CHAPTER IX
THE CHASE OF THEIR LIVES
It was Saturday forenoon when the officers and men of the "Alert" weretaken from the wreck. By Sunday morning the sea was running smoothlyafter the short gale. On this latter morning the steamer from San Diegoto San Francisco was sighted and hailed, and Captain Jordrey and his menwere transferred to her.
At this time the "Panther" was cruising leisurely, first north, thensouth, out of sight of land, and at a mean distance of some two hundredmiles from the Golden Gate.
On this Sunday morning young Gaston Giddings appeared on deck. Heappeared to have entirely recovered from his late debauch, though hiseyes lacked their natural luster. He was tastefully attired in a newsuit and topcoat taken from his wardrobe on board. He and Joseph Baldwinwalked much together, talking, and once in a while Mr. Ross joined them.
"Captain," called the owner, as young Halstead stepped on deck.
"Yes, sir," responded Tom, approaching.
"Mr. Giddings understands the part you played Friday night," went onMr. Baldwin, in a low voice.
"And I wish to thank you, of course," put in Giddings, holding out hishand, though it seemed to the young skipper that his own pressure wasnot very cordially returned.
"You're welcome, of course, Mr. Giddings," smiled Halstead, "though Ihope I shall never have a chance to render the same service again."
"I hope not," sighed the young man. Though Tom did not stareimpertinently, he looked into the young man's face long enough to notethe lifelessness depicted there, and the weakness of the mouth.
"It seems queer to think of such a young fellow, and such a pulselesspiece of putty, being president of a great bank," thought Tom tohimself. "However, of course, if he inherited the controlling stock, hecould see to it that he was elected to the post."
Dr. Gray, though he did not often speak to Giddings, hovered on deck,keeping a rather watchful look over the young man.
During the afternoon Tom had occasion to go to the main cabin briefly.Mr. Baldwin looked around from the table at which he sat with hisguests. He nodded to the young captain, then turned back to the pile ofpapers that he had evidently been discussing with his guests.
"You needn't go, Captain," called the owner over his shoulder. "We aretalking business, but we know you have no ears, away from your duties.Now, Giddings, as I've been explaining to you, we need ten milliondollars in cash to put this matter in motion. Your bank, the Sheepmen's,then, will advance five millions on the collateral we have beendiscussing, and the syndicate of banks that I have named will put up theother five millions. That will start the matter in motion. Then, when wecome to the second step in the game, we shall have to be ready withfifteen millions, and of this money the Sheepmen's----"
Tom Halstead heard, yet didn't hear. It was all a matter of listlessindifference to him what these men of the money world were planning inthe way of new and big enterprises. The young captain would have beenmuch more interested in reading the "Panther's" patent log.
"Are you certain, Giddings, that you have facilities for turning overthe five millions to us at once?" asked Mr. Ross.
"Why, we've been calling in cash for some days," replied GastonGiddings. "We've been preparing for this demand of yours for money.Then, you know, we secured the whole of the Treasury Department's lastapportionment of thousand-dollar Treasury notes. We have three milliondollars' worth of these notes locked in our vaults at this moment.That's good enough money for you, isn't it?" demanded the young bankpresident, boastfully.
"Yes," muttered Ross, "if it's all there when we get back."
"What do you mean?" demanded Giddings, flushing.
"I guess you know how highly I esteem your cashier, Rollings?"
"He's all right," declared Giddings, hotly.
"As long as I don't own any stock in your bank I'm not worrying,"replied Ross, rather shortly. "It's none of my business, young man; yet,as one of your father's friends, I can't help being uneasy over thethought that Rollings has the combination of your main vault."
"If he didn't have, I could hardly take these jaunts out to sea,"retorted the young man.
"Yes, you could; Hawkins, your vice-president and your father's beforeyou, is a man to be trusted with anything. Hawkins could go to the mainvault whenever necessary. For Rollings to have that combination----"
"I don't want to hear any more of this!" cried Giddings, hotly, risingfrom the table.
"You don't need to, then," rejoined Mr. Ross, coolly. "You know what I_think_."
"Don't get in a huff, Gaston," put in Joseph Baldwin, briskly. "Ross hastold you, plainly, in so many words, just what other friends of yoursthink of Rollings. He's an able banking man, but none of us think toohighly of his honesty. You'll find that two of your own directors, Mr.Pendleton and Mr. Howe, who are here, agree with Mr. Ross and myself."
Mr. Howe remained silent, tapping the table with a pencil, but Mr.Pendleton said, slowly:
"Oh, I guess Frank Rollings is all right. Still, I wish, with theothers, that he didn't have such easy access to three millions ofdollars in bills of such large denomination that the whole sum could becarried off in a satchel."
"Gentlemen," announced Giddings, rather stiffly, "when we reach SanFrancisco to-morrow morning, and find that the money is all safe, Ishall consider that I have the apology of each one of you for the doubtsthrown at my friend, Frank Rollings, behind his back."
That was the last that Tom Halstead heard, for he left the cabin. Ateight o'clock that evening, however, the young skipper received hisorders from Mr. Baldwin to make San Francisco at ten the followingforenoon. Almost to the minute the yacht's bow anchors were let go ather usual moorings in San Francisco Bay. The power tender was loweredover the side, to take Mr. Baldwin and his guests ashore, QuartermasterBickson going along to handle the boat.
"Come along with us, if you like, Captain," invited Mr. Baldwin. "Afterwe get through our business at the bank our party will lunch at one ofthe clubs. It ought to be pleasant for you."
Tom gratefully accepted, making a swift change from his uniform toordinary street dress.
Gaston Giddings held his head a good deal higher than usual when he ledthe party from carriages into the sombre, solid old building in whichthe Sheepmen's Bank was housed. The young president conducted his partythrough the long counting room and into the president's office at therear.
Here Giddings took command, as by right. Showing his guests to seats, hestepped over to a massive roll-top desk, unlocking it and throwing theroll up. Then he pressed a button on his desk. One of the bank'smessengers entered.
"Ask Mr. Rollings to come in," desired Giddings.
The messenger soon returned, to report:
"Mr. Rollings is out at this moment. Mr. Conroy, the first assistantcashier, is at his desk."
"Mr. Conroy will do, then."
The first assistant cashier was soon in the president's office. To himGiddings explained about the loan that had been decided upon.
"I will prepare a list, Mr. Conroy, of stable securities on which I wishyou to raise two million dollars in cash at once. But, first of all, getMr. Hawkins to go to the main vault with you. Tell Mr. Hawkins that Iwish the three millions in thousand-dollar notes brought here. You comeback here with Mr. Hawkins."
"Can it be delayed for just a little while, sir?" inquired Conroy. "Twoof the United States bank examiners are here, prepared to go over ourassets."
"Bring that three million here at once," rapped out Gaston Giddings,rather sharply. "The bank examiners may come in here and help incounting it here in my office. Now, go; carry out my orders, precisely."
Mr. Conroy departed in haste. While he was gone the two bank examinersentered the president's room. Giddings greeted them, asking them to takeseats. Cigars were passed about by a messenger. The air was rather thickwith smoke when Conroy returned, accompanied by the agedvice-president, Mr. Hawkins. The latter carried a satchel, which he tookto the large centre table.
"The money t
here?" inquired Giddings.
"Yes, sir," responded Mr. Hawkins. "I understood that you wished to lookit over here."
As Giddings laid down his cigar, moving over to the table, the two bankexaminers joined the bank's officers.
Not a very imposing-looking pile was revealed when Mr. Hawkins openedthe satchel, drawing forth the contents--three not very large packagescovered with numerous heavy seals.
"As I'll probably never see three million dollars again in my life, I'lltry to get a good look now," thought Tom Halstead, keenly alive withinterest. He sat at some distance from the table, but had a good view.
Gaston Giddings himself opened one of the packages. He broke the sealsdeliberately, then unfolded many wrappings. Suddenly the contents of thepackage fell to the polished mahogany surface of the table, followed bythe frenzied gaze of the young president.
"_Nothing but blank brown paper!_" he screamed, hoarsely. He collapsed,falling with his arms across the table, his eyes bulging as though anepileptic seizure threatened him.
With a fearful gasp Henry Hawkins snatched up another package, tearingit nervously apart. Conroy did the same with the third package. In eachcase the result was the same.
"Three million dollars worth of brown paper!" clicked one of the bankexaminers.
Gaston Giddings, moaning piteously, turned, tottering back to his desk,where he fell heavily into his chair, next letting his head fall forwardon his arms. Messrs. Hawkins and Conroy recovered much more quickly.They darted out into the counting room, but presently came back toreport.
Frank Rollings had been gone more than an hour. When he left, he hadcarried a satchel. Some fifteen minutes before leaving the bank he hadbeen in the main vault, the huge steel door of which he had afterwardsclosed. Conroy was now in that vault, with several subordinates, engagedin making a rapid survey of the other contents.
In the president's room Henry Hawkins, who no longer waited to consultthe almost paralyzed young president, went swiftly to the telephone. TheBankers' Protective Association, advised by telephone, swiftly had halfa dozen detectives scurrying to the bayside, to take up the trail at theferry that furnishes the sole avenue to the east. Others of thesedetectives covered the docks of vessels due to sail that day from theport of San Francisco.
Nor did the bank examiners present fail to do their duty promptly.Within a few minutes a United States assistant district attorney and twodeputy marshals arrived at the bank.
From the first moment none who had knowledge of the affair believedFrank Rollings, the absent cashier, to be innocent. The assistantdistrict attorney swiftly drew up an information, which Giddings andHawkins signed under oath. The law's officer rushed off to get from aUnited States judge a brief warrant authorizing the arrest of thecashier, for the Sheepmen's was a national bank, and the robbery cameunder the jurisdiction of the United States courts.
Then came a telephone message from the Banker's Association:
"One of our detectives has learned that Rollings sailed, an hour ago, onthe steam yacht, 'Victor.' An observer at the Cliff House reports thathe has made out the 'Victor,' some miles from the coast, hull-down tothe southwest!"
That news electrified those in the bank president's office. They spranginto action. Automobiles were summoned to the door of the bank. JosephBaldwin's same party sped back to the water front. Another 'phonemessage summoned the assistant district attorney and his marshals tomeet them at the landing stage.
It was all carried through with a rush. Hardly had the last member ofthe party stepped over the side of the "Panther" before Tom Halstead hadthe anchors up and stowed. The young skipper himself, from the bridge,rang the engine room bell for half speed ahead, quickly changing this tofull speed.
"Are you in the engine room, Joe Dawson?" called Skipper Tom, throughthe speaking tube.
"Right on hand!" came the answer.
"Then whoop up the speed for all you're worth. Let's have it all--everybit. We're on the chase of our lives!"
Captain Tom Halstead was still on the bridge when the Golden Gate wasleft behind. He was still there, more than two hours later, when theupper spars of a vessel believed to be the "Victor" were made out on thefar southwestern horizon.