The Motor Boat Club at Nantucket: or, The Mystery of the Dunstan Heir

“Joe, get the engine started on a hustle!”bellowed Tom, using both hands to form atrumpet. “Jed, on the pier with you and standby the stern-line, ready to cast off!”

Both boys leaped to obey such crisp commands.Lawyer Crane, having reached theboat, turned on the pier to look inquiringly atthe racing young skipper.

“Get aboard, sir, as quickly as you can, if youplease,” requested the young skipper all butbreathlessly.

“May I inquire – ” began the lawyerslowly.

“Yes, sir; when we’re under way. But wehaven’t a second to lose in starting. Get aboard, sir, if you please.”

In his eagerness Tom almost shoved the legalgentleman over the side. Mr. Crane, not a littleastonished at the hasty procedure, looked asthough about to resent such treatment, but fortunatelychanged his mind.

Tom himself seized the bowline and threw off.He and Jed sprang aboard, fore and aft, atabout the same instant. The “Meteor’s” enginewas already chugging merrily.

“Slow speed ahead, Joe,” bellowed downCaptain Tom, and the “Meteor” swung gracefullyout. “Now work her up to good speed,”he called, a few moments later. “We’re on thegrand old chase!”

CHAPTER X – OVERHAULING THE MYSTERY

“And now,” demanded Lawyer Crane, inhis calm, heavy voice, “may I askwhat all this chaos and confusion isabout?”

“In just a minute or two, sir, I’ll be hugelydelighted to have you listen,” Halstead answered.“But I want to get out of this coveand clear of coast shoals and ledges first.”

Joe had already begun to make the engine“kick” somewhat, and the boat was movingfast, leaving behind her a graceful swirl ofwater. Jed, after coiling the stern-line, hadcome forward, and, though he asked no questions, that youth was whistling a ditty of fastmovement, the surest sign of all that he sharedin the unknown excitement.

“There she is!” cried Halstead, suddenly, taking his right hand from the wheel to pointout over the water.

“She?” repeated Mr. Crane. “Who?”

“That boat! Don’t you see the steam launchwith the yellow hull?”

The launch was some two or more miles away, heading over the waters in a direction thatwould carry her past the northern end ofMartha’s Vineyard. Mr. Crane adjusted hisglasses, staring hard. At last he made out thelow-lying hull.

“I see some sort of a craft out there,” he repliedslowly. “But I must congratulate youon having very good eyes, Captain Halstead,if you can make out the fact that she is paintedyellow. However, what have we to do with thatboat?”

“We’re going after her,” responded Tom, briefly. He was wondering just how to beginthe wonderful story of his late adventure.

“Going after her?” repeated Mr. Crane, inslow astonishment. “Why, I was under theimpression that your present task related tocarrying me over to Mr. Dunstan’s home.”

“That comes next,” replied Tom. “Mr.Crane, hardly twenty minutes ago I was aboardyonder boat, and was talking with Master TedDunstan.”

The lawyer gasped, then rejoined, slowly:

“That’s a most remarkable statement, to saythe least.”

But Joe Dawson and Jed Prentiss, who knewHalstead better, were staring at him with eyeswide open and mouths almost agape.

“I saw Ted Dunstan,” repeated Tom, firmly.“Moreover, he gave me the jolt of my life.”

“Did he incidentally throw you overboard?”asked the lawyer, eyeing Tom’s wet garments.The sun and wind had dried the first greatsurplus of water out of them, but they werestill undeniably more than damp.

“That was all part of the experience,” Halsteadanswered, annoyed by the impressionthat the lawyer thought him trying to spin amere sailor’s yarn. “Do you care to hear whathappened, sir?”

“Why, yes, assuredly, captain.”

Tom reeled the story off rapidly. The lawyergasped once or twice, but certainly the youngskipper’s wet clothing gave much of an appearanceof truth to the “yarn.”

“And now, sir, what do you think of MasterTed’s claim that he was having the time of hislife, and was hiding by his father’s orders?”Tom wound up, inquiringly.

“Really, I shall have to think it all over,”replied the lawyer cautiously. “And I shallbe much interested in hearing what Mr. Dunstanhas to say about it all.”

“Say, that’s queer,” broke in Joe, suddenly, staring hard at the launch, now not much morethan half a mile distant.

“What is?” asked Halstead, who had kepthis mind on what he was telling the lawyer.

“That launch is following an almost straightcourse. Yet I don’t see a soul at the wheel, nor a sign of a human being aboard,” Joe replied.

“Say, there isn’t anyone in sight, is there?”demanded Jed, stopping his whistling and staringthe harder.

“It will certainly complicate the adventure,”commented Lawyer Crane, “if we overhaul acraft navigated by unseen hands.”

Halstead didn’t say any more. He didn’tlike the half-skepticism of the legal gentleman.The young skipper held straight on until theywere astern of the yellow-hulled launch andcoming up on the windward quarter.

“Get out on the deck forward, Jed,” directed,Halstead. “Stand up as straight as you can, and get the best look possible as I run upclose. See if you can spot anyone hiding inthe boat.”

“Look out,” cautioned Joe Dawson, dryly,as Jed Prentiss started to obey. “Someone onthe other craft may open fire.”

Jed halted, rather uneasily, at that sinistersuggestion. Then, meeting Tom’s firm glance, the boy got well forward and stood up, whileJoe dropped down into the engine room to meetany order that might come about stoppingspeed.

“I hardly fancy anyone aboard that boatwould dare threaten us with firearms,” saidthe lawyer, slowly. “There are too many witnesseshere to risk such a serious breach of thelaw.”

“Mm!” chuckled Captain Tom grimly, tohimself. “I wonder if this learned gentlemanimagines that everyone has the wholesome respectfor the law that possesses him?”

He leaned forward, to reach the bell-grip, steering, after the “Meteor’s” headway hadbeen all but stopped, so that they would passwithin a dozen feet of this mysterious craft.

“Say,” hailed back Jed, “I don’t believethere’s a soul on board that craft. I can seethe bottom of the inside of the boat.”

“Get the boat-hook, then,” ordered Halstead.“We’ll lay alongside and make sure that she’sdeserted.”

Jed jumped down nimbly. Apparently hewas glad to provide himself with so handy aweapon as the boat-hook. With this he steppedout forward again. Tom ran the Meteor inuntil the two craft almost bumped.

“Ugh!” grunted Jed. “It looks almost uncannyto see that engine pumping right alongwith no sign of human care.”

Gradually he drew the bow of the movinglaunch closer.

“Go aboard,” directed Tom.

Jed stood up high on his toes, to take a lastcareful look. Then he leaped to the other craft, bounding down into her cockpit. There hestood still for a few moments, tightly grippingthe boat-hook in an exaggerated attitude of defence.

“Are you afraid?” hailed Halstead.