CHAPTER X.
THE ESCAPE FROM THE HOLD.
"Sam, is that you?"
"Yes."
"We are trapped!"
"It looks like it--or rather feels like it. I can't see a thing."
"Nor I. Did you find out anything about Dick?"
"No."
A groan came from the opposite end of the hold.
"Here I am. How in the world did you get here?"
"Dick, after all!" ejaculated Tom, and there was a slight trace of joyin his tone. "Are you O. K., old man?"
"Hardly. They dosed me with drugs until my mind is topsy-turvy."
"I'm glad you are alive," came from Sam. "Where are you?"
"Here, lying on a couple of boxes. Look out how you move about, or youmay hurt yourselves."
Handcuffed as they were, Tom and Sam felt their way along through thedark hold until they reached their elder brother's side. They graspedhis hands warmly.
"I'm glad we are together again, even if we are prisoners," remarkedTom, and this was his younger brother's sentiment, too.
"How did you get here?" asked Dick, and each told his story frombeginning to end, and then the elder Rover had to relate his ownadventures.
"I knew that old doctor wasn't telling the truth," burst out Tom. "Oh,but won't we have an account to settle with all of those chaps, if everwe get out of this scrape."
"Don't let us hurrah until we are out of the woods," added Dicksoberly. "We are in the hands of a desperate gang, to my way ofreasoning."
"The Baxters are certainly bad enough."
"And any boat captain who would go into this game with them is probablyjust as bad. Whom did you leave on the yacht?"
"Aleck, and the lumberman who was on the raft with you."
"I wonder if they will follow this schooner?"
No one could answer this question, and for several minutes there was asilence. During that time they heard heavy footsteps cross and recrossthe deck, but that was all. Presently the schooner began to rockslightly.
"The wind is coming up," said Tom. "We are moving ahead again."
"That's bad for us--if the schooner manages to run away from theyacht," rejoined Dick.
Soon the motion of the _Peacock_ showed that the schooner wasbowling along rapidly. They heard the creaking of tackle as additionalsails were hoisted, and felt certain that the craft was making the bestrun at her command.
The hold had not been opened up for a long time, consequently the airwas foul as well as stifling from the heat.
"I'd give something for some fresh air," said Sam. "How is it with you,Dick?"
"I want fresh air and a drink of water. I am as dry as a bale ofcotton."
"Haven't they given you anything since you came on board?" asked Tom.
"Not a thing."
"The inhuman wretches! Oh, I wish I had Dan Baxter here--I'd punch hishead good for him."
"Ditto the head of his rascally father," returned Dick. "I would liketo know just where they intend to take me--or rather all of us, now.They certainly can't expect to keep us on board this craft."
"Perhaps they'll ship us to Canada."
"Hardly, since they couldn't land on the Canadian shore without aninspection of the vessel."
"They have some plan up their sleeve, that's certain."
Slowly the hours wore away, until all sounds on deck ceased, and theyknew it must be well along in the night. Still the schooner kept on hercourse.
All of the boys had been working at their bonds, but without success.They wished they had a light, but neither Sam nor Tom had a match, andDick's pockets were entirely bare. Tom and Sam were likewise minustheir pistols, Arnold Baxter having taken the weapons away beforeplacing them in the hold.
The night proved to be a truly horrible one for the boys, for the holdwas overrun with rats, who became altogether too familiar. At first oneof the pests ran over Tom's legs.
"A rat!" he cried. "Hi, scat!" And the frisky rodent scampered off, butspeedily returned, followed by several others. After that they had alively time of it for half an hour, when the rats left them as suddenlyas they had appeared.
The storm, and their various adventures, had tired the boys out, andsoon, in spite of the surroundings, one after another fell into a lightdoze. The sleep did all of them good, especially Dick, who declared onawakening that he felt almost as well as ever.
"Only I'm as hungry as a bear," he added.
"Ditto myself," came from Tom. "I move we try to break out of thisdingy hole."
"All right; but where shall we break to?" put in Sam. "I can't see muchmore than I could last night."
The matter was talked over, and presently they scattered, to feel alongthe ribbed walls of the hold.
For a long time nobody felt anything of importance, but at last Sam letout a soft cry:
"I've found something of a door!"
"Good for you," answered Tom. "Can you open it?"
"No, there seems to be a bar or something on the other side."
The others rejoined the youngest Rover, and made out the door quiteplainly, for there was a broad crack at the top and at the sideopposite the hinges. There was a bar, true enough.
"If we had something that we could slip into that crack, we might movethe bar," observed Dick.
"I slipped on a sheet of tin a while ago," said Tom. "Perhaps I canfind that."
His hunt was successful, and soon they had the tin in the crack underthe bar. The latter gave way with ease, and then they pulled the dooropen. Beyond was the passageway leading to the cabin.
"Now what's the next movement?" whispered Sam.
"Let us try to arm ourselves first of all," answered Dick. "Then, if weare cornered again, we may be able to make some kind of favorableterms."
He tiptoed his way into the cabin and found it deserted. On the tablerested the remains of a breakfast served to several people, and hepicked up half a loaf of bread and put it in the pocket of his jacket.Several boiled eggs followed.
On one of the walls of the cabin hung two old-fashioned swords and abrace of pistols. Without hesitation he took all of the weapons andreturned with them to his brothers.
"Here are pistols and swords, and something to eat," he said. "Thereseems to be nobody around, so you can come into the cabin, if youwish."
All entered the compartment. Both water and a little coffee were handy,and they made a hasty repast. While eating, Tom hunted around the roomand also looked into an adjoining stateroom. In the latter place hefound a bunch of keys on a nail.
"If only one of 'em fits these handcuffs," he murmured, and they triedthe keys without delay. One did fit, and in a few seconds they werefree of their fetters.
"Now 'lay on, MacDuff!'" quoted Tom, as he swung aloft one of theswords. "We'll give them a warm reception, eh?"
"We'll do nothing of the kind," replied Dick hastily. "In this casesilence is the better part of valor. We'll lay low until the time comesto make a move."
"What, do you mean to go back to the hold?" asked Sam.
"We may as well, for the present. It is broad daylight now. Perhaps wecan escape at night."
"Do you suppose they took our rowboat along?" came from Tom.
"I shouldn't wonder. We can---- Hist! somebody is coming!"
Dick was right; Captain Langless was descending the companion way. Ontiptoes the three boys hurried to the door leading to the hold. As theyflung it back they found themselves confronted by Arnold Baxter andDan.