"Cap'n," said the governor, who had for some time remained silent, "don't you think that ar' little plan of your'n is just the least bit risky? If I was you, I'd let them 'cademy swells keep their vessel an' welcome."
"You would!" exclaimed Tom. "Well,Iwon't, now I tell you! What! Give up the very thing I have lived for, and thought of, and dreamed about for so long? No, sir! That yacht has been the means of making me a vagabond, an outcast from home, and a wanderer upon the face of the earth, and she shall not stay above water any longer. If I can't enjoy her, nobody shall. I'll destroy the last vestige of her—I'll blot the academy navy out of existence. I'll abolish the offices of captain, lieutenant, master, and midshipman, and turn Harry Green and his crowd of spooneys back to the ranks, with as much ease as the principal could do it himself. I'll start a bonfire in the harbor that will serve us as a light-house, and show us our way out to sea. Those fellows have teased and tormented me for months about that vessel, and now I am going to have my revenge. You will not go back on me, governor?"
The Crusoe men had paused in their work to listen to Tom. His fiery words and determined air, not only served to convince them that he was thoroughly in earnest, and that he was resolved to carry out his plans if within the bounds of possibility, but they also had the effect of reviving the drooping spirits of the band. He spoke with such calmness and confidence, and seemed to be so utterly regardless of all the obstacles in his path, and so certain of success, that they could not help feeling encouraged.
"No, sir, I'll not go back on you," said the chief, emphatically; and no one who heard him speak imagined that he had been racking his brain in the hope of hitting upon some excuse for declining to assist Tom in destroying the yacht. "I said I'd stand by you, didn't I? I am a fellow who never breaks his promise."
In a few minutes the outfit had been packed away in boxes, provided for the purpose, and the Crusoe men began the work of stowing it in the yawl—all except Tom Newcombe, who, being fully occupied with his grand idea, was careful to see that nothing that could render it successful was neglected. The governor had made his first journey to the island in a skiff which he had stolen in the harbor, and it was in this skiff that Tom intended to pay his visit to the Storm King. She could be handled so much easier than the heavy yawl, that their chances for escape, in case of pursuit, would be increased. After bailing all the water out of her, and examining the rowlocks, Tom brought out of the cabin two pairs of oars and a boat-hook, which he placed under the thwarts and tied fast, so that they could not be lost overboard while crossing the shoals; and next he produced, from some secret hiding-place, a suspicious-looking black bottle, which he put into his coat pocket.
"What's that, cap'n?" asked the governor, who at that moment came up, carrying a box of crackers on one arm, and a bundle of blankets under the other.
"It's coal-oil," replied Tom, with a chuckle. "I am going to make sure work of that yacht, if I succeed in getting into the galley. I'll sprinkle the contents of this bottle over the wood-work, and on the pile of kindling which I shall find under the stove; then I'll touch a match to it, and—whew!"
Tom ended the sentence with a prolonged whistle, and by throwing his arms about his head, indicating, no doubt, the rapidity with which the flames would spread over the devoted vessel.
"I have only one cause for uneasiness," said Tom, to himself, when the governor had gone on to the yawl. "This skiff is painted white, and can be seen a long distance, dark as it is. If we are discovered before we reach the yacht, my splendid idea is up stump; but if I can once get on board, and make my way into the galley without being seen, I'll be all right. Five minutes will do the work, and I won't care then if we are pursued. The fellows are all good oarsmen, and we can show that jolly-boat a clean pair of heels."
"Now, then," said the governor, picking up his lantern and peeping into every corner of the cabin, to make sure that nothing had been overlooked, "I reckon we're all ready. We're goin' to leave you here," he added, turning to the prisoner, who still lay bound and helpless on the floor.
"Well, I swan!" exclaimed Jed. "Aint you goin' to let me loose?"
"Not much. That would be a smart trick in us, wouldn't it, now?"
"I'll do some good hollering the minute you go away."
"All right. You will be discovered by your friends sometime durin' the day, most likely; but all the yellin' you can do won't help you none. The surf roars over the shoals loud enough to drown the report of a cannon. Good-by, Jed!"
"I'll see you again," said the prisoner, who did not seem to be at all concerned. "I'll help take you before the 'squire yet—I swan to man if I won't."
"You'll ketch us first, I reckon. Come on, fellers."
The Crusoe men left the cabin and clambered into the yawl. The governor grasped the tiller, and the others picked up the oars and stood ready to push the boat from the bank. Tom made the skiff's painter fast to a ring in the stern of the yawl, and seated himself beside the chief, who, seeing that every thing was ready for the start, gave the command to shove off; whereupon the Crusoe men thrust their oars against the bank, and the yawl moved slowly toward the rocks at the entrance of the cove, dragging the skiff after her.
As we have before remarked, the Crusoe men were now about to brave the
real dangers incident to their undertaking. One of them was close at hand, and it was the only one Tom Newcombe dreaded to encounter. It was the crossing of the shoals. He had made the passage once in the Mystery, and it had tried his nerves severely; although the water was then comparatively quiet. He knew that it would be worse this time, for the wind, which had been steadily increasing since sunset, was blowing briskly, and the roar of the waves, as they dashed over the ledge that formed the shoals, could be plainly heard in the cove. "It is a capital sailing wind," said Tom, with a great show of indifference. "Don't I wish that yacht was in flames, and we were on board the Sweepstakes, standing down the harbor under a full press of canvas? I tell you, fellows—"
"Jerusalem!" ejaculated Will Atkins.
The yawl at that moment glided out from among the rocks that concealed the entrance to the cove, and the Crusoe men found themselves on the edge of the shoals. They stood appalled at the sight before them. Through the darkness could be seen the white waves, rolling in broken, angry masses across the ledge, and sending the spray high in air. At the further end of the shoals, and about two hundred yards distant, was a single pyramid of foam that rose above the other waves, and which seemed to be stationary. It was caused by the peculiar formation of the rocks beneath it, and was the governor's guide-post. It pointed out the channel that led across the shoals.
The Crusoe men took a hurried survey of the scene before them, and with one accord sprang to their feet. "Governor," said Friday, "I wouldn't go across there fur no money."
"You can just turn around and go back," chimed in Will Atkins. "Whenever we get tired of livin' we'll let you know. This boat couldn't stand them breakers two minutes."
"Much you know about it, I guess," returned the chief, angrily. "We want to go to the village, don't we, an' we want to take our outfit with us? Well, then, how are we goin' to get there, I'd like to know, if we don't cross the shoals? Set down! Let no man move from his seat, or say a word. I've run the channel a dozen times, an' I can do it ag'in."
Sam did not think it best to tell his trembling crew that he had never attempted the passage in the face of such a breeze. Although he spoke bravely enough, he was really frightened, and his hand trembled as it rested on the tiller. Had there been any other way out of the cove, he would have been the last one to dare the fury of the waves; but he knew there was none, and, after he had succeeded in inducing his men to resume their seats, he drew in a long breath, shut his teeth hard against each other, and prepared for the work before him. He fastened his eyes on his guide-post, brought the yawl before the wind, let out the sheet, and the next moment the Crusoe men found themselves flying through the breakers with almost railroad speed. In front of them, on each side, and behind, the water was white with foam; and, when they got
out from the shelter of the bluffs on the island, they found that Tom Newcombe's "capital sailing wind" was something very much like a gale. The yawl rocked and plunged over the waves that leaped wildly around her, sometimes almost grazing the rocks as she flew along the channel. The Crusoe men held their breath in suspense, and their eyes were directed anxiously toward the white pyramid which seemed to shut them off from the still water beyond. It looked threatening, they discovered as they approached it, and they trembled when the wave, subsiding for an instant, revealed to them the black, ragged crest of the rock which lay directly in their course, and toward which they were being driven with terrific force. It was here the worst danger was to be encountered. The channel ran close alongside this rock, to windward, and the governor knew that it would require the exercise of all his skill to take the yawl past it in safety.
"Xury," he exclaimed, yelling at the top of his voice, to make himself heard above the roar of the wind and waves, "stand by the sheet and be ready to haul in fur life when I give the word."
By the time the mate had placed himself in a position to obey this order, the yawl had approached within a few yards of the ledge, and, to the no small astonishment and alarm of the Crusoe men, the governor did not change her course an inch. Suddenly her bow was buried beneath a pile of foam, and the next instant she was lifted on the crest of a tremendous billow, which carried her with redoubled speed toward the rock. This was too much for Friday and Jack Spaniard, who uttered a simultaneous cry of terror, and jumped to their feet, while Tom Newcombe turned away his head and clutched his seat with a death-gripe, expecting every moment to see the sides of the boat smashed in, and to find himself struggling in the water.
"Set down!" thundered the governor. "Haul in, Xury!"
For a few seconds two opposing forces were at work upon the yawl. The wind blew harder than ever, as if it sympathized with the Crusoe men, and was doing its best to drive them out of reach of danger, while the waves came thicker and faster, and dashed their spray furiously into the faces of the yawl's crew, seemingly determined upon their destruction. So evenly balanced was the power of the two elements, that, for a time, it was a matter of uncertainty whether the wind would force them away from the rock, or the waves hurl them upon it; but the wind began to gain a little at last, the yawl glided slowly, inch by inch, around the ledge into still water, and Tom, looking back, saw the pyramid of foam leaping higher than ever into the air, as if enraged at being cheated of its prey.
"Jerusalem!" ejaculated Will Atkins, gazing first at his companions, and then at the angry waves behind, as if he could hardly believe that they had passed them in safety. "Jerusalem, I say! Whew!"
"Well, I done it, didn't I?" exclaimed the governor, drawing a long breath of relief. "I thank my lucky stars that I'll never have to do it ag'in."
It would have been hard work for any one to convince the Crusoe men that they would ever again attempt the passage of the shoals. They told one another that they had seen quite enough of them, and that the dangers yet before them were insignificant, compared with those they had just encountered. But they did cross them a second time that night, and not a single boy in the band raised any objections to it.
The governor now directed the yawl's course toward the head of the island, and, as she flew along, he revealed to his crew some of the plans he had determined upon. It was necessary, he said, that the work before them should be performed with as little delay as possible; consequently they would not take the yawl to the village with them, for she might be in their way. They would leave her at the head of the island, and stop for her when they came back. They would first secure possession of the Sweepstakes, and moor her at the end of the pier; then they would visit Mr. Henry's store, help themselves to what provisions they needed, and after that assist the captain in carrying out his "splendid idea." Tom listened attentively to all the governor had to say, and something he had not before thought of came into his mind.
"Governor," said he, "why do you leave my work till the last? Don't you remember I told you that Johnny Harding sleeps in the store every night? Suppose that while you are effecting an entrance you awaken him! He will give the alarm, and then, what will become of my idea?"
"I'll risk that," replied the chief, confidently. "If we get inside the store he won't give no alarm. I know how to make him keep still. Now, fellers," he added, turning the boat's head toward the island, "we'll stop here."
He ran the yawl's bow upon the beach, and with the assistance of his men moored her securely to the rocks, after which he ordered the band into the skiff. Will Atkins and Xury seated themselves at the oars, and in half an hour the skiff rounded the light-house pier, and moved up the harbor toward the place where the Sweepstakes lay at her anchorage.
About nine o'clock, in the same evening in which happened the events we have just described, Johnny Harding leaned idly over the counter in Mr. Henry's store, whistling softly to himself, and gazing through the open door at a vessel in the harbor, which was about to begin her voyage to the West Indies. He looked as though he had been preparing for a game of fisticuffs with somebody, for his coat was off, his collar thrown open, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. But there was no one in Newport with whom Johnny was likely to get into trouble, for he was one of those easy, good-natured boys who seldom have any differences with their fellows. He had worked hard all day, and this was the first leisure moment he had been allowed since morning. He had taken advantage of it to pull off his coat and enjoy the cool breeze of the evening.
Johnny, as we have before remarked, was now as steady, well-behaved a boy as could be found in the village. He had seen the time when he had thought it exceedingly "smart" to take part in some desperate scheme for mischief—like stealing 'Squire Thompson's horse and wagon, and presenting him with some of his own fruit and vegetables, for instance—but he had come to the conclusion that not only was that a poor way to enjoy one's self, but it was a sure method of gaining a very
unenviable reputation. Tom's runaway expedition had opened his eyes. A few of his companions congratulated him, and said that in bringing the Swallow back to land, after Rich had lost her in the ocean, he had performed an exploit to be proud of; but those whose opinions were worth any thing, shook their heads at him; and, although they did not have much to say about it, their actions indicated that they thought Johnny might have been in better business than running away with a lot of lazy students. Johnny began to think so too, and saw it was high time he turned over a new leaf, if he ever expected to be any body in the world. One thing that convinced him of this fact was, the manner in which Mr. Henry treated him.
There was a vacancy in the store, and it had been promised to Johnny, whose highest ambition was to become a business man. One morning he presented himself before the grocer, who was not a little surprised to see him. "Ah, yes," said he, when Johnny had made known his wants, "I'd like to have you here. I don't know any one in Newport I would rather have for a clerk in my store, if I was only sure you could be trusted. But do you think you could put much faith in a boy who is continually running around of nights, and who is always in some kind of mischief? When I promised you the situation I had no idea you were a Night-hawk, you know."
Johnny thrust his hands deep into his pockets, and walked thoughtfully out of the store. He had never taken that view of the case, but he could not keep seeing that the grocer was right. He was angry at himself when he thought how foolish he had been, and, consequently, when some of his friends called on him that night, to inquire why he had missed the last meeting of their new society, Johnny answered them rather abruptly.
"I won't have any thing more to do with it," said he.
"Why, Harding, what's the matter?"
"The matter is just this," replied Johnny. "I can see, now, that I would have been a great deal better off in the world, if I had never had any thing to do with secret societies that were organized for nothing but mischief. Experience is a hard school, fellows, but it is a thorough one and I'll never forget the lesson I have learned there. I am going to behave myself now."
"Well, this beats me, I never thought you would turn spooney."
"Say what you please, my mind is made up, and you can't turn me, any more than you can turn Tom Newcombe, when he has an idea. The society can get along without me."
Johnny was as good as his word, although it required the exercise of all his firmness to resist the pressure that was brought to bear upon him. The society found it uphill work to get along without him, for he held a high position in the organization, and was the only one in it who could study up a plan for mischief at two minutes notice. Its members had often been sadly in need of the services of Tom Newcombe; and, now that Johnny was gone, the exploits were hardly worth boasting of. They tried to induce him to come back. They coaxed, praised, and ridiculed him, but it was in vain. Johnny had made up his mind after mature deliberation; he knew he was in the right, and for two months he held firmly to his purpose.
One night, as he was coming home from school, he met Mr. Henry, who began to laugh the moment he came in sight of Johnny. "Is this true that I hear about you?" he asked, as the boy came up. "Are you a spooney?"
"I don't know, sir," was the reply. "If trying to behave myself makes me a spooney, I suppose I am one."
"Don't you find it hard work?"
"Sometimes. They bother a fellow so. But I don't care for that. I'm bound to stick to it."
Johnny moved off, and so did Mr. Henry, but when the latter had made a few steps, he stopped and looked back. "Johnny," said he, "if you feel like walking around to-morrow, we'll talk the matter over."
Johnny did feel like "walking around," and he made his appearance at the store bright and early. It did not take long to arrange matters to his satisfaction, and he had now been in Mr. Henry's employ about two weeks, and he began to believe that he was in a fair way to redeem himself. Mr. Henry was of the same opinion. He had faith in Johnny's good resolutions, and he never had occasion to regret that he had taken him into the store.
Johnny's employer stood at his desk putting away his books and papers, while the clerk leaned on the counter and watched the vessel in the harbor. At last Mr. Henry closed and locked his safe, and, turning to Johnny, said:
"I shall leave you to-night with a big responsibility."
"How much is it, sir?" asked the clerk, who knew that the grocer had reference to the money in the safe.
"Seven thousand dollars," answered Mr. Henry. "The greater portion of it belongs to my brother, who has come down from Boston to take up a note that falls due to-morrow. If he fails to pay it, his creditors will have something to say to me, for I indorsed the note. There are also two thousand dollars of my own money in the safe, with which I intend to pay some bills in the morning. If I lose it I am ruined. I shouldn't wonder if you had visitors to-night," added the grocer, as he picked up his hat and cane; "so keep your eyes open."
"All right, sir," replied Johnny. "I'll defend that safe against an army of burglars."
Mr. Henry was jesting, and so was Johnny; not about the money, or the trouble its loss would occasion, but about the robbers. There was certainly that amount in the safe, and it was equally certain that it was needed for just the purposes that Mr. Henry had indicated, but he was not in earnest when he told his clerk to look out for visitors. No one ever dreamed of such a thing as a burglary in Newport. Johnny had never heard of one, except through the papers, but this night was to add a new chapter to his experience.
"Seven thousand dollars!" said he to himself, as he walked out of the store, and began putting up the shutters. "That's a nice little sum of money. I wonder if I shall ever own as much! I should say not, unless I get a big increase on my present salary. People don't live long enough nowadays to grow rich on four dollars and a half a week. Never mind, every dog has his day, and who knows but there is one coming for Jack Harding? What can I do for you this evening, gentlemen?"
This question was addressed to a couple of rough-looking men, who just then entered the store. Johnny tried to obtain a glimpse of their faces as he spoke to them, but he did not succeed, for their features were concealed by the collars of their pea-jackets, which were pulled up around their ears, and by their slouch hats, which were drawn down over their eyes.
"A couple of sailors, with the ague," soliloquized the clerk, snatching up his hat and fanning himself vigorously, when he thought how near sweltering he would be if he was bundled up like that.
The customers stood in the middle of the floor, looking about them with every expression of curiosity, like country fellows who had just come out of their native woods, while Johnny leaned one elbow on the counter and waited for them to make known their wants.
"Where's the boss?" inquired one of them at length.
"Do you mean Mr. Henry? He has gone home."
"Will he be back to-night?"
Johnny replied that he would not.
There was another long pause, during which the men gazed about the store, and appeared to be examining every article of merchandise in it, and finally one of them walked up to the counter, while his companion strolled toward the little office where Johnny slept. He first looked at the clerk, as if trying to recognize an old acquaintance in him, and asked: "Got any pipes?"
"Plenty of them, sir," was the prompt reply. "We have a fine assortment, that was just received from Boston this morning."
Johnny thought he had by this time become well enough posted in his business to tell, by the appearance of his customers, what quality of goods they wanted. He thought this man was a common sailor, and he put out for his inspection a box of cheap clay pipes. The man took his hands out of his pockets to examine the pipes, and Johnny saw that they were fair and white, looking very unlike the brown, toil-hardened hands of a sailor.
"He must be a captain," thought the clerk. "If he is, he wants something better than a clay pipe. Here are some genuine imported meerschaums, in the showcase, sir," said he.
The customer was a long time making up his mind which he wanted. He looked first at the clay pipes, then at the meerschaums, weighed several of the latter in his hand, and finally he pulled out his pocket-book. Then it took him some time longer to find a five cent piece; and when he had paid for one of the clay pipes he rested his hands on the counter, and looked up at the articles on the shelves, as if wondering if he did not want something else. Johnny waited patiently for him to come to some conclusion on this point, and, at the same time, kept close watch of the other customer, whose movements were somewhat singular. He first produced a pipe from the pocket of his pea-jacket, and, walking around the end of the counter to the match-box, prepared to indulge in a smoke. Johnny, out of the corner of his eye, saw that, while he was filling his pipe, his gaze wandered up the space behind the counter, until it rested on the safe, which he regarded long and earnestly. If Johnny could have read the thoughts that were passing through his mind, they might have caused him some uneasiness; but, believing that the man had found an object of curiosity in the strong box, he felt disposed to laugh at him.
"Where could he have passed all his life, anyhow?" thought the clerk. "He never saw a fire-proof safe before. What would he say, I wonder, if he could look at the combination lock inside, that can't be opened, even by a man who understands it, in less than ten minutes!"
After burning half a dozen matches, the customer got his pipe lighted to his satisfaction, and began walking about the store again. He glanced into the little office where Johnny slept, went to the front door and gazed up and down the street, thence to the side door, which he opened, and looked out into the passage-way that ran between the store and Mr. Newcombe's elevator, and finally he examined the shutters that Johnny had just put up. Having completed the rounds of the store, he began to whistle, whereupon the man at the counter picked up his pocket-book and followed his companion, who walked out on the wharf.
"Does any body suppose they ever saw a grocery-store before?" said Johnny, to himself, as he stood in the door and watched his customers until they disappeared in the darkness. "I've seen some green men in my time, but these carry off the palm. The one that bought the pipe is not a sailor, for, if he was, he would not have been so particular. He would have taken whatever was offered him, and paid double its value, if I had seen fit to demand it, and without a moment's hesitation. They are hard-looking fellows, anyhow."
Having thus expressed his opinion of his customers, Johnny struck up a cheerful whistle, and resumed the work of putting up the shutters. When this had been done, he locked the door, and put out all the lamps except one, which he carried into his bed-room, and sat down to read until he should become sleepy. The book was so interesting that Johnny forgot that he had worked hard all day and was very sleepy, and it was half-past ten o'clock before he knew it. Finding that his eye-lids were growing heavy, he went the rounds of the store once more, tried all the doors and windows, to make sure that he had fastened them securely, and then tumbled into bed. He always slept the sleep of the healthy, and, on this particular evening, he slept so soundly that he did not hear what was going on at the side door, which opened into the passage-way. About midnight, however, he awoke with a start, and with a presentment that there was something wrong. He was not mistaken, for when his eyes were fairly open, he found that his bed-room was flooded with light. He was not alone, either; there were two persons in his room who had no business there. One was standing in the door-way, holding a sledge-hammer and an iron punch in one hand, and a short piece of rope in the other; and the one who stood at the head of his bed carried something the clerk did not like the looks of—a revolver, the muzzle of which was pointed straight at his head. A single glance was enough to establish the identity of these unwelcome visitors. They were his customers of the previous evening.
"What are you doing in here?" exclaimed Johnny, starting up on his elbow. "Get out o' this!"
"Silence!" whispered the man with the revolver, seizing Johnny by the shoulder and placing the muzzle of the weapon against his forehead. "If you utter another word you are a dead man."
The bare thought of being awakened out of a sound sleep, to find a couple of burglars in one's bed-room, is enough to send a thrill through the strongest nerves; and Johnny, although he was far from being a coward, was thoroughly frightened. He knew, however, that he was in no danger of bodily harm as long as he obeyed the robbers' injunction and kept quiet. They were not there to injure him—they were after the seven thousand dollars in the safe; and Johnny was powerless to prevent them from taking it.
"Come in here and tie him, Ned," said the man with the revolver.
Ned, after depositing his hammer and punch on the floor, advanced into the room, and almost before Johnny could tell what had happened to him, he was lying on his face in the bed, with his arms fastened behind his back, his feet tied to the bed-post, and a towel bound tightly over his mouth.
"Now, then, my hearty, you're safe, and the best thing you can do is to keep perfectly still. We don't want to hurt you, but if you begin any fuss, we'll settle you in a hurry."
So saying, the robbers left him, and began their work in the store.
From the position in which he lay, the clerk could witness all their operations, and he could not help thinking that the burglars were very expert in their business. They moved quickly, but so noiselessly that Johnny, if he had not seen them, would not have known that they were there. They first pulled the counter from its place, and wheeled the safe into the middle of the store; after which one of them laid a coil of rope upon the floor, and by their united efforts, the safe was tipped over on its back and placed upon it. Their next move was to strip the blankets and quilts from Johnny's bed, and wrap them around the safe, leaving a small opening in them directly over the lock. Then one of the robbers picked up the punch, and held it close to the handle of the lock, and the other, with one swift blow of the sledge-hammer, drove its sharp point through the thin sheet of iron that formed the outside of the safe. Into the hole thus made they poured a quantity of powder, adjusted a slow match, which one of them touched off with the cigar he had been tranquilly smoking all the while, and then the robbers, hastily closing the slide of the dark lantern, retreated outside the building to await the result. The clerk was sure they had gone out, for he heard the side door open and close very carefully.
"They're going to blow the safe open," thought Johnny, as he lay and watched the slow match, flashing and sparkling as the fire approached the powder. "I hope it will make an awful noise. Where's Mr. Newcombe's night watchman, I wonder, that he didn't see these fellows come in here!"
A single flash of light illuminated the store for an instant, and then came the report. It was not near as loud as Johnny expected it would be, for it was deadened by the blankets and coil of rope; but it jarred the glassware behind the counter, and he hoped it might attract somebody's attention. For five minutes he lay listening and waiting, but the robbers did not return. Could they have been frightened from their work? If that was the case, Johnny wished that the person who had alarmed them would come in and release him, for his position was getting to be very uncomfortable. Five minutes more elapsed, and then he heard the side door open, and stealthy footsteps enter the store. The lantern blazed up again, and Johnny was astonished to see that the robbers had been reënforced. There were seven of them now.
"A thousand dollars apiece for the rascals," said he, to himself. "That's a good deal for one night's work. Mr. Henry little imagined, when he told me that I should have visitors before morning, that his words would come true!"
Johnny brought his soliloquy to a close very suddenly, raised his head as high as he could from the bed, and gazed earnestly at the robbers' companions. He was certain that he had seen them before. He winked his eyes hard, and looked again. There could be no mistake about it. The new-comers were Sam Barton and his band of outlaws. He had believed that the governor was at the bottom of the harbor, but there he was, as lively and full of mischief as ever. Johnny had never been more bewildered in his life.
The last time we saw the Crusoe men they were rowing up the harbor toward the place where the Sweepstakes lay at her anchorage. They expected to secure possession of her without any difficulty, and to take her down the harbor, through the shipping that lay at the wharves, without attracting attention. 'Squire Thompson never left a watch on board the schooner, and it was not likely that any body's suspicions would be aroused by so common an occurrence as a vessel passing out of the harbor at midnight. This part of the undertaking did not trouble the governor, but his heart beat a trifle faster than usual whenever he thought of the provisions.
The Crusoe men pulled up the harbor as though they had a perfect right to be there. They did not attempt to move quietly, for that alone would have been sufficient to excite the curiosity of the watch on some of the vessels at the wharves, who might feel themselves called upon to follow their movements, and that, to say the least, would be very inconvenient. The governor did not want to answer any questions, and he knew that the only way to avoid suspicion was to go about his work boldly. He kept the skiff headed up the harbor until he passed the Sweepstakes, which lay at her usual moorings. As he went by he examined the vessel closely, and was delighted to see that she was deserted.
"Fellers," said he, suddenly, "wouldn't we have been in a fix if 'Squire Thompson had taken it into his head this afternoon to go off on one of his fishing excursions? What would we have done? Luck is on our side, howsomever, an' we are all right. The schooner is our'n, an' 'Squire Thompson has put his eyes on her for the last time. Cap'n, you will take command, an' get the vessel down to the end of the pier as soon as possible. Don't try to be too still while you are gettin' under way, fur, if you do, the fellers who see us will know that we are doin' something we haint got no business to do."
As the governor said this he turned the skiff down the harbor again, and when they reached the schooner, Friday made the painter fast, and the Crusoe men clambered over the rail. Tom was once more captain of a vessel.
"Mr. Mate," said he, as soon as his feet touched the deck, "get under way immediately."
"Will Atkins," said Xury, "drop that skiff astern, an' the rest of us stand by to hist the canvas."
Tom was about to attempt something he had never had the courage to try before, and that was, to take a vessel down the harbor under sail. For a wonder, he had no misgivings. The wind, although strong, was fair, and as the captain thought it very probable that he might be called upon to navigate the schooner through some difficult places before their cruise was ended, he concluded that it was best to begin practicing at once. He lent a hand in hoisting the sails, and, when every thing was ready for the start, he sent Xury to the wheel, and slipped the chain himself. He did not like the idea of starting on a long voyage without an anchor, but it would have been a quarter of an hour's work to raise it, and Tom was anxious to leave the village with the least possible delay. As long as he remained there he was in danger.
The mate did not labor under as many disadvantages now as he did when he piloted the yacht down the harbor on that stormy night. He did not have the gale to contend with, and he could see where he was going. He took the schooner through the shipping without the least difficulty, and rounded to at the end of the pier. Tom superintended the execution of this maneuver himself, and, somewhat to his surprise, made an excellent landing. He brought the Sweepstakes alongside the pier so gently, that the concussion would not have broken an egg-shell. That was something worth boasting of, and Tom, encouraged at his success, began to believe that he was "cut out" expressly for a sea captain.
"Now comes the worst part of the business," said the governor, when Tom had got out a head-line and made the schooner fast to the pier. "What are you goin' to do while we are gone, cap'n?"
"I'll stay here and watch the vessel," replied Tom. "I told you I wouldn't have a hand in stealing the provisions."
"Somebody must do it," said the chief. "We can't go to sea without grub."
"But how are you going to get into the store?"
"Do you see this yere?" answered the governor, showing an auger he carried in his hand. "The door that opens into the alley that runs between the store an' your father's elevator is fastened with a hook. We'll bore two or three holes through the door, an' then I'll put in my hand an' lift up that hook. It's just as easy as fallin' off a log."
"Look out for my father's night watchman," said Tom. "He's always got his eyes open, and if he catches you prowling about that passage-way he'll bring our cruise to an end in a hurry."
The governor had thought of that watchman more than once, and he was afraid of him. He would have breathed a good deal easier had he known that there was no danger to be apprehended from him, and that two other obstacles had also been removed from his path. The watchman was at that moment lying behind the elevator, bound hand and foot; the door which led into the store from the passage-way had already been opened in precisely the same way that the governor intended to open it, and Johnny Harding was powerless to resist them, or to give the alarm. But the Crusoe men did not know this, and more than one of them would have been glad of some excuse for declining to assist in so hazardous an enterprise.
"Now, fellers," said the chief, "if there are any cowards in this yere band, I want to know it before we go any farther. If there are any among you who aint willin' to promise to stand by me to the last, let them step out on one side, so that I can have a look at 'em."
The governor paused, but none of the band moved.
"I am glad to see that you are all brave men," continued Sam. "If any one of you tries to shirk his duty when it comes to the pinch, we'll throw him over; he sha'n't go on this expedition. Now let's make a break, fur the quicker we get to work the sooner we'll get done. Friday, shoulder one of them handspikes an' stand by to use it on Johnny Harding if he makes a fuss."
"And, Friday," chimed in Tom, "if you do hit him, hit him hard. That boy has nearly bothered the life out of me."
The governor and his companions clambered over the rail and disappeared from the view of Tom Newcombe, who paced impatiently up and down the wharf, now and then stopping to survey his vessel, and wishing that he could look far enough into the future to see what part she was destined to play in the Crusoe drama. If they were pursued, was she fleet enough to carry them out of harm's way? Would she take them safely to their island, or would she be capsized and sunk before she got out of Buzzard's Bay? Tom did not bother his head much about these questions, for he knew that the little schooner was staunch and swift, and, as he began to have great confidence in his abilities as a navigator and seaman, he was sure that he could bring her safely out of any danger that might befall her. On the subject of destroying the Storm King, however, he debated long and earnestly. He began to see that there was danger in it. The students were alert and watchful, and if they caught him on board the vessel with matches and a bottle of coal-oil in his pocket, what would they do to him? Tom trembled a little as he asked himself this question, but he never once thought of giving up his "splendid idea." He only wished that the work was done, and that he was well out to sea with the Sweepstakes. Meanwhile, the governor and his men moved cautiously along the wharf toward Mr. Henry's store. They walked around the elevator without seeing any signs of the watchman, and were about to enter the passage when Sam, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.
"What was that noise?" he asked, turning to his companions. "Didn't you hear something drop in the store?"
"I heard it thunder," replied Jack Spaniard.
"So did I," said Xury.
"That wasn't thunder," returned the chief. "It was some other kind of
noise; an' I am sure it was in the store. Mebbe Harding is movin' around in there. You stay here, an' I'll go to the door an' listen."
The Crusoe men concealed themselves behind the elevator, and the governor moved up the passage-way, holding in his hand a bag which he had brought to carry away his share of the provisions, and which he also intended to use in conquering Johnny Harding, if the opportunity presented itself. If the clerk was awake, and should happen to come to the door, he would throw the bag over his head, and hold him fast until his men could come to his assistance. He approached the door very cautiously, and when he reached it, he stopped and looked at it in astonishment. A hole had been cut in it over the lock, and the door was ajar. Sam thought he must be dreaming. He looked around him to make sure that no one was observing his movements, and then placed his hand against the door, which yielded to his touch.
"Well, now, if this yere don't beat all the world," said the governor to himself. "Is there another Crusoe band in the village, I wonder?"
"Look here, partner," whispered a voice close at his elbow, "this is our job. You're about a quarter of an hour too late."
Sam turned and saw a man, who was muffed up to the eyes, standing beside him. His heart fairly came up into his mouth. He was as frightened as a boy could be, and he would have yelled and taken to his heels, but he seemed to have lost all control over himself. He stood like one petrified. To save his life he could not utter a sound, neither could he move hand or foot. He was caught, he could see that plainly; and now would come the punishment.
"How do you happen to know any thing about it?" whispered the man.
"About what?" Sam almost gasped, recovering the use of his tongue after a desperate effort.
"About the money," was the reply. "We followed him all the way from Boston."
"Follered who?"
"Why, Mr. Henry; the brother of the man who owns this store. He had five thousand dollars with him. We have done all the work, but, since you are here, I suppose we must divide with you."
"Divide what?" asked the governor, utterly unable to understand what the man was trying to get at, and astonished that he did not put a pair of hand-cuffs upon him at once.
"O, divide what!" repeated the burglar, impatiently. "Why, the money, of course—the five thousand dollars. What else did you come here for?"
"Me! I come here for grub, me an' my men. We don't know nothin' about no five thousand dollars."
At this moment the other robber came up, and the first words he spoke indicated that he was not at all pleased to see Sam. "We always have hard luck," said he. "This is the third time we've had to divide with fellows who didn't help us do the work. How many are there in your crowd?"
"Six," replied the governor. He had by this time partially recovered his wits, and began to understand the matter. There was money in the safe, these men had come after it, and, believing him to be a robber like themselves, they were grumbling because they were afraid they would be obliged to share the spoils with him. Sam did not want the money, but he did want provisions; and he was convinced, now, that the burglars would not stand in his way. "There are five of us here, an' one more down to the boat," added the chief.
"But he says he don't know any thing about the money," observed the robber, who had first spoken to Sam. "He is here after something to eat. What are you going to do when you get your provisions?"
"We're going to sea."
"Are you? Have you got a vessel?"
"Sartinly, we have. How could we go to sea without a vessel?"
"That's lucky. Now I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll give you a thousand dollars, if you will take us with you."
The governor caught his breath as if some one had suddenly dashed a bucket of ice-water over him. A thousand dollars! Wasn't he in luck for once in his life? What a multitude of comforts and luxuries that would buy for the Crusoe band! They could stop at some town during their cruise, and purchase every thing they needed to complete their outfit. "But, perhaps, you don't want to go where we are going," said Sam.
"We don't care where you are bound. So long as you are going to sea, that's enough for us. We want to get as far away from this place as possible. What do you say? We're in a hurry."
"I say it is a bargain," replied the governor.
"All right. We'll go in now and get our money, and you can help yourselves to the provisions. Where are your partners? Let's have a look at them."
Sam, almost beside himself with joy at this unexpected freak of fortune, hurried off to find his companions. In a few excited words he explained to them what had happened, and so astonished and bewildered were the Crusoe men, that for a moment they had nothing to say. They had never heard of such a thing before, and some of them were afraid to trust the robbers.
"Mebbe they're just foolin' us," said Jack Spaniard; "an' when they get us into the store, they'll arrest the whole kit an' bilin' of us."
"Arrest us!" sneered Sam. "They aint constables, I tell you; they're burglars. Didn't they cut that hole through the door, an' don't they say that they're after the money that's in the safe? We don't want to lose the chance of makin' a thousand dollars if we can help it. Just think of the grub an' things it will buy!"
The governor had considerable difficulty in convincing his men that it was "all right," but he did succeed at last, and induced them to follow him to the door where he had left the robbers. The latter peered into their faces as they came up, and, after satisfying themselves that the coast was clear, led the way into the store. When the lantern was turned up, Sam and his men looked at the burglars, and the burglars looked at them. The result of the examination appeared to be satisfactory on both sides, for the robbers resumed their work on the safe, while the Crusoe men, now feeling perfectly at their ease, gazed about the store. They looked at the shattered safe, at Johnny Harding, who lay a prisoner on his bed, and watched with greedy eyes the packages of greenbacks which the burglars took from the strong box, and stowed away in a valise.
"Where's our thousand dollars?" asked the governor, at length. "If you want to go to sea with us, you had better pay us in advance."
"Now, don't you be in a hurry," was the gruff reply. "When you have taken us safely out of sight of Newport, you shall have your money, and not before. You'd better get to work, there. We've wasted time enough already."
This aroused the Crusoe men, and they began to bestir themselves. They appropriated to their own use a pile of bags which Xury found behind the counter, and, by the time the robbers had finished overhauling the contents of the safe, they had collected a large supply of provisions, consisting of hams, crackers, codfish, cheese, coffee, and sugar. Johnny watched all their movements, and before he had quite made up his mind whether the scene transpiring before him was a dream or a reality, the robbers had finished their work and gone out, leaving the store in total darkness.
The Crusoe men, congratulating themselves on their good fortune, and staggering under their heavy loads of provisions, hurried back to the schooner, and their appearance relieved the anxiety Tom had begun to feel at their prolonged absence. He listened in amazement to the governor's description of the events that had transpired at the store, and looked at the robbers with curiosity. He could not help telling himself that he had seen the time that he would have been horrified at the thought of having such outlaws for shipmates, but now he did not feel the least tremor, and he regarded the fact as evidence that he was getting to be a very brave sort of fellow.
"Now, then," said the chief, when the provisions had been stowed away in the hold. "I s'pose you gentlemen don't care to stay in the village any longer than you can help, do you? Well, there's a yawl at the end of the pier, an' you can get into it an' pull out into the bay. Hold straight across fur the head of the island, an' before you get there we'll overtake you. We've got a little more business to do before we say good-by to Newport."
The robbers thought it best to follow Sam's advice. They clambered down into the yawl, and the Crusoe men took their seats in the skiff, and were about to shove off from the pier, when Tom, upon putting his hand into his pocket to assure himself that his incendiary materials were safe, found, to his dismay, that he had forgotten something.
"O, now, hold on, governor," he drawled. "How am I going to set fire to that yacht without any matches, I'd like to know!"
"You're a purty feller, aint you?" exclaimed Atkins, who had all along shown a distaste for the dangers that attended their preparations for the cruise. "We'll have to give up burnin' the sloop now, an' I am glad of it. There aint no kind o' sense in it, no how. It's runnin' a big risk fur nothing."
"O, now, I want you to quit calling me a pretty fellow," whined Tom, who, if he had possessed the courage, would have been glad to fight somebody. "I won't give up my splendid idea. There's just as much sense in it as there is in stealing provisions. I am provoked at myself for forgetting those matches. Haven't you got some, governor?"
"Nary match," replied Sam. "But I'll tell you what you can do, cap'n. You can run up to the store an' get some. You'll find plenty there, an' Harding can't hinder you from takin' as many as you want."
"But it is dark, isn't it? How can I find the matches without a light?"
"Them bugglars left their lantern on the counter. Just turn the slide, an' you'll have light enough. Hurry up, now, an' we'll wait here fur you."
Tom, whose thoughts were so completely wrapped up in his grand project that he did not stop to consider that it might prove to be a very disagreeable piece of business to go groping about the store in the dark, sprang out of the skiff and ran up the wharf. "I'll see Johnny Harding," said he to himself. "The governor said that those burglars left him tied and gagged, and so I can do what I please with him. Perhaps I'll give him a punch or two, just to show him that I have not forgotten how badly he has treated me since I had that yacht built. I told him that I would get even with him some day."
Tom involuntarily increased his pace when he thought how pleasant a sight it would be to his eyes to see his tormentor bound hand and foot, and powerless to reply to his taunts, or to resist him if he concluded to punish him for what he had done, and when he reached the store he pushed the door open and entered without hesitation. He came to a stand-still, however, before he had fairly crossed the threshold, and his heart seemed to stop beating when his ear caught the sound of a light foot-step. Tom was almost on the point of turning and running for his life, but the remembrance of his "splendid idea," which he was on the very eve of carrying into execution, restrained him. He listened, but the sound was not repeated, and, calling all his courage to his aid, he walked boldly across the store. As he passed his hands over the
counter they came in contact with the lantern, which blazed up when he opened the slide. He turned the bull's eye toward every corner of the store, almost expecting to see somebody advancing upon him, and he drew a long breath of relief when he found that he was alone. Having satisfied himself on this point, he glanced at the safe, emptied the contents of the match box into his pocket, and then started toward the office to look at Johnny Harding. As he approached the door, he was surprised to see that the bed was empty. There lay the rope with which Johnny had been confined, and the towel that had been used as a gag, but Johnny himself was nowhere to be seen.
"This is very strange," thought Tom. "I understood the governor to say that he was tied, hand and foot, to his bed."
Tom advanced one more step, which brought him just inside the door of the office. He regretted, an instant afterward, that he had taken that step, for, as he stood bending forward, holding the lantern aloft, and looking toward the bed to assure himself that Johnny was really not there, a pair of strong arms were suddenly thrown around his neck, his heels flew up, and Tom found himself prostrate on the floor.
Although Johnny Harding stood as much in fear of bodily harm as any body, he determined, in spite of the robbers' threats, that he would not remain a passive prisoner. Even while the burglar was tying him, and his companion was holding the revolver to his head, the clerk's brain was busy with thoughts of escape. He was not foolish enough to imagine that he could cope with two grown men, even under the most favorable circumstances, but he hoped that he might find means to free himself, so that, as soon as the robbers left the store, he could procure assistance, and begin the pursuit without loss of time. When the burglars retreated outside the building to await the explosion, Johnny struggled desperately with his bonds; and if his visitors had thought to look at him when they returned, they would have discovered that one of his hands was free. When they took their final departure, Johnny removed the towel with his liberated hand, and, after ten minutes' hard work, he arose from the bed and began pulling on his clothes with all possible haste.
"Those fellows won't get very far away with that money; not if this clerk knows himself, and he thinks he does," said Johnny to himself. "I'll raise the town in two minutes. And there's the governor again, as big as life and as ugly as ever. How did he get back? He is going to receive a thousand dollars for taking those villains out to sea, is he? Not much! I'll have something to say about that."
Johnny had by this time got into his trowsers and boots; and catching up his hat, he ran out of the office just as the side door opened, admitting Tom Newcombe. Believing that the burglars had returned, the clerk beat a hasty retreat, and it was the sound of his footsteps that had alarmed Tom.
Johnny concealed himself behind the door of the office, and awaited the issue of events with fear and trembling. If the burglar discovered that he had succeeded in liberating himself, he would, of course, bind him again; and this time he would do his work so thoroughly that Johnny would remain a prisoner until he was released. That would be about seven o'clock in the morning, for that was the hour at which Mr. Henry generally made his appearance—and by that time the burglars would be miles away with their booty.
Johnny knew when Tom turned up the light, and emptied the match-box; and when he heard him approaching the office, his excitement and alarm increased. When Tom stepped inside the door, a desperate plan for escape suddenly suggested itself to him. He would rush out of his concealment, throw the intruder down, and get out of the store before he could recover his feet. He was by no means certain that he could do this, but it was his only chance, and it was no sooner conceived than it was carried into execution. The captain of the Crusoe band was prostrated with the greatest ease, and Johnny, who had fallen to the floor with him, would have jumped up and taken to his heels without knowing who his visitor was, if Tom had only kept quiet. But the latter, astonished at the suddenness of the attack, and recognizing his assailant, thought it was all over with him, and drawled out:
"O, now, what are you doing, Harding?"
"Tom Newcombe!" exclaimed the clerk, in great amazement.
"O, now, yes, it's I!" whined Tom.
"Well, I declare!" said Johnny, catching up the rope with which he had been confined a few minutes before, "wonders will never cease. I thought you were at the North Pole by this time; but, if I had taken a second thought, I would have known that you were in some way mixed up in this business. How much of that money will fall to your share?"
"O, now, what are you doing, I say?" roared Tom; for Johnny, while he was speaking, had crossed the captain's hands behind his back, and was passing the rope around them. "Let me up!"
"I can't see it, Tom," was the reply. "You are a dangerous fellow, and I think it is my duty to secure you. I believe this night's work is the result of your having an idea."
The captain of the Crusoe band did not waste any more breath in words. He saw that the tables were likely to be turned on him, and that the boy he had come there to abuse and maltreat, was in a fair way to put it out of his power to carry his splendid scheme into execution. He must escape from him, or the expedition would fall through; and, more than that, he must make a prisoner of the clerk, or he would give the alarm. Johnny thought that Tom, although he had thus far kept himself in the back ground, was the cause of all the troubles that had befallen him that night—that he was the projector and manager of the robbery. It was undoubtedly another of his grand ideas. Tom's past history warranted such a supposition. He had planned many a plundering expedition against orchards and melon patches; he had twice assisted in stealing a vessel; he was one of the acknowledged leaders of an organization of rogues; he had been growing worse and worse every day, for the last year of his life, and it was reasonable to suppose that he had, by this time, become bad enough to conceive of a burglary to replenish the treasury of the Crusoe band. Johnny determined to capture him, and learn all about the proposed movements of the robbers. He had made up his mind that the money must be recovered; and every item of information would be of value to him.
This was the second fight Tom had that night, and it was a lively one. During its progress, he gained a good idea of Johnny's power of muscle, and Johnny thought Tom was a remarkably strong and active boy to be the coward he was. Long wind, and the consciousness of being in the right, brought the clerk off with flying colors; and, after a five minutes' struggle, the captain of the Crusoe band lay helpless on the bed, and Johnny, with his hands in his pockets, stood looking at him. Tom was almost beside himself with rage and alarm, but the victor was as cool as a cucumber.
"Tom," said he, as soon as he had recovered his breath, "did it never occur to you that you are getting low down in the world? What will your father say when he hears that you are running around with a lot of burglars? By gracious, old fellow, you're done for—you're gone up! Where's that money?"
"O, now, it's half way to the island," whined Tom. "You'll let me go, won't you, Johnny? I'll never do it again."
"Who's got the money?" demanded the clerk.
"Those two robbers. They got into a yawl and started off. The governor told them to wait for us at the head of the island. Say, Johnny, are you going to release me?"
"Where did you leave the governor and his crew?"
"In a skiff, at the end of the pier. Let me go, Johnny, won't you? I'll never do it again, as long as I live."
"How were you going to sea?"
"In the Sweepstakes. We captured her, and she is ready and waiting now. Say, Johnny, why don't you answer my question?"
"Where have you been during the last two weeks?"
"On Block Island. We've got a harboring place there, near the shoals. O, now, Johnny, come back here and release me."
But the clerk was gone before the words were fairly out of Tom's mouth. He had heard enough to satisfy him, and he believed that prompt action on his part was all that was needed to insure the capture of the robbers.
"I'll run down to the vessels, in front of the elevator, and alarm the watch," soliloquized the clerk. "I'll ask one of the captains to send a boat's crew after the governor and his crowd, and then I'll raise men enough to handle the Sweepstakes. I'll start for the island in her, and the robbers, thinking it's all right, will come on board, and the first thing they know they'll be prisoners, and I'll have possession of the seven thousand dollars. That's the way to work it."
Fully occupied with such thoughts as these, Johnny pulled open the door and sprang out into the passage-way, where he came in violent contact with somebody. It was the governor, who, impatient at Tom's delay, had come up to see what was the matter with him.
"Hello, here, cap'n!" he growled. "Haint you got eyes that you can't see nothing? If you're all ready now, let's be off."
The clerk, recognizing the voice, turned instantly and ran into the store, banging the door after him. He might have escaped by going out at the other end of the passage; but his first thought was of his prisoner. If he left the store, the governor would, of course, go in and release Tom; and that was something Johnny did not intend he should do. "A bird in the hand is worth a dozen in the bush," thought he. "It is my business to look out for Tom, now that I have got him. The other robbers can be attended to at any time."
Sam Barton was utterly confounded. He stood for a moment gazing stupidly at the door, and then turned toward his men, who had followed close at his heels, as if expecting some of them to suggest a way out of this new trouble.
"What's the row now, governor?" whispered Xury "What's the cap'n gone back fur?"
"That wasn't the cap'n," replied Sam. "It was Harding; an' I'll bet a million dollars that he's got Tommy a prisoner in there."
"I just know he has," snarled Will Atkins. "That's the kind of luck we're havin' to-night. Let's go away an' leave him. We can't do any thing fur him."
"We can, too," replied the chief, angrily. "Now, Atkins, I don't want to hear any more out of you about desertin' a comrade in distress, fur I haint forgot that you are a mutineer. You're always growlin', an' I'm gettin' teetotally tired of listenin' to it. If you had any sense at all, you would know that we must get into this store fur two reasons. We're bound to capture Harding ag'in, fur, if we don't, he'll come out the minute we are gone, an' raise a yell; an' we'll have the whole town after us in no time. An' we must get the cap'n out of there, 'cause we can't get along without him. Is there any body else in the band who knows enough to take command of the vessel? Do you, Atkins?"
"Of course not. I never was to sea in my life."
"Well, then, what are you grumblin' about? None of us haint been to sea, except Tommy. He's been miles an' miles out of sight of land; he is the only one among us who understands the winds an' currents, an' we must release him, or give up the expedition."
As the governor said this he tried the door, but found it fastened. He stooped down and looked through the hole the burglars had cut over the lock, and by the light of the lantern, which was standing on the table in the office, he could see Johnny with an uplifted poker, ready to strike the first hand that was put in to raise the hasp. The chief explained the state of affairs to his men, adding, that they must determine upon some plan to attack Johnny in the rear, or to get him away from the door long enough for them to open it.
"Hold on a minute, governor!" exclaimed Xury, suddenly; "I'll fix that. Lend a hand here, Friday."
The mate ran off, followed by Friday, and in a few minutes they returned, bringing a ladder which they had found behind the elevator, and which they began to raise against the side of the store.
"Do you see that winder up there?" asked Xury. "Well, give me one man an' we will go in there, an' come down the stairs. If Harding pitches into us, you can open the door an' come in; an' if he stands by to defend the door, me an' my man will soon fix him."
"That's a good idea," said the chief. "Friday, you go with Xury. Jack Spaniard, run down to the skiff an' bring up the oars. Harding has got an iron poker, you know, an' you will need something to make you even with him. But mebbe the winder is fastened, Xury."
"I know it is, 'cause I've looked at it a hundred times before to-night. It is fastened with a stick; but the glass is broke, an' I can soon throw the stick down."
The two Crusoe men mounted the ladder, and by the time the window was raised Jack Spaniard returned with the oars, which Sam passed up to the mate, saying:
"Don't be no ways backward about usin' 'em if you get a chance. Punch him hard, fur he is a spunky feller."
Xury and his companion disappeared, and the governor waited impatiently for them to begin the attack. All these movements had been accomplished so quietly that Johnny, wholly intent upon watching the door, had no suspicions of what was going on until he heard the Crusoe men coming down the stairs behind him. Before he could think of flight they rushed upon him, and, although he resisted manfully, he was speedily brought to terms by a savage thrust in the ribs from Friday's oar, which made him double up like a jackknife; and, at the same moment, the governor and the rest of his men entered through the side door. In less time than it takes to tell it, Tom and Johnny changed places, and the former, boiling over with rage, would have been mean enough to revenge himself upon the helpless clerk if he had not been restrained by the chief.
"Hold on, cap'n," cried Sam, catching Tom's hand as it was about to descend, with savage force, upon the prisoner's face; "it aint fair to strike a man when he's down, an' we haint got no time to waste in nonsense, neither. Now, Harding, I reckon you'll stay there fur awhile. Come on, fellers."
The Crusoe men hurried back to their skiff, and in a few minutes more were pulling up the harbor as if nothing had happened. Friday sat in the bow with his boat-hook; Will Atkins and Jack Spaniard handled the oars; Sam managed the helm; and Tom thought over the events of the night, and enjoyed his anticipated triumph over the students. None of the band had any thing to say about his adventure with Johnny Harding; in fact, they soon forgot it, and thought only of the dangers attending the work they had yet to perform. The governor glanced at Tom's face a good many times while they were moving up the harbor, and was surprised that he did not discover some signs of fear. But that sentiment had no place in Tom's mind just then. He grew bolder and more reckless the nearer they approached to the Storm King. He did not even tremble; his nerves were as firm as a rock, and his determination to attempt the destruction of the yacht was stronger than it had ever been before.
"Didn't I tell Harry Green, when he had me locked up in that state-room, that if he did not release me at once I would square yards with him some day?" said Tom to himself. "I suppose he thinks I have forgotten all about it, but I'll show him that I never forget. The sight of that yacht in flames will amply repay me for all the misery she has caused me."
In ten minutes after leaving the pier the Crusoe men had arrived within sight of the Storm King. The governor raised his hand, and Atkins and Jack Spaniard became more cautious in their movements. They handled the oars so carefully, and sent the skiff along so quietly, that not a ripple was heard in the water. Nearer and nearer the pirate crew approached the devoted vessel, holding themselves in readiness to seek safety in instant flight, should occasion require it, and presently Friday fastened into the fore-chains with his boat-hook, and Tom drew himself up and looked over the rail. He heard a few words of the story
which one of the anchor-watch was relating to his companion, and could just discern the forms of the quartermaster and officer on watch, who paced the deck in blissful ignorance of the danger that menaced their vessel. Tom drew his breath more rapidly than usual, as he crawled noiselessly over the rail and across the deck, and when he crouched at the head of the ladder and listened to that conversation between the anchor-watch, which we have already recorded, his heart thumped against his ribs with a noise that frightened him. But, fortunately for the captain of the Crusoe band, the students believed him to be miles away at that moment, and, thinking that the noise that had attracted his attention was only imaginary, the young tar resumed his story, his companion settled into a comfortable position to listen, and Tom slipped down into the galley.
He was now in a dangerous situation. The ladder ran down between the galley and the forecastle, where slept half a dozen students, and if one of them should chance to awake while he was there his capture was certain. Tom thought of this, but if there had been no one within a hundred miles of him, he could not have gone about his work with more deliberation. He first looked for the kindling, which he had told Sam he should find under the stove. It was there, and the wood-box was filled also. He moved the wood-box under the shelves that supported the dishes, piled the kindling-wood around it, and then, pulling out his bottle, threw the coal-oil upon it and upon the shelves and bulkhead. It was but the work of a moment more to light a match and apply it to the kindling, and in an instant the wood was in a blaze.
"I think these fellows will find out what sort of a boy I am now," chuckled the captain of the Crusoe band, as he made his way up the ladder. "This is the grandest idea I ever had, and I have carried it out, too. There'll be nothing left of the Storm King in fifteen minutes."
"Hallo! Boat—ship—I mean, man ahoy!" came the hail, breaking in upon his reverie, and scattering all his courage to the winds in an instant.
It was well for Tom that he was close to the rail, for, had he been discovered a few seconds sooner, his retreat would have been cut off, and he would have fallen into the hands of the students, who, in their rage, might have treated him very roughly. Hearing the footsteps of the watch close behind him, he threw himself headlong over the rail and landed on his hands and knees in the skiff, which, in a moment more, was flying down the harbor with the speed of the wind. He heard the anchor-watch pronounce his name. He knew when the officer of the deck came forward, and he would have been willing to give any thing he possessed could he have been in a position to see the lieutenant's face and hear what he had to say about it. He knew when the order was given to lower the jolly-boat, and distinctly heard the rattle calling the crew to quarters. On the whole, he was well satisfied with what he had done. He had caused a great commotion among the students and thoroughly alarmed them, even if the fire he had kindled in the galley failed to destroy the yacht.
"You had better hurry up, governor," said Tom, with a calmness that astonished his companions. "That jolly-boat will be after us almost immediately."
"Give way, strong," commanded the chief. "Cap'n, there's my hand. I have put you down fur a coward more 'n once since I made your acquaintance, but I confess that I didn't know any thing about you."
Tom accepted the governor's hand, and proudly listened to the congratulations of the Crusoe men. He laughed when he thought how nicely and easily he had accomplished his work, snapped his fingers in the air, and acted altogether like one demented. He listened for the sounds of pursuit, and presently heard the measured dip of oars behind.
"The jolly-boat is coming, Sam," said he. "And there goes the fire-alarm," he added, as the yacht's bell began tolling rapidly. "They can't save her, for there's too much coal-oil in the galley. Now, men, listen to me. When we reach the vessel Xury will go to the wheel; Jack Spaniard will make the skiff fast to the stern; Friday will cast off the line; and Atkins and the governor will shove off. Be lively, now, for the sooner we get out of Newport the better it will be for us."