CHAPTER XXV
ALL'S WELL--CONCLUSION
"All aboard!"
It was the tense voice of Allen Washburn calling, as he and his chumsclambered aboard the _Pocohontas_. There had been a hurried filling ofthe gasoline and oil tanks after the suggestion offered by Tin-Back,that the disappearance of the mysterious schooner was coincident withthe disappearance of the girls.
"If she only will run," ventured Roy, who was in charge of the motor.
"She's _got_ to run!" declared Allen, fiercely. Not all of the partywent in the motor boat. Mrs. Nelson did not feel equal to the task, butMollie said she would go, for her girl chums might need her in case theywere found.
Tin-Back went, of course, with Henry, Allen and Roy. Will volunteered tostay with Mrs. Nelson and Grace. At first he had begged to be takenalong, but some one had to stay to be the "man of the house," and Ithink, after all, Will wanted to get another look at the diamonds, inwhich he now had so strong and growing an interest.
"Let her go!" cried Allen, and the motor boat glided away from thelittle dock. It was late afternoon, and while the threatened storm hadheld off, the daylight was fast fading.
Fortunately they had a clue as to the direction the schooner had takenafter leaving her anchorage. The man at the life saving station hadobserved her beating out on a long tack. He had noticed her through aglass, but had taken no note of any girls that might have been putaboard. But the wind was now quite strong, and the schooner would hardlysail against it. So our friends had a certain fairly sure direction tofollow.
Will and Mrs. Nelson, with Grace and Percy, went back to the cottage.Their first care was to see that the diamonds were safe, and this wassoon ascertained to be the case.
Meanwhile the motor boat had taken up the search. Driven at top speed,and with the engine "doing its prettiest," as Roy boasted, they madegood time. In and out they went, over the course, now and then pausingto speak some clammer, but getting no information, save in one or twoinstances. But they learned enough to know that they were on the righttrack.
"Are you going to cruise all night," asked Mollie.
"No, unfortunately we'll have to turn back at dark," Allen said. "Thatis why I want to cover as much water as possible before all the light isgone."
They chased after one or two schooners, but without result, until, justas the last light of a threatening day was fading, Tin-Back startledthem all by leaping up and shouting:
"Sail, ho!"
"Where away?" demanded Allen, in true nautical fashion.
"Dead ahead. There she is or I'm a candidate for Davy Jones's locker!Put after her, boys!"
It was comparatively easy, for the wind had died out--the calm before astorm, and as the schooner had no "kicker," or small gasoline engine, ashad some of the clammers, she was soon overhauled.
That she was at least the one which had been anchored out in the bay wasevident, for Tin-Back recognized her at once. Also it was evident thatno visitors were desired, for, as the _Pocohontas_ came up alongside thealmost motionless sailing craft, an ugly face looked over the low rail,and a gruff voice cried:
"That'll do, now. Keep off or you'll get into trouble! What do you want,anyhow?"
"You know well enough what we want!" cried Allen. "Up on deck, boys!We've got 'em just where we want 'em. There's your man, officer!" hecalled. It was pure "bluff," but it seemed to have its effect, for theman who had given the warning drew back.
"What is it?" demanded some one else, coming up out of the cabin.
"Oh, some fresh guys----"
"Come on, fellows!" Allen called loudly. He had leaped out on theforward deck of the motor boat. Mollie had been urged to stay in thelittle cabin, and did so. But it was evident there was to be no serioustrouble--at least just yet.
"Come on!" cried Tin-Back, and at the sound of his resolute voice therewas a surprised exclamation from the group of men on the schooner'sdeck.
"All aboard!" yelled the old clammer. "We've got 'em where we want 'em!Close-hauled! We'll holystone 'em an' slush 'em with hot tar if theygive any trouble! Come on!"
Another instant and, despite his age and the crippling effects ofrheumatism caused by exposure in all sorts of weather, Tin-Back hadleaped to the schooner's deck. He was followed by Roy, Allen and acouple of sturdy fishermen, who had been picked up on the beach.
"Now, then, what do you fellows want?" demanded Pete, who was recognizedas the fisherman of the lonely cabin.
"You know well enough what we want!" answered Allen resolutely. "The twoyoung ladies you have on board here."
"There's nobody here," was the surly denial.
"I tell you there are!"
"You----"
There came a shrill scream from somewhere below decks, followed by anexclamation in a woman's voice.
"They're loose! They're loose. Pete--Jake--I--I----"
The men of the schooner uttered surprised exclamations.
"Come on!" cried Pete, leaping up.
"Not so fast," interposed Tin-Back, stepping in front of the man who hadmade a dash toward the cabin. "Wait a minute," and an extended foottripped Pete, who fell heavily to the deck.
"We're coming!" shouted Allen, and, followed by Roy and Mollie, who bythis time had made her way to the deck of the schooner, they hurriedbelow. From behind a closed door came the sound of a struggle.
"In here!" cried Allen, and he threw himself against the panels asthough he were stopping a rush on the football field. There was acracking of wood and a snapping of metal. The door burst open.
In the cabin, struggling against the old crone, were Betty and Amy,disheveled and almost hysterical, but otherwise safe and sound.
"Allen!" gasped Betty, holding out her hands to him. He clasped themwarmly, and the old crone, seeing that the whole affair was over, slunkoff, whining something about meaning no harm to the "dearies"!
"Just watch those fellows that they don't do any mischief," said Henryto Tin-Back, when he had comforted his sister.
"Oh, they won't do any harm. They know it's all up. Besides, I broughtthis with me," and the clammer showed an ancient horse pistol, that, hadit been fired, would probably have worked more havoc to the marksmanthan to the person aimed at.
There were tears, hysterical laughter, and rapid-fire explanations--all,seemingly, at once.
"But you're safe!" cried Allen, who had both Betty's hands. Whether ornot it had been a continuous performance I cannot say. Probably it had.Betty was a very nice girl.
"Oh, yes, we're safe," she said, trying to control her voice.
"But those awful men; that--that horrid woman!" gasped Amy.
"You needn't worry about them any more," Allen assured her. "We'll seethat they get what's coming to them."
Whether or not he would have been able to put this into operation is aquestion. But unexpected help arrived. It would not have been easy forthe little force in the motor boat to cope with the larger crew of menon the schooner. Besides, there were three girls to be considered, and,though they were equal to most emergencies, both Betty and Amy were nowrather unnerved.
There was a sharp whistle outside--a boat signal, evidently.
"What's that?" asked Allen, who, with Henry, Roy and the girls, was inthe cabin, so recently a prison.
"It's a revenue cutter," bawled Tin-Back down the hatchway. "They wantto know if we need help."
"We'll take it, anyhow," chuckled Allen. He felt like laughing now. "Buthow in the world did they come, and in the nick of time?"
"Maybe Will sent them," suggested Mollie. "They may be down here afterthe smugglers."
And so it proved when Allen went up on deck and held a short talk withan officer aboard the trim cutter, which had come to a stop alongsidethe motor boat and drifting schooner.
Will, left behind at the cottage with Mrs. Nelson and Grace, hadsuddenly thought to send the cutter _Minoa_ to follow up the_Pocohontas_. The government vessel had come down to Ocean View in viewof certain facts Will had given his chief in the Se
cret Service, butWill had not expected to use the _Minoa_ in the chase. When he recalledthat she was but a short distance off shore, awaiting wirelessinstructions, he rushed in Percy's auto to the telegraph office in town,and got into communication with his chief, who was awaiting word fromhim.
It was but the matter of a few minutes to relay the instructions to thecutter by wireless from Boston, and she started out to look for a smallmotor boat chasing a suspicious schooner. She found both in the nick oftime.
Explanations made, men from the revenue vessel boarded the sailing craftand made her captain and crew prisoners, the old crone being among thosecaptured. She had tried to make off in the rowboat trailing at theschooner's stern, but had been caught by Tin-Back.
"No, you don't!" he cried. "We want you!" and the old lobsterman heldto her despite her struggles.
There were more explanations, and then, as the storm showed signs ofbreaking, the rescued girls and their friends set out for Ocean View inthe motor boat. The revenue officers remained in charge of the capturedschooner, and said they would see Will in the morning to complete thecase.
"But what in the world did they want to capture you girls for?" askedRoy, when they were all safe again in Edgemere. The rain was beatingagainst the windows, for they arrived just as the downpour began.
"They thought to get the secret of the diamonds," declared Will. "I cantell you that much. Though how they expected to do it I can't say."
"But were those men who had us--and that horrid old woman--thesmugglers?" asked Amy.
"No, only their tools," Will said. "In brief, the game was this: The boxof diamonds you found was smuggled from France. But before thoseinterested in bringing them over could make good they received word thatthe customs officers in Boston were waiting for them. The governmentagents abroad had sent word here to be on the lookout.
"So the smugglers adopted a bold plan. They sent a message in cipher, bythe ship's wireless, when two or three days outside of Boston, to theirconfederates, to have a boat waiting for them off this coast. That wasdone, and one dark night the smugglers tossed overboard the box with thediamonds concealed in the false bottom. It was fixed in a corkarrangement, so it would float. This box was picked up, but before theconfederates could make away with it something happened. There was aquarrel among the smugglers, I believe, and one gang hurried off andburied the box here in the sand.
"You girls came along just as that had been done, and though some of themen wished to come back and take away the booty, others would not permitthis, thinking no chance comer would find it."
"Those were the men we saw leaving in the boat," said Mollie.
"Yes," assented Will.
"And we did find the diamonds!" cried Grace.
"Yes, and that made all the trouble--for the smugglers," went on Will."Of course they soon learned that the box was gone, and they guessed yougirls had taken it. Then they tried to get it back."
"Those men in the cellar?" asked Betty.
"Were part of the gang," declared Will. "And I learned that they foundthe diamonds were in the cellar because a tramp hanging around for foodoverheard us taking about them. He wasn't in with the smugglers then,but later he joined them, giving this information.
"But the plan to get the diamonds from the cellar failed, and they hadto do something else. That old woman and her fisherman husband weredelegated to capture one or more of you girls, and force you either totell where the diamonds were, or else they were going to hold you as aransom for them."
"How terrible!" cried Grace.
"But it's all over now," her brother said. "Now we have the diamonds, wehave the poor dupes of tools the smugglers bribed--the fisherman and themen of the schooner--and it only remains to get the criminalsthemselves. We'll do it, too."
"Did they treat you badly?" asked Grace of Betty and Amy.
"Badly enough," the Little Captain replied. "They would not tell us whywe were made prisoners. But after they had taken the gags from ourmouths, they put them on again, just before you came."
"That was because they saw the motor boat after them and knew theycouldn't get away because of no wind," suggested Will.
"We thought perhaps there was a pursuit," Amy said. "And then Betty grewdesperate and managed to attack the old woman."
"But you helped," said Betty.
"Oh, don't let's talk about it," exclaimed Grace. "All's well that endswell."
"But it isn't all ended yet," Will remarked, significantly.
Working on the fears of their prisoners the government men learned wherethe real smugglers were hiding, waiting for the success of their plot,and they were arrested. In due time they were tried, found guilty andsentenced to pay heavy fines on the charge of trying to defraud UncleSam. On the charge of kidnapping the two girls the heavier punishment ofimprisonment was meted out to those involved.
It developed that the smugglers, however, had protected themselves fromthe graver charge. They had instructed the fishermen to get informationfrom the girls about the diamonds, in any way the ignorant men thoughtbest, and the kidnapping scheme was the product of the brains of the oldwoman and her husband. They laid the plot to capture the girls, andsecured the help of several friends, hiring the schooner for theirpurpose. When the schooner sailed away with Betty and Amy the old womanand her husband expected to pick up the smugglers and let them force thetruth from the girls. But their plan was spoiled.
The diamonds, of course, became the property of the government, and weresold at auction, and on such favorable terms that each of the girls wasable to obtain one for herself. Will helped bring this about, for thegovernment was under obligation to him and his friends for recoveringthe jewels and capturing the smugglers. The reward was evenly divided.
"And I received a fine letter of thanks from my chief," said Will. "Formy first case he said it was a--corker!"
"Oh, Will!" objected his sister.
"Well, he meant that, if he didn't say it," was the answer. "And I'mgoing to have a vacation which I'm going to spend down here if Bettywill let me."
"Of course I will," she said. "We'll have jolly times!"
And then began glorious days at Ocean View, days in which there was noworriment about the packet of diamonds. Allen was allowed to keep themysterious box and the original of the cipher, but he was never able todiscover the meaning of it, nor who the enigmatical "B. B. B." was.
It was practically certain, however, that "B. B. B." was the real headof the smugglers, he who furnished the money and most of the brains. Buthis confederates never betrayed him. The value of the diamonds wasseveral thousand dollars above Mr. Nelson's estimate.
There followed vacation days of boating and bathing, with more picnics,and Grace had all the chocolates she wanted--or at least all that weregood for her. Tin-Back came in for a share of the reward, and boughthimself, among other things, a new fish net.
And, while the outdoor girls are enjoying life at beautiful Ocean View,we will take leave of them.
THE END