CHAPTER VI
A STARTLING INTERRUPTION
"Whee!" exclaimed Josh, hardly able to believe his ears when he heardthe fat boy make this astonishing declaration so positively.
George also expressed more or less surprise, though from the look onhis face it was evident that he was beginning to guess something inconnection with what his "crew" was stating.
Jack immediately took Buster in hand. It was the only way of making himtell all he knew, without forever "beating about the bush," and givinghimself lots of airs; for Buster seldom found himself in the center ofthe stage; and when such an event did come along he wished to make themost of it. What boy, wouldn't, tell me?
"See here," Jack went on to say, "you want to tell us all about that,now, Buster; because you've just made a startling statement; and we hopeyou can back it up. How could you see that boat, and none of the rest ofus notice it; tell us that in the first place."
"Shucks! that's easy enough, fellers," replied the other, bent onmaking the most of his advantage. "Tell you how that was. You mayremember that George found himself away ahead, near the close of therun; and as George, he doesn't like to hold up even a little bit, whatdid he do but spin away over to the other shore, and go down that, sayabout five miles above the upper end of this blooming old island."
"Oh! get a move on, old Ice-Wagon; you're as slow as molasses inwinter!" groaned impulsive George; whereupon the fat boy turneddeliberately toward him to say:
"Who's telling this story, me or you, George Rollins? If I am, then youjust keep your hands off, and let me spin the yarn my own way. Don'texpect me to be a whirlwind like you, for I ain't built that way; you'rea match, and I'm a----"
"Tub; but never mind, Buster, please go on!" urged Josh.
"Well, of course George, he had his head stuck down close to his engine,watching every stroke it made, and couldn't see anything, only when hebobbed up every little while to tell me how to steer. And we went infairly close to the shore. All at once, in a snug little cove behind atongue of high land, I saw the boat. She was anchored there; and firstthing I saw was a young feller, just like that paper tells on, asittin'on the gunnel, and directin' a heavy-set chap, who was in jumpers, andlooked like he was the engineer, deck hand and crew all rolled in one;he seemed to be mendin' the engine, or doin' something like that."
"But how was it you didn't call the attention of George to the boat?"asked Jack.
"It was cruelty to animals, that's what," echoed Josh, "because, thinkhow joyful it'd make our chum to know that other people had their enginetroubles as well as him?"
"Oh! he did tell me to look," admitted George just then, nodding hishead, "but we were going so very fast, you know, that when I did get myhead up it was just too late; I had a glimpse of the tip-end of somesort of boat in that cove he mentions; and then the bully littleWireless flipped by like a streak of light. Give you my word for it,fellows, we must have been flying along at the rate of nearly twentymiles per just then, current and all."
"Ah! rats!" ejaculated some one, and George did not know who had spoken,for the voice seemed to come from anywhere; but he just glared around,and then, shaking his head menacingly, he muttered:
"Better not be so plain next time, whoever said that; or it might bringon trouble. I c'n stand nearly anything about myself, but I won't hearmy pet boat sneered at. Yes, it was all of twenty miles, understand!"and he again looked at Andy, Buster and Josh, as though daring any oneto express another doubt.
"Well," said Jack, "here's some fun for us, now. If that description ofthe robber launch holds good; and Buster didn't see something thatwasn't there, then it seems that we've got the thieves, and all theirplunder, here within five miles of us right now. That's interesting, iftrue, as the papers say."
George began to grow excited.
"Get that gun of yours ready, Jack, the trusty old Marlin that has stoodbetween us and trouble many a time!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet,as though in a frame of mind to go rushing off, pell-mell, on somereckless errand.
"What for?" asked the more cautious Herb.
"Why, don't it look like it's up to us to surround that pirate craft,and capture the bold burglars? Remember what we did once before whencruising down this same old Mississippi! And then again, there was thatstunt we pulled off up among the Thousand Islands later on. Ain't youmeaning to take a hand in this thing, Jack?"
"Oh! I don't know," replied the other, carelessly. "I really don't seewhy we should be called on to take the place of a sheriff's posse everylittle while, and risk our precious lives. None of our folks that I knowof have any interest in that looted bank up at Lawrence. And these kindof men are a dangerous proposition to handle, let me tell you. It wouldbe a different matter if they broke in on us, and we got mixed up withthe pair in spite of things. Then we'd just have to do our level best tocapture the lot, and return the plunder to the cheering citizens ofLawrence."
"Hear! hear!" exclaimed Josh, pretending to clap his hands.
"But chances are, there'll be something of a reward offered for theapprehension of the thieves, and the safe return of the money,"persisted George, although less strenuously than before.
"Well, what of that?" remarked Herb. "We ain't officers of the law,sworn to take all sorts of risks, just because some bad men get awaywith the funds of any old country bank, are we? Let 'em lock up thingsbetter, or hire a night watchman as the people in our town do thesedays. Guess that goes, eh, Jack?"
"It certainly strikes at the root of the matter, as Professor Mapeswould say, Herb," replied the other, quietly. "And then again, how do weknow but what circumstances might arise to make us take a hand in thegame? What more likely than that those same fellows would pick on thisisland to hide for a while, until the chase for them gets played out."
"Great brain, Jack!" cried Buster; "that's as true as smoke. Fellerslike them are dead sure to know that Bedloe's Island's got a bad nameamong honest folks; and that it'd be the boss hide-out for a couple ofcrooks that thought the officers might be rushin' up and down the riverlooking for 'em."
"Yes," added Herb, "and if they're as smart as we think they are,chances'd be they would have brought some paint along with 'em, too."
"Paint?" ejaculated Josh, "now, I c'n understand why Mr. Kedge, theboatbuilder who owns the shed where we kept our craft all winter, has tohave that stuff around because he is in the business of fixing up allsorts--say, looky here. Herb, d'ye mean they'd want to change their boatfrom white to something else; is that your smart idea?"
Herb just nodded his head. He was not much given to talk; but once in awhile could be depended on to break in with a suggestion; and as a rulewhat Herb said was worth listening to.
"Fine!" exclaimed George, always ready to admit the fact when one of hismates really had a good idea.
"That's where your head is level, Herb, me bye!" declared Andy.
Jack smiled, and nodded, as though he considered it a point well taken.What more natural than that two smart rogues, trying to escape aftercommitting such a bold robbery, and traveling in such a conspicuousboat, should think to prepare themselves with a pot of black or graypaint, with which to completely alter the appearance of their craftwhile hiding in some secluded spot, such as the island in the middle ofthe river afforded?
"Well, we can keep that idea in mind," Jack went on to say, "and for onenight set a watch, so that if they should happen along we'd know it."
"Huh! that makes me feel bad!" grunted Josh.
"What about?" demanded Buster.
"Here I've been counting on having the jolliest old camp fire the firstnight out you ever heard tell of. Been dreaming about it for a weekpast, and seein' the flames shootin' up, with the sparks sailin' awayout over the river; and here you go and throw cold water on that schemeright in the start. No camp fire tonight! Why, half of the fun'd be lostif we had to do the same thing every night, Jack, believe me."
Josh did not look very happy over the gloomy prospect; so Jack had tocheer him up the best w
ay possible.
"It would only be for the one night, I reckon, Josh," he remarked,consolingly, "and if nothing happens before morning, why, after that youcan make fires to the limit of the wood on the island, if only you don'tburn us all out."
"Oh! well," Josh went on to say, "if all the rest of you look at it thatway, course I've got to give in, because majority rules in this club,always. So let the fire die out if you want; I'm not going to botherputting another stick on it. Guess, with our sweaters and coats we c'nbe warm enough as we sit here and talk."
"But all of us ain't got sweaters," exclaimed Buster, shiveringly,"'less somebody happens to have my blue moon one stickin' at the bottomof his bag. Now, don't everybody get mad at what I'm sayin', and turnon me savagely. Course I mean that it might a-got in there just byaccident like. And I'd be ever so much obliged if you'd look and see. Asweater is a mighty fine thing to have sometime, which right now is oneof 'em; and when you don't find it, you feel as blue as that moon minehad on the breast."
Jack obligingly turned out all the contents of his bag, as did Andy andHerb, but Josh and George disdained to bother, saying they just knew itwas no use, as they had a complete record of every lasting thing thatwas in their kits, and what was the need anyway; because a fellow ascareless as Buster chose to leave one of his useful garments hangingsomewhere in that boat builder's shed, for he was always forgetting tofasten the lockers of his boat when he left it, and everything likethat; why should they be put to such a nuisance?
But Buster eyed the pair suspiciously, especially Josh. Truth to tell,it was on this individual that the burden of his belief fell; for wasnot the other continually trying to play a trick on him?
"All right, I'll know before a great while," Buster was saying tohimself, as he lay back, having wrapped his blanket around hisshoulders, in order to ward off the chill breeze that found its way tothem, in spite of the fact that trees and underbrush lay in densemasses between the northern end of the island and the spot which theyhad chosen for their camp.
They talked for a while, but by degrees it might have been noticed thatfor some unknown reason their voices gradually became more and moresubdued; though if asked the cause for this hardly any one could haveventured an explanation. But possibly the subject they had recently beendiscussing, in connection with the chances of the two suspects makingfor the island, in order to lie there for some days, while they changedthe color of their boat from white to black, may have had an influenceon them all.
George was of course bothering his head about his one favorite pastime,and trying to puzzle out just how he could do something to his trickyengine in order to get more speed out of it, and at the same time stopits balky ways. Buster, on his part, was perhaps making a mentalcalculation concerning the amount of stores they had brought along; forhe had a dim suspicion that before they wished to return home the stockwould fall low, and the whole of them be put on short rations; a thingthat would seem very much like a calamity to Buster.
And each one of the others seemed to have something on his mind; forpresently absolute silence had fallen on the little group. This was amost unusual occurrence, for as a rule several of the boys dearly lovedto hear themselves speaking, and would air their views at the slightestexcuse for doing so.
Jack, sitting there in what seemed to be a reverie, had his head againstthe trunk of a good-sized tree. This may have acted as a conductor ofsound, for he seemed to catch a certain noise before any of the othersdid; and none of them could be accused of dull hearing, either.
"Hark, everybody!" he said suddenly, in a low, thrilling tone, thatseemed to startle his companions, for everyone of them sat up straight.
"What did you think you heard, Jack?" whispered Buster, unconsciouslylowering his voice.
"Something that sounded like the gurgling of water against the side of aboat, and voices in the bargain," replied the other. "There, if you try,you can get the same thing yourself. Seems to me there are push polesbeing used to turn a boat in against the shore up above here a littleways."
All of them strained their ears. A minute, two of them, passed, and theyheard the swishing sounds Jack mentioned, each being followed by a"plunk," as of a pole being dropped into the water for another push.
Then a voice, rather soft and melodious, came drifting to their ears.
"That'll do, Jenks; we can tie up to the shore here, all right, and inthe morning look for a suitable cove to lay the boat in, while we get towork, and make the changes. Just think of it breaking down above thisisland again. Only for the old bunch of ground sticking out here in theriver we'd have had to anchor. And, Jenks, I guess we might as well burythat box here as tote it any further, you know. I hate to leave a thingI cared for so much behind, but it can't be helped."