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

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.

At first Ted acted as though he intended todrag, but the quality of muscle in the youngmotor boat skipper’s arms must have shown himthe folly of such tactics, for presently he trottedat the older boy’s side.

Yet they had not gone more than two hundredyards before something else happened. Outfrom behind a tree shot a human figure. Itsowner sprang at Tom Halstead, locking him ina sturdy embrace. Down to the ground wentHalstead and his assailant, rolling over and overin fierce, battling embrace.

Ted Dunstan lost not an instant in seeing andseizing his opportunity. His feet, at least, freeand able, that youngster whirled and dashedback toward the farmhouse.

CHAPTER XX – BLIND MAN’S BUFF IN FEARFUL EARNEST

For a few seconds the two combatantsfought strenuously in the darkness.

“Now, I’ve got you!” growled theassailant, wrapping his arms around youngCaptain Halstead.

But that astounded youth only gasped:

“Joe!”

“Tom! Pompey’s ghost! Is this you?”

Joe Dawson rolled swiftly from his point ofvantage, and the chums sprang instantly totheir feet.

“That was Ted Dunstan who got away,”quivered Halstead.

“I know it,” admitted Joe. “I thought youwere one of the other crowd. I had eyes onlyfor him, when I saw him.”

“Quick, then!”

They could hear Master Ted running, somewhatuncertainly, in the woods, with which heseemed to be unfamiliar. Yet he was nearingthe opening where the house stood.

After him pelted both motor boat boys. Tedheard them coming, of course, and increased hisspeed. Yet Ted must have gotten into theopening, but for an accident. One of hisfeet tripped over something. Down he went, and, with his hands tied behind him, it wasnot the simplest task in the world for himto get on his feet again. Just as he didaccomplish it, Tom and Joe reached him, grasping him on either side. Ted made aslight, useless struggle, but what he didsucceed in doing was to kick a tree ratherresoundingly.

The busy eight, unsuspicious until then, hadjust returned to the rear yard. Some of themheard that kick against the tree.

“What was that noise?” demanded DonEmilio.

“Nothing,” replied Jonas French.

“Come on! I want to make sure, anyway.Hasten!”

Tom, leading the way, and Joe, bringing upthe rear with Ted Dunstan gripped in his arms, were in motion, but Don Emilio and severalof his comrades pursued at lively speed.

“There’s some one running in these woods,”called back Don Emilio. “Spread out, andtravel fast!”

When they had gone some little distance Tomfell back, snatching Ted from Joe’s arms. Theyran until they came to a low-hanging thicket.Burdened as the motor boat boys were, therace must prove an unequal one. Joe haltedat the thicket, holding out his arm to stopTom. The two crept in under there withtheir burden, Joe holding the Dunstan heir’sfeet.

And just in time, too, for Don Emilio andJonas French went by within striking distance.

“Whoever it was didn’t get as far as theroad,” the boys heard Don Emilio declare, notfar away. “French, you stay here. If you seea living figure in the road you’ll know what todo. I’ll send another man to watch with you.These woods have got to be searched.”

Just at that moment some one else must havereached Don Emilio Alvarez and must have reported, for the Honduran’s voice screamed:

“What do you say? The youngster’s gonefrom the attic? Listen, men! Let nothingstand in your way, now. We must have thatboy back. We’ll watch the road and drag thewoods. Waste no sympathy on any meddleryou find!”

It was at once made plain to the motor boatboys that Don Emilio and his comrades werenow frantic. Everywhere could be heard thesteps, or the low voices of the searchers. Tomand Joe dreaded capture at each instant. Dawsonhad made it his task to secure Ted’s feetagain, and to hold them doubly secure with hisown hands.

Once, as some of the searchers went by,Gambon’s voice was heard. Joe nudged hischum; the latter understood how the young engineerof the “Meteor” had come so handilyupon the scene through trailing the Frenchmanhere. Not once, after they had hidden themselves, did the motor boat boys dare to stir.Their covering, though dense enough in thedark, was thin at best. Two or three timessome of the searchers passed by within a yardof those they sought. At such times Ted Dunstan’sbody shook with suppressed emotion.But he was so tied and held that he could notmake a sign to betray himself. Whenever theseekers came close Halstead reached out a handholding the young heir’s nostrils closed, so thathe could not even sniff.

The conviction of Don Emilio that his longed-forprey was close at hand was shown by therepeated searchings over an area of barelymore than five acres. The time even slippedinto hours without the hunt being abandoned.

Half the time Tom and Joe felt as thoughtheir hearts were up in their throats, so closedid discovery seem. The first gray streaks ofdawn showed at last, but Don Emilio wouldnot agree that the chase extend beyond thisstrip of lonely woods.

“It is more important than anything elsecould be that we should find the boy,” Tomheard the Honduran explain to Gambon. “Anddaylight will show that they have not gottenaway from here. It was here that the soundsof flight stopped. Somewhere, within a stone’sthrow or two we shall yet come upon the meddlersin hiding. I shall not give up.”

“Confound him,” whispered Joe, a littlelater, in his chum’s ear. “Before this I alwaysadmired persistency.”

Following the first dawn the light came inmore strongly. Now, the two chums crouchedmore closely than ever, also seeing to itthat Master Ted was forced to lie as flat aspossible.

Joe Dawson, lying flat on his stomach, peeringout beyond their retreat, moved one of hisfeet restlessly. Something made him turn toglance behind him. With that he began to slideslowly backward. His feet went further andfurther into a narrow hole. Then, after nudgingHalstead in one leg, Dawson crept back untilonly his shoulders were exposed. Tomwatched his chum in overjoyed wonder. Joe’snext performance was to vanish from sight.Then, very soon, he wriggled silently out again, until his lips were beside one of his comrade’sears.

“There’s a hole running into that hummockthere,” Dawson explained. “It is a crampylittle bit of a hole, but it will conceal all threeof us. Let’s work Ted in there first.”

This they proceeded to do, though with intensestealth and no hurry. They got Ted outof sight under the ground, at last, then morespeedily concealed themselves.

“Fine, Joe, fine!” cheered Halstead, in achuckling whisper. “Our chances of not beingfound have improved a hundred times!”

“If only Alvarez and his infernal crew willget away from this spot,” Joe whispered, in answer.“But the day that is beginning is absolutelythe last day to save Ted’s fortune tohim. If we trip up to-day there isn’t a chanceof any kind left. He’ll simply lose!”

Tom kept his face close enough to the openingin the ground so that he could see outsidefor some little distance, and yet was sure thathe himself was enough in the shadow not to beseen from outside.

By the time that the sun was well up DonEmilio insisted on another keen search. Thistime French and Gambon even trod through theedge of the thicket that had concealed the boysduring the darkness. But the mouth of thehole under the hummock was still hidden fromtheir eyes by other bushes.

By the time that the sun had been up forsome time quiet had fallen in these woods. Tomand Joe might have felt tempted to make a suddenbreak for freedom, but the scratch of amatch, not far away, warned them that at leastone watcher was still in hiding.

“I wonder what time it is,” thought tormentedHalstead, his mind ever upon that fatefulsession of probate court over at Nantucket.He got his watch out, holding it before his face.Then he made an appalling discovery. He hadforgotten to wind up the time-piece, and it hadrun down.

“Your watch going, Joe?” the young skipperasked.

“No,” Dawson whispered back, after a momentspent in investigation.

“This is a pretty fix. We can’t even guesshow much time we have left to get out of hereand over to Nantucket.”

It was not long after that a gentle sound attractedHalstead’s notice to his friend. Sleeplessand worn out, Dawson had fallen intoslumber.

“That’ll be all right,” thought Tom, “if onlyhe doesn’t snore. If he does, I’ll have to holdhis nose and pull him out of it.”

As for Ted, the idea of making a snoringsound didn’t seem to have occurred to him, orhe would have tried it. Tom moved closer to thelittle fellow, that he might be at hand to preventany such attempt to send warning outsidetheir cramped retreat.

Whizz-zz! It was an automobile going by athigh speed. It passed and was gone, almostat once, but the sound gave Tom a good ideahow close they lay to the road. Yet it was surelya lonely road, little traveled, for time wentdragging by without any other sound of travel.

“I’d feel starving if I weren’t so fearfullyanxious,” thought Tom. “Joe is lucky that hecan sleep. He’ll forget how awfully hungry heis. As for poor Ted, his mixture of feelingsmust be something wonderful!”

In time, Halstead found himself fightingdrowsiness. The very thought that he mightfall asleep so filled him with fright that he becamealertly awake. Slumber and a snore ortwo might be enough to break their last slimchance of winning out for the Dunstans.

CHAPTER XXI – THE LAST DASH TO WIN

“What time is it, anyway?” breathedJoe.

That youth had awakened at last.He and Tom were discussing in whispers whatit was best to do. While they were still deliberating,a scraping as though of a knife in apipe-bowl, not a hundred yards away, had toldthem that watchers were still about. Thathad brought out Joe’s question.

“I don’t know. I’m going to see if I canmake a guess,” hazarded Halstead.

He crawled forward, thrusting his head alittle beyond the mouth of the hole, though stillconcealed by the thicket.

He tried to get at the position of the sun inthe sky, but at first the limited view he couldobtain was bewildering. At last, however, Halsteadguessed at the position of the sun with aresult that made him feel heartsick.

“Joe,” he faltered, after wriggling back intothe hole, “I’m sure it must be afternoon.At that rate, we’re in our last minutes ofchance. If we reach Nantucket later thanfour o’clock we might about as well not getthere at all.”

“I’m with you for the dash, then,” breathedJoe, hard. “I don’t doubt though, that theAlvarez crowd will go to any extreme, evenshooting, if they get sight of us. They’re justas desperate as we feel. However, when you’reready to lead the dash, pass the word, and I’llhand Ted Dunstan out.”

An impatient snort came from that helplessyoung man.

“Now, see here,” whispered Joe, warningly,as he gripped tightly at the heir’s arm, “justleave any sign of noise out. If you don’t – well, you’ll find me bad-tempered when I getroused.”

Tom once more stuck his head out into thethicket. He had no doubt that it was alreadyafternoon. Yes, surely, all must be risked onthe one last dash to win.

As he looked about him, and listened, heheard a new sound. It made his heart beat fast.The sound was such as would come from theslow-running gear of an automobile.

“Hear it, Joe?” he whispered, drawing hishead in.

“Yes!”

“Stay here. Don’t venture out, unless I callyou, Joe. But I’m going to try to get out andstop that machine. The Alvarez crew wouldn’t,or oughtn’t, dare do anything too ugly withother folks at hand. I’m going to risk it, anyway.”

An instant later Tom Halstead’s body washalf-way out of the hole, though still concealedby the friendly thicket. He waited until hejudged that the approaching automobile wasclose at hand on the nearby road.

Just as he was about to spring forth Halsteadrealized that even the auto might be apart of the Alvarez equipment. Yet, on the onelast breath of a chance nothing was to be wastedby hesitation.

Judging the sound intently, Captain Tomsuddenly leaped forth from the hole, out of thethicket, and sprinted headlong for the road.Nor had he misjudged his time. A touringcar was coming along, less than fifty feet away,as Halstead reached the low stone wall. Therewere, including the man at the steering wheel, four men in the car.

“Stop! stop!” shouted Tom, waving hiscap. “It’s fearfully important!”

As the car rolled to a stop, and the men in itleaned forward, Captain Tom experiencedanother great throb. One of the men in therear seat he recognized as an officer who hadjoined in the search on the first day of Ted’sdisappearance.

“Oh, Mr. Warren, get out here, quick!”appealed the young skipper. “There’sreal and swift work in your line as deputysheriff!”

Halstead’s excited manner and white facewere enough, in themselves, to carry conviction.Warren and another man leaped from the tonneau, each reaching carelessly at a hip pocketas though to make sure that a weapon wassecurely there.

“Yes, yes!” cried, the delighted young motorboat skipper. “Get your pistols out. Youmay need ’em.”

Then, wheeling, Tom shouted back:

“Joe! Come here on the jump! It’s allsafe, now!”

There was a sound of scrambling back at thethicket and hummock. Next, Dawson almostflung Ted Dunstan ahead of him, then sprangout, snatching up the slight body in his armsand running toward them.

“Now, let us into your car, and let us getaway from here,” begged Tom, while Warren, staring at Joe’s burden, gasped:

“You’ve got – ”

“The Dunstan heir!” Halstead finished forhim. “And the Alvarez crew are thick abouthere. Don’t lose a moment.”

Joe leaped into the tonneau, passing up hisburden ahead of him. The rest crowded in.The man at the steering wheel let out a fewnotches of speed, and the car shot ahead. Fora few seconds nothing was heard from any hostilewatcher. Then a rifle report sounded, crispand brisk, and a bullet sang by close over theirheads.

“I’m not going to have the law made a targetof in that fashion,” uttered Warren. “Stopthe auto, and I’ll go back to give them all thefight they want.”

“But wait until we get the Dunstan lad safein Nantucket,” begged Halstead.

“I guess you’re right about that,” noddedthe deputy sheriff.

Instead of stopping, the man at the steeringwheel had put on a burst of speed.

Ted, bound and gagged, just as he had been, was being held on the knee of one of the men.

“What time is it!” inquired Captain Tom.

“Twenty-five minutes of four,” replied Warren, hauling out his watch.

“Less than half an hour to fix up everything!”gasped Tom his face blanching. “Oh,we must do some tall hurrying!”

“Why, we can be in the village in ten minutes,”replied Deputy Sheriff Warren, soothingly.

“Yes, but this young man’s father and lawyermust be in court, too, before four o’clock.Stop at the very first house where you see atelephone wire running in, will you?”

Within two minutes the man at the steeringwheel began to slow down. He ran up beforea cottage, stopping at the gate.

Tom leaped out before the car came to a fullstop. Running to the door, he encountered apleasant-faced young woman.

“Let me use your telephone, in a hurry, willyou?” panted Halstead. “It’s on the law’sbusiness.”

“Why, yes, of course,” replied the woman, smiling at the youth’s flushed, excited face.

She pointed to the instrument in the hall.

“Give me Horace Dunstan’s place, on thewest shore, like lightning, will you, Central?”begged Tom, as soon as he had rung.

He got the Dunstan place. The butleranswered that Mr. Dunstan was not at home, butat the Stillman House in Nantucket, with Mr.Crane.

“Oh, it’s you, is it, Captain Tom?” continuedthe butler. “You and Dawson being away, themaster imagined that you might be on the trackof the young gentleman. So, this afternoon, right after luncheon, Mr. Dunstan and Mr. Cranewent over to the Stillman House to wait forany news that might come.”

“I’ve found Master Ted, and we’re tryingto rush him to the court house in time. I’llcall up Mr. Dunstan, thank you.”

With that he rung off, asking for the StillmanHouse. Nor did it need more than a fewseconds to get that anxious father to the telephone.He had been waiting for such a call, hoping against hope.

In the fewest words possible Halstead told hisemployer the bare news of finding the Dunstanheir, adding that they were now on the way tothe court house with him.

“Be over there, you and Mr. Crane,” urgedHalstead, feverishly. “We will do our best toreach you in time. Now – we’ve got to hustle – goodby, sir!”

Again ringing off, then uttering a breathless“Thank you,” and leaving a quarter of a dollarto pay tolls, Tom dashed out of the house.

Just as he had disappeared into the house,Warren turned to Joe, asking curiously:

“Why have you got the lad bound and gaggedin this fashion?”

“Because he wouldn’t come any other way,”retorted Joe.

“Can’t we just as well remove the cords andthe gag, now?” insisted the deputy sheriff.

“Yes; if you’ll he responsible for his notgetting away,” agreed Dawson.

“Oh, I won’t let him get away, if he’s foolishenough to want to,” promised Warren. Hefreed the young man. As soon as he could talkTed broke forth, angrily:

“This is all a wicked shame! My fatherwanted me to keep out of the way for the present.These boys have been meddling from thestart. My father will be awfully angry withthem, and with you all.”

“He will, eh?” queried Warren, good-humoredly.“Young man, do you know that yourfather is nearly distracted over your absence, and that he has had a lot of police officers anda small army of detectives hunting for you allthese days?”

“I don’t believe it,” retorted Ted, stubbornly.“Anyway, I haven’t broken any law, and you’veno right to keep me here. I’m going to getout of this car.”

“I’m very sorry to say that you’re not, atleast not until I’ve seen your father,” rejoinedthe deputy. “My boy, I believe you’ve beenbadly imposed upon by rascals. In any case, you’ll stay right here with me until some oneolder than you are changes the orders.”

At this moment Tom came running down thepath from the house.

“There’s the fellow who’s been the worst ofthe lot,” cried Ted bitterly, tears of rage shiningin his eyes.

“Has he?” smiled Warren. “Then I believeHalstead will come in for a pretty handsomereward from your father.”

“Maybe,” hinted Joe, “if you folks can getus into Nantucket and up at the door of theprobate court before the minute of four.”

“Start her up, please,” begged Halstead, ashis feet struck the running board and hesqueezed in among the tightly-packed crowd.“What time is it now – exactly?”

“Twelve minutes to four,” responded Warren.

“Whew! What if we miss?” quivered Halstead, his face again paling.

“We won’t,” Warren assured him, as the carlurched forward.

Nor would there have been any danger, butabout a mile out of Nantucket something wentwrong with the gasoline flow. The man drivingthe car had to get out and crawl under. Twoothers got out and helped him. Halstead, whohad wound and set his watch by the deputy’s, sat watching the fateful minutes slip by. In avery short time the car was ready to go onagain.

“I’ll speed her now,” promised the man at thesteering wheel. “It’s make or break.”

It was barely one minute before four when thetouring car raced in sight of the court building.In Nantucket the news had spread like wildfireand now a crowd of hundreds of residents andsummer guests had collected before the courtbuilding. But at the gate of the grounds, eachwith a watch in his hand, stood Horace Dunstanand Lawyer Crane.

“Here they come, Crane, thank heaven!”breathed Mr. Dunstan, tears of joy springingup in his eyes. “Now rush, man —rush!”

Inside the court room Judge Swan sat on thebench. Down below stood a solitary clerk. Twocourt officers lounged listlessly. Judge Swan, having no case before him, was sorting somepapers. He looked up to say:

“Mr. Clark, if there’s no further business tocome before the court to-day, you may declareit adjour – ”

“One moment, your honor!”

Lawyer Crane fairly ran into the court roombreathless, waving a paper above his head asthough to attract attention.

At that same instant a great, rousing, hoarsecheer began to well up outside.

“I will ask the court to remain on the benchone or two minutes more,” called the lawyerimploringly. “My clients, Mr. Horace Dunstanand his son will appear before you instantly.”

Then father and son entered. The two courtofficers had already stirred themselves into lifeto hold back the crowd of hundreds that attemptedto rush in also. Judge Swan noddedto the clerk, and the lawyer, finding that his appealwas heard and granted, lost his excitement, becoming once more the cool, methodical manof affairs.

Tom and Joe, and the officers waited in thecorridor in case they should be asked to makeoath to their adventures. But the court not havingbeen in session the day before, thanks toJoe’s accident, all that was necessary was forthe judge to question the two Dunstans, to affixhis signature to certain papers and to order thewill of Aaron Dunstan entered for probate.

It was all over in ten minutes and court waspromptly adjourned, and Master Ted’s great inheritancewas secured to him if he lived up toall of the requirements of that remarkabledocument.

As the two Dunstans came out again thecrowd surged about them in a craze of hoarseexcitement. Tom and Joe were caught up bymen and carried on their shoulders. It was awild turmoil of laughter, cheering and shouting.

Laughing good-naturedly both boys presentlyescaped from those who were carrying them.Tom tried to push his way back to the Dunstans.The crowd tried to make way for him, but it could not all be done in an instant. Whileone of the young captain’s hands was behindhim he felt a piece of paper thrust against thepalm.

As soon as he could, in that great crush, Halsteadbrought his hand before him. On it, inscrawling letters, had been penned these words:

“It is all over – except your reward.”

Reward? Tom Halstead understood thatmessage in an instant. It was a plain threatfrom the balked Alvarez crew.