Читать книгу: «The Outdoor Chums on the Lake: or, Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island», страница 10
CHAPTER XXV – THE RESCUE – CONCLUSION
“Will’s here!” shouted Jerry, as they broke cover.
“Into the canoes, then, as fast as you can!” exclaimed Frank.
He had given one frantic look out on the lake. This had shown him that as yet the helpless boat containing the four girls had not capsized, though with every wave it seemed liable to turn over, having broached to in the heavy running seas.
The way they threw out the contents of the canoes was a caution. Packages fairly covered the little beach, to the bewilderment of Will, who just then came out of the bushes, where he had been placing his first load, and who must have believed at first that his three chums had gone stark mad.
Then the canoes were launched. This in itself was no easy task, but Frank and his chums were experts at handling the small craft, and had often practised all manner of tricks with the boats while in swimming.
Through the breaking surf that rushed up on the shore they ran with the canoes. Then jumping in, they seized the paddles, and started to work furiously.
Success attended their efforts, and presently they were moving swiftly toward the rolling rowboat, in which crouched the four frightened girls.
“Sit down, and keep still! We’ll get you all right!” bawled Frank, as he saw one of the girls make an effort to use the remaining oar.
So they came alongside. Frank breathed a prayer of thanksgiving when his hand caught the gunwale of the skiff.
“I’ve got the boat to hold two of you. Nellie, can you climb over, if I hold on tight?” he asked his sister; “and you, too, Violet, will you dare?”
Nellie made the change easily enough, and then came Will’s sister. Meanwhile, the other boys had decided to convoy the rowboat in with its remaining passengers, rather than attempt the risky task of transferring them out there on the rough lake.
They made fast, one on either side, and began to paddle with the waves. In this way the entire number finally found themselves safely ashore.
“We hardly expected you’d try it in this wind,” said Frank, as he helped Violet up the beach to the deserted camp.
“But the wind came up after we started, and we couldn’t go back to save our lives, you see,” she explained, laughing a little hysterically.
“But what does this mean? Where is your camp, boys? It looks as though everything is done up just as you left home,” said Mame Crosby, as she eyed the many packages which the others were now busily gathering together.
At that they all looked at each other and burst into roars of laughter.
“It’s a long story, girls, and we’ll spin it while we sit around the fire having dinner. As it’s now long past noon, and there’s a heap to do getting the camp fixed again, you must excuse us. Bluff, start the fire going, and the girls can help us out by taking charge of dinner while we build our camp,” said Frank.
Things began to assume the old-time air in less than half an hour. Of course, the girls chattered like magpies as they worked, but all their appeals for information fell on deaf ears until they were sitting around, in picnic style, enjoying the splendid dinner, which was helped out by the delicious things brought from home.
“And to think how near we came to feeding the fishes with these, too,” said Susie Prescott, as she helped Will to a second portion.
“Now please take pity on us, and explain what has happened. We’re just dying by inches to know. What was that tug doing down here, with all those men? And unless I’m mistaken, I saw Mr. Dodd, the sheriff, aboard. He was out hunting those two bad tramps who robbed the steamboat. Oh, boys! Do you mean to say you have had anything to do with them?”
Nellie had brought it to the point where explanations must be in order. So the story was told in detail. Sometimes one of the campers related a certain part, and then another took it up from where he left off.
“And with what views Bluff took for me, I’ll have enough to illustrate the whole performance. A few I’ve missed, and they will always haunt me. Altogether it’s been a remarkable series of adventures,” declared Will enthusiastically.
“The most astonishing that will ever come our way, I reckon,” said Jerry with emphasis.
But though they did not dream of it at that time, there were still stranger things fated to befall the four chums ere many months had passed. These happenings of vacation time will appear in the next volume of this series, to be entitled “The Outdoor Chums in the Forest; or, Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge,” which will tell of the weird experiences our friends met with while investigating the greatest mystery that ever troubled the neighborhood of Centerville.
The merry party had just about finished their dinner when Bluff once again began to take his comrades to task for not thinking to rout the wild man out of his hole in the tree while they had the help of the sheriff’s posse.
“It’s a chance we’ll never have again, and no doubt the poor old fellow would be better off if turned over to Mr. Smithers, at the asylum. Have any of you girls heard of a lunatic at large since winter?” he kept on, until both Frank and Jerry could stand it no longer.
“It’s a shame to keep you in the dark any longer, Bluff. To tell you the truth, we captured that wild man,” said Frank as soon as he could control his face.
“Captured him? When? How? Where? You’ve been having a joke all to yourselves. It’s time you let me in, boys,” he said positively.
Frank ripped open the newspaper package he had carried all the way from the lone cabin in the jungle. Then he held something up that first provoked exclamations of wonder and then shrieks of laughter from the girls. Bluff turned red in the face, but being good-natured, he finally joined in the mirth.
“So that’s what it was, eh? That big tramp dressed himself up in that monkey skin they stole from Dr. Aiken’s collection, over in the store-house, when they entered. Waddy knew about the story of the wild man said to be on this island, and meant to have Biffins play the part to frighten off any posse that might land. A clever idea, yes; and I guess he did have considerable fun with it,” Bluff went on.
“Jerry knew, of course, for he was a prisoner, and saw the fellow dressing to carry out the part; but I gave him the wink, and he kept quiet,” said Frank.
“But how did you know?” demanded Will.
“I just guessed it. Sort of put two and two together, you see. The footprints gave me a clue. Then I watched the fellow carefully when he was coming out of the tree, and going in later. I believed it was a man, and he seemed to know too much to be a lunatic; but I thought I’d have a little fun with you and Bluff.”
“Into the tree, yes, but how do you explain that? We saw him go in that hole in the hollow stump, and he didn’t come out again, yet Biffins was in the cabin when my stinging smoke made them surrender. There’s something queer about that.”
“You’re right there is, Bluff. I saw how the thing was done when I went inside the cabin, after they had been made prisoners. In the front room was a hole in the floor. I jumped in that, and found, just as I expected, that it was a nice little underground tunnel leading to that hollow tree. Years ago, the man who lived there must have constructed that as a means of escape from some imaginary danger. When Biffins entered that tree he simply kept along until he reached the cabin; but neither of them dared try to escape that way, because they saw me standing guard,” remarked Frank calmly.
“Well! Talk about your mysteries, this one beats the band! But that fellow who died in the cabin did have a reason to be afraid, Frank. I understand he turned out to be a man who was wanted for a capital crime down in New York City. Perhaps he dreamed of the time when he should be tracked to his hiding-place, and meant to have a chance for escape,” observed Jerry.
They passed the hairy disguise around. Bluff even stood up to show how it had fitted the big man, at which Will uttered a cry of delight.
“Oh! now I know how I can get a picture of the wild man for our collection. Bluff, some day won’t you just put that thing on, and let me snap you off? It will be a real kindness, and I think you will be pleased with the result,” he exclaimed.
At which poor Bluff glared at him, and subsided, while the girls went into new spasms of laughter.
Dinner was made as elaborate as possible, and in spite of what had happened the girls and the boys did full justice to all that was set before them. As they ate they talked the happenings over again. They all had fun with the disguise, and when one of the girls tried it on, everybody screamed with laughter.
“The wild girl from Peru,” said Frank.
“The Wildcat Island belle,” came from Jerry.
And then another shout of laughter arose.
Dinner over, the boys gallantly ferried the girls over to a dock at which the steamboat would stop on her round of the lake. Here they laughed and joked until the Eastern Star came along, when the four girls started home.
Captain Amos leaned over the rail and heard the news with delight, saying:
“Glad to hear it, fellows. Knew those hoboes would regret it if ever they ran across the tracks of you four. So they’re in the lock-up by this time, and Mr. Pemberton’s packet of jewelry is recovered. Hurrah for the Rod, Gun and Camera Club!”
So the little steamboat sheered off, the paddles began to beat the water, and our boys waved their hats in farewell as the girls returned the salute with their dainty handkerchiefs. After which, Frank and his chums headed once more for Wildcat Island to finish their Easter outing, so strangely interrupted.
