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

“The note said my inheritance was in greatdanger, and the two boys dad had hired to runthe ‘Meteor’ were in the plot against me. I wastold to go to the men to whom Gambon wouldtake me and to follow their instructions in everythingfor a few days.”

“And you believed all that?” demanded thelawyer.

“Yes. Why not?” challenged Master Ted.“I thought the note was in dad’s own writingand he had always told me the truth abouteverything.”

“Did those men treat you roughly?” inquiredthe lawyer.

“Never a bit of it,” replied young Dunstan.“I thought I was having the best time of mylife. It was such fun to be in the woods, hidingfrom the plotters, as they told me, and thenscooting about from place to place to get rid ofour enemies, as I also thought. And we had alot of fine fishing. Oh, it was all a great goodtime – until Tom Halstead pounced upon me andbore me away.”

“Where is that scoundrel, Gambon, now?”asked Lawyer Crane, looking around at theothers.

“He ought to be out at the Sanderson farm ornear there,” replied Joe. “I trailed him thereand it was just after Gambon had slipped upto the farmhouse that I ran against Tom in thedark.”

“We want that fellow, Gambon,” shouted Mr.Dunstan angrily. “I’ll pay a good reward tohave him caught and jailed.”

“Remember, we have only your son’s evidencethat Gambon handed him the note,” repliedMr. Crane. “There is no other witnesson the point, and – ”

Rap, rap, rap! sounded a brisk summons onthe door. Warren admitted three men, one ofwhom he seemed to know.

“These gentlemen are United States officers,”the deputy stated, coming back with the visitors, after a few words exchanged in a low tone.“Mr. Dunstan, this is Mr. Lawrence. TheGovernment turned over to him the letter yousent about Alvarez and that fellow’s filibusteringwork.”

“I thought the Government intended to payno attention to my letter,” said Mr. Dunstan.

“At first our department couldn’t take up thematter,” replied Mr. Lawrence. “All our menwere busy. But Mr. Joyce,” turning to indicateone of his companions, “has been here on theisland since yesterday morning. His news, however, leads us to believe that the filibusters willnot attempt to get away from here with theirunlawful cargo for a few days yet.”

“Then perhaps Mr. Joyce does not know,”put in Tom, “that Alvarez and Sanderson havebeen moving that cargo from the farm buildingsdown to a new shed near the pier.”

The United States officers looked at eachother queerly at this information.

“I think,” pursued young Captain Halstead,“that the Alvarez crew mean to get their goodsaway to-night or to-morrow night.”

“This matter will have to have quick lookinginto,” said Mr. Lawrence, hastily. “But onething we came here to learn is whether you intendto prosecute any of that crowd under thestate law?”

“If you can get the Alvarez crowd under thefederal law,” said Lawyer Crane, quickly, “Ithink you will be able to push the prisonersharder. For one thing, we might be hamperedby the fact that Alvarez and his associatesdidn’t actually steal young Dunstan, but luredhim away. The same thing, perhaps, but itmight make a difference with a jury. Whatdo you say, Mr. Dunstan? Shall we foregoprosecution in favor of giving the nationalGovernment the best chance at the offenders?”

“Why, after thinking it over a bit,” rejoinedHorace Dunstan, “I am inclined to feel that Ihave won out over the rascals, and I can affordto let it go by by laughing at them.”

“Good,” nodded Inspector Lawrence. “Then,Mr. Dunstan, there are still hundreds of peopleoutside the hotel, talking over the wholewonderful story. Why don’t you go out, thelocal officers and your lawyer with you? Thecrowd will be sure to yell for a speech. Makethem a little one, and in it state that you considerthe joke is on your enemies. Add thatyou have therefore forgiven that other crowd, and that you will show it by attempting noprosecution.”

“I’ll do that if it will help you,” replied Mr.Dunstan, after looking at his lawyer, whonodded.

“Dad, after this, if you send me notes,” saidTed, “you’ll have to have a private way of signingyour name, so I’ll know the note reallycomes from you.”

Warren had been explaining the story of themystery, aside, to Inspector Joyce, who nowbroke in:

“Alvarez, as you may not know, was formerlya Mexican. A series of forgeries, committedby him and detected, forced him to flee to Honduras.So it is easy to understand how thenote to young Dunstan was forged.”

Ted again thanked Tom and Joe, and forthat matter, the others who had aided him.Then the Dunstan party prepared to go.

“Halstead, you and your friend will remain,I hope,” proposed Mr. Lawrence.

“Certainly he may remain,” said Mr. Dunstan.“I fancy he can be of much assistanceto you, gentlemen. So will Dawson.”

“And Mr. Dunstan,” suggested Lawrence, goingafter Ted’s father, “may we, if it seemsnecessary, use your boat to-night?”

“I would be a poor citizen to refuse that tothe Government’s officers,” smiled Mr. Dunstan.“Certainly you may have the ‘Meteor.’”

Warren and his friends remained, but went toanother side of the room. Tom and Joe wereinvited to seat themselves and go over the wholestory with the Government officers.

When Lawrence saw the note that hadbeen pressed into Halstead’s hand, out in thecrowded square, the inspector looked rathergrave.

“Yes, that defiance comes from Alvarez,” hedeclared. “Now, Captain Halstead, until therascals have been taken, or driven from thecountry, you will do well to be wholly on yourguard. Alvarez, when driven into a corner, isas desperate and remorseless as is the proverbialfighting rat.”

“You’re going over to Sanderson’s placeto-night, are you?” asked Joe, after some moreof the tale had been told.

“Assuredly,” replied Mr. Lawrence. “Weshall have to watch every night until an attemptis made to get the unlawful cargo out onto thehigh seas. But I am afraid Alvarez and hiscrowd will be in hiding to-night, fearing thelocal officers on account of the Dunstan business.”

“Did you hear the cheers outside?” askedone of Warren’s companions, entering at thismoment. “Mr. Dunstan just made the requestedspeech. There was a dead hush whenhe declared to the crowd that he had no ideaof attempting to prosecute the men who hadlured his boy away. The crowd was plainlydisappointed.”

“It will be a good thing for us, if that newsreaches the Sanderson-Alvarez crowd,” musedMr. Lawrence.

“I haven’t a doubt that the pleasing newswill reach ’em,” smiled Tom Halstead. “Ifthey had a man in the crowd to force that noteinto my hand, the same man must still be thereand will take back any news that he can.”

“Then we’ll stop talking of this matter untilwe’ve fortified ourselves with something toeat,” proposed Mr. Lawrence. “Are you youngmen of the ‘Meteor’ hungry?”

“Hungry?” echoed Halstead, feelingly.

“No, I’m not really hungry,” stated Joe.“At the same time if a nice little lamb, roastedwhole, tried to walk by me just now, it wouldshow great want of judgment on the lamb’spart.”

“Then we’ll go to supper,” declared the inspectorrising. “But you young men would dowell to keep away from us in the dining room,in case there should be any watchers about forthe Alvarez party. We can meet up here againafter the meal is over.”

When the boys, Warren’s party and the threeUnited States officers came together again Mr.Lawrence proposed that Warren take Joe inthe auto over to the Dunstan place. Joe andJed could bring the “Meteor” around to a wharfin Nantucket harbor, and all could embark.

“The trip could be made by land, in autos,of course,” Inspector Lawrence explained toHalstead. “But there’s a possibility that wemay need to pursue a filibustering steam craft.”

Later on the hotel party sauntered down, inthree or four groups, to the wharf in question.By the time they arrived at the water front theymade out the “Meteor” just gliding into theharbor, Jed Prentiss at the wheel and Joe in theengine room. The entire party quickly embarked,Tom now taking the wheel. Darknesswas just coming down as the “Meteor” withno lights showing by Mr. Lawrence’s order, stole around Great Point. Now, Halsteadlet out a few more notches of speed, theboat going swiftly down the east coast of theisland.

“Joe,” murmured Tom, his eyes shining ashis chum came up from the engine room, “doyou remember the ‘great night’ we had off themouth of the Kennebec?”

“Yes,” nodded Dawson, “but this is goingto be easier for us. Instead of one, there areseven officers aboard to-night, and the sea isalmost glassy. This won’t be anything but abusiness trip, so to speak.”

Whether Joe was right in his prediction yetremained to be seen. At Halstead’s suggestion, made to Inspector Lawrence, the “Meteor” wasrun quietly into a small cove, just north of abend that, in daylight, would have shut themout of a view of Sanderson’s pier. As the motorboat was carrying no lights Mr. Lawrencefelt confident that they had made the covewithout having been discovered from lower down thecoast.

“We’ll want two guides who know every footof the way,” decided Mr. Lawrence. “Dawsonwill know the way to the outbuildings behindthe farmhouse, and the lay of the ground aboutthere. Halstead, you can pilot some of us overthe ground near the pier. Now that the anchoris overboard the ‘Meteor’ will be safe here.Prentiss can remain aboard. Even if he discoveredtrouble threatening, he could raise theanchor and slip swiftly out into open water.The ‘Meteor’ can show a vanishing stern to anyother boat in these waters.”

“And if you should want to signal us for help,Jed,” said Tom, a moment later, bringing upon deck a box from one of the lockers, “here arethe signal rockets and Roman candles. Wait amoment.”

Tom disappeared below once more, to returnwith a tin-lined trough affair. By means oftwo hooks he made this device fast at the portrail. This “trough” was intended to rest arocket in before touching it off and sending itskyward.