CHAPTER XIX
THE SEARCH FOR THE SCHOONER
"Anyway, we have got the name of the schooner," remarked Sam, after amoment of silence. "She's the Ellen Rodney."
"And we ought to be able to follow her somehow," added Tom.
"We must!" cried Dick. "Let us get to shore and see what we can do."
"Don't we get that dollar?" queried one of the boys who rowed theboat.
"Yes," answered Dick, and handed the money over. "Now get us to shoreas quickly as possible."
"If you want to catch that schooner, why don't you go downtown afterher?" asked the second boy of the rowboat.
"Just what I was thinking of doing," answered Dick. "I think we canget down there ahead of them. The only question is, Can we get anybodydown there to go out after the schooner?"
"You can get a boat at the Battery, if you're willing to pay for it.Plenty of tug captains down there looking for jobs."
"Then we'll get to the Battery as fast as possible," said Tom.
The boys who had been rowing the boat were tired, so Tom and Dick tookthe oars, and thus the little craft was speedily brought back to thedock from which it had started.
"You can get an elevated train over there," said one of the boys,pointing with his hand. "It will take you right to the Battery."
The Rover boys lost no time in leaving the dock and crossing therailroad tracks. Then they fairly ran to the nearest station of theelevated railroad. Dick purchased the tickets and dropped them in thebox. Then came a wait of several minutes on the platform.
"Train for South Ferry!" called out the guard, as a rumble was heard.
"Does that go to the Battery?" questioned Dick.
"Sure."
The boys piled on board and away swept the line of cars, on the waydowntown. But it was a local train, making all the stops, so theirprogress was not as fast as they wished.
Here and there, through the cross streets, they caught sight of theglistening river, with its numerous craft. Once Tom thought he saw theEllen Rodney, but at that distance he could not be sure.
At last the train swept around a curve into the Battery, as the littlepark at the extreme lower point of the great metropolis is called.Here were located several ferries and also some shipping offices, aswell as the Aquarium. Dick almost ran to the nearest shipping office.
"I want to stop a schooner that is coming down the Hudson River," hesaid, to the clerk in charge. "Can I hire a boat around here to takeme out?"
"Anything wrong?" asked the clerk, curiously.
"Yes, very much wrong."
"In that case, why don't you put the harbor police on the job?"
"Can I get them handy?"
"Yes, the office is up there," and the man pointed it out.
"Thanks," returned Dick, and headed for the place in question, withTom and Sam at his heels.
An officer was in charge of the office of the harbor police and helistened with interest to what the boys had to tell.
"This is certainly a serious matter," he said, when they had finished."Those men are actually kidnapping your father--in fact, they havealready kidnapped him. We'll have to get after them."
"You have a boat handy?"
"Yes, several of 'em."
The officer touched a bell and another man in uniform appeared. He wasgiven some instructions, and then the second man told the Rover boysto follow him. He led the way to a dock where a steam tug lay, thesmoke pouring from the funnel.
"Quick work here, Andy!" he cried, to an officer on board. "We've gotto catch a schooner coming down the river--the Ellen Rodney. Do youknow her?"
"I've seen her," was the answer, from the tug officer.
"The fellows on board the schooner are kidnapping the father of theseboys. I reckon it's a serious case--a money affair," he added, in alower tone.
"Who is the man?"
"Anderson Rover is his name. If you find him, and the boys make acharge, place all hands under arrest."
"I will."
The steam tug was fully manned, carrying a crew and several policeofficers. The Rover boys were told to get aboard, and the tug washeaded out into the Hudson, or, as here called, the North, River.
"You don't suppose they have passed here, do you?" questioned thecaptain of the tug.
"I don't think so--unless that towing tug was an extra fast one,"answered Dick.
"They wouldn't dare to run too fast, with so many ferryboats crossingthe river. It would be too dangerous."
The police tug swept out into the bay and then started slowly up theriver, moving from one shore to the other. The police officer incharge had a pair of glasses and he used these on the various craftthat came into view, and also allowed the boys to use them.
"Ought to be along soon," said Tom, after a quarter of an hour hadpassed. "It took us quite some time to get down here, you know."
"Maybe they didn't come down the river," suggested the officer.
"Didn't come down?" cried Sam. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe they thought you would come down here and wait for them and sochanged their plans and went up the river instead."
"That's so!" exclaimed Tom. "They might do that."
"Well, if they went up the river, we ought to be able to catch themsooner or later," put in Dick.
"Let us hope so," returned the officer.
Soon they had passed up the river to a point opposite the Twenty-thirdStreet ferries. Here a number of boats were moving up and down thestream, and from the Hoboken shore a big trans-Atlantic steamer wascoming out, to start on its trip across the ocean.
"That looks like her!" cried Sam, pointing to a craft behind thetrans-Atlantic steamer.
"So it does!" returned Tom.
They made a semi-circle, other boats giving way to the police tug. Butwhen they got closer to the schooner in question, all the Rover boysuttered a cry of dismay. It was a craft similar to the Ellen Rodney,but that was all.
"Either we missed her or else the schooner went up the river," saidDick, at last.
"Looks that way," returned Tom, with a sigh.
They continued to move up the stream, scanning each shore closely.They passed numerous boats, but not one that looked like the craftthey were after.
"Well, here we are, at the spot where Crabtree and Pelter got aboard,"said Dick, a while later. "So, either we have missed them, or else theEllen Rodney went up the river instead of down."
The boys were much disheartened, for they had thought that the policetug would surely locate the craft and that they would thus be able tocome to their father's rescue. They scarcely knew what to do next.
"I'll go up the river a bit further, if you say so," said the policeofficer in charge of the tug.
"Perhaps we had better run down first and make another search on oursecond trip," suggested Dick. "I shouldn't like them to get out intothe Bay and give us the slip."
The tug was turned back, and a little later they reached the vicinityof the Battery once more. Then began another search up the river, fromshore to shore, as before. But not a trace of the schooner could befound.
"Must have gone up the river," said the police official. "We'll try itfor a way and see."
This they did, the police tug moving from side to side as before.
"This is the end of it, so far as we are concerned," said the officerin charge of the tug, at last. "We don't go up the river any furtherthan this."
"All right then," answered Dick, much disheartened. "I guess the onlything for you to do is to put us ashore."
"Sorry we couldn't find that schooner. Of course, if you'll make aregular charge against these men we'll send word up the river to be onthe lookout for them."
"We'll make the charge," answered Dick.
The steam tug turned in on the New York City side and the Rover boyswent ashore.
"I'll make the regular charge a little later," said Dick. "It may bethat I'll have some men in the city arrested first." And then he andhis brothers moved off, after rece
iving instructions from the policeofficial as to what might be best to do.
"Are you going to have Japson arrested?" asked Sam.
"If I can find him. But I guess he'll keep out of sight for thepresent, Sam. You must remember one thing--these rascals only want tokeep dad a prisoner for three days. After that they will let himgo--and then it will be too late to save that property."
"Would that be so if we could prove that dad had been kept aprisoner?" asked Tom, with much anxiety.
"I don't know. Another thing, they may make dad sign certain papers.Don't you remember Pelter said over the telephone that he would 'makehim do it'? They'll force father into something--if they can."
"Well, what's our next move?" asked Sam, impatiently.
"As it is after noon, we had better visit a quick lunch room and get abit to eat. Then I think we had better hire some private tug to takeus up the river. I am almost certain now that the Ellen Rodney wentthat way."
"If she went up the river she might go all the way to Albany," saidTom.
"Possibly, but I think those rascals would be too afraid to do that.They'll leave the schooner at the first chance they get, and takefather with them."
The boys did not have to walk far before they came to a small shedlikebuilding displaying the sign, "Quick Lunch." They entered and orderedsome sandwiches, pie, and coffee. While they were eating theyquestioned the proprietor about some craft to take them up the river.
"We are hunting for a schooner," explained Dick. "We don't know justwhere she is. We'll pay somebody well for finding her for us."
"I know a young fellow who owns a motor-boat," said the quick lunchman. "He could take you anywhere you'd want to go."
"Just the thing!" cried Dick, quickly. "Where is that fellow?"
"He ought to be here now--he generally comes in about noon forsandwiches and coffee."
"I wish he would come now," murmured Sam.
After that they did not hurry their lunch, hoping the owner of themotor-boat would appear. He came in ten minutes later--a bright,cheery individual, not much older than Dick.
"Sure I can take you anywhere along the river, if you are willing topay for it," said he, in answer to a question from the oldest Roverboy. "Just give me time to get a mouthful and I will be with you."
"Let us take some lunch along," suggested Tom. "There is no tellinghow long this search will last."
"We might take a little," answered Dick. "But I don't think we'll beon the river long."
Ten minutes later the crowd was on the way to the river, to a dockwhere lay the motor-boat. It was not a very elegant craft, but it hada good engine and could travel well--and that, just then, meanteverything to the Rover boys. A bargain was struck for the run, andthe boys and the owner got aboard. And then the search for theschooner was begun anew.