CHAPTER XXI
Over the Cliff
To Frank Hardy's unbounded astonishment, the explosion was followed by a white cloud that rose from the barrel of the shotgun. It was not smoke, and although Captain Royal had aimed the gun directly at him, he found that he was uninjured.
The white cloud was flour!
"A hit!" roared Captain Royal. "A hit! I've wounded him!"
Frank wasted no further time.
He raced toward the mouth of the cave and scrambled out onto the beach. Behind him he could hear Captain Royal screeching wildly.
Frank almost collided with Joe.
His brother's face was white. He had heard the shot and was sure Frank had been a victim of the maniac's wrath.
"Are you all right, Frank?"
"Sure. Come on—let's beat it out of here."
They stumbled across the rocks toward a great heap of boulders that offered shelter. Frank glanced back in time to see Captain Royal emerge from the cave, still carrying the shotgun.
"Did he miss you?" panted Joe.
Frank chuckled.
"If that gun had been loaded, my goose would have been cooked by now."
"But I heard the shot."
"It was loaded to the muzzle with flour. That's all. Just plain, ordinary flour."
They dropped down behind the boulders.
When they peeped out again they could see Captain Royal at the mouth of the cave, dancing with rage. Evidently he saw them, for he yelled:
"You can't hide from me. I can see you."
He raised the shotgun to his shoulder again and pressed the trigger. Once more there was a shower of flour distributed in every direction.
"Whether he's Todham Todd or Captain Royal, he's a lunatic," declared Joe.
"There's no question of that."
The boys crouched behind the boulder and watched the antics of the captain. He was yelling and shrieking like a wild Indian, waving the shotgun on high. Both barrels had been discharged.
"My ammunition is gone!" he roared. "My ammunition is gone!"
He hurled the gun away from him. It fell with a clatter among the rocks.
Hatless and coatless, he was a weird figure in the fog. He made no move toward the Hardy boys, however, but contented himself with dancing about at the mouth of the cave.
"The battle is lost!" shrieked Captain Royal finally. "On to the execution!"
"What on earth does he mean?" said Joe.
"Oh, he's crazy, that's all. He doesn't mean anything."
"All is lost! My enemies are upon me! On to the execution! On to the execution!"
Captain Royal whirled about and ran down the beach through the lowering mist.
"Where is he going?"
"Let's wait and watch him," advised Frank.
They saw the queer old man running and stumbling among the rocks along the shore. Then he turned to his right and began to clamber up among the boulders until he came to a scarcely visible path that led up toward the top of the cliff.
From the boulders among which the Hardy boys were standing they could scarcely see the man now, so they emerged and went down toward the cave. Captain Royal, yelling at the top of his lungs, was climbing on up the path.
"What's his idea, anyway?"
Frank shook his head.
"He's certainly running amuck! I hope he doesn't fall and hurt himself."
The path the captain had taken wound about in precarious fashion and at one point crossed a ledge of rock that overhung the beach, immediately over the rocks that sloped down into the deep water.
Captain Royal stumbled and fell, but he got to his feet again and went on.
"If he ever slips when he comes to that ledge, he'll go over the cliff!" Joe declared.
"I wonder if we should follow him."
At that moment, the Hardy boys saw two figures come into view from beyond the rocks. At that distance and through the mist it was impossible to distinguish their features, but as they drew closer the Hardy boys saw that they were none other than Chet and Biff.
"What's going on here?" shouted Chet, as they hastened up.
"Lots of excitement," Frank replied. "Captain Royal has just had a brainstorm."
"What happened?"
When their chums came near, the Hardy boys told them of their adventures of the morning, how they had captured Carl Schaum, and how Captain Royal had come upon them while they were in the cave.
"And he shot at you?" cried Biff.
"With his gun loaded with flour."
"Flour?"
"Yes."
"He must be crazy."
"Absolutely."
"Where is he going now?"
Joe pointed to the captain, scrambling on up the path toward the cliff.
"There he is. And if he doesn't watch out he's going to tumble off into the sea."
"I'll say he is," declared Chet. "We ought to go after him."
In the distance, they could hear the wild shrieks of Captain Royal as he went stumbling among the rocks. He was drawing nearer to the ledge, and as the path at this point was extremely narrow, the boys could see that he was indeed in danger.
"Stop!" shouted Joe. "Stop, Captain!"
But Captain Royal, if he heard at all, paid no attention to the warning. He continued his ascent of the rocky path.
"We'd better follow him up," said Frank. "He can't hurt us—we know that—and he's sure to hurt himself if we don't get him down off those rocks."
With one accord, the boys hurried across the beach until they came to the trail leading up the steep incline toward the top of the cliff. Then, with Frank Hardy in the lead, they began the climb.
Captain Royal turned and saw them. He stopped and shook his fist at them.
"Go back!" he shouted wildly. "Go back, I tell you!"
"Come down!" called Frank. "Come down, Captain Royal, or you'll be killed."
"The battle is lost!" howled the madman. "My enemies are upon me! But they'll never capture me alive!"
He bent down and lifted a heavy stone, which he hurled down the path. It came rolling and bouncing down the slope, gathering momentum every second. It was headed directly for the Hardy boys and their chums.
"Scatter!" shouted Joe.
The boys had little protection. The path was so narrow that they could go neither to right nor left for more than a few inches.
On came the heavy stone.
The boys crouched, listening to the crash and clatter of the great missile as it bounded toward them. There was no use attempting to escape. If they ran back down the path they could never hope to reach the shore in time. The rock was plunging down the path at terrific speed. It seemed that the deadly object would crash among them in another moment.
Frank closed his eyes. Just then the rock bounded high in the air, shot forward in a wide arc, lit in the path just a few yards above the boys, and struck a projecting stone. It flew off at a tangent, the impact diverting it from its course so that it plunged wide of the boys who were crouched in the path. A moment later there was a tremendous crash as the heavy rock struck the beach.
Captain Royal, on the cliff above, was yelling with glee.
"You won't chase me now!" he shrieked. "That will teach you a lesson! That will teach you something!"
Frank scrambled to his feet. He was white with anger. The maniac's action had endangered their lives.
"We'll teachyou!" he shouted. "Don't do a trick like that again. Come down off those rocks before you fall and break your neck."
"I won't come down."
Captain Royal shook his fist at them again, wheeled about and then continued his perilous climb. The boys hastened in pursuit. They knew that the old man might turn and cast another rock down the path, but they were determined to save him from the consequences of his own folly if they could.
The fog had left the rocks and the path slippery and treacherous. At almost every step the boys stumbled. It was almost impossible to maintain one's footing as the path grew steeper. As for Captain Royal, he was no better off, and more than once he went sprawling on all fours, only to pick himself up again and resume his hazardous progress.
At last he reached the top of the cliff.
The boys were still many yards from the summit. Captain Royal made no attempt at caution as he ran along the narrow path. The rocks were slippery under foot.
"He'll go over, as sure as fate!" exclaimed Frank.
Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when the boys saw Captain Royal stumble. He lurched sideways, his arms thrashed the air as he vainly grabbed for support, he gave a desperate yell. The boys gave a simultaneous cry of terror as they saw the man plunge through the air, over the side of the cliff, down toward the water far below!