CHAPTER XX.--FRANK'S BATTLE.
It was about midnight that Frank, for no reason that he could explain,awakened with a vague feeling of uneasiness. Try as he would he couldnot compose himself to sleep again, but lay awake, struggling with asort of intuitive suspicion that all was not well with the _Sea Eagle_.
At last, so strong did his conviction become, that, although he wasridiculing his fears all the time, he arose and dressed himself, andthen started out for the wharf. For a moment he thought he would rouseHarry, who slept on another bed in the same room; but in the end hedecided not to disturb his brother's repose. Perhaps he had a vague fearof ridicule, but at any rate Frank crept out of the hotel alone and madehis way silently down the dark and empty streets.
"This is certainly a fool's errand I'm going on," he told himself; "Isuppose that my reward for my pains will be to hear some more ofPlumbo's poetry, and yet--and yet, I can't help it. I couldn't sleepanother wink unless I was sure that the _Sea Eagle_ was all right."
Musing thus, and minimizing his own fears, Frank came in due time to thewharf. He made his way down it and was about to step forward to descendthe ladder that led to the _Sea Eagle's_ deck, when he heard somethingthat made him pause. He recognized the sound instantly.
It was the rasp of a file!
"My gracious! Somebody _is_ tampering with the _Sea Eagle_!" exclaimedthe boy to himself. "My fears were not as groundless as I thought them,after all. I wonder if that rascal Duval----"
The current of his thoughts was suddenly checked at this point byanother noise near at hand. It seemed to come from behind a big pile ofboxes on the wharf.
"Goodness! What's that?" thought Frank, and then for the first time itflashed across him that if more than one man was engaged in thenefarious work that he was sure was going on, he was at a seriousdisadvantage. He had no weapons but his hands, whereas the others wereundoubtedly well armed.
"I'll slip back uptown as quickly as I can and arouse the authorities,"he decided, "if they are quick we can catch the rascals red-handed. Iwonder what can have become of that fellow Jumbo or whatever his namewas? I suppose he went to sleep or something. Well, it serves us rightfor leaving such an eccentric fellow on guard."
Frank, who had been crouching in the shadow of the very boxes behindwhich he had heard the suspicious sounds, rose quickly to his feet. Hewas just slipping off, congratulating himself that he had beenunobserved when from behind the boxes a dark figure suddenly emerged.
"Hands up, Frank Chester," it exclaimed; "we've got you where we wantyou this time."
"Zeb Daniels!" exclaimed Frank, dumbfounded with astonishment. He hadnot supposed the rascally young fisherman within miles of the place.
"Yes; that's me. Don't move a step or you'll get hurt."
But Frank's indignation overcame his prudence.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.
"None of your business."
"It isn't, eh? Well I know that you are damaging Dr. Perkins' boat insome way and----"
Frank stepped deftly aside as Zeb, who was a far heavier, stronger boythan the young aviator, made a tigerish jump at him, at the same timebrandishing a thick club threateningly.
But Zeb's sudden rush proved his undoing. Before he could recover hisbalance Frank had planted a clean, hard punch on the young ruffian'sjaw, and Zeb reeled back dizzily. He recovered himself almost instantly,however, and without making a sound hurled himself at Frank once more.In a rough and tumble fight the sturdily built fisher boy might havebeen a match for Frank Chester, but Frank had already gained someadvantage and he met Zeb's frenzied charge coolly.
Zeb, as he got within reach, let loose a tremendous swing which, if ithad struck Frank's head as his burly young opponent intended, might havelaid him flat. But to his astonishment Zeb's fist met only empty air.Frank had ducked the blow with consummate ease, and the next instant:
One! Two!--Crack! Smack! Two well-planted blows landed on Zeb's face andbody. Frank was rushing in to complete his victory when he was suddenlyseized from behind in a powerful grip and hurled to the ground withgreat violence.
Zeb's father, on board the _Sea Eagle_, had heard the disturbance, andhad swiftly and silently climbed the ladder leading up on to the wharf.Behind him, but at a prudent distance, came Duval. The Frenchman had nolove for fighting, unless the odds were all in his favor, and he was byno means certain how many men might have attacked them.
The elder Daniels took in the situation in a flash, and pinioned Frank'sarms, just as the latter was about to put an end to the battle. Duvalsaw instantly that there was no personal danger to himself, and whilethe elder Daniels held a grimy, leathery paw over Frank's mouth toprevent his shouting for aid, Duval pinioned the lad's lower limbs.Helpless as a baby Frank lay there on his back, completely at the mercyof three individuals whom he had no reason to suppose would handle himgently.
While he still lay there a helpless captive, young Daniels came up, anddoubling up his fist deliberately struck the helpless boy in the face.But the elder of the Daniels angrily checked him.
"Stow that," he muttered roughly. "What's the matter with you?"
"I wanted to get even with him," whined Zeb; "he licked me and----"
"Waal, git even some other way. Bring me that rope off them pile ofboxes while I make him fast."
Zeb said no more, but obediently fetched the rope, and before manyminutes had passed Frank was bound hand and foot. Moreover, a gag,consisting of a dirty fragment torn from the elder Daniels' shirt, wasthrust into his mouth.
"What'll we do with him now?" demanded Zeb, when this had been done.
"Humph, I hadn't thought of that," rejoined the elder fisherman; "wecan't leave him here, for we don't want any one to find him when theycome down, as they are bound to do afore long when that idiot Plumbofinds out that we've fooled him. What _will_ we do with the young gamecock?"
"I'd like to chuck him overboard," quoth Zeb amiably, staunching hisbleeding nose with a dirty coat sleeve.
"Don't waste time talking rubbish," angrily rejoined his parent; "seehere, Duval, kain't you think of something?"
"Yes, I can," was the eager reply; "it's just occurred to me. Ho! ho! Iguess that'll keep him quiet for a while."
"Well, what do you propose to do?" growled Daniels. "Don't stand therelike an owl. Out with it."
"Well, my friend, you see those big barrels over there?"
"Yes, what about them?"
"We'll put him in one of those and give him a sea trip."
"By Jeehosophat, but that's a notion! I reckon by the time he's pickedup, or drifts ashore, he'll be sorry he interfered with us."
"That's a great scheme," chuckled Zeb, equally delighted. "That's what Icall getting even in good shape."
"Hold on a minute; how's the tide?" murmured Daniels. "We don't want himto be picked up too quick."
"The tide's running out, pop," said Zeb, after a minute; "I tell you,though, what's the matter with putting the barrel in that dory there andthen loading him in it? We can row out a ways and then dump himoverside."
"That's the best idea yet," warmly approved his worthy parent; "come on,boys, tumble the barrel into that dory. Lively, now!"
The barrel, quite a big one, which had been used for salting down fishand was quite watertight, was lowered into the dory that Zeb's sharpeyes had spied with some difficulty.
Frank had watched the movements of his captors as well as he could inthe darkness; but he was quite unable to guess what all this meant,which, perhaps, was just as well. As the conversation had been carriedon in whispers, he had not overheard a syllable of the rascally plan toset him adrift out of pure malice.
Still bound and gagged, he was lowered into the dory, unable to call outor move, despite the now serious alarm he felt. What could the men begoing to do with him, he wondered, and was still busy speculating on hisprobable fate when Zeb and his father cast off the dory and, with rapidstrokes, began to row toward the mouth of the harbor on which Bayhavenis
situated.