"No!"
CHAPTER XXVII.
SLIPPERY MR. COOLER.
Immediately Diamond and Dunnerwust got into the boat, which floated beside the yacht. They took guns, and Hans soon rowed the boat ash.o.r.e.
Bart and Bruce came down the bank and told them where they had been and what they had seen.
On hearing about the name on the headstone, Diamond became greatly excited.
"My G.o.d!" he cried. "Can it be that Frank has been killed? If so, I"ll never forgive myself for letting him follow that man alone! Oh, that treacherous little devil! I could strangle him! I wish I had him here now!"
"So do I, py Chorch!" shouted Hans.
"It would not be healthy for Mr. Cooler," said Browning.
"Were you speaking of me, young gentlemen?" chirped a familiar voice, and down the bank came the man in gray, calmly walking up to the astonished lads. "I hope you were not saying anything behind my back that you do not care to repeat before my face."
"No!" rang out the clear voice of the Virginian. "I called you a treacherous little devil, and I repeat it!"
"That"s complimentary, to say the least," grinned the man in gray, in his provokingly careless manner. "But I"d like to know what I have done to lead you to speak thus disparagingly of me. Wouldst tell me?"
Browning reached out and collared the queer old fellow, lifting him off his feet and swinging him around so he was in the midst of them.
"There!" grunted the big Yale man, with satisfaction. "Now we have you!
You can"t run, so don"t try it!"
"If you try it, by the Lord Harry! I"ll fill you full of lead!" came hoa.r.s.ely from Hodge, who was fingering the gun in his hands as if he longed to shoot Cooler anyhow.
"Ah, me!" sighed the little man. "How rude you are, young gentlemen! Is it possible you are in your right minds?--or have I fallen in with a lot of lunatics? Why, I wouldn"t run for anything! It"s not necessary to threaten me. I wish you would tell me what I have done to arouse your ire."
"Where is Frank Merriwell?"
"Hey?"
"Where is he?" snarled Diamond, showing his white teeth. "Don"t lie, man! Don"t try it! If you do we will put you where you will lure no other person into a trap!"
"Goodness me!" said Mr. Cooler, somewhat mockingly. "You are very much excited, young man. I do not know what you are driving at."
"Don"t lie! I tell you it is dangerous! We are desperate!"
"You really seem so."
"Where is he?"
"How do I know?"
"You do know! He followed you, and you trapped him some way. What have you done with him?"
"He! he!" chuckled the little man. "Followed me, did he? Why did he do that? It seems to me he should have been more careful."
"There it is!" burst from Hodge. "That is the same as a boast! Now we know you have done something to him!"
"You are a very knowing young man."
Now the manner of the man in gray aroused the anger and resentment of the boys. He seemed to be taunting them.
"Shall we shoot the snake, Bruce?" asked Diamond, his face purple with pa.s.sion. "Shall we avenge Frank?"
"Not just yet," said Browning. "We will give him a chance for his life."
"You are very kind!" murmured Mr. Cooler.
"If he will tell us what has become of Frank--if he will lead us to Frank, we will spare his life."
"What if I don"t know where he is?"
"You do know. You dare not deny it!"
"You are very much mistaken, for I do deny it. I give you my word of honor that I do not know where Mr. Merriwell is at this moment. I do know he followed me. He thought he was doing a very shrewd thing, and I must confess that I rather admired his skill at it, but I knew all the time that he was behind me."
"Ha!" exclaimed Hodge. "Then you know what became of him?"
"No. He followed me over to the other side of the island, and then he started to return by coming straight back through the woods. That is all I know. I am here to learn if he returned safely. If he did, I intended to warn him that his life was in danger if he should go about the island alone. You must see that I am serious now."
"Oh, yes, we see!" came scornfully from Diamond. "It is too thin! It will not work, Mr. Cooler. You know too much not to know more. If you wish to keep your skin whole, just lead us straight to Frank Merriwell--that"s all!"
"I can"t. I would do it if I could. But I give you my word to do my best to save him if he is in trouble. That is the best I can do."
Diamond"s anger caused him to lose his head so that he threatened the old man with his fist. He quickly realized what he was doing, however, and, with an air of apology, he cried:
"If you keep it up, you will lead me to do something of which I shall be ashamed. You can"t fool us, old man. We have you foul, and we"ll never let up on you till you lead us to Frank Merriwell. We are young, but you will find we can keep a pledge like men."
In truth, Cooler seemed in earnest as he said:
"Young gentleman, you wrong me very much. I am ready to go with you and do what I can to help find Mr. Merriwell, but that is all I can do. It will be better if you will let me go alone. I shall be able to work alone far better."
"Oh, yes," sneered Hodge. "You think we are fools! No, we go with you."
"All right. I am ready."
It did not seem that anything further could be forced from his lips.
They warned him that they would not hesitate to shoot if he tried to run away, and then they climbed the bank.
"If you want me to lead you," said Mr. Cooler, "come on."