to know who was to pay him for -interfering with your plans, and I told him he would have to go to your -uncle for that. There was nothing private about it." - -"I suppose I am at liberty to believe that or not," replied Roy. -"Babcock knows that when he caught me he didn't get the boy he wanted, -and you know it, too. I don't say you knew it when you took me away -from my friends in front of the hall, but you do now!" - -Roy said this at a venture, and, no doubt, would have been greatly -amazed if he had known just how close he had shot to the mark. He was -sitting a little to one side of the reflector, so that the rays from -the hanging lamp fell squarely upon him, and now that Willis had -leisure to look at him without fear of interruption from a crowd of -curious by-standers, the cold chills began creeping over him. There -was a wonderful resemblance, it is true, between the prisoner and Rowe -Shelly, and yet Willis could not help seeing that they were different -in a good many particulars. Roy had a way of holding his head, and even -of sitting in his chair, which were unlike anything the superintendent -had ever noticed in Rowe. How earnestly he wished that Roy would -own up, confess that he was the runaway, and thus put an end to his -suspense! - -"Where's Babcock now?" asked Roy, after a short pause. - -"On deck," answered Willis, who did not think it would be good policy -to tell the prisoner just what had passed between himself and the -detective. "It always makes him sea-sick to remain in a close cabin -when on the water, and so he stayed where he could get the breeze." - -"It works that way with me, too," said Roy; but Willis could not be -made to believe it. - -"It won't do, Rowe," said he, with something that was intended for -a good-natured smile. "I've seen you on the water too often, and you -can't crowd any such story down me. I wouldn't mind allowing you to go -on deck if I could trust you; but I have learned that I can't. Your -word isn't good for anything." - -"Your remarks may apply to Rowe Shelly, but I want you to understand -that they don't hit me. My word is always good. But what's the use of -talking?" said Roy, again, picking up the paper. "I've told my story to -the detective, who probably told it to you, and in a few hours you will -learn that it is a true one. Where has Colonel Shelly gone, and when is -he expected to return?" - -Willis answered that he didn't know. - -"It's immaterial," said Roy. "When my friends come to the island after -me, as they surely will as soon as they find out where I have been -taken, I shall go ashore with them, no matter whether the colonel is -there or not." - -It was right on the point of Roy's tongue to add: "And you will go -also, for I don't intend to submit to treatment of this sort." But he -did not utter the words. It came into his mind like a flash, that -possibly this man Willis might have it in his power to shut him up in -some strong room on the island, and if that was the case Roy did not -wish to make him angry. - -"You still stick to it that you are not Rowe Shelly, do you?" exclaimed -Willis, trying to look and speak as if he were becoming indignant, -though the effort was a sorry failure. He was frightened, and Roy saw -it plain enough. "You might as well give up, for everybody who has ever -seen you knows who you are." - -"Oh, I'll give up because I can't well help myself," replied Roy. "In -fact I have a curiosity to see the thing out, and to know what you and -Babcock will do when you find that you have put your feet in it. So -long as I get good treatment, a soft bed to sleep in--I have been in -the saddle nearly all day, and consequently I feel rather tired--and -plenty to eat, I would just as soon--indeed, I would rather stay on an -island to-night than sleep at my hotel. I never did like a city hotel, -and if I were sure that my friends are not worrying about me, my mind -would be quite at rest. Hal-lo! What have I said now, I wonder." - -"By the piper that played before Moses, that ain't Rowe Shelly," said -Willis, to himself, as he sprang from his chair and bolted up the -companion-ladder. "Babcock was right, and I'm in for it, sure enough. -Rowe's got sublime cheek, but it can't compare with this fellow's. Now -what shall I do?" - -It was plain as daylight to me, when I heard of it, that there was -but one course of action open to the superintendent, and that was the -honest and manly one. When he became convinced, or even suspected, -that he had made a blunder, the best thing he could do was to order -the yacht back to the pier and conduct Roy Sheldon to his hotel with -such apologies as he could think up on the spur of the moment. But, -unfortunately, Willis had never been known to do an honest and manly -thing. Probably he never thought of it. He wasn't above a mean act, and -when detected in it generally did something meaner to cover it up. And -that was what he decided to do in this case. He did not go into the -cabin again, but paced the deck, lost in thought. He turned over in -his mind a dozen wild schemes for ridding himself of the prisoner in -case he did not prove to be the boy he wanted, but through it all he -clung to the hope that he was Rowe Shelly, and nobody else. It couldn't -be possible, he told himself, that there was a boy in the world who -looked enough like the runaway to deceive everybody at first sight. At -any rate, it would not take long to settle the matter now, for here -was the island close at hand. There were several people on the jetty -awaiting the yacht's return, and every one of them would be able to -tell at a glance whether or not he had brought Rowe Shelly with him. - -"I'll not so much as drop a hint that I am afraid there is something -wrong," said Willis, to himself. "I'll just walk him ashore as if it -was all right, and leave them to find a difference between him and the -runaway, if they can. If they don't say anything, I shall know that I -have been a fool for allowing Babcock's words to have so much weight -with me." - -When the yacht whistled for the landing, Willis stuck his head down the -companion-way and told Roy he might come on deck; a privilege of which -the weary prisoner was prompt to avail himself. He had been asleep, -with his head resting on the table, and now all he cared for was to -get to bed. It would be time enough, he thought, to look into his -surroundings and inquire about Rowe Shelly and his reasons for leaving -home, after he had had a good night's rest. But by the time the yacht -was stopped at the jetty and the lines made fast and the gang-plank -shoved out, he was wide awake. - -"He's come," said somebody on the jetty. "Don't you see his white shirt -and cap? That's him. That's Rowe." - -"Now this is mighty strange," said Roy to himself. "These folks appear -to be friendly to the boy I am supposed to be, and yet they don't want -to have him run away, although he must have good reasons for it, having -tried it twice. When they get a closer view of my face we'll see how -quick they will sing another tune." - -But, to Roy's surprise, they didn't do anything of the sort. -They crowded about him, as he walked down the staging by the -superintendent's side (for a wonder the man did not take hold of -his arm, as Roy expected him to do), all eager to shake him by the -hand. They even gazed into his face, which was plainly visible, owing -to the bright light emitted by the blazing torch that was standing -among the rocks at the end of the jetty. The climax was reached when -a motherly-looking woman, who was waiting for them at the shore end -of the jetty, threw her arms around the neck of the startled boy and -kissed him on the nose before he knew what she was going to do. - -"Bless his heart, has he come back again?" she exclaimed, holding him -off at arm's length so that she could get a good view of him. "Come -right into the house and get a good supper before you go to bed. I know -you must be tired to death, and don't suppose you have had a bite to -eat since you went away, seeing that you did not take any money with -you." - -"Let us go in, Mrs. Moffat," interrupted Willis, who grew nervous when -the housekeeper began talking about money. - -"I'll tell you what's a fact: this is getting serious," soliloquized -Roy, as he moved toward the house in company with Willis and Mrs. -Moffat, one walking on each side of him. "But I don't know that I care -so very much. I'll see how it looks in the morning." Then aloud he -said: "I don't want anything to eat, Mrs.--beg pardon, I didn't quite -catch the name." - -"Good laws! Just listen at the child," exclaimed the housekeeper, -throwing up her hands and looking the picture of astonishment. - -"He's been going on that way ever since we found him, Mrs. Moffat," -said Willis in a low tone. "He don't know me nor Babcock nor the -captain nor nobody. He acts as if he had lost all his senses." - -"That's just what I have been afraid of for a longtime," answered the -housekeeper in a loud, shrill whisper. "No boy who was in his right -mind would want to run away and leave a kind uncle and a beautiful home -like this. I've suspected it, and so have others whose names I could -mention." - -Willis started when he heard this, and so did Roy. The woman's words -suggested an idea to both of them. - -"I've sense enough to know that I am not hungry," said Roy. "All I ask -is to get to bed and be left alone for the rest of the night. I'm tired -and sleepy; and besides, I want a chance to think about this business," -he added, to himself. - -The housekeeper hastened to assure him that it should be just as he -said, and a few minutes later Roy was conducted up the front steps and -into a wide hall from which winding stairs led to the floor above. -Fortunately, his guides did not leave him here, for if they had, Roy -would not have known what to do. No doubt he would have confirmed the -housekeeper's suspicions by requesting her to show him to his room. But -she and Willis did that without being asked. They led him up-stairs -to a handsomely furnished apartment, and even accompanied him into -it. There was a student lamp on the center-table, a bright wood-fire -burning in the grate (although it was summer, the breeze that came -off the Sound was raw and chilly), and everything looked cheerful and -inviting. - -"I haven't touched the room since you went away, except to slick it -up a little," said Mrs. Moffatt. "Now, is there anything I can do for -you before I say good-night? Hadn't you better let me bring up a little -lunch for fear that you may get hungry before morning?" - -"I don't care for any, because I never eat during the night. When I -once fall asleep, I don't know anything more till daylight comes. -There's nothing you can do, thank you," replied Roy. - -The motherly housekeeper was evidently disappointed because the boy -did not make some complaints or order something, for she lingered as -if waiting for him to speak again, while Willis walked the floor with -his hands behind his back. He was lost in a brown study from which he -presently aroused himself to say: - -"Very well. If there is nothing we can do for you, we'll bid you -good-night. If you want anything you know how to get it." - -"I'll be shot if I do," said Roy, mentally. "Rowe Shelly must be a -queer chap if he has to be waited on during the night. If that's the -way he has been brought up he had better stay at home as long as he -can, for he'll have to take hard knocks when he gets out into the -world. I declare, he lives in clover, does he not?" added Roy, glancing -around at the expensive furniture, the pictures on the walls, the -ornaments on the mantel, which included the model of a full-rigged -ship, and the well-filled book-cases that stood on each side of the -fire-place. Through an open door at the farther end of the apartment, -Roy caught a glimpse of the runaway's bed-room. - -"But I'll not go in there," said he, to himself. "I'll move this sofa -pillow to the lounge, borrow a book, if I can find one to suit me, and -read myself to sleep. So long as I am treated like one of the masters -of the house instead of an interloper, I don't see why I shouldn't make -the best of the situation. Of course Joe and Art will be along in the -morning, and they will be able to prove to Willis's satisfaction that -I don't belong here. I knew it would be of no use to argue the matter -with Mrs. Moffatt after Willis told her I was out of my head." - -While Roy talked to himself in this way he ran his eye over the volumes -in one of the book-cases, took out "Gulliver's Travels," and lay down -upon the lounge; but before he had read half a page the hand that held -the book gradually fell away from his face until the volume rested -on the floor by his side. There was no sham about his weariness. His -thirty-six mile ride had tired every muscle in his body, and Roy was -fast asleep. Would his slumber have been as peaceful as it was if he he -had known what was going on outside the house? - -When Roy awoke it was with a start and the indescribable feeling that -sometimes comes over a sleeper when a stranger unexpectedly enters his -room. He looked around, and sure enough he was not alone. Willis was -standing a little distance away, and Roy was almost certain that he saw -him turn and signal to another man, who whisked out of the door before -he could obtain a fair view of him. It might have been nothing but the -vagary of a dream, but still Roy thought it worth while to speak of it. - -"What do you want now?" he demanded. "Why do you come in without -awaking me, and who was that fellow who just went out?" - -"What fellow?" asked Willis, answering the last question first, and at -the same time facing about and looking at the door, which was still -slowly and softly closing. - -"That's what I asked _you_," replied Roy, springing off the lounge, -jerking the door wide open and looking out into the hall. There was no -one there. If there had been Roy certainly would have seen him, for the -lamps were still burning. - -"Why, what's the matter?" inquired Willis, as if he thought this a very -strange proceeding on Roy's part. "What are you afraid of?" - -"I don't know that I am afraid of anything; but I'd like to have you to -tell me who came into this room with you, and why you are here. I told -you I shouldn't want anything to-night." - -"I thought you might, and that's why I came," replied the man. "There -is no one with me. I am alone." And then, as if he had just thought of -the object of his visit, he continued: "I was sure you would like to -hear some word from your friends--the two who were with you when that -bunco-steerer tried to cheat you out of some money. I know I might have -waited until morning, and since you were sleeping so soundly, I am -sorry I didn't. I have found out--" - -"Great Scott, man!" interrupted Roy, who could scarcely believe that he -heard aright. "Don't talk about waiting till morning when you have good -news to tell. Where are my friends? Are they here--on the island? How -did you get word from them? Go on, please, and tell me what you have -found out." - -If Willis had not already received as good evidence as he wanted that -the boy before him was not Rowe Shelly, he had it now. The real runaway -could not have talked and acted as Roy did at that moment. - -"I heard of them through Babcock," Willis began. - -"Then he didn't come to the island with us, did he? I wondered why I -did not see him." - -"No. He left me at the pier and went to the city to make inquiries -about you. He went straight to the--the--" - -"Lafayette House," prompted Roy, when the man hesitated. - -"That's the place. The Lafayette House, and saw your name on the -register. Let me see; what did he say it was?" - -"Was it Roy Sheldon?" - -"Yes, it was. Sounds a good deal like Rowe Shelly, don't it? He found -your name there, and also the names of--" - -Here Willis hesitated again, for he was not quite sure of his ground. -You must remember that he did not know as much about the prisoner as -Babcock did, for Roy had not had the same chance to talk to him. So he -stopped as often as he needed posting, and, strange to say, Roy never -suspected that there was anything wrong. He afterward had occasion to -take himself to task for his stupidity. - -"My two friends, Joe Wayring and Arthur Hastings?" again prompted -Roy. "Did Babcock see them, and what did they have to say about my -disappearance? I hope they haven't thought of writing home about it. I -wouldn't have them do that for anything." - -This was something that Roy ought to have kept to himself; but he said -it, and Willis was quick to make a note of it. - -"I don't know about that," he replied. "Babcock didn't see 'em to speak -to 'em, and they didn't come off with him." - -"Now--why didn't they?" exclaimed the disappointed Roy, who had -secretly cherished the hope that the fellow who so suddenly disappeared -through the door was one of his chums. It would have been just like Art -Hastings to play a trick of that kind on him. - -"I'll tell you why he didn't speak to--what's their names?" answered -Willis. "He spoke to the clerk instead, because he did not want to -raise a row, and he told him all about you." - -"The clerk did?" said Roy. "Why, he doesn't know anything about me. He -never saw me until I went into his hotel in company with my friends." - -"That's what he told Bab; but he knew you were from--what is the name -of that place again?" - -"Mount Airy?" - -"That's it. He knew you came from there, and more than that, he saw the -genuine Rowe Shelly." - -"There, now," cried Roy. "That's evidence worth having. Did he catch -him?" - -"No; but he is close on his trail. He brought this news over to me just -now, Babcock did, and then went back to follow him up." - -"I hope he'll not catch him," said Roy. "I'm sure I can't understand -why a boy as well fixed and as kindly treated as young Shelly seems to -be should want to run away from home, but I suppose he has good reasons -for it." - -"Not the first; not the smallest shadow of a reason," protested Willis. - -"Then he's crazy; that's flat." - -"Now you have hit it. That's what's the matter with him, and you -heard Mrs. Moffatt say she had suspected it for a long time. You look -surprisingly like Rowe, or else all those folks who met us on the -jetty wouldn't have taken you for him. You've got the same hair, eyes, -and mustache, and your clothes are exactly like his; but when I had -a chance to exchange a word with you, I knew that Bab had made a big -mistake." - -"Bab says you are the one who made the mistake, and that if I blame -anybody for what has happened to me to-night, I must blame you." - -"Well, you wouldn't blame anybody if you could see Rowe Shelly," said -Willis, deprecatingly. "Of course any amends that--" - -"Oh, I don't ask any amends," interposed Roy. "I've had an agreeable -adventure, and I shall not make any trouble on account of it. All I ask -is that you will send me to the city at once, so that I may relieve the -anxiety of my friends. Now, what do you want me to do? Are you going to -send me off in the yacht?" - -"I'd like to, but I can't," answered Willis. "The captain's asleep, and -steam has gone down, so that it would take an hour to get ready for the -start. I'll have to send you ashore in a boat, if you don't mind going -that way." - -"Any way to get there," said Roy, picking up his cap. "I'm ready if you -are." - -Willis left the room at once, and Roy followed him downstairs and out -of the house. Did the man move with cautious footsteps as if he were -afraid of disturbing somebody? Roy was sure he did, and thought it -looked suspicious. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -SOME STARTLING NEWS. - - -"I don't much like the idea of sneaking out as if I were a thief," said -Roy, involuntarily following the guide's motions and speaking in a -low and guarded tone. "What's the object of so much secrecy? I know I -have no right here, but since I was brought against my will, I have a -perfect right to go out open and above board." - -"Easy, easy," whispered Willis, raising his hand with a warning -gesture. "We don't want to disturb Mrs. Moffatt for nothing. The timid -old soul lives in constant fear of a visit from New London burglars, -and if we should wake her up she would be scared to death." - -Roy did not think to ask himself whether or not this was a good reason -for Willis's stealthy movements, for his mind was too busy with other -matters. He wanted to see the boat that was to take him across to the -city, and fervently hoped it might prove to be a large and seaworthy -one; for when he got out of the house he saw that the sky was overcast, -that the wind was rising, and that the surface of the bay looked dark -and threatening. - -"Isn't it going to be an ugly night?" said he, as he accompanied his -guide down one of the broad carriageways that had been laid out along -the beach. "What a lovely road for a wheel," he went on, without giving -Willis a chance to reply. "It is as hard as rock and level as a floor." - -"Yes; here's where Rowe learned to ride," said Willis. "We have twenty -miles of just such roads on the island." - -"Then that was what you meant when you said Rowe's clothes were just -like mine; he is a wheelman," said Roy. "He has a nice place for -his regular runs, and I should much like to see it by daylight; but -I should think he would get lonely and long to take a spin on the -mainland now and then. I tell you it's going to blow," he added, as a -strong gust of wind shook the branches of the trees that shaded the -road on both sides. "Are you going to the city with me?" - -"I can't leave the island until I put the hands to work in the -morning," replied Willis. "But I will give you a good crew and a stanch -boat. You'll go over all right. You are not afraid of a capful of wind, -I hope?" - -"No, but I am afraid of a gale. I am used to smooth water, and don't at -all relish the idea of being out in a storm." - -"Oh, it isn't going to storm. But if you get frightened after you are -out a little way, tell the men to bring you back or to put you aboard -some coaster, bound in. Here we are." - -As Willis said this he turned off the road and led the way down the -bank and to the beach, where Roy found a boat and two men who were -evidently waiting for him. - -"Here he is," said Willis, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He -doesn't much like the idea of going out in this breeze--" - -"The breeze don't blow to hurt anything," growled one of the men, -pulling his sou'wester lower over his forehead and turning the collar -of his pea-jacket up around his ears. - -"That's what I told him; but of course his wishes must be respected, -and I want you to mind this: If it gets too heavy for you, you will -either bring him back, or put him aboard some larger craft, bound in. -If you will step this way a minute, Tony, I will give you an order for -some goods I want brought from the city." - -The superintendent drew off on one side out of earshot, and one of the -muffled figures followed him. - -"Me and Bob hain't yet made up our minds whether we'll have a hand in -this business or not," said he, in a hoarse whisper. "Looks most too -risky, don't it?" - -"There isn't a particle of risk about it," replied Willis. "Do you -think I would put the colonel's nephew in danger for the sake of a -paltry five hundred dollars? I tell you, there's nothing to fear. The -colonel told me to attend to this business for him, and when he finds -I've not done it, what shall I say to him? Do you want me to tell him -that you wouldn't obey orders because you were afraid?" - -"Well, I am afraid, and that's flat," said Tony, doggedly. "I have -heared of Cap'n Jack, and I'm scared to trust myself on board his ship." - -"You needn't be, for the colonel will protect you. Give him this the -minute you get aboard, and it will see you through," said Willis, -slipping an envelope into the pocket of Tony's pea-jacket. "Now, hurry -up, for the captain is in a great taking to go to sea, and he's liable -to run out at any moment. He's been waiting a long time--" - -"He's been waiting long enough to get good and mad, and I wouldn't be -one of the crew he takes to sea with him this trip for all the money -there is in the broad world," said Tony, with a shudder. "He'll haze -'em till they'll be glad to jump overboard." - -"You and I have nothing whatever to do with the way Captain Jack Rowan -sees fit to treat his crew," said Willis impatiently. "All you and Bob -have to do is to set this boy on board the White Squall, so that he can -get that money. But mind you: You are not to tell him where you are -going. He's as much afraid of the White Squall as you seem to be, and -wouldn't put a foot over her rail if he knew it. He thinks he going -into the city, and that you are to take him straight to a hack-stand. -Say yes or no, and be quick about it. The wind is rising every moment, -and if you don't start pretty soon you'll not be able to get away from -the beach." - -"All right, Mr. Willis. We'll tend to the business for you." - -Tony spoke these words in a tone loud enough to reach the ears of Roy -Sheldon, who remained near the boat in company with the man Bob. The -former supposed the words had something to do with the "order" of which -Willis had spoken, but Bob knew they were intended to convey to him the -information that the job on hand was to be carried out just as it had -been planned. - -"Jump aboard, lad," said he, motioning Roy to get into the boat. -"Holler good-by to the old man, and that will do just as well as -shaking hands with him." - -But Roy had no opportunity to "holler" his farewell, even if he had -thought of it; for by the time the boat was fairly afloat, the crew in -their places, and the oars shipped, the thick darkness of the on-coming -storm closed down over them, and the beach was shut out from view. - -"I reckon that's the last of this scrape for one while," soliloquized -Willis, as he pulled his hat down over his ears and retraced his steps -to the house. "If there ever were two born fools in the world, they are -me and Babcock. How we managed to make such a blunder, I can't for the -life of me imagine. Now Rowe Shelly can cut his lucky and go and find -his father and mother, for all me. I'll never try to catch him, for my -cue now is to make folks believe I've had him here, and that he gave me -the slip and cleared out. Is that you, Benny? You don't know how you -startled me." - -Just then some one stepped out into the road and confronted the -superintendent. It was his son; and all I know about him is that he was -called "a chip of the old block," so he must have been a rascal. The -first words the young man spoke proved that this was not the first -interview they had had that night. - -"Well, how is it?" said he. - -"They've gone," replied his father shortly. - -"Then we've seen them for the last time; for when they get back we'll -not be here. Captain Jack will be sure to carry them off with him." - -"Ain't you kinder sorry to treat Tony and Bob that way? They've been -good, faithful fellows, and I hate to think of their being kicked and -knocked about by those mates." - -"They're used to it," replied Benny indifferently. "Besides, what -else could you do? You couldn't keep the boy, for he was not Rowe -Shelly; and if you had let him go, he would have had the law on you for -abduction. You couldn't have hired Bob and Tony to take him aboard the -White Squall and leave him there, because they wouldn't have done it, -and they would have blabbed about it into the bargain. By doing as I -said, you've got rid of the whole of them at once, and they'll never -come back to trouble you." - -The superintendent groaned. - -"I know what you're afraid of," continued Benny. "You're scared that -the ship will go to the bottom with all hands. Well, then, what made -you be such a dunce as to capture the wrong boy? You got into the -scrape and you had to get out, didn't you? Now I'm going to bed." - -"There's going to be the biggest kind of a commotion on this island, -and before long, too," said Willis dolefully. "I have warning of it in -every breath of wind that comes off the bay." - -I do not suppose that Willis closed his eyes in slumber that night. -It would have been a wonder if he had slept, with so guilty a -conscience for company. He arose at an early hour, saw the yacht when -she put off through the white-caps shortly after daylight to bring -the morning's mail from the city, and waited with what patience he -could for her return. She did not bring any of Roy Sheldon's friends -with her, but she landed a larger supply of mail than usual, and in -it the superintendent found a letter addressed to himself in Rowe -Shelly's well-known handwriting. Its contents were enough to drive one -frantic, Willis told himself. He had hoped that the runaway would be -satisfied now that he had got off the island, and that he would quietly -disappear and never "turn up" again; but here he was threatening the -superintendent with the terrors of the law if he did not at once -release the boy who had been mistaken for himself. - -"Somebody put him up to that," groaned Willis, "for Rowe never would -have thought of such a thing himself. I wish I _could_ send that boy -back where he belongs, and if I had ever dreamed of this, I would -have done it. I made a mistake in taking Benny's advice and sending -Roy Sheldon away to be "shanghaied," for instead of getting out of -trouble, I have only pulled myself deeper into it. What is it, Jobson?" -he added, addressing himself to one of the hired men who just then -appeared at the door. - -"I came in to see if you could tell me anything about Tony and Bob -Bradley," was the reply; and the words added big weight to the -superintendent's heavy load of anxiety. "They are not on the island, -and a boat that looks wonderfully like theirs is being driven ashore -from the Sound. I didn't know but you might have sent them to the city -for something." - -"In all that storm?" exclaimed Willis. "Say, Jobson," he continued, -changing the subject, for it was one he did not like to dwell upon, -"was the storm so very hard? I mean, was it severe enough to keep -vessels from going and coming?" - -"Oh, no. I see the White Squall has left her anchorage. She must have -gone out in the height of it, for she was there when I went to bed." - -"If those two men went away last night they did it without any orders -from me," said Willis. "It's nothing to worry over. No doubt they will -come around presently. So the White Squall has gone at last!" he added, -as Jobson left to continue his search for Bob and Tony. "She has been -anchored out there in the bay for more than two weeks, waiting for a -chance to drug and steal a crew, and if she has sailed, that interloper -must have sailed with her. In that case it will be a long time before -he shows up again, for he'll not touch land this side of Cape Town. -This is too damaging a thing to lay around loose, so I will chuck it in -there," he added, tossing Rowe's letter into the grate. "Those people -from the city will be along in the course of an hour or so, and I know -what I am going to say to them. Now, why doesn't Mrs. Moffatt come in -and tell me that Rowe has run away again?" - -Willis picked up one of the papers which the yacht had brought from the -city, and the minute it was opened his eye fell upon this startling -paragraph: - - MUTINY IN THE HARBOR. - - An Infamous Vessel and a Rebellious Crew.--A Sailor Prefers Death to - a Voyage in the White Squall. - - "Pilot-boat No. 29, Caleb Rogers master, which was driven into the - harbor by the gale, reports a suicide committed under peculiarly - distressing circumstance. When off the light-ship bound in, Captain - Rogers passed the White Squall going out. As the readers of _The - Tribune_ have often been told, this interesting ship had lain at - anchor in the outer bay for nearly three weeks, waiting for a crew; - but no man who sails out of this port, so long as he kept a level - head on his shoulders, could be induced to affix his name to her - shipping articles. Now and then a few foreigners, under promise of - big pay, plenty to eat and kind treatment, have been coaxed aboard - of her, but they always deserted when they found out where they were - and who the captain was. With the aid of shipping agents, or in some - other underhanded way, the captain at last succeeded in mustering - crew enough to handle his vessel, and this morning she went out in - the teeth of the storm that forced Captain Rogers to seek shelter. - When off the light-ship a man was seen to spring upon her rail and - deliberately throw himself into the water. At the same time a white - fishing-boat was cut loose from her starboard quarter, and the wind - blew it out of sight. This, Captain Rogers thinks, made it evident - that the crew had laid their plans to desert in a body, and that the - plot was discovered and thwarted by the officers. Captain Rogers at - once rounded to, lowered a boat, and made diligent search for the - poor fellow who preferred to die rather than trust himself to the - tender mercies of Captain Jack Rowan and his brutal mates, but he - must have sunk immediately, for he was not seen after striking the - water. At certain stages of the tide, heavy vessels like the White - Squall are obliged to pass quite close to the ledge that bounds the - northern side of the channel, and in ordinary weather a fair swimmer - might succeed in reaching the light-ship; but under the circumstances - Captain Rogers thinks there was no chance for this unfortunate - man's life. The White Squall kept on her way without making the - least effort to pick him up. Now what is the use of having any law, - we should like to know, if it is not intended to reach just such - ruffians as this Captain Jack and his officers? If that sailor made - way with himself in his desperate efforts to escape their brutality, - they ought to be punished with the utmost severity." - -Willis read this paragraph with eyes that seemed ready to start from -their sockets, and long before he finished the paper was shaking so -violently in his hands that the noise it made could have been heard -across the room. He understood some portions of the paragraph as well -as though he had stood upon the White Squall's deck and witnessed the -thrilling scenes that must have taken place there before that unhappy -sailor gave himself up to the mercy of the waves. But was it a _sailor_ -who jumped overboard? Might it not have been some one else? How did he -know but it was--The exclamations that fell from the superintendent's -lips when this thought came into his mind can not be expressed in -words, for I do not know how to spell them. - -"Benny's plan worked too well," said Willis, throwing down the paper -and getting upon his feet. "Why didn't he stay here and see me through, -instead of going off in the yacht the first thing in the morning? They -were all shanghaied, as we meant they should be; but was there any one -in the white fishing-boat that was cast adrift from the ship and which -Jobson says is now coming toward the island? And who was the fellow -who jumped overboard? That is a question that will haunt me till I -go ashore and learn the truth. I do not think Tony or Bob would do a -thing like that, for they are used to hard treatment at the hands of -shipmasters; and if it was Roy--Gracious Peter! I'm in a worse scrape -than I thought." - -Willis did not have time to follow out this train of thought, for just -then Mrs. Moffat came into the room. The man knew well enough what she -was going to say, for the look of anxiety her face wore could be easily -interpreted. - -"Good morning, Mr. Willis," said she, with a sorry attempt to appear as -cheerful as usual. "Have you seen Rowe since we left him in his room -last night?" - -"I have not," replied the superintendent, resuming his seat and once -more unfolding the paper. "What makes you ask?" - -"Why, I went up just now to tell him breakfast would soon be ready, and -he wasn't there," answered the housekeeper. "More than that, his bed -was not slept in." - -"That doesn't signify. He took to the lounge probably, and went out -before any of us were up for his usual morning's spin on his wheel." - -"But he took his wheel when he went to the city, and you did not bring -it back," Mrs. Moffatt reminded him. - -"That's so. I had forgotten about it. I'll send for it as soon as he is -ready to tell me where he left it. Then he took his pony." - -"The pony hasn't been out this morning. The hostler told me so. Mr. -Willis," said the housekeeper, becoming earnest, "I'm afraid he's gone." - -"Again?" exclaimed Willis, as if the thought had just been suggested to -him. "Why, we only brought him back last night." - -"I can't help that. I don't believe he is on the island." - -The man knew he must make a stir about it, for any lukewarmness or -show of indifference on his part would be reported when the colonel -returned, and Willis was not yet ready to give up his lucrative -position. He wanted to make a little more money out of it first. So -he hurried from the house, making a great show of nervousness and -apprehension; and every man he met he sent off to make inquiries about -Rowe Shelly. - -"If he has run away again I shall surely think he is out of his head," -he took occasion to remark, in Mrs. Moffatt's hearing. "He couldn't go -back to the city without crossing the bay, and no boy, or man either, -would think of trying that in such a gale as we had last night and this -morning, unless he was clean gone crazy. Have you brought any news, -Jobson?" - -"The little I've got is bad enough," replied the hired man. "The boat -I was telling you about a while ago has come ashore down there in the -cove--" - -"And there's nobody in it," exclaimed the superintendent. "Mrs. -Moffatt, I fear the worst. Rowe tried to reach the city in that boat, -and the storm capsized him. I am afraid we shall never see him again." - -"If Rowe went off in that boat Bob and Tony must have gone with him," -said Jobson, "for they ain't either one of them to be found on the -island, and their folks don't know anything about them." - -"Do you think it possible that Rowe could have bribed them to take him -across to the mainland?" said Willis anxiously. "If he did, then they -have all gone to their death." - -"How could he have bribed anybody when he had no money?" cried Mrs. -Moffatt. - -"Madam," replied the superintendent impressively, "he had money, and -plenty of it, too." - -"When and how did he get it?" - -"You tell. All I know is, that every dollar of the funds the colonel -left in my hands to pay expenses during his absence has disappeared." - -"I don't care if it is," snapped the housekeeper. "Rowe Shelly never -took it. He isn't capable of such a thing." - -To an inexperienced rascal it would have seemed as though the situation -was about as bad as it could be, and even Willis trembled when he tried -to look far enough into the future to see what the outcome was likely -to be. But, as it happened, he was saved from the consequences of his -folly and wickedness (for the present, at least), by one of those -unexpected freaks of fortune that sometimes happen in this world. He -did not want to talk about the stolen money, especially to a person -as sharp of tongue and as firmly convinced of Rowe's innocence as Mrs. -Moffatt was, so he sent word to the captain of the yacht to get ready -for an immediate return to the city, and hastened to his room. His -first care was to make some important changes in his wearing apparel, -and his second to hide the morning papers and take possession of a -well-filled pocket-book he found in his bureau. - -"I don't know as there is any sense in putting those papers out of Mrs. -Moffatt's sight," said he to himself, "but somehow I don't want her -to see the account of that suicide until I am away from here and out -of reach of her tongue. I thought, by the way she looked at me, that -she rather suspected me of stealing that money; and didn't Rowe say in -his letter that if there was any money gone, he'd sooner think I took -it than accuse anybody else? Well, here it is, and more besides, and -into my pocket it goes. It sort of runs in my head that I am going to -see and hear something before I get back; and if it should be anything -unpleasant, I shall be prepared to take the train." - -Having arranged things so that he could run or stay, as circumstances -seemed to require, Willis hurried to the jetty and ordered the captain -of the yacht to shove off. Of course the strange events that had taken -place on board the White Squall were in the mouths of all the yacht's -crew, for they had heard all about them during their first trip to the -city, and besides they had read the _Tribune_. Wherever Willis went, -into the pilot-house, the engine-room, or on the forecastle, he was -sure to hear them discussed; and after repeatedly declaring that he -didn't know anything about them, and that he was going to New London -to see if he could learn any additional particulars, Willis finally -retreated to the cabin and tried to interest himself in a paper. - -What it was that induced him to jump ashore the minute the yacht -landed, and draw a bee-line for the Lafayette House, the superintendent -could not have told. But he went, as if impelled by some impulse he -could not resist, and the first person he saw when he entered the -reading-room was the very one he did not want to see. It was Roy -Sheldon. He wore a bandage over one eye, the other was slightly -discolored, and Willis noticed that when he moved his right arm he did -it with some difficulty. It had evidently been injured in some way. He -had on different clothes, a dress suit, in fact, consisting of blue -broadcloth knickerbockers and shirt, black silk stockings, low shoes, -and new white helmet. If Willis had never seen him before, he would -have rushed up and called him Rowe Shelly; but he knew it wasn't Rowe. -He took just one glance at him, then wheeled about to retire without -attracting his notice, when Roy, who was impatiently waiting for Joe -and Arthur, looked up and saw him. In an instant he was on his feet -and coming toward the man, who could not retreat. Roy had but to say a -word to bring in the policeman who was standing in front of the hotel. -But, to the superintendent's great surprise, he did not say it. On the -contrary he held out his hand, and even tried to smile. What in the -world did it mean? Willis asked himself. - -"Good-morning," said Roy, in cheery tones. "I made it, as you see, but -I had a tight squeak for it. Say! I am sorry for Tony and his friend. -The waves and wind got so heavy they couldn't make headway against -them; they dared not round to and go back to the island for fear of a -capsize, so they hailed a ship that was getting under way. We supposed -that she was going to pull farther into the harbor for shelter; in -fact, one of her officers told us so. But, by gracious! the minute we -got aboard what did that scoundrel of a captain do but--Sit down, and -I will tell you all about it. It's a little ahead of anything I ever -heard of. Seen this morning's _Tribune_?" - -"No; that is to say, yes. I've seen the _Tribune_, but no other paper," -replied Willis, who was so astounded that he hardly knew what he said. - -"Then, of course, you know about the poor sailor-man who preferred -death to a voyage in the White Squall," continued Roy. "Well, there -wasn't any suicide. The fellow who deliberately threw himself into the -water was I; and I tell you--Why don't you sit down? I'm as lame as -though I had been pounded with a club, although I know I was struck -only twice, once in each eye, and almost had my arm jerked out of -place. I can't stand long at a time." - -Willis mechanically seated himself and listened like one in a dream, -while Roy related the following story of his adventure. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ON BOARD THE WHITE SQUALL. - - -"Just one word before you begin your story," said Willis, who was not -entirely satisfied with Roy's friendly speech and manner, believing, as -he did, that the boy might have some sinister object in view. He was -afraid to trust anybody, knowing full well that he could not be trusted -himself. - -"As many words as you please," replied Roy, resuming his seat and -placing his injured arm in a comfortable position on the table at -his side. "I told the clerk when I first came back that I wouldn't -be interviewed; but I know he has sent three reporters after me. All -they learned didn't do them much good. You see I don't want my name -to appear in the papers, for my folks would be sure to see it; then -good-by to all my fine plans for the summer. Of course you'll not say a -word." - -"Not I," replied Willis. "I don't want everybody to know what fools -Babcock and I made of ourselves. By the way, have you seen Bab this -morning?" - -Roy said he hadn't. - -"That's all right," said Willis to himself; and he was so immensely -relieved that he could scarcely keep still in his seat. "Then of course -you don't know that I didn't tell you the truth when I said Bab had -warned me that you were not Rowe Shelly. That's _all_ right. Now, how -much does this boy know or suspect, I wonder?" Then aloud he added: "I -am sorry you haven't seen Bab, for he would show you a photograph of -Rowe Shelly he has in his possession; and after you had taken one look -at it, you would see how we came to mistake you for our runaway. I hope -you don't bear me any ill-will for--" - -"Of course I don't," interrupted Roy. "I don't feel hard toward you or -Babcock either. I came within an ace of losing my life (I don't see -how I managed to save it, having never swum a stroke in so rough water -before), but here I am, safe if not sound, and all's well that ends -well." - -"You and Rowe are as much alike as two peas," began Willis. - -"I can easily believe that, for when I walked up to the desk the clerk -began asking me questions I couldn't understand; but I can see the -drift of some of them now, for those three reporters have been at me -since then, and I know Rowe Shelly was here in this hotel last night, -and that he went somewhere on a steamer. When I came in all bunged up, -the clerk wanted to know if the boat had burst her boiler." - -"Which way did Rowe go?" asked Willis, who was deeply interested. - -"I don't know, and you wouldn't expect me to tell you if I did, would -you? I have seen how nicely he is fixed over there on the island, and -I am sure that if there wasn't some good reason for it, he would never -leave a home like that and go out among strangers." - -"He might if he was crazy," suggested Willis. - -"And where's the boy who would not go crazy after years of solitary -confinement, no matter if his prison was furnished like a palace?" -exclaimed Roy. "I'll bet you that you could not keep me shut up in any -such place as that. I would find some way to open communication with -a lawyer, who would call upon that uncle of mine to show cause for -detaining me against my will." - -"I believe you would," thought Willis, who, as he gazed into the boy's -flashing eyes, told himself that money would not tempt him to take -charge of such a prisoner as Roy would be likely to prove. He knew too -much, was altogether too wide-awake, and the desperate measures he -had adopted to escape from the White Squall, after he had been fairly -kidnapped, showed that he was by no means lacking in courage. - -Willis wondered if any of those rebellious ideas had been put into Rowe -Shelly's head since he ran away. If so, the next time his guardian saw -him he would probably have an attorney at his back, and then there -would be fun on the island. Willis really wanted information on this -point, and while he was wondering how he could get it without asking -questions that might excite Roy's suspicions, the matter was settled -in a most unexpected way. All on a sudden Roy staggered to his feet -with an exclamation of surprise and pleasure on his lips, and darted -forward to fall into the arms of two new-comers, namely Arthur Hastings -and Joe Wayring. - -"Where have you been?" said Roy, as soon as he could speak. "I have -waited and watched for the last seven hours, and you don't know how -lonely I have been without you." - -"Haw!" laughed Joe. "We haven't been gone from the hotel more than an -hour, and you were not here when we went away." - -"We've been up on Bank Street to call upon Mr. Wilcox," replied Arthur, -with a sidelong glance at Willis. "Where have _you_ been to get mussed -up in this way? You are a nice looking specimen, I must say. Who's been -at you?" - -"I can't let everything out at once, so you must ask your questions one -at a time," said Roy, motioning to his chums to seat themselves. "In -the first place, this is Mr. Willis, Colonel Shelly's superintendent. -My two friends, Joe Wayring and Arthur Hastings, Mr. Willis." - -To Roy's great surprise his companions did not seem particularly -pleased to make the acquaintance of Mr. Willis. They nodded, but did -not offer to shake hands with him. - -"Babcock has made his report and told everything just as it happened," -said Arthur. "We have seen him, and he says he never would have made -the mistake he did if Willis had not insisted that you were the boy -they were looking for." - -"Then Babcock told you what wasn't so," exclaimed Willis. - -"That's what he told us, anyhow," said Joe. "He's outside now waiting -for us, and you can speak to him about it, if you want to." - -"Waiting for you?" repeated Roy. "Where are you going?" - -"We intended to hire a tug and go over to the island after you," -answered Arthur. - -"But you see there's no need of it, don't you? Mr. Willis attended to -that as soon as he became satisfied that I wasn't Rowe Shelly." - -"Ah! That puts a different look on the matter," said Joe. "But where -did you get those black eyes if you didn't get them while escaping from -the island?" - -"I got them on the White Squall," replied Roy, "and that brings me to -the story I was getting ready to tell Mr. Willis when you came in. But -before I begin, go out and ask that detective to come here. I should -like to see the photograph he's got in his pocket. I am told it looks -just like me." - -"And so it does, at first glance," said Arthur, rising from his seat. -"But the more one gazes upon it, the less it looks like you. You shall -see for yourself." - -"Let me go after Babcock, please," Willis interposed, "and you stay -here and talk to your friends. I will bring him right in." - -There was nothing strange in this proposition, so Arthur sat down -again, while Willis went out to make things straight with the -detective. He didn't want him to come into Roy's presence until he had -opportunity to post him. - -"So that's the scamp who got you into so much trouble, is it?" said -Arthur, in tones of disgust. "We meant to have him arrested if he -didn't talk pretty smoothly to us, and yet we find you and him here as -thick as a couple of thieves." - -"Now, what's the sense in going on like that?" demanded Roy. "If I -am satisfied with his story, I'm sure you ought to be. Willis is all -right. The minute he learned that I wasn't Rowe Shelly, he woke me up -in the middle of the night, put me into a boat with two good men to row -it, and sent me over to the city. He was as anxious to be rid of me -as I was to find you. Now see if you can't treat him decently when he -comes back." - -How Willis would have hugged himself if he could have heard Roy Sheldon -say this! There was not the faintest suspicion in the boy's mind that -the superintendent had been guilty of treachery, and that he had sent -him on board the White Squall intending that he should be "shanghaied" -and carried so far away from America that he would not get back for -six months or a year. If Roy had mistrusted that there was anything -wrong, his fears on that score would have vanished when he saw Bob and -Tony driven forward to do duty before the mast, and their boat given -up to the mercy of the waves. He thought they had unwittingly brought -themselves and him into serious trouble. That was all there was of it. - -I never heard just how Willis went to work to put himself on a friendly -footing with the detective, but my impression is that he told him the -whole truth, and offered Babcock a bonus if he would back up anything -he might say in the hearing of Roy and his friends. At all events that -was what the detective did. When he entered the reading-room he took -a photograph from his pocket, and after spending a minute or two in -comparing it with the face of the boy before him, he stepped up and -handed it to Roy. - -"So that's the way I look when I haven't a black eye and a lame arm, -is it?" said the latter, as his gaze rested on the picture. "I know -something now I never knew before." - -"What is it?" asked Joe. - -"That I am the handsomest and most stylish looking chap in our party," -replied Roy. - -"We haven't time for any more nonsense of that sort," said Arthur. "Mr. -Babcock, our missing friend has turned up, as you see, and so we shall -not be obliged to go to the island. How much do we owe you?" - -"Not a red cent," said the detective, who was glad indeed that his -mistake and Willis's seemed in a fair way to straighten itself out, and -that he wasn't going to get into difficulty through the blunder he had -made the night before. "I am heartily sorry that I caused you and your -friend so much trouble and anxiety." - -"But he did his best to undo it," chimed in Willis. "He went over to -the island and told me to set the boy ashore as soon as I could, and -give him a guide to show him to his hotel, and that was the way I came -to send him off in the boat that was caught in the storm. I might have -waited until morning, but Roy wouldn't hear of it." - -"Of course not," assented Roy. "I wanted to see my friends and relieve -their suspense." - -"I guess we have asked questions enough for the present," said Arthur, -who was impatient to know how Roy came to have those black eyes, "and -now we'd like to have you tell us why you didn't come ashore in better -shape, when you had a boat and two good men to manage it for you." - -Roy's story was none the less interesting because it had been so long -delayed. I have told you how he left the island without opportunity to -shout his adieu to the superintendent, even if he had thought of it; -but he didn't. The waves made a fearful noise as they broke upon the -beach, and came with such force that Bob and Tony were obliged to wade -in until the water reached to their waists before they could launch the -boat and ship the oars. By the time this had been done, darkness closed -down upon them and shut the island from view. - -When they got out from under the cliffs where the wind had a fair -sweep, the way the boat began to pitch and toss about was alarming, and -Roy lived in momentary expectation of seeing her come about and start -back for the island. But he was a canoeist instead of a deep-water -sailor, and perhaps that was the reason he was frightened. For he was -frightened, as he was afterwards free to confess; more so than he would -have been if he could have had a hand in the management of the boat. -But there were only two oars, and no rudder to steer by, and all Roy -could do was to sit still in the stern-sheets and wish the trip was at -an end. - -"What are you holding so far to the right for?" Roy demanded at length, -shouting at the top of his voice in order to make himself heard. "The -city is off there, more to the left." - -"There's a hack-stand where we are headin' for," came a hoarse voice, -in reply, "and there you can get a carriage to take you straight to -your hotel. More'n that, we dassent run afore the waves with only two -oars, for fear that one of 'em will come in over the starn an' sink us. -We have to run kinder criss-cross of 'em." - -"But you don't take them quartering," protested Roy. "You are holding -so that they strike almost broadside. I'd rather you'd round to and go -back. That's what Mr. Willis told you to do in case you found the wind -and sea too heavy for you." - -"I'd like mighty well to do it," Tony made answer, "but I dassent. Now -that we've got this fur, we've got to go on. If we should turn around -the sea would come pourin' in over the side an' take all hands to the -bottom afore you could say 'hard-a-starboard' with your mouth open. Do -you see that bright light dead ahead? Well, there's where the pier is, -if we can keep afloat till we get there." - -Roy may have been mistaken, but he was positive he heard the man add, -in a lower tone, as if the words were intended only for his companion's -ears: - -"Cap'n Jack must be a-lookin' for a crew to-night, else he wouldn't -have that light out so open and suspicious like. Well, it's the best -kind of a night for that sort of work, but I'm sorry for the poor chaps -he gets." - -The next time Tony faced about on his seat to make sure of the course -he was pursuing, the bright light had disappeared; and when the wind -lulled for a moment, the faint clanking of a capstan came to his ears. -The sound seemed to nerve him and Bob to greater exertion. - -"Pull, ye rascal," shouted Tony, so that Roy could hear it. "It's -comin' harder every blessed minute, an' the wind an' tide together is -takin' us out to sea as fast as they can. Pull, why don't ye? Do you -see a ship or a coaster anywheres, I don't know? If you do, sing out -an' ask 'em can we come aboard of her till the wind dies down a bit." - -"Look out!" yelled Roy, as something black and huge loomed out of the -darkness directly in their course. "We're running into a block of -houses." - -But it was a heavy ship that barred their way, as Roy found when they -got a little closer to her. She was weighing anchor, and the clanking -of the capstan came from her forecastle. - -"On deck there!" shouted Tony. "Goin' to change your berth, or what you -goin' to do?" - -Some answer came back, but, although the words were plain enough, Roy -could not understand it. It was evident, however, that Tony could, for -he called out: - -"Goin' to pull farther in for shelter, are you? All right. Will you let -some tired sailor-men aboard of you to ride in? We'll be glad to lend a -hand." - -This time there was no mistaking the answer. - -"You're as welcome as the flowers in May," said a deep voice. "Drop -around under our lee and come up." - -"Be in a hurry, Bob," cried Tony, as he dropped back upon his seat and -gave way on his oar. "The staysail is fillin', an' if she falls off -much she'll run us under." - -That was a moment of fearful suspense to the inexperienced Roy, who, -dark as it was, could see that the immense ship was gradually swinging -around toward the boat, slowly, to be sure, but with a power that -seemed irresistible. But his crew were equal to the occasion. They -easily got out of her reach, dropped around under her stern, and when -Tony gave the word, Bob seized the painter and tossed it up to some -one on deck, who promptly made it fast. - -"Up you come with a jump," said a commanding voice, as Bob went up the -painter hand over hand, while Tony lingered to stow the oars so that -the waves would not wash them out of the boat. - -"Toddle for'ard and lend a hand with the head-sails, if you know enough -to find the ropes in the dark. Do you?" added the voice, as Bob tumbled -over the side and stood upon the deck facing the speaker, who held up -a lighted lantern so that he could have a good view of the sailor's -features. His own features were revealed as well, and Bob stared hard -at them. - -"Well, if you are Cap'n Jack Rowan," was his mental reflection, "you -are as fine a specimen of a sea-tiger as I ever looked at; an' I wish -Tony an' Willis an' that young monkey who brought me into your den was -all sunk a hunderd fathoms deep, so I do." - -"Here's another and another," exclaimed the man with the lantern, as -Roy and Tony came over the rail. "Is that all of you? Go for'ard and -lend a hand." - -"Hold hard, sir," said Tony. "I've got a letter for you." And after -considerable fumbling in the pocket of his pea-jacket with his hand, -Tony drew it out and gave it to the captain, who said "All right," and -hurried to his cabin to read it; for the light of the lantern was so -dim that he could not even decipher the writing on the envelope. - -"A letter for him!" thought Roy. "It's very strange. That looks as -though Tony expected to find this ship here, and that he was holding -straight for her when he declared he was heading for a hack-stand. But -what's the odds? I'd rather have a good ship under me than be out in -this wind in a cranky little boat." - -Having never been aboard a seagoing vessel before, Roy Sheldon would -have taken the deepest interest in all that was going on around him -if there had only been light enough for him to see plainly; but he -made some observations in spite of the darkness. He found that the -deck under his feet seemed to be as solid as the ground; that the -waves which had tossed Tony's boat like a chip in a mill-pond had but -little effect upon the ship's huge bulk; and he gave it as his private -opinion that she was big enough and strong enough to ride out any storm -that ever swept the ocean. But there was one thing Roy did not know, -and he was two or three hundred miles from New London harbor when he -found it out. Strong as she appeared to be, the ship was unseaworthy, -her timbers were decayed, and the underwriters wouldn't look at her. -The owner was taking his personal risk in sending her abroad with a -valuable cargo, and that was one reason why she had found it so hard to -ship a crew. - -"Lay for'ard an' lend a hand with the head-sails," said Tony, when the -man with the lantern disappeared down the companion-way. "Come along, -lad, and we'll make a sailor-man of you." - -Nothing loth, Roy stumbled forward in Tony's wake, laid hold of a -rope when his guide did, and pulled with all his strength, although -he had not the slightest idea what he and the rest were pulling for. -As often as the flashes of lightning illumined the scene, he improved -the opportunity to take a survey of his surroundings; but all he saw -was that there was a heavy sail slowly rising over his head, and that -there were a goodly number of men on deck, all of whom were working at -something. He was so deeply occupied with his own thoughts, wondering -how he would feel if he were going to sea on that ship as one of the -crew, and be required to scrub decks, tug at wet ropes, go aloft in -all sorts of weather, and submit to hard fare and hard treatment -besides.--Roy's mind was so busy with these reflections that he did -not hear the command, "'Vast heavin'. Slack away on that halliard," -nor did he dream that the order was addressed to himself, until the -rope, at which he was still pulling with all his might, was jerked from -his hands with such force that Roy was sent headlong to the deck. He -scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, but before he reached a -perpendicular some enraged sailor gave him a hearty kick. - -"I guess they don't want me around," thought Roy, "and no doubt I am -in the way so I'll go aft. Is that the way they use a foremast hand, I -wonder--kick him when he falls down through no fault of his own? I am -glad I am not a sailor." - -When Roy had a chance to look about him, as he did as often as the -lightning flashed over the deck, he saw that a good many things had -been done during the few minutes that had elapsed since he boarded the -vessel. Besides the sailors who were busy with the head-sails, a second -party of men, under another officer, had been equally active on the -quarter-deck; another huge sail had been given to the breeze, and a man -sent to the wheel. The vessel was gathering rapid headway, and, what -seemed strange to Roy, she was not rounding to in order to go up the -harbor, because the lights which pointed out the position of the piers -in the lower end of the city were still on the left hand, and one by -one they danced away out of sight over the port quarter. The ship was -holding straight for the entrance to the bay, through which she would -soon pass to the open sea. - -"By gracious! We shall be in a pretty fix if we don't get off -immediately," soliloquized Roy, holding fast to the rail and looking -in vain for Tony and Bob. "What can those men be thinking of? If they -delay much longer I shall cast off in that boat and do the best I can -by myself." - -"Lay aloft and loose to'gallantsails," shouted a voice, almost in Roy's -ear. "Up you go, ye young sea-monkey!" - -"I don't belong here," replied Roy, turning about and finding himself -face to face with one of the mates, who emphasized his order by waving -his arm toward the topsail yard. "But I'll do the best I can if you -think you can trust me. How long before you are going to run into the -harbor?" - -If the mate heard and understood the question he did not take the -trouble to reply to it. He simply shouted, "Lay aloft and be quick -about it!" and then backed up against the rail so that he could watch -the movements of the men who had already responded to the command to -loose topgallant-sails. - -"I know I'll not be of the least use up there," said Roy, as he -scrambled up the ratlines, "but I'll have something to talk about when -I get ashore." - -Roy worked his way upward until his progress was stopped by something -that frightened him. It was the futtock-shrouds, the terror of every -greenhorn. Above his head was a sort of platform, with an opening -through it large enough to admit of the passage of an ordinary sized -man, and over the edge of it ran a rope ladder to a second series of -shrouds leading to a similar platform still higher up. That was the way -Roy described the situation to himself, and it is the only way I can -describe it, for an Expert Columbia is not supposed to know any thing -about ships. - -"Great Scott!" panted Roy; "do the sailors, every time they go aloft, -have to creep around the outer edge of that platform, and hang with -their backs downward, like flies on a ceiling? or do they go through -that opening close to the mast? I wonder if that isn't the 'lubber's -hole' I have so often read of? I don't care what it is; I'll stay here. -But why don't the ship come about and go toward the harbor, if she's -going to? I wonder if that light off there, which blazes up so brightly -every minute or two and then disappears, isn't on the light-ship. If it -is, this ship's going to sea, and we'll go with her if we don't get off -directly." - -While the boy was talking to himself in this way he did not permit -anything that transpired within the range of his vision to escape his -notice. He might never again have opportunity to see sail made aboard -ship, and now was the time for him to learn something. He heard an -almost constant scurrying of feet below, mingled with a chorus of -unintelligible commands, some of which were addressed to the dozen or -more men who were clinging to a swaying yard over his head, and finally -an answering "Ay, ay, sir," came out of the darkness and the men began -to "lay down from aloft." Before Roy knew what they meant to do, they -were crowding past him on their way to the deck. The last to go by him -was Tony. - -"What you doin' here, lad?" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you come up -higher an' lend a hand with the topsail?" - -"The mate or some other officer told me to come, and here I am; -although I assured him I wouldn't be of any use," replied Roy. "I was -afraid to go any higher. Look here; isn't it about time we were going -ashore? I don't believe this ship means to go up the harbor at all." - -Tony made some reply under his breath, but Roy did not understand it. - -"What's that flash I see every little while off the port bow?" he -continued. "It comes from the light-ship which is anchored at the mouth -of the harbor, doesn't it? We're going as close to her as we can lie -in this wind, and when we pass her we'll be outside, won't we? You had -better find out whether or not the captain wants to send any word off -in response to the letter you gave him, and then we'll go ashore." - -Roy was not a little surprised by the way Tony acted while he was -talking to him. He clung to the shrouds with one hand, holding his hat -on with the other, all the time uttering the most incomprehensible -ejaculations, and glaring wildly around as if he were trying to get -his bearings. At last he seemed to recover his power of speech by -a mighty effort, and something he said sent a thrill of horror all -through Roy Sheldon. - -"She's a-goin', easy enough, an', lad, me an' you an' Bob is -shanghaied," stammered Tony. - -Roy did not grasp the full meaning of the last word. It was the -sailor's manner that impressed and frightened him. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -A SWIM IN ROUGH WATER. - - -"Yes, sir, we're shanghaied," repeated Tony, looking over his shoulder -at the lights on shore, which appeared to be moving away from the ship, -and going faster and faster as the minutes flew by. "That's what's -the matter of me an' you an' Bob. We've been stole from our homes an' -friends an' tooken to sea agin our will." - -"No!" gasped Roy, who was almost paralyzed by these ominous words. "It -can't be possible." - -"That's what the matter of us, an' you'll find it so." - -"But I'll not go. I don't belong aboard this ship, and the captain has -no business to take me to sea against my will." - -"Small odds it makes to the likes of him whether he's got any business -to do it or not," answered Tony, who, far from showing the least sign -of anger over the outrage of which he was the victim, seemed disposed -to accept his fate with as much fortitude as he was able to command. -"Where have you lived all your life, that you don't know that that's -the way shipmasters sometimes do when they can't raise a crew as fast -as they want to? They get men aboard their vessels an' run away with -'em. That's what they are doin' with us." - -"But I'll not do duty, I tell you," exclaimed Roy, fairly dazed by the -gloomy prospect before him. "I can't, for I am not a sailor. Let's go -down and tell the captain to luff and let us off." - -"'Twon't do no good," answered Tony, with a sigh of resignation. "He'll -only swear at you an' say that the mates will very soon break you in -an' larn you your duty. We're in for a long, hard voyage, an' might as -well give up all thoughts of gettin' ashore first as last." - -"Never!" said Roy, wrathfully. "If there is such a thing--" - -"Lay down from aloft!" shouted a voice from the deck, following up the -command with a volley of oaths and threats that were enough to make a -landsman shudder. - -"Ay, ay, sir," replied Tony. "Why don't you say the same, lad? You've -got to come to it, for it will be worse for you if you don't. There -ain't the least use in kickin', for Cap'n Jack has got us hard an' -fast." - -Roy, who could plainly hear the beating of his heart above the howling -of the gale, which seemed to be increasing in fury every moment, -followed Tony to the deck, and immediately made his way aft to demand -an interview with the captain. He found him easily--at least he found -the man who went below with the lantern--and thus addressed him: - -"Captain, I thought you were going into the harbor for shelter, but I -find you are going to sea. Will you luff long enough to let me and my -crew get into our boat and shove off?" - -To Roy's surprise and indignation the captain did not appear to be -listening to him at all. He kept his gaze fastened upon something ahead -of the ship, and now and then turned to give an order to the man at -the wheel. If Roy had only known it, he was forcing himself upon the -captain's notice at a most critical time. The latter was trying to take -his vessel out of the bay without the aid of a pilot, and of course his -attention was so fully occupied that he had neither the leisure nor the -inclination to listen to any requests or complaints. - -"Starboard a spoke or two. Steady at that. Mr. Crawford," shouted the -captain, addressing one of his mates, "if that man with the lead can't -speak so that I can hear him, knock him overboard and put somebody else -in his place. How close to the light-ship can I run in this tide?" - -"If you don't run in closer than you are now you'll be aground in a -minute more," was the reply that was shouted aft. "Quarter less three -on the port bow." - -Roy paid little attention to this conversation, though he thought of it -afterward, for it was a most fortunate thing for him that the vessel -was obliged to run within a stone's throw of the light-ship. He wanted -the skipper to speak to him. - -"Captain," said he in a louder tone, at the same time drawing a step -nearer and taking the unwarrantable liberty to pluck him by the -coat-sleeve. "Captain, will you please--" - -"What do you want here?" thundered the angry skipper, kicking at the -boy with his heavy boot. But the words, which came just a second or two -before the kick, served as a warning of what might be expected, and -when the captain's boot got where he had been, Roy wasn't there. He -dodged out of the way very cleverly, and raised his voice in useless -remonstrance. - -"Do you know who you are kicking at?" he exclaimed. "I am not one of -your crew to be driven about in this fashion. I came aboard under a -misapprehension, and want to go ashore. My boat is alongside." - -What the skipper would have said or done if it had not been for -something that happened just then, I don't pretend to know. Beyond a -doubt he would have made the free-spoken Roy sup sorrow with a big -spoon, if Tony and Bob had not unwittingly created a diversion in his -favor. When they saw Roy standing so near the captain they took heart, -and came aft to say a word for themselves, but repented of it when the -enraged skipper undertook to drive the boy forward with a kick. But -then it was too late for them to escape punishment for their assurance -in venturing into the captain's presence without being asked. One of -the mates saw them when they went aft, and made it his business to -follow them with a piece of rope in his hand. Roy saw him swing it in -the air and knew what he meant to do with it; but before he had time to -shout a warning to the men for whose backs it was intended, the rope -fell twice in quick succession, and with such force that Tony and Bob -staggered under the blows. - -"Lay for'ard, where you belong, and come on the quarter-deck when -you've got business here," shouted the mate. He raised the rope to give -emphasis to his order, but the two men hurried out of his reach. Then -the mate looked at Roy. - -"Give him a dose, too, Mr. Crawford," said the captain. "He's no right -to come here bothering me at this juncture. You might as well teach -him his place one time as another." - -Roy opened his lips to protest against such an outrage, but seeing the -mate advancing upon him, he turned and took to his heels. In half a -minute more he was hauling at a rope in company with somebody whom he -took to be Tony; but it proved to be a sailor who was posted in regard -to the vessel and her contemplated movements. - -"What ship is this?" whispered Roy, trying hard to swallow a big lump -that seemed to be rising in his throat. - -"The White Squall," was the answer. - -"Is she going to sea?" - -The sailor prepared to give a profane response to the question, which -was so simple that a blind boy ought to have been able to answer it for -himself, but when he came to look at Roy he hesitated, and choked back -the words that arose to his lips. - -"Yes, she's bound out, and you haven't any call to go with her, have -you?" said he. "It's a hard case, but I don't see what you can do about -it." - -"Isn't there any law to punish a captain for taking men to sea against -their will?" asked Roy. - -"Not on the high seas," was the reply. "The only law there is outside -is the cap'n's will. How come you aboard here in the first place?" - -Roy explained the situation as briefly as he could, whereupon the -sailor laughed incredulously. - -"That crew of your'n must be into the plot," said he. - -"What plot?" inquired Roy. - -"Why, isn't there somebody ashore who don't want you there, and who -would be glad to have you carried so far away that you would never get -back again?" - -"Of course there isn't," said Roy, amazed at the idea. - -"Then it's mighty strange," continued the sailor, reflectively. "The -wind don't blow to hurt anything, and that crew of your'n could have -taken you to the city if they had been so minded." - -"You're mistaken there. They dared not turn about for fear our boat -would be capsized. It isn't likely that they would have come aboard -this ship if they had known that they were going to be kidnapped, would -they?" - -"Aha!" exclaimed the sailor. "So they have been shanghaied too, have -they? Then I can't understand the matter at all. No, they wouldn't have -come here if they had known that, for I have heard that the cap'n is -one of the worst brutes that any poor chap ever sailed under." - -"Then why do you sail with him? Were you shanghaied, too?" - -"Oh no; I was shipped all straight enough, but, bless you, I never knew -what sort of a craft I was getting onto till it was too late to back -out. But I never expect to reach Canton alive." - -"Canton?" cried Roy. "Is that where this ship is bound?" - -"It's the port the old man intends to bring up in if he can keep afloat -that long. Being as I'm here, I'm going to do an able seaman's duty as -long as I am on top of water. You say you came off in a boat. Where is -she now?" - -Roy replied that she was towing alongside. - -"Well, look here," said the sailor hastily. "Do you see that flash -ahead? It comes from the light-ship. If you know when you are well off, -you will jump into that boat of your'n and pull for that light the best -you know how. It's your only chance, for I don't believe this old tub -will ever see port again." - -"So I can," said Roy joyfully. "Will you go with me? and I can tip Tony -and Bob the wink and have them go too?" - -"Not by no means," said the sailor, as if the idea of such a thing was -enough to frighten him. "Take care of yourself, and let the rest do the -same. Are you going to try it?" he added, when Roy let go his hold upon -the rope and looked around to see what had become of the mate. "Then -make a sure thing of it the first time trying. Don't allow yourself to -be brought back, for if you do you'll wish you had never been born. -You'd better sink right here in the harbor than trust yourself to this -ship and her officers. It don't matter about me, for I am used to hard -knocks." - -The sailor's earnest words frightened Roy, but did not deter him from -carrying out the bold plan he had suddenly formed in his mind. Casting -his eye around the deck to make sure that the mate with the rope's end -was nowhere in sight, he moved swiftly along the weather rail, until he -thought he saw a chance to dart over to the other side without being -seen. He crossed the deck with a few quick steps and looked over into -the water. There was the boat, still right side up, and her painter -was within easy reach of his hand. More than that, as if to encourage -him in his desperate resolve, the flash from the light-ship, now close -aboard, burst through the gloom, and showed him everything as plainly -as though it had been broad daylight. The dark waves with their white -caps looked very threatening, but so did the prospect he had before him -of making a long voyage under brutal officers and in an unseaworthy -vessel. - -"It's now or never," thought Roy, shutting his teeth hard and calling -all his courage to his aid. "In five minutes more that light-ship will -be so far out of reach--" - -Just then something took him full in the eye, and Roy, who had bent -over while working at the boat's painter, straightened up with a jerk, -and flopped down upon his back. Scarcely realizing what had happened to -him, the boy scrambled to his feet only to receive a blow in the other -eye, and to hear the mate shout at him, in tones of suppressed fury: - -"Going to desert, were you? I expected it, and have had my gaze -fastened on you all along. Take that and that, and see if it will do -you until I can get a better chance at you." - -Did the enraged officer intend to kill him where he lay? Roy wondered, -as he raised his arm to ward off the heavy blows from the rope's end -that were aimed at his head. It is quite possible that the brute would -have disabled him had not the captain, who had witnessed the whole -proceeding, called out: - -"Cast the boat adrift, Mr. Crawford. That will put an end to all such -nonsense." - -The officer turned to obey the order, and in an instant Roy was on -his feet. At the same instant, too, the sailor's warning words came -into his mind like an inspiration: "Don't allow yourself to be brought -back, for if you do you will wish you had never been born. You'd better -sink right here in the harbor than trust yourself to this ship and her -officers," and something the mate said while he was striking at him -with the rope's end satisfied Roy that there was more punishment of -some sort coming as soon as the officer could find time to administer -it. - -"Another such a beating as that would lay me up sure," thought Roy, -drawing his hand across his face and looking around to see where he -was. "I can't stand it and I won't." - -Roy sprang away from the rail, but quick as the action was, the -movement the vigilant officer made to defeat it was almost as quick. -His brawny hand shot out like a flash, and by the merest chance missed -a hold upon Roy's arm. His strong fingers fastened into the boy's -shirt-sleeve, and during the brief but furious struggle that followed -either the stitches or cloth gave away. At any rate when the mate -straightened up he was holding the sleeve of Roy's shirt in his grasp, -and Roy himself, having cleared the deck in two or three jumps, was -standing upon the lee rail. - -"Come back here, you villain," roared the mate, starting forward, "or -I'll haze you till you'll be glad to go overboard in mid-ocean." - -But the boy preferred to go overboard in the harbor, where he stood a -chance--a bare chance--of rescue. He did not see the pilot-boat that -dashed by just then, but he saw the light-ship riding at her anchorage -a short distance away, and without pausing to take another look at the -angry waters, for fear that the sight of them would be too much for -his courage, he sprang into the air. The mate reached the side just a -minute too late. The deserter was well out of his way. - -"That's the end of him, sir," said he, turning to the captain. - -"Let the pilot-boat take care of him," said the latter gruffly. "I -can't stop to bother with him." - -This was all that was said aboard the White Squall, and nothing -whatever was done to aid the deserter; but the pilot-boat officers had -more humanity. As soon as their vessel could be thrown up into the wind -a boat was put into the water, and for half an hour or more the crew -pulled about in various directions, looking for Roy, who was swimming -for the light-ship with slow and easy strokes. He was by all odds the -best swimmer in Mount Airy, and his skill and long wind stood him well -in hand now. He was badly frightened at first when the waves broke over -his head and bore him under, but he always came to the surface in time -to catch the next one, which not only carried him rapidly toward his -haven of refuge, but kept him afloat long enough to get his breath and -fill his lungs for the next plunge. - -Roy afterward said that that long swim in rough water was more like a -dream than a reality. When he found that he had no trouble in keeping -on top of the water long enough to breathe fully and freely, but two -ideas filled his mind. One was to reach the light-ship before his -strength gave out; the second to lose no time, after he got ashore, -in doing something for Bob and Tony who were being carried away in -that unseaworthy ship. He was afterwards sorry that he wasted so much -sympathy upon them. - -About the time the pilot-boat's crew began to despair of picking up -the deserter, and filled away to the city to tell the story of his -"deliberate suicide" to eager reporters, who published it in their -papers the next morning, and Roy was becoming weary of buffeting the -waves, the swim was ended and help speedily came. A friendly billow -threw him against one of the swaying hawsers that kept the light-ship -in place, and the boy held fast to it. - -"Boat ahoy!" yelled Roy, with all the strength of his lungs. - -An instant later the sagging of the cable soused him under; but the -wind caught up his voice and carried it across the intervening space to -the deck of the light-ship, and when Roy came up again he saw a couple -of tarpaulins above her rail, and as many lanterns hanging over the -side. - -"Where away?" shouted a voice, that somewhat resembled the deep bass of -a fog-horn. - -"Here I am; holding fast to the anchor rope," replied Roy. "Can't you -see me now?" - -The boy's hand instinctively went to his head; but the cap he intended -to wave in the air to show the light-ship's men where he was, had been -left aboard the White Squall to keep company with his shirt-sleeve. But -if the men couldn't see him they heard his words, for the wind brought -them plainly to their ears; and instead of stopping to ask him what he -was doing in the water and how he got there in the first place, they -pulled up their lanterns and hurried away. - -"Hurrah for me!" said Roy to himself. "They've gone to lower a boat and -I am all right--" - -Just then another wave broke over his head; but when he came up again, -Roy continued his soliloquy as if nothing had happened. - -"Or shall be in a few minutes," said he. "I've learned a good many -things to-night, and one of them is, that a wind that would keep our -Mount Airy people ashore don't bother these deep-water fellows at all. -I call this a gale; but these watermen, who are used to such things, -run around in small boats as fearlessly as we take to Mirror Lake when -there isn't a capful of wind to ruffle the surface." - -Roy was plunged under a good many times while he waited for the men -to come and take him off, but presently their boat hove in sight. She -looked too large and heavy for two men to row, but she was built for -just the work she was doing now, and Roy Sheldon was not the only one -who owed his life to her and the gallant fellows who manned her. She -came over the waves like a duck, and almost before Roy knew it he was -sitting in her stern-sheets with a heavy coat around him. The men -uttered exclamations of astonishment when they saw how he was dressed, -but not a question did they ask until they had taken him safe aboard -the light-ship and into a warm, well-lighted cabin. - -"Pull off them wet duds and put on these here," said one of the men, -laying some dry clothing on a chair near the stove. - -"I am sorry to occasion you so much trouble," began Roy, who saw that -the oil-skin suits his rescuers wore were dripping with spray. "I have -given you a long, hard pull." - -"Oh, that's nothing," was the reply. "We're used to picking up folks, -specially during the racing season when a yacht turns bottom side up -now and then. But what made you get sick of your bargain so soon? Why -didn't you let yourself go down, like you'd oughter?" - -"What bargain?" exclaimed Roy. "And why ought I to let myself go down?" - -"Why, you jumped off that there ship on purpose, 'cause me and my -pardner seen you when you done it. We've been kinder looking for you -ever since. We didn't go out after you, 'cause number 29's boat struck -the water most as soon as you did." - -"Who bunged your eyes for you?" asked the man who had not spoken -before, and who was getting ready to give Roy a pot of hot coffee. - -"Are they black?" said the boy angrily. - -He glanced around the cabin, and seeing a small mirror fastened against -the bulkhead on the other side, he walked over and looked into it. -Yes, his eyes were black. - -"The ship I deserted from was the White Squall," said Roy; whereupon -the light-ship men nodded, as much as to say that the whole matter had -been made clear to them. "I didn't belong to her. I was--what do you -call it?--shanghaied? Yes; that was what was done to me, and also to -the two men who started to row me from Shelly's Island to New London. -One of the sailors told me I had better get off if I could see half -a chance, and that was the way I came to be in the water. One of the -mates knocked me down twice while I was working at the painter of our -boat, and pounded me with a piece of rope till--well, look at that," -added Roy, who, when he came to pull off his wet shirt, found that he -could not do it without assistance. His arm pained him, and he could -not use it as readily as usual. This led him to make an examination, -and he found that the arm was bruised and discolored from shoulder to -elbow. - -"Yas," remarked one of the men, as if he were speaking of an every-day -occurrence, "I've seen a good many such whacks in my time." - -"Do all officers pound their men in this fashion, and do you fellows -submit to it?" cried Roy, in great surprise. "Well, I won't, I bet you. -I'll have those two men arrested; the captain for kidnapping me, and -the mate for using me up in this way." - -"Drink this coffee and tell us when you're going to do all that," said -one of the men. - -"Yas," said the other. "And while I am helping you rub them bruises -with this arnica, tell us how you're going to do it." - -"When and how?" repeated Roy, as he submitted to the old sea-dog's -rough but kindly administrations. - -"Yas. You can't get ashore before morning, and by that time the White -Squall will be miles and miles at sea. It'll be two years, mebbe -three, before she makes this port again, and like as not there won't -be a single man in her crew that she took away with her. Then where'll -your witnesses be to prove that you was shanghaied, and that the mate -knocked you down and beat you with a rope's end?" - -Roy backed toward the nearest bunk, sat down upon it and took a long -and hearty drink of the hot coffee before he made any reply. He had -comforted himself with the mental assurance that it would be an easy -matter for him to bring the master of the White Squall to justice, but -now he discovered that there were difficulties in the way. - -"Law ain't made for the poor chaps that sail the high seas, but for -landsmen," said the one who gave him the coffee. "Sailor-men ain't got -no use for it, for nobody cares for them. I've heard enough about that -ship and her cap'n to know that I shouldn't like to sail on her, and I -tell you that you was mighty lucky to get away with a whole skin. The -mate knocked you over while you was trying to cast off your boat; then -what happened?" - -"I made a dash for the other side of the ship and went overboard," -answered Roy. "The mate made a grab for me, and besides tearing the -sleeve out of my shirt he must have given my arm an awful wrench, for -I can hardly lift that pot of coffee with it. There isn't any danger -that she will stop and take me off this boat, is there?" - -The light-ship men chuckled and winked at each other as though they -thought Roy had said something amusing. - -"Bless your simple heart! She's hull down before this time," one of -them remarked. "You don't think that a ship that has been loaded and -waiting for two or three weeks would stop to pick up a deserter, do -you? and him a landsman that don't know one side of the deck from -t'other? You'll never see the White Squall again less'n you stay here -and look for her. What sort of clothes is them, any way, that you just -took off? Looks something like a rowing rig, but 'tain't." - -Roy replied that it was a bicycle uniform, and then went on to tell his -story, hoping that the mention of Rowe Shelly's name might lead the men -to give him some information concerning the runaway. They lived but a -short distance from his island home, and Roy thought it possible they -might know him; but he very soon became satisfied that they didn't. -They held little communication with the people on the neighboring -islands, all their supplies, as well as the limited number of papers -they read, being received from the mainland, and they did not act as -though they had ever heard of Rowe Shelly before; but they showed Roy -very plainly that there were some portions of his narrative they found -it hard to believe. One of them turned on his heel with the remark -that the wind didn't "blow to do any hurt," that there was no need of -anybody "going aboard a ship for shelter on such a night" as that one -was, and went on deck to see how things were going there; while the -other, with the suspicion of a smile about his mouth, said to Roy: - -"You're getting kinder white around the gills. Hadn't you better lay -down in that there bunk before it gets worse on you? That's my advice." - -"I do feel rather queer, that's a fact," answered the boy. "I suppose -the pounding and swim together were too much for me." - -"Yas; I reckon they were. But you'll be all right after a while." - -The man followed his companion to the deck, and Roy lay down upon the -bunk; but very gradually a suspicion crept into his mind that the -beating he had received and his long swim in rough water had little to -do with his miserable feelings. - -"I am sea-sick," groaned Roy. "That's what's the matter with me. Being -shut up in this warm, close cabin has done the business for me." - -The boy made a shrewd guess. Many a long hour dragged its weary length -away before he was "all right" again. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T BE "PUMPED." - - -All the rest of the night Roy Sheldon, who was ill indeed, rolled and -tossed in his bunk without once closing his eyes in sleep. At first he -was very much afraid that the light-ship would go down, she pitched -so furiously; and as his malady grew upon him, he wished from the -bottom of his heart that she would spring a leak and sink, and so put -him out of his misery. To make matters worse, his rescuers never came -near to sympathize with him, or ask if there was anything they could -do to relieve him. They left him to fight the battle alone, and their -neglect made Roy so indignant that he resolved he would not speak to -them again, not even to thank them for the important service they -had rendered him. Shortly after daylight, however, he fell into a -refreshing slumber, and when he awoke two hours later his sickness was -all gone, and he was as hungry as a wolf. - -"Well, my hearty," was the cordial way in which he was greeted when he -rolled out of his bunk, "you don't look quite as blue about the gills -as you did when you turned in. Feel any better? Set down and take -another pot of coffee." - -"Thank you. I feel a good deal more like myself," was Roy's reply. "I -can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to you, or how glad I am that -I went overboard when I did, and that I succeeded in laying hold of -that anchor-rope before my wind and strength gave out. I was getting -tired, I tell you. If I were aboard that ship now how far at sea would -I be?" - -"A hundred miles, or such a matter, in this wind, and with a fair -chance of seeing furrin countries before you come back." - -"I would have stood a better chance of becoming food for the sharks, if -all I heard about her is true," said Roy, as he seated himself at one -end of the mess-chest which served as a table. "The sailor who advised -me to desert said he never expected to reach Canton alive. Now, how -soon can I get ashore to relieve the anxiety of my friends?" - -That was a matter that was settled with half a dozen words. He was -given to understand that he would be carried over to the nearest pier -as soon as he had eaten his breakfast; and his mind being set at rest, -he ate a hearty one. When he thanked the men for their kindness they -laughed and said "that was all right," and showed some curiosity to -know why Roy was so careful to take their names and address. - -"I like to keep track of my acquaintances," said the boy; "I may want -to call upon you at some future time, and if I do, I shall know where -to find you." - -Breakfast being over, Roy, who had put on his own clothes when he -left his bunk, climbed into the boat and was pulled ashore. There was -a hack-stand near the pier on which he was landed, and although Roy -did not know it at the time, Tony and Bob could have put him ashore -there the night before if the instructions they received from Colonel -Shelly's superintendent had not led them to follow a different course. -Being anxious to escape observation Roy took a hurried leave of the -light-ship's men, hastened toward the hack-stand, and dived into the -first carriage he came to. - -"Pull up the windows, put down the curtains so that no one can see me, -and go for the Lafayette House at your very best licks," said Roy to -the astonished driver, who looked critically at the boy's sleeveless -shirt and bandaged eye, and seemed in no particular hurry to obey. - -"Been in a fight?" said he. - -"Yes; been in half a dozen. Whipped more than forty men, and swam in -from a hundred miles out at sea," replied Roy, impatiently. "I've money -in my pocket and more at the hotel, if that is what you want to know. -Hurry up, and I will give you double fare." - -That was something the hackman could understand. Looking curiously at -his passenger the while he hastened to obey his orders, and in a few -seconds had made the carriage as close as an oven. But Roy did not care -for that. He settled back in the corner, and wondered what Arthur and -Joe would say when he walked into their presence. - -"I know I am a nice looking object," was his mental reflection, "but I -should like to see either one of those fellows go through what I did -and come out in better shape. I tell you I have had a narrow escape, -and Rowe Shelly, whoever he may be, can thank his lucky stars that he -was not in my place. I can't do anything for Bob and Tony, but I can -bear those light-ship men in mind, and I will too." - -With the prospect of a double fare before him the hackman drove as -rapidly as he dared, and when he drew rein in front of the hotel -to which he had been directed, Roy threw open the door and jumped -out, crossed the wide sidewalk with a few swift steps, and sought -concealment behind one of the front doors, every move he made being -closely followed by the driver, who wanted to make sure of his money -before he let his strange passenger out of sight. Then came that -hurried interview with the hotel clerk, who could hardly be made -to believe that Roy Sheldon was not Robert Barton, after which the -new-comer went to his room to change his clothes and send the porter -out for a new helmet to take the place of the one he had left on board -the White Squall. - -"There," said Roy, as he stood before the mirror and tied a clean -handkerchief over his left eye, "that looks a little more respectable, -but not much. I must have a pretty hard head or that mate would have -knocked me senseless. Suppose he had, and that I had been kicked out of -the way or carried down into the forecastle, and never come to myself -until this morning! I'd been a hundred miles or more at sea, and in a -rotten old ship that is liable to go to pieces in the very first storm -she encounters. It makes me shudder to think of it." - -Having fixed himself up as well as he could, Roy went downstairs and -into the reading-room to wait for Joe and Arthur to "show up." At the -same time a sharp-looking gentleman, whose eyes were everywhere at -once, walked briskly up to the clerk's desk and leaned upon it. - -"What do you know?" said he. "I must make out a column some way or -other, and if you don't help me out, I shall always think you ought to." - -"I don't know a thing," replied the clerk. "Go into the reading-room -and pump that fellow with the bunged-up eye. He's a wheelman from Mount -Airy. Came in yesterday with two others, and got into trouble before he -had fairly eaten his supper. That's his name right there," added the -clerk, as the sharp-looking man, who was a newspaper reporter, pulled a -note-book from his pocket and wrote something in it in short-hand. "He -just as good as told me that he was mistaken for Rowe Shelly, kidnapped -and taken over to the island, and barely escaped being carried to sea." - -"On what vessel?" exclaimed the reporter, showing some excitement and -no little interest. - -"Don't know. Didn't think to ask him, for he was in a great hurry to go -to his room." - -"So Rowe Shelly has skipped again, has he?" said the reporter. "That -won't do me any good, for Shelly owns some of our stock and we can't -dip into his private affairs. Don't tell anybody else of it, there's a -good fellow, for I want to get a scoop on this whole business. Did this -what's his name--Sheldon, look as though he had been in the water?" - -"Come to think of it, he did. His uniform was shrunk and mussed, one -sleeve of his shirt was missing, and both his eyes were blacked. At -least one was, for I saw it. He kept the other covered up." - -"I'll bet it's the same chap. Haven't you seen this morning's -_Tribune_? Well, there's an article in it, with the blackest kind of -headlines, entitled, 'Mutiny in the Harbor. A Sailor prefers Death to a -Voyage in the White Squall,' and so forth and so on, _et cetera_. One -of our fellows wrote that up, and now you just watch me get the sequel. -Hoop-la! My column's safe. How'll I know him--by his bunged-up eyes?" - -"Look right through the door. That's him, with the blue uniform on and -a paper in his hand. But hold on a minute," said the clerk, as the -reporter turned away. "If you mean to get anything out of him you'll -have to be sly about it, for he says he won't be pumped." - -"Oh, won't he? We'll see about that." - -Roy Sheldon, who was deeply interested in that article in the -_Tribune_, and congratulating himself on the fact that his name was -not mentioned in it, and that consequently his father and mother would -never hear of his adventure until he was ready to tell them about it, -did not so much as raise his eyes when the reporter came in and sat -down near him. He went on with his reading until he heard a pleasant -voice say: - -"Good morning, Mr. Sheldon. You have had a pretty rough experience, -have you not?" - -If the chair in which he was sitting had suddenly given away and let -him down on the floor, Roy would not have been half as much astonished -as he was when he heard himself addressed in this way by a man whom he -had never seen before. He looked at him over the top of his paper, and -then drew his head down behind it; whereupon the reporter pulled out -his handkerchief and mopped his face to conceal the smile that came to -his lips. - -"Of course you don't mind what those light-ship men said to _me_," he -continued. - -"Oh! did they tell you about it?" exclaimed Roy, and that was all the -reporter wanted to show him that he was on the right track. Being -shrewd and experienced in his profession, he had already made up his -mind just what that 'sequel' was going to be. The sailor, who was -seen by the captain of pilot-boat number twenty-nine to jump into the -harbor, was not a seafaring man, but a wheelman. He had succeeded in -reaching the light-ship, whose crew rescued him, brought him ashore in -the morning, and here he was. Roy had told the clerk he would not be -interviewed; but that did not worry the reporter. - -"Yes; I have heard all about it," said he. "You see, I am the fellow -who supplies those light-ship men with some of their reading-matter." - -"Oh," said Roy again, "I was afraid you might be a reporter." - -"My dear sir, do I look as if I were that low down in the world? What's -the reason you don't want to see any news-gatherers? You have been the -hero of an adventure, and most boys would like to see it in print." - -"It's in print already, but fortunately the man who wrote about it did -not know my name," replied Roy. "There's a long account of it in the -_Tribune_?" - -"And is that account correct?" - -"Perfectly. But my father takes the _Tribune_, and if he had seen my -name in that article he would have ordered me home in short order." - -"And you don't want to go, I suppose?" - -"Certainly not," answered Roy, who then went on to tell where he _did_ -want to go; and to prove that his father would be likely to tell him to -come home if he got into trouble, he related what Mr. Wayring had done -when he learned through the New London papers that Matt Coyle had tied -Joe to a tree and threatened to beat him with switches. - -"I remember of reading about that," said the reporter. "One of the -_Tribune's_ staff was stopping at the Sportsman's Home at the time, and -he was the one who wrote it up. I don't blame you for not wanting your -name mentioned in connection with that little episode in the harbor -last night, and you are wise in keeping your weather eye open for -reporters. That's the only one you can keep open, isn't it? Who shut up -the other one for you?" - -It was by such ingenious and apparently disinterested questions as -these, that the reporter gradually led Roy Sheldon on to tell his -story from beginning to end. He was really astonished when the boy -brought his narrative to a close, and told himself that he was master -of some secrets that would eventually bring Colonel Shelly and his -superintendent into trouble, and the runaway Rowe into his rights. More -than one reporter has run to earth criminals whom the best detectives -could not track, and Roy's visitor suddenly resolved that he would do a -little in that line himself. He would have given something handsome to -know where Rowe was at that minute and what he intended to do; but Roy -could not enlighten him. On the other hand, he asked the reporter to -tell him what he knew about Rowe himself. - -"That boy is well fixed over there on the island," said he. "Everybody -is kind to him, he has everything money can buy, and he wouldn't -run away unless there was good cause for it," said Roy. "I wasn't on -the island long enough to learn much about him; can't you tell me -something?" - -"I am sorry to say I can't," said the reporter, as he arose from his -chair. "I have never been on the island, and don't know the first thing -about Rowe Shelly and his family relations, except what I have heard -in a roundabout way. Look here," he added, sinking his voice almost -to a whisper; "do you see those three fellows talking with the clerk? -Look out for them. They are reporters for evening papers. Tell 'em -you're busy--that your eyes are so black you can't talk to 'em--tell -'em anything you can think of, for if you don't, they will have you in -print sure pop. So-long, and a pleasant trip if I don't see you again -before you leave the city." - -So saying the reporter winked at Roy, and hurried away to write up the -"sequel" for the evening edition of his paper, while Roy hid behind his -copy of the _Tribune_. The three men against whom he had been warned -came in at last, but if they wanted information they did not get much. -Roy was very unsociable, and they finally departed with the conviction -that the _Tribune's_ man had been too sharp for them this time. - -Roy's next visitor was Willis, and the next two were Joe Wayring and -Arthur Hastings, who would scarcely have recognized him if it had not -been for his uniform. They listened in great amazement to his story, -which I afterward heard just as I have tried to tell it, and never -once said a word to interrupt him. Arthur's indignation was almost -unbounded; while the clear-sighted Joe saw two or three things in -the narrative which proved to his satisfaction that Roy's visit to -the White Squall was not purely accidental. But the trouble was, Roy -himself did not think so, and he had not really said anything that was -calculated to throw suspicion upon the superintendent. It was plain, -however, that Willis was afraid he might say something, for as soon as -Roy's story was finished he got upon his feet and put on his hat. - -"As you remarked a little while ago, 'all's well that ends well,'" -said he. "I am heartily glad you got safely out of that scrape, Mr. -Sheldon, and hope you will speedily recover from the effects of your -treatment at the hands of that brutal mate. I wish he might be punished -for it; but it is just as those men on the light-ship told you. The -White Squall will not return for two or three years, and by that time -the men who now comprise her crew may be scattered to the ends of the -globe. I wish you good-morning, and a pleasant run across the State." - -So saying, Willis bowed himself out of the reading-room, and Babcock -went with him, leaving the three friends alone. - -"Say, old fellow," exclaimed Joe, settling back in his chair and -looking at Roy, "you've more pluck than I ever gave you credit for, but -not half as much mother-wit." - -"What has gone wrong with you now?" asked Roy, in reply. - -"Nothing whatever; but if you don't find that something has gone wrong -with you, I shall miss my guess. And you are the boy who wouldn't be -pumped, are you? Well, you are a good one." - -"I tell you I didn't give those three reporters the first grain of -information," said Roy, bridling up. - -"No; but you gave the first one who gained your ear all the information -he wanted. That fellow who came his Oily Gammon over you and told you -that he supplied the light-ship's crew with a portion of their reading -matter, was a reporter. He'll have the whole thing in his paper to -night, and you will have to go home." - -"And that means all of us," added Arthur. - -"No!" gasped Roy, alarmed by the thought. "Let's get away from the city -without an hour's delay. If we do that, we can prolong our run as far -as Bloomingdale; for you know that was the first place at which we were -to stop for letters." - -"But you can't ride," said Joe. - -"What's the reason I can't?" inquired Roy. "I know my arm is almost -useless, but my legs are all right, as I will show you when we are -fairly on the road again. Say, fellows, let's make the pace hot enough -to reach Bloomingdale and get beyond it before any return orders can -catch us." - -"Why not avoid the place altogether?" suggested Arthur. "Have you had -your arm examined by a surgeon?" - -Roy said he hadn't thought of it, and Arthur continued: "Then we'll -have it done at once. If he says you can ride, we'll take to the road -at once. If he says you can't, that settles it." - -Great was their relief when the medical man, to whom they were -directed, told Roy that, although he had received a pretty severe fall -(he thought Roy had taken a header and the latter was quite willing to -have it so), he would be able to continue the run provided he could -manage his wheel with one hand, and would promise not to run too fast. - -"But," added the doctor, "it's a little the queerest hurt I ever saw -from a header. I don't quite see how you managed to black both your -eyes and injure your arm in one fall. If you had been in a fight with -the canalers I could understand it. You mustn't think of going on for -at least two or three days. Lie still to-morrow and next day, take a -short run on Saturday, stop over somewhere in the country on Sunday, -and make a fresh start on Monday." - -When the boys heard this their countenances fell; but, as Arthur had -said, "that settled it." All they could do was to make themselves -miserable for the rest of the day and the whole of the two succeeding -ones. They could not even visit their friends in the city, for if they -did, every one would want to know where Roy Sheldon was, and why he -didn't show himself. - -"I'm a pretty looking fellow to go calling, am I not?" said the latter -dolefully. "It can't be done, boys. I'd have to tell the truth, and I -might as well go home at once as to do that. I'm going to hug my room -the best I know how, and you'll have to see that I don't starve; for -now that I have found you, I am not going to exhibit myself in that -reading-room again. Now, come up-stairs and tell me all you know about -Rowe Shelly." - -The story his friends had to tell was not near as long as his own, but -it was fully as interesting. It required but a few words from them to -make everything clear to Roy's comprehension. The man who claimed to -be Colonel Shelly and Rowe's guardian was a fraud, the boy's parents -were still living, and he was determined to find them in spite of all -the obstacles that could be thrown in his way. That was all there was -of it. - -"I hope from the bottom of my heart that he will succeed," said Roy -earnestly. "When I was in the water swimming for the light-ship, I felt -bitter toward everybody; but now that I have come safely out of the -worst scrape I ever was in, I don't feel so. The clerk, who evidently -knows a little about Rowe and his affairs, declared that he was a -fool for running away, but somehow I couldn't believe it. Now I know -he isn't. If one of us was in his place they'd have to put guards all -around that island to keep him there." - -"How far was it from the White Squall to the light-ship?" - -"About twice as far as Mirror Lake is wide. The swim wasn't anything to -be afraid of, but the rough water--" - -"And the sharks," interposed Arthur. - -"By gracious!" exclaimed Roy, jumping up from the bed on which he had -but a moment before laid himself down. "I never thought of sharks, -and I'm glad I didn't. It would have made a coward of me sure, and I -was near enough to that as it was. But they do have them around that -light-ship, don't they? I have seen the fact stated in the papers -before now. It took all the pluck I had to face the waves, and if I had -thought of sharks I don't believe you ever would have seen me again." - -"Rowe wouldn't have had the courage to do what you did," observed -Arthur. - -"I don't think he would," said Joe. "But then he never would have been -called upon to do it, for that man Willis would not have sent him -aboard the White Squall to be carried to sea." - -"You don't think Willis got Tony and Bob and me shanghaied on purpose, -do you?" exclaimed Roy, who had not dreamed of such a thing. "You are -surely mistaken. I saw those men driven to duty with a piece of rope." - -"I don't say they knew they were going to be kidnapped when they took -you aboard that vessel, but that it was a part of the superintendent's -plan for getting rid of the whole of you," replied Joe, who then went -on to tell why he thought so. Three different sailor men with whom Roy -had conversed assured him that the wind didn't blow to hurt anything, -that there was no need that anybody in a small boat should seek shelter -on a vessel on such a night as last night was, and if Roy could not see -that that proved something, he was by no means as bright as Joe thought -he was. - -"I can see it now," said Roy. "If I could only bring it home to him -wouldn't I--" - -"No doubt you would: but there's the trouble. You can't prove anything. -I am sorry you let that reporter bamboozle you into telling him all -about your adventure. The fellows he told you to look out for were on -rival papers, and it was his business to keep them from getting any -information out of you if he could. I wish the evening papers were out." - -The others wished so too, but four long hours passed before the voice -of the newsboy was heard in the street, and then Arthur made a rush for -the door. When he returned he had a copy of all the evening papers on -sale, but the _Tribune_ was the only one Roy cared to see, and it was -promptly passed over to him. - -"Here it is in black and white," he groaned, almost as soon as he -opened the sheet. "'A Plucky Wheelman. Something that might have been -a Tragedy. The Truth about it.' Read it out and then go and pound that -reporter." - -Arthur complied with many misgivings, but as he read he often paused -to look at his chums, who stared at him and at each other in turn. -Everything that happened on board the White Squall was truthfully -described, the brutality of the ship's officers was denounced in no -measured terms, Roy's short but desperate struggle with the mate was -told in graphic language, but the only ones whose real names were -mentioned were the two light-ship men, Captain Jack Rowan and the -scoundrel Crawford. Roy Sheldon was called Peter Smith without a word -of excuse or apology, while Rowe Shelly, his guardian, and Willis, -the superintendent, were not spoken of at all. The boys could not -understand it; but then they did not know that Rowe's guardian was -part owner of the _Tribune_ and had influence enough to cause the -discharge of any man on it who did not write to suit him. As soon as -Arthur finished the article they all went to work to examine the other -papers; but there was nothing in them about the "Plucky Wheelman." The -_Tribune_ had a "scoop" on all its competitors. - -"That bangs me," said Roy, at length. - -"It suits you, does it not?" - -"Perfectly. It's better than I thought it could be. Of course our folks -will read it, but they'll never dream that one of us had anything to do -with it. That reporter is a brick. You needn't mind pounding him, boys." - -"Thank you," said Joe, drily. "I had no intention of trying anything of -the kind. I have heard of fellows going out to thrash newspaper men and -coming home on a shutter. It might have been so in this case." - -Arthur Hasting voiced the sentiments of his companions when he said -he felt as if a big load had been taken off his shoulders. Their run -wasn't "blocked" after all. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ON THE ROAD AGAIN. - - -Although Roy Sheldon and his friends were greatly relieved, and felt -duly thankful to the reporter who had concealed the "plucky wheelman's" -identity under a fictitious name, and thus prevented their trip from -being brought to a sudden end, they were none the less impatient to -take the road again, and their two days of enforced inactivity hung -heavily on their hands. It would not be prudent for them to call upon -their friends in the city, for, as Roy ruefully affirmed, they would -have to tell them the truth, and they might as well go home as to do -that. Concealment was the only thing left to them, but reading and -sleeping, with an occasional discussion of their recent experience, -were monotonous ways for healthy boys to pass the time. Roy's bruises -demanded a little of their care and attention, and before long he had -the satisfaction of knowing that his arm was not as lame as it had -been, and that his eyes were slowly resuming their natural color. But -it was two weeks before the wondering rustics ceased to turn and gaze -after him as he wheeled swiftly along the road. - -Saturday morning came at last, and after a light breakfast the three -Columbias were brought from their dark closet and set in motion again. -Of course we--that is, my two companions and I--knew nothing of the -strange things that had taken place on the night we were put into our -closet for safe-keeping, and we were on the road at least a week before -we heard as much of the story as I have already told you. We were fully -two hundred miles from New London when we, most unexpectedly, heard -more of it, and back in Mount Airy when we heard the conclusion; so you -see I am not yet through with the events that grew out of Roy Sheldon's -visit to the city. - -Saturday's run was short, for my master insisted that the doctor's -orders should be implicitly obeyed, but still it was a hard one. Before -they were fairly out of the city limits the sand that was "knee-deep" -obstructed their way, and made the young wheelmen cast longing glances -toward the tow-path which was in plain view. But the sight of several -groups of ragged urchins, some of whom tried hard and perseveringly to -get a stone up to them, and the knowledge that one of their number was -in no condition for a fight, if one was forced upon them, made them -keep to the highway. - -"But I tell you we'll not do it on Monday for all the canalers in the -State," said Roy that night, when he and his companions dismounted -before the little inn that was to be their stopping place. "We are so -far out of the city now that we shall not see very many boats, and as -often as we come in sight of a settlement of shanties, we'll climb up -to the road and go around it." - -The proprietor of the inn said he was used to the company of wheelmen, -and the bountiful supper he set before the boys proved that he was. -He gave them comfortable beds too, and on Monday morning showed them -a path by which they could take their wheels down to the bank of the -canal. It was much easier riding there than it was on the highway, -but, as the Omaha wheelman said, they found the "unspeakable mule" -there. They met a good many boats going into the city, and nearly -every one of them was towed by a span of these interesting creatures. -The boys dismounted and got out of the way as often as they saw them -coming, but the mules were not to be deceived or cheated out of a -stampede by any such shallow artifice as that. They saw the glittering -wheels, and that was enough for them. They invariably turned like a -flash and tore back along the path as though they were frightened out -of their wits, but always stopped their headlong flight just in time -to avoid being jerked into the canal. It seemed to me that reasonable -persons would have been satisfied with the precautions taken by the -boys to avoid trouble, but I soon learned that the boatmen were not -reasonable. They swore lustily, hurling their oaths at mules and -cyclists with perfect impartiality, and now and then a very angry -captain would order his steersman to "hold her clost in to the bank -so't he could jump ashore an' pitch them nuisances into the drink"; -but when the boys heard such talk as that they mounted and sped lightly -along, leaving the captain to recover his good-nature as soon as he -got ready, and the driver to manage the mules in anyway he could. -By following this course, and by making a flank movement on every -"settlement of shanties" that hove in sight, they finally reached -Bloomingdale without doing very much riding in the sand. - -They were now about a hundred and forty miles from home, and considered -their journey fairly begun. Leaving out their first night in New -London, they were more than pleased with their experience. Their health -was perfect, their brains, to quote from Roy Sheldon, were "as clear -as whistles," and they felt equal to any amount of hard work either on -the road or at the table. Taking timid women, skittish horses, foolish -mules, peppery canal-boat captains, combative boys and ugly dogs into -consideration, a trip like this had just enough of the exciting and -perilous in it to make it interesting. - -Although my master and his chums longed to hear from home, they opened -the letters they found waiting for them in Bloomingdale with some -fear and trembling. As I looked at it, it did not seem possible that -adventures like Roy Sheldon's, and an exploit such as he had performed, -could be kept covered up for any length of time (I have been told that -such things have a way of "leaking out somewhere"), nor was it at all -probable that every one who heard of them would be as considerate of -Roy's wishes as the _Tribune_ reporter had shown himself to be. I -awaited the result with as much excitement as Roy Sheldon exhibited -when he seated himself on the porch in front of the hotel and opened -one of his mother's letters--the one that bore the latest date. I saw -him run his eyes over the closely written pages, and when he laid that -letter aside and picked up another, intending to read them in the order -in which they were written, I knew before he said a word that his fears -were groundless and that no return orders had been received. - -"My folks don't suspect anything; how is it with yours?" said he, -gleefully. "Mother doesn't say a word about Peter Smith who was -shanghaied and jumped overboard to escape being carried to sea, and -that's all the evidence I want that she does not think I am that -identical Peter." - -Thanks to the thoughtful reporter, who did not want Roy to be called -home although he _did_ want all the news the boy had it in his power -to give him, the truth was never suspected, and after a short rest the -young wheelmen turned their backs upon the tow-path and the pugnacious -youngsters who lived beside it, and struck out again, this time running -through a fine farming country, with just enough timber along the road -to break the monotony of the scenery, and afford them shade as often as -they felt inclined to take a breathing spell. They were not the only -cyclists on the road, as they found before they had left Bloomingdale -a dozen miles behind. They were wheeling along in Indian file at a -moderate pace, when Joe Wayring, who brought up the rear, was surprised -to hear a voice close to him say: - -"If you have a mind to listen to it, I believe I can give you young -gentlemen a word of advice that may some day be of use to you." And -before Joe could turn his head, a tall stranger on a big wheel rode up -beside him. "Where have you come from and where are you going, if it -is a fair question?" he continued, after returning Joe's greeting. "I -judge from your bundles that you are on a trip; but I guess you haven't -been out very long, or else you followed a different route from mine, -for you are not half as dirty as I am." - -This broke the ice, and in a few minutes the boys were on the best of -terms with the strange wheelman, who could not, however, give them -any "pointers" regarding their route, for he was going another way, -and besides he was depending entirely upon his road-book. He had been -out four weeks, but was on the way home now, weighed twenty pounds -more than he did when he set out, and felt strong enough to tackle any -dinner that was set before him. My master expressed his regrets because -the stranger was not going their way, and asked him what that word of -advice was he said he could give them. - -"You wobble too much," said the wheelman, coming to the point at once. -"I have been following behind for the last mile or so, and took notice -of the fact that an eighteen inch plank would scarcely be wide enough -to cover your tracks." - -"I've noticed that too," replied Roy, "but never thought it worth while -to take the trouble to ride any differently. What's the odds so long as -one has the whole road to wobble in?" - -"None whatever," said the stranger, with a laugh, "only experts who -come on your track will think you are not at all careful as to your -style, or else they will put you down as new hands at the business. But -suppose you should come to a railroad bridge with only a single plank -laid down for one to walk upon. If you tried to run over it you would -go off sure; and it would be a job to dismount and carry your wheels. -Besides, when you got home you wouldn't like to confess that you had -done such a thing." - -"But you see we haven't found any bridges of that sort in our way yet, -and we don't mean to," replied Joe. "Our plan is to follow the road and -keep clear of the tracks." - -"That's the resolve I made when I set out, but I haven't held to it. I -am pretty well satisfied now that you are not very far from home." - -"What makes you think so?" - -"Because you don't seem to care anything for distance; but wait until -you have been in the saddle a week at a stretch, and you will be glad -to cut off all the miles you can. You will find that the railroad -generally follows the shortest route between two points, and if you -have made up your minds to stop for the night at a certain place, you -will want to get there the easiest way you can. That's the time you -will probably take to the track and find some of the bridges I spoke of -a minute ago." - -The boys traveled several miles in company with the pleasant stranger -who, to quote once more from Roy Sheldon, "was just chuck full of good -stories and advice," and it was with much regret that they took leave -of him, saw him turn off from their route and continue his journey -alone. How often it happens that little things bring about great -events! You shall presently see what grew out of this short interview -which happened by the merest accident. - -"From this day forward I mend my style of riding," said Joe Wayring, -when their chance companion had been left out of sight. "I never knew -before that a wheelman left traces by which an expert could judge of -his skill, but I know it now, and by this time next week I bet you -I'll be steady enough to ride a six-inch plank on top of the highest -railroad bridge in the country." - -The others said the same, and from that moment began exercising more -care in the management of their wheels. If that stranger could have -come up behind them now, he would not have seen so many zig-zag tracks -in the road. But no doubt he would have laughed at them for so quickly -forgetting their resolve to "stick to the highway and steer clear of -the railroad tracks"; for that was just what they did. Before a week -had passed over their heads they began to realize that it required -a good many motions with the pedals to take them a day's journey, -and bring them to the place at which they had beforehand decided to -pass the night, that there was a good deal of sameness in wheeling, -in spite of the new scenes and new faces that were constantly coming -before them, and they were not so very long in learning by actual test -that "the railroad usually follows the shortest route between two -points." But, strange to say, they encountered but few cattle-guards, -no bridges or trestle-works, and the culverts were so well covered that -they scarcely knew when they passed over them. Except when following -these short cuts they adhered rigidly to the instructions laid down -in their road-book, but one day even that guide, which ought to have -been infallible, led them astray; and here is the passage that did the -mischief: - - "After a good nooning among the Bergen shades a bee-line can be - struck for Dorchester, over a road with occasional patches of sand. - Luckily these patches can be avoided by making use of portages in - the shape of the ever-welcome cow-path, which winds off to the side - of the road most conveniently. The cow figures most usefully in - touring as a path-maker in districts where the road commissioners are - derelict. Also as a dispenser of a beverage which is the best of all - drinks anywhere, and especially on the road." - -The guide-book also went on to say that at one place along the route -a cow-path led directly to a brook, at which the weary and hungry -wheelman might stop and cast a line with a more than reasonable -expectation of catching a good-sized trout for his dinner. - -"We've struck it," said Arthur, who had read aloud the route for that -particular day before the three left their hotel in the morning. -"Here's the sand, and it's knee-deep too, as sand always is. Now, where -is the cow-path that leads to the brook?" - -"Here's a path, but whether it goes to the brook or not, I can't -guess," answered Joe. "Let's try it, and see if it will take us to a -dispenser of that beverage, whatever it is, the book speaks of." - -"It's milk," said Roy, smacking his lips. "I'd a little rather have it -off the ice, but I wouldn't refuse it warm just now, for I am thirsty -and hungry besides." - -"That's nothing new," retorted Joe. "You've been that way ever since -we left home. Come on, fellows. Somebody has been through here, for the -most of the branches have been removed, and a log or two cut out of the -path." - -"What is that welcome sound that comes faintly to my ears?" said Roy, -in a heavy voice, as he mounted his wheel and followed his leader -through the woods. "Is it what Byron calls the tocsin of the soul, the -dinner bell? No; it is a cow bell. Push on, Joe. Who's got a cup handy?" - -Their first hard work was to locate the cow which wore the bell, and -their second to ascertain whether or not she would permit the boys to -approach her on short acquaintance. They had no trouble at all in going -straight to the little glade from which the bell sounded, for the path -took them to it. There were half a dozen cows in sight, but they were -evidently accustomed to having wheelmen intrude upon them, for they -merely looked at the boys and went on with their feeding. The three -bicycles were leaned against convenient trees, the cup Roy wanted was -quickly brought to light, and then Joe and Arthur began a cautious -stalking of the nearest cow. - -"That's no way to do business," said Roy, who brought up the rear with -the cup in his hand. "Go straight up to her as if you had a secret to -tell her, for if you go to sneaking she'll get suspicious and dig out. -That's the way to do it, Joe. Now scratch her on the neck or behind the -horns, and I'll soon have a cupful of that beverage which is the best -of all drinks anywhere, and especially on the road. I declare, she's -as gentle as an old cow, and it's going to be a good deal easier than -I thought. Art, you had better lumber back to the bikes and bring two -more cups. We'll have a jolly tuck-out on milk while we are about it." - -In a few minutes more three hungry and tired boys, each with a brimming -cup of rich country milk in one hand and a sandwich in the other, were -sitting on the ground under the shade of a spreading beech, enjoying a -substantial lunch and fervently thanking the author of their road-book -for his timely suggestions regarding cow-paths and the kindly animals -which made them. Of course it was much better than any lunch they ever -had at home, and they had but one fault to find with it; there wasn't -enough of it. - -"I move that we let that trout brook alone," said Joe. "We are not so -hungry but that we can stand it until we reach the end of our day's -run, and besides, we can find better angling nearer home when we have -more time at our disposal." - -"That's what I say," chimed in Arthur. "We've twelve miles farther to -go, and I am in favor of setting out at once; for the longer we stay -here the lazier we'll get. Let's follow the path until we get on the -other side of those patches of sand, and then make the pace hot and get -to Dorchester as soon as we can. We'll have to lie by to-morrow, for -it's going to rain." - -The clouds certainly looked threatening, and the prospect of being -caught in a smart shower before they could reach the shelter of the -hotel at which they intended to stop for the night, was enough to put -energy even into Roy Sheldon, who was called the laziest boy in the -party. He didn't want to be put to the trouble of cleaning the mud -off his fine wheel before he went to bed; so he led the way at a brisk -gait, paying little or no attention to where he was going so long as -the path was smooth and plain, and the first thing he knew he was -brought up standing by a brush pile in front of him. - -"This bangs me; now where's the trail?" was all he had to say about it. - -"It has ended as nearly all trails do," replied Joe, quoting from one -of his favorite authors and trying to get a glimpse at the clouds -through the net-work of branches above his head. "It branched off to -right and left, grew dimmer and slimmer, degenerated into a rabbit -path, petered out in a squirrel track, ran up a tree and lost itself in -a knot-hole." - -"But I don't think I shall go up to find it," answered Roy. "It will be -easier to take the back track." - -And it was easier to say that than it was to do it, as Arthur Hastings -found when he came to make the attempt. When the line faced about he -became the leader, and before he had gone a dozen yards he found -himself at fault. The ground was so hard and so thickly covered with -leaves that their wheels left no trail that could be followed, and as -the bell had been left out of hearing they could not find the glade. -To make matters worse, all the signs seemed to indicate that the cows -which were pastured there had done nothing during the past year but -travel about from one end of the wood-lot to the other; for the trails -they had made were numerous, and twisted about in the most bewildering -way. In sheer desperation Arthur turned into every one he came to, -trundling his wheel beside him, and his companions blindly followed in -his wake. - -"This will begin to get interesting if we don't get out pretty soon," -said Joe, glancing at his watch. "Night is coming on apace and we're -twelve miles from shelter." - -"But we are within easy reach of our blankets, matches and camp-axes," -replied Arthur, "and if we have to sleep in the woods, it will not be -the first time we have done it." - -"But we haven't a bite to eat," groaned the hungry boy of the party. - -At last Arthur fell back to the rear and gave place to Joe Wayring, -who in his turn gave way to Roy; but one guide was about as good as -another, for all the best of them did was to lead his companions -farther from the road they wanted to find and deeper into the woods. -There were paths enough, otherwise they would have found it impossible -to walk as far as they did, for the bushes on each side were so thick -that they could not have carried their wheels through them. But the -difficulty was, those paths ran in every direction, and did not tend -toward any particular point of the compass. The woods grew darker every -minute, and at last, when they were beginning to talk seriously of -making a camp and going supper-less to bed, Roy Sheldon shouted out -that he could see daylight before him, and presently the three boys -emerged from the woods. - -"I knew I could bring you out if you would trust to my superior -knowledge of woodcraft," said Roy complacently. "I tell you, you can't -lose me in any little piece of woods like this." - -"But what sort of a place have you brought us to with your superior -knowledge?" exclaimed Arthur. "This isn't our road." - -"I didn't say it was, my friend," was Roy's reply. "I simply said I had -brought you out of the woods." - -"Only to lose us again," chimed in Joe. "This is a railroad." - -"And a one-track concern at that," said Arthur. "Crooked as a ram's -horn, so that we can't see a train until it is close upon us, and -consequently dangerous. It's been raining hard here. The ditches on -each side are full of water." - -"Which means muddy wheels to clean to-night in case a train drives us -off the track. Shall we try it?" - -"Of course. But which end of the road will take us to our destination? -That's what I should like to know." - -"Ask us something easy," answered Joe, as he lifted his wheel over the -ditch and placed it upon the track. "Dorchester must be at one end or -the other, but we'll have to go it blind. Which way shall we start?" -added Joe, who while he was speaking kept turning his wheel first up -and then down the track. "The majority rules." - -"That way," said Roy. - -"Come on then. Let's cover as many miles as we can while daylight -lasts. We'll have to touch a match to our lamps pretty soon." - -It was fine wheeling on the hard road-bed, and Joe Wayring made the -pace hot enough to satisfy anybody but a professional racer; but fast -as he went, the darkness traveled faster, and when they had gone about -three miles, he suggested that the lamps ought to be lighted. - -"These thick woods and high banks on each side shut out what little -light there is," said he, "and it is darker where we are than it ought -to be. We have never been this way before, and no one knows how soon we -may blunder into a cattle-guard and get a broken head without a chance -to see what hurt us." - -Another start at a more moderate pace was made as soon as the lamps -had been lit, and by the time the fourth mile had been left behind, it -was as dark as a pocket. This was a new experience, and the boys did -not like it. Although they had often seen wheelmen running about the -streets when it was so dark they could not tell where they were going, -Joe and his chums had never tried to do it themselves, because they did -not like to trust so much to luck. A small stone or a stick which some -careless boy had left in the track might send them to the ground, and -my master was not fond of taking headers. Thus far he and his friends -had been very fortunate in avoiding any very serious falls, and they -did not care to run any risk of spoiling their record. But Joe came -within a hair's breadth of scoring a bad fall on this particular night. -Although he thought he was paying especial attention to the road close -in front of him, he was really paying more to the rippling of a brook -that flowed through a yawning gulf on his right hand, and at the same -time he was keeping a bright lookout for a locomotive headlight. - -"That's an awful pokerish place over in there," Arthur remarked, -jerking his head sideways toward the ravine of which I have spoken, -"and the railroad seems to have been built on the very brink of it. Why -didn't the engineers cut out more of the hill on the opposite side and -put it farther--eh?" - -A warning shout from Joe Wayring cut short Arthur's criticism, and -brought him and Roy to a sudden halt. There was a rock lying on the -track, and it was so large that it covered the rails on both sides. -Then followed that hurried consultation which I have recorded at the -beginning of my story. While it was going on Joe, with the aid of his -lamp, examined the face of the bluff, and could distinctly trace the -path made by the bowlder when it rolled down from the top, and the -others took a good look at the rock itself. Two things were plain to -them: The rock was on the track, and they could not muster force enough -to get it off. The first train that came along would find it there, as -well as a gulf of unknown depth ready to receive all the cars that were -tumbled into it. - -"Suppose it should be a passenger train?" gasped Roy. - -"Or an excursion?" added Arthur. - -Something must be done, and that, too, with out the loss of a moment. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -JOE'S WILD RIDE. - - -"Boys, we've got to stop that train," said Joe, speaking rapidly but -calmly. - -"But how do we know which way it is coming from?" asked Roy, who did -not show half as much pluck now as he did while he was struggling with -the mate on board the White Squall. - -"We don't know," answered Joe. "It's our business to find out. Art, you -go back along the way we have come, and I'll go ahead. Roy, you stay -here and be ready to signal either way in case anything happens to us -and we don't succeed in stopping the train. Raise your lamp as high in -the air as you can and lower it suddenly. That's 'down brakes' on the -Mount Airy road, and I suppose the signal is the same the world over. -At any rate an engineer with half sense will understand it. Off we go -now. Don't be reckless of headers, Art, but speed along lively." - -In two seconds more my master and Arthur Hastings were hurrying away -in different directions, and Roy, having carried his wheel across the -ditch and placed it against the face of the bluff, was sitting on -the rock with his lamp in his hand. In another two seconds Joe and I -whirled around a sharp bend and were out of sight of everybody. - -That was the wildest and most reckless run I ever undertook, for my -master did not by any means follow the advice he had given Arthur -Hastings. When Joe Wayring went into a thing he went in with his whole -heart. I went ahead faster that I had ever been driven before, but a -tricycle could not have run with more steadiness. Joe did not need the -whole road-bed to travel in as he would if he had attempted a fast gait -a week before, but held me firmly in one track. I could plainly see the -way for a short distance in front of me, catch the glimmering of the -wet rails on each side, and hear the faint "swishing" sound made by the -rubber tires as they spurned the ground under them; but all on a sudden -this sound ceased--or, rather, it gave way to a very low rumble, such -as I had never heard before. The high bank on the left sank out of -sight; the gurgling of the stream far below became a roar; solid walls -of blackness surrounded us on all sides, relieved only by that little -streak of light in front; and to my inexpressible horror I discovered -that we no longer had the firm road-bed beneath us. We had left it, and -were rushing with almost breathless speed over a trestle-work whose -height could only be guessed at. An eight-inch plank nailed to the -timbers between the tracks was our pathway. It was plenty wide enough -for Joe, now that he had "mended his style of riding," if the plank -had only been on the ground, and he had had daylight to show him where -he was going; but there was plenty of room for accident. Suppose the -plank should not extend entirely across the trestle, which was so long -that I began to wonder if there was any other end to it! Or what if -a tire should come off? Such accidents sometimes happen to the most -careful bicyclists, and when I pictured to myself Joe Wayring lying -stunned and bleeding among those timbers, and in danger of slipping -through into the rocky bed of the stream beneath while I toppled over -the edge--when I thought of these things, I shivered so violently that -my nickel-plated spokes would have rattled if they had not been tangent -and tied together. - -As for Joe Wayring, there was not the faintest exclamation from him -to show that he realized his danger, although I knew well enough that -he couldn't help seeing it. If his nerves had not been in perfect -health, something disastrous would surely have happened. He struck the -plank and passed over thirty feet of its length before he had time to -take in the situation. Once started along the trestle he had to go -on; there was no help for it. The light from the lamp was all thrown -ahead, and an effort to dismount in the darkness might have resulted -in a disabling fall among the timbers with me on top. Then what would -become of the train, if it approached from the direction in which he -was going? Plainly his only chance was to keep in motion; and Joe not -only did that, but he laid out extra power on the pedals, and sent -me ahead with increased speed. The rails looked like two continuous -streaks of light, and the timbers passed behind with such rapidity -that they presented the appearance of a solid floor. So great was our -speed that by the time I had thought of all this, and become so badly -frightened that I would have tumbled over if my momentum had not kept -me right side up, that low rumbling sound ceased as suddenly as it -had begun, the graveled road-bed, trodden smooth in the middle, shot -into view and came rushing under the wheels, two high bluffs came out -of the darkness and shut us in on both sides, and the trestle and its -terrors were left behind. At the same instant, as if by a preconcerted -signal, a bright light appeared far up the track, which at this point -was perfectly straight, and another still nearer. The first was from -the headlight of the approaching train, and the second was emitted by a -lantern in the hands of a man who seemed to be searching for something, -for he held his light first toward one rail and then toward the other. -He was moving away from us. - -"It's the track-walker," gasped Joe, as he sounded his bell; and those -were the first words I had heard him speak since we left the rock. -"Suppose I had run onto him while I was scooting along that narrow -plank! I'd be dead now, sure." - -The moment the man with the lantern heard the bell he faced about; but, -to my surprise, he did not appear to be at all alarmed. The orders he -straightway began shouting at us showed conclusively that he was used -to wheelmen and their methods. - -"Git aff the track, ye shpalpeen," he yelled, frantically flourishing -his lantern in the air. "Don't ye see the kyars coming forninst ye, -an' haven't I towled ye times widout number, that if ye gets killed ye -can't get no damages from the company? Will yees git aff the track?" - -"Stop that train," shouted Joe, in reply. "There's an obstruction on -the track just beyond the trestle." - -"What for lookin' abstraction is it?" inquired the track-walker, -incredulously. - -"A big rock," replied Joe; and seeing at once that he had a stupid, and -no doubt an obstinate, man to deal with, he did not neglect to make -preparations to stop the train himself. He promptly got me out of the -way and detached the lamp; and when he bent over so that the light fell -upon his face, I started in spite of myself. He was as white as a sheet. - -"Aw! G'long wid ye now," said the track-walker. "Don't I be goin' down -beyant there onct or twicst bechune trains iv'ry blessed day of me -loife for three years an' better? An' don't I know--" - -"I don't care what you have done during the last three years, or what -you know," interrupted Joe, as he ran back to the track and signaled -"down brakes" with his lamp. "There's a rock on the track--What are -you trying to do, you loon?" exclaimed Joe, hotly, as the man made an -effort to push him away and take his lamp from him. "Let me alone or -I will report you. There'll be a wreck here in a minute more, and you -will lose your place on the road." - -Although the man didn't like the idea of allowing an outsider to -interfere with his business, Joe's words had just the effect upon him -that the boy intended they should have, and after a little hesitation -he began signaling with his own light. Between them they succeeded in -attracting the attention of the engineer, who called for brakes, and -stopped his train within a few feet of the place where Joe and the -track-walker stood. - -"What's the trouble?" he asked from his cab window; and while Joe was -explaining, the conductor came up and listened. The latter looked first -at my master and then at me, and presently said: - -"You didn't ride across the trestle, of course." - -"Of course I did," replied Joe, "I couldn't have got across any other -way. I would have been afraid to walk that narrow plank in the dark. -How high is it above the water?" - -"Sixty feet in some places, and the trestle is just half a mile long," -answered the conductor. "Here, boys, put that wheel into the baggage -car. Young man, you come with me, and I will take you to Dorchester." - -"That's where we want to go," said Joe, surprised to learn that he and -his friends had been riding on the back track ever since they struck -the railroad. - -In obedience to the conductor's order I was hoisted into the baggage -car, placed against a pile of trunks so that I could see through the -wide-open door and the engineer pulled slowly ahead. I had little idea -how far we had run after leaving the trestle, but we were fully five -minutes in getting back to it, and much longer in crossing it. There -seemed to be no bottom to the gulf it spanned. It was so deep that I -could see nothing but the tops of the trees that grew in it. About the -time we got to the other end of it the baggage-master, who had been -leaning half-way out the opposite door, drew in his head long enough to -remark to some one whom I took to be his assistant: - -"There's a chap out there calling for brakes the best he knows how," -and I straightway made up my mind that it must be Roy Sheldon. "This -would be a bad place for an accident with such a trainful of passengers -as we've got. There's the rock," he added, a moment later, "and it's as -big as this car." - -It wasn't quite as large as that, nor do I suppose it was even half -as large as Rube Royall's cabin; but it was big and heavy enough to -tax the strength of all the men who could get around it, including the -engineer, fireman, conductor, all the brakemen, some of the passengers -and two wheelmen. With the aid of levers and much lifting and pushing -they got it started at last, and it went down into the gulf with a -terrific crash. I heard the engineer say, as he climbed back into his -cab, that if he had struck that rock going as fast as he usually did at -that place, he would have demolished his train so completely that it -would have taken a microscope to find the wreck. - -"All clear," shouted the conductor. "All aboard. Pass along that other -wheel." - -"One moment, please. There's another man in our party who went down -that way because we didn't know where to look for the first train," -said Joe, waving his hand in the direction in which Arthur Hastings -had disappeared. "He'll be back directly, and as we don't care to be -separated, perhaps you had better leave us here. We're just as much -obliged to you, however." - -"Has the other man got a lamp? All right, Jake," said the conductor, -addressing the engineer, "keep a lookout for another wheelman a mile or -so down the road. That'll be all right. Pile in." - -Joe and Roy went into one of the passenger cars, while the latter's -wheel was placed at my side against the trunks. The first words he -uttered were: - -"It's just dreadful to think of, isn't it?" - -"Not so much so as it might be," said I. "If I had broken Joe Wayring's -head for him while he was driving me at top speed across that trestle, -then you might have had something to talk about." - -"We've enough as it is. I know it might have been worse, and some -unknown villains meant it should be. Roy Sheldon showed the marks to -the engineer as soon as he got out of his cab." - -"What marks?" - -"Why, the marks on the rock. The engineer called the conductor's -attention to them, and together they made it up not to say a word -about it in the hearing of the passengers for fear of frightening them." - -"What in the world did the passengers have to be frightened about so -long as Joe and I stopped the train and averted the disaster? They -ought to be tickled." - -"Well, they wouldn't be if they knew how that rock came to be on the -track. You probably did not see the conductor when he threw some -pieces of round wood over the brink into the ravine, but I did, and I -know that they were the rollers that were used to bring that bowlder -into place after it had been tumbled down from the bluff. There's -train-wreckers in this country, I tell you." - -Roy's bike was so excited over what might have happened if we had found -that railroad half an hour later, that he could not tell a straight -story; but this is what I managed to draw from him after much patient -and ingenious questioning: - -When Joe and I disappeared in one direction and Arthur Hastings and his -wheel sped swiftly away in the other, Roy Sheldon seated himself upon -the rock with his lamp in his hand, and whistled softly, keeping time -with his heels, for a full minute; then he grew tired of doing nothing, -jumped off the rock and made a circuit of it, looking closely at it on -all sides. It had cut a deep gash in the bluff as it came down, but Roy -thought the ditch ought to have stopped it, because it was lower than -the track. Somehow Roy could not bring himself to believe that it had -come down with speed enough to run across a three foot ditch, up a hill -that was eighteen inches high and six feet long, and stop so squarely -in the middle of the track. - -"There's something rather queer about it," soliloquized the young -wheelman, as he moved around the obstruction. "Now, then, what's that?" - -Just then something attracted his attention, and he bent over to -examine it. It was the print of a foot in the soft earth at the end of -one of the sleepers. Roy placed his own foot within it, and found, to -his consternation, that it was at least a third larger than his shoe. -Then he made another impression beside it, and the difference in size -satisfied him beyond all doubt that he had not made that suspicious -track himself. There were hobnails in the track, and that proved that -none of Roy's party could have stepped in that particular spot, for -there were no nails of that sort in their foot-gear. - -"This rock was put here for a purpose," said Roy; and when the thought -passed through his mind the cold chills crept all over him. "There -must have been a good many of them in the gang, for half a dozen men -couldn't roll so heavy a weight out of the ditch unless they had -something to work with. What's this and this, and those pieces of -timber over there?" - -The longer the boy continued his investigations, the more he found -to confirm the alarming suspicions that had arisen in his mind. The -objects that now attracted his notice were several pieces of round -wood, with the bark scratched and torn from them, and as many sticks -of timber that were likewise covered with wounds and abrasions. There -were other large footprints too in abundance--in fact the ground about -looked as though a large party of men had been at work there for a long -time--and presently the boy discovered marks upon the bowlder itself -which might have been made with a spade or crowbar. - -"Were we all blind that we didn't notice these things when we first -came here?" said Roy to himself. "Probably we were so highly excited -that we couldn't notice any thing except the rock. The fiends who put -this thing on the track with the intention of wrecking the train ought -to be hanged without judge or jury. I am glad I didn't know what I know -now, for I wouldn't have had the courage to stay here alone." - -Just then the thought flashed through Roy's mind that perhaps the -would-be train-wreckers were concealed somewhere in the vicinity -waiting for the time when they could descend into the gulf and complete -their work, and that their evil eyes might at that very moment be -fastened upon him, while they were discussing plans for getting him out -of their way. If Joe and Arthur had known all this, would they have -been so ready to dash off into the darkness to warn the unsuspecting -engineer of his peril? How easily one of those concealed villains could -have tumbled both his friends out of their saddles with a shot from -a revolver! And what had prevented them, when the boys first started -away, from throwing from the top of the bluff an obstruction upon the -track that would have sent both the wheelmen to the ground? No doubt it -was because Roy and his friends acted with so much promptness that they -did not have time to think of it; but hadn't they had plenty of time -since then to recover from their surprise and plan vengeance? This fear -almost unnerved Roy. He took one step toward his wheel, but the thought -that passed through his mind was driven out as quickly as it came. Come -what might, he would not desert his post. He would stay there and warn -the train, if one of his companions did not succeed in doing it, and in -the mean time if those scoundrels wanted a fight, they could have it. - -Roy's first care was to put his lamp behind the rock out of sight, and -his second to pull his bicycle case off his shoulder and take out the -rifle it contained. He had done considerable shooting with it since -he had been on the road, although it had not yet brought him a young -squirrel for his dinner. As often as he and his companions halted for -a rest their little weapons were brought out, and Roy had learned by -actual test that the one he owned could be depended on to shoot "right -where it was held." - -"Now I am ready for them," said Roy, taking his stand behind the rock -outside the circle of light that came from the lamp. "If they advance -along the road they had better make sure work of me at the start, for -if they don't, some of them will get hurt." - -If the train-wreckers were hidden where they could see him (and it was -reasonable to suppose they were), they must have taken note of Roy's -movements, and perhaps they saw that he had a weapon of some sort in -his hands and was ready to defend himself. Be that as it may, they did -not molest him, and the boy stuck to his post until the glare of the -locomotive headlight fell upon him. The train was moving slowly, and -that was proof enough that Joe Wayring had warned it; but to make sure -of it, Roy caught up his lamp and "called for brakes the best he knew -how." The engineer was the first man to speak to him, and when Roy -called his attention to the marks on the rock, the big footprints on -the ground and the timbers that were scattered about, the brave fellow -turned so white that it showed through the black on his face. He in -turn told the conductor, and the latter at once threw the timbers into -the ditch, and pitched the pieces of round wood into the gulf. - -"Don't lisp a word of it," he said, earnestly. "We've got a heavy, -packed train, and the folks would be scared to death. Young fellow," he -added, turning to give Joe Wayring a hearty slap on the shoulder, "you -have been the means of preventing a slaughter. I'll bet there isn't -another wheelman in the State who can ride over that trestle." - -"Haw, haw!" laughed Joe. "I guess you haven't seen many wheelmen, have -you?" - -"Or who would have the courage to attempt it in daylight, let alone -a dark night like this," continued the conductor. "Why, man alive, -it's a very narrow plank that was put there for the convenience of the -track-walker, and the trestle is sixty feet high and half a mile long." - -"I am glad I didn't know that when I was going over it," was all Joe -had to say in reply. - -This is what I meant when I said a while ago that little things often -bring about great events. I now know that my master was frightened out -of a year's growth when he found himself on that trestle, but he had -confidence and nerve enough to go ahead without attempting to dismount. -It was that short interview with the strange wheelman that did it, and -made Joe Wayring the steady rider he was that night. He knew as well as -anybody that he "wobbled too much," but he supposed that was something -every novice did, and that the fault would correct itself without any -care or trouble on his part. But as soon as his attention was called to -it he promptly set about "mending his style," and this was the result. -He was glad of it now. It was the only thing that put it in his power -to save the train, for on the day he encountered that strange wheelman -he could not have ridden fifty feet on an eight-inch plank at full -speed without falling off. - -By this time all the trainmen had come forward, accompanied by some of -the wakeful passengers who wanted to inquire into the cause of this -second stoppage, and by their united efforts the rock was tumbled -harmlessly over the brink of the gulf and the engineer pulled out for -Dorchester, keeping watch along the way for Arthur Hastings. He found -him about two miles farther on, but the boy was not signaling, because -the appearance of the train was proof enough that Joe had met and -warned it. Arthur was surprised to see it come to a stop at the place -where he got off the track, and to hear the engineer shout at him to -chuck his bike into the baggage car and get aboard, for he was half -an hour behind already. But he lost not a moment in thinking about it -after he saw Joe and Roy beckoning to him from the platform of one of -the passenger cars, and the train once more started on its way, this -time moving at a rate of speed that gave me a faint idea of the crash -that would have followed and the fearful loss of life that would have -taken place if it had come in contact with that bowlder. - -This is the substance of the story Roy's wheel told me during the run -to Dorchester, and the one to which Joe and Arthur listened while -perched upon the wood-box in one of the crowded cars. The conductor -could not give them a seat, for every one was filled with weary -travelers who had slumbered serenely through it all, and who when they -awoke at intervals, and looked with sleepy eyes toward the three dusty, -white-faced boys behind the stove-pipe, never dreamed that one of -them, a short half-hour before, held all their lives in his hand. The -conductor knew it and could hardly find words with which to express his -gratitude, although he tried hard enough. The young wheelmen conversed -in whispers and looked frightened, as indeed they were; and Joe Wayring -hoped from the bottom of his heart that no such responsibility would -ever devolve upon him again. - -"I don't know what you fellows want to go to Dorchester for," said -the conductor, who came into their car as soon as the train was -fairly under way. "The place has a big name, but there are only three -houses in it. There's no hotel at which you can stop. There is a -boarding-house, but I tell you plainly that it will be of no use to go -there, for old man Kane won't let you in. He says he can eat anybody -who comes along, but he can't and won't sleep 'em." - -"That's queer," said Joe. "The author of our road-book has been -through here, and says he got the best kind of treatment at Kane's -boarding-house." - -"Oh, the old fellow sets a good table, and can be civil and obliging -enough when he feels like it; but he won't get up after he has gone to -bed. It's against his principles." - -"Why do you stop at such an out-of-the-way place?" - -"Because there's a horse railroad there that connects with a little -town a few miles back in the country, and there are some people aboard -who want to get off. The depot is always kept locked at night, and I -am afraid you will have to bunk on the platform unless you will go on -with me. Will you? I'll bring you back." - -The boys thanked him, but said they didn't think that was the best -thing they could do. Their route ahead was laid out, and they wanted to -stick as closely to it as they could. They were used to camping out, -had warm blankets in their bundles, and would just as soon sleep on the -platform as in a bed, provided old man Kane could be prevailed upon to -give them a good breakfast in the morning. - -"But there's one thing about it," said Joe. "Every wheelman in the -State ought to be warned that if he intends to travel this route, he -had better time his runs so as to pass through this contemptible little -Dorchester in daylight, unless he is prepared to camp out." - -Arthur Hastings thought it would be a good plan for one of them to -state the facts of the case to the man who wrote the guide-book, so -that he could have the warning put in subsequent editions. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -GOING INTO A HOT PLACE. - - -"Where have you started for, anyway?" inquired the conductor, after a -little pause. - -Joe replied that they had set out from Mount Airy to run across the -State, and that when they reached the farther end of their route they -would be about three hundred miles from home. - -"I suppose your object is to have fun and see the country, isn't -it?" said the conductor. "Now of course I don't know anything about -wheeling, but I should say that you could not have selected a worse -route. You'll see the wildest bit of country there is, but how much fun -you'll have I don't know. After you leave Dorchester you'll get into -the mountains, and then your road will be all up-hill." - -"But the ascent is so gradual that we can easily accomplish it," said -Roy. "Our road-book tells us it is so very gradual that we will hardly -know we are going up. We understand that there is plenty of sport in -the way of hunting and trout fishing in the neighborhood of Glen's -Falls, and we intend to take our first rest there, if we can find any -one who is willing to board us for a few days." - -"And if we can't do that, we shall camp out," added Joe. "We came -prepared to do it." - -"I don't know much about hunting and fishing either," said the -conductor. "All I do know is railroading; but some of my friends used -to spend a month or so about the Glen every year, and always came back -with the report that they had had the best kind of a time. But I notice -they don't go there any more." - -"What's the reason they don't?" - -"Doesn't your guide-book warn you that there are some fellows up that -way you had better keep clear of?" asked the conductor in reply. - -"It doesn't hint at such a thing." - -"It ought to. How long since it was written?" - -"Two years; but it has been revised since then." - -"Couldn't it be possible that no change was made in this particular -route--I mean the one you are now taking?" inquired the official. "A -good many things have happened at the Glen during the last two years. -To begin with, the town had over a thousand inhabitants, and now it has -hardly a quarter as many. Take 'em as a class, they're a rough set up -there. They are lazy and shiftless, hate work as bad as so many tramps, -and would be called tramps if it were not for the fact that they have -permanent abodes most of the year. The rest of the time they are in the -woods shooting game in violation of the law." - -"Are there no officers in the vicinity?" asked Arthur. - -"Oh, there are officers enough, but they are afraid to do anything -toward bringing the law-breakers to justice. You see the latter are -in the majority. They steal timber as often as they feel like it, go -through every logging camp they find unguarded, and if you lodge a -complaint against one of them, the whole band will turn in to clear -him by false swearing, and then they will take satisfaction out of you -by burning your mill, barn or house, and by shooting or poisoning your -cattle. They're a fine lot, I assure you, and I shouldn't think you -would like to go among them." - -"What a splendid place that would be for Matt Coyle if he were on deck -now!" exclaimed Roy. "Why didn't he hunt up that band--did you say -there was a band of them?" - -"Yes; and I have heard it is regularly organized, and that when one of -them has to stand trial or give bonds to keep the peace with those he -has threatened, he gets help from all over the county." - -"Why didn't Matt hunt up that band and live among them instead of going -to such a place as Indian Lake?" said Roy. - -"Perhaps he wouldn't have got any independent guiding in that part of -the State," suggested Joe. - -"There are, or used to be, plenty of guides up there," said the -conductor, "but I don't suppose they get much to do now. A man who goes -into the woods for fun doesn't pick guides from among a lot of fellows -who will rob him the first chance they get. Of course there are some -nice people about the Glen, and they will be glad to take you in if the -Buster band will let them do it." - -"What has the Buster band to say about it?" demanded Joe. - -"Who are they, and where did they get that name?" added Roy. - -"They are the ones I have been telling you about--the lawless people in -the Glen's Falls neighborhood," replied the conductor. "They 'bust up' -property when things don't go to suit them, and that's the reason they -call themselves the Buster band." - -"But what's the reason they will not allow any of the nice folks in -town to board us if they want to?" asked Arthur. - -"Of course I am not sure that they will object to any arrangements you -may be able to make with the family whose name I shall presently give -you, but I think they will," answered the conductor. "You see, Dave -Daily, the leader of the band, was indicted for arson, and there's a -warrant out for him now. He and a companion were arrested for stealing -timber; but they got out of jail somehow (every one says they must have -had help from the outside in order to do it), and that night the man -who complained of them lost everything he had in the world. Everything -that would burn went up in smoke, and his stock was either poisoned or -shot. After that Daily and his friend took to the woods, and Daily is -there yet, or was the last I heard of him; but the friend was run down -by a Middleport officer who went up there for that purpose." - -"That was all right," said Joe, when the conductor paused. "I wish he -had caught Daily also." - -"So do I; but it seems he didn't. What I was going to say is this: That -officer went up to Glen's Falls on his wheel." - -"Ah! That explains it, and the matter is perfectly clear to me now," -said Arthur. "You think that Daily or his friends will think we are -officers too, and that they will tell this man to whom you are going -to direct us--what did you say his name is?" - -"I didn't say," answered the conductor, with a laugh. "But his name is -Holmes, and he lives on the road you will have to take to reach the -town. I don't know him personally, but my friends who have been there -say he keeps the best house, and that he is the best guide for that -neck of the woods. Yes; that is what I was thinking of. Some of the -band will be sure to see you if you stop there, and they may--mind I -don't say they will, but they may--send him word to get rid of you in -short order. He'll have to do it, for the board you would be likely -to pay him wouldn't recompense him for the loss of his cow, horse, or -barn." - -"Of course it wouldn't," replied Joe. "We'll state the case to him as -plainly as we know how, if we can find him, and if we learn that your -suspicions are well-grounded, we'll not ask him to shelter us." - -"Well, if this isn't a pretty state of affairs I wouldn't say so," -exclaimed Arthur, who was very much disgusted. "They must be a brave -lot up there to let a few lawless people keep them so completely under -their thumbs." - -"But don't you know that they are in the minority?" demanded Joe. - -"Yes; and a big one, too," added the conductor. - -"If the members of that Buster band don't work, how do they live?" -inquired Roy. - -"They don't live; they just stay. They all own a little land, and work -it enough to raise a few vegetables, like turnips and potatoes, and -a little corn. Their meat they get out of the woods. They will steal -timber, and then walk up and sell it to the man to whom it belongs, and -who is generally the owner of a saw-mill he can't afford to have burned -down. They sell their pigs, and by various other shifts make out to -keep themselves in tobacco and clothes. And between you and me," added -the conductor, sinking his voice to a whisper, "I believe they had -something to do with the rock you young gentlemen found on the track." - -"Is _that_ the sort of folks they are?" exclaimed Joe. - -"Of course I can't prove anything against them, but I bet you that when -I make my report, there'll be a detective sent up there to look into -the matter. I understand that there are spies in that band now, working -in the interests of law and order, and if the detective can only strike -one of them, he may learn something. There's Dorchester," he continued, -as a long whistle from the engine awoke the echoes of the woods, "and -I must say good-by. I don't want you to forget that you have made a -friend of every man on the road by--" - -"We should think you a mighty queer set if we hadn't," Joe interposed. -"It's all right. Any decent fellows in the world would do the same, of -course, but it happened to come in our way. We are greatly obliged for -the information and warning you have given us." - -"You will change your route then?" replied the conductor, and the boys -thought he looked relieved when he said it. "I was sure you would, when -you knew what sort of folks they are in that section of the country. -Good-by and good luck to you." - -When the young wheelmen stepped upon the platform they shook hands -with all the trainmen, who wished them a pleasant trip and no end of -fun while it lasted, and then leaned their wheels under the eaves of -the little building that served as warehouse, operator's office and -waiting-room, and looked about them. The light that shone from the -conductor's lantern, and from the windows of the horse-car standing -upon the branch track, gave them a clear view of their surroundings, -which were so cheerless that the boys wondered how any road-book maker -could advise wheelmen to come that way, unless he wanted to have them -fooled as he had been fooled himself. At least that was the way Arthur -Hastings expressed it. - -"He probably came through here in the day-time, when old man Kane had -a good dinner ready for him, and everything looked different," said -Joe. "He wouldn't have had so much to say in favor of Dorchester's -boarding-house if he had passed through in the night and been shut out -of doors." - -"Are we going to let what the conductor said about that Buster band -induce us to change our route?" inquired Roy, who, as soon as the -train pulled out and the horse-car disappeared down the branch track, -began untying his bundle and taking out his blankets as if it were a -settled thing that he and his companions were to camp right where they -stood. "That's the question now before the house." - -"I stand ready to yield to the majority, but for myself I say 'No,'" -answered Joe. - -"Hear, hear!" cried Arthur. "But it does look dark now that the lights -have gone, don't it? To tell the truth, I wish that detective had -not gone up there on his wheel. Somehow it brings to my mind all the -stories I have read about the sudden and mysterious disappearance of -men who have been foolish enough to wear blue blouses through the -regions where the moonshiners hang out. Those interesting people think -that every one who dresses in blue must be a revenue officer, and make -it a point to shoot him from the bushes without troubling him with any -questions." - -"That's a cheerful way to talk to homeless boys who have nearly sixty -miles of mountain travel before them," said Joe, driving his knife -into the side of the building and hanging his lighted lamp upon it. -"That makes things look a little pleasanter, doesn't it? I don't know -how it is with you, but I am tired and sleepy, and I'm going to lie -down." - -After fastening their wheels together with a couple of chains and -padlocks, so that if any light-footed prowler happened along and -carried one of them off he would have to take all, the boys spread -their blankets upon the platform, and went to sleep. Just before he -closed his eyes Arthur said he knew he would dream of that rock and a -train tumbling over into the gulf, but he slept too soundly to dream -about anything until he was aroused by the stentorian voice of old man -Kane, the man who would eat anybody who came that way but wouldn't -sleep him. As soon as he opened his doors he saw the wheels resting -against the station-house, and came over to ask the boys if they didn't -think it about time to get up to breakfast. - -"All right," replied Arthur. "We'll be there directly. It was that -jolly, good-natured face of his that deceived the author of our -road-book, and made him think Kane was a bully landlord," he added, as -the man turned away to hurry up the breakfast. "If we had a piece of -bread as big as a walnut I'd see him happy before I would show my face -inside the house he keeps locked against belated wheelmen. No one will -ever come this route by my advice." - -But after he had bathed his hands and face in the cold water that came -from the spring behind the house, drank two big cups of coffee, and -eaten two boys' share of the excellent breakfast that was placed before -him, Arthur did not feel quite so much disposed to growl at old man -Kane. He voted him a number one caterer, and that was more than could -be said of every boarding-house keeper. - -While they were at the table they heard a train stop at the -station-house, and after what seemed a long delay, they saw the -horse-car pass the window with a lot of passengers aboard; but they -thought nothing of it until they went into the office, which was also -the sitting and loafing room, and stepped up to the desk to pay their -bill. - -"Put that back! Put that money back," exclaimed the landlord, almost -fiercely. "Bless my heart! I've a good notion to come out from behind -the desk and shake the last one of you boys, and I can do it too, old -as I am. I've just heard about it. Why didn't you wake me up last -night, instead of going to bed there on the platform?" - -Roy tried to explain that they did not want to disturb him after he had -gone to bed (he didn't say why), and that their blankets afforded them -as soft a bed as they cared for, but the old man did so much talking -himself that Roy finally gave it up. He listened while the landlord -told that the men on the up-train, as well as the passengers they had -seen go by the dining-room window, had brought a full report of last -night's doings, and he wanted to give them a breakfast to pay them for -it, because he would have felt bad if that train had run into the rock -and been smashed up. - -"I always did look upon wheelmen as a nuisance," said he, with -refreshing candor. "They eat you out of house and home, and the fifty -cents you charge 'em for it don't begin to pay for the damage they do; -but now I know that they ain't a nuisance. I've seen that trestle, and -I say that the boy who can ride over it in the dark has got the right -kind of pluck to make a man out of him some of these days. No, sir, I -won't tax you a cent for that breakfast; but I want to see the chap -that went over that plank. Which one was it?" - -"It's nothing to make a fuss about," answered Joe, who knew that if -he did not speak Roy and Arthur would. He thought the man would have -something complimentary to say to him; but instead of that he pushed -the register toward him with the request that Joe would draw a line -under his name so that he (Kane) would know it the next time he saw it. - -"Do you know what I am going to do?" said he, when the boy handed back -the pen. "I'm going to show that name to every wheelman who comes -along, and double-dare him to go up to the trestle and ride over that -plank. If he'll do it, and prove that he does it, I'll give him all he -can eat as long as he has a mind to stay." - -It was right on the point of Roy Sheldon's tongue to inquire: "And will -you expect him to sleep on the platform of nights?" But instead of that -he said: "Then you will be bankrupt in less than six months if many -wheelmen come this way." - -Old man Kane declared that he didn't believe a word of it, and the -boys went out on the porch and sat down to read over the day's route, -and fix it firmly in their minds, so that they would not be obliged to -refer constantly to the guide-book. It was a short one, only twenty-six -miles, but it was all they would want to do in one day, because it was -the worst part of the sixty-mile mountain road that lay before them. -The next day's run would take them to Glen's Falls, which, so the book -said, was just the place for a brain-weary wheelman to stop and take a -few days' rest. But in order to reap the full benefit of it, he ought -to go at once, before telegraph communication was opened with the rest -of the world, as it certainly would be next year. - -"As the book was written two years ago that means last year," said -Joe. "Unless that conductor was greatly mistaken, the town is as much -secluded now as it was then." - -"More so, and further away from telegraphic communication with the rest -of the world," said Roy, "because that Buster band has driven every one -away from there. Who knows but it will drive us away too? Let's get -there and see." - -Having taken leave of old man Kane and thanked him for the good -breakfast he had given them, the boys mounted and rode away. Joe -Wayring was right when he said that Dorchester probably looked more -cheerful in broad daylight than it did in the dark. Although there -were but few people stirring, and they were mostly section hands, and -there was little business done except at train time, it was a pleasant -spot, and one that many a sweltering city boy would be glad to get -away to during his summer vacation. The guide-book said there was fine -fishing in the neighboring ponds, and the boys knew that squirrels were -abundant, for they heard them barking on all sides as they crossed the -railroad and wheeled away among the trees on the other side. - -This proved to be the hardest day's run so far, but the boys "took -it easy," stopped beside every babbling brook they found, and long -before the hands on their watches told them it was twelve o'clock, -every crumb of the generous lunch that old man Kane put up for them had -disappeared. The road was steeper than they expected to find it, the -log bridges over the streams were not in the best of repair, and there -were so many stones on the hill that any attempt at coasting would -have been perilous. The house at which they intended to stop for the -night, provided the owner did not object to the company of strangers, -looked very cool and inviting when they came within sight of it. It was -nestled among the trees at the farther end of a long bridge, there was -a neat mill beside it, and the rumble of the machinery was just dying -away as the boys drew up in front of the open door. - -"Hallo!" said a voice from the interior, removing all doubts from their -minds at once. "How many of you fellows are there, anyway? Went down -to New London t'other day and saw as many as seventy-five or thirty -of you, all going somewhere, but you're the first to come our way this -season. Alight and hitch." - -"Thank you; but our horses stand without hitching," replied Arthur. -"Will it be convenient for you to keep us to-night?" - -The dusty miller, following his voice to the door, said it would not -only be quite convenient, but he would be glad to do it, for he was -lonely up there in the hills, and he and his family were always pleased -to see new faces. The first wheelman who ever came that way stopped -with him for a week, and promised to tell any who came after him to do -the same. The miller was surprised when Arthur produced the road-book, -showed him his name, and told him that they had had him and his house -in mind ever since they left Mount Airy. - -"And do you mean to say that you have come that distance with nothing -but a book to guide you?" he exclaimed. "Now that is the neatest kind -of a trick, ain't it? Well, come in and we'll get some of the dust off." - -That night after supper, while they were sitting on the porch, the boys -told Mr. Hudson (that was the miller's name) that they were going on -to Glen's Falls with the intention of taking a few days' rest there, -and to their surprise and relief he did not say a word to turn them -from their purpose, as they were sure he would have done if the people -in that neighborhood had been the desperate lot that the conductor -represented them to be. This led Joe to believe that the conductor had -been misinformed, and I heard him say as much to his chums when the -miller went into the house after his pipe. - -"And don't you believe in the existence of the Buster band either?" I -heard Roy ask him. - -"Oh, there may be lawless men about Glen's Falls, and where in the -world will you go amiss of them?" answered Joe. "But I don't, and never -have, put any faith in that story about an organized band of outlaws -who terrorize the country, and roam around destroying buildings and -stock when things do not go to please them. Why, just think of the -absurdity of it! How long would it be before the whole power of the -State would be put forth to bring them to justice?" - -"I never placed much faith in the tales I have heard and read of men -being shanghaied and taken to sea against their will," said Roy, with a -wink at Arthur; "but I do now." - -"I don't blame you," answered Arthur, "and we may be quite as willing -to swallow all we have heard about that Buster band before we are a -week older. I don't think that conductor meant to fool us, but he -certainly did exaggerate things and make mountains out of mole-hills." - -I had hoped so all along, and now I began to be sure of it. You can -imagine, then, how astounded and frightened I was when I heard the -miller say to his wife, after Joe and his friends had gone up-stairs to -bed: - -"I really wish those boys would keep away from Glen's Falls, for I am -afraid they will get into trouble if they do not. I suppose I ought to -tell them about the Buster band, who make targets of the officers of -the law, and destroy the houses of those who complain of them, but, -Mollie, I am afraid to do it. Every dollar I have in the world is -invested right here beside this little stream of water, and if I tried -to put the boys on their guard, and they should go up to the Falls and -repeat what I said to them, how long do you think my buildings would -stand? They're strangers to me, and I don't know how far to trust them." - -"And don't you remember that the detective who arrested that friend of -Dave Daily's came up here on a wheel?" said Mrs. Hudson. "And haven't -the band said that every man who comes into the country on a wheel can -make up his mind to go out of it on foot? I think myself that your -safest plan is to keep still. If you knew the boys could be depended -on, the case would be different. I'm almost sorry you agreed to keep -them all night." - -"So am I," said the miller. "I don't believe I shall ever do the like -again." - -I shivered all over as I leaned against the side of the house and -listened to this conversation. If my master had heard it, I am sure he -would have turned back and given Glen's Falls a wide berth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -ARTHUR'S READY RIFLE. - - -Knowing nothing of the fears that disturbed the minds of the miller -and his wife Joe and his friends slept soundly, and after an early -breakfast resumed their journey with light hearts; but there was -something in Mr. Hudson's manner, more than in his words, when he bade -them good-by that made the boys wonder if he had anything on his mind -that he was keeping from them. - -"You've had the best kind of luck so far and I hope it may continue; -but I don't know," said he, kicking a pebble out of the path. "Looks -to me as though wheeling through a country that you are not acquainted -with, and going among people you don't know anything about, is mighty -risky business. If I was your folks, I'd be sort o' uneasy till I saw -you safe back." - -"I don't know whether we've had the best kind of luck so far or not," -said Arthur, as the three lifted their caps to the miller's wife and -wheeled away. "What would he say if he knew about Roy's long swim in -New London harbor?" - -"Or about Joe's wild ride over that trestle?" chimed in Roy. "Of course -he had good luck in getting over without a broken head, but it was bad -luck that brought him into the scrape." - -"Mr. Hudson probably had reference to the dangers of wheeling, and not -to anything else," replied Joe. "I wouldn't give a cent to go on a trip -of this kind if we did not pass through a strange country and see new -faces at every mile of the way. Now for a coast; the first we have had -since we struck this lovely road. Look out for heads everybody." - -"And for the corduroy bridge at the bottom of the hill," added Arthur, -quoting from the guide-book. - -The latter faithfully warned them of all the bad places that were to be -found in the road when its author passed that way two years before, -but it was silent on the subject of some things that were more to be -feared than sticks, stones, and corduroy bridges. They encountered two -of them about three o'clock that afternoon, when they thought they -ought to be within a mile or two of Glen's Falls. Joe Wayring, who was -leading the way, was the first to discover them. They were vagabond -dogs which came slowly out of the thick bushes on one side of the -road, dragging after them something that proved to be the carcass of a -freshly slaughtered sheep. - -Now if there was anything in the world that Joe was afraid of it was -an ugly dog; and that these brutes were ugly as well as bold (if -they hadn't been bold they would not have killed that sheep in broad -daylight) was quickly made apparent. The minute Joe came within sight -of them he sounded his bell, whereupon the dogs dropped their prey and -raised their heads; but instead of taking themselves off, as my master -thought they would, they stood their ground, snarling and showing their -white, gleaming fangs as a welcome to the advancing wheelman. - -"By gracious! They want a fight!" exclaimed Joe. - -"All right. They can have it," replied Roy. "Sheep-killing dogs have no -rights that any one is bound to respect, and these villains have been -caught in the act." - -"Down with them," cried Arthur, whipping his ready rifle from its case -before his wheel fairly came to a standstill. "We've more right to the -road than they have, and if they won't let us go by--" - -"Don't do anything hasty," interrupted Joe. "Think of the reputation of -the people to whom these brutes undoubtedly belong, and bear in mind -that we've got to go through Glen's Falls or turn back." - -"We haven't come almost fifty miles over the worst road in the United -States to be turned back now," answered Roy. "Did anybody ever see -uglier looking things, I wonder?" he added, as the two yellow, -stump-tailed dogs, with their dripping lips raised, and their short -ears laid back close to their heads, crouched upon the body of the -sheep like panthers preparing for a spring. "Let's see what effect a -stone will have upon their courage." - -By this time the young wheelmen had dismounted; they had to, for the -savage beasts had possession of the road. There was room enough on -one side to run by them, and Joe and his friends would have made the -attempt if they had had any reason to suppose that the dogs would -remain close to the sheep while they were doing it; but that would be -taking too much risk. If the dogs jumped at them while they were going -by, no matter whether they succeeded in laying hold of one of their -number or not, they would be pretty certain to throw somebody from -his saddle, and then there would be trouble. The unfortunate sheep's -throat looked as though it had been cut with a knife, and that proved -that their long teeth were sharp. Joe and Arthur were not in favor of -beginning a fight with the dogs, hoping that if they were left alone -they would drag the sheep across the road and into the woods on the -other side; but before they could say or do anything to prevent it, -Roy Sheldon made one of his sure, left-hand shots; a heavy stone took -one of the canine vagabonds plumb in the mouth and tumbled him over -backward. - -"Whoop-pee! That was a bully shot, Jakey," yelled Roy, recalling some -of the incidents of the first battle he and his chums had with Matt -Coyle and his family. "Throw another, Jakey. Great Scott! They're -coming for us." - -That was plain enough to boys who could see as well as Joe and Arthur -could. The stone certainly had an effect upon them, for they no longer -stood on the defensive. They charged at once, the stricken brute -leading the way, and his companion keeping close at his heels. I tell -you the sight they presented was enough to frighten anybody, unless his -nerves were made of steel, as mine were, but we did not run. I couldn't -without help, and Joe and his chums wouldn't. In less time than it -takes to tell it one of the charging brutes was knocked flat by a -second stone from Roy's unerring hand, and the other fell with a bullet -in his brain, shot fairly in the eye by Arthur Hastings's pocket rifle. -But the death of his companion and the crack of the cartridge did -not take the fight out of the surviving dog. Almost stunned as he was, -he sprang up again in an instant, only to be floored by Joe Wayring. A -second later Arthur's little rifle spoke again, and this time the dog -did not get up. He was as dead as the sheep he had helped pull out of -the bushes. - -[Illustration: The Death of Matt Coyle's Dogs.] - -"This is rather ahead of my time," said Joe, who was the first to -speak. "I never dreamed that domestic dogs could be so savage. Why, a -couple of wild-cats or panthers couldn't have made a worse fight, nor -frightened me more," he added, lifting his cap and wiping the big drops -of perspiration from his forehead. "I hope this is the last of it, but -I'm afraid it isn't." - -Before Joe's friends had time to ask him what he meant, or to recover -from the nervousness into which they had been thrown by the sudden -onset of the sheep-killers, they heard a great crashing in the bushes, -which were so thick on both sides of the road that one could not see -any object in them at the distance of ten feet, and a heavy voice -called out: - -"So you've come again, have you? Three on you this time 'stead of -one. All right. I'll be there directly. I'm coming jest as fast as the -bresh'll let me." - -"There comes the owner of these dogs," said Joe. "Now we are in for it -sure." - -"Who cares?" replied Roy. "If he thinks we are going to stand still and -let his ferocious dogs eat us up, he don't know us; that's all." - -Meanwhile the noise in the bushes grew louder, and now a tall, heavily -built man forced his way out and stepped into the middle of the road. - -"Come again, have you?" was the way in which he greeted the boys. "And -brung two fellers with you to help. Wal, you'll need 'em all. Take me, -if you want to. See!" he went on rapidly, laying his rifle upon the -ground and standing erect with his arms spread out as if to show that -he had no other weapon about him. "I'll put my shooting-iron outen -my hands and ask you again to take me if you have come here for that -purpose. I double-dare you to lay a finger on me. Come now!" - -A blind man could have told by the tones of his voice that the -new-comer was "as full of mad as he could hold"; so very angry in fact, -that he scarcely took two looks at the boys to whom he was talking -until after he had laid down his rifle and spread out his arms. When -he saw that he was confronting a trio of boys, and not bearded men, he -dropped his hands and gave utterance to two emphatic words; but as they -were swear-words I don't repeat them. - -"Who did you think we were?" inquired Joe, who saw at once that the -broad-shouldered backwoodsman had make a mistake. - -"I took you for jest what I thought you was--the detective that come up -here on one of them two-wheeled wagons and run my pardner to earth like -a woodchuck in his hole," said the man, nodding at the bicycles. "But -you ain't, be you?" - -"Of course we are not officers," answered Roy. "We are tourist-wheelmen -traveling for pleasure." - -"Oh," said the man, in a rather doubtful tone, as if he did not quite -understand what the boys were, after all. Then he turned his head over -his shoulder and shouted at the woods: "It is all right, boys, and -you can come along without shooting. You see," he went on, as another -crashing in the bushes told Joe and his friends that there were more -men coming, "I seen you from my place up there on the mounting when -you crossed over the brook below, and I was kinder laying for you. -Understand? These here fellers are pardners of mine," he continued, as -two stalwart woodsmen presented themselves to view. "They was laying -back there in the bresh where they had a fair squint at you; if you'd a -put a finger on to me when I dropped my rifle and told you to come on, -some of you would have been deader now than them dogs you plumped over. -What did you do it with? I heared something pop like a gun-cap, and -over them dogs went." - -Arthur Hastings handed over his rifle because he held it in plain -sight, and did not think it would be prudent to do anything else. The -man seemed to grow friendly as soon as he was satisfied that the boys -were not detectives who had come to the mountains for the purpose of -arresting him, and Arthur was afraid that if anything were done to -excite his rage, he might become as savage as the dogs from whose fangs -he and his chums had been saved by his good shooting. - -The man took the pocket rifle with many exclamations of wonder and -amusement, and while he and his "pardners" were giving it a good -looking-over, Arthur and his friends improved the opportunity to -take an equally close survey of the mountaineers; but there was some -apprehension mingled with their curiosity, for they knew, as well as -they knew anything, that they were in the presence of some of the -Buster band. The first one who showed himself was Dave Daily, the -leader of the band, who had been in hiding for a year or so to escape -arrest. - -"That's a mighty cute little trick of a gun," said the latter, when he -handed back the pocket rifle. "But you wouldn't like to bet a dollar -that she can beat my deer-killer at the distance of a hundred yards, -would you? No, I don't reckon you would, because you would be certain -sure to lose your dollar. Do you know who's talking to you?" he added, -abruptly. - -Joe replied that they not only knew his name, but that they had heard -something about him down at Dorchester; and then he wondered why the -man did not say something about the dogs that were lying in plain -sight. Did they belong to him, and was he going to raise a fuss with -his friend Arthur for shooting them? If he did, there would be but one -way out of the scrape, and that was to pay the man every cent he chose -to demand for the worthless brutes. - -"I'll bet you didn't hear nothing good about us down Dorchester way," -said Daily, for it was he. "But I'll tell you what is a fact: We're not -the terrible chaps that some folks would try to make you think we are. -So long as everybody minds their own business and lets us alone, so -long do we mind our business and let other folks be. Set down a while," -he added, growing communicative, "and I'll tell you jest how the fuss -commenced in the first place." - -There was nothing for it but to comply with this request, for Daily -did not look or speak like a man who would take "no" for an answer -unless he felt like it. So the boys leaned their wheels against -convenient trees, seated themselves by Daily's side under the shade of -another, while his two friends stretched their heavy frames upon the -leaves close by, and the leader went on with his story. - -"Us and our folks was raised right here in this neck of woods, we've -always lived here, and we don't know no other country outside," said -he. "We never had no fuss with nobody so long as we was let alone. We -cultivated our little craps, shot our meat in the woods when we wanted -it, ketched our trout in the brooks, sot lines through the ice for -pickerel in winter, went to school when we wanted to, and were happy -like the Injuns was before the white man come to this country and -drove them out. First thing we knew, some fellers down in Washington, -wherever that is, kicked up a war with somebody else, and sent word to -our folks that they'd got to come and help fight it out. Well, they -wouldn't do it, our folks wouldn't, because it wasn't their fight, -they hadn't no hand in getting it up, they didn't care which one -whipped, and so they said they'd stay to home. Then what does them big -fellers in Washington do but send an officer of some sort up here to -take down the names of all of us, except the little boys, so't they -could be drafted into the army. Our folks told him he wasn't wanted -here and that he'd better go home, but he wouldn't, and so they run him -out and everybody like him who came here afterwards." - -"In short, you resisted the draft," said Joe. - -"You're right we did, and we'll do it again," said Daily, in savage -tones. "Whenever we raise a fight amongst ourselves, we stick to it -till one or t'other gets licked; but we don't take up outsiders' -quarrels. Well, that was where the fuss commenced, and for as much -as four years our folks had to keep hid in the mountings so't them -drafting officers couldn't get a hold of 'em. When the war was over -we thought we should have peace and be let alone like we was before; -but we wasn't. Some smart Alecks, who had been elected to go to the -Capital, and who had never been up here, passed a law--without once -asking us, mind you--that deer shouldn't be killed at such and such -times; that trout mustn't be ketched only jest when they said so; and -that if we didn't give some heed to them laws, they would take us up -and put us in jail. Well, they tried it, and how did they come out? -Tell me that, will you?" - -"At the little end of the horn," said one of the "pardners," who had -thus far kept silent. - -"You're right they did, Spence; at the little end of the horn," -exclaimed Daily. "And that's the way everybody will come out who takes -it upon himself to make laws for us. We're free Amerikin citizens and -we mean to keep so. We don't ask no outsiders to make laws for us, -because we can take care of ourselves. We kept right along jest as -we had always been doing, shooting deer whenever we wanted the meat -(violating the law they called it), and one night Zeb Harris and me was -took outen our beds and slapped into the jail down at Machias. You see -we didn't have no jail up here at Glen's Falls, because we never needed -such a thing. We knew well enough who it was that complained of us, for -our friends kept us posted; so I writ him a little letter telling him -what Zeb and me allowed to do as soon as we got out. We did get out -pretty quick, and somehow everything happened to him jest as we said -it would. While I was in jail I writ to the papers about it, so't the -folks outside could know how we had been treated and trod upon, and all -my pieces was published jest as I writ 'em. Don't believe it, do you?" -said Daily, thrusting his hand into an inside pocket and pulling out a -greasy note-book. "I want you to understand that I can write as well -as anybody, even if I haven't had much schooling, and when it comes to -poetry, I don't give in to no living man on top of the broad earth. -Look at that, and see if you can beat it with all your education." - -As Daily said this he placed in Roy Sheldon's hands a clipping from -a newspaper, with the request that he would "read her out loud so't -everybody could hear it." The boy found that it was going to be a -task to read it at all, for the paper had been so often and so roughly -handled that in some places the words were quite obliterated. The poem, -if that was the right name for the chief law-breaker's effusion, was -nearly a column in length, and it required no little effort on Roy's -part to make out the first two verses of it. They ran as follows: - - "it was in the town of glens fals - as you shal understand - thair lived a crowd of young men - thay was cald the buster band - and thay was accused of menny - a bad deed let them be gilty or not - but thay hunted deer the year round - and for the wardens made it hot - - thair was one young man among them - the wardens all knew wel - and by this felows rifl - thair was menny a fine deer fel - he hunted upon an old stream - i would have you all to know - and sed that that was one place - the wardens dast not go" - -"What was the reason the wardens dared not go there?" inquired Arthur, -when Roy handed back the paper declaring that the letters were so dim -he could not make sense out of the rest of it. "What were they afraid -of?" - -"Of me. I was up there," answered Daily, who seemed to think he had -done something very brave when he concealed himself in the woods and -sent word back to the settlement that he would fire upon the first -officer who came along his trail to arrest him. "I tell you it wasn't -healthy around where I was about that time for anybody but me and my -friends. If you don't believe it, read that." - -With the words another choice bit of composition was thrust into Roy's -hand. It proved to be a warning to one of the recently appointed -wardens that the Buster band, having "commenced the fun" by burning the -house of the man who had dared to enter complaint against Dave Daily -and his friend Zeb Harris, would keep it up by visiting the home of -the warden if he did not at once throw up his office and let unlawful -deer-hunters alone. There was still a third clipping which proved of -more interest to the boys than either of the others, for it related -to the detective who had come to Glen's Falls on his wheel. It was -addressed to the very man whose house they had intended to make their -headquarters during their stay at the Falls. It ran thus: - - "Mr. Jon Homes:--if you keep that black whiskered felow with the nee - britches about your house any longer you will have roast pig to and - in short order we know he is a detektive be cause he has been talking - with one of our boys who he thinks is a spy on us in the pay of what - you call the law and order sosiation but thair ant no spies amongst - our crowd i want you to understand git rid of him for if you dont - you will be burnt out before a week goes by we have started the fun - and we will keep it up we mean bisness git rid of him and your all - rite if you dont down she comes by the time you git this we shal have - taken some of your stock as proof that we mean bisiness, from a frind - remember." - -By the time Roy Sheldon had finished reading this precious document he -and his two friends were so angry that they could scarcely refrain from -telling Dave Daily what they thought of so mean and cowardly a villain -as these productions of his proved him to be. Joe Wayring showed very -plainly that he had had quite enough of this nonsense. He got upon his -feet, brushed the leaves from his clothes, and remarked that it was -high time he and his chums were moving. - -"What's your hurry?" inquired Dave. "You can't find no better company -than we be anywhere about the Falls. Where do you stop when you get -there, seeing there ain't no hotel to put up at?" - -"We're not going to put up at the Falls," replied Joe. "We shall stop -there just long enough to buy a glass of milk or beg a drink of water -of somebody, and then we shall take to the road for a ten-mile run -before dark." - -"Those dogs over there," said Roy, jerking his head toward the -prostrate animals, "disputed the right of way with us, and when I tried -to drive them out of the road they came at us with such fury that we -had to shoot them in self-defense. I hope they don't belong to any of -you?" - -Roy said this, not because he cared a straw who owned the worthless -curs, but for the reason that he felt some curiosity to know why Daily -and his companions were so very indifferent regarding them and their -fate. He had looked for a row the minute the men saw the bodies of -the four-footed vagabonds; but instead of that, the woodsmen had not -referred to the matter since they asked to see the weapon with which -the shooting was done. - -"No; the dogs don't belong to none of us nor the sheep, neither," -answered Daily. "Do you see them letters on the critter's head all -mixed up together? That's Holmes's mark, and them dogs or any others -are welcome to kill all the sheep he's got, for all we care. We don't -like him none too well, for he harbored that detective till we told -him to shove him out, and he would be one of the wardens if he wasn't -afraid. Matt'll be staving blind mad when he hears of it, and mebbe -you'd best keep outen his way when you get started, for he'll make you -pay ten times what the critters was fairly worth. He sets a heap of -store by them, for he brought 'em up here for watch-dogs to tell him -when there was anybody coming to his shanty." - -"Did you say _Matt_ would be mad?" asked Joe, with a strange look on -his face. "Matt who? What is his other name?" - -"His whole name is Matt Coyle," replied Daily. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -MR. HOLMES'S WARNING. - - -This was a surprise, and for some reasons it was a most disagreeable -one. Of course Joe Wayring and his chums were not sorry that their old -enemy, Matt Coyle, had escaped with his life when the canvas canoe -was snagged and sunk in Indian River, but they were sorry that they -had stumbled upon him in this unexpected way. Beyond a doubt Matt's -failure to make himself master of the six thousand dollars that had -been stolen from the Irvington bank, taken in connection with the loss -of all his worldly goods and the imprisonment of his wife and boys, had -had an effect upon him, and if such a thing were possible, Matt hated -Joe and his friends with greatly increased hatred. The fact that the -boys were in no way to blame for his misfortunes would not make the -least difference to Matt Coyle. His bad luck began on the very day he -made the acquaintance of the Wayring family, he looked upon Joe as his -evil genius, and the young wheelmen knew well enough that unless they -got out of the Glen's Falls neighborhood before Matt learned they were -there, they would surely find themselves in trouble of some sort. - -"His whole name is Matt Coyle," repeated Daily. "He was the best guide, -boatman and hunter down the Injun Lake way, but for some reason or -other the rest of the men who were in that business didn't take to him, -and so they clubbed together and drove him out. That wouldn't have -been so very hard on Matt, for Ameriky is a tolerable big country and -there's plenty of places for a guide and hunter to go; but they had -to go and smash up everything he had so't he couldn't stay. They even -took all his money and his rifle and clothes away from him, and turned -him out to starve. He made his way up here by accident, and he's been -living with us ever since. He's a good chap, and when he told me his -story, I said to him that if I was in his place, I wouldn't sleep sound -till every man and boy who had had a hand in mistreating me was burned -outen house and home. Why, he lost six thousand dollars in hard money, -Matt did; all the savings of years of honest work." - -"But he knows a way to get it all back and more too," said one of -Dave's partners. "We expect him home with some of the boys to-day, and -when he comes we'll all be rich." - -"Spence, you talk too much for a little man," said Dave, sternly. "Matt -won't take it kind of you telling all his secrets. He warned us all not -to say anything about it." - -"Fellows, we must be going," exclaimed Joe. "I know that everything -these men have to say is full of interest, but listening to stories -will not take us to our journey's end. By the way, how far is the -railroad from here? I mean the one that runs through Dorchester?" - -"Fifteen miles, or such a matter," answered Daily. "But you couldn't -never get there. The woods is so thick you couldn't take them wagons -through. Your best plan is to stick to the road. Where did you say you -was going to stop to-night?" - -"If we stay here much longer we'll have to stop in town," replied Joe. -"We don't want to do that, so we shall keep going and get as close to a -level country as we can before the dark overtakes us. Good-by." - -This was a moment that all the boys had been looking forward to with -many misgivings. Would Daily and his men permit them to leave when they -got ready? was a question that had often shaped itself in their minds, -and which would now be answered in a very few seconds. To their immense -relief the men who had been ready to shoot them half an hour before, -showed no disposition to molest them or their property. They might -be thieves and law-breakers, but they were not highwaymen. They said -"So-long" very cordially, and saw the boys mount and ride away. - -"Now here's a mess, or will be if we don't make the best time we know -how before night comes," said Arthur, when the first turn in the road -took them out of sight of Dave Daily and his friends. "I don't know -when I have been more astounded than I was when that outlaw pronounced -Matt Coyle's name." - -"Didn't that juryman say that he believed Matt would some day turn up -alive and as full of mischief as ever?" said Roy Sheldon. "And didn't -we say that the Glen's Falls neighborhood would be just the place for -him if he were on deck? Well, he's here. He must have had a time of it -tramping all the way from Sherwin's Pond through the woods. But then I -suppose he is used to such things." - -"He is at home wherever night overtakes him," said Arthur. "But I -shouldn't think he would stick to the woods when there were so many -roads handy." - -"Wouldn't he want to keep out of sight of the officers who were -looking for the money he was known to have in his possession? So those -six thousand dollars were the fruits of his honest toil, were they? -And Matt was the best guide, boatman, and hunter in the Indian Lake -country? That's news to me." - -"It's news to all of us," answered Joe; "but, to my notion, there's -worse behind it. Where has Matt been with those men who are going to -make the Buster band rich when they return?" - -"That's so," exclaimed Arthur. "Where has he? I noticed you inquired -the distance to the railroad, and that made me think you were disturbed -by the same suspicions I was. Do you believe Matt and his crowd were -down there, and that they had anything to do with the rock we found on -the track?" - -"I don't know what else to think," replied Joe. "It was the way those -men acted rather than what they said that aroused my suspicions. Matt -has been rich once, that is to say, he has had the handling of more -money than he will ever make by his own labor, and isn't it natural -to suppose that when he lost it he set his wits at work to conjure up -some plan to get more? A man who will do the things Matt Coyle has done -and threatened, will do worse if he gets the chance. It's time that -fellow was shut up. The next time he tries to wreck a train he may be -successful." - -This was all the boys had to say on the subject, but it was easy enough -to see that they had resolved to put an officer on the squatter's -track at the first opportunity. But then there was Tom Bigden, with -whose doings I was by this time pretty well acquainted. Would they -want him disgraced by the revelations Matt would be sure to make if he -were brought before a court to be tried for his crimes? As Roy Sheldon -afterward remarked, a big load would have been taken off Tom Bigden's -shoulders if Matt Coyle had never been born. - -As soon as Daily and his men had been left out of sight Arthur Hastings -began making the pace; and he made it so rapid that scarcely twenty -minutes elapsed before they passed through an open gate and drew up -before the back door of Mr. Holmes's house. They knew it when they -saw it; and as they looked at all the evidences of thrift and comfort -with which it was surrounded, they wished most heartily that Daily and -all the rest of the Buster band might be brought to justice and that -speedily. - -"Boys, we'll not put this fine property in jeopardy by stopping here," -said Joe, in a low tone. "We'd be worse than heathen if we did, and -Mr. Holmes ought to kick us off the place for hinting at such a thing. -Good-evening, sir," he added, touching his cap to a gray-headed man in -his shirt sleeves who just then came around the corner with a bucket of -water in his hand. "Have you a pitcher of milk to spare, and can you -give us a good big lunch to eat along the way?" - -"Oh, yes, I can do that," replied the man, whose countenance grew -clouded when he saw the boys getting off their wheels, but brightened -again at once when he learned that they did not intend to ask him for -lodgings. "Plenty of milk and provender to spare, but no beds made up." - -"Mr. Holmes, we understand you perfectly," Joe hastened to reply. "We -know just how you are situated, we sympathize with you, and we wouldn't -stay in your house to-night if we knew your doors were open to us. We -met Daily up the road a piece." - -"You did?" exclaimed Mr. Holmes. "And did you tell him you were going -to stop here?" - -"We simply told him we should stop somewhere in town long enough to buy -a glass of milk or beg a drink of water, and he raised no objection to -it. I think you ought to know that Matt Coyle's dogs have been on the -warpath again, and you have lost another sheep. Daily said it was in -your mark." - -"That's too bad; too bad," said the old man, who had long ago ceased to -hope for better times. "If they keep on they will kill all my stock. -The members of the Buster band don't always go into the woods after -meat now. The pastures are handier, and a sheep, calf, or nice young -heifer is easier to shoot than deer. We can't prove anything against -them, and are afraid to prosecute if we could." - -"Those dogs will never kill any more sheep for you," said Roy. "They -wouldn't give us the road and we shot them. They're deader than -herrings." - -I noticed that Roy always said "we" when speaking of this little -circumstance. If anything unpleasant grew out of it, he did not mean -that his friend Arthur should bear all the blame or take all the -punishment. Mr. Holmes's face grew bright again, but he showed a little -anxiety when he asked: - -"Did Daily see you do it, or does he know anything about it? Then I am -surprised that he didn't make you pay for the dogs. Say," he went on, -in a more guarded tone, "where are you going to stop to night?" - -Joe answered that they intended to camp in the woods, and hoped he -could furnish them grub enough for supper and breakfast the next -morning. - -"Of course I'll do that," said Mr. Holmes. "But take my advice and -don't light a fire. The owner of the dogs you shot is a savage. He gets -around at night as well as in the day-time, and since he came here last -fall, he has put more mischief into the Buster band than they ever had -in them before, and that was quite unnecessary. They never thought of -shooting stock for their own use before he went among them, but they -often do it now. They seem to take delight in breaking open every -door that is fastened of nights, no matter whether they want to steal -anything or not. I'd give something to know positively what that man -Coyle intended to do with the spades, crowbar and axes he took out of -my tool-house the other night." - -"What do you think he meant to do with them?" inquired Arthur, who -thought from the way the man spoke that he had his suspicions. - -"I'm almost afraid to speak it out loud, for it don't seem possible -that any man can be so wicked," replied Mr. Holmes. "The lawless acts -of the Buster band have driven nearly everything away from us, but -we've got the post-office left, and last night I got my weekly papers -out of it. In one of them I read that a terrible railroad accident had -been averted by the coolness and courage of a wheelman who rode across -a trestle in the dark to warn the engineer of an approaching train that -there was a rock on the track." - -"He rode over a trestle in the dark?" exclaimed Roy, who, impatient as -he was to hear what else Mr. Holmes had to say, could not resist the -temptation to torment Joe Wayring. "Now that's what I call pluck." - -"That is what the papers call it too," said Mr. Holmes. "Well, when the -trainmen came to look into things they found that that rock didn't get -upon the track by accident, but had been dug out of its bed on the top -of the bluff and rolled there. Since then that bluff has been examined -by detectives in the employ of the railroad, who found there a couple -of spades, an axe and a crowbar all marked J.H. Those are the initials -of my name, and they are on every tool I've got. They're in New London -now, and if I thought anything would come of it, I would run down and -look at them. If they are mine, that man Coyle was the leader of the -gang who tried to wreck the train. At least he stole the tools, and I -say he is the leader because the Buster band never would have thought -of such a thing if he had not put it into their heads." - -"How do you know he stole your tools?" asked Roy, in some excitement. - -"Because I saw the prints of his feet in front of the door of the shop. -They're as big as all out-doors, and his shoes are so nearly torn to -pieces that it is a wonder to me how he can keep them on. Mebbe it's -a little thing to build so much upon, but I know I am right," said -the old man, earnestly. "If you could see that track once you would -recognize it again the minute you saw it." - -Now, when it was too late to make amends for the oversight, Roy Sheldon -proceeded to take himself severely to task for not making a closer -examination of those big footprints he had seen about the rock. If Matt -Coyle's track was there he could have picked it out from among the -rest, for hadn't he and his companions taken a good look at it on the -night Mr. Swan "surrounded" Matt's camp, and Matt crept up in their -rear and stole all their boats? That "hoof" of his, as Mr. Swan called -it, had "given the squatter away" on one occasion, and seemed in a fair -way to do it again. Evidence that Matt was one of those who had tried -to wreck the train was accumulating with encouraging rapidity. No doubt -he and his gang had expected to bring a rich harvest out of that gulf -after the sleeping passengers had been plunged into it, and that was -what Daily's companion meant by saying that Matt would make them all -wealthy when he came back. But what would they say when they learned -that he had not brought a cent with him? - -"Of course it is not my place to offer advice, Mr. Holmes," said -Arthur, at length, "but I really think it would be a good plan for you -to go to the city and look at those tools. If they are yours you can -say so, and may be the means of breaking up this nest of ruffians. -There'll be a detective sent up." - -"But I don't want one sent here," exclaimed Mr. Holmes. "I'd be afraid -to have him around, for the minute he went away I'd lose everything -I've got." - -"He need not come near you," replied Arthur. - -"And he need not come on a wheel, either," added Joe. "If he does, he -may get some innocent tourist into trouble. Let him be a tramp or a -fugitive from justice, if you please." - -"That's the idea," interrupted the old man, excitedly. "Young fellow, -your head's level. That would be his game, if he would only consent to -play it, for fugitives and tramps are the ones the Buster band always -receive with open arms." - -"That is what I thought. Well, they have a good one now, and what's -more, they must like him, for Daily said Matt was a fine fellow; or -something like that," soliloquized Joe. He did not utter the words -aloud, for he wasn't sure it would be prudent to tell Mr. Holmes that -he and his two friends were better acquainted with Matt Coyle than -anybody in the Glen's Falls country. If they could help it, the boys -did not mean to tell who they were or where they came from, for fear -that the information might reach Matt's ears in a roundabout way. He -was glad when Roy said: - -"Haven't we stayed here about long enough? If we want this to be our -last night in the mountains we had better take to the road again." - -"I guess you had," replied Mr. Holmes, reluctantly. "I never was guilty -of so inhospitable an act before, except when I showed Daily's letter -to the detective who was stopping with me and asked him what I had -better do about it, and I would not be guilty of it now if I could do -as I pleased. Remember my advice and go to bed in the dark; for if you -don't I am afraid you will have visitors before morning." - -The boys promised to bear the matter in mind, at the same time assuring -the old man that it was no hardship for them to sleep out of doors, -and Mr. Holmes hurried away to get the pitcher of milk and have a -supper and breakfast put up for them. Being apprehensive that some of -the Buster band might be on the watch, hoping to collect some damaging -evidence against the farmer that would warrant them in burning his -house, Joe Wayring and his friends did not once venture across the -threshold, although often urged, but ate a lunch and drank their fill -of milk while sitting on the back steps. When the boys offered to pay -for being so royally entertained, Mr. Holmes would not listen to it. -By putting it out of the power of those sheep-killing dogs to do any -more mischief, they had done him and all the rest of the law-abiding -men in the settlement a kindness, and he wished they could stay there -for a week so that he and his neighbors might show them how grateful -they were for it. If any citizen of that region had shot those dogs, he -would have been homeless before another week had passed over his head. - -"I hope that Matt will not think that a citizen did do it, and proceed -to wreak vengeance upon some one against whom he happens to hold a -grudge," said Roy, as they moved swiftly out of the gate and turned -down the road. "I still think that if Mr. Holmes and a few determined -men would wake up and go about it in earnest, they could put an end to -this reign of terror. I can't see why they don't try it." - -But there was one thing that Roy and his friends did not know, and Mr. -Holmes had forgotten to speak of it. There was not a single building in -Glen's Falls that had a dollar's worth of insurance upon it. The risks -had all been canceled at the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, -and there had been none taken there since. This was one thing that made -Mr. Holmes and his neighbors so very timid. - -The town of Glen's Falls was a dreary looking spot, as the boys -found when they came to ride through it. There was a forest of fine -shade-trees on each side of the wide principal thoroughfare, but there -was grass instead of walks under them, and the buildings behind were -rapidly falling to pieces. The evidences of former prosperity that -met their eyes on every hand proved that there had once been money -and brains in the place, and that it would have amounted to something -before this time if Dave Daily and the rest of the Buster band had been -out of the way. They slaked their thirst at a pump on the corner of a -cross-road and continued on their way without meeting a single person. -If it had not been for an occasional head they saw through the windows -of some of the houses they passed, they would have said that the town -was deserted. - -Their guide-book told them that the road that led from Glen's Falls -through the mountains to the low country beyond was so plain it could -not be missed, and perhaps it was when the man who wrote the book -passed that way on his wheel; but it was not so now. Roads there were -in abundance, and they all ran down hill in the direction the boys -wanted to go; but they were filled with obstructions, and no particular -one of them showed more signs of travel than another. - -"I'd like to see the fellow who says he had a mile of the best of -coasting along this road try his hand at it now," said Roy, seating -himself on a log and cooling his flushed face with his cap while he -waited for one or the other of his friends to go ahead and take the -lead. "I'm tired out, and if I was sure it would be quite safe to do -so, I should be in favor of going into camp." - -"I don't believe he ever came along this road," said Joe. "We've got a -little out of our reckoning, that's all." - -"And not only are there no cows near by to give us a drink of milk, but -we wouldn't dare go after it if there were, for fear of that villain -Matt Coyle," groaned Roy. "Doesn't it beat you how that fellow keeps -turning up?" - -"And at the very time he isn't wanted," chimed in Arthur. "If you want -to stop, all right; but don't let's stop here. I think it would be -safer to go into the bushes and hide. I don't much like the idea of -passing the night without a fire, but I confess that what Mr. Holmes -said frightened me. I wish we might get a hundred miles away before -Matt comes home and hears that his watch-dogs have been shot." - -The others wished so too, but they hadn't energy enough to go any -farther that night, and besides the appearance of the road ahead of -them was discouraging. It ran down a steep bank until it was lost -among the trees and bushes as its foot, and probably there was another -bank just as rough and steep on the other side of the brook which ran -through the gully. They made the descent, and there they found a stream -of water so sparkling and cold that the sight of it was more than they -could resist. They carried their wheels into the bushes, making as -little trail as possible, and at the distance of ten or fifteen yards -from the road found a camping place; or, rather, a thicket that would -be a nice spot for a camp when some of its interior was cut away so -that they could spread their blankets. They did not use their camp-axes -for fear that the noise they would necessarily make in chopping away -the brush would serve as a guide to some one they did not care to see. -They worked silently with their knives, and at the end of half an hour -had as comfortable a camp as a tired boy would wish to see, if there -had only been a cheerful fire to light it. They ate their supper in -the dark, took a refreshing bath in the brook, and then lay down with -their blankets about them and their loaded pocket rifles close at hand. -This was the first time they had found it necessary to adopt this -precaution, and they hoped it would be the last. - -About an hour after my master's regular breathing told me that he had -fallen fast asleep, I was startled by hearing voices a little distance -away. I could not tell which direction they came from, but I knew they -were men's voices, and that they were angrily discussing some point -on which there seemed to be a difference of opinion. I was still more -startled when Arthur Hastings raised himself upon his elbow, shook Joe -Wayring roughly by the shoulder, and whispered in his ear: - -"Wake up, here. Matt Coyle's coming." - -"Where?" asked Joe, who was wide awake in an instant. - -"Coming along the very road we'd had to go up if we'd climbed the hill -on the other side of the brook," replied Arthur. "Do you hear that? -They're stopping for a drink. Reach over and give Roy a shove. Be -careful to put your hand on his mouth for he is apt to speak out when -he is suddenly aroused." - -Be careful maneuvering on Joe's part Roy was awakened without betraying -his presence to the men, who had by this time halted at the brook, and -then the three boys sat up on their blankets and listened. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -TWO NARROW ESCAPES. - - -"I tell you I feel so savage that I could bite a nail in two an' not -half try," were the first words that came to the ears of the listening -wheelmen. They were preceded by a long-drawn sigh of satisfaction, such -as a thirsty boy sometimes utters when he has taken a hearty drink of -water. "Seems to me that I can't turn in no direction no way but I find -them oneasy chaps at my heels to pester the life out of me. They're to -blame for me losin' them six thousand dollars of mine that I worked -hard fur, dog-gone 'em." - -How the boys trembled when that harsh voice grated on their ears. It -was Matt Coyle's, sure enough. They had heard it so often that there -could be no mistake about it. - -"They was the ones that blocked this little game of mine, an' sent me -an' the fellers hum empty-handed when we thought to come back rich," -Matt went on, growing angrier and raising his voice to a higher key as -he proceeded. "I seen 'em as plain as daylight; an' now I come hum to -find that they've been here an' shot them two dogs that I was dependin' -on to keep the constable away from my shanty. Did anybody ever hear of -sich pizen luck?" - -"If you saw them there at the rock, what was the reason you did not -drive them off so't the train could run into it?" inquired another -familiar voice,--in point of fact, the voice of Dave Daily. The boys -were surprised to know that he was there, and wondered if he had come -out to meet Matt and put him on their trail. If he had, what was his -object in doing it? Did he want to see them punished for shooting those -savage dogs, or did he want to have them robbed? - -"You say you and your crowd worked hard to get that rock down the bluff -and onto the track, and yet you sot there in the bresh and let one -single boy turn you from your purpose, which was to bust up the train," -continued Daily. "He must have been alone, for you say yourself that -one of his friends went one way and t'other went t'other to tell the -engineer to watch out. Why didn't you go down and pitch him into the -ravine?" - -"What would have been the good of doin' that, seein' that Joe an' -Arthur had already went off?" demanded the squatter, with some show of -spirit. "An' don't I tell you that he had a pistol or something in his -hand." - -Daily uttered an exclamation of impatience. - -"'Twasn't a pistol nor nothing of the sort," said he. "It was a little -pop-gun that wouldn't hit the side of a barn nor shoot through a piece -of card-board. Before I would say that I was scared by a little thing -like that I would go off and hide myself; wouldn't you, Spence?" - -"Them pop-guns was big enough an' ugly enough to kill them two dogs of -mine, an' I ain't got no call to face sich we'pons," retorted Matt, -who, as you know, always took care to look out for number one. "An' -here we've been hidin' around in the bresh fur most a week, fearin' the -officers, when we might as well come hum to onct. That's another thing -that makes me mad. I do wish I could get my two hands onto them boys -fur a little while, an' you fellers here to help me. I'd larrup 'em -so't they wouldn't ever come nigh here agin, I bet you." - -"I don't know whether you would or not," replied Daily. "I kinder liked -'em, and as long as they ain't officers--" - -"That's so," interrupted Matt. "But they're jest the chaps to put the -constables onto your trail an' mine. That's their best holt. Didn't you -say that if you was in my place you wouldn't rest easy till everybody -who had had a hand in mistreatin' you had been burned outen house an' -home? Well, them are three of 'em." - -"Now why didn't you say so?" demanded the chief of the Buster band. - -"If we'd only knowed that, we'd a kept 'em for you," added Spence's -voice. "Wouldn't we, Dave? Now that I come to think of it, the -youngsters never told us who they was or where they come from, and we -didn't think to ask them." - -"They'd a lied to you if you had," said Matt, and the boys judged by -the sound of crunching gravel that he was pacing back and forth across -the road like some caged wild animal. "That's the kind of fellers they -be; an' now I'll tell you what's a fact: If you don't help me ketch -them fellers an' hold 'em so't they can't get away till we get ready to -let 'em, this country of your'n will be thick with officers afore two -weeks more has gone by. That's the way it was down to Injun Lake." - -"And this is what we get by taking you in and feeding you when you was -nigh about dead, is it?" exclaimed Daily, in angry tones. "I bet you -that the next tramp who comes this way will be kicked out before he has -time to tell his story. You've brought some of our boys into trouble by -talking them big notions of your'n into their heads, and telling how -easy it was to smash a train and get thousands of dollars outen the -pocket of the folks--Ugh! I can't bear to think of what fools we made -of ourselves by listening to you. Now you clear yourself, before we -make an end of you for good." - -"I come here 'cause I had to go somewhere, didn't I?" said Matt, in -tones that were fully as angry and fierce as Daily's. "I'm sorry enough -I done it, for you're not the men I took you for. You're willin' to -stand here with your hands in your pockets an' let them rich folks tell -you what an' when you shall eat." - -"No, we ain't," roared Daily. "We're free Amerikin citizens, and we -don't allow nobody to tell us what we shall do." - -"Well, then, what makes you talk to me that-a-way?" cried Matt. "I come -here to help, an' I've told you of more ways to bother the folks who -want to make laws for you than you would have thought of in ten years' -time. As fur puttin' that rock on the track, nobody suspicions who done -it, an' we laid around in the bresh so't the officers, if any happened -to be here, shouldn't see us comin' from t'wards the railroad. I'm free -to say that I didn't want to go down to the track alone an' face the -we'pon that Sheldon boy had in his hand (I knowed him dark as it was), -but I offered to go if any one would go with me; an' they wouldn't. Ask -'em if it ain't so." - -This proved to Roy Sheldon's entire satisfaction that he had done the -right thing when he pulled his pocket rifle from its case, shoved a -cartridge into it, and prepared to defend himself if the train-wreckers -thought it best to attack him. It seems that they did watch him and -discuss plans for getting him out of their way, but some of the -timid ones among them saw the light reflected from the nickel-plated -ornaments on his rifle, and could not muster courage enough to show -themselves. - -"Nobody don't suspicion that we put the rock on the track," repeated -Matt, "an' that ain't why the officers will come here. You're the one -who done the mischief--you, yourself. As soon as one of them boys began -to let on that they knowed who you was, you showed them all the letters -an' things you writ for the papers, an' talked to 'em like they was -friends of your'n. You will find yourself in trouble all along of that -nonsense, if you don't do what I say." - -"That puts a different look on the matter," said Daily, in a much -milder tone, "and, Matt, I'm sorry I jawed you that-a-way. Fact -of it is, I couldn't help it. We've been in a power of trouble and -trib'lation ever since them rich folks down to Washington sent for us -to go and fight their war for 'em, and then went and made laws against -shooting deer and ketching trout, and we've got pretty well riled up. -What do you think we had best do?" - -"Nab them boys fust an' foremost," said the squatter emphatically. -"That's the fust thing; then, after I have had my satisfaction outen -'em, by tyin' 'em to a tree an' larrupin' 'em with hickories, like I -would have done with that there pizen Joe Wayring if them friends of -his'n hadn't come up an' rescooed him--after I've done all that, I'll -take a day off an' think what we'll do next. One thing is sartin: them -boys must not be let go out of these mountings till their mouths has -been shut about the Buster band in some way or 'nuther." - -"Ketching of 'em is going to be the hardest part of the whole -business," remarked Spence. "They skum along right peart after we let -them go, and I b'lieve they are plumb outen the mountings by this time. -If they are--" - -"But they ain't, I tell you," Matt Coyle interposed. "It don't lay in -no steam injun, let alone a bisickle, to get outen these mountings -betwixt five o'clock an' dark. They're camped summers between here -an' Ogden, an' all we've got to do is to circle round to our usual -lookin'-out place an' stay there till we see 'em comin'; then we'll run -down an' stop 'em. When I get my hands onto 'em they'd best watch out, -fur I feel jest like poundin' 'em plumb to death to pay'em fur stickin' -that innercent ole woman of mine in jail. An' the boys too; the very -best, honestest an' hardest workin' boys that any pap ever had. They're -likewise shut up all along of that pizen Joe Wayring an' his rich -friends." - -These words were followed by the strangest sounds the boys had ever -heard. If they had not known Matt Coyle as well as they did, they would -have been sure he was crying. - -All this while the men (and there seemed to be a large party of them) -had been taking turns drinking at the brook; and having quenched -their thirst they started on again with a common impulse, not along -the road, but up the stream on whose right-hand bank the boys were -encamped. There could be no doubt of it, for there was no longer any -crunching of gravel under the heels of their heavy boots, but the -bushes snapped and swayed, and the voices came more distinctly to their -ears. Matt Coyle was the one who did most of the talking. He did not -seem to take his failure to wreck the train so very much to heart, -but he bewailed the loss of his dogs, whose good qualities could not -be enumerated by any one man, and asked who would warn him now if the -officers came to his shanty some dark night to arrest him. - -"They are coming this way as sure as the world," whispered Roy, drawing -his feet closer to him and placing an elbow on each knee so that he -could have a dead rest with his rifle. "Why don't the fools stick to -the road? It's easier walking there than it is in the bushes." - -"This is no doubt a short cut to their hiding-place," replied Joe. -"Stand together, fellows, and we'll show them what we are made of. -We'll give them fair warning, and if they are foolish enough to -disregard it, they will have to take the consequences." - -"That's what's the matter," whispered Arthur, cautiously moving a -little closer to his friends. "I'm afraid, but I'll never be tied to a -tree and whipped; they can bet on that." - -I can not begin to tell you how frightened I was as I stood there and -listened to the voices and footsteps of those desperate men who were -every minute drawing nearer to our place of concealment. Remember, I -was utterly helpless. However good my will may have been, I did not -possess the power to do the first thing to aid my master in the fight -which I firmly believed would be commenced in less than ten seconds. -And bear another thing in mind: If the young wheelmen were found there, -and were overpowered and taken captive, the shooting of Matt Coyle's -worthless dogs was not the only thing for which they would be punished. -They knew Matt's secret. They knew that he and some of his party had -tried to wreck a train. They had talked about it where the boys could -plainly hear every word they uttered. Of course Matt would know it, if -he found them there in the bushes, and what would he do? How would -he go to work to "shut up their mouths," as he had spoken of doing? -I assure you this thought was enough to make even my steel nerves -shake; and I believe it must have passed through Joe Wayring's mind and -frightened him, for I heard him say, in a scarcely audible whisper: - -"It's do or die, fellows. That villain will be wild with rage if he -learns that we heard all he said to Dave Daily. If the worst must come, -be sure of your man before you shoot." - -That moment's terrible suspense is something I never shall forget; then -the reaction came, and I felt as if I were going to fall in a heap -like a piece of wet rope. There was a tolerably well-beaten path along -the bank of the brook, but it was on the other side. Dave Daily and -his gang of villains followed it, and that was all that saved us. If -there had been a spark of fire on our side the brook as big as the end -of your finger, I should have had a different story to tell. I was so -confused that I could not pay any attention to their conversation, but -I counted them as they passed along in Indian file, and when at last -they were out of hearing and Roy Sheldon spoke, I knew his count agreed -with mine. - -"Thirteen," was all he said; and then he lay down on his blanket and -probably looked as nerveless as I felt. - -"And at least half of them must have been with Matt," added Arthur -Hastings. "I know it took six or seven men to roll that bowlder out of -the ditch and place it on the track. Great Scott! Wasn't that a narrow -escape!" - -"I'd like to know how we shall come out to-morrow," said Joe, -anxiously. "That 'looking-out place' that Matt spoke of must command a -view of the road along which we will have to go to get to Ogden, and if -we do not mind what we are about, Matt will meet and stop us there." - -This was another thing the young wheelmen had to worry over, and -taken in connection with the vivid recollection of the exciting scene -through which they had just passed, it effectually banished sleep from -their eyes for the rest of the night. And daylight was a long time -coming, as it always is when anxiously waited and watched for. They ate -breakfast as they had eaten supper--in the dark--and when the birds -began singing picked up their wheels and struck out for the road, which -they found to be quite as bad as it looked on the previous evening. -The first hill they encountered was a hard one, as they knew it was -going to be, and when they gained the top they had to go down again on -the other side. Of course the woods were about as dark as they could -be, and it was anything but pleasant for the leading boy to feel his -way while trundling his wheel beside him. But the fear of Matt Coyle's -wrath and the hope of passing his "looking-out place" before the sun -arose, drove them on, and to such good purpose that, by the time they -could see to ride, they found themselves on a smooth, well-traveled -highway. They did not stop to ask one another whether or not it was the -road they wanted to find. It led away from the mountains, and that was -all they cared to know. - -"Away we go on our wheels, boys," sang Joe; and suiting the action to -the word he sprang into his saddle and set out at a lively pace. "Now, -Matt Coyle, come on. It would take a better horse than you ever did or -ever will own to stop us." - -"But a stick thrown into the road might do the business for us," -suggested Roy. - -"You don't suppose Matt knows that, do you?" said Arthur. "Does anybody -see anything that looks as though it might be used for a lookout -station?" - -Nobody did. There was nothing to be seen but a cultivated field on the -right hand, a thickly wooded hill-side on the left, and a farm house -in the distance. True there was a high, bald peak a little to the left -of the hill over which the road disappeared, but it was all of ten or -fifteen miles away, and a man stationed on its summit would have needed -a good glass to make us out. At least that was what Joe Wayring said, -and then he dismissed all fears of Matt Coyle from his mind, and made -a motion with his hand as if to throw open the breech of his pocket -rifle, which he had thus far carried in readiness for any emergency -that might arise, and remove the cartridge; but, on reflection, he -decided to wait a little longer. It was lucky he did so, and that his -companions followed his example. - -If the Buster band really had a "looking-out place" anywhere within -sight of the road I don't know it, but I do know that by taking short -cuts through the mountains they managed to reach the highway in -advance of us, for when we reached the top of the hill of which I have -spoken, and the wheelmen were about to stow the rifles in their cases -preparatory to a coast, Matt Coyle and Dave Daily suddenly stepped -out of a thicket on one side of the road, and as many more ruffians -arose from behind the fence on the other. They were about thirty yards -away, and although all except Matt carried guns in their hands, I was -relieved to see that there was not a club or stone among them. They -supposed that all they had to do was to form across the road, call upon -the boys to halt, and they would be obeyed. - -"Them's the fellers--the very chaps I've been a-lookin' fur," yelled -the squatter, shaking his fists in the air and striking up a war-dance -in the middle of the road. "Now I'll have the whole on you, an' there -won't be nobody to interfere when I--" - -"Full speed, boys," said Joe, in a low tone. "Hold fast to your guns -and be ready to stop if anybody gets unhorsed. It's our only chance. -Get out of the way," he cried, flourishing his cocked rifle above his -head with one hand while he guided me with the other. "Get out of the -way or we will run you down. If we strike you, you are dead men." - -It never occurred to Matt and Dave to ask each other what would become -of the boys themselves if their headlong progress were suddenly -stopped, and neither did they linger to try the experiment. The three -Columbias fairly whistled through the air; and when Matt saw that his -peremptory orders to halt were disregarded, and that we were charging -down upon him with apparently irresistible force, he scuttled out of -the way with the greatest haste, and Dave Daily, the terrible man who -hid in the woods and shot at officers unawares, was not an inch behind -him. - -"Look out for them pop-guns," he yelled. - -"Yes, look out for them," shouted Arthur. "They're death on all sorts -of varmints." - -In less time than it takes to tell it the danger was over. Moving -abreast and going at almost railroad speed we flew down the hill, and -the way was clear. I caught just one glimpse of Matt Coyle's scowling -and astonished face as we sped by, and that was the first and last time -I ever saw him. After that I did not wonder that my master and his -friends were resolved to fight to the death and take any risks rather -than fall into his power, for if I ever saw an evil face I saw it then. -But the man who carried it around with him was a coward, and so was -the leader of the Buster band, who was afraid of the pocket rifles. If -those handy little weapons had brought their owners into difficulty, -they had also assisted in getting them out of it. - -Being afraid to apply the brakes the boys regulated their speed with -the pedals as well as they could, and when the foot of the hill was -reached they stopped and looked behind them. There was no one in sight. - -[Illustration: The Run for Safety.] - -"That was another tight squeak," said Roy, holding fast to his wheel -with one hand and fanning himself with the other, as he always did when -a halt was made, "and nothing but Matt's ignorance and Dave's brought -us through. Well, I don't know that we are to blame if they didn't have -sense enough to throw something in the road in front of us." - -The excitement for that day was all over now, and I was very glad of -it. The road being good and the coasting places frequent, we bowled -along at a lively pace, and at four o'clock in the afternoon rode -into the village of Ogden, where we halted for the night. One of the -loungers on the porch was reading aloud from a weekly paper which had -but just arrived with news that was no news to city people by this -time. Of course the work of the train-wreckers was given a prominent -place, as well as a lengthy notice. As I leaned against the porch and -listened, I asked myself what those loungers would have said if some -one had told them that the three dusty boys who had just disappeared -through the doorway were the ones who brought the efforts of the -train-wreckers to naught. Roy and Arthur respected Joe's wishes, and -never, in any one's hearing, spoke of what he had done that night. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. - - -From the morning Joe Wayring and his friends left Ogden up to the time -they wheeled over the old familiar road that led into Mount Airy, not -a single thing happened to mar the pleasure of their trip. I do not -mean to say that the roads were always good, or that they were never -weather-bound; for those petty annoyances fall to the lot of every -tourist, he expects them, and knows how to make the best of them. But -they found no more train-wreckers along the route, nor were there any -Buster bands or Matt Coyles to be afraid of. They spent many a night -in camp; their pocket rifles brought them all the young squirrels -they cared to eat; they encountered tramps on nearly every mile of -the way, and although they never had the least trouble with these -social outcasts, they listened to a story from the lips of two of them -that interested them exceedingly, and proved to Roy Sheldon's entire -satisfaction that the clear-sighted Joe Wayring had hit pretty close to -the mark when he declared that Roy's presence aboard the White Squall -had not been brought about by accident. - -Their destination was Plymouth, a little sea-port town situated on -a bay of the same name. They spent a day roaming about the wharves, -looking at everything there was to be seen, especially the ships, -which would hardly have attracted more than a passing notice from -them, had it not been for Roy's experience in New London harbor. They -went aboard of one, looked all over it, marveled at its strength and -more at the power of the winds and waves which could so easily make a -wreck of man's best handiwork. They turned up their noses at the dingy -forecastle, smelling of tar and bilgewater, and wondered how any one -could bring himself to bunk in it during a long voyage. - -"I would much rather sleep on a bed of hemlock boughs," said Joe, "and -go out in the morning and catch my own breakfast from the sparkling -waters of a lake or brook, and serve it up on a piece of clean bark. If -I had been in love with the sea when I came here, I would be all over -it now." - -"It's rough, isn't it?" said Roy, as he and his companions went down -the gang-plank to the wharf; and he trembled all over when he thought -how near he had come to being carried to distant countries against his -will. "The little I saw of a sailor's life while I was on the White -Squall convinced me that the officers are more to be dreaded than the -forecastle. They can be as brutal as they please when they are out of -sight of land, and there's no law to touch them." - -"There's law enough," answered Joe, "but the trouble is, a sailor man -can't use it. Suppose he has the officers of his vessel arrested for -cruelty while he has the rest of the crew at hand to prove it against -them. They are put under bonds, but the case is postponed on one -pretext or another, and while that is being done, how is Jack going -to live? Of course the minute he gets ashore he makes haste to spend -his wages, and when his last dollar is gone what recourse has he but -to ship for another voyage? Then the case is called, and there being -no one to prosecute, the captain and his mates are discharged and go -aboard their vessel to play the same game over again." - -"That's about the way those light-ship men put it when I threatened to -have Captain Jack punished for kidnapping me," said Roy. "That may be -law, but it isn't justice. I wonder where the White Squall and Tony and -Bob are now." - -"I shouldn't think you would care," replied Arthur. "I know I shouldn't -if I had been treated as you have." - -"I don't much care what becomes of the ship and her officers, but I am -sorry for the crew. I tell you that Tony and Bob were shanghaied the -same as I was." - -Becoming weary of Plymouth and its surroundings at last, the boys took -the road again, this time with their faces turned toward Mount Airy. -They went back by a different route, as they intended to do when they -set out; but they had another reason for it now. Money would not have -hired them to return across the mountains and take their chances of -capture by Matt Coyle and the Buster band. Now that they could think -over their adventures with calmness, they were surprised at the ease -with which they had slipped through those ruffians' fingers. They knew -they couldn't do it again, and they would have gone home by rail rather -than try the mountain route a second time. There was one thing about -it, Arthur repeatedly declared: The man who wrote their guide-book must -be posted so that he could warn wheelmen to keep away from Glen's Falls -until the mischief-making squatter and his new allies had been arrested -and lodged in jail. - -On the afternoon of the second day after leaving Plymouth, the boys -came suddenly upon a couple of tramps who had halted under the shade -of a tree by the road-side to eat the bread and meat they had begged -at the nearest farmhouse. But these men were not like the other tramps -they had seen. They were sailors on the face of them, and looked out of -place there in the country so far from salt water. Roy Sheldon was sure -there was something familiar about them, and hardly knowing why he did -so, he called out, as he moved past them, "Bob, Tony," whereupon the -men jumped to their feet and stared hard at him without saying a word. -They were evidently frightened, and would have taken to their heels if -they had seen the least chance for escape. - -"I declare, I believe they are Tony and Bob," said Roy, who was utterly -amazed at the effect his words had produced upon the tramps; and -turning about, he rode back to the tree under which they stood. "How in -the name of all that's wonderful did you get stranded here?" - -"Is--is it Rowe Shelly?" one of the men managed to ask. - -"Yes, sir, they are Tony and Bob," exclaimed Roy, getting off his wheel -and nodding at his companions. "Dusty as they are, I know them. What's -the matter?" he added, as the men began backing away as if they did -not want him to come any nearer. "You are not afraid of me, are you? I -am not a ghost, and neither am I Rowe Shelly, although my name sounds -somewhat like his, and I have been told that I look like him. I am a -different boy altogether. Now let's have the straight of this thing -before we go any farther. I saw you carried to sea on the White Squall. -How did you escape from her, and where is she now?" - -"At the bottom of the ocean," replied one of the men; and the boys -thought from the way he spoke he was glad to be able to say it. - -"At the bottom of--" began Roy, incredulously. "Serves her just right. -She had no business to--but everything goes to show that you took me -aboard of her on purpose to have me kidnapped. What have you to say -about it? Sit down and eat your dinner. You can talk just as well, and -you act as though you were very hungry." - -"So we are, sir," said the one whom Roy had picked out, and who he -afterward addressed as Tony. "We never done such a thing before, sir, -but we had to come to it. It's no use trying to hide the truth any -longer, for it has come out on us. Yes, sir; me and Bob did take you -aboard that ship on purpose." - -"There, now," cried Joe, indignantly, while Arthur Hastings looked and -acted as though he wanted to light. - -"But what object did you have in doing it?" continued Roy. "Who put you -up to it--Willis?" - -"He's the very chap, sir: but we've been punished for it, and we hope--" - -"You've nothing whatever to fear from me, if that is what you want to -say," interposed Roy, who was impatient to get at the bottom of what -was to him a deep mystery. "You know how I got away, and here I am, -safe and sound. Your actions proved that you did not think you were -going to be shanghaied yourselves--what are you looking for?" - -"You're right we didn't know it, sir," answered Tony, who pulled out -his ditty-bag, and after a little fumbling in it drew forth a piece of -soiled paper which he handed to Roy. "That, sir, is the letter I took -to Cap'n Jack that night. If I had only known what was writ onto it, me -and Bob would have kept clear of that ship, you may be sare. The cap'n -dropped it on deck shortly after you went overboard, and I made bold -to pick it up without saying a word to him about it. I thought it would -come handy some day. Read it for yourself, sir, and you will see that -me and Bob was innocent of any intention of doing the least harm to -you, sir." - -"Didn't you know that I was going to be kidnapped?" exclaimed Roy, -almost fiercely. "You did. Everything goes to prove it; but you thought -you could get me into trouble and slip off the ship without getting -into trouble yourselves." - -"Not a bit of it, sir," said Tony, with so much earnestness that Roy -was almost ready to believe him. "Read that paper, and then I will tell -you just what was said and done in my house on the beach while you was -fast asleep up-stairs." - -The letter, which bore neither date nor signature, ran as follows: - - "CAPTAIN JACK ROWAN:--Knowing that you have been delayed nearly three - weeks waiting for a crew, I send you three men who, I think, will be - of use to you. Two of them used to be sailors, but the other is green - and will have to be broken in. Ask no questions, but take them along. - - A FRIEND." - -Roy Sheldon was so surprised that he could not speak again immediately. -He leaned his wheel against the tree, looked first at Tony and then at -his friends, and finally sat down on a convenient bowlder. - -"Seems to me that there letter clears me and Bob of everything except -taking you aboard the White Squall when we didn't want to do it," said -Tony, after a pause. "We was as innocent as babbies of what happened -afterwards." - -"If you didn't want to do it what made you?" demanded Joe. - -This brought Tony to the story he had to tell; and as I believe I can -make it clearer to you than he did to Joe and his friends, I will tell -it in my own language. - -Rowe Shelly's guardian, who was fond of the water, kept a swift -sailing-vessel as well as a steam yacht, and Tony and Bob Bradley -belonged to it. The colonel furnished them a house, gave them regular -employment during the yachting season, and in the winter time permitted -them to make what money they could by shooting water-fowl at the lower -end of the island for the New London markets. They knew nothing -whatever of the colonel's private affairs. They had heard a good many -rumors. - -"I want to say a word right there," interrupted Roy. "Where did those -rumors come from?" - -The boys had seated themselves on the ground on each side of the -sailors, who ate their dinner as they talked. Tony acted as spokesman, -but his brother jogged his memory with a word now and then. The former -could not say where the rumors came from, but the mischief was all done -by an old sailor, who settled on one of the uninhabited islands in the -harbor and went to fishing for a livelihood. Rowe Shelly chanced to run -athwart his hawse one day while sailing about in his boat. He talked -with the old fellow for more than two hours, and when he came home he -exploded a bomb-shell in his guardian's ear. In other words, he told -the colonel that there was no relationship between them; that he had -no business with the money he was squandering; that his father had not -been lost at sea, as the colonel affirmed; that he was still alive, -and so was his mother; that they lived in Chelsea, Maryland; and that -he was going to them as soon as he could get off the island. - -"I know that was a sassy way for him to talk to the man who had always -been so good to him, seeing that he hadn't no better evidence than an -old sailor-man's unsupported word to back him up," said Tony, "but the -way the colonel acted satisfied Rowe at once that there was more'n a -grain of truth in what he had heard. The first thing he done was to -take away the boy's boat, and shut him up on the island as close as if -it had been a jail, and his second, to get rid of the fisherman. How he -done it nobody seems to know; but he wasn't never seen again, nuther by -Rowe Shelly nor nobody else. But the mischief had been done, and the -first thing we knowed, Rowe Shelly couldn't be found. How he got off -the island nobody couldn't tell, but he and his bisickle was gone. They -was gone for more'n two weeks; but Willis, who acts like he was as big -a man on the island as the colonel himself, follered him up and ketched -him with the help of detectives." - -"How did this fisherman happen to know so much about Rowe's father and -mother?" inquired Arthur. - -"He was shipmates with 'em; lived next door to them in some town down -South," replied Tony. "He knowed the little boy, Rowe Shelly, and used -to trot him on his knee and tell him stories of furrin parts, and he -knowed well enough that there was some sort o' hocus-pocus about it, -or the colonel wouldn't never had that money the old grandfather left. -You see it sorter hurt the old feller when Cap'n Shelly, who was his -only child, married a widder with a growed-up son against his will, -and it hurt him, too, to have the cap'n keep on going to sea when he -didn't want him to; and so he said that the cap'n shouldn't never have -a red cent of his money. But when Grandfather Shelly found that he'd -got to pass in his checks, and that the dark river was waiting for him, -he gives in and willed all the money to the cap'n, provided he would -settle down on shore." - -When this happened, as you have already heard, Captain Shelly was at -sea. His ship, the Mary Ann Tolliver, was lost, and as nothing was -heard from him or any of the crew everybody supposed that all hands -had been lost with her. This was the opportunity for the rascally -step-son, and straightway he was up and doing. With his mother's full -and free consent he was appointed Rowe's guardian and administrator of -the property that had fallen to him, and then he was in clover. Finding -that the boy's mother was in his way, and that she was strenuously -opposed to any squandering of Rowe's money, he proceeded to rid himself -of her presence. He did not exactly turn her out of doors, as Rowe -thought he did, but he _lost_ her--sent her away on a visit, and when -she returned he wasn't to be found. He and Rowe were in Europe, and -there they stayed until the guardian thought she had had ample time to -die or forget him. Then he came back, bought an island in New London -harbor, so that he could not readily be intruded upon and Rowe could -not easily slip out of his grasp if he wanted to, and set himself up -for a gentleman of wealth and leisure. - -In the mean time Captain Shelly and some of his men, who had been -picked up and carried to some distant port, returned, and the captain -and his wife were reunited; but the former, being broken in health and -spirits and ruined financially (every dollar he owned in the world went -down with his ship), did not and could not make any very persevering -effort to find out what had become of his scapegrace step-son and the -little boy who was worse than orphaned. After a year or two spent -in useless search he gave them up for lost; but others interested -themselves in the matter, not for the purpose of aiding in restoring -Captain Shelly to his rights, but simply to benefit their own pockets, -and two of them, who succeeded in learning enough to keep Rowe's -guardian in constant fear of exposure, were Willis and his son, Benny, -who were given a home and paying situations on the island. - -"If that isn't the biggest piece of villainy I ever heard of I wouldn't -say so," exclaimed Joe, his face flushing with honest indignation. "Did -you ever talk to Rowe Shelly about these things?" - -"Who? Me?" cried Tony, in surprise. "Not by a great sight, sir. If I -had, I would have been bundled off that there island so quick that I -couldn't have told what my name was. I had a good home, and didn't want -to lose it by meddling in things that didn't concern me." - -"Well, your story agrees with the one Rowe told us on the night our -friend was kidnapped and taken to the island, and I, for one, am -inclined to believe it." - -"I give it to you, sir, just as I got it," answered Tony. "You asked -what them rumors was that we heard, and I have told you. If there -wasn't no truth in 'em, what made the colonel act as he did--take the -boy's boat away from him and keep him close about home, with orders to -all of us from Willis to watch out for him?" - -"That also confirms Rowe's story," said Arthur. "You know he told us he -thought every one on the island was hired to keep an eye on him. We are -all satisfied so far," he continued, turning to the old sailor. "Now, -go ahead and tell us how you came to take Roy Sheldon over to that ship -when you didn't want to?" - -"Me and Bob never served aboard that ship till we was shanghaied on -her," answered Tony, "but we had heard enough about her to make our -hair stand on end. She was so rotten in some places that you could -jab a knife into her timbers the whole length of the blade, and the -companies wouldn't put a cent of insurance on her, and nobody but such -reckless men as Cap'n Jack and his mates would sail on her. They got -good pay for doing it, and for shipping crews against their will and -holding a still tongue about the vessel's condition. But she's gone -now," said Tony, rubbing his horny hands together almost gleefully, -"and nobody will ever be fooled with her again. She sprung a leak in -less'n half a gale 'bout two hunderd miles off the Cape, and went down -like a log spite of all we could do at the pumps. We kept her afloat -for seventy-two hours, and just as we were nigh going down, the brig -Sarah West took us off and brung us into Plymouth." - -"Where are you going now?" asked Roy. - -"Back to the island where our families is," replied Tony. "We ain't got -no place else to go, but we ain't going to stay there. We'll take our -dunnage and go somewheres else, for fear that the island may sink into -the harbor with such men aboard of it. We dassent stay there no longer. -If Rowe has got safe off, knowing what he does, he'll kick up a row -there, and if they'll let me into court, I'd just like to shove this -paper at the judge and ask him will he take a squint at it, if he wants -to see what sort of a landshark that man Willis is. We are powerful -glad to see you again," he added, extending his hand to Roy, who shook -it cordially, "and to know you didn't come to no harm all along of our -taking you aboard the White Squall." - -After this Tony went on with his story, to which, in order to make it -plain to you, I will add a few things that he did not know. They came -out months afterward, but this is the place to speak of them. - -Although the housekeeper and all the people who were on the jetty when -the yacht arrived were willing to believe that Roy Sheldon was really -Rowe Shelly, Willis himself was perfectly well satisfied that he and -Babcock had made the biggest kind of a blunder. The question was: -How should he get out of his difficulty? Willis looked everywhere for -Benny, who was his right-hand man in all emergencies; but that worthy -had gone over to the city that afternoon, and would probably return -on a hired tug some time in the morning. You will remember that while -Mrs. Moffatt was talking to Roy, and urging him to let her send up -a lunch to that he might have a bite handy in case he became hungry -before morning, the superintendent paced the room lost in thought. As -he looked at the matter, it was absolutely necessary that Roy should -be got rid of before daylight, and so effectually that no trace of him -could be discovered. The superintendent's first thought was to drug -him, put him into a boat, and shove him out into the harbor in time for -the storm, which was already muttering in the distance, to blow him -to sea. But that would involve too many risks of a rescue, and Willis -at last decided to hold to his original plan and "take Tony into his -confidence." - -When he went downstairs with Mrs. Moffatt he left the house and -hurried to Tony's cabin on the beach. - -"The minute he come into the door I knew there was something the matter -of him," said the sailor, "for I had never seen him look so queer and -wild before; but how he ever made out to pull the wool over my eyes -and Bob's as he done by the ridikilis tale he told us, is something I -can't now get through my head. Nuther can Bob, and we've talked about -it a hunderd times or more. Seems now that we'd oughter known it wasn't -so, but we didn't. 'Boys,' says he, mighty soft and palavering like, -but all the while acting as though there wasn't nothing wrong, 'I want -you to do something for me. Two weeks ago Cap'n Jack Rowan of the White -Squall borrered five hundred dollars of the old man (that was Colonel -Shelly, you know), and the old man told me to be sure and get it of him -before he sailed. While I was in the city I got a letter from the cap'n -stating that if I would send for the money to-night, I could have it; -so I want you and Bob to take Rowe and go and get it. I'll give him an -order for it. Be lively, for there'll be a gale on in an hour or so.' -That was what Willis said to me and Bob; and although we didn't much -like the idee of going aboard the White Squall, knowing what sort of a -chap Cap'n Jack was, we told him we'd go, like a couple of fools. 'All -right,' says he. 'You get the boat ready, and I'll go and tell Rowe to -hurry up. But mind, you mustn't say one word to him where you're going. -If you do, he'll stay ashore and I won't get that money.' And then what -does that old scamp do," exclaimed Tony, with rising indignation, "but -run up to the house and write this here letter to Cap'n Jack, telling -him that here was three men for him, and he'd best take us along -without asking no questions." - -"Then he came into the room where I was and told me a funny story, -too," said Roy, who was listening with all his ears. "I should like to -know who came in with him, and what the pair of them would have done if -I had not awakened just as I did." - -"I guess it was Benny," said Bob; and he guessed right. "Them two is -both tarred with the same stick." - -Benny was ashore, as I told you, and by the merest chance met the -detective Babcock, who made a clean breast of the whole business; -whereupon Benny hired a tug, and started for home. By the time he got -there he was as frightened as was his father, whom he met setting out -for Tony's house. - -"You needn't waste words with me," said the dutiful son, the minute he -saw that his sire was about to begin a lengthy explanation. "I saw Bab, -and he told me all about it. You are a pretty pair, I must say. Who is -this chap who looks so much like Rowe, and what are you going to do -with him?" - -"His name is Roy Sheldon, and he is a Mount Airy wheelman," replied -Willis. "I am going to send him to sea on the White Squall." - -"The very plan I had in my own head," said Benny, approvingly. "Who's -going to take him there?" - -"I thought of asking Tony and Bob. I'll offer--" - -"Don't offer them a cent," interrupted Benny. "Tell them to go and get -five hundred dollars that Cap'n Jack borrowed of the old man, and send -this wheelman along as Rowe Shelly, to get it. Understand?" - -No; the superintendent did not quite grasp his son's meaning, and he -was afraid Roy might not be willing to personate Rowe Shelly. It took -Benny a long time to explain, but he succeeded at last, and then he -asked his father if there was not some way in which he could get a -glimpse of Roy so that he could satisfy himself that a mistake had been -made. This was the way he came to be introduced into the presence of -the young wheelman, who was fast asleep. The moment Benny's eyes rested -upon the boy's face he knew he had never seen him before. - -"You've done it as sure as the world," said he, in a savage whisper. -"Get rid of him. Send him to the White Squall, and have Tony and Bob -shanghaied at the same time, or they will get you into deeper trouble. -Wake him up, tell him you have found out who he is, and say that you're -going to send him back to his friends. In that way you can get him off -without any fuss, and--" - -Just then Roy stirred in his sleep, and Benny took to his heels, barely -having time to close the door behind him before the boy was wide-awake. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -CONCLUSION. - - -"Benny is old man Willis's son," Tony hastened to explain. "If you was -to shake 'em both up in a hat, it is hard to tell which one of 'em -would come out first for meanness. That's our story, sir. You know what -happened after we got aboard the White Squall." - -"What did Willis mean when he called you off on one side saying that he -had an order for you?" inquired Roy. "Did he want me to believe that he -was about to send you to the city for goods?" - -"I don't know what he meant you should believe; he jest wanted to give -me a few parting instructions. He said you didn't much like the idee of -going out in that wind, and that if you raised a fuss about it after we -got started, we must quiet you by saying that we dassent turn around -for fear of a capsize. He said, furder, that we mustn't talk to you -more'n we could help, for you'd kick if you found you was going aboard -the White Squall. He said you had the order for the money in your -pocket, and what was writ on the paper he give me was meant to hurry -Cap'n Jack up, so't we could get back to the island before the wind riz -any higher. But t'wasn't no such thing," continued Tony, wrathfully. -"It told Cap'n Jack to take us to sea and say nothing about it." - -"And were you stupid enough to believe that our friend Roy was Rowe -Shelly? You stood within arm's-length of him, and it looks to me as -if you ought to have seen at a glance that it wasn't any one you -knew," said Arthur, forgetting that he had once stood within less than -arm's-length of Rowe Shelly, and never suspected that he wasn't Roy -Sheldon until he had come pretty near being thrown on his head. - -"We never knew the difference," said Tony, earnestly, "for the reason -that we didn't know there was anything wrong. We knew Rowe had run -away, and as me and Bob supposed that he had been ketched and brung -back, like he was before, we didn't ask no questions. Of course we -thought it was Rowe that we were going to take off to the ship after -that money, and why should we not? How could we tell one from t'other -when the night was so dark, and they were both dressed alike and the -wind blowed so loud that we couldn't re_cog_nize his voice?" - -"What did you think when you saw him jump into the harbor?" inquired -Joe. - -"Well, sir, we was scared to death, and there isn't no manner of sense -in saying we wasn't. We wouldn't never dared to show our faces in New -London again if I hadn't found this letter, 'cause we'd been afraid -that we might be tooken up for trying to make way with Rowe, though -Lord knows we wouldn't a raised a finger against him. What's writ onto -this here paper will clear us, won't it, sir?" - -"I think it will; but if you need any more evidence, drop a line to me. -I will give you my address," said Roy. "What made you back away from me -when I got off my wheel and walked toward you? Did you think I was a -ghost?" - -"I ain't quite sure that there is such things as ghosts in the world," -replied Tony, "though in my time I've talked to more'n one who has seen -'em; but wouldn't you feel kinder oneasy under them circumstances? We -took you aboard the ship a purpose, like we told you, but we didn't do -it to get you used like you was." - -"Then you knew that ship was the White Squall, and that she was not -going into the harbor for shelter?" said Joe. - -"Course we did, sir. What would any craft want to run from a fair -sailing wind like that for? We knew she was going to sea, and was in -a hurry to get you aboard so't you could get the money we thought you -wanted. We thought it kinder queer 'cause you didn't give the cap'n -the order when I give him the letter, but we didn't mistrust anything -till we seen you go overboard. Of course we knew before that, that we -had all been shanghaied; but what I mean is, that we never mistrusted -till then that mebbe you wasn't Rowe Shelly. We didn't think he'd have -the pluck to jump overboard, for he isn't much of a boy for going a -swimming. When we was running into Plymouth some of them Bethel fellers -flung a lot of papers aboard of us, and me and Bob happened to get hold -of one that told us all about it, only it didn't say anything about -Rowe Shelly. Ain't your name Peter Smith?" - -"Not much," replied Roy, with a laugh. "But I am the fellow who jumped -overboard, all the same. Now, what induced you two to tramp back to New -London instead of shipping on some vessel that would take you there?" - -"There are two reasons for it," answered Tony. "In the first place, -there wasn't no ship in port that was going where we wanted to go; -and in the next, we've had enough of the water and thought we'd like -to stay on shore for a spell. You see, we ain't by no means as young -as we used to be, and can't stand the hard knocks as well. We never -got a blow after we was drove for'ard that night, 'cause we know what -a sailor man's duty is and we done it; but them was a rough lot of -officers, I tell you. Do you know where Rowe Shelly is now?" - -"I am sorry to say we don't," replied Arthur. "We hoped to hear from -him before this time, but if he has written us, the letter hasn't -caught up with us. But we can tell you one thing: when you get back to -the island you'll not find matters as they were when you left. My two -friends here saw Rowe, mistook him for me just as Willis and Babcock -mistook me for Rowe, had a long talk with him, and put some ideas into -his head. Colonel Shelly will have to give up Rowe's money and get out -of that--you'll see; and if Captain Shelly is still alive, he will come -to that island and take possession." - -Joe Wayring and his friends spent the best part of the afternoon in -Tony's company and Bob's, and did not take leave of them until they -had learned as much of Rowe Shelly's history as the men were able to -tell them. They also asked after Captain Jack; but that worthy and his -mates had disappeared the moment the Sarah West had reached the wharf -at Plymouth, and Tony could not say where they were. No doubt they -had gone to New London on the cars, while the foremast hands, having -no money at their command, had to ship again as soon as they could, -or turn tramps for a season as Tony and Bob had done. Roy gave them -his address, advised them to use all the means in their power to open -communication with Rowe when they reached the city, and stand by to aid -him in getting his rights; and then he and his friends shared their -small stock of money with them, and once more turned their faces toward -Mount Airy. - -"Didn't I tell you that you were taken aboard the White Squall on -purpose?" said Joe, as they shot around the first bend in the road and -left the sailors out of sight. "I guess you are willing to believe it -now." - -"And I think you are equally willing to believe that I was right when -I said that Tony and Bob were shanghaied the same as I was," retorted -Roy. "That man Willis is a schemer from way back. I shall always think -that the easiest way for him to get out of his difficulty would have -been to send me ashore, as I thought he was going to do. I never would -have made him trouble, for up to the time I was sent aboard that ship I -was treated as well as I wanted to be." - -"I think Willis was afraid he would lose his situation if he told the -colonel that he had made a mistake, captured the wrong boy, and given -Rowe a chance to get away," said Arthur. - -"I don't see why he should be, for if I understand the situation, his -employer would not dare discharge him," continued Roy. "For some reason -or other Willis made up his mind that the only thing he could do was -to get rid of me; he was afraid to hire Tony and Bob to take me aboard -that ship and leave me there, for that would give them a hold upon him; -so he thought the best way was to get rid of the whole of us in a lump. -I will say this much for Willis: he came pretty near doing it. I felt -tolerable mad at Tony and Bob when you fellows suggested that they had -been hired to have me kidnapped, and here I've gone and divided my last -dollar with them." - -"And we felt just as angry at Rowe for getting you into a scrape, and -yet we are ready to stand by him," said Joe. "On the whole, I am -satisfied with what we have done on this trip." - -I thought he had reason to be. There was no one along the route who -knew what Joe had done to avert that railroad disaster, but the folks -at home had been posted before this time. On the day they left Plymouth -Arthur and Roy mailed the full details of Joe's "Wild Ride," but the -latter knew nothing of it until a week had passed, and they stopped -for the night at a railway station where they found their trunks and -a package of mail waiting for them. When Joe glanced at his mother's -letter beginning: "My dear boy, how could you do it? I am frightened -every time I think of it," and the first line of Uncle Joe's, which -ran: "I am proud of my brave namesake. You have covered yourself with -glory enough for one summer, and had better come home and relieve -your mother's anxiety," he knew just what had been going on, and -congratulated himself on having escaped return orders until his face -was toward Mount Airy. All he said to his friends was: - -"You fellows spread ink a trifle too freely while we were in Plymouth. -If I had suspected it, I would have dropped the pair of you over the -end of the pier like a couple of kittens." - -"Perhaps that wouldn't have been so easy, either," replied Arthur. -"More than twenty days' steady wheeling has brought us a tolerable -muscle, I want you to remember. But what's the odds? It was bound to -come out, and Roy and I kept still about it until we were homeward -bound. When you write all you've got to do is to tell Uncle Joe we're -coming." - -Joe wrote that very night, and his letter contained a complete history -of Roy's doings in New London harbor, and told how Arthur had come near -getting them into serious trouble by shooting Matt Coyle's watch-dogs. -He omitted nothing, and when he finished, he flattered himself that -he had described the thing in language so graphic that Roy and Arthur -would be invited to expedite their return. - -The next time they came up with their letters, they also found papers -containing some surprising as well as gratifying intelligence. -Every man in the Buster band, including Matt Coyle and his gang of -train-wreckers, had been arrested and put under lock and key. Acting -upon the advice given him by the young wheelmen, Mr. Holmes had gone to -New London and identified his property; that is, the implements that -had been used to force that big rock from its bed and roll it upon the -track. It was by his suggestion (which in the first place came from one -of our three friends, as you will remember) that a couple of officers, -disguised as tramp hunters, came to Glen's Falls and proceeded to -"spot" every man they wanted. More strange tramps came in at intervals, -and when the officers, for that was what they really were, were nearly -equal in number to the law-breakers, they "corralled the whole business -and ran them in." To quote from Roy Sheldon, who was so highly excited -that he wanted to yell, it was a "pretty slick scheme," and by the time -Matt was through serving the sentence that would surely be passed upon -him, they would no longer stand in any fear of him, for they would be -big enough to punch his head if he didn't let them alone. - -"But I am really afraid our friend Bigden will see fun now," said Roy, -in conclusion. "If Matt gets half a chance he will tell all he knows." - -"I don't believe the things he did in the Indian Lake country will be -brought against him," said Joe. "He'll come in for trying to wreck the -train; and by the time he has been punished for that, he won't want to -get into any more scrapes." - -"And where will we come in? Look here, Bub," exclaimed Roy, shaking his -finger at Joe. "When you took that unworthy revenge upon Art and me, -and told your mother what we have done and suffered since we have been -on the road, you told her that we laid in the bushes and heard all Matt -and his fellow rascals had to say, didn't you? I thought as much. Well, -_that_ will be sure to come out, with all the rest of the things, and -the last one of us will be _subpoenaed_. If any one of us spread ink -too freely, you are the man." - -"I didn't see Matt that night," protested Joe, "for it was so dark I -couldn't see anybody." - -"No matter, you heard his voice. You will be called upon to tell how -you knew it was his voice, and all that, and the first thing you know -there'll be something wormed out of you that you don't mean to tell." - -Joe Wayring did not like to think about that, but still he did not eat -or sleep any the less for fear of it. He enjoyed the homeward run and -so did his friends, for they had done what they set out to do, and more -too. They stopped for one night at the Lafayette House, and spent the -evening at the Academy of Music; but there was no detective waiting -to take one of them by the arm when they came out, and neither did -they meet any one who could give them any information concerning Rowe -Shelly. They sent a despatch to their parents, telling where they were, -and when they would be home, and the result was that about three miles -out of Mount Airy they found a delegation of wheelmen waiting for them. -Of course the drug-store crowd was not represented, but Tom Bigden and -his cousins were there. Joe thought he knew what Tom had come for, and -was made sure of it when Tom ranged alongside of him, after a short -halt had been made and the hand-shaking was over, and in a roundabout -way began making inquiries concerning Matt Coyle. Joe was sorry he -couldn't tell much about him, but he said enough to set Tom's fears at -rest. He declared--not as if he thought Tom had the least interest in -the matter, but merely as an item of news--that he would not prosecute -Matt for stealing his canoe or tying him to a tree, because he would -have enough to answer for when he was brought up for putting that rock -on the railroad track. Joe was not revengeful, but he did want to see -the squatter punished for that. - -It is hardly necessary to add that Tom Bigden breathed easier after his -talk with Joe, and when he left the latter at his gate and told him he -was glad he and his friends had had an enjoyable run and come safely -home, in spite of everybody and everything that had tried to hinder -them, the words came from his heart. Tom had been on nettles ever since -he read in the papers that Matt was still alive, and in a fair way to -be brought to justice, and although he felt relieved, he knew he would -not sleep soundly until Matt's trial was over and prison doors had -closed upon him. - -"Six hundred and forty-two miles in thirty-five days," said Joe, when -he had kissed his mother and shaken hands with every one who was on -the back porch. "A little over eighteen miles a day. That wouldn't be -anything to brag of if the roads had been good all the way; but when -you take the mountains and long patches of sand into consideration--" - -"And Matt Coyle and the train-wreckers," added Uncle Joe. - -"They didn't delay us any to speak of," replied the young wheelman, -"but that Roy Sheldon, with his black eyes and lame arm, did. Well, I'm -glad to get back, and why don't you say you are glad to see me?" - -Every one of them had said so more than once, for I had heard them, -and besides, they showed it very plainly by their actions. Everybody -in town was glad to see him, and he had so much visiting to do that -for a time I was entirely neglected. One morning I had a chance to -say "hello!" to the Canvas Canoe and Fly-rod as they were carried -across the porch and down the path that led to the lake, and when they -returned at dark I exchanged a few words with them before they were -taken up-stairs. In as few words as possible I told them where I had -been and what I had seen during my long absence, and in return Fly-rod -told me that he had that day seen two old acquaintances; or as he -expressed it, "the whole of one and a part of the other." - -"In the show-case in which I stood before Joe Wayring bought me, were -a couple of high-priced lads, a split-bamboo and a double-barrel -shot-gun, who wouldn't say a civil word to me because I was worth only -six dollars and a half," said Fly-rod, with a ring of triumph in his -tones. "The gun was purchased by a dude who went into the woods because -it was fashionable, and the bamboo became the property of one of the -handsomest little girls you ever saw. Well, I saw that rod to-day -lying flat in the mud, while his owner was paddling in the water with -bare feet. He was rusted all over where there was any thing to rust, -and you could see daylight between his ribs where they had been glued -together. He was ashamed to speak to me, for he had boasted that he was -going to Canada to do battle with the lordly salmon. A little while -afterward we heard a booming up the lake and saw a commotion in a -boat whose crew were engaged in shooting wood-ducks. The Canvas Canoe -took us up there in a hurry, and we found that a gun had burst in the -hands of one of the party--the very dude who bought that double-barrel -shot-gun. There wasn't much left of the gun, nothing but the stock and -locks, in fact, but I knew him. The dude wasn't hurt, for a wonder, but -he was mad, and the minute he recovered from the fright into which he -had been thrown, he grabbed the wreck of that gun and sent it as far -as he could into the bushes. Here _I_ am, sound as a dollar, thanks to -the good treatment I have received, supple as ever and ready to catch -another black bass any time I am called upon." - -The next thing that interested me was hearing a letter from Rowe Shelly -read on the porch. He hadn't written before for the very good reason -that he had nothing to say; and although he had plenty now, he had no -time to say it, for he was going after his father and mother who were -alive and well, but poor owing to ill health. He went into hiding, as -Joe said he did, and found a lawyer to interest himself in his case; -but although the latter went to work very quietly, Colonel Shelly and -Willis and Benny had taken the alarm and cleared out. His parents had -been advertised for and found, and Rowe was going to them by the first -train. He would have more to tell them in his next letter, and wanted -them, one and all, to get ready to visit him the minute he sent them -word. He owed them everything he had, or was going to have, and they -would see that he wasn't the boy to forget such things. - -And neither did Roy Sheldon forget those men on the light-ship. Of -course they did nothing more than their duty when they pulled Roy out -of the water and took care of him, but that did not lessen the boy's -gratitude nor his father's, either. Mr. Sheldon made it his business -to drop into a bank shortly after Roy came home, and when he left it -those old sea dogs had a handsome sum of money to draw on, though they -were advised to let it accumulate so that they would have something to -fall back upon when they became too old to attend to the light-ship. - -Before I went into winter quarters I had the satisfaction of knowing -that everything had turned out just as Joe Wayring and his friends -wished. Rowe Shelly found his parents and easily established their -identity, with his lawyer's help, and the rascally guardian, as well -as those who aided him in keeping the boy out of his rights, were -overhauled before they had left the city many miles behind; but they -were not brought to trial. They simply surrendered their ill-gotten -gains, Captain Shelly took quiet possession of his island home, and -that was the end of the matter so far as they were concerned; but the -gossips had something to talk about for weeks afterward. Joe Wayring -and his friends were not needed when Matt Coyle was brought before the -court in Bloomingdale, for those tramp detectives had all the evidence -they wanted to send him and his gang to prison. Then Tom Bigden felt -safe, and I hope he has turned over a new leaf as he has often promised -to do. Although every one in Mount Airy heard of the things that George -Prime threw up to him, there were few who believed them, thanks to the -way Joe and his chums stuck to him through thick and thin. - -A few days ago Rowe Shelly wrote that he was ready and waiting for Joe -and the "rest of his crowd," and the sooner they came to see him the -better he would like it. They will accept the invitation for the coming -holidays; and if I am any judge of boys' tastes they will find few -topics of conversation that will be of more interest to them than the -incidents I have attempted to describe in my story, and which happened -during THE RAMBLES OF A BICYCLE. - - -THE END. - - - - -FAMOUS CASTLEMON BOOKS. - - -GUNBOAT SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 6 vols. 12mo. - - Frank the Young Naturalist. - Frank in the Woods. - Frank on the Lower Mississippi. - Frank on a Gunboat. - Frank before Vicksburg. - Frank on the Prairie. - - ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - Frank among the Rancheros. - Frank in the Mountains. - Frank at Don Carlos' Ranch. - - SPORTSMAN'S CLUB SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - The Sportsman's Club in the Saddle. - The Sportsman's Club Afloat. - The Sportsman's Club among the Trappers. - - FRANK NELSON SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - Snowed Up. - Frank in the Forecastle. - The Boy Traders. - -BOY TRAPPER SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - The Buried Treasure. - The Boy Trapper. - The Mail-Carrier. - -ROUGHING IT SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - George in Camp. - George at the Wheel. - George at the Fort. - -ROD AND GUN SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - Don Gordon's Shooting Box. - The Young Wild Fowlers. - Rod and Gun Club. - -GO-AHEAD SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - Tom Newcombe. - Go-Ahead. - No Moss. - - FOREST AND STREAM SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 3 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - Joe Wayring. - Snagged and Sunk. - Steel Horse. - -WAR SERIES. By Harry Castlemon. 5 vols. 12mo. Cloth. - - True to his Colors. - Rodney the Overseer. - Marcy the Refugee. - Rodney the Partisan. - Marcy the Blockade-Runner. - - -_Other Volumes in Preparation._ - -Copyright, 1888 by Porter & Coates. - - - - -FAMOUS STANDARD JUVENILE LIBRARIES. - -ANY VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY AT $1.00 PER VOLUME - -(Except the Sportsman's Club Series, Frank Nelson Series and Jack -Hazard Series.). - -Each Volume Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth. - -HORATIO ALGER, JR. - - -The enormous sales of the books of Horatio Alger, Jr., show the -greatness of his popularity among the boys, and prove that he is one -of their most favored writers. I am told that more than half a million -copies altogether have been sold, and that all the large circulating -libraries in the country have several complete sets, of which only two -or three volumes are ever on the shelves at one time. If this is true, -what thousands and thousands of boys have read and are reading Mr. -Alger's books! His peculiar style of stories, often imitated but never -equaled, have taken a hold upon the young people, and, despite their -similarity, are eagerly read as soon as they appear. - -Mr. Alger became famous with the publication of that undying book, -"Ragged Dick, or Street Life in New York." It was his first book for -young people, and its success was so great that he immediately devoted -himself to that kind of writing. It was a new and fertile field for a -writer then, and Mr. Alger's treatment of it at once caught the fancy -of the boys. "Ragged Dick" first appeared in 1868, and ever since then -it has been selling steadily, until now it is estimated that about -200,000 copies of the series have been sold. - - --_Pleasant Hours for Boys and Girls._ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Steel Horse, by Harry Castlemon - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STEEL HORSE *** - -***** This file should be named 61486.txt or 61486.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/4/8/61486/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Graeme Mackreth and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -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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