CHAPTER XX--BLIND MAN'S BUFF IN FEARFUL EARNEST
For a few seconds the two combatants fought strenuously in the darkness.
"Now, I've got you!" growled the assailant, wrapping his arms aroundyoung Captain Halstead.
But that astounded youth only gasped:
"Joe!"
"Tom! Pompey's ghost! Is this you?"
Joe Dawson rolled swiftly from his point of vantage, and the chumssprang instantly to their feet.
"That was Ted Dunstan who got away," quivered Halstead.
"I know it," admitted Joe. "I thought you were one of the other crowd. Ihad eyes only for him, when I saw him."
"Quick, then!"
They could hear Master Ted running, somewhat uncertainly, in the woods,with which he seemed to be unfamiliar. Yet he was nearing the openingwhere the house stood.
After him pelted both motor boat boys. Ted heard them coming, of course,and increased his speed. Yet Ted must have gotten into the opening, butfor an accident. One of his feet tripped over something. Down he went,and, with his hands tied behind him, it was not the simplest task in theworld for him to get on his feet again. Just as he did accomplish it,Tom and Joe reached him, grasping him on either side. Ted made a slight,useless struggle, but what he did succeed in doing was to kick a treerather resoundingly.
The busy eight, unsuspicious until then, had just returned to the rearyard. Some of them heard that kick against the tree.
"What was that noise?" demanded Don Emilio.
"Nothing," replied Jonas French.
"Come on! I want to make sure, anyway. Hasten!"
Tom, leading the way, and Joe, bringing up the rear with Ted Dunstangripped in his arms, were in motion, but Don Emilio and several of hiscomrades pursued at lively speed.
"There's some one running in these woods," called back Don Emilio."Spread out, and travel fast!"
When they had gone some little distance Tom fell back, snatching Tedfrom Joe's arms. They ran until they came to a low-hanging thicket.Burdened as the motor boat boys were, the race must prove an unequalone. Joe halted at the thicket, holding out his arm to stop Tom. The twocrept in under there with their burden, Joe holding the Dunstan heir'sfeet.
And just in time, too, for Don Emilio and Jonas French went by withinstriking distance.
"Whoever it was didn't get as far as the road," the boys heard DonEmilio declare, not far away. "French, you stay here. If you see aliving figure in the road you'll know what to do. I'll send another manto watch with you. These woods have got to be searched."
Just at that moment some one else must have reached Don Emilio Alvarezand must have reported, for the Honduran's voice screamed:
"What do you say? The youngster's gone from the attic? Listen, men! Letnothing stand in your way, now. We must have that boy back. We'll watchthe road and drag the woods. Waste no sympathy on any meddler you find!"
It was at once made plain to the motor boat boys that Don Emilio and hiscomrades were now frantic. Everywhere could be heard the steps, or thelow voices of the searchers. Tom and Joe dreaded capture at eachinstant. Dawson had made it his task to secure Ted's feet again, and tohold them doubly secure with his own hands.
Once, as some of the searchers went by, Gambon's voice was heard. Joenudged his chum; the latter understood how the young engineer of the"Meteor" had come so handily upon the scene through trailing theFrenchman here. Not once, after they had hidden themselves, did themotor boat boys dare to stir. Their covering, though dense enough in thedark, was thin at best. Two or three times some of the searchers passedby within a yard of those they sought. At such times Ted Dunstan's bodyshook with suppressed emotion. But he was so tied and held that he couldnot make a sign to betray himself. Whenever the seekers came closeHalstead reached out a hand holding the young heir's nostrils closed, sothat he could not even sniff.
The conviction of Don Emilio that his longed-for prey was close at handwas shown by the repeated searchings over an area of barely more thanfive acres. The time even slipped into hours without the hunt beingabandoned.
Half the time Tom and Joe felt as though their hearts were up in theirthroats, so close did discovery seem. The first gray streaks of dawnshowed at last, but Don Emilio would not agree that the chase extendbeyond this strip of lonely woods.
"It is more important than anything else could be that we should findthe boy," Tom heard the Honduran explain to Gambon. "And daylight willshow that they have not gotten away from here. It was here that thesounds of flight stopped. Somewhere, within a stone's throw or two weshall yet come upon the meddlers in hiding. I shall not give up."
"Confound him," whispered Joe, a little later, in his chum's ear."Before this I always admired persistency."
Following the first dawn the light came in more strongly. Now, the twochums crouched more closely than ever, also seeing to it that Master Tedwas forced to lie as flat as possible.
Joe Dawson, lying flat on his stomach, peering out beyond their retreat,moved one of his feet restlessly. Something made him turn to glancebehind him. With that he began to slide slowly backward. His feet wentfurther and further into a narrow hole. Then, after nudging Halstead inone leg, Dawson crept back until only his shoulders were exposed. Tomwatched his chum in overjoyed wonder. Joe's next performance was tovanish from sight. Then, very soon, he wriggled silently out again,until his lips were beside one of his comrade's ears.
"There's a hole running into that hummock there," Dawson explained. "Itis a crampy little bit of a hole, but it will conceal all three of us.Let's work Ted in there first."
This they proceeded to do, though with intense stealth and no hurry.They got Ted out of sight under the ground, at last, then more speedilyconcealed themselves.
"Fine, Joe, fine!" cheered Halstead, in a chuckling whisper. "Ourchances of not being found have improved a hundred times!"
"If only Alvarez and his infernal crew will get away from this spot,"Joe whispered, in answer. "But the day that is beginning is absolutelythe last day to save Ted's fortune to him. If we trip up to-day thereisn't a chance of any kind left. He'll simply lose!"
Tom kept his face close enough to the opening in the ground so that hecould see outside for some little distance, and yet was sure that hehimself was enough in the shadow not to be seen from outside.
By the time that the sun was well up Don Emilio insisted on another keensearch. This time French and Gambon even trod through the edge of thethicket that had concealed the boys during the darkness. But the mouthof the hole under the hummock was still hidden from their eyes by otherbushes.
By the time that the sun had been up for some time quiet had fallen inthese woods. Tom and Joe might have felt tempted to make a sudden breakfor freedom, but the scratch of a match, not far away, warned them thatat least one watcher was still in hiding.
"I wonder what time it is," thought tormented Halstead, his mind everupon that fateful session of probate court over at Nantucket. He got hiswatch out, holding it before his face. Then he made an appallingdiscovery. He had forgotten to wind up the time-piece, and it had rundown.
"Your watch going, Joe?" the young skipper asked.
"No," Dawson whispered back, after a moment spent in investigation.
"This is a pretty fix. We can't even guess how much time we have left toget out of here and over to Nantucket."
It was not long after that a gentle sound attracted Halstead's notice tohis friend. Sleepless and worn out, Dawson had fallen into slumber.
"That'll be all right," thought Tom, "if only he doesn't snore. If hedoes, I'll have to hold his nose and pull him out of it."
As for Ted, the idea of making a snoring sound didn't seem to haveoccurred to him, or he would have tried it. Tom moved closer to thelittle fellow, that he might be at hand to prevent any such attempt tosend warning outside their cramped retreat.
Whizz-zz! It was an automobile going by at high speed. It passed and wasgone, almost at once, but the sound gave Tom a good idea how close theylay to the
road. Yet it was surely a lonely road, little traveled, fortime went dragging by without any other sound of travel.
"I'd feel starving if I weren't so fearfully anxious," thought Tom. "Joeis lucky that he can sleep. He'll forget how awfully hungry he is. Asfor poor Ted, his mixture of feelings must be something wonderful!"
In time, Halstead found himself fighting drowsiness. The very thoughtthat he might fall asleep so filled him with fright that he becamealertly awake. Slumber and a snore or two might be enough to break theirlast slim chance of winning out for the Dunstans.