CHAPTER 18 _OVER THE DRAWBRIDGE_
Wasting no moments in useless conversation, Mr. Parker rented a fastmotor boat and prevailed upon Harry Griffith to operate it for him.Guided by the stars and a half moon which was slowly rising over thetreetops, the party swung down the river.
Riding with the current, they came before long to the locality wherePenny and Jerry had first sighted the two seamen's cruiser. But now therewas no sign of a boat, either large or small.
At a speed which enabled the occupants to scrutinize the shoreline, thesearching craft swept on. The river had never seemed more deserted.
"Jerry might have stopped anywhere along here," Mr. Parker observed. "Ifhe drew the boat into the bushes we haven't a chance of finding him."
They went on, coming presently to the Kippenberg estate. As they passedbeneath the open drawbridge Penny noted how low it had been swung overthe water. A boat with a high cabin could not possibly go through whenthe cantilevers were down.
Gazing upward, she saw a swinging red light at the entrance to thebridge. A lantern, no doubt, hung there to give warning to any motoristwho might venture upon the private road.
"Thorny probably isn't on duty at this hour," Penny reflected. "But Ishould think an open drawbridge might prove more dangerous at night thanin the daytime."
As the bridge was lost to view beyond a bend in the river, she gave allher attention to watching the coves and inlets. Her father sat hunchedover in the seat beside her, slapping at mosquitoes. Now and then hewould switch on the flashlight to look at his watch.
Gradually the river had widened, so that it was possible to cover onlyone shore.
"We'll search the other side on our return trip," Mr. Parker said. "Butit looks to me as if we're not going to have any luck."
As if to add to the discouragement of the party, dark clouds began toedge across the sky. One by one the stars were inked out. Penny's lightcoat offered scant protection from the cold wind.
And then, Harry Griffith throttled down the motor and spun the wheelsharply to starboard. He leaned forward, trying to pierce the black voidahead of the boat's bright beam.
"Looks like something over there," he said pointing. "Might be a log. No,it's a boat."
"I can't see anyone in it!" Penny cried. "It's drifting with thecurrent."
"That looks like one of my boats, sure as you're born," Griffithdeclared, idling the engine. "The same I rented the young feller thismorning."
"But where is Jerry?" cried Penny.
Griffith maneuvered his own boat close to the one which drifted with thecurrent. Mr. Parker was able to reach out and grasp the long ropedangling in the water.
"The flashlight, Penny!" he commanded.
She turned the beam on, and as it focused upon the floor of the boat,drew in her breath sharply. On the bottom, face downward, lay a man.
"It's Jerry!" Penny cried. "Oh, Dad, he's--"
"Steady," said her father. "Steady."
While Griffith held the two boats together, he stepped aboard the smallerone. He bent over the crumpled figure, feeling Jerry's pulse, gentlyturning him upon his back.
"Is he alive, Dad?"
"His pulse is weak, but I can feel it. Yes, he's breathing! Hold thatlight steady, Penny."
"Dad, there's blood on his head! I--I can see it trickling down."
"He's been struck with a club or some blunt object," Mr. Parker saidgrimly. "He may have a fractured skull."
"Oh, Dad!"
"Keep a grip on yourself," her father ordered sternly, "It may not be asbad as I think, but we'll have to rush him to the nearest doctor."
"If it was me, I wouldn't try to move him out of there," advised HarryGriffith. "Leave him where he is. I'll get aboard and we'll take thisboat in tow."
Penny helped the man make their craft fast to the other boat, and thenthey both climbed aboard. Griffith started the engine and turned aroundin the river.
"I'll head for Covert," he said. "That's about the closest place. Thereought to be a good doctor in a town that size."
While Griffith handled the boat, Penny and her father did what they couldto make Jerry comfortable. They stripped off their coats, using one for apillow, and the other to cover his body.
"Those two men he was sent to follow must be responsible for this!" Pennymurmured. "How could they do such a brutal thing?"
"I'll notify the police as soon as we touch shore," her father saidgrimly. "We'll search every cove and inlet until we find the onesresponsible!"
As he spoke Mr. Parker bent lower to examine the wound on Jerry's head.Blood had nearly stopped flowing and he was hopeful that it came from aflesh wound. He pressed a clean handkerchief against it and the young manstirred.
"How long do you suppose he's been like this, Dad?"
"Hard to tell. An hour, maybe two hours."
Presently, as the boat made full speed up the river, Jerry stirred oncemore. His lips moved but the words were indistinguishable.
"How far to Covert?" Mr. Parker asked anxiously.
"About four miles from this point," Griffith flung over his shoulder."It's the next town above the Kippenberg estate. I'm making the best timeI can."
Jerry moved restlessly, his hands plucking at the coat which covered him.
"Flaming eyes," he muttered. "Looking at me--looking at me--"
Penny and her father gazed at each other in startled dismay.
"He's completely out of his head," whispered Penny.
"He's gone back to that other accident which happened last year," noddedMr. Parker. "The Vanishing Houseboat affair."
"Jerry's had more than his share of bad luck, Dad. Twice now on this sameriver, he's met with disaster. And this time he may not come through."
"I think he will if his skull hasn't been fractured," Mr. Parker told herencouragingly. "Listen!"
Jerry's lips were moving again, and this time his words were morerational.
"Got to get word to the Chief," they heard him mutter. "Got to getword--"
A long while after that Jerry remained perfectly quiet. Suddenlyarousing, his eyes opened wide and he struggled to sit up. Mr. Parkergently pressed him back.
"Where am I?" Jerry muttered. "Let me out of here! Let me out!"
"Quiet, Jerry," soothed Mr. Parker. "You're with friends."
The reporter's tense grip on the editor's hand relaxed. "That you,Chief?"
"Yes, Jerry. Just lie quiet. We'll have you to a doctor in a few moreminutes."
"Doctor! I don't need any doctor," he protested, trying once more to situp. "What happened anyway?"
"That's what we would like to know."
"Can't you remember anything, Jerry?" Penny asked. "You went out on theriver to try to trace those two men in the cruiser."
"Oh, it's coming back to me now. I ran into their boat down by CranberryCove. They tied up there."
"And then what happened?" Penny demanded, as Jerry paused.
"I saw 'em walk ashore. Thought I would follow so I tied up my boat, too.They started off through the trees. Pretty soon they met a third man, awell dressed fellow, educated too."
"Did you hear any of their conversation?" Mr. Parker questioned.
"I heard Kippenberg's name mentioned. That caught my interest so I creptcloser. Must have given myself away because that's about the last Iremember. A ton of dynamite seemed to explode in my head. And here I am."
"Obviously, you were struck from behind with some heavy object," Mr.Parker said. "They probably dumped you back in your own boat and set itadrift. You never saw your attacker?"
"No."
Jerry rested for a moment, and then as it dawned upon him that he wasbeing speeded to a doctor, he began to protest.
"Say, Chief, I'll be all right. I don't need any doc. Head's clear as abell now."
"That's fine, Jerry. But you'll see a doctor anyway and have X-rays.We're taking no chances."
"Then a
t least let me go back to Riverview," Jerry grumbled. "I don'twant to be stuck in any hick town hospital."
"If you feel equal to the trip, I guess we can grant you that much. Youseem to be all right, but I want to make sure. Can't take chances on thepaper being sued later on, you know."
"Oh, I get the idea," said Jerry with a grimace. "Thinking of the oldcash register, as usual."
Penny drew a deep sigh of relief. If Jerry were able to make jokes hecouldn't be seriously injured. She still felt weak from the fright shehad received.
"The police will find those men who attacked you," she told him. "I hopethey're put in prison for life, too!"
"The police?" Jerry repeated. He stared up into Mr. Parker's face. "Say,Chief, you're not aiming to spill the story, are you?"
"I was."
"But see here, if you notify the police, we'll show our hand to the rivalpaper. If we keep this dark we could do our own investigating, and maybeland a big scoop."
"Justice is more important than a scoop, Jerry," returned Mr. Parker. "Ifthose men had anything to do with Atherwald's disappearance, and it looksas if they did, then we are duty bound to hand our clues over to thepolice. By trying to handle it alone, we might let them escape."
"Guess maybe you're right at that," Jerry acknowledged.
As she saw that the reporter was rapidly recovering strength, Penny lefthim to the care of her father and went forward to speak with HarryGriffith.
"Where are we now?" she inquired.
"Just comin' to the Kippenberg estate," he told her.
"Only that far? We don't seem to be making very fast time."
"We're buckin' the current, Miss. And there's a right stiff windblowing."
She had not noticed the wind before or how overcast the sky had become.One could not see many yards in advance of the boat.
Ahead loomed the drawbridge in open position as usual. But Penny couldnot see the red lantern which she had noticed upon the trip down. Had thelight been blown out by the wind?
In any case, it would not greatly matter, she reflected. Few carstraveled the private road. And any person who came that way would likelyknow about the bridge.
And then, above the steady hum of the motor boat engine, Penny heardanother roar which steadily increased in intensity. A car was coming downthe road at great speed!
"The lantern must be there," Penny thought. "It's probably hidden by atree or the high bank. Of course it's there."
She listened with a growing tension. The car was not slowing down. EvenHarry Griffith turned his head to gaze toward the entrance ramp of thedrawbridge.
It was all over in an instant. A scream of brakes, a loud splintering ofthe wooden barrier. The speeding automobile struck the side of the steelbridge, spun sideways and careened down the bank to bury itself in thewater.