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

Then a loud honking from the road recalledthem. The chauffeur was there with the machine, from which were alighting four deputieswhom he had brought out with him fromWood’s Hole.

“I’m going to leave you men here to carryon the search,” explained Mr. Jennison. “Keepit up all through the night, and through thedaylight, too, if you run across anything thatlooks like a trail. These young men will describeto you the fellows you’re expected tofind. I’ll be back bye and bye, but don’t waitfor me.”

Tom and Joe quickly described the threefugitives from justice. Then Jennison turnedto the chauffeur to inquire:

“Could you work any information out of thatblack man?”

“Not a word,” came the grumbling reply.“After a few minutes he got over being soscared, but he couldn’t be made to say a wordabout his crowd. Just closed his mouth, andwouldn’t talk. Musgrave has him in hand now,at the station house, but not a word can the fellowbe made to say.”

“I’m going back with you, now,” proposedJennison, “to see what I can get out of him.You boys may as well come with me. It lookslike a losing chase here. If we can get somethingout of the chap, Pedro, we’ll have somethingreal to come back with.”

So Tom and Joe piled in with their newfriend. In less than half an hour they had enteredthe little guard-room of the police stationat Wood’s Hole. Pedro, still manacled, was seated in a hard wooden armchair betweentwo constables, while Detective Musgrave pacedthe floor before him.

“He’s trying a crafty game,” smiled Musgrave,as the newcomers entered. “Once in awhile the prisoner talks, but when he does it’s toshake his head and mutter a string in Spanish.”

“He understands English well enough,” answeredTom. “He has talked a whole lot of itto me.”

“Of course he understands English,” laughedMr. Musgrave. “I know his type of coloredman well. He’s a Jamaica negro, born andbrought up with English spoken around him.Afterwards he went over to Central Americaand picked up Spanish.”

“No sabe,” broke in the negro, lookingblankly at those who surrounded him.

“Oh, you savvy plenty well enough,” Tom retortedtartly. “And see here, Pedro, you’re apretty cheap sort of rascal anyway. You rememberhow Joe and I caught you, and how Iscared you cold? Do you know what it was thatscared your grit away from you? Just a plain, ordinary, every-day joke of a cap pistol!”

Pedro started, his lips opening in a gasp atthat information.

“Oh, of course you understand, just as wellas anyone else in the room,” Halstead went on.“And here’s the young cannon that made youlie so still in the road.”

With a short laugh Tom produced the cappistol, holding it before the astonished blackman’s face. Pedro’s disgusted expression wasenough to make them all laugh.

“He can’t even pretend he doesn’t understandEnglish now,” snorted Mr. Musgrave. “Comenow, my man, open your mouth and talk to us.It may help you out a bit when you come to betried.”

Still, however, the black man refused to say aword. Constable Jennison tried his hand atmaking the fellow speak, but without success.At last they gave it up. The negro was taken toa cell, left under watch, and the others went outside.

“I’m going back up the road,” Jennison announced.“Want to come with me, boys?”

“I think they’d better stay by the boat, in caseanything turns up that we want the craft,” Musgravebroke in.

So Tom and Joe struck out for the pier, findingJed mighty glad to have them back oncemore. For an hour the three boys sat on the“Meteor’s” deckhouse and talked. After thatthe time began to hang heavily on their hands.

Broad daylight came with still no word fromthe seekers, nor from any other point. At alittle after four o’clock Mr. Musgrave camedown to tell them that they might as well returnto Nantucket.

It was six o’clock when the “Meteor” berthedat the island. Jed had served a breakfast on thetrip over. As soon as the boat was docked Jedhurried into the broad bunk off the cabin passageway, while Tom and Joe, yawning withweariness, lay down on the engine-room lockers.

“This is Sunday morning and to-morrowmorning Ted Dunstan must be in court withhis father or lose a tremendously big fortune,”groaned Tom. “Oh, when we’ve been so nearto rescuing him, why can’t we have him safelyhome under his father’s roof?”

“Maybe I’ll have the answer thought out bythe time I wake up,” gaped Joe Dawson. “Butjust at this present moment I’m so tired I don’tknow whether I’m an imitation engineer or aclambake.”

Then another sound came from his berth.Dawson was snoring.

CHAPTER XIV – HEADED FOR THE SUNKEN REEF

Szz-zz! Sputter! And the fragrance of it, too!

“Say, you fellows; aren’t you ever goingto wake up?”

Jed Prentiss had his hand on Joe, shaking him.

“Have you any idea what time it is?”insisted Jed, as Dawson opened his eyeshalfway.

“Time to go to bed again,” muttered Joe, tryingto shake off that insistent hand and rollingover the other way.

“It’s after noon,” pronounced Prentiss.“Say, you fellows could sleep a week through!”And Jed gave Joe a hearty shake. “I told youbreakfast is ready.”

“No, you didn’t,” insisted Joe.

“I’ve told you so three times in the last fiveminutes,” asserted Jed, “but you wouldn’t wakeup long enough to understand. Can’t you get itthrough your head? Breakfast!”

“Whatcher got?” asked Joe drowsily.

“Coffee!”

“Had that yesterday,” protested Joe, settlinghimself as though for another doze.

“And bacon and eggs!”

“Had that three days ago,” complained Joe.

“And fried potatoes,” went on Jed.

“They’ll keep.”

“Muffins!” proclaimed Jed solemnly.

At that Dawson opened his eyes wide.

“Are they sticky inside or your best kind, browned all over the top?” Joe asked with ashow of interest.

“Browned?” echoed Jed. “Say, they’rebeauties – the best I ever baked. And I’veopened a tin of preserved pineapple to top offwith.”

“I guess maybe I’ll get up,” admitted Joe.

“You’d better, if you don’t want to find everythingcold and tasteless,” insisted Jed, whothereupon went over to shake Halstead.

But Tom slipped up instantly, reaching forhis swimming tights. Soon a splash was heardover the side. Joe followed him. Both feltmore awake when they came back to towel down.As they dressed the savory smells of Jed’s bestbreakfast made them hurry.

“I’d sooner have you wake me up, Jed, thansome folks I know,” announced Joe Dawson, ashe passed his plate for the second helping ofbacon, eggs and fried potatoes.

“It does taste good,” Halstead admitted witha relish, chewing hard. “But has there beenany news from the house this morning?”