CHAPTER XIII
THE RIVER PIRATE
It was all done as quick as a flash, almost.
The unknown man aboard the white motor boat had no sooner sliced therope apart, thus allowing the craft to swing free and begin moving withthe current, always pulling steadily at it while lying there, than hedid something more.
"Look at him with the push-pole!" whooped Josh.
"Hey! hold on there! That ain't your boat. I'll have the law on you forstealing!" cried out the dapper young chap, who had thrown his blanketsaside, and was standing there, shaking his fist after the boldtrespasser.
The big man with him, who had done all the work on the engine earlier inthe night, Jenks, started to rush toward the landing, as though hebelieved in deeds rather than words. But the fellow who was so coollymaking off with their boat laughed harshly as he plied the push-polebriskly.
Already had the boat gained a certain momentum, and if allowed tocontinue as it was going for another full minute, would be lost to theowner.
Jack and his five companions had not held back all this time either.They were at a disadvantage, being much further away from the scene ofaction than those who had been sleeping near the remains of the fire.Consequently there was little chance for them to reach the spot beforethe man had accomplished his evil task, and completed the seizure of thewhite boat.
Jenks rushed down the shore like a mad bull. From his actions it seemedas if he contemplated jumping into the river, and forcing his way out tothe stolen boat in spite of everything.
Indeed, he did push into the water, which happened to be rather shallowat that point, and was making a gallant attempt to board the boat, whensuddenly the man dropped his pole, and held something out toward Jenksthat glistened in the moonlight.
"Keep back or I'll shoot!" they heard him call out.
Jenks possibly did not believe him, for he kept rushing through thewater still; whereupon there came a sharp report, and a flash of flame.
"Oh!" cried Buster.
Jenks had pulled up short, and seemed to be wavering.
"That was only a warning," the man aboard went on to say, angrily; "buttry it some more, and I'll aim for keeps. You get me, don't you?"
All this was plainly seen because of the bright moon. And while theystood and stared, they heard the crank of the engine worked, andimmediately the rapid sound of the exhaust told that Jenks had indeedplaced it in splendid order, much to his regret now.
So the white boat began to speed away. Jack noticed that instead ofkeeping on down the river, the thief was gradually starting to curve tothe right, as though it was his intention to come around and head upstream. At the moment he did not realize what this might mean but alittle later it dawned upon him in full force.
Meanwhile there was more or less excitement around that spot.
Jenks came wading ashore again, and holding his left arm in a way thatwould indicate that he had received some sort of a wound at the time thedesperate thief fired at him.
The younger stranger was dancing around in a furious fashion, and actingso like a simpleton in his anger that Jack felt ashamed to rememberthat he had once suspected him of being the slick thief whom the papercalled Slim Jim. Why, this chap was an innocent of the innocents, justthe kind of boy his appearance had stamped him--some rich man's petteddarling, allowed to have a fine boat for a play toy, with a steady manto run it for him, whom he could boss around.
All this Jack realized in the brief space of time that he stood there,surveying the scene, and hearing the popping of the motor boat's exhaustsounding less and less noisy, as the stolen craft went further andfurther away from the island.
And about that time the distracted owner of the boat seemed to realizethat he and Jenks were not alone. He stared at Jack and his companionsas though unable to understand how they came there, or if they werereally flesh and blood.
"They said that this miserable island was haunted," he exclaimed, "andI'm beginning to believe it's so. Who are you, fellows, and where didyou spring from?"
Jack was for taking the bull by the horns. He had seen all his suspicionsconcerning these two swept aside, so that they were no longer objects ofconcern in his eyes.
"It's too long a story to tell just now," he remarked as he approachedthe other. "We belong in a town above here, and are having a littleouting on board our three motor boats, which are tied up not far away.When you landed we wondered who you were, because there has been arobbery committed in Lawrence up the river, and the two yeggs who brokeinto the bank were said to have escaped in a white motor boat with a redband around the gunnel."
"What's that?" gasped the other, as though staggered by such astonishinginformation, "took us for burglars, did you? I like that, now. Why, myname's Algernon Lorrimer, and my father's one of the richest men inMinneapolis. Get that?"
"Yes, and I've heard of him, all right," said Jack. "We're glad to meetyou, Algernon, even if it is under queer conditions. My name's JackStormways," and then he proceeded to string off the names of his fivecompanions in rapid-fire order, the other boy bowing politely at each inturn; evidently Algernon had been well brought up, and was accustomed tothe usages of good society, even though he might be only a "stick"aboard a boat, insofar as being able to help run the same was concerned.
"Glad to make your acquaintance, fellows," he said, loftily. "I hopeyou'll pardon me if I seem rather out of sorts. Here I am left, high anddry on this island, with my new boat stolen by that contemptible rascal.But he'll be sorry he ever treated me like this. My father will have himfound out and punished. That boat cost two thousand dollars just lastweek. We were on our first cruise with it, and playing tag with ChaunceyGregory and his Firefly. They were to chase us, you know, and the firstone to get to St. Louis without being seen by the other was to win therace. But we had some trouble with our engine, though we managed to fixit in great shape. And now my Saunterer is stolen by a vile wretch. Howcould he have ever come out here on this lonely island; and what wouldhe want to take such a fine boat for, when he couldn't sell it anywhere,without being arrested?"
Apparently Algernon was "some talker," as Josh put it. Once he gotstarted, and he was like a seven-day clock in action. And Jack chuckledto think that they had been looking upon all this as assumed, and thatthe millionaire's pampered boy had been a desperate thief, playing alittle game. It was one of the most ridiculous happenings that had evercome to the motor boat chums.
And as Algernon was talking a sudden idea had leaped into Jack's activemind. This time it was founded on facts that were absolutely true, andcould be relied upon.
It all hinged on that wonderful sweater belonging to Buster, and whichwas so queerly marked with a blue moon.
Now Jack knew positively that the same garment had been in the shedwhere the trio of motor boats were lying, awaiting the beginning of thecruise, on the previous evening, for he had handled it himself. Bustercould not find it when he wanted to wear it later on, and the restbelieved that it had been carelessly left somewhere in the shop or shed,though as we have seen, the fat boy suspected Josh of playing a slytrick on him.
Now the fact that this strange man was actually wearing the novelsweater was positive evidence that he must have been in the shop of theboat builder on the previous night, for some purpose or other, andhad taken the garment then, perhaps because it looked warm, and heanticipated a chilly ride down the river.
Yes, Jack had jumped to a conclusion in the matter. Although his firstguess with regard to the identity of Algernon and Jenks had been a badone, he believed he could do much better with this other fellow; andwhom he now believed to be one of the desperate scoundrels who hadbroken into the bank at Lawrence.
A lot of things went to point that way; and Buster's sweater was theonly connecting clue, as it were. How the men happened to be on theisland, and why one of them was ready to take chances in stealing someof their food, of course Jack was hardly in a condition to say justthen. They must have been pretty hungry, which would indicate
that theycould not have had any food aboard their boat at the time they fled frompursuit. Perhaps some accident had happened to the craft in which theyhad come down the river. That would account for the fellow stealing thefine new motor boat belonging to the tenderfoot cruiser, Algernon. Itmay have taken his fancy for some reason or other; perhaps because ithappened to resemble their own craft, now disabled.
Strange how things will fly through the mind at times, when there is anycause for excitement. Jack thought of a score of facts calculated toback up his theory, even while he was standing there, with the throbbingof the lost boat still sounding faintly in his ears.
Whatever of mystery there might be about the actions of the man who hadrun off with the Saunterer, this was really no time for explanations,or to try and figure things out. Later on, when it was all over, andthey could sit comfortably beside a camp fire, it would be fun to piecethings together, and find out just what had influenced all these eventsto come about.
"Boys," Jack said, turning to his friends, "I've just come to theconclusion that we've run across one of those bank thieves after all."
"You mean the chap who stole my boat?" ejaculated Algernon, "goodnessgracious! who would have thought now, that I'd come in contact with suchdesperate characters in my little run down-river. And he shot my man,too; see, Jenks is getting one of your friends, to wrap a rag around hisarm. This is thrilling. It makes my blood run cold to think that I wasactually so close to a real burglar. Won't I have the story to tellChauncey, though? But how am I ever to get off this island, and try torecover my boat?"
"Leave that to us, Algernon," said Jack, quietly.
"Hurrah! Jack's taken the job on!" shouted Josh, excitedly, "and when hesays he'll see it through, you can bet your boots he means business.What are we going to do about it, Jack?"
All eyes were of course turned upon the Commodore. In this critical timethey seemed to depend on him to lead the way out of the maze. Jack wouldknow what to do; that was what the rest always said to each other, assoon as any serious difficulty arose.
And Jack simply raised his hand as if to call for silence, as he said:
"Wait a minute, fellows, I want to listen to what those rapid-fireexplosions aboard the white motor boat are telling me. They're gettinglouder again, you notice, with every minute that passes."