CHAPTER XXIV--JASNIFF AND MERWELL
"It's a man!"
"One of the Englishmen!"
"You are right, lads," came from Captain Sanders. "And see, he isbound hands and feet to the rocks!"
What the master of the _Golden Eagle_ said was true, and as thefirebrand was flashed on the scene, the chums could do little butstare in astonishment.
Lying on his back between the rocks was the Englishman named GilesBorden. Hands and feet were bound with a strong cord, which ran arounda projection of the rocks in such a manner that the prisoner couldscarcely move.
"Who tied you up?" questioned Dave, as he and Phil set to work toliberate the prisoner.
"Geswick, Pardell, and Rumney," groaned the prisoner. "Oh, if only Ihad my hands on them!"
"Why did they do it?" asked Captain Sanders.
"They wanted to rob me--and they did rob me!" answered Giles Borden."Oh, help me out of this wretched hole and give me a drink of water! Iam dying from thirst!"
Not without difficulty the man was freed of the rope and helped to getout from between the rocks. Then Dave and Roger half carried him downto the cave proper. The crowd had a canteen of water and the mandrank, eagerly.
"So your friends robbed you?" said Captain Sanders, curiously.
"Do not call them friends of mine!" returned Giles Borden. "They arenot friends--they are vipers, wolves! Oh, if ever I meet them again athome I'll soon have them in prison, or know the reason why!"
"Hadn't you better tell us all about it?" went on the master of the_Golden Eagle_.
"Wait a minute!" cried Dave. "Do you suppose those men are anywherenear here?"
"I don't know. They said they would be back, but they did not come."
"They may have seen us and skipped out," ventured the senator's son.
"More than likely," groaned Giles Borden. "Now that they have my moneythey won't want to stay here. They'll take passage on that ship assoon as she comes in and leave me to shift for myself."
"Tell us your story, so we can understand what you are talking about,"said Captain Sanders.
In a disconnected manner the Englishman related his tale, pausingoccasionally to take another drink of water. He said he was fromLondon and had met Geswick, Pardell, and Rumney less than six monthsbefore. They had come to him with the story of a wonderful pirates'treasure said to be hidden on Cave Island, and had asked him tofinance an expedition in search of it.
"I had just fallen heir to five thousand pounds through the death ofmy father," he went on, "and I was anxious to get the treasure, so Iconsented to pay the expenses of the trip, taking the three men along.They had the chart that you saw on shipboard and some otherparticulars, and they made me bring along a thousand pounds extra,stating that we might have to pay some natives well to get them toshow us where the particular cave we were seeking was located."
Then had followed the trip to Florida and the one to Barbados. At thelatter island a schooner had been chartered to take them to CaveIsland, where they were landed on the eastern shore. The schooner wasto come back for the Englishmen a week later.
"As soon as the treasure hunt began I suspected that I was beinghoaxed," continued Giles Borden. "For all I knew, we were alone on theisland. We found several huts, but they were all deserted. We visiteda score of caves, but saw nothing that looked like a treasure. Then,one afternoon, Geswick asked me about the extra thousand pounds I wascarrying. I grew suspicious and tried to hide the money between therocks. The three caught me at it and pounced on the money like a packof wolves. Then, when I remonstrated, they laughed at me, and told meto keep quiet, that they were going to run matters to suitthemselves."
"They must have intended to rob you from the start," said Dave.
"You are right, and I was a fool to trust them. As soon as they had mymoney, one of them, Rumney, tore up the chart and threw the pieces inmy face. That angered me so greatly that I struck him with my fist,knocking him down. Then the three leaped on me and made me a prisoner,binding me with the rope. I tried my best to get away, but could not.That was at night. In the morning they went off, saying they wouldcome back later and give me something to eat. But that is the last Ihave seen or heard of them."
"If we hadn't found you, you might have starved to death," murmuredCaptain Sanders. "They ought to be punished heavily for this--and forrobbing you!"
The Englishman was glad enough to get something to eat, and then saidhe felt much stronger.
"But what brings you to this island?" he questioned, while partakingof the food.
"We are after a pair of criminals," answered Dave, as the otherslooked at him, not knowing what to say. "Two young fellows who ranaway with some valuable jewels. I suppose you saw nothing of them."
"No, as I said before, we saw nobody."
"They are on this island."
"Then I hope you catch them. And I hope you'll aid me in catchingthose other scamps."
"We'll certainly do that," answered Captain Sanders.
A little later the whole party left the cave, and Giles Borden pointedout a number of other caves he had visited.
"The island is full of them," declared the Englishman. "And one has tobe careful, for fear of falling into a hole at every step."
The middle of the afternoon found the party once more at the water'sedge. They had seen no trace of Jasniff and Merwell, or of therascally Englishmen. All were tired out and content to rest for alittle while.
"Looks like a wild goose chase, doesn't it, Dave?" remarked Roger.
"Oh, you mustn't grow discouraged so quickly, Roger," was Dave'sanswer. "Unless Jasniff and Merwell have a chance to leave this islandwe'll be sure to locate them, sooner or later. What I am worried aboutmostly is the question: Have they the jewels or did the gems go to thebottom of the ocean?"
"Yes, that's the most important question of all."
"It will be poor consolation to catch Jasniff and Merwell and not getthe jewels," put in Phil. "I reckon, Dave, you'd rather have it theother way around--get the jewels and miss Jasniff and Merwell."
"Indeed, yes, Phil."
"In case we don't----" began the senator's son, and then stopped short.He had seen Captain Sanders leap up and start inland.
"What did you see, Captain?" asked Dave.
"I saw somebody looking at us, from behind yonder trees!" cried themaster of the _Golden Eagle_.
"One of the Englishmen?" queried Phil.
"No, it was somebody younger--looked a little like that picture of LinkMerwell!"
"Come on--after them!" cried Dave, and started on a run in thedirection the captain indicated.
All were soon on the way, climbing over some rough rocks at first andthen crashing through the heavy undergrowth. Then they entered aforest of tropical trees and vines.
"I see them!" exclaimed Dave, after several hundred feet had beencovered. "Jasniff and Merwell as sure as you live! Stop! Stop, I tellyou!" he called out.
"You keep back, Dave Porter!" yelled Nick Jasniff in return. "Keepback, or it will be the worse for you!"
"Jasniff, you had better surrender!" cried Roger.
"We'll be sure to get you sooner or later!" added Phil.
"You'll never catch me!" answered the other. "Now keep back, or maybesomebody will get shot."
"Do you think he'll shoot?" asked Captain Sanders, in some alarm,while Giles Borden stopped short.
"Possibly," answered Dave. "But I am going after him anyway," he addedsturdily. "I came here to catch those rascals and I am going to doit."
"And I am with you," said Phil, promptly.
"Scare 'em with your gun, Dave," suggested the senator's son.
"I will," was our hero's reply, and he brought the weapon to thefront. "I've got a gun, Jasniff!" he called out. "You had better stop!And you had better stop too, Merwell!"
"Don't yo-you shoot at us!" screamed Link Merwell, in sudden terror.And then he ran with all speed for the nearest trees and dove out ofsight. The next instant Jasniff disappeared, like
wise.
Dave was now thoroughly aroused, and he resolved to do his best to runthe rascals down and corner them. Shifting his shotgun once more tohis back, he ran on in the direction the pair had taken, and Roger,Phil, and the captain and the Englishman followed.
Listening occasionally, they could hear Jasniff and Merwell crashingthrough the undergrowth and at the same time calling to each other.Evidently they had become separated and were trying to get togetheragain.
As they advanced into the forest, Dave caught sight of Merwell. He wasbehind a low fringe of bushes and an instant later disappeared.
"Stop, Merwell!" he called out. "It won't do you any good to run. Weare bound to catch you, sooner or later."
"Yo-you let me alone, Dave Porter!" spluttered Merwell. He was almostout of breath, so violent had been his exertions.
Dave kept on and soon reached the low bushes. Then he saw Merwellagain, this time leaping for some brushwood between two tall rocks.
"I've got you now!" he said, sharply. "You may as well give in!"
"Oh, Porter, please let me----" commenced Link Merwell, and then Dave'shand caught him by the shoulder and whirled him about.
As this happened something else occurred that filled both pursued andpursuer with alarm. The grass and brushwood under their feet began togive way. Then of a sudden Link Merwell sank from sight, and Davedisappeared after him!
In the meanwhile Phil and the others kept on in the direction NickJasniff had taken. Twice they caught sight of the former bully of OakHall, but each time he was further away than before.
"You'll not catch me!" cried Jasniff. "You might as well give uptrying." Then he dove into another section of the forest and they sawno more of him.
"What has become of Dave?" asked Phil, when he and Roger cametogether, a little later.
"I thought he was with you, Phil."
"And I thought he was with you."
"He went after that other chap," put in Captain Sanders. "Perhaps hecaught him. They were over in that direction," and the captain pointedwith his hand.
All proceeded in the direction indicated. But they did not catch sightof either Dave or Merwell.
"Well, this is strange, to say the least," remarked Phil, after theyhad called out several times. "What do you make of it, Roger?"
"I'm sure I don't know, Phil. They can't have gotten so far away butwhat they could hear us call."
"Maybe they fell into one of the caves," suggested Captain Sanders.
"If they have, we had better hunt for Dave at once," returned Roger.