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

There was none, however. Tom found himselfstaring at what looked like a newboathouse on shore, such as is used for the winterstoring of yachts or motor boats. There wereno windows. The door, a strong affair, wassecured by a padlock.

“If they’re putting the stuff in there andlocking it up, then they don’t intend to ship itto-night,” Halstead wisely decided.

He had learned, apparently, all that was to belearned at this point. To keep his eyes upon thecase-carrying toilers might mean only to witnessa repetition of the same monotonous workthrough all the night.

“That one bright light up in the attic,” Halsteadwondered, the memory of it coming backto him. “I wonder what’s going on up there?And I mean to know, too.”

Satisfied that he knew all about the waterfrontbusiness, Halstead took such a wide, curvingsweep in getting back to the farmhousethat he ran no risk of running into the busyeight.

Once more he sought the deep shadow of thewagon shed, from which point he stared longand wonderingly.

Beneath that attic window was a kitchenannex of one story. And Tom made out, presently, that a lightning rod ran down the backof the main building close to that brilliantlylighted window on the third floor. The rodtouched the roof of the kitchen annex, runningthence down to the ground.

“It’s a job for stocking feet, anyway,” Halsteaddecided at last. Having removed hisshoes and feeling about in the dark, the youngskipper ran his hand against a coil of rope hangingon a peg.

“Good enough!” he cried inwardly. “I don’tbelieve there are many climbing jobs where arope won’t come in handy.”

As he removed the coil of rope from the peghe discovered a few lengths of cord. These hestuffed into one of his pockets.

“For I can’t tell what kind of a sling I mayneed to rig before I get through,” he thought.

The busy eight were returning from still anothertrip to the water front. Halstead stoppedall movement, remaining utterly quiet until theyhad started shoreward with the next load.

“Now I’ve got to work fast,” thought CaptainTom thrilling. “I reckon it’s about fifteenminutes between their arrivals here. Thatmeans fast work, my boy.”

Shoes in hand, the coil of rope fast at hiswaist, Halstead stole out toward the southernside of the kitchen annex. Leaving his shoeson the ground Tom found it an easy task toclimb up onto the roof of the annex. Now he feltcarefully of the lightning rod, next giving itharder and harder pulls, to make sure that itwas strong enough to hear his weight. Thatpoint settled, Halstead began to ascend. It wasnot a difficult task for a boy trained aboard seagoingcraft.

Up and up he went, making little if any sound.At last he was able to lean outward from therod, resting one elbow on the ledge of the lightedwindow. Yet, on peering into the room theyoung skipper received a shock that almostcaused him to lose his hold on the lightning rod.

At the further end of the bare-looking atticstood a plain pine table, which held a readinglamp that gave a strong light. With his backto the window, seated in a rocking chair andhis feet on another chair, lounged a boy, reading.

Even with his back turned, the unseen facebent over a book, that boy was known beyondthe possibility of a doubt to Tom Halstead.

“Ted Dunstan, himself!” the young skipperalmost cried aloud.

Not for one moment did Halstead even thinkof slipping down from the window and runningfor help. If he did so Ted was as likely as notto be gone upon his return.

“I’ve got to get him out of here, and on thejump, too,” puzzled the young captain. “Buthow is the thing to be done?”

An appeal to young Ted himself would beworse than useless. That young heir, as thespy at the window knew, had altogether toocomplete a faith in his present comrades.

While Tom still hung on there another happeningcaused his heart to bump against hisribs. The busy eight were returning. He couldhear the light tread on gravel under their feet.

Not a second was to be lost. Inwardly breathinga prayer, Halstead raised himself to thewindow sill with the utmost stealth. In anothermoment he was over the sill and in the roomon his stockinged tip-toes. Ted did not turn.Plainly he was too absorbed in his book to suspectany other presence. Not daring, of course,to remain near the window, which would placehim in sight of the busy eight in the yard, assoon as they should reach the outbuildings, Halsteadslid noiselessly along the wall, pressinghis hands against it. His strained, intense lookwas all the time on the unsuspecting Dunstanheir.

“Ho, ho, ho!” chuckled Master Ted, throwinghis head back, but he did not look around. Evidentlysomething in the book on his lap amusedhim immensely.

Tom stood there, still praying under hisbreath, praying that the eight might quicklytake up their new burdens and hasten shoreward.

At last there came the sound of crunchingagainst gravel. Tom, trying to stifle the soundof his own breathing, listened intently until thedying out of sounds outside made him believethat the men were once more out of the way.

Now trembling in every muscle, Halstead stoleforward toward the Dunstan heir. The floorcreaked; he stopped short in great alarm. ForHalstead felt certain that, somewhere near athand, there must be some one intrusted with theresponsibility of watching over this young heir.

Master Ted, however, did not turn. Takingheart Tom stole forward as softly as ever Indiantrod. Crouching, he was near enough nowto reach out and touch the back of young Dunstan.

Of a sudden Halstead made the plunge. Heleaped forward with the agility of a panther, fairly yanking Ted Dunstan out of the rockingchair and dropping him softly on the floor besideit.

Taken in this fashion, Master Ted would havelet out a lusty yell. Yet the instant he openedhis mouth Tom Halstead’s fingers gripped athis throat, shutting off the youngster’s wind.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” whispered Halsteadsharply yet half apologetically. “ButI’ve got to keep you quiet no matter what I haveto do to you.”

Ted’s face betrayed absolute fear as well asunmistakable loathing, as that choking shut offhis breath. His mouth opened, his tongue lollingout.

“Now you may breathe again, if you’ll keepquiet,” Tom informed him. “But, remember – Iwon’t have any noise!”

As soon as he could breathe again pantingTed’s wits also began to clear. He raised oneof his feet, as he lay prostrate with Halsteada-top of him, and brought that heel down againstthe floor. Halstead promptly threw his ownbody so that Master Ted could not again raiseeither foot.

“I see that I’ve got to go to extreme measureswith you; you don’t understand that I’m deadlyin earnest,” panted Tom, finding that this wiry, out-of-door, agile boy of ten could be wonderfullyslippery. “Now listen, Ted Dunstan. Ifyou don’t want me to be ugly and to choke youuntil your senses fade, then prepare to mindme. Now then roll over on your face – and don’tyou dare to make any noise doing it.”

A good deal cowed by the fierce glint in Tom’seyes, Ted almost passively obeyed, though theyoung skipper was obliged to roll the young manhimself.

“Keep those feet quiet now,” whispered Tomin the little fellow’s ear. “We’ve got to thepoint where nonsense won’t be safe for you.Now open your mouth!”

Ted firmly pressed his lips together, grittinghis teeth. Yet Tom knew a trick of wrestlingthat forced the young man to open his mouth.Plump into that mouth went one of Halstead’swadded handkerchiefs, stopping the youngster’stongue down and holding his jaws apart.

Satisfied that Ted was gagged, Tom forcedanother handkerchief between the teeth, knottingit behind the smaller boy’s head. Then, with abrupt suddenness, the young skipper bentthe little fellow’s hands behind him, though nottoo roughly, and bound the wrists in the bestsailorman’s fashion. Now Tom turned about, using more of the cord in his pockets to lashthe heels of the Dunstan heir securely together.This accomplished, Captain Tom examined allhis knots to make sure that none of them wasso poorly tied as to cause him regret later on.Then, on tip-toe, he stole over to the door.There was a bolt on it unsecured. Tom softlyslipped the bolt into place. There was now nodanger of unannounced interference from thatdirection.

Going back to the angry and astounded Dunstanheir, Halstead knelt beside him.

“Master Ted, I know you feel ugly about meand you hate me just at this minute. You thinkI’m your enemy and your father’s. The scoundrelsyou’ve been running with have told youthat. The truth is, your father, though not anold man, is aging fast on account of the agonyyour disappearance has caused him. The timeisn’t far away when you’ll know that we’ve allbeen doing our best, in the face of many dangers,to serve a boy who was foolish enough not towant to be served.”

Captain Tom had raised young Dunstan’shead and had looked into the latter’s eyes whiletelling him this. But Master Ted glared backonly a message of distrust and defiance.

“I’ve got you now where you can’t stand inthe way of your own good luck, if only I canonce get you away from this house,” Tomwent on in a whisper, his mouth close to oneof the youngster’s ears. “You can’t hinder, anyway.”

Then, with one hand resting heavily on Ted,to prevent any slight possibility of movementby that youngster, Halstead continued kneelingand listening.

At last there came to him the sound for whichhe had waited – the crunching of feet on thegravel outside. Now Halstead became busyagain. Uncoiling the rope at his waist herigged a secure slip-noose at one end. This hemade fast around Ted’s body, under his boundarms. When the sounds without indicated thatthe eight men were again leaving for the shore, the young captain raised his light human burden, stealing toward the window.

There was not a sound outside. Tom Halsteadpushed the Dunstan heir through thewindow, lowering him swiftly to the kitchen annex.The young motor boat captain then descendedby the lightning rod. He carried Ted, naturally unresisting, to the edge of the annex, lowering him to the ground. Halstead wentdown himself at a bound, landing on his feet.In a fever of anxiety he found his shoes, swiftlylacing them on.

Now slipping off the noose, Tom loosely coiledthe rope about one arm. Lifting Ted Dunstan,Captain Halstead fled straight across the rearyard and in among the trees.

“There, I hope we’ve got you away from thatcrowd,” panted Tom, putting his unwillingcompanion down. “But we’ve got to hustle, soyou’ll have to use your own feet a bit. Woe untoyou, though, if you try any tricks on thestranger who happens to be your best friendat this moment!”

Hiding the rope in a thicket near by; Halsteadquickly slashed away the cord at Ted Dunstan’sankles.

“Now you’ll come along with me and you’llcome mighty fast!” breathed Captain Tom resolutely,as he seized one of the boy’s arms.