CHAPTER XV.
THE HAUNTED MILL.
A branch of the Meden runs through the northwestern portion of thatregion still known as Sherwood Forest. At one time all that country wascovered with one great, dense forest, but now there are many pieces ofwoods and a great deal of cleared country, with beautiful cottages andwinding roads.
In a little, wooded valley stands an old, deserted mill. The brokenwater wheel is still and covered with rank moss and slime. The mill hassettled on one side until it threatens to topple into the little basinabove the almost vanished dam. It seems to cling to the old-fashionedstone chimney in a pitiful way for support.
This is known as the "Haunted Mill of the Meden," and tourists travelfar to see it. Hundreds of artists have daubed its semblance on theircanvases.
Years ago, it is said, the miller, crazed by solitude or something,murdered his beautiful daughter in the old mill and then committedsuicide. The people of that region tell that the ghosts of both fatherand daughter visit the old mill nightly at the hour when the crime wascommitted, which was shortly after midnight.
The haunted mill stands about eight English miles from Robin Hood'sTavern.
A cold moon had risen in the east, and it was near the hour when theghosts of the old mill were supposed to walk.
At least half a mile from the mill three horsemen had halted. They wereDick Merriwell, Brad Buckhart, and Swinton, the keeper of Robin Hood'sTavern.
Not only had the landlord's demands been fully satisfied and appeased byDick, but he had been induced by the payment of a liberal sum to guidethe boys to the haunted mill.
"You can't miss it," he declared in a low tone. "It's straight down thisroad in the wood yonder."
"But aren't you coming with us?" asked Brad.
"Ten pounds wouldn't take me nearer the mill at this hour," said thelandlord. "I've kept my part of the agreement; I have guided you to it."
"Let him remain here," said Dick, "and take care of the horses. We'll goalone, Brad. We must leave the horses, for we do not wish to give Bunolwarning that we are coming, and he might hear the animals."
"Mebbe that's a right good idea," nodded the Texan. "I don't opine a manas scared as he is would be any good with us."
So the horses were left with the landlord, who promised to remain andguard them until the boys returned.
"If you ever do return," he added. "It seems to me as likely as not thatI'll never clap eyes on you again."
"I hope you don't think we're going to run away?" exclaimed Dick.
"No, but I do think it likely you'll run into plenty of trouble,considering the things those men did at my place. I don't see why you donot wait until morning and gather a force to aid you. It's the onlysensible thing. What can two boys do against such ruffians!"
"We're not the kind that waits a great deal," said Buckhart. "I surereckon you'll find out what we can do, and the ruffians will find out,too."
Both boys were armed. They lost no time in hastening along the road thatled in to the dark woods which choked the little valley. It demandedplenty of courage for those two American lads to attempt such anundertaking in a strange country at such an hour, and under suchcircumstances; but Dick and Brad had the courage, and they did notfalter.
The woods were dark and silent, and filled with many black shadows,although in spots moonlight sifted through the openings amid the trees.
Stepping cautiously and keeping constantly on the alert, the boysfollowed the winding road down into the valley, avoiding the patches ofmoonlight.
Finally a faint murmuring sound of water reached their ears. It camefrom the little stream that trickled over the broken dam.
A few moments later the boys saw the dark and forbidding outlines of theold mill. All about the mill reigned a stillness like death, broken onlyby the almost inaudible sound of trickling water.
"It sure doesn't seem like there is much of anything doing here,"whispered Buckhart. "I hope we haven't arrived too late, pard."
"The only way to find out about that is to investigate," returned Dick,in the same cautious tone.
They approached the mill, circling a last spot where the moonlight shonedown through the trees.
True, their hearts were beating faster than usual in their bosoms, butthey were fully as undaunted as when they had set out from Robin Hood'sTavern.
The old mill was reached at last, and they listened as they stood closebeside its rotting wall.
No sound came from within.
"Have you the candles, Dick?" asked the Texan.
"Sure," was the assurance. "But we'll not use them until we get inside."
They tried the door, but it was fastened, and after a few moments theydecided that it could not be opened from the outside unless the personwho attempted it knew how.
"We'll have to find a window that will let us in," said Dick, in awhisper.
Fortunately, they had little difficulty about this, for the windows ofthe mill were broken, and, although they had been boarded up, the boardswere torn away from one of them. This window was high, but Dick mountedon Buckhart's shoulders and crept through it. Then he leaned far out andgrasped the hands of the Texan, who followed him, but made more or lessnoise in scrambling up and over the sill.
"Hush!" warned Dick. "We'll listen here a while to see if we havedisturbed any one."
The silence within the place was even more oppressive than that of thedark woods outside.
"I sure am afraid we're on a Tom Fool's errand, partner," murmuredBuckhart. "I'm almost ready to bet my boots that, besides ourselves,there's no living thing in this thundering old building."
"You may be right," Dick admitted; "but we'll search it from top tobottom before we quit. I hate to think that, in the face of almostcertain death, Luke Durbin lied to me."
"Mebbe he didn't lie; mebbe Bunol changed his plan after that runawayand smash-up."
"Perhaps so."
"Light a candle, pard."
"Not yet. We'll prowl round a little first. Take care not to step into ahole or trap of any sort."
They moved forward with the utmost caution, feeling their way along inthe darkness. Soon they found a door that was standing wide open andpassed into a sort of hall, beyond which another door opened intoanother part of the building, which Dick believed was the mill proper.
In spite of their caution, they had made some slight noises, Brad oncestriking the toe of his boot against some obstacle.
As they paused there in irresolution, something of a startling naturetook place.
First through the empty hallowness of the vacant rooms echoed a groanthat was most dismal and nerve-trying.
This sound was followed almost instantly by a shrill, piercing shriek,like that which might be uttered by some one in the agony of death!
Buckhart afterward confessed that his hair "certain rose up on its hindlegs and mighty nigh kicked his hat off."
No wonder.
Such appalling sounds breaking in on the absolute silence of the placewere enough to give a man of iron something more than a slight start.
The sounds died out as suddenly as they had broken forth, and thestillness that followed was disturbed only by the tumultuous beating ofthe hearts of the two boys.
Brad clutched Dick's arm.
"Great everlasting tornadoes!" groaned the Texan. "That sure was lettingit out some!"
"Just a little!" admitted Dick.
It did not take the boys long to recover from the shock, which wasfollowed by a feeling of resentment, for both knew some one had soughtto frighten them in that manner.
Neither of them believed in ghosts.
"Wherever did it come from, pard?" asked Buckhart, softly--"upstairs ordown?"
Dick was compelled to confess that he did not know. The groan and theshriek had echoed through the empty rooms in a most deceptive manner.
By this time both lads had their revolvers ready for use.
They remained perfectly still for many minutes, listening for some ne
wsound to guide them. Although they were wonderfully courageous, theyknew they might be plunging into a deadly trap, and neither cared aboutthrowing his life away.
Still they had come there for the purpose of trying to rescue ProfessorGunn, and they did not propose to retire without doing their best toaccomplish their design.
Finally they decided to investigate the upper portion of the mill, andon their hands and knees they crept up the stairs. They knew not whatmoment they might be attacked, and when they reached the top of theflight they more than half expected to be set upon without furtherdelay.
After the startling sounds which had chilled and appalled them for a fewmoments, there was no further demonstration, and the deathlike silenceof the place placed another strain upon their nerves, which seemed togrow more and more severe. Finally they felt that they would gladlywelcome a noise of some sort.
The moonlight reached some of the upper windows of the building now, andit assisted them in exploring a portion of that floor. But though theywent from room to room, they found up there no sign of any living thing.
"This is a whole lot disappointing, partner," breathed the Texan. "Thereis nothing doing up here."
"Evidently not," admitted Dick. "Let's go down. We have not halfinvestigated the rooms below."
They still believed it quite probable they would be attacked while inthe old mill, but neither faltered. Down the stairs they went, and Dickled the way into that part of the building that had once been the millproper.
Suddenly he stopped in the dark and put out his hand, checking Brad.
"Don't move!" he warned.
"What's the matter?"
Dick had heard the sound of running water rising from almost directlybeneath his feet, and a cold breath of air came up and smote him in theface.
"Keep your revolver ready for use," he said. "I'm going to light acandle."
A moment later he struck a match and soon lighted a candle, which he hadbrought in his pocket, wrapped in a paper.
The light thus provided showed the boys that it was a fortunate thingthat Dick had halted just as he did. Barely a step before him theflooring had rotted and fallen away, leaving a great opening down to thebed of the stream below.
"I'll keep this candle going now," decided Dick.
The investigation of that portion of the mill did not consume much time,and it was productive of nothing but disappointment.
"It's a whole lot singular!" growled the Texan. "Partner, we knowsomebody was here a short time ago, for we heard the galoot groan andyell."
"There must still be a part of the building we have not searched," saidDick.
There was. They found a door leading from the hall into a short andnarrow passage, which was blocked by still another door. The second doorwas securely fastened.
Their efforts to open it in an ordinary manner were wasted; but whilethey sought to do so they were surprised and interested to hear astrange thumping sound issuing from some part of the building justbeyond that very door.
As they paused to speculate concerning the meaning of that thumping,another startling and disagreeable thing happened.
In the hall behind them there was a flash, and the loud and deafeningreport of a pistol smote upon their ears. At the same instant a bulletclipped past Dick's ear and struck the candle in his hand, cutting itoff close to the top and extinguishing it.
Buckhart turned in a twinkling and answered the shot by firing blindlyback into the hall.
The flash of his pistol blinded Brad, but Dick--who had also wheeled andwas slightly to one side--plainly saw a man spring through a doorway andvanish from view.
Once more snatching out his own revolver and warning Buckhart againstshooting him by mistake, Merriwell darted back into that hall andfollowed the man through the doorway.
He discerned a dark figure just slipping out through the very window bywhich the two boys had entered the mill.
Although he was tempted to fire on the fleeing man, Dick restrained theimpulse, permitting the unknown to escape.
"He's gone," he explained, in answer to the eager questions of theTexan, who had followed closely. "Let him go. I'm for finding out assoon as possible the meaning of the thumping sounds we heard beyond thatimmovable door. Let's look for something with which we may batter downthe door."
In the mill section of the building they discovered a huge, rustyhammer, and with this they returned and attacked the door, Dick havingrelighted his candle.
The sturdy Texan begged the privilege of smashing the door, and the oldbuilding resounded with the concussions of his blows. In a few momentshe had beaten the door until it was split and ready to give way. A sortof fury seemed to possess him, and he soon smashed his way through thedoor and into the small room beyond.
Dick followed with the candle, the light of which showed them a humanfigure lying on the floor before them.
It was Professor Gunn, bound tightly with ropes wound and knotted abouthim and gagged in a manner that prevented him from making any outcry.However, he had managed to thump the floor with his feet when he heardthe boys outside the door, and now his eyes were filled with anexpression of untold relief and joy.
Dick lost not a moment in producing a knife and slashing at the cordswhich held the old man helpless. At the same time Brad removed the gag.
"Thank God!" mumbled Zenas weakly.
When they had freed him, he was unable to rise, so they lifted himbetween them and aided him from the room. Reaching the window by whichthey had entered, Brad sprang out, and Dick assisted Zenas in gettingover the sill and lowering himself into the strong arms of the Texan.
Then Merriwell sprang out, drawing a deep breath of relief, for,regardless of the flight of the man who had fired the shot thatextinguished the candle, he had feared another attack until all wereclear of the building.
"Boys," half sobbed the old professor, "I knew you would come! I knewyou would rescue me somehow! But it seems as if I have been in the powerof those villains for ages."
"Where is Bunol?" asked Dick.
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
"He was here when they brought me to the place. He compelled me to tellhim where he could find Nadia Budthorne, then he left me, with a singleman to guard me until morning. With the coming of daylight the man wasto get away, and I might have remained there until I perished fromhunger or exhaustion if you had not come to my rescue. Oh, boys, you arejewels! You are the bravest, finest chaps in the world!"
"Bunol knows!" said Buckhart hoarsely. "He accomplished his purpose!"
"But we'll baffle him!" cried Dick. "We'll send a warning to theBudthornes the first thing in the morning, and then--then away forNaples."