Boy Scouts on Picket Duty

  CHAPTER IX

  DEEDS OF DARKNESS

  As yet, neither the soldiers nor the revenue men had appeared on thescene. In spite of his shrewd guess, Norton began to believe thatthe smugglers, having come to the conclusion that their bonfire wasnot necessary, after all---because they fondly imagined the _Petrel_was far away down the coast---would waste no more time trying toattract the cutter to that spot, but would proceed boldly, undercover of darkness, to run their goods from the cabins to the _Esperanza_.

  Such seemed to be Bego's decision, also; for as Roy, Billy, andAlec drew nearer, they heard the swarthy leader directing mostof his men to "shoulder arms and march over to Durgan's headquarters."

  Presently the group near the bonfire was diminished by the departureof eight or nine men, who picked their way gingerly over the unevenground, muttering directions to one another as they went Billy couldhardly restrain his impulse to follow them.

  At one time they passed so close to the ambushed pickets that thelatter could distinguish the words "after midnight" and "set theboy loose."

  "They're talking about Hugh," said Billy to himself, and his heartbeat fast with excitement. The words gave him assurance that hischum was alive, which was some comfort.

  "I think I'll just have to follow them," he mused a few momentslater; and telling Norton and Alec that he would be back very soon,he slipped away, trailing Bego's men, before Norton could preventhim from going.

  It would have been better for Billy had he remained in hiding; but hewas eager to know how Durgan and his confederates would manage to runtheir cargo on board the _Esperanza_, having no motor boat to use;and he was even more eager to find out what had become of Hugh.

  Without stopping longer, therefore, in the neighborhood of thebonfire, he hurried away toward the spot at which he had heard themen propose to run the cargo.

  He must have crept onward for ten minutes or so, when he head apistol fired.

  The shot was followed by two or three others in quick succession.

  This made him more than ever eager to find out what was happening.He doubled his speed. Fortunately, by mere chance, he had stumbledupon the very stretch of ground which he and Dave had traversedearlier in the day; the trail was fairly good, and he knew just howto proceed.

  All this while he had not seen a single person, and he had not beenseen by any of the smugglers.

  After a few minutes he heard more shots sounding much nearer, thenshouts and hoarse yells, mingled with the sharp staccato of pistolsand rifles. He felt sure that by this time the soldiers underLieutenant Driscoll had come up and were having a lively fight withthe outlaws, the latter trying to defend their property, and theformer to confiscate it.

  At any moment he expected to find that the men whom he was followingwere returning to the beach to join their comrades; but evidentlythey had received strict orders to go straight to the cabins, forthey went on, and he followed them. Now he availed himself of allthe knowledge of stalking and trailing which he had gained inscoutcraft games at Pioneer Camp.

  Which party, the soldiers or the smugglers, would succeed in theirobject seemed doubtful. The darkness was intense, and though Billypictured the whole scene, as yet he could not see anything except anoccasional spurt of flame as a revolver or rifle spat viciously.Even the forms of the men he was following had disappeared from view.This did not discourage him, for he was used to following a trail inthe dark.

  Still he stumbled onward, forgetting that bullets flying about wereno respecters of persons.

  At last he reached the top of a low mound whence he could see dimlya number of dark figures scurrying hither and thither. From theiractions and from the babel of shouts, commands, oaths and shootingthat came from the little clearing around the huts, he judged thatthey were engaged in a determined struggle.

  That the soldiers were having the best of it, he had no doubt. Itappeared to him that they had captured not only part of the intendedcargo but also some of Bego's men; while others, bolder villains,seemed to be trying to rescue their comrades.

  In his rejoicing over this turn of affairs, he gave a yell oftriumph---and just at that moment a bullet whizzed over his shoulder,almost searing his neck! The yell quavered on his lips, and hedropped down on his knees, which were trembling and knocking together.

  "Whew! that came pretty close to yours truly!" said Billy, speakingaloud as if he expected some one to hear him. "That's what might becalled being 'under fire,' and I don't like the sensation---not by along shot!"

  Even in moments of danger or of distress, Billy managed to see thefunny side of circumstances. He grinned now at his little joke, butall the while he was intently scanning the scene before him andwondering if he would be drawn into taking part in it. Also, he wasanxious to know where his friends were at that moment. Would theyjoin in the fray?

  Suddenly his eager gaze was shifted to a new quarter. He stared,wide-eyed and breathless.

  Out of the night, running like mad along the shore and across theacres of sand and clay and mud, came a body of men armed with rifles.They were making directly toward the scene of conflict as fast asthey could find their difficult way.

  "Who are they? Where have they come from?" Billy wondered.

  And then, like a flash, he understood. "Oh!" he gasped. "Oh, I know,I know now! They're the men from the _Petrel_! Marines, Iguess---if that's what you call 'em."

  It was true; the new arrivals were the Revenue Service men, and asit chanced, they had come just in the nick of time. For Joe Durgan,Branks, Harry Mole, Max, the villainous half-breed, and others at thehuts, were being reinforced by Bego's followers who had hurried upfrom the bonfire; and they were beating back the soldiers, whom theynow outnumbered.

  Suddenly Billy heard another yell, a wild, eerie, shrill call, andDave, leading Norton and the Boy Scouts, sprang from their boatwhich had crept up to the farther side of the clearing, and dashedforward to meet the crew of the _Petrel_.

  Recognizing them even in the darkness---which now began to be relievedby stray gleams of moonlight struggling out of the clouds---therevenue men turned to the left under Dave's guidance, and took ashort-cut, coming up in the rear of the battle.

  Alone on the little mound, Billy realized that he was separated fromhis reunited scout friends and their allies by a small mob ofdesperately fighting men. He was cut off from the rest by reasonof Dave's having steered the boat along a watercourse of which he,Billy, knew nothing; in fact, he had lost his bearings and knew notin which direction the improvised camp lay.

  However, the conflict before him absorbed his thoughts and left himno time to worry about his own predicament. He was still wonderinghow the revenue men had happened to arrive at a critical time.

  The explanation was as follows:

  Unknown to Billy or to any of his friends, the _Petrel_ had steamedfull speed to Palmetto Key; and Captain Vinton, sighting the cutterfrom the deck of the concealed _Arrow_, had signaled to her captain,telling him just where to land his men. This accounted for theirunexpected arrival, which soon turned the tide of battle in theirfavor.

  Creeping forward, Billy saw the smugglers fleeing in all directions,after setting fire to the two smaller cabins. As they ran, theyexchanged shots with the soldiers and the revenue men; but, owingto the gloom, these shots failed to take much effect, beyond slightlywounding their captors. Fired on in turn, they ran toward the beach,past their smouldering bonfire, near which their boat was drawn upon the sands waiting to take them back to the _Esperanza_.

  The light of the blazing huts now illumined the scene, and in theglow, Norton caught sight of Billy running toward them. He hailedthe lad with a shout:

  "Hi! Hurry up, Billy! Where have you been all this time?"

  "Watching the fight!" shouted Billy, whose voice sounded doleful."Wishing I could butt into it earlier! Come on, come on! We'rechasing 'em!"

  "Hold on!" Norton exclaimed loudly. "We've had about enough of this.Here we'll stay, my boy, and let our bett
er-armed friends capturethe gang. When they get to their boat it will be a case of 'firstcome, first served' to get away. Most of them'll be caught andcaptured. Meanwhile, it's up to us to find Hugh. He must be inthat largest shanty there, unless-----"

  "Come on!" yelled Billy, seeing his brother scouts already commencingthe search.

  He dashed over to the remaining shanty and flung himself againstthe door.

  "Hugh, Hugh!" he called. "Are you in there?"

  No answer---only the roaring and crackling of the flames as theydevoured the old walls and crumbling roof of the nearby abandoneddwellings.

  "Hugh!" shouted Alec and Chester, banging on the door, while Markran around the cabin, looking in vain for a window or other meansof entrance.

  The door gave way and the three scouts rushed in, followed by Norton.

  Dave stood in the doorway, his lanky form with the red glare of thefire behind it casting a grotesque shadow on the interior wall ofthe cabin. He remained there on guard, lest any of the smugglersshould return.

  Alec struck a match. Its sputtering flame lighted the single room,dispelling the shadows for a brief moment. Anxiously they allpeered around the dingy shanty.

  "Hugh, where are you?" said Billy in a hoarse whisper. "Are youhere? Can't you speak?"

  Still no answer.

  Then Alec's match went out.

  "Have you another match?" asked Norton.

  Like Billy's, his voice was husky. A vague dread seemed to seizehim, weighing down upon him like a tangible thing.

  "Yes," said Alec. "Here's one more---the last."

  Again he struck a light and a hasty search was made. Every momentwas precious.

  In vain. The cabin was empty.