Midge shivered. “It sure gives you a creepy feeling, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll say,” Nancy agreed, “but we can’t waste time worrying about what might happen. We’ll just have to keep a constant eye out for big Bull Tolliver. Now, let’s get paddling.”
The girls stroked easily and Midge quickly mastered the art of canoeing.
Once on the New Brighton River under the bridge, they found themselves thrust into that dark and moody atmosphere they had noticed when they had first looked south from the road. The murky water was even blacker than it had looked from up above.
“A good place for sea monsters,” muttered Midge, peering down.
The sun began to hide behind clouds. The predicted rains appeared to be moving in early. After an hour of paddling with the current, Nancy felt the boat move more swiftly.
“The rapids,” she called to Midge. “White water. Don’t sit on the seat now. Kneel on the bottom and don’t paddle unless I tell you to. The stem paddler steers and controls the canoe, but you need to help. I’ll call out left or right and then you go that way until I say stop, okay?” “Aye, aye, captain,” Midge obeyed.
“If we can get upstream and go a little faster than the current, we’ll have better control and not flip over,” Nancy explained. “Here we go!” At Nancy’s words, the rapids appeared and the canoe went rushing ahead as the white- whipped water surged on all sides.
Midge squealed and shouted with delight and Nancy shouted back her encouragement. Almost as suddenly as they had appeared, the half mile of rapids dissolved into a placid stretch of water.
“Fantastic!” Midge yelled. “Let’s do it again.”
“Don’t worry. There’s more excitement coming up,” Nancy warned. “Oh look, Midge, our first sign of civilization.”
She pointed toward the right bank where the land sloped up less steeply. A run-down house clung to the hillside. In the front stood four curious children, ranging in age from about six to twelve.
“Let’s paddle over and see if they know anything that might help us,” said Nancy.
Midge stared at the children with an experienced eye. “Good luck, Nancy,” she said. "They look pretty tough to me. I don’t think they’ll help us one bit.”
“Oh?” said Nancy, amused by Midge’s quick character analysis. “And what makes you so sure?”
“Trust me, Nancy. I’ve seen kids like that on the north side. They’re trouble.”
“Well,” the older girl smiled, “I think we can handle four little ones without getting hurt. Where’s that old Watson courage?”
Nancy steered the canoe in closer. “Hi children,” she called. “How are you doing?”
The four urchins stood there, mouths slightly open, but did not answer.
“Mind if I ask a few questions?” Nancy went on. “I’m looking for a friend who got lost on this river. Maybe you saw him.”
The children didn’t move. They continued to stare. “That’s the look,” muttered Midge. “Nancy, these kids are up to no good.”
They were now within twenty feet of the bank and Nancy was about to paddle closer when the oldest of the group let out a howl. “Let ’em have it!”
“I told you,” Midge shouted as all four children reached down and began throwing great lumps of dirt at the two girls. “Let’s get out of here!”
Backwatering as hard as she could, Nancy managed to move the canoe to safety, but not before many large clumps of dirt had landed in the canoe.
When they were out of range, Nancy stopped paddling and looked back. The children were laughing and rolling on the ground.
“Why on earth did they do that?” Nancy asked.
“I don’t know,” said Midge. “They just think it’s funny. We got a whole family like that who live near us. They don’t know what to do with themselves so they throw rocks. I can tell the type a mile off.”
“Well,” Nancy said, “at least dirt is harmless. Anyway, my father told me about the people along this river. They have reasons for keeping away from the world and I guess their children grow up thinking that antisocial is the way to be. It’s sad.”
“Yes,” Midge agreed, “it sure is. But it means that if Mr. Ford wasn’t drowned in this part of the river, he was in just as much trouble if he tried to swim ashore.”
Nancy began to feel real doubts about finding any clues along this strange and moody river. But, refusing to give up, she looked ahead for other signs of life. Before the next house came into view, however, the girls arrived at the second rapids.
Midge found them twice as exciting as the first. She became so worked up that she shouted, “Ride ’em cowboy!” and jumped up out of her seat.
“Midge! Look out!”
Nancy’s warning cry came too late. In her excitement, Midge had violated the most important rule of boating. The canoe overturned and both girls found themselves underwater. Nancy came up immediately. “Midge!” she called anxiously but saw nothing. “Watson!” she yelled.
“Present!” came a cheery reply. She was swimming on the opposite side of the canoe.
“Well,” Nancy said, “let’s tow it in to shore and get dried out.”
“I’m sorry, Nancy.” Midge apologized.
“I know,” Nancy said, “but I hope now you’ll believe me that it’s not smart to stand up in a canoe.”
“Never again,” said Midge.
The two girls managed to get the boat into shallow water, then lifted it in the air and flipped it right side up.
“Boy, am I hungry,” Midge declared. “Why don’t we build a fire and dry oat and have our lunch?”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Nancy said. “You bring the lunch and I’ll meet you up on shore.” “Okay,” said Midge. “Let’s see . . She stopped. “Ohhh,” she groaned, “what have I done? The lunch is gone, right1”
“That’s right,” said Nancy. “The fish are having a banquet.”
“Oh, I’m so clumsy,” sighed Midge. “I could kick myself.”
“Never mind,” said Nancy. ‘ Let’s get a fire started.” Taking her waterproof match case from her pouch, Nancy managed to start a small fire, which helped take away some of the chill. Clouds obscured the sun. Soon a brisk wind came up and the girls were beginning to shiver. “How far have we got to go?” asked Midge. “About two or three miles, I’d say,” Nancy replied.
“It doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything, does it?” asked Midge.
“Well,” Nancy said, “that’s the way it always is just before a discovery.”
Midge nodded and sat huddling close to the (ire. Then she turned her back to it as she idly began scuffling her sneaker along the rocky soil at the water’s edge Something shiny caught her eye and she dug her toe into the soil. Out came two metal rings connected by a chain. Fascinated, she leaned forward and picked them up. “Nancy!” she gasped. “Look what I found!”
8. Outlanders
Midge’s cry made Nancy whirl around. She saw her young friend holding up the metal object she had picked from the river’s shore.
“Handcuffs!” Midge yelled. “I found a pair of handcuffs!”
Nancy took them from Midge’s now trembling hands. She examined them very carefully and then read the inscription: “Property of State Police.”
“Oh, Nancy, they must have been the cuffs Mr. Ford was wearing. He must have come ashore somewhere around here. He’s alive!” “Dr. Watson,” said Nancy, “that is a brilliant deduction. We’ve just had the first big break in our case. I think he did survive that flood, somehow. And as you say, he probably came out
of the water around here. But where did he go? And why hasn’t he made any attempt to contact Nina? That would have been the first thing to do.
For a good half hour, they sat near the fire and pondered the questions. The sky continued to darken, and Midge pointed at the clouds.
“Don’t you think we ought to get going, Nancy?”
Nancy looked up and nodded. “Yes, but where to?
Where should we start looking?”
“There’s nothing but woods,” Midge said.
“Wait,” Nancy said suddenly. “There is a rather well-worn path over there. See?” She pointed to a trail that led up from the riverbank and then twisted and lost itself in the deep pine forest which covered the hillside. “If he took that trail, or if somebody came down that trail and found him—well—then we’d better investigate it!”
Nancy placed the handcuffs in the small pouch around her waist while Midge covered the fire with dirt. Then the two girls began hiking up the trail. Rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks made scampering noises, and a variety of birds chattered as the girls passed by. But there was no sign of humanity.
“Boy,” Midge said, “except for this path, it doesn’t look as if anyone’s ever been here before. This is the spookiest part of the trip so far.” A steep hill made the girls pant and they stopped talking for a time. Finally they came to the top and pushed through the overhanging bushes. Suddenly an unearthly scream made them jump in terror.
“Help! Outlanders! Outlanders!” someone yelled, and then ran through the bushes. As the screams continued, the girls heard other voices join in until absolute pandemonium reigned.
Midge turned pale and clutched Nancy. “It must be something horrible that scared these people so. Maybe it—it’s a mountain lion?” “Take it easy, Watson. There isn’t any mountain lion.”
“Then why were they screaming like that? What scared them?”
“We did,” the girl detective replied. “Didn’t you hear them cry ‘Outlanders’? That means foreigner or stranger. Folks here get panicky when they run into somebody strange.”
“And they think we’re strange?” Midge commented in disbelief.
“Let’s find out what they’re like,” said Nancy. Pushing further through the bushes, they soon came to a clearing with several shack homes. There was no one in sight. Only a few frightened chickens clucked and fluttered about. A mangy white dog appeared from under a house, gave a faint “Woof,” and then lay down in the dirt to scratch himself.
“Busy little place,” said Midge. “Must be a lot of fun here on Saturday nights. Where is everybody?”
“Inside, probably,” said Nancy. “Hiding.” “You think they’re crooks?”
Nancy shrugged. “They’re probably just simple people who can’t get on in the outside world, so they live here in this secluded place.” “Remember what your dad said about outlaws sometimes hiding in this part of the world.”
Nancy shrugged again. “They wouldn’t think we’re any danger to them. We don’t look like police officers.”
Without hesitation, she went up to the door of the nearest shack and knocked. There was no answer, but the walls and doors of the place were so thin that she could hear people breathing on the other side.
“Hello,” Nancy called. “Please open up. We aren’t going to hurt anyone. We’re just looking for a friend who got lost and we need help in finding him.”
There was no answer. Nancy knocked again.
“Please . . . please talk to us.”
Midge pulled Nancy’s sleeve. “Look,” she said, pointing toward the corner of the house. A little girl, perhaps eight or nine years old, was standing there staring at them with big eyes. “Oh,” said Nancy. “Hi, honey. Can you help us?"
The little girl twisted her skirt with one hand and looked down shyly. Nancy walked over to her and gently took her hand. “Hello,” she said, “I’m Nancy. And this is my friend . . . err, Dr. Watson. What’s your name?”
“Sue Ellen, you come in here!” The harsh voice made the girls whirl around. A woman was standing in the doorway of the house, a crowd of children and a man visible in the gloom behind her. “You come in here!”
Nancy walked toward the woman. “I beg your pardon, we don’t want to bother you but we’re looking for a friend. A man, about six feet tall, with blond, wavy hair and blue eyes. A couple of months ago he was swept downriver in a flood and—”
“We don’t know nothing about him,” came the short reply. “We mind our own business. You should do the same.”
Nancy felt a small hand touch her arm. It was Sue Ellen examining her watch with great interest. Nancy knelt down. “Do you like my watch?” The child nodded.
“Here, let me show you how it works. See this? This is the second hand. Every minute it goes around once. And listen, when I want to have the watch wake me up I set the alarm and it goes off—like this.” The watch alarm sounded and the little girl jumped and then laughed delightedly.
“Sue Ellen, come in here!” the woman commanded. “And you two get going. And don’t bother anyone else around here or you’ll get in trouble.”
“Yeah,” the man added from inside the house, “you’ll get in big trouble.”
Nancy and Midge retreated. “That guy wasn’t very brave,” said Midge, “hiding behind his wife.”
“Never mind,” said Nancy, “let’s go. “He might be one of the men who ran away from the law. Let’s not stir things up any more. They’re not going to cooperate.”
The girls made their way down the winding path to the river while Nancy tried to figure out what their next move would be. They were standing by the canoe, ready to get in and shove off, when they heard branches snap behind them.
Both girls stiffened, fearing that the strange people had come after them. They turned slowly, then relaxed when they saw that it was only the little girl, Sue Ellen. For the first time, the child spoke.
“I couldn’t tell you back there ’cause Ma would have got mad. But there was a man who almost drowned in the river a couple months ago.”
“Did he come out here?”
“Yes ma’am. He came out right here. I found him lying on the rocks. I got Ma, and she and some of my aunts came down and they brought him to. They wanted Pa to bring him up in the house but he wouldn’t do it. And none of the men wanted to help him because they was scared he was a cop.”
“What happened?” asked Nancy. “Is he still alive? Do you know where he is?”
The girl shook her head. “I don’t know what happened to him. Ma put a blanket over him and the next morning he was gone.”
“Are there any other houses around here where he might have gone?” Nancy asked.
“Not around here. Sam Jackson lives down the river about two miles, but he’s mean.” “Mean?”
“Well, not mean exactly. But he’s mad because they sent him to jail once and he done nothing to deserve it. Not like my Uncle George. He robbed a bank once.”
“Is that your Uncle George who was up there in the house?”
“Yes ma’am. That’s him. They ain’t caught him yet. You won’t tell?”
Nancy looked at the child, who was so innocently revealing her family history. “No, Sue Ellen, and I thank you for helping us.” Reaching in her pouch, she pulled out a dollar bill. “Here. That’s for being so nice.”
The girl looked startled. “I never had a dollar. I sure do thank you.” Turning, she ran back up the path and out of sight.
Midge cleared her throat. “I say, Holmes, wasn’t that a bribe?”
“No, it wasn’t a bribe. I didn’t promise her anything. She volunteered information. In that case I was just trying to say thank you.”
“I know,” laughed Midge.
“Okay,” Nancy said, “let’s hop in the canoe and paddle down to see mean old Sam Jackson.”
The girls got into their boat and Nancy pushed it offshore. Suddenly Midge yelled, “It’s sinking!”
9. White Water Rescue
The two girls stared helplessly as the canoe filled with water and lay with its bow down, hugging the bottom.
Then Nancy stepped into the water and ran her hand along the inside of the canoe until she found the hole. She shook her head, “It’s a big one,” she said, “about a foot long, I’d say. We just missed seeing it when we emptied out the water and beached the boat.”
Midge bit her lip. “Boy, will that gu
y at the boat place be mad when he finds we put a hole in his canoe.”
“Well, we’ll empty it and pull it back to shore, and Mr. McNasty will have to send somebody up from the boat dock to repair it. We’ll have to pay for it, I guess.”
After getting the canoe on shore, they started out on foot. The girls were closer to the downstream dock than to where they had started out, but it was difficult to negotiate.
The banks steepened now, forcing them to walk in the shallow water. To make matters worse, rain began to fall, and Nancy became worried about not making it to the lower boat dock before nightfall.
With their main supplies on the bottom of the river, she didn’t look forward to camping out in the rain. Her only hope was that they could reach Sam Jackson’s place and that he wasn’t as mean as Sue Ellen had said. Also, Nancy still had the faint hope that Jackson could tell her something about the fate of John Ford.
As the skies opened on them and distant lightning . Nancy knew that hiding under a tree was inviting disaster, and sloshing through water with the danger from lightning was no better.
They continued walking downstream, hoping for an open area on shore, but suddenly the banks steepened into a sheer wall. At once the current quickened, the bottom dropped away, and they found themselves being swept along with the flow! Nancy’s heart raced and she lunged to grab Midge’s jacket.
“Keep together!” she yelled. "Hang on so we don’t get separated!”
“Okay,” Midge said. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a water rat. But I’m sure glad you made that guy give us life jackets.”
The current was strong, but the girls managed to keep themselves afloat and close to shore. Nancy’s worst fear, as the rain fell and the thunder roared, was that there might be yet another stretch of rapids before they reached Sam Jackson’s house.
No sooner had the thought entered her head than she could hear a deep rushing sound over the storm. Rapids? Midge looked anxiously at the girl detective. Quickly, Nancy scanned the banks ahead hoping for some escape before they reached the treacherous boulders that whipped the water into surging foam.