CHAPTER XVIII. THE FLIGHT
Southport, rudely awakened from sleep as it had been, and awake all therest of the night by so unusual and stirring an event as a fire, was toomuch excited to go back to its slumbers, but stayed awake through themorning hours to discuss it. A group of villagers hung around thegrocery-store all day long, adjourning only now and then to journey tothe spot where the hotel had been, where they stood solemnlycontemplating the ruins, with all-absorbing interest in the twisted anddistorted fragments that still bore some resemblance to whatever partthey had constituted in the structure of the building.
There were dozens of theories advanced as to how the fire had started.The oil had exploded from spontaneous combustion; rats had set the blazeby gnawing at matches, and so on through the list of ordinary causes offires; but as for Colonel Witham, with his customary suspicion of allhuman nature, he was sure of one theory, because it was his own, and thatwas, that the hotel had been set on fire. This he doggedly asserted andas stubbornly maintained. The hotel could not have set itself afire;therefore, some one must have done it. This was as plain as daylight tothe colonel.
He fiercely questioned John Carr as to whether any lights had been leftburning, but John Carr was loud and persistent in his assurances that thehotel had been as dark as Egypt when he had retired for the night.
But throughout all the discussion, that ranged through cottages, alongthe streets, and that spread throughout the length and breadth of theisland, there were six boys who were silent, who took no part in it, butwho kept away from wherever a group was gathered.
They were a serious-looking lot of boys as they assembled on the shore infront of the tent; so much of anxiety and apprehension showingunconcealed in their faces that one happening upon their council mighthave read therein a key to the mystery. It would have been a mistakenclue, of course, but it would have sufficed for the village and forColonel Witham.
For a few moments not one of them spoke, though each boyish brain wasturning the one awful subject over and over, vainly seeking the answerfor a problem that defied all attempts at solution.
Finally Bob broke the awful silence.
"How could it have happened?" he exclaimed. At which there was auniversal whistle and a shaking of heads.
"You see," continued Bob, "it's absolutely necessary for us to decide inour own minds, the first thing, whether it was our fault or not. Because,if it was, I suppose we've got to own up to it sometime or other, and wemay as well do it first as last."
"Better now, if at all, than later," said Tom. "They might have somemercy on us now, being grateful that they didn't burn up."
"All but Colonel Witham," said young Joe. "Catch him being grateful foranything, with his hotel in ashes."
"Keep quiet, Joe!" exclaimed George Warren, sharply.
The very mention of Colonel Witham's name was irritating. It was only toocertain that no mercy could be expected from the colonel.
"But," said Arthur Warren, "we're not to blame, so why should we considerthat at all? You remember," he continued, turning to Henry Burns, "how wewaited after I had blown the last lamp out and the room was absolutelydark, and we had to stand still a moment till our eyes got accustomed tothe darkness before we could find our way to the window?"
"I remember that," answered Henry Burns; "and not one of us lighted anymatches all the time we were there, because the lamps were all burningdimly when we went in; but," he added, somewhat desperately for him,"that is not going to save us the moment an investigation begins, if theyhave one. The first time they begin to question one of us we're done for.The moment they know we were in there last night, that will settleeverything in their minds."
"And what then?" asked young Joe.
"Well," said Henry Burns, more calmly, "it means that we've got atwenty-five thousand dollar hotel to pay for."
The proposition was so absurd that they burst out laughing; but it was ashort-lived and bitter merriment, and they could just as easily havecried.
"What would our fathers say?" said Arthur Warren. "Ours told us we'd haveto make our pocket-money go a long way this summer, because he rigged theboat all over for us. There couldn't any of us pay for the hotel in allour lives."
"Perhaps they'd send us to jail," suggested young Joe.
This happy remark was received with howls of indignation, and theoriginator of it was invited to clear out if he couldn't keep quiet.
"They couldn't send us to jail," said Arthur, gravely, "for, at theworst, we could convince them that it was accidental. We may benuisances, but we're not criminals. Wouldn't it be better, on the whole,"he concluded, "to make a clean breast of it to father, and do whatever hesays is best?"
"I'd do it in a minute," said George Warren, "but when I know we didn'tset the fire, even accidentally, I hate to put all that trouble and worryon father; because, you see, we might not be able to convince himabsolutely that we may not, in some way that we don't know of, have beenresponsible. Of course, if it comes to it, we'll tell him all,--and he'llbelieve it, too. That is, he'll believe that we are telling what we thinkis right, for we've always done that way, because he puts confidence inus."
"Then," said Bob, "we've got to keep out of the way for awhile till thisthing blows over some. Everybody that sees us now will stop and ask ushow we first saw the fire and all about it."
"They've done that already to us," said George Warren. "And, luckily, wecould say truthfully that we first saw the fire from our cottage piazza.And we said we ran down to your camp and roused you boys. Now that is allright for a touch-and-go conversation, but suppose they see fit to followit up, we'll soon find ourselves either obliged to lie or to confess."
"Then what are we going to do?" asked Tom.
"Take a fishing-trip," suggested young Joe.
They looked at young Joe savagely, for each knew in his own heart that itwas running away from danger,--but it was significant that not a boyobjected.
"We've been planning one for a week or more," urged Joe, in extenuationof his plan. "And we needn't stay long. We can come back in a day or twoand then start right out again, so as not to attract attention by beinggone too long."
"I suppose a little trip down among the islands wouldn't be so bad forour health," said Henry Burns, dryly; but it was clear he had no greatliking for the plan.
And so, in a vain endeavour to escape from what seemed to them a mostunfair and cruel predicament, and without realizing that it was the worstthing they could do, the boys agreed to start early on the followingmorning in the _Spray_ for a cruise.
Much surprised was Mrs. Warren when informed of their plan.
"And just as everybody is telling what brave boys you were," she said."They all say that half the guests would have lost their lives if ithadn't been for you."
This was worse than punishment, and the boys groaned inwardly, for Mrs.Warren had taught her boys to respect her, and they valued her goodopinion more than anything else in the world. They went off to bed soonafter supper, "so as to get an early start in the morning," they said.
It was early that same evening, while the boys were at tea, that SquireBrackett stepped ashore from his sailboat in a perfect fever ofexcitement.
"I knew it and I said it," he muttered to himself, slapping one hard fistinto the palm of the other hand. "When I saw that blaze across the waterthis morning, and knew that it couldn't be anything else than the hotel,I says to myself, 'Those boys have done it, with some of theirmonkey-shines,' and that's just the way of it. By Jingo! but won'tColonel Witham jump out of his skin when I tell him what I saw throughthat window.
"P'r'aps them 'ere boys won't be' so much inclined to tying otherpeople's dogs to ropes and drowning them when they get caught for settingfire to a fine hotel!"
And so, nearly bursting with the magnitude of his secret, and bristlingwith more than his usual importance, Squire Brackett hurried up from thelanding and lost no time in finding Colonel Witham and esco
rting him ingreat haste to his own home.
There on the veranda of Squire Brackett's house sat the two worthies,while the squire poured out his news into the eager colonel's ear.
"Whew!" exclaimed Colonel Witham, when he had heard it all. "We've gotthem at last and no mistake. What's more," he added, jumping from hischair and stamping vigorously on the piazza floor, "I'll prosecute them,every mother's son, to the extent of the law. It's breaking and entering,too,--forcing their way into my hotel at night,--and the fire was causedby their criminal act. That's serious business, as they'll find before Iget through with them. Blow me if I don't take the boat for Mayville thisvery night, and see Judge Ellis and get the warrants for Captain Sam toserve first thing in the morning!"
"I'll go with you, colonel," cried Squire Brackett. "We'll be back herebefore midnight, and be all ready at daylight to arrest them. Reckonwe'll surprise folks a little."
And so, chuckling maliciously together, the squire and the colonel waitedeagerly for the whistle of the little bay steamer, upon hearing whichthey walked arm and arm down to the wharf and went aboard, with theirheads together, in great satisfaction.
Their trip must have been greatly to their liking, for some hours laterfound them coming ashore again, evidently in a most agreeable state ofmind; and as they bade each other good night on the veranda of thesquire's cottage, the colonel might have been heard once more to exclaim,exultantly: "We've got 'em this time, squire! They can't get away." Andso strode away, caressing in one hand some crisp, official-lookingpapers, which boded no good in their contents to six boys whose names thecolonel had given with evil delight to the judge at Mayville.
Very early next morning good-hearted Captain Sam might have been seen atthe door of his home, his fist clenched and his face burning withindignation. Colonel Witham and Squire Brackett stood by the stoop.
"Now look here, colonel," exclaimed Captain Sam, hotly, "you surely ain'tgoing to ask me to serve these papers on them innocent young lads?There's some mistake, somehow, and the way for us to do is to get them uphere and just give them a talking to; ask them all the questions youwant. I've watched them boys for a good many summers now, ever since theywas little shavers no bigger'n mackerel, and I tell you they wouldn't dono wicked thing like setting fire to a hotel full of people, and thereain't nobody on this island mean enough to believe it."
"We didn't come here asking you for advice," sneered the squire. "You'rea constable of this village, sworn to do your duty, and your duty is toserve these warrants, the same being legally drawn and signed by thejudge. That's all your part, and all we ask of you to do. We take all theconsequences."
"Well, it's a shame. It ain't the right thing to do, squire, as you oughtto know, having a boy of your own. But, as you say, it's my duty if youinsist, and I'll do it,--but it's the hardest job I ever done in all mylife."
"Let's go down to the tent first," said Colonel Witham. "There's alwaystwo of them down there, and sometimes more. If Henry Burns is there, Ijust want to get my hands on him. I suspect he's been fooling me allalong and playing his tricks on me, when I thought him in his roomasleep."
The dew was still heavy on the grass and the sun had not lifted its faceabove the distant cape when the three men walked down to the tent uponthe point. Not a sound broke the early morning quiet, save the cawing ofsome crows in a group of pines, and the lazy swash of the sluggishrollers breaking on the shore.
"They're fast asleep," whispered Squire Brackett. "We'll give them alittle surprise--just a little surprise." And he gave a hard chuckle.
Captain Sam, at this same instant, casting his eyes offshore and hastilysurveying the bay with the quick, comprehensive glance of an old sailor,gave a sudden start, and, for a moment, an exclamation of surpriseescaped him.
"What is it?" asked Colonel Witham. "Did you remark anything, CaptainSam?"
"Nothing," answered Captain Sam. "I was just a-muttering to myself."
And at this moment the squire threw open the flap of the tent, saying, ashe did so, "If you boys will--"
But as he and Colonel Witham poked their heads through the opening, thesentence was abruptly cut short.
"Empty!" gasped the colonel.
"Gone!" cried the squire.
The tent was, indeed, deserted.
"Where can they be?" asked Colonel Witham.
"I know," answered the squire. "Up at the Warrens, of course. They arethere half the time. It simply means we capture them all at once and savetrouble. Come on, Captain Sam, you don't seem to be in much of a hurry todo your duty, as you're sworn to do."
Captain Sam was, indeed, in no hurry. He loitered behind, stopped to tiehis shoes, dragged one foot along after the other slower than he had everdone before, while every now and then, as he followed in the footsteps ofthe colonel and the squire, he cast a hasty glance over his shoulder outon the bay. What he saw must have pleased him, for on each occasion abroad smile spread over his face and a mischievous twinkle kindled in hiseyes.
The colonel and the squire strode along impatiently, pausing now and thenfor Captain Sam to catch up with them; but as they drew near to theWarren cottage Captain Sam quickened his steps and halted them.
"You two will have to stay here," he said, with an authority he had notshown before. "I'm commissioned with the serving of these warrants, andI'm going to do it; but Mrs. Warren is a nice, motherly little woman, andI don't propose to have three of us bursting in on them like a press-gangand frightening her to death. I'm just going to break the news to her asbest I know how, and I don't want no interfering."
So saying, and with face set into a reluctant resolve, the captain walkedon alone, leaving the colonel and the squire much taken aback, and toomuch astonished by the sudden declaration of authority to attempt todispute it.
What Captain Sam said to Mrs. Warren only she and he knew. There were noboys called in to listen to what was said. There were no boys there tosee how Mrs. Warren's face paled and how the tears rolled down hercheeks, nor to hear Captain Sam's words of burning indignation as hetried to comfort her. No boys came to gather about her chair, to assureher it was all a dreadful mistake. There were no boys to face the coloneland the squire and declare their own innocence.
But out on the bay, with all her white sails set to catch the morningbreeze, the yacht _Spray_ was beating down toward a distant goal amongthe islands. And aboard her were six boys, whose hearts were heavy andwhose faces were drawn with an ever present anxiety. For a time they castapprehensive looks back at the disappearing village, but as the morningwore on and no pursuing sail appeared, they became more cheerful; and toforget so far as they could the real cause of their flight, they talkedhopefully of the fish they expected to catch and the swimming and othersport along the white sands of the island beaches.
But although no familiar craft as yet followed where they sailed, therewas, far in the lead of them and some miles down along the island, ayacht they all knew, and in whose mission, had they but known it, theirdeepest interests, their very fate, in fact, lay.
Jack Harvey had lost little time in reaching his camp. While he ran thefire blazed brighter and brighter, sending an angry glare over the watersof the bay and lighting up the country around. Looking back now and then,he could see men and women running about in the light of the fire, andthe frantic, though unavailing, efforts of the village fire department tostay the flames.
"Seems funny," he muttered to himself, "to be running away from a fire,and the greatest fire we ever had on this island at that. I never didsuch a thing before, but I guess there'll be something more excitingahead than a fire before we get through."
Harvey found his camp deserted, as he had expected. Not a sign of lifeshowed about the place.
"They're all up to the fire," said Harvey; "but I'll bring them soonenough, though I reckon they'll be mad at first to have to leave when thefire is just at its best."
And he began ransacking the camp, rolling up blankets, tying them intocompact bundles and hurrying down to the shore
with them, where hedeposited them in a rowboat.
He made a pile of the rude dishes that the camp afforded, a saucepan, afry-pan, tin dippers, and a few tin plates, tying them all together in abundle and rattling them all down to the shore in great haste.
Finally he got a boatload of the stuff, and, jumping in, sculled thelittle craft out to the _Surprise_. Leaping aboard, he rushed down intothe cabin, threw open a locker, drew forth a big tin horn, which heraised to his lips, and blew four loud, long blasts in succession.
"The hurry signal will surprise them, I reckon," he exclaimed; "butthey've always answered it before, and I guess they'll come,--even from afire." And Harvey began stowing the stuff away aboard the yacht. Then heproceeded to untie the stops in the mainsail, and was thus engaged when avoice hailed him from the shore.
"Halloo, Jack!" came the call. "What's the matter? Why aren't you up tothe fire? What's up?"
"Wait a minute," answered Harvey. "I'm coming ashore. Are the others onthe way?"
"Yes," answered the boy on shore, who proved to be Joe Hinman; "but theydon't like it a bit. It's a shame to lose this fire, Jack. Why, you oughtto see Colonel Witham. He's the craziest man I ever saw, running aroundand begging everybody he sees to rush into the blaze and save his oldoffice furniture."
"Well, Joe," said Harvey, as he stepped out of the small boat on to thebeach, beside the other, "we've got some work cut out for us that beatswatching a fire all to pieces. I'll tell you all about it, but thereisn't one half-minute to lose now. Believe me, you fellows won't regretit,--hello, here are the others!"
The three other members of the crew, George Baker, Allan Harding, and TimReardon, burst out of the woods into the clearing, gasping from running,and amazed beyond expression that Harvey should have called them from thefire.
"Fellows," said Harvey, "I'll tell you the whole story just as soon as weget aboard and up sail. This is the greatest thing we ever did in all ourlives; but it's the minutes that count now, and we have got to get underway the quickest we ever did yet."
And then, as the boys hesitated, and Joe Hinman ventured the question,with something of suspicion in his tone that he could not all conceal,"Why, Jack, there's no trouble, is there--no trouble--about the fire?" itsuddenly dawned on Harvey that this sudden departure did have a queerlook to it, and that he was, indeed, open to their suspicion.
"Yes," he cried, "there is trouble, and it's about this fire; but itisn't our trouble. The trouble is for the man that set it,--and we aregoing to make it for him. We're going to catch him. Now will you hurry?"
"Will we?" exclaimed George Baker. "Just watch us!"
And every boy made a dash for the camp to secure anything he might needon a cruise down the bay.
Harvey and Joe Hinman seized two big jugs and made off for the spring,whence they returned quickly. Then the entire crew piling into the smallboat, they were soon aboard the _Surprise_.
The anchor was up in a twinkling. The sails were never spread in suchtime. Almost as quickly as it takes to tell it, the yacht _Surprise_ wasunder way, and with Harvey at the wheel was standing out of the littleharbour.
Then, as they left the glare of the fire upon the waters astern, butstill flaming like a giant beacon against the sky, Harvey, with his crewabout him, narrated his extraordinary adventure with the strange man, andasserted his conviction that the man was none other than the sameChambers who had fled from the island not long before.
"That is a fast boat, and we can never catch her in plain sailing," saidAllan Harding. "She is full half again as big as we, and she would sailaround us a dozen times and then walk away from us without half-trying."
"I know that," said Harvey, "and that is just why I am so anxious tocatch up with him before he gets out of the western bay into the opensea. If we don't get him in the bay we shall lose him. Now let's overhauleverything, and be sure that something doesn't break just as we come tothe pinch."
There was little to be done, however, on that score; for, howevercarelessly they lived ashore, they had the true yachtsman's spirit aboardthe _Surprise_, and kept her shipshape. Then they set the club and jibtopsails, for there was not much air stirring, and they drew the tenderup close astern, so it would drag as little as possible.
"We have one advantage," said Harvey. "We can depend upon it, he knowsenough not to try the open bay and sail down toward the Gull Islands. Thefirst part of the way is clear sailing enough, but when you get down justoff the islands you come to the shallows, and a man has to follow themarks to get clear and safely out to sea. And then, too, the alarm isgoing to be sent out just as soon as a boat from the village can get overto the mainland. They won't lose any time about that,--and Chambers issharp enough to know it. He knows the whole bay down below there will bealive with boats, just as soon as they get the news wired down to them.
"Depend upon it, Chambers will try to fool them. I think he will comethrough the Thoroughfare at this eastern end of Grand Island, which hemust have studied out on the charts. He will not dare to try theThoroughfare to-night, however, and if we can only beat down to somewherebelow the Thoroughfare to-night we shall be well to windward of him inthe morning, and he will think we are a boat coming in from outside,while he will still be beating into the wind, if it holds from thesouth'ard, the way it is blowing now."
"That's right," said Joe Hinman. "He cannot make the passage out throughthe Thoroughfare in the night, unless he knows the way better than Ithink he does. It is a bad run in the dark, even for a man that was bornaround here. We have done it only once or twice ourselves."
"You fellows turn in now, all but Tim," said Harvey, "and get some sleep.We two can run her for awhile. I'll call you, Joe, in about an hour ortwo, to handle her while I get forty winks, but, mind, everybody will becalled sharp the minute we clear Tom's Island, for no knowing what weshall see then at any minute. Chambers will lie up in Seal Cove for anhour or two, I reckon, if he has got down that far. I only wish I wassure of it. We'd go ashore and take a run across the island and catch himnapping--
"By the way, George," exclaimed Harvey, "how do you feel? It's mightylucky you happened to be taken with that colic in the night, just at theright time, and that I started out to rouse up old Sanborn to get someginger for you. All this would never have happened if it hadn't been foryou."
"Why, I'm all right," answered George Baker. "I could hardly walk when wefirst saw the fire, but I just made up my mind I wasn't going to miss it,and so I started out. When the sparks began to fly I forgot all about thepain, and I hadn't thought of it since. It's all gone now, anyway."
Two hours later they were nearing the southern end of Grand Island andcoming in sight of a chain, or cluster, of smaller islands, through whichan obscure and little used passage ran from the western bay to the outersea. Jack Harvey had sent young Tim into the cabin to snatch a wink ofsleep, and Joe had come up, heavy and dull.
"I'll go without my sleep this once," said Harvey. "Here, Joe, hold her aminute. I'll get a bit of rest right here on deck, with one eye open."
It was growing light fast now, and they strained their eyes for a sail.
"I guess we are in time," said Harvey, as they came abreast of Tom'sIsland. "He is not in sight. We'll head out to sea a bit more, and cutinto the Thoroughfare farther down, for the tide will be high in an hour,and we can cross Pine Island Bar. Then, if he has taken the channel onthe other side of Tom's Island, we can still head him off,--unless hewent through in the night."
And Harvey, having relinquished the tiller to Joe, stretched himself outat full length on the seat to rest.
Thus they sailed for a short cut into the Thoroughfare at a point wherethey could command the farther of the two channels.
And, as they sailed, so sailed another and a larger sloop, beating itsway out to sea through the farther channel. A man, powerfully built, andwith a hard, desperate look in his eyes, sat at the wheel,--and he wasall alone. The yacht cut a clean path through the smooth waters of theThoroughfare, and, as the man looked a
t the coast-line along which he waspassing rapidly, he muttered: "It's a clear passage; a safe run to sea.And, once there, who's to say I was ever in these waters? I said I'd haverevenge on this town for what I've lost, if it took all summer, and I'vedone it. The blaze did me good as it lit the sky. Twenty minutes more andI'll be clear of this, and good-bye to this coast for ever."
But even as he said it a smaller sloop turned the head of an island halfa mile ahead, and came down the Thoroughfare, running off the wind.