CHAPTER IV
A MIDNIGHT SEARCH
That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm. Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily. Then all three of the boys went to bed.
About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun. This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
"What's that?" questioned Dick, as he hopped out of bed.
"That's Jack Ness' gun," answered Tom. "Something must be wrong at the barn."
"Chicken thieves again—I'll bet a new hat," said Sam.
By this time Randolph Rover and his wife were up and were lighting a lamp. Without waiting for them, the boys slipped on some clothing and their shoes and ran downstairs. Dick took with him a pistol and each of the others a baseball bat.
"Boys! boys! be careful!" shouted their uncle after them.
"All right," returned Dick, readily.
He was the first outside, but Sam and Tom were close upon his heels. He heard Jack Ness running to the edge of a cornfield, shouting lustily. Then came another report of the shotgun.
"What is it, Jack?" shouted Dick. "Who are you shooting at?"
"I'm after two men," was the hired man's reply. "They jest run into the cornfield."
"Chicken thieves?" queried Tom.
"I guess so—anyway they was prowlin' around the hen house an' the barn. I called an' asked 'em what they wanted and they ran for dear life—so I knew they was up to no good."
"They certainly must have been chicken thieves, or worse," was Sam's comment. "Really, this is getting to be too much," he added. "We ought to catch them and have them locked up."
"I'm willing to go after them," answered Tom, readily.
"Did you get a good look at the rascals?" asked Dick.
"Not very good," answered Jack Ness.
"They weren't boys, were they?"
"No—they were men—both tall and heavy fellows."
"Did you ever see them before?" asked Tom.
"Not that I can remember."
While they were talking the party of four had run down to the edge of the cornfield. This spot was really a peach orchard, but the trees were still so small that the ground was being utilized that season for corn, planted in rows between the trees. The corn was not yet full grown, but it was high enough to conceal a man lying flat or crouching down.
The sky was filled with stars and the old moon was beginning to show over the hills beyond the valley, so it was fairly light across the field. The boys kept their eyes on the corn and the peach trees, but failed to discover any persons moving among them.
"My shotgun is empty—maybe I had better go back and load up," said the hired man.
"Yes, do it, but hurry up," answered Dick. "I'll stay here on guard with the pistol."
The hired man ran off toward the barn. Hardly had he disappeared when Sam gave a short cry and pointed into the field with his hand.
"I saw somebody raise up just now and look around," he said. "He is out of sight now."
"Where?" came from Dick and Tom quickly.
"Over yonder—by the twisted peach tree."
"I'll investigate," said Dick. "You can come along if you want to. Keep your eyes open for both men. We don't want either to get away if we can help it."
The three lads spread out in something of a semi-circle and advanced slowly into the field, keeping their eyes and ears on the alert for anything out of the ordinary. Thus they covered fifty yards, when Tom found himself near one of the largest of the peach trees. As he passed this a form arose quickly from under a bough, caught him by the waist and threw him forcibly to the ground.
"Hi!" yelled Tom. "Let up!" And then he made a clutch for his assailant, catching him by the foot. But the man broke away and went crashing through the corn, calling on "Shelley" to follow him.
The yell from Tom attracted the attention of Dick and Sam, and they turned to learn what had happened to their brother. As they did this a second man leaped up from the corn in front of them and started to run in the direction of the river.
"Stop!" called out Dick. "Stop, or I'll fire on you!" And then he discharged his pistol into the air as a warning. The man promptly dodged behind a row of peach trees, but kept on running as hard as ever.
The Rover boys were now thoroughly aroused, and all three started in pursuit of the two men. They saw the fellows leave the field and hurry down a lane leading to Swift River.
"I believe they are going to the river. Maybe they have a boat," said Tom.
"I shouldn't wonder," answered Dick.
"I wish they would take to a boat," said Sam. "We could follow them easily—in Dan Bailey's boat."
"Hi, where are you?" came a shout from behind, and they saw Jack Ness returning. "Your uncle and aunt want you to be careful—they are afraid those villains will shoot you."
"We'll be careful," answered Tom. "But we are going to capture them if it can be done," he added, sturdily.
The hired man had reloaded the shotgun and also brought some additional ammunition with him. He was nervous and the boys could readily see that he did not relish continuing the pursuit.
"We can't do nothin' in the dark," he grumbled. "Let us wait till morning."
"No, I am going after them now," answered Dick, decidedly.
"So am I," added Sam and Tom.
They were going forward as rapidly as the semi-darkness would permit. The ground was more or less uncertain, and once the youngest Rover went into a mud hole, splashing the mud up into Jack Ness' face.
"Hi, stop that!" spluttered the hired man. "Want to put my eye out?"
"Excuse me, Jack, I didn't see the hole," answered Sam.
"It ain't safe to walk here in the dark—somebody might break a leg."
"If you want to go back you can do so," put in Dick. "Give Tom the shotgun."
"Oh—er—I'm goin' if you be," answered Jack Ness. He was ashamed to let them know how much of a coward he really was.
It was quite a distance to Swift River, which at this point ran among a number of stately willows. As the boys gained the water's edge they saw a boat putting out not a hundred feet away.
"There they are!" cried Dick.
"Stop!" yelled Tom. "Stop, unless you want to be shot!"
"We'll do a little shooting ourselves if you are not careful!" came back in a harsh voice.
"Take care! Take care!" cried Jack Ness, in terror, and ran to hide behind a handy tree.
The two men in the boat were putting down the stream with all speed. The current, always strong, soon carried them around a bend and out of sight.
It must be confessed that the boys were in a quandary. They did not wish to give up the chase, yet they realized that the escaping men might be desperate characters and ready to put up a hard fight if cornered.
"Jack, I think you had better run over to the Ditwold house and tell them what is up," said Dick, after a moment's thought. "Tell Ike and Joe we are going to follow in Dan Bailey's boat." The Ditwolds were neighboring farmers and Ike and Joe were strong young men ever ready to lend a hand in time of trouble.
"All right," answered the hired man, and set off, first, however, turning his firearm over to Tom.
The three Rover boys were well acquainted with the river, and had had more than one adventure on its swiftly-flowing waters, as my old readers know. They skirted a number of the willows and came to a small creek, where they found Dan Bailey's craft tied to a stake. But there were no oars, and they gazed at one another in dismay.
"We might have known it," said Dick, in disgust. "He always takes the oars up to the barn with him."
The barn was a good distance off and none of the boys relished running that far for oars. More than this, they felt that by the time the oars were brought the other craft would be out of sight and hearing, and thus the trail of the midnight prowlers would be lost.
"Here is a bit of board," said Sam, searching around. "Let us use that for a paddle. The current will carry us almost as swiftly as if we were rowing. The main thing will be to keep out of the way of the rocks."
"I wish those chaps would run on the rocks and smash their boat to bits," grumbled Tom, who had gotten a stone in his loose shoe and was consequently limping.
The boys shoved the rowboat from the creek to the river and leaped in. Dick, being the largest and strongest, took the board and using it as a sweep, sent the craft well out where the current could catch it. Down the stream went the boat, with Sam in the middle and Tom in the stern. There was no rudder, so they had to depend entirely upon Dick, who stood up near the bow, peering ahead for rocks, of which the river boasted a great number.
"Those fellows must know this river," remarked Sam, as he started to lace his shoes, there being nothing else just then to do.
"They ought to—if they are the fellows who visited our henhouse before," answered Tom. "Dick, can you see them?"
"No, but I know they must be ahead."
"Perhaps they went ashore—just to fool us."
"They couldn't get ashore here very well—it is too rocky, you know that as well as I do. Listen!"
They listened, but the only sound that broke the stillness was the distant roar of Humpback Falls, where Sam had once had such a thrilling adventure, as related in "The Rover Boys at School." Even now, so long afterward, it made the youngest Rover shiver to think of that happening.
A minute later the boat came clear of the tree shadows and the boys saw a long stretch ahead of them, shimmering like silver in the moonbeams. Sam, looking in the direction of the opposite shore, made out a rowboat moving thither.
"There they are!" he cried.
At once Dick essayed to turn their own craft in that direction. But with only a bit of a board for a paddle, and with the current tearing along wildly, this was not easy. The rowboat was turned partly, but then scraped some rocks, and they were in dire peril of upsetting.
"I see where they are going!" cried Tom. "To the old Henderson mill."
"We'll have to land below that point," said his oldest brother. "If I try to get in there with only this board I'll hit the rocks sure."
"They are taking chances, even with oars," was Sam's comment. "See, they have struck some rocks!"
He was right, and the Rovers saw the boat ahead spin around and the two men leap to their feet in alarm. But then the craft steadied itself, and a moment later shot into the shadows of the trees beside the old flour mill.
It was not until five minutes later that Dick was able to guide their own rowboat to the shore upon which the mill was located. They hit several rocks, but at last came in where there was a sandy stretch. All leaped out, and the craft was hauled up to a point out of the current's reach.
"Now to get back to the mill as soon as possible, and corner those fellows if we can," said Tom, and without delay the three Rover boys started through the woods in the direction of the spot where the two men had landed.
CHAPTER V
AT THE OLD MILL
The Henderson mill was now largely so only in name. So far back as the Rover boys could remember, it had been a tenantless structure going slowly to decay. The water wheel was gone, and so were the grinding stones, and the roof and sides were full of holes. Henderson, the owner, had years ago fallen heir to a fortune, and had moved away, leaving the building at the mercy of the tramps who frequently stopped there.
It was no easy matter to climb around or over the rocks which lay between the boys and the old mill, and the darkness under the thick trees was intense. They felt their way along slowly, and Tom was careful to carry the shotgun with the barrel pointed downward, that there might be no accident.
"More than likely those fellows have been putting up at the old mill," said Dick.
"They'll leave now—if they think we are coming," answered Sam.
"Let us keep quiet," put in Tom. "If they hear us talking they will surely skip out."
After that but little was said. Foot by foot they drew closer to the dilapidated structure, until it loomed up dimly before them. Then Dick motioned for the others to halt.
With bated breath the boys listened. At first they heard little but the rushing of the water over the rocks. Then came a sudden cracking of a rotten floor board, followed by an exclamation.
"Confound the luck! I've put my foot through the floor again," growled a man's voice. "Shelley, why don't you light the lantern? Do you want me to break my neck?"
"If I light the lantern the Rovers may come here," was the answer from the man called Shelley.
"Oh, they went down the river—I saw them."
"They may have turned in nearby."
Some more words followed, but spoken so low that the boys could not understand them. They heard a faint creaking of the flooring of the old mill, but that was all.
"They are there, that's certain," whispered Dick. "But I don't see how we are going to capture them in this darkness."
"I wish we had a lantern," said the youngest Rover.
"We wouldn't dare to light it, Sam," answered Tom. "Let us crawl up close to the building. Maybe we can find out something more about the men. They may be some good-for-nothing fellows from the village."
As there seemed nothing else to do, this advice was followed, and soon the boys were at one of the broken-out windows of the mill. They listened and looked inside, but saw and heard nothing.
"They are not here," whispered Sam, disappointedly.
"They are not far off," answered his big brother confidently.
"Look!" came from Tom. "A light!"
He pointed through the window to the flooring inside. From between the loose boards shone several streaks of light. As the boys gazed the light vanished and all was as dark as before.
"They are in the lower room, the one where the water-wheel used to be," whispered Tom. "Maybe that is where they have been hanging out."
"Come after me—but don't make any noise," said Dick, cautiously. "If they have gone into the second room down there maybe we can make them prisoners!"
"That's the idea!" cried Sam. "Just the thing!"
"Hush, Sam, or you'll spoil all."
Scarcely daring to breathe, now that they knew the strange men were so close, the three Rover boys walked to the open doorway of the old mill and went inside. Dick led the way and crossed to where an enclosed stairs ran to the floor below. On tiptoes he went down, not trusting a step until he was sure of his footing. It was well he did this, for two of the steps were entirely rotted away, and he had to warn his brothers, otherwise one or another might have had a fall.
Standing in the wheel room of the old mill the boys saw another streak of light, coming from the room which Dick had suggested. The door to this was closed, a bolt on the inner side holding it in place. There was another bolt on the outside, which Dick remembered having seen on a previous visit.
"We can lock them in if we wish," he whispered.
"Do it," answered his brothers promptly.
The bolt was large and old-fashioned, and Dick had considerable trouble in moving it into its socket. It made a rasping sound, but this was not noticed by the two men, who were conversing earnestly.
"Well, we made a mess of it," growled the man called Shelley.
"So we did. But I didn't think that hired man would wake up. Neither of us made a bit of noise. He must be a light sleeper."
"I only hope they think we were after chickens, Cuffer. If they knew the truth——" The man named Shelley broke off with a coarse laugh.
"Well, we got chickens the other night, didn't we?" and now the man called Cuffer laughed also. "But say, this is getting serious," he went on presently. "Merrick expects us to do this job for him and do it quick, and he won't like it at all when he finds out how we have missed it."
"We can't do the impossible. Those Rovers are too wideawake for us."
"They certainly were too wideawake for Merrick in that traction company bond matter. He was a chump not to sell those bonds as soon as he got hold of them."
"He didn't dare—he was afraid the market was being watched."
"What does he want of those papers, anyway?"
"I don't know exactly. But you know what he said—there would be a small fortune in it for us if we got 'em. He says he's got some papers—or a map I guess it is—but he wants these papers, too. He didn't dare show himself around here—you know the reason why."
"Sure—those Rovers would recognize him, even if he tried to disguise himself."
Dick, Tom and Sam listened to this conversation with keenest interest and amazement. These men had mentioned the name of Sid Merrick, the rascal who had in the past tried so hard to harm them and who had up to the present time escaped the clutches of the law. Evidently they were in league with Merrick and under his directions.
"We must capture those fellows by all means," whispered Tom, excitedly. "If we do, maybe we can find out where Merrick is."
"Yes, and Tad Sobber, too," added Sam, who had not forgotten the poisonous snake episode at Putnam Hall.
"They weren't after chickens—that was only a blind," said Dick. "They want to get something from the house—some papers that Merrick wants."
"They must be valuable," said Sam.
"Father has all sorts of valuable papers," went on Tom. "Bonds, deeds to mining properties, and such. But I thought he had the most of those in a safe deposit vault in the city."
"So he has," answered Dick. "Maybe these fellows would be fooled even if they got into Uncle Randolph's house. They—— Listen!"
Shelley and Cuffer had begun to talk again. They mentioned a tramp steamer called theJosephine, and Shelley said she was now in port being repaired. Then the conversation drifted to sporting matters, and Cuffer told how he had lost a hundred dollars on a prize fight.
"That's why I'm here," he added. "And I want some money the next time I see Sid Merrick."
"He won't give us any unless we——" said Shelley, and the boys did not hear the end of the sentence, for the speaker tried the door as he spoke, throwing the inner bolt back. Of course with the outer bolt in place, the door refused to budge. The boys drew back, and Tom raised the shotgun and Dick his pistol.
"The door is caught!" cried Shelley, and pushed on it as hard as he could.
"What!" exclaimed Cuffer and leaped forward. He, too, tried to move the barrier. "This is a trick! Somebody has bolted the door on the outside."
"Was there a bolt there?"
"Yes, a heavy one, too."
"Then somebody has trapped us!"
"Open that door!" sang out Cuffer, before his companion could stop him.
"We are not going to open that door," answered Dick, in an equally loud voice. "We have got you fast and we intend to keep you so."
"Who are you?"
"I am Dick Rover, and my two brothers are with me. We are well armed, and we'll shoot if you try to break that door down."
"Caught!" cried Shelley in a rage, and then uttered several exclamations under his breath.
"What are you going to do?" asked Cuffer, after a moment of silence.
"Hold you prisoners until we can get help and then turn you over to the officers of the law."
"We haven't done anything wrong."
"That remains to be seen."
"You haven't any right to lock us in here."
"Then we take the right," answered Tom grimly.
"Let us smash the door down," came in a low tone from inside the room.
"If you try it we'll surely fire," said Dick, and cocked his pistol so the men might hear the click. Tom did the same with the shotgun.
"See here, you let us out and we'll make it all right with you," remarked Shelley, after another pause. "We are not the bad fellows you take us to be. We were only going to play a joke, that's all."
"I suppose you think Sid Merrick's doings are a joke, too," said Sam, before he had time to think twice.
"Ha! what do you know of Merrick?" ejaculated Cuffer. "They must have been listening to our talk," he added, in a low tone to his companion.
"Yes, and if so, we are in a bad box," answered Shelley. "I'd give a good deal to be out of here just now."
"Talk to them, while I take a look around," continued Cuffer, struck by a sudden idea.
Shelley did as told, pleading with the three Rovers to let him go and offering to pay fifty dollars for his liberty. He talked in a loud tone, to cover up what noise his companion might make. The boys listened, but refused to open the door until some sort of help should arrive, or until morning came.
"Sam, you go outside and see if Jack and the Ditwolds are anywhere around," said Dick, and the youngest Rover departed immediately.
Presently Tom and Dick heard Cuffer give a cry of pain.
"You've stepped on my sore toe!" howled the man. "Phew! how it hurts!"
The two men talked about the hurt toe for several minutes. Then their voices suddenly ceased. Tom and Dick strained their ears, but could hear absolutely nothing.
"They must be up to some trick," whispered the eldest Rover. "Hi, you, what are you doing?" he called out.
There was no answer and the silence was just as ominous as before. The light in the inner room had gone out.
"What are you doing?" repeated Dick, and ran close to the door to listen. Nothing but absolute silence followed.
What to do next the two boys did not know. They waited for fully five minutes—then five more. Presently they heard Sam coming back.
"I yelled for Jack and the others, but I got no answer," said he. "What are the men doing?"
"We don't know," answered Tom. "We are afraid they are up to some trick."
"A trick?" repeated Sam. Then he gave a gasp. "The room—isn't there a back door, leading out to the shed?"
"I don't know," answered Dick.
"I'll run and see."
Sam was gone less than two minutes when they heard a cry, and then he pounded on the door they had so carefully guarded.
"There is a back door and it is wide open. The men have gone!" was his dismaying announcement.
CHAPTER VI
THE STORY OF A TREASURE
It was a disheartening discovery, but the three Rover boys did not stop to think it over. Throwing open the bolted door, Tom and Dick joined Sam, and in the darkness made their way to the rear of the room in which they had held Cuffer and Shelley prisoners. In a minute more they were outside, under the trees at the rear of the old mill.
"Which way did they go?"
Tom asked the question, but nobody could answer it. The moon had now gone under some clouds and it was so dark they could scarcely see ten feet in any direction.
"Perhaps they took to the river again," suggested Sam.
"It is not likely," answered his big brother. "But we can take a look."
They ran around to where the men had landed. Their boat was still in its place, tied to a tree.
"Listen!" cried Sam. "Somebody is shouting, and there is a light."
"It is Jack Ness," said Tom.
The boys set up an answering shout, and soon a boat came up to the shore. It contained the hired man and the two Ditwolds. They had a lantern with them and also an old-fashioned single-barrel shotgun.
The situation was quickly explained, and then the party of six began a systematic search of the woods and the various roads in the vicinity of Henderson's mill. This search lasted until morning, but nothing came of it.
"We may as well give up," said Dick, at last. "They have gotten away and that is all there is to it."
The boys were completely tired out when they got home. Their uncle and aunt were much worried over their prolonged absence and overjoyed to see them return unharmed.
"I was so afraid one of you might get shot or something," said Mrs. Rover. "Some of those chickens thieves are desperate characters."
"Those men were more than chicken thieves," answered Dick. And he told his uncle and aunt of the conversation overheard at the old mill.
"It is a great pity that they got away," said Randolph Rover.
"What do you imagine they are after. Uncle Randolph?" questioned Sam.
"I do not know, excepting it may be some mining stocks or a deed to some property. Perhaps your father will be able to explain it when he gets back."
The authorities were notified, but they failed to apprehend the men. It was learned that the boat they had used had been stolen from a point near Oak Run, and the craft was returned to its owner. That they had used the old mill for a stopping place was evidenced by the remains of numerous meals found there. The boys made a careful search of the premises, but brought nothing to light which was of use to them.
"I wish father was home—or we knew how to reach him by telephone, or with a telegram," remarked Dick.
"Well, we can't reach him, so we'll have to be patient until he returns," answered Sam. "By the way, I wonder if his going away had anything to do with what those men were up to?"
"It might be so," returned Dick, slowly. "Both happenings are queer, to say the least."
"I wish I knew what father has in mind to do," came from Tom. "I hope we take some kind of a trip. I don't want to stick on the farm all summer."
With nothing to do, the next two days passed slowly. The boys went fishing and swimming, and they also did some shooting at a target which they set up behind the barn, and whiled away some time at boxing and in gymnastic exercises. Dick also spent an hour in penning a long letter to Dora Stanhope, who, as my old readers are well aware, was his dearest girl friend. Dora and her mother lived not far from Putnam Hall, and Dick and his brothers had become acquainted with her and her two cousins, Nellie and Grace Laning, when they had first gone to school. The Rover boys had on several occasions saved Mrs. Stanhope from serious trouble, and for this the widow was very grateful. She and her daughter had gone with them on the houseboat trip down the Ohio and the Mississippi, and Mrs. Laning and Nellie and Grace had likewise accompanied the party. It may be added here that Tom and Sam thought Nellie and Grace two of the nicest girls in the whole world, which indeed they were.
On Saturday morning the boys were contemplating a bicycle ride when Sam, who chanced to look toward the road, set up a shout:
"Here comes father!"
All gazed in the direction and saw Mr. Rover coming toward them in a rig he had hired at the depot. They ran to meet their parent and were soon shaking him by the hand. They saw that he looked travel-worn and tired.
"I have been on the go ever since I left Putnam Hall," said Anderson Rover. "It was a most unexpected trip. I will tell you all about it as soon as I have rested a bit and had something to eat."
"We have something to tell, too," answered Dick. "But that can keep until later."
Inside of an hour Mr. Rover had been served with a good, hot breakfast and then he declared that he felt like a new man. He invited the whole family into the sitting room for a conference of importance.
"I told you lads I had something on my mind," he said. "I did not want to speak of it while at the graduation exercises at the school because there was too much going on. Now I am going to tell you everything and also tell you what I propose to do. But first I want to listen to what you have to tell me."
It did not take the three boys long to relate the particulars of the pursuit of Cuffer and Shelley, and of what they had overheard at the old mill. Anderson Rover listened with close attention and did not seem surprised when they mentioned Sid Merrick's name.
"That fits in, to a certain degree, with what I have to tell you," he said, when they had finished. "It is a strange story, and the only way for me to do, so that it will be perfectly clear to you, is to tell it from the beginning."
"Well, we're willing enough to listen," said Dick, with a smile.
"We've been on pins and needles ever since you said you had something important to tell," added Tom, grinning.
"Well, to start, this concerns Mrs. Stanhope more than it concerns ourselves," began the father.
"What!" ejaculated Dick. He had not expected anything of this sort.
"I knew you would be surprised, Dick, and you'll be more surprised when I get through."
"Are the Lanings in this?" questioned Sam, thinking of Grace.
"They are in a certain sense—or will be if everything turns out successfully. When Mr. Stanhope died he left most of his property to Mrs. Stanhope and Dora—the majority to Dora—but a small share was left to the Lanings, they being so closely related and such good friends."
"But what is it all about?" asked Tom, impatiently.
"As I said before, I must start at the beginning, or perhaps you won't understand at all. As you know, Mr. Stanhope died some years ago. He was interested in various business enterprises, including a number of vessels which carried freight between the United States and the West Indies. One of his partners in the freight-carrying business was a man named Robertson and another was a Silas Merrick."
"Merrick!" cried Sam.
"Yes, and this Silas Merrick was an older brother to Sid Merrick, the rascal who stole the bonds, and whom you heard mentioned by Cuffer and Shelley. Let me say here that Silas Merrick is dead, and when he died he left all his property to his brother Sidney and his sister. The sister is dead, too, and her property, so I understand, went to her son. Tad Sobber."
"This is getting deep," said Tom, his sunny face growing wrinkled.
"It will soon get deeper, Tom. During the time that the firm of Stanhope, Robertson & Merrick were carrying freight from the West Indies there was a fierce revolution in Central America. Some families of high rank were forced to flee, among them a nobleman named Parmonelli, who left home carrying with him gold and diamonds worth many thousands of dollars. He managed to get on board one of the vessels owned by Mr. Stanhope's firm, and Mr. Stanhope was on the ship at the same time. The vessel was followed by revolutionists who were no better than pirates, and after a fierce fight the revolutionists shot Parmonelli and carried off his fortune."
"This is certainly getting deep," murmured Sam.
"Parmonelli was not killed at once, but died two days after being shot down. He was very bitter against the revolutionists, and said they had no right to take his fortune from him—that it was his and did not belong to the state. As Mr. Stanhope had befriended him to the last he made a will, leaving the fortune to Mr. Stanhope if the same could be recovered."
"And how much was it?" questioned Dick.
"I cannot say exactly—the will mentions six bags of gold and one bag of precious stones, all packed in several chests."
"It's queer I never heard of this from Dora," said Dick. "She told me about the other money her father left."
"Mr. Stanhope kept the matter to himself, and at his death told only Mr. Laning, for—as you know—Mrs. Stanhope was then in delicate health and it was deemed very unwise to excite her."
"But what about the fortune—was it recovered?" asked Tom.
"No."
"Then the money has long since been spent," cried Sam, in dismay.
"No, Sam, the money and the jewels, to the best of my knowledge and belief, have never been touched. When the revolutionists carried them off they said they were going straight back to Central America with them. Instead, however, they landed on an island of the West Indies and there started to divide the fortune. This caused a bitter fight, in which several of the party were killed and wounded. Then it was decided to hide the money and jewels in a cave on the island and make a division later. A place was selected and the gold and jewels placed under heavy rocks in a small cave. After that the party sailed away. When they got home, much to their surprise and dismay, they found their country in the hands once more of the government. They were captured and all but two were sentenced to be shot as traitors. The two were sent to prison and they were released less than a year ago. One was a Spaniard named Doranez and the other a Spanish-American sailor named Camel, but usually called Bahama Jack, because he has spent nearly all his life among the Bahama Islands."
"Did those two men go after the treasure when they got out of prison?" asked Sam.
"They wanted to, but they were poor and had forgotten the exact location of the island where the treasure was hidden. Bahama Jack was a happy-go-lucky sort of a sailor and he came to this country and worked for a while on a lumber schooner running from Florida to Boston. Doranez also came to this country, but where he kept himself at first I do not know."
"Go on, dad, this is getting exciting," broke in Tom, as his parent paused in his recital.
"Not long ago Mrs. Stanhope came to me for advice concerning this matter. Mr. Laning had told her everything, and she wanted to know if it would be worth while to organize an expedition to hunt for the treasure. I said I would look into the matter and ask her to give me what papers Mr. Stanhope had left in reference to the affair. I started to hunt up Bahama Jack and Doranez. After a good deal of work I found the former and had several long talks with him."
"Did you get any news from him?" asked Dick.
"A little. He does not remember exactly where the island was located, but told much about its general appearance and what other islands were in that vicinity. But he also told me something else, which worried me a good deal. It was that Sid Merrick, as the heir of Silas Merrick, was also after the treasure."
CHAPTER VII
IN WHICH SOMETHING IS MISSING
"Sid Merrick after the treasure!" cried Dick.
"Yes. He wants it both for himself and for his nephew, Tad Sobber. He claims that the revolutionists took it from a ship belonging in part to his brother and consequently he has as much right to it as has Mrs. Stanhope."
"But that isn't so, is it?" asked Sam.
"No; the treasure, if it is found, belongs to Mr. Stanhope's estate absolutely—that is, to Mrs. Stanhope, Dora and the Lanings. The fact that Silas Merrick had an interest in the ship at the time of the stealing of the wealth cuts no figure at all."
"What is Sid Merrick doing?" asked Tom.
"He has been working in secret, looking for Bahama Jack and the Spaniard, Doranez. I found out that he had one talk with Bahama Jack, but the sailor did not like Merrick and told him very little. Then I started to find Doranez—he is the man I have been after during the past week. I found him and he promised to work with me if I would pay him for his trouble. But yesterday he sent me a note, stating he had changed his mind and was going to Spain, to look up some of his relatives. So he is probably out of it from now on."
"Maybe he is going to look for the treasure on his own account," suggested Randolph Rover.
"He cannot do that very well, for he has little or no money."
"And what do you propose to do, father—go on a hunt for the treasure?" asked Dick.
"Yes. From what papers I have on hand and the information gotten from Bahama Jack I think we stand a fair chance of locating that island and of finding the cave where the treasure is secreted. Of course, there is a good deal of guess-work about it, but I am convinced the thing is worth trying."
"And how are you going at it?" came from Tom.
"A friend of mine in Philadelphia, a Mr. Dale, has a steam yacht which he is not going to use this summer, as he is going to Europe. I have determined to charter that yacht and go on a cruise among the West Indies. It will be a fine outing for the summer, even if we don't locate Treasure Isle, as Mr. Stanhope called the spot."
"And you'll take us along?" asked Tom, quickly.
"If you want to go."
"If we want to go? Does a duck want to swim, or a dog want to scratch fleas? Of course we want to go."
"Such a trip will suit me to a T," said Sam. "And I hope with all my heart we locate that treasure," he added earnestly.
"Of course you'll take this Bahama Jack along," said Dick.
"Yes, and I have promised him a big reward if the treasure is recovered," answered his father.
"Who else will be in the party?"
At this question Anderson Rover's eyes began to sparkle.
"I was going to keep it a secret, but perhaps I had better tell you. The steam yacht is a large one and can readily accommodate fifteen or twenty passengers. I have decided to ask Mrs. Stanhope to go and bring Dora, and will also ask the Lanings. Then they will know exactly what is being done to recover the treasure. In addition, if you want to take some of your chums with you, as you did on that houseboat trip——"
"Hurrah, just the thing!" burst out Sam. "Let us take Fred Garrison by all means."
"Yes, and Songbird Powell and Hans Mueller," added Tom. "They will help to make things lively."
"Can they go?" questioned Dick.
"We can telegraph and find out," answered Tom. "I'll telegraph this afternoon," he added, always ready to do things on the rush. "We ought to get an answer to-night or to-morrow morning."
"When do you want to start on the trip?" asked Dick.
"As soon as the party can be made up, and the steam yacht can be gotten in readiness. I have already instructed the captain to provision her for the trip."
"Then she has a captain and a crew?"
"Oh, yes, she carries ten men, including an engineer and his assistant."
"That is certainly fine!" said Dick, and he smiled as he thought of what a nice trip they would have with Dora Stanhope on board. Dick was not "moonstruck," but he had a manly regard for Dora that did him credit.
After that Anderson Rover gave them many more details regarding the treasure, and his talks with Bahama Jack and of what he hoped to accomplish. He had a fair idea of the latitude and longitude of Treasure Isle, which, he had been told, was of coral formation, covered with palms and shaped somewhat like a horseshoe.
"Bahama Jack says the treasure cave is about In the center of the inner curve of the island, but that you cannot sail close to it on account of the numerous reefs. You have to land on the island in a small boat, and that is why very few ships stop there. Natives of that vicinity occasionally go there for fruit and for birds, but there is no regular village on the island."
"If the island is shaped like a horseshoe we ought not to have great difficulty in locating it," said Dick.
"The trouble is, you cannot see the formation very well from the sea, Dick. If one were in a balloon it would be different. You must remember that there are many hundreds of islands scattered in that part of our globe."
"Let's take a balloon along," suggested Tom. "Then we could go up and take a look around."
"You couldn't look far enough, Tom, and if you tried to sail in the balloon you'd probably drop into the ocean and be drowned. No, we'll have to do our searching from the steam yacht. But I have several maps and drawings which I think will aid us."
"The things Cuffer and Shelley were after?" cried Dick.
"Perhaps—if they are in league with Sid Merrick. Merrick, of course, would like to get all the information possible."
"I'd like to look at the maps and drawings."
"So would I," added Sam and Tom. The idea of going on a treasure hunt filled them with great interest.
"The maps and drawings I have are only copies," went on Anderson Rover. "The originals are in Mrs. Stanhope's possession." Mr. Rover turned to his brother. "You have them, Randolph. Will you please get them."
"I have them?" queried Randolph Rover, in perplexity. As my old readers know, he was at times somewhat absent-minded.
"Why, yes, don't you remember my giving them to you? They were in a large yellow envelope. I think you placed them away with your traction company bonds."
"Why—er—so I did," stammered Randolph Rover. "But I—er—I don't quite remember what I did with them." He scratched his head. "I'll go and get my tin box."
He left the sitting room, and after being gone fully ten minutes returned with a flat tin box, in which he kept some papers of value.
"The envelope doesn't seem to be here," he said, turning over the contents of the box.
"Don't you remember it?" asked his brother, anxiously.
"Oh, yes, I remember it very well now. I saw it only a couple of days before I went to Carwell with my bonds."
"Did you take that tin box to Carwell?" asked Tom.
"Yes."
"Was the envelope in it then?"
"I—er—I really don't know, Thomas. You see I was much upset, thinking my bonds were no good. Perhaps the yellow envelope was in the box, under the bonds."
"And did Sid Merrick have hold of the box?" demanded Anderson Rover.
"He may have had. The box was on a side table, and he walked around the room and over to it several times."
"Then, unless you have the envelope now, Sid Merrick stole it," said Anderson Rover, somewhat bitterly.
This announcement filled Randolph Rover with increased anxiety and as a result he looked over all his private papers and ransacked his safe and his desk from end to end. But the precious yellow envelope and its contents were not brought to light.
"Merrick must have gotten hold of that envelope at the time he stole the bonds," said Dick. "Maybe that is what made him trace up this story of the treasure."
"That may be true, Dick," answered his parent.
Randolph Rover was greatly distressed over the disappearance of the maps and drawings and upbraided himself roundly for not having been more careful.
"Now that they are in this Merrick's hands he may make use of them," he said dolefully.
"Undoubtedly he will," answered Anderson Rover.
"If he has those papers and maps why did he send Cuffer and Shelley here?" asked Tom.
"Most likely he thought he could get additional information."
"It seems to me the best thing we can do is to get after that treasure without delay," said Dick. "If we don't, Merrick may form some kind of a party, locate the island, and steal the gold and jewels from under our very noses!"
"Oh, such things are not done in a day, Dick," said his father, with a faint smile. "But I agree with you, the quicker we get after the treasure the better."
After that a discussion lasting well after the dinner hour followed, and was only ended when Mrs. Rover fairly drove them into the dining room for the midday repast. It was resolved that the party to go in search of the treasure should be made up of Anderson Rover and his three sons, Mrs. Stanhope and Dora, the Lanings, and also Fred Garrison, Songbird Powell and Hans Mueller. During the afternoon a number of telegrams and letters were written, and the boys sent these off before nightfall.
Aleck Pop was very much interested in such conversation as he had overheard, and as he had accompanied the boys to the jungles of Africa and on the houseboat trip he was very anxious to be a member of the present party.
"I don't see how yo' young gen'men is gwine to git along widout me," he said to Sam. "Don't yo' think you kin squeeze me aboadh somehow?"
"Aren't you afraid you'd get seasick, Aleck?" asked Sam.
"I ain't afraid ob nuffin, if only yo'll take me along," answered the darkey earnestly.
"I suppose the steam yacht has its cook."
"Dat might be, Massa Sam, but didn't I cook all right on dat houseboat?"
"You certainly did."
"Might be as how I could gib dat cook on de yacht some p'ints as to wot yo' young gen'men like, ain't dat so?"
"Perhaps, Aleck. If you wish, I'll speak to father about it."
"Tank yo' werry much, Massa Sam!"
"But you must promise one thing," put in Tom, who was listening to the talk.
"Wot is dat?"
"You won't run off and marry the widow Taylor when you get back."
"Huh! I'se done wid dat trash!" snorted Aleck. "She kin mahrry dat Thomas an' welcome. I don't want her or her chillun neither!"
"All right, then, Aleck, we'll see what we can do for you," said Tom, and Sam said the same. In the end it was agreed that Aleck should accompany the party as a general helper, and this pleased the colored man very much. It was a lucky thing for the boys that Aleck went along, as certain later events proved.