Fritz to the Front, or, the Ventriloquist Scamp-Hunter

  CHAPTER VIII.

  ADRIFT.

  At first Fritz had no idea of what could have happened, but it did nottake him long to come to one conclusion on the matter, that he hadbeen captured at night, thrust into the frail boat, and sent adrift onthe ocean. Who had been the authors of the job? There could be nodoubt in his mind about that.

  The Greyvilles--or the Greggs, as he believed they were--were anxiousto have him leave the neighborhood, and had probably, through theiragents, caused his removal in this very promiscuous manner.

  By an effort he sat up in the little boat and gazed around him. He wasnow some distance from the beach, beyond the white-capped breakers,and, as the tide was receding, the frail craft was of course driftingfarther and farther from land each moment, a reflection that mighthave caused any one a start, while to Fritz, bound and helpless, itwas the next thing to being alarming.

  "Vel, py shimminy dunder!" was his exclamation, as he gazed dolefullyaround him. "Off I don'd vas in a duyfel off a fix, den I don'd vant acent. They've come von cute game ofer me, und I'll bet a half-dollar Igo down der same throat vot Jonah did--der w'ale's. Vonder vich vonoff dem vellers put up der shob on me? I'd like to punch his nose.Reckon id vas dot veller whose eyes I placked mit Jersey plue up atder pig-nic. I vonder vot der plazes a veller can do, anyhow?"

  There was a sorry prospect for his being able to do anything muchtoward helping himself from the unenviable situation in which he hadbeen placed. He was unable to use his hands or feet, and was,therefore, helpless and at the mercy of the wild waters over which hewas drifting.

  Did he have the use of hands and feet he was not yet out of danger,for the boat was without oars and the distance to the land was sogreat as to make it a daring attempt to breast the outgoing tide in astruggle to reach the shore by swimming.

  Still, it seemed the only hope for him, if by any way he could freehimself of the straps which bound him, and he was not the one todespair without first proving to his satisfaction that it was theonly thing left for him to do.

  Therefore he set to work industriously in an attempt to loosen thebonds from his hands. Luckily they were not bound behind his back,which was one advantage, as he could use his teeth upon them.

  But, being leather straps, he made slow headway, nibbling at the straparound his hand; but little by little it yielded, so that after awhilea violent wrench broke it asunder, and his hands were free.

  "Py shimminy, dot ish goot, anyhow," he muttered, making haste tounloosen his feet. "Now, der next t'ings is somedings else. How ish Igoing to got pack mit der shore?"

  It was an all-important question.

  The boat was perhaps a mile farther from shore than when he first hadestimated the distance.

  "I don'd know vedder I can swum dot furder or not," he muttered,doubtfully. "But subbosin' der whale, or der duyfel-fish, catch 'oldmit mine pootleg, und suck me in under der vater. Vot a duyfel o' afix I'd be in den. Off I only had some paddles, I vould haff nodroubles getting to shore vid der poat."

  He was in the midst of these reflections when he heard a shout fartherout at sea, and for the first time beheld dimly a dusky objectfloating in the water not far ahead of him.

  "Hello! who you vas, und vot you vant?" Fritz shouted, in answer.

  "I am a poor devil more or less drowned, and can't hang on to thisbarrel much longer. Be you man or devil, for Heaven's sake hurry alongwith your boat."

  "All righd. I vil pe dere in der sweedness py-und-py. Keep a stiffupper lip, und I'll got you soon," the young detective replied,heartily. "Dere's nodding like hang-on at der critical minute."

  Kneeling, and leaning over the front part of the boat, he used hishands as propellers, and in this way was able to improve the slowprogress of his light craft to some extent, and in a few moments wasalongside the barrel, on top of which a drenched human was balancinghimself.

  At a glance Fritz perceived who it was.

  "Hartly!" he exclaimed, in surprise.

  "Yes, what's left of me," the sentenced smuggler replied, clamberinginto the boat. "Thank Heaven you came along just as you did, for mygripe wouldn't hold out much longer."

  "Vel, I should dink not. I'd giffen you up ash dead. How ish it dotyou don'd vas kilt by der smugglers?"

  "It is no fault of theirs," Hartly replied, grimly. "They chucked meunder night afore last, miles out at sea, supposing my hands and feetwere bound, and a heavy stone tied to my head. But while they wererowing me out, I contrived to loosen up matters, so that I was reallyfree the minute I struck water. But I went under all the same todeceive them. When they headed for shore I arose to the surface, andafter swimming about until nearly exhausted, I caught onto this emptycask, which has in one sense been my salvation. By the tides I havebeen carried quite near to the shore, but my lower limbs being numb byremaining so long in the water, I dared not attempt to swim ashore,and the outgoing tide has carried me out again--not so far as itwould, however, if I had not struggled shoreward constantly. But howcome you out here, in this frail shell, without even oars?"

  Fritz explained as far as he had known, and Hartly scowled.

  "There'll be a reckoning for some one," he said, "if I ever succeed ingetting ashore. But there's not much prospect of that, unless we canget some oars, or something to pull ashore with. The tide will beginto ebb in before a great while, too."

  "I haff von idea," Fritz said. "Uff ve can got der parrel apart, wemight do somedings vid der staves--vot you t'ink apoud _dot_?"

  "Good idea. We can easily get the staves."

  Hartly drew the barrel up alongside the boat, and soon had it knockedto pieces, and four of the staves secured.

  "Now, then, for shore," he cried. "When we get there, I will leaveyou, on business, for a few hours, after which I will join you, and wewill work together against the Gregg gang. We will paddle to land onthe lower side of the bluff, as it wouldn't be particularly healthyfor me to land in front of the village. You can, and in fact, hadbetter keep shady, in the vicinity of the old rookery on the bluff,and I will join you, as soon as possible."

  Accordingly they paddled as rapidly toward the beach as their strengthwould permit. By the time it was daybreak they had landed below thebluff.

  Here they drew the light boat up on the beach, and Hartly said:

  "I'll leave you now, but will return, in the course of a few hours."

  "All righd. I vil remain in der neighborhood," Fritz replied, and thenthe young smuggler clambered up the side of the bluff, and was soongone from view.

  "I vonder vot dot veller ish oop to, now," Fritz muttered, after hehad gone. "Der is somet'ing he vas goin' to do, vot he ain'dpurticular apoud my knowing somedings apoud. I have haff a notion dothe ain'd vos so nice a veller vot I firsd t'ought, und I vouldn't pemuch surprised if he vould give me avay off he got a chance. But, oh!I'll keep watch of him! I've got der smugglers und der kidnapperspotted, und I'll bet a half-dollar id don'd vas be some centuriestill I get 'em trapped. In der meantime, der is somet'ing I vant toinvestigate."

  This was something he had noticed as he and Hartly had paddled in tothe shore from the ocean.

  In about the center of the bluff, at the water's edge, as it faced theopen Atlantic, was a dark hole of considerable size, which looked asif it might lead to a cavern in the hill.

  If Hartly knew of its existence, he had kept it a secret, but ourGerman detective had noticed it, and resolved to see where theaperture led to.

  Under any other circumstances he would not have given it a secondthought, but the fact that the smugglers held out in this vicinity--ofwhich he now had no doubt--gave that hole in the bluff more thanordinary significance.

  Jumping into the boat he paddled off once more into the water, andheaded toward the front of the bluff.

  Not knowing what danger he might unexpectedly run into, he had drawnhis revolver, which, strangely enough his captors had not taken fromhim, and placed it on the stern seat beside him.

  Working silently but steadily along the face of th
e bluff, which wasquite perpendicular, he soon came before the aperture, and headed hisboat into it.

  * * * * *

  Mr.--or, as he styled himself, Honorable--Granby Greyville sat in hisprivate study this same morning, engaged in smoking a cigar, as herocked in an easy-chair and gazed out through an open glass door uponthe pretty lawn.

  That his thoughts were of an unpleasant nature was evident by a frownwhich disfigured his florid countenance.

  And this frown did not lessen, but rather increased as there suddenlyappeared in the doorway no less a wild-looking personage than SillySue, whom Fritz had encountered upon the beach.

  She made a grimace and sort of a jerky bow as she saw his honor, andthen stood staring at him in a strange manner.

  "Well!" he growled, angrily, "what brings you here?"

  "What allus brings me?" she replied, with a chuckle. "I want to comeback and play up high-cockolorum, like my big-feelin' sister. S'posethat's silly, too, ain't it, daddy?"

  "No more so than your accursed obstinacy, you fool!" was the severereply. "You well know the only terms that can ever restore you as amember of my family."

  "But I won't accept 'em!"

  "Then clear out. You shall never be anything to me till you surrenderthe stolen money."

  "Bah! it ain't yours! You're a bad, wicked man, and you got itwickedly, and get all your wealth wickedly, and the more you get thewickeder you get. Get out! I'd cut my head off, silly's I am, beforeI'd give you up the money."

  "Curses on your mulishness!"

  "Ha! ha! I know you cherish the most fatherly regard for me. If itwasn't for the hope that I will some day restore you your lost tenthousand you'd had me drowned months ago. By the way, old man, whathave you done with my feller?"

  "Your fellow?"

  "Yes--Hal Hartly."

  "How should I know anything about him?"

  "Who should know better? Oh! you wicked monster!"

  "Take care, girl!"

  "No, I won't take care!" and her eyes flashed in defiance of hisanger. "I ain't a bit afraid of you, because I can outrun any dog inthe town. I know what's become of Hal. Your tools took him out andchucked him under. But, ha! ha! he's all right!"

  Greyville started a little.

  "What foolishness is this of yours?"

  "Oh! only silliness, of course," and she laughed loudly. "But Hal'sall right, and, now that his scruples have had a pickle, I allow he'llcome around to my cherished plan, and we'll make it warm for you!"

  "What! you dare to threaten _me_?"

  "Didn't I tell you I'd go for you if you didn't reform? Well, I mustbe off. How's my stately sister? How's the countess? Ha! ha! ha! shoother. She's an old hag, with a glass eye and false teeth. The futureMrs. G! Bah! and such a model private excursion steamer, too! Still,it serves its purpose. I'm off now--just come up to spice yourbreakfast. Better mend your ways. The way of the transgressor is hard.By-by! Yours, truly, Silly Sue!"

  And then, with a wild laugh, she vanished.