CHAPTER XIX
BLENT IS MASTER
Ruth was truly frightened, and so was her chum. Could it be possible thatthose rough men dared fire their guns at Jerry Sheming? Or was the poorboy foolish enough to try to frighten his pursuers off with the weaponswhich Ruth very well knew he had in the cave with him?
"Oh, I'm glad Mr. Tingley's here to-day," cried Busy Izzy. "He'll givethat Lem Daggett what's coming to him--that's what _he'll_ do!"
"Hope so," agreed Tom, grimly.
The latter brought the iceboat into the wind near the shore, and Isadoredropped the sail again. They all tumbled out and ran up the bank. A littleclimb brought them to the plateau where they could see all that was goingon near the rock on which Ruth and Tom had left the mattock the eveningbefore.
Lem Daggett had four men with him--all rough-looking fellows, and armedwith rifles. Jerry Sheming was standing half-leg deep in the runningstream, his hands over his head, and the men were holding him under themuzzles of their guns.
"Why! it beats the 'wild and woolly'!" gasped Tom Cameron. "Silver Ranchand Bullhide weren't as bad as this. The scoundrels!"
"Come out o' that brook, Jerry, or it'll be the wuss for ye." Lem Daggettdrawled, standing on the flat rock and grinning at his captive.
"What do you want of me?" demanded the fugitive, sullenly.
"You know well enough. Oh, I got a warrant for ye, all right. Ev'rything'sall right an' proper. Ye know Rufe Blent don't make no mistakes. He's gotye."
"An' here he comes now!" ejaculated another of the rough men, lookingtoward the east end of the island.
The four hurrying young folk looked back. Driving hastily from the lodge,and behind Mr. Tingley and Preston, came a heavy sleigh drawn by a pair ofhorses. Rufus Blent and a driver were in it.
But Mr. Tingley approached first, and it was plain by a single glance athis face that he was angry.
"What's all this shooting about?" he demanded. "Don't you men know thatCliff Island is private property? You are trespassing upon it."
"Oh, I guess we're within our rights, boss," said Lem Daggett, laughing."I'm the constable. And these here are helpers o' mine. We was arter abird, and we got him."
"A warrant from a justice of the peace does not allow you to go out withguns and rifles and shoot over private property," declared Mr. Tingley,angrily. "Be off with you--and don't you dare come to this island againwithout permission."
"Hold on, thar!" yelled Rufus Blent, leaping from the sleigh with moreagility than one would have given him credit for. "You air oversteppin'the line, Mr. Tingley. That officer's in the right."
"No, he's not in the right. He'd never be in the right--hunting a boy withan armed posse. I should think you and these other men would be ashamed ofyourselves."
"You look out, Mr. Tingley," warned Blent, hotly. "You're a stranger inthese parts. You try to balk me and you'll be sorry."
"Why?" demanded the city man, quite as angrily. "Are you the law and theprophets here, Mr. Blent?"
"I know my rights. And if you want to live in peace here, keep out o' myway!" snarled the real estate man.
"You old scoundrel!" exclaimed Mr. Tingley, stepping swiftly toward him."Get off Cliff Island--and get off quick. I'd spend a thousand dollars toget a penny's worth of damages from you. I'll sue you in the civil courtsfor trespass if you don't go--and go quick!
"Don't think I went blindly into the transaction that gave me title tothis island. I know all about your withholding the right to 'treasuretrove,' and all that. But it doesn't give you the right to trespass here.Get out--and take your gang with you--or I'll have suit begun against youat once."
Old Blent was troubled, but he had one good hold and he knew it. Heshouted to Lem Daggett:
"Serve that warrant, Lem, and come along. Bring that young rascal. I'llfix him."
"Let me read that warrant!" exclaimed Mr. Tingley, suddenly.
"No, ye don't!" yelled Blent. "Don't let him take it into his hand. Readit aloud to him. But make that pesky young Sheming come ashore first.Before ye know it, he'll be runnin' away ag'in."
The men who "covered" Jerry motioned him to step up to the bank. Theylooked so threatening that he obeyed. Daggett produced a legal lookingpaper. He read this aloud, blunderingly, for he was an illiterate man.
Its contents were easily gathered, however. Squire Keller had signed thewarrant on complaint of Rufus Blent. Jerry was accused of having stolenseveral boxes of ammunition and a revolver. The property had been found inan old shed at Logwood where the boy had slept for a few nights after hehad first been driven from Cliff Island.
"Why, this is an old story, Blent," ejaculated Mr. Tingley, angrily. "Theboy left that shed months ago. He came directly to the island, when Ihired him, from the neighborhood of Lumberton, and Preston assures me hehasn't been to Logwood since arriving."
"You can tell all that in court," snarled Blent, waving his hand. "If he'sgot witnesses to clear him, I guess they'll be given a chance to testify."
"You're a villain!" declared the city man.
"Lemme tell you something, Mr. Tingley. There's a law to punish callin'folks out o' their names! I know the law, an' don't you forgit it. Comehere, you, Jerry Sheming! Git in this sleigh. And you, too, Lem. You otherfellers can come back to Logwood and I'll pay ye as I agreed."
Ruth had, meanwhile, met Jerry when he came ashore. She seized his handand, almost in tears, told him how sorry she was he was captured.
"Don't you mind, Miss Ruth. He's bound to git me out of the way if hecan," whispered Jerry. "Rufe Blent is _all_ the law there is in Logwood, Iguess."
"But Mr. Tingley will help you."
"Maybe. But if Blent can't prove this hatched up business against me,he'll keep right on persecuting me, if I don't light out. An' I believe Ifound something, Miss Ruth."
"Your uncle's money?"
"I wouldn't say that. But I was goin' to break into another little cave ifI'd got hold of that mattock. The mouth is under the debris that fell withthe landslide. It was about where Uncle Pete said he hid his treasure box.Poor Uncle Pete! Losin' that box was what sent him off his head complete,like."
This had been said too low for the others to hear. But now Daggett cameforward and clamped his big paw on Jerry's shoulder.
"Come along, you!" commanded the constable, jerking his prisoner towardthe sledge.
"Oh, isn't it a mean, mean shame?" cried Helen Cameron.
"Wish that old Blent was my size," grumbled Busy Izzy, clenching his fistsand glaring at the real estate man.
"I wish I could do something at the present moment to help you, Sheming,"said Mr. Tingley, his expression very angry. "But don't be afraid. Youhave friends. I shall come right over to Keller's court, and I shall hirea lawyer to defend you."
"You kin do all ye like," sneered Blent, as the sledge started with theprisoner. "But I'll beat ye. And ye'll pay for tryin' to balk me, too."
"Don't you be too loose with your threats, Rufe," sang out Preston, theforeman. "If anything happens over here on the island--any of Mr.Tingley's property is destroyed--we'll know who to look to for damages."
"Yah!" snarled Blent, and drove away.
The fact remained, however, that, for the time being at least, Rufus Blentwas master of the situation.