CHAPTER IV
THE CHASE ON THE LAKE
"He means to give us as much of a chase as possible," remarkedTom, as he glanced over his shoulder. "If I remember rightly,Baxter was always a pretty fair oarsman."
"Yes, that was the one thing he could do well," returned Dick."But we ought to be able to catch him, Tom."
"We could if we had two pairs of oars. One pair can do just aboutso much and no more."
"Nonsense! Now, both together, and put all your muscle into it,"and Dick set a stiff stroke that his brother followed withdifficulty.
Baxter had been rowing down the lake, but as soon as he saw thathe was being pursued he changed his course for the east shore. Hewas settled to his work, and for several minutes it was hard totell whether he was holding his own or losing.
"Hurrah! we are catching up!" cried Dick, after pulling for fiveminutes. "Keep at it, Tom, and we'll have him before he is halfover."
"Gosh, but it's hot work!" came with a pant from Tom Rover. "Hemust be almost exhausted to row like that."
"He knows what he has at stake. He sees the prison cell staringhim in the face again. You'd do your best, too, if you were inhis place."
"I'm doing my best now, Dick. On we go!" and Tom renewed hisexertions. Dick set a faster stroke than ever, having caught hissecond wind, and the rowboat flew over the calm surface of thelake like a thing of life.
"Keep off!" The cry came from Baxter, while he was still ahundred yards from the eastern shore. "Keep off, or it will bethe worse for you!"
"We are not afraid of you, Baxter, and you ought to know it bythis time," answered Dick. "You may as well give in now as lateron."
"Give in! You must be crazy!"
"We are two to one, and you know what we have been able to do inthe past."
"Humph! I don't intend to go to jug again, and that is all thereis to it."
"Maybe you can't help yourself."
"We'll see about that. Are you--going to keep off or not?
"Don't ask foolish a question."
"You won't keep off?"
"No."
"If you don't I--I'll shoot you."
As Dan Baxter spoke he stopped rowing and brought from a hippocket a highly polished nickel-plated revolver.
"Do you see this?" he demanded, as he pointed the weapon towardthe Rover boys.
Both Dick and Tom were taken aback at the sight of the weapon.But they had seen such arms before, and had faced them,consequently they were not as greatly alarmed as they rightotherwise have been. They knew, too, that Dan Baxter was anotoriously bad shot.
"Put that up, Baxter," said Dick calmly. "It may only get youinto deeper trouble."
"I don't care!" said the bully recklessly. "I'm not going back tojail and that is all there, is to it!"
"You won't dare to shoot at us, and you know it," put in Tom, asthe two boats drifted closer together.
"I will, and don't you fool yourself on it."
"Drop those oars or I'll fire, as sure as my name is Dan Baxter,"and the revolver, which had been partly lowered, was raised asecond time.
It must be confessed that Dick and Tom were much disconcerted.The two rowboats were now less than fifty feet apart, and any kindof a shot from the weapon was likely to prove more or lessdangerous. Baxter's eyes gleamed with the hatred of an angrysnake ready to strike.
"You think you are smart, you Rover boys," said the bully, afteran awkward pause all around. "You think you did a big thing inrescuing Dora Stanhope and in putting me and my father and BuddyGirk in prison. But let me tell you that this game hasn't come toan end yet, and some day we intend to square accounts."
"There is no use in wasting breath in this fashion, Baxter,"returned Dick, as calmly as he could. "We are two to one, and thebest thing to do is for you to submit. If you fire on us, we maydo a little shooting on our own account."
"Humph! Do you imagine you can scare me in that fashion? Youhaven't any pistol, and I know it. If you had you would havedrawn the weapon long ago."
At this Dick bit his lip. "Don't be too sure," he said steadily,as the boats drifted still closer together. "The minute I heardyou had escaped from jail I went and bought a pistol inCedarville." This was the strict truth, but Dick did not add thatthe weapon lay at that moment safe in the bottom of his trunk atthe Hall.
"Got afraid I'd come around, eh?"
"I knew there was nothing like becoming prepared. Now will you--"
Dick did not have time to finish, for, lowering the front end ofthe pistol, Dan Baxter pulled the trigger twice and two reportsrang out in quick succession. One bullet buried itself in theseat beside Tom, while the second plowed its way through thebottom, near the stern.
"You villain!" cried Dick, and in his excitement hurled his oar atDan Baxter, hitting the fellow across the fact with such forcethat the bully's nose began to bleed. The shock made Baxter losehis hold on the pistol and it went over the side of his craft andsank immediately to the bottom of the lake.
"My, but that was a close shave!" muttered Tom, as he gazed at thehole through the seat. "A little closer and I would have got itin the stomach."
A yell now came from Sam, and a shriek from the girls, all of whomhad heard the pistol shots. They were too far away to see theresult of the shooting and feared both Tom and Dick had beenkilled or wounded.
As quickly as he could recover from the blow of the oar, DanBaxter picked up his own blades, and without paying attention tothe blood which was flowing from his nose, began once again topull for the shore.
"Come on, his pistol is gone!" shouted Dick, and then his facefell. "Confound it, I've thrown away my oar! There it goes!" Andhe pointed some distance to their left.
"That isn't the worst of it!" groaned Tom. "Look at that hole inthe bottom, made by that pistol shot. The water is coming in justas fast as it can."
There was small need to call attention to it, for the water in thebottom of the boat was already an inch deep. Dick started inperplexity, then, struck by a sudden idea, drew a lead pencil fromhis pocket and rammed it into the opening. It fitted very well,and the water ceased, to come in.
"Now we'll have to bail out and pick up that other oar," said Tom."It was foolish to throw it away, Dick."
"I don't know about that. It deprived Baxter of his pistol.Paddle over, and I'll pick it up." Tom did so, and the blade wasspeedily recovered.
But Dan Baxter had made good use of the precious moments lost bythe Rover boys, and hardly were the latter into shape for rowingonce more than they saw the bully beach his craft and leap out onthe shore. "Good-by to you!" he cried mockingly. "I told youthat you couldn't catch me. The next time we meet I'll make yousorry that you ever followed me," and he started to run off withall possible speed.
Tom and Dick were too chagrined to answer him, and pulled forwardto the shore in silence. They ran the craft into some bushes andtied up, and then started after Baxter, who was now making for thewoods south of the village of Nelson.
When the highway skirting this portion of Cayuga Lake was gainedDan Baxter was a good five hundred feet ahead of them. A turn inthe road soon hid him from view. Gaining the bend they discoveredthat he had disappeared from view altogether.
"He has taken to the woods," sighed Dick.
"If that is so we may as well give the hunt up," answered hisbrother. "It would be worse than looking for a pin in a haystack,for we wouldn't know what direction he had taken."
"I wish I had a bloodhound with which to trail him. He ought tobe run down, Tom."
"Well, let us notify some of the people living near and see whatcan be done."
They ran on to the spot where they supposed Baxter had left thehighway. On both sides were dense thickets of cedars with heavyunderbrush. All in all, the locality formed an ideal hidingplace.
Night was coming on by the time they gained the nearest farmhouse.Here they found three men, to whom they explained the situation.All of the men smiled grimly.
"If he went into the woods it would be a hard job to trail him,"was the comment from Farmer Mason. "If he ain't careful he'lllose himself so completely he'll never git out, b'gosh!"
"Well, I don't know but what that would suit me," responded Tomdryly.
The search was begun, and several others joined in. It lasteduntil night was fairly upon the party and was then given up indisgust.
"It's no use," said Dick. "He has slipped us!"
"But we ought to notify the authorities," said Tom. "They willprobably put a detective on his track."
"Yes; but a detective can't do any more than we can, up in thiswild locality."
"He won't remain in the woods forever. He'll starve to death."
"Well, we can send the police a telegram from Cedarville."
This was done, and the Rover boys returned to Putnam Hall by wayof the side road leaving past the homes of the Stanhopes and theLanings. They found Sam and the girls very anxious concerningtheir welfare.
"We were afraid you had been shot," said Dora. "I am thankfulthat you escaped."
"So am I," put in Sam. "But it's too bad that Baxter got away. Iwonder where he will turn up next."
They all wondered, but could not even venture an answer. Soon theboys left the girls and hurried to the academy, where their story,had to be told over again. Captain Putnam looked exceedinglygrave over the narrative.
"You must be careful in the future, lads," he said. "Remember,you are in my care here. I do not know what your uncle would sayif anything should happen to you."
"We will be on our guard in the future," answered Dick. "But I amawfully sorry we didn't catch him."
"So am I. But perhaps the authorities will have better luck," andthere the talk came to an end, and the boys retired for the night.