The Rover Boys Down East: or, The Struggle for the Stanhope Fortune

“Mr. Darkingham, I’d like to talk to you,” said Dick, as the steam tug bumped against the dock.

“Don’t you listen to him, Alf!” cried Koswell. “He only came to make trouble.”

“Make him go right away,” added Larkspur.

“I want you to leave,” ordered Alfred Darkingham. Evidently he was a close crony to the boys who had run away from Brill.

“I want to ask you a few questions,” pursued Dick, firmly. “And I’ll not go away until you answer them – and maybe not then.”

“This is private property, and – ”

“You said that before. What I want to know is, Do you know the other persons on this island?”

“There are no other persons.”

“I believe otherwise. A lady has been abducted, and I have every reason to believe she was taken to this island.”

“Nobody here. I was here yesterday, and all of last week, and I know.”

“I think they brought the lady here this morning, about nine o’clock. I’d like to search the island for her.”

“It’s a trick!” cried Larkspur. “It’s a trick to get ashore and play us foul! Don’t you let ’em land!”

“There is nobody on this island but ourselves,” said Alfred Darkingham. “You can take my word for that.”

“Will you let me make a search?”

“I will not. I want you to go away, and at once. This is private property, and if you try to land I’ll have the law on you!” And as he spoke the young man looked not only at the Rovers but also at the captain of the steam tug.

CHAPTER XXV

ON CHESOQUE ISLAND

For a moment there was silence. Dick looked at Alfred Darkingham and then at Captain Wells.

“What do you think of this?” he asked of the captain of the tug.

The captain shrugged his shoulders.

“You do as you think best, Mr. Rover,” he said slowly. “He can certainly have us arrested if we land without permission. And the authorities have been pretty strict lately – so many folks landing where they hadn’t any business to.”

“But if Mrs. Stanhope is here?”

“He says there is nobody but his crowd on the island.”

“They may be in hiding,” suggested Tom.

“If they are, they’ll take good care to keep out of your way – if such a thing is possible.”

“Let us leave!” put in Sam, in a low voice. “I’ve got a plan that may bring results.”

“What?” demanded Dick.

“I’ll tell you as soon as we are out of hearing,” returned the youngest Rover.

The steam tug was backed away from the dock. Koswell and Larkspur grinned in triumph.

“Don’t you think of coming back!” shouted Koswell.

“If you do, remember we are armed,” added Larkspur.

“We’ll remember what you have done – don’t forget that,” answered Dick, with some bitterness. It worried him greatly to have the search for Mrs. Stanhope delayed.

“Now, what is your plan?” asked Tom of Sam, as soon as they were a goodly distance from the island.

“I propose we sail away and pretend to be going back to Portland. Then we can turn and come up on the other side of the island.”

“They’ll watch for us,” said Dick.

“We might land at night.”

“Yes, we could do that. But if we wait, we may be losing valuable time.”

“I’ll run for the next island and sail around that,” said Captain Wells. “That may throw them off the scent.”

It took the best part of half an hour to gain the next island and round a convenient point. Here the tug was stopped, that they might decide on their next move.

“Oh, come on, let’s do something!” cried Tom. “Let us sail for the other side of that island and chance it! If they come after us, we can easily steam away again.”

So it was decided, and rounding the island they were at, they set a new course, so that they might reach Chesoque Island at a point directly opposite to where the dock was located. In the middle of the island were several rocky hills, so that the view from one side to the other was completely shut off.

“I’ll have to be careful here,” said Captain Wells, “I can’t afford to strike on the rocks. Those chaps would let us drown before they would come to our assistance.”

The steam tug came in slowly. It could not reach the island proper, but stopped at the first of a series of rocks.

“Let me have one of those pistols,” said Dick, to the captain, and the weapon was handed over. Then Tom and Sam also armed themselves.

“You had better stand off,” went on Dick to Captain Wells. “If we want you we’ll fire three shots, or wave a handkerchief.”

“Say, don’t you want me along?” asked Larry Dixon. “I’d like a scrap, if it comes to that.”

“Come along if you want to,” answered Dick. He saw that though the sailor was old he was strong, and not afraid to take his own part.

The boys and the tar lost no time in jumping from one rock to another until the main portion of the island was gained. Then they ran for the shelter of some bushes. In the meantime the steam tug moved away to such a distance that those aboard could be seen with difficulty.

“Now, if the others didn’t see us land, we are all right,” cried Tom.

“We don’t want to make any noise,” cautioned Dick. “Remember, they may be on the watch for us – Koswell and his cronies, and the Sobber crowd too.”