Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 187 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 The surf was, indeed, terrible at this point, but the life boat was stanch and her crew vigorous and alert. Over, through, under the foaming waves she ot me oars as steady as if she had been upona mill-pond. In, in, in, foot by foot. A last billow lifted her upon its broad bosom. The strong oarscut its white apex. It fell in swashing torrents on the sands, and rolled again to sea, But the life boat vers, ap the sands as the under- tew ran like a cataract by her sides. In a moment she was high and dry upon the beach. The crew hadsprung over and run her up ere another wave had time to strike her. But old Tom was otherwise occupied. He was pulling in, hand-over-hand, on the rope at whose end Fred still valiantly swam, Not a sound greeted the incoming of the life boat. But as the boy was araggen hastily through the surf, and sprung to his feet, erect and safe, upon the sands, a shout went up that for the moment seemed to drown the howling of the storm. CHAPTER XII, A MUSKRAT’S HOLE, SrveRAL days passed before the excitement ealmed down in Beach City. By the time the storm was fairly ended the good ship Triton was rent into ments and strown for miles along the beach. Only her forward half lay buried in the sands of the bar, and this was little more than a skeleton, all its upper works being torn off by the sea. er crew were lionized to their hearts’ content, As Jack Bunce said: **It pays for a ship’s crew to be eigen 5 ona coast like this. I wouldn’t mind being wrecked here every summer, by way of exercise. We don’t get such grub and grog often a-shipboard; and with ev- ery man his own captain. It won’t last. It’s a good deal too much like going to heaven,”’ There were other lions besides the ship’s crew. Wilbur Howard and Fred Halyard found it no easy matter to escape their throngs of admirers, The fact is that the first-named gentleman did not try very hard. The incense of admiration was by no ee | a to him, and he took it in full ughts. But the fact of the quarrel and challenge between him and Fred Halyard had somehow leaked out, and there were envious persons to declare that he had shown the white feather after all, in not daring to come ashore in the life boat. The Pots us given to the challenge was none of Fred lyard’s doings. He was not that kind of boy. In fact he was not at all inclined to be made alion of. And he had other business on hand which this publicity very much interfered — The smugglers were yet to be trailed te their en. ‘How now, Fred; when are we to make that trip through the inletsy’’ asked Mr, Proctor, on the sec- ond day after the storm. “It is likely they may leave us an empty locker to open.”’ **T’m afeare d’s base line is in bad condition, after this storm,” replied Harry Bains. ‘“ The inlets must have had a scrubbing out.” ‘* You are right there,” returned Fred. “I tooka boat and rowed up Leather Channel tat geben fe but there wasn’t one of my mile-posts left.” ‘Then we are dished again!"’ exclaimed Mr. Proc- tor, Etpeing his hand with heavy emphasis upon the e. “‘T reckon not,” Fred dryly responded, ‘I picked up the bearings as well as 1 knew how, and rowed ashore. I think I’ve gotit nailed among half a dozen houses. You know where the fishermen’s cabins are, Harry—above Swamptown?”’ “'T should judge so.” “It’s one of them, Ill wager a cow. Say the word and see if I don’t track the right one. But I’ve fot other fish to fry just now. I have a new base e to tri ate.” ‘*Hallo! How’s that?” cried Harry. ‘‘Somet pew inthe wind? What rats are you smelling ou now, Fred?” “The rats are all right. It’s their holes we want,” returned Fred, pee § ‘* How is this, boy?’’ asked Mr, Proctor, impatient- ly. ‘‘What new mystery have you started? What is your new base line?”’ ‘The captain of the Triton is one end of it,” said . “Andthe mate the other. But just where the ae ay points is only to be found by trailing these individuals,” “The captaiu and mate of the Triton!”? exclaimed Harry. ‘“‘ What infernal wool-gathering is this, boy? Are you trying some sell on us?” His voice had an | ring. “‘Nary a sell,” Fred energetically replied. ‘As sure as you are standing there the ‘ Fly-by-Night’ went down when the Triton was wrecked. Do you remember that I had seen the hand of one of the men in the smugglers’ den? Very well, I saw that same hand again when the mate of the Triton held up his fist to catch the log-book.” “Whew!” H whistled, in his os pore “Ts that why you tumbled back as if you got a shot in the eye? I thought something had hit you.” ‘*It was an unlucky time to take the back track,” a lied Fred, “Tt came near making me food for es.’ ‘*But are you sure of this?” asked Mr. Proctor, with deep interest. “T know it,’’ Fred confidently responded. “I'd yer Aco yuy Senne «de it = i. — = China. e’s got on the identical ring, 6 green stone, that I told you of.” We er tere - re em - ewe te | hee, am fy —_ is aoe 2 ya exclaimed . Proctor, rising and pacin e floor excitedly. a a be watched and followed. Who knows but we have the inside ring of the smuggling | that has been going on for years along this coast? **It might be,” replied Harry. woe ood earnest.”’ this afternoon,’’ said Mr. Proctor. ‘‘Of course the do not dream of being suspected, and may t freely. If we can shadow them and make out their myer it will be a royal business.”’ * not Fred and I best take a walk up by those fishermen’s huts this afternoon? We may make out something.”’ ** Certa Certainly. But me 3 your weather- eye open. Don’t sell our game. These chaps are as keen as steel.”’ **T don’t think they will circumvent us,’’ Harry re- plied, on x took oo <"y to leave —_ en a y we'll have a of dinner and a long w " [should not fear for ou, Fred,”’ said Mr. Proc- tor, sha hands with him on leaving. “* You have proved that you know when to open your eyes and when to shut them.”’ **] don’t reckon that this set of smuggling hounds can shut them for me very easy,’’ returned Fred, with a light laugh, as he left the room. At four o’clock that afternoon Harry Bains and ‘Fred, accompanied by old Tom Halyard, who had volunteered oin them, were walking along the low foot of the ridge, which separated the mainland from the swampy region. Just before them was the mee of fishermen’s huts referred to, extending for half a mile along the inlet, which hereran in almost a wher line, bor- dered by the sloping shore of the mainland. Most of these were small, one-storied cabins, built at the edge of the water, with the boats of the occu- ts floating in the stream, but fastened to spikes the rear of the houses. They were usually raised on an elevated foundation, to avoid any undue rise of the waters, and were situated about one hundred yards apart. , ‘*The water ran into your den, Fred,’’ remarked ae **I don’t see any such arrangement as that ere ** And no unde und riggin’, sich as the boy talk- ed *bout,’’ said old Tom. : ‘**They're no fools,’ retorted Fred. ‘I don’t sup- se they hang out their flax atthe mast-head. But wasn't dreaming for allthat. Itis all here some- wheres, cutely covered -_ = They were now near the largest cabin they had yet seen, since it boasted a second story. The ground on which it stood had been raised for several feet above the general level, while its side was so a to the bank of the inlet as almost to overhang Harry looked curiously at it. There was no sign of the water entering into any underground apart- ment. ‘* There’s the owner now, mending his net over by the shed,” remarked Fred. ‘Get him in talk. want to take a private scout around these dig- n %9 othe boy seated himself carelessly on a bank as if to rest, and began to amuse himself by mneppre the light sticks that lay near him. Harry looked back after a few wrt were taken, and found that Fred had almost ppeared, being stretched at full ey in the long grass and weeds, which grew rankly there. They walked on toward the fisherman, a tall, raw- boned, sandy-haired man, who seemed by no means inclined to be communicative. He kept his atten- tion directed to his net, answering their questions in the shortest mode possible. Meanwhile Fred had disa . In fact, he was oe way through the tall weeds to the bank of the inlet, along which he crawled, approaching the house foot by foot. The dog of the fisherman, a shaggy terrier, was self by barking at the strangers who amusin were ng to his master He failed to discover this creeping through the weeds, or he might have had a more lific source of amusement. A long-bodi sleek cat, however, vered Fred, ed majestically down and took a close obser- vation of him, and glided away again. Fred’s eye just caught her as was passing around the cor- ner of the house. ' ‘*Ha!” he thought, qetaneedly ‘*White! Feet and tail tipped with black! I’veseen that cat before. If I ain’t Pm amonkey. Sureas shooting I’m on the right He had now reached the corner of the house, A narrow bank of earth, not more than three feet in width, separated it from the inlet. Fred could hear some -sounds within, as if the women of the house- hold were atework. A*window from the side over- looked the bank and the waters of the inlet. ‘*T have got to work another traverse,” thought Fred. ‘*Can’t play mole handy. Will have to play muskrat.”’ He was not long in putting his plan into operation, tree Beer de | off his shoes, coat, and hat, he hid them ina cluster of bushes which grew beside the house. His next movement was to back down the steep bank, and slip noiselessly into the water. He was now hidden from observation by the inmates of the house, the bank cutting off the view. “That boat went in here somewhere,” thought as he worked his way through the shallow of the water. ‘‘ Where it went in I can go.” ddenly he was soused over head ana ears in deep water. He had ste into a pool—or was it a ditch leading iawiee But the bank here seemed unbroken. Fortunately Fred knew a trick worth two of that. His quick eye perceived in the bank poenee epee ceptinle lines, ecracksintheearth. Feeling below the water’s surface he discovered that the bank sud- “Fred has smelt a | see them and try to make out their plans | | bank was a swinging Fred Halyard, the Life Boat Boy. © Pty > wee denly ceased; he had hold of a narrow edge of tim- ber which yielded easily to his pull. The secret was revealed. The seotningly solid ateway, formed o ards, and covered with a thick deposit of clay, In this latter the grass and weeds had taken root, so that | the bank seemed absolutely continuous, except for the narrow cracks which were only observable to very close examination. red could hardly repress a whistle, or a cry of exultation, as he made this discovery. ‘“*Oute as cucumbers,”’ he mentally remarked. ‘* Plaster it up again every time it’s used. All right, I won’t open your gate. I'l climb under like many a muskrat has before me,”’ Diving beneath the water, he was in an instant ane the obstruction, rising into utter darkness be- yond. But Fred was on old ground now, and did not mind the darkness a fig. His feet touched bottom and he waded in to where a very faint glimmer o light showed him that he had entered his old prison- like apartment. The young explorer lost not a second in clamber- ing out of the water, and to the earthen floor of the pacenaneynd room, so deftly excavated in the earth beneath the fisherman's hut. He knew the way to the door leading to the next room, and in a moment had enteredit. The light here was very dim, being the faint gleam that made its way through imperceptible cracks above. It was several minutes ere he could accustom his eyes to the darkness, and get anidea of his surroundings. ‘‘There’s the table and chairs,”’’ said Fred, gradu- ally making out the objectsintheroom, ‘And, b thunder, there’s the three knots in the washboard. That settles it. Iam in the right room in earnest.”’ He only made out these knots by stooping down to a very close inspection. He now made the round of the room, examining every object closely. It con- tained several closets, all locked except one. This he pulled open. On its shelves were a number of pac ages firmly bound up in oil-cloth coverings, Fred was strongly disposed to investigate the con- tents of these packages, and had already opened his penknife for the purpose of making an incision in their coverings, when a sound above caused him to hesitate. It was a quick step, followed by the opening and closing ofa door, This wasimmediately succeeded by a eneoking sound, while the light became sudden- ly stronger, displaying a flight of stairs, which he had not before observed, in a corner of the room. lt was from this point that the light came. ; “ A trap-door!” mentally exclaimed Fred. ‘“‘It’s ‘bout time to make tracks.” His bare feet made no sound on the floor as he hurried across the room. In a moment he dropped himself as noiselessly into the stream. In fact, while he had been making these observa- tions, other events had been occurring above. The fisherman grew shorter and shorter in his answers to ihe questioning strangers. He suddenly looked round, ‘‘ Where's the chap that was with you?” he cried. ‘There were three of you a minute or two ago.”’ ‘Fast asleep, I fancy, back there in the grass,” said Harry, indifferently. ‘‘He cun sleep, that chap,’’ remarked old Tom. **He’s a hoss at sleepin’.”” “At burplaring maybe, retorted the man, suspi- ciously. ‘*D im, if he’s trying to rob me, I'll treat to a dose of buckshot,”’ He ran quickly to the house, and disappeared within, closing the door behind him. ‘*Hadn't we best follow?” asked Harry. ‘“‘If he finds the boy he might harm him.” ‘*Not that rooster,’’ replied old Tom, contemptu- ously. ‘I'll match Fred ag’in’a barnyard full of sich coves.”’ . They walked slowly over toward where Fred had disappeared. He was nowhere in sight. In a few minutes the fisherman emerged again from his cabin. ‘‘Blast the chap! where is he?" he flercely cried. ‘“‘T know he’s playing some confounded game about here.”’ He stalked hastily through the grass, stumbling and almost falling over some object hidden in the thick weeds. To the surprise of all present Fred lifted his head from the spot, pores. out in a sleepy accent: ‘* Wish you'd let a fellow alone when he’s taking a snooze. Can’t you keep your stumbling feet to yourself, without kicking along that-a-way?”’ ‘* What in the blazes are you sleeping in my grass for?’ cried the man, savagely. 1 ain for a hint to keep away from here. "He ran‘fiercely at Fred, who lay almost on the brink of the inlet. He lifted his foot for a flerce | kick, but he calculated slightly without his host. For, at the same instant, Fred flung himself sud- denly toward him, tripping him up, so that the im- ulse of his movement carried him over the boy’s back, head foremost into the inlet. ee “Let's absquatulate,”’ cried Fred, laughing. ed Harry, as they walked quickly wash will do him good.”’ ** Any luck?”’ ay “Lots of it. Chunks of it,” returned Fred. “A are houseful of the gayest luck you ever heard of. CHAPTER XIII. A JOURNEY BY RAIL, **Do you know that I have never yet thanked you for your great service to me?”’ said Rose Darlington, in a low tone, as she seated herself beside Fred ard, 2 “My great service?” asked Fred, ina tone of sup | JOO GoM (E “T will kick you. cS (EO)