CHAPTER XV Rescue
At sight of the three men, Enid uttered a piercing scream. Madge made awild break for the cellar door but half way across the room she wasclutched roughly by the shoulder and flung backwards with such force thatshe fell to the floor.
"So you thought you would meddle, eh?"
She started to retort but the words froze on her lips. Distinctly, shehad heard footsteps on the porch! It was too much to hope that rescue wasat hand.
Then the door was flung wide and two young men with drawn revolversstepped into the room. Close behind were several policemen.
"Rex!" Enid cried joyfully.
"Jack French!" Madge exclaimed.
She had no time to wonder how he came to be there, for in the next fewminutes, everything was confusion. Undaunted by the odds against them,the three kidnappers dashed out the light. Furniture crashed to the floorand an occasional bullet flew. Through it all the girls clung tightlytogether and huddled in a corner.
The kidnappers put up a desperate but losing battle and soon weresubdued. Someone lighted a lantern. Madge was relieved to see that no onewas seriously injured. The police lined the kidnappers up and took themaway under close guard.
At the first opportunity, Enid had gone to her father's side, cutting theropes which bound him.
"Tell us everything," she urged. "Who are these dreadful men and why didthey want the Zudi Drum?"
"There are a number of things to be explained," her father replied with asmile, "but first, I owe your friends my deepest thanks for their timelyarrival."
Mr. Burnett knew Madge and Rex but Jack French was a stranger. Madgeintroduced him and he gravely shook the ranger's hand.
"Jack must tell us how he came to be here at the psychological moment,"Madge declared, "but first, you must relate your experiences, Mr.Burnett."
"There's not so much to tell," he responded. "I bought the Zudi Drum inIndia of an antique dealer. I suppose the fellow resorted to questionablemeans in obtaining it but at the time I thought him reliable. At anyrate, the first intimation I had of trouble was when I received athreatening note, warning me to give up the drum or suffer theconsequence."
"You didn't tell me that," Enid observed.
"No, I didn't wish to alarm you. If the men had come to me in astraightforward way and asked for the drum, I would have given it tothem, but instead, they tried to force me. I placed the Zudi Drum in thesafe at home."
"The house was entered," Enid informed, "but they didn't get the drum."
"I suspected they would ransack the place. They tried to force me to tellwhere I had hidden the trophy, but I refused. Then when all else failed,they tricked my daughter into coming here."
"I walked straight into the trap," Enid admitted. "Madge tried to keep mefrom it but I wouldn't listen. And it wasn't my fault that I didn't bringthe drum. I can't imagine what became of it."
Madge explained the substitution she and Rex had made, and likewise toldof her visit to the jeweler.
"You had the situation sized up correctly," Mr. Burnett praised. "Thekidnappers are Zudi worshipers, and are the last of a tribe that foryears has been thought no longer to exist. As I understand it, the drumwas formerly used for ceremonial dances and the like. Then it was stolen,or so these men claimed. The order is characterized by a particularsymbol which appears on the drum and also on pins they wear."
"It was the jade pin that gave me my first clue," Madge declared.
"How did the natives trace the drum to you, Mr. Burnett?" Rex asked.
"I don't know that, but they were willing to cross an ocean to find me.Perhaps after all, I should turn the drum over to them."
"You'll not be able to do it for a good many years," Jack Frenchobserved. "Unless there's some slip, they'll all get stiff sentences inthe pen. The sect should be broken up."
"After all you've gone through, I think you deserve to keep the drum,"Rex added.
Madge was curious to know how Jack and Rex had met and the formerobligingly told the story.
"After I received your telegram, Madge, I hopped a train and came as fastas it would carry me. I arrived at Cheltham Bay and learned that TheFlora was still anchored in the harbor. I went down to the wharf,thinking I'd hire a boat to take me out there."
"Then he ran into me," Rex interrupted. "I had my amphibian tuned up andwas watching the yacht to see when you girls started away in the motorboat. He asked me how he could get out there and I suspiciously demandedhis name and his business. As soon as I learned he was a friend of yours,Madge, I invited him to join the festivities."
"I guess I arrived too late to be of much service," the ranger saidregretfully.
"Not much you didn't!" Rex protested. "If you hadn't been along, I doubtif we'd have found this place. When we landed at the beach and werepuzzled which way to go, he picked up Madge's trail like a blood hound."
"A blind man could have followed it," Jack declared modestly.
The young people decided to allow other questions to go unanswered untilthey reached the yacht, for Mr. Burnett was in need of food and rest.While the kidnappers had not actually mistreated him, they had grilledhim at all hours and had shortened his rations to the vanishing point.
"When I get to The Flora I want a big juicy steak, French fried potatoes,several pies and at least a gallon of good, hot coffee," Mr. Burnettannounced, "and you all must share the feast with me."
With Rex and Jack supporting him on either side, he was able to walk.They helped him down to the beach and established him comfortably in thecockpit of the amphibian. Jack, Madge and Enid said they would return inthe motor boat, and before leaving Cedar Point, watched the amphibiantake off.
During the long trip back to The Flora, Madge and Jack had ampleopportunity to renew acquaintances. They had been separated less than amonth yet from their conversation a stranger would have judged that theywere meeting after several years' absence. Enid piloted the boat,obligingly keeping her eyes glued on the course. She experienced nodifficulty in avoiding Clingman's Rock and brought them safely intoharbor.
"I hope the Zudi Drum is still here," Madge said as they stepped aboardthe yacht. "If it isn't, I'll go jump off the deep end."
She found the trophy in Mr. Burnett's cabin where she had hidden it.
There was no sleep for anyone that night. Jose, the cook, was roustedfrom his bed to prepare the most ambitious meal of his life. The feastcame to an end just as the sun was coloring the east.
"'All's well that ends well,' as our good friend Shakespeare once said,"Mr. Burnett quoted when the party showed signs of breaking up. "Iparticularly want this affair to end pleasantly. As soon as I feel ableto handle a sail again, I want the vacation to go through as it wasoriginally planned. Enid and I will not be satisfied unless you all joinus. You'll come, won't you, Mr. French?"
Jack looked at Madge and smiled as he saw her quickly nod.
"I'll be glad to come," he accepted. "I'm on my vacation and have moretime than I know how to use."
"Here's to a glorious cruise!" Enid cried. "Now that everything issettled, let's all stagger off to bed."
Stagger they did, and nearly slept the clock around. When Madge awoke itwas to find herself famous, for the newspapers, securing the story fromthe police, had given her credit for the important part she had played inMr. Burnett's rescue.
She was destined to have a more substantial reward for her services. Mr.Burnett recovered the jade pin from the jeweler, and after conferringwith the police, insisted that Madge accept it as a slight compensationfor all that she had done.
"Slight compensation!" she protested. "Why, it must be worth a greatdeal--Mr. Dewitt told me that. I'd be afraid to keep it. When those menget out of jail they might make trouble."
"You need not fear on that score," Mr. Burnett assured her. "Thekidnappers have relinquished all claims to both the pin and the drum.They have long sentences to serve. By the time they are set free, theZudi sect
will no longer exist."
Madge continued to offer objections but in the end she was induced toaccept the pin.
In a very few days, Mr. Burnett had recovered his strength and announcedthat he was ready to leave Cheltham Bay. One fine morning The Florasailed majestically out of the harbor on a two weeks' cruise. Rex andJack learned a great deal about sailing from Mr. Burnett but that was byno means their major interest.
"It's been a glorious vacation," Madge told Enid one day as they sattogether on the sunny deck. "I can't believe it will all be over in a fewdays."
"You're feeling blue because Jack soon will be returning to Canada," herfriend teased.
"I'll hate to see him go," Madge admitted, "but I wasn't thinking ofthat. When I leave here I must go back to Michigan and school. How dullit will seem after such an experience as I've had this summer."
"School isn't so exciting," Enid agreed, "but perhaps you can stir thingsup a bit."
At the moment, neither of the girls had the slightest intimation of whatreally lay ahead of Madge. Her exciting days were by no means over. Justaround the corner--at Claymore, Michigan--an adventure awaited herarrival. The story is related in the third volume of this series, "TheSecret of the Sundial."
"Oh, well," Madge remarked optimistically, "the memory of this summer maytide me over for another year or so."
She said no more for someone had started the phonograph and it wasgrinding out an inviting dance tune. Jack came to claim her for apartner.
"What were you saying about memories?" he asked as he swept her away. Andthen in an undertone, intended for her ears alone: "Don't think for oneminute that you can pack me away in moth balls and lavender. I'm likethose big mosquitoes we have at Loon Lake--I'll pester you 'till the endof time!"
THE END
Transcriber's Notes
--Silently corrected several palpable typos in spelling and punctuation
--Added a list of the books in the series to the title page
--Left the original copyright notice unchanged, although the book is public domain in the U.S. (author date of death is 2002).
--As the original book jacket was unavailable, provided an image of the title page instead.
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