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

Through a passageway Mr. Dunstan led themunder the bridge deck. Curtained off from thepassage was a wide berth.

“We generally call this the captain’s berth,”explained the owner.

“I guess my berth will be on one of the engineroom lockers with Joe,” smiled Halstead.

The cabin proved to be spacious and handsome.The four locker seats could be fitted intoberths when cruising. The cockpit aft was largeand contained, besides side seats, half a dozencomfortable armchairs.

“Now suppose we go back to the engine,” desiredMr. Dunstan, turning about. “I’m anxious, indeed, to know whether you can locatethe trouble that has tied this craft up here.”

Returning to the engine room, the boys openedtheir suit cases, taking out overalls and jumpers.Clad in these they were soon armed withwrenches and other tools, exploring the mysteriesof that engine.

“This machine hasn’t had very good care,”spoke Joe after a while. “She’s fouled withdirt and thick oil at a good many points.”

“Has the motor been overheated?” asked theowner.

“I don’t believe so, sir; at least, not to anyserious extent,” Joe stated as his opinion.

“Any repairs to parts going to be necessary?”

“A few, but simple ones, I guess. We oughtto be able to make ’em from the materials athand.”

“You – er – couldn’t run out to-night, I suppose?”

“We shall be very fortunate, sir,” Joe answered,“if we can take this boat out to-morrow forenoon.”

“We’ll stay aboard to-night and work as lateas we can,” Tom explained. “Joe can’t reallytell, until we get started, just how much willhave to be done. But the motor is not hurt pastordinary repair.”

“I was going to ask you over to the hotel fordinner to-night,” hinted the owner.

“There seems to be plenty of everything toeat in the galley,” Tom answered seriously.“So, if you don’t mind, sir, we’ll stay rightby our work and help ourselves to food aswe can.”

“Make yourselves at home, then. Do youmean to sleep aboard to-night?” inquired Mr.Dunstan, as he started up the steps to the bridgedeck.

“I think we’d better, for more reasons thanone, perhaps,” Halstead made answer as he, too, stepped to the bridge deck. “Mr. Dunstan,”he went on in a lower voice, “do youknow of anyone who could have a good reasonfor wanting to injure your boat?”

“Why, no,” replied the owner, though neverthelesshe gave a slight start. “Why?”

Tom described the men and the conversationaboard the train. Mr. Dunstan listened withinterest, though he shook his head when the twomen were described.

“There might be a shadow of reason for theirtalk in one direction,” he admitted, slowly andreluctantly. “But, pshaw, no; I’m dreaming.No, there can’t be any reason for wanting toruin my boat. Very likely you didn’t hear quiteright.”

“At any rate,” Halstead went on, “Joe andI will be aboard to-night, and probably everynight as long as we’re in your employ.”

“You seem to take this thing seriously, Halstead.”

“I don’t believe, sir, in throwing away whatseems like a very valuable hint. It won’t doany harm for us to be watchful, anyway. Bythe way, sir, do you mind letting the dog stayaboard, too?”

“Certainly you may have him,” nodded theowner. “He won’t interfere with you and he’llsleep with one eye and both ears open. Well, make yourselves at home here, boys. Do whateveryou please in the galley and feed and waterBouncer. I’ll be at the hotel this evening incase you should want me for anything.”

After impressing upon Bouncer that he wasstill to remain aboard, Mr. Dunstan strolledleisurely down the pier. Both boys went hardat work.

“What do you make of our new employer?”asked Joe after a while.

“He seems like an ordinary, easy-going man,”Tom replied. “I don’t believe he ever startledanyone by doing anything very original, buthe’s a gentleman, and we’re going to find himconsiderate and just. That’s all we can ask inany man.”

After that there wasn’t much talk, except thefew words now and then that related to takingthe motor to pieces, and repairing and replacingits parts. At the close of day they helpedthemselves to a bountiful meal and made a fastfriend of Bouncer by catering to his healthy appetite.Then, by the light of lanterns, theywent to work again. It was after eleven o’clockwhen they found themselves too drowsy to dofurther justice to their work.

“Let’s go up on deck and get some air. Afterthat we’ll turn in,” proposed Halstead.

“I wonder if we’re going to have visitors orany trouble?” mused Joe. “Somehow I can’tempty my head of that talk in the car this afternoon.”

“If we do have any trouble,” laughed Tomnodding down at the dog dozing on the deck attheir feet, “I’ve a private notion that we’regoing to be able to pass some back – to someone.”

Twenty minutes later the motor boat chumshad made up berths on the engine-room lockersand had undressed and gone to bed. Both weresoon sound asleep. They relied on Bouncer, wholay on the deck just outside the open hatchway,to let them know if anything threatening happened.

CHAPTER II – BOUNCER WAKES UP

While our two young motor boat enthusiastslie wrapped in the first soundslumber of the summer night, lulledinto unconsciousness by the soft lapping of thesalt water against the sides of the “Meteor,”let us take a brief glimpse at the events whichhad brought them here.

Readers of the preceding volume in this seriesare aware of how the Motor Boat Club came tobe organized. It now numbered fourteen members, any one of whom was fully qualified tohandle a motor boat expertly under any ordinarycircumstances.

Every member was a boy born and broughtup along the seacoast. Such boys, both by inheritanceand experience, are usually well qualifiedfor salt-water work. They are aboard ofboats almost from the first days of life that theycan recollect. Seamanship and the work requiredabout marine machinery are in the airthat surrounds their daily lives. It is fromamong such boys that our merchant marine andour Navy find their best recruit material. Itwas among such boys that broker George Prescotthad conceived the idea of finding materialfor making young experts to serve the ownersof motor cruisers and racers along the NewEngland coast.

Tom and Joe were undoubtedly the pick ofthe club for skill and experience. More thanthat, they were such fast friends that theycould work together without the least danger offriction. Though Halstead was looked upon asthe captain, he never attempted to lord it overhis chum; they worked together as equals ineverything.

Mr. Dunstan had long known Mr. Prescott inBoston, where both had offices. So, whentrouble happened in the “Meteor’s” engineroom, Mr. Dunstan had sent the broker a longtelegram asking that gentleman to send by thenext train the two most capable experts of theClub. He had added that he wanted the boysprincipally for running the boat on fast time betweenNantucket and Wood’s Hole, for theowner had a handsome residence on the island, but came over to the mainland nearly every dayin order to run in by train to his offices in Boston.The “Meteor,” therefore, was generallyrequired to justify her name in the way ofspeed, for Mr. Dunstan’s landing place at Nantucketwas some thirty-five miles from Wood’sHole.

Further, Mr. Dunstan’s telegram had intimatedthat he was likely to want the young menfor the balance of the season, though his messagehad not committed him absolutely on thatpoint. The pay he had offered was more thansatisfactory.

Wood’s Hole is a quaint, sleepy little seaportvillage. The main life, in summer, comes fromthe passing through of steamboat passengersfor Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Thenight air is so quiet and the sea scent so strongthat even the city visitors at the little hotel findit difficult to stay up as late as eleven o’clock.

On this night, or rather morning, at oneo’clock, there were but two honest people in thewhole place awake. Over at the Marine BiologicalLaboratory, Curator Gray and an assistantwere still up, bending drowsily overa microscope in one of the laboratory rooms.But that building was too far from the “Meteor’s”pier for the scientists to have anyhint of what might be happening near themotor boat.

It was the night before the new moon. Thestars twinkled, but it was rather dark when thefigures of two men appeared at the land end ofthe pier. On their feet these men wore rubber-soledcanvas shoes. Not a sound did they makeas they started to glide out on the pier.

But Bouncer woke up.

“Gr-r-r-r!” the bull pup observed, thrustinghis head up, his hair bristling. All this requiredbut a few seconds. In another instant Bouncerwas at the rail, his nostrils swelling as he tooka keen look down the length of the pier. Thenan angrier growl left his throat. It ended ina bound and Bouncer landed on the pier. Hisshort legs moving rapidly under him Bouncerrushed to meet the soft-shoed gentlemen.

That last, angrier note from the bull puproused Tom Halstead as a bugle call might havedone. He leaped to his feet, snatching at histrousers. Joe stirred, half alertly. When heheard his chum’s feet strike the engine-roomfloor Dawson, too, sprang up.

“Mischief, just as we thought!” breathedTom.

Down at the land end of the pier there was asudden mingling of startled human voices.

“Por la gracia de Dios!” sounded an excited, appealing wail.

“Get away, you beast, or I’ll kill you!”roared another voice in English.