CHAPTER XXII--HOLDING THE FORT
"Look at them run, Frank! Such a scared crowd of singed cats! Did youever see such a sight? But where is that old wild man gone?" exclaimedBluff, who had arisen fearlessly to his feet the better to watch the madflight of Pet Peters and his cronies through the dense thickets.
"I couldn't say, Bluff. I was too much taken up with the way some ofthose boys banged headlong into the trunks of trees to notice anythingelse. Did you see, Tom?"
"He climbed the same old tree, and popped into that hole like ajack-in-the-box," declared the one addressed, quickly.
At that Frank laughed again and again, though Bluff looked at him as ifhardly understanding what there was about the manner of the wild man'sdisappearance to amuse his chum so.
"Jerry!" he called presently.
"Tell me about that, will you?" a familiar voice said, and they saw theobject of their solicitude clambering down from a tree not far away fromthe house.
In another minute the three chums were shaking hands with a vim. It wascertainly good to see Jerry again, and Bluff could hardly keep fromembracing him.
"Did they treat you mean, old pard?" he asked, looking darkly toward thecabin, as if meditating an immediate assault if Jerry complained.
"Well, it wasn't a nice experience, I tell you; but on the whole theydidn't kick me more than a dozen times, and I reckon I sassed 'em enoughto expect that. Glad to see you again, fellows, I tell you. Who's this?Hello! what's Tom Somers doing with chums of mine, I'd like to know?"demanded the escaped captive, curiously.
"He had a fight with the rest, and they left him on the island, tied toa tree?" explained Bluff, eagerly.
"Oh; yes, I see, and you rescued him, so that out of gratitude he joinedforces to storm the stronghold of the common enemy. Say, this beatsanything we ever met up with. That wild man is sure the greatest thingthat ever came over the pike," and to Bluff's surprise Jerry also had afit of laughing.
"You fellows seem to be tickled over something that I don't just grab. Ididn't think you were the kind to laugh at a poor, silly fool that hasescaped from the asylum, and imagines, perhaps, he's Father Adam in thewoods," he complained.
At which remark the others had another burst of laughter. Frank lookedat Jerry, made a gesture with his head, and placed his finger on hislips to indicate silence, upon seeing which, Jerry nodded and grinned.
"Tell us about your experiences, will you?" asked Bluff.
"Only a few words. The rest will have to keep until we're settled aroundthe fire in camp," returned Jerry.
"But we have no camp, now," retorted Bluff.
"What's happened? Did those criminals burn you out, boys?" asked theother, with clenched hands; for he had a few things he prized among thetraps they had carried along with them, and the loss of which would bedeeply regretted.
"No, but we decided that while off hunting for you we couldn't leaveWill there alone; so we dug up stakes, piled the 'duffle' in the canoes,and he's off somewhere on the lake waiting a signal to land again,"remarked Frank.
"Great scheme. I can guess in whose brain it originated. But you don'tknow how bully it is to see you again, fellows. Hang it, if it doesn'tseem like a month since I saw you last. And as to feed, I've just had afew things pushed into my mouth as if I were a bird in a nest. I'm justlonging for a decent meal again."
"What happened while I was examining that Indian mound?" asked Frank.
"I was dozing when something landed like a thousand of brick on mychest. For the life of me I couldn't say a single word. I guess I musthave fainted, though perhaps I ought to be ashamed to admit it. Nextthing I knew I was being toted off on the shoulders of the big tramp, afellow called Biffins, who, I expect must be a yeggman, because heseemed to know all about blowing open safes in country stores, and suchthings," went on Jerry.
"Just to think of it, and carrying you on his shoulders like a log!"palpitated Bluff, listening with eagerness to these disclosures.
"They fetched me here to this cabin, and kept me tied up part of thetime. That night was a long horror to me. Sometimes they were in withme, and again off somewhere. In the morning I saw that they had made araise of some provisions, and it was then they fed me like a baby."
"But you got your hands free after a while, didn't you?" asked Bluff,too anxious to wait until the other reached this point.
"To be sure, and commenced that tunnel. You see, the hole in the wallwas too small to crawl through, and they were in the other room wherethe door lay. When I caught hold of a hand I seemed to guess instantlythat it must belong to one of you fellows, and then the signal squeezetold me so. Biffins caught me just then, and threw me aside. They filledup the hole and drove some stakes down alongside so I couldn't tunnelany more. After that I thought of the old roof, for it was full ofholes. So I climbed up and got out that way."
Jerry showed by his actions that he did not wish to talk any longer onthe score of his adventures. He kept looking toward the cabinsuggestively.
"What do we do now, fellows? Want to trek back to the shore and leavethese two in peace?" he asked.
"Not for me," answered Bluff, readily enough; "I say that after the waythey held you a prisoner it's our duty to turn the tables on therascals. We've got 'em in a hole, and all we have to do is to wait untilMr. Dodd comes."
Jerry glanced inquiringly toward Frank.
"Yes, we heard whistles a bit ago, and imagine the posse must havelanded. If we could only communicate with them in some way now, and getthem to come here, we might hold the fort meanwhile."
Frank looked at Tom Somers as he spoke. The other could not mistake hismeaning.
"Oh! I'll go, all right, if so be you write a little note to thesheriff. Him an' me ain't on the best terms, I reckon," grinned thatworthy.
"Done. Got a pencil with you, Bluff--mine seems to have disappeared."
The pencil being forthcoming, Frank dashed off a few lines to Mr. Dodd,and signed his name.
"Sure you can get to the beach, Tom?" he asked.
"Easy as fallin' off a log. I'm off, then, fellers."
Saying which, Tom entered the bush, and disappeared from view.
"Now, what is the programme?" asked Bluff.
"Wasn't that a boat whistle again? It seemed to come from anotherquarter, too?" remarked Frank.
"I heard it, all right. Perhaps the tug is circling the island so as tomake sure the thieves get no chance to make off," suggested Jerry.
"You're right, that is just what their programme must be. Meanwhilethey've landed the posse to search the whole place over. I hope Tommeets up with them in good time," continued Frank, earnestly.
"There's somebody shouting in the woods," remarked Bluff.
"Oh! that's the Peters tribe trying to get together again. Reminds me ofa covey of quail that has been flushed and scattered, calling to eachother from the brush," laughed Frank.
"Will they come back here again?" Bluff continued.
The others exchanged looks, and chuckles followed.
"Talk to me about your sprinters, I don't think you could hire any oneof those same chaps to come within fifty yards of this place after thescare they got!" exclaimed Jerry.
"And the dose of hot water in the bargain. My! but they must feel sore!I saw several bang headlong into trees as they galloped away. There willbe some lumps as big as goose-eggs among that crowd to-night. And, afterall, they don't get even a look-in on that prize money," chuckled Bluff.
"I've got a proposition, fellows. If the reward should happen to comeour way I move we turn it over to Tom Somers. His family is poor, andperhaps this may be the turning point in Tom's life, who knows?" saidFrank.
"Hear! hear! Them's my sentiments!" cried the impulsive Bluff.
"Ditto," echoed Jerry; for since they all belonged to families of wealththe promise of a reward held no attraction for Frank and his chums.
"But perhaps if we simply hold these chaps where they are the sheriffmay claim he did the bagging of the game; how about
that?" asked Bluff.
"You mean we ought to try and make them surrender to us?"
"If it could be done. I've got an idea in my head. You'll say it isn'toriginal, and perhaps the trick they were going to play may have hadsomething to do with it. But suppose they made a sneak while we talkedhere and left us to hold the bag?"
"No danger of that, Bluff, while we keep a watch on the door. Presentlywe can circle around the old rookery and make sure that they don't takeup your plan of tunneling out. Jerry, I'm going to keep an eye on thistree with the hole in it. If our friend, the wild man, ventures forth,it shall be my pleasant task to hold him up. What do you say?"
Bluff looked at Frank as he made this remark, with uneasiness in hiseyes.
"Seems to me you ain't afraid of anything, Frank. That crazy man gets onmy nerves, and I don't think I could stand for a tussle with him atclose quarters. Better be careful how you let him get hold of you. Theysay these lunatics are just as strong as grizzly bears, and this onemust be, to see the way he swung about in that tree like a big ape. Ugh!Excuse me!"
Bluff shuddered as he spoke, and consequently did not see the look thatpassed between his two chums, and which was more of amusement thanconcern.