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

Joe stared at him haughtily, remarking:

“My bill is not due until the end of the week.Go away and let me read in peace.”

Pedro, in the background, was holding onehand over his broad mouth to hide his expansivegrin over this cool nonsense. But DonEmilio was fast losing his not very certain temper.

“Go and bring that other boy Halstead,”ordered Alvarez. “When the two of them seeeach other they’ll know their game is up, andthey’ll come to their senses. If not, nothingwill make any difference to them after a fewminutes more.”

Without a word French turned, treadingdown the ravine. Just a little later he reappeared, looking bewildered.

“Alvarez,” he gasped, “come here. Thatother boy isn’t where we left him. Hurry!”

Uttering an exclamation of amazement, Alvarezdarted after his friend. Pedro and thelittle brown man, caught in the astonishment, bolted after their leaders.

Joe could not get away from the tree to whichhe was bound, but he stood there grinning withcool enjoyment. In another moment he felt alively sound at his back. Then Halstead whisperedin his ear:

“I’m cutting you loose, old fellow! Boltwith me!”

Dawson, straining at the cords while Tomslashed at them, was quickly free.

“Come along,” begged Tom. “Never mindstopping to leave cards or writing a note of regret.Hustle – this way!”

Halstead led in the swift flight in the directionthat he judged the roads to lie. They triedto go noiselessly, but they had not gone far whena shout behind showed them that their flighthad been detected.

“Sprint, old chum!” floated back over Halstead’sshoulder.

In looking back, the young skipper stumbled.Joe had to pause long enough to drag his comradeto his feet. That lost them a few preciousseconds, but they dashed onward once more.As they ran they heard the feet of the pursuersbehind. From greater familiarity with theground some of those in chase were gaining onthe fugitives.

Joe now led in the chase, with Tom at hisheels. They, came to what appeared to be thewooded slope leading down to the road. Joeran up against a wall almost sooner than he hadexpected. He nearly fell over it, but recoveredand jumped. Halstead landed in the roadbeside him.

There was another flying figure in the air, and Pedro was beside them, reaching out. Behindwere French and Don Emilio.

“Yo better stop, fo’ shuah!” called Pedro, parting his lips in a grin of huge enjoyment.“Dere ain’t no use in tryin’ to git away from me.”

CHAPTER XIII – A CAPTURE IN RECORD TIME

“Look out! He’s mine!” shouted Joe.

But Tom Halstead had sprung inthe same instant at Pedro. The resultwas that the combined assault of the boys borethe fellow to the ground, and Tom, remembering, just in the nick of time, the toy cap pistolthat Jennison had handed him, and which hadescaped discovery a few minutes before, hauledthat ridiculous “weapon” out, pressing itagainst the temple of the black man.

“Don’t you stir, if you know what’s best foryou,” warned the young skipper sternly.

Joe, seeing the lay of the land, leaped up tomeet Captain French, who was just reachingthat wall.

At that moment the noise of a speeding autowas borne to them, while around the bendwhizzed the machine, sending its strong searchlightray ahead to illumine the scene.

The yells of its occupants caused the otherpursuers of the boys to halt in confusion. Beforethey had time to think what to do the automobilewas racing up to the spot and stopping.Alvarez and his two companions bore away upthe wooded slope as fast as their alarm couldspur them.

“What’s this going on here?” demanded ConstableJennison, as he leaped out into the road.

“You’ll find some of the rascals up thereamong the trees,” replied Tom, coolly. “Ihave one of ’em here, but he’s tame now.”

Pedro, in fact, in his dread lest he be shot, was lying on his stomach, his face between hiscrossed arms, while Halstead stood over him, holding that wholly useless “pistol.”

“Just move that car a few yards ahead, willyou?” begged Tom of the chauffeur, fearingthat in the strong light, Pedro might steal alook sideways and find out what a comical“weapon” had scared him.

“There are three of the crowd up there,”added Joe. “They were chasing us, but yourarrival scared them off.”

“I’ll make sure of the one we have, first,”returned the constable, going toward the prostratenegro. “My man, put your hands behind you, and be quick about it.”

Pedro obeyed without a murmur, the constablesnapping handcuffs on him without lossof an instant. “Now, help me lift him intothe auto – front seat,” directed the officer.But Pedro, seemingly afraid of the consequencesof any stubbornness, aided his captors.

“Can you keep him, Jack?” asked the constableof the man at the steering wheel.

“I can bring him down, if he tries to bolt,”came the quick retort from the chauffeur.

“’Fore hebben, Ah won’t try nothing funny,”protested Pedro, solemnly. He was seeminglystill afraid that the slightest defiance wouldcost him his life.

“See that this fellow is locked up, Jack,”commanded Jennison, in a low voice. “Speedsome, too, and get back here as fast as you canwith some more men. It may be that there’sgoing to be a fight.”

Just as the car started two sharp reports rangout from the hillside above. There were twoflashes, and bullets whizzed ominously over theroad. One of them pierced Tom’s uniform cap, carrying it from his head.

There being nothing he could do, Dawsonthrew himself to the ground, out of harm’s way.Tom, crouching low, darted across the roadafter his hat. But Jennison leaped forward, weapon in hand, letting three shots fly back toanswer the defiance from under the trees.

“Come on! We’ll close in on ’em and mow’em down if they don’t surrender!” shoutedthe officer.

His call to the boys was intended for thehearing of those above. He had no notion thatthe boys, unarmed, would accompany him.Yet, as Jennison bounded over the wall, thetwo young motor boat boys were behind himon either side.

“Now, then, you fellows up there, throwdown your shooting irons and prepare to giveyourselves up,” called the doughty constable.“If you don’t – ”

Four shots answered this demand, the bulletsclipping off leaves so close to the trio thatthe boys crouched lower almost instinctively.

“All right, then, I’m coming up to get you!”shouted the constable running forward, weaponin hand. But he halted at length, well awayfrom the road, uncertain which way to turn.

“What are you boys doing here, unarmed?”he whispered, facing them in surprise.

“We’re as safe here as we’d be anywhereelse hereabouts,” Tom whispered back.

“Yes, I don’t know but that’s so. Butwhere can the scoundrels be? Do you knowanything about the lay of the land here?”

“I think we can find the ravine where theytook us,” suggested Joe.

“Try to, then.”

Both boys now went a bit in advance of theofficer, but he kept close to them, in order tobe on hand if they ran into any danger.

The ravine proved to be empty, however.Tom pointed out where he had slashed Joe’sbonds away. “And over yonder,” he added,“I guess I can show you the rope I worked myown wrists out of. Once I worked my handsfree it didn’t take me long to cut away the restof the tackle.”

Though they searched for upwards of an hour, they were unable to find any further trace ofthe scoundrels. Nor did they come upon anyplace that looked as though it had been used asa hiding place for the missing Dunstan heir.