"Yes."
"Say, Jack, shall I get a grip on the painter of that other boat while I"m on the raft and make her fast?" continued Josh.
"Try and see if you can, because we want to take her back with us, even if we fail to capture the men," Jack replied.
No doubt George was bringing his Wireless alongside the raft on the other side, for he could see across, and note what the crew of the Tramp seemed to be doing.
Josh was quite active, when spurred on by excitement. When he had made a three-base hit in a game of baseball, he could stretch it to a home run better than any other fellow in town, with the shouts of the crowds to inspire him.
He began to hunt around for some place to fasten the rope, as soon as he had jumped on to the raft. This was so difficult a task, because there were many pegs showing, where the logs were held together. And besides, here and there was a heavy rope pa.s.sed along, to keep the waves made by steamboats from scattering the logs, which might have been of especial value.
Josh had just managed to accomplish this, and was turning to try and get hold of the bow of the white boat, which was still b.u.mping against the side of the raft, when a terrific splash was heard from across on the opposite edge of the logs.
"George is overboard!" whooped Josh, thinking that the impulsive one must have been in such a big hurry to gain a footing, afraid lest a chum would be ahead of him, that he had miscalculated.
"You"re wrong, it"s Andy; and he"s all to the good; climbing on the logs right now," came in the well-known tones of the Wireless skipper, and with a touch of sarcasm connected with the words, as though George wanted them to know that he was not the only fellow who could, in his haste, make blunders.
"Sure I am!" echoed Andy, "and the wather "tis foine, I"m tilling ye, me laddybucks. Now, George, me darlint, whereabouts shall I tie up at?"
"Anywhere, so long as we hold fast," came the order.
Well, here was a strange condition of affairs, to be sure, Jack thought.
He was a little puzzled to know what they ought to do next. The two desperate men had retreated within the shanty on the raft, which they undoubtedly meant to hold, after the manner of a fort, having abandoned Algernon"s motor boat. The pursuers already had this in their possession, so if nothing more were accomplished, they could feel fairly well satisfied with their night"s work.
But Jack felt that George, and for that matter the other two chums, would not wish to drop out of the game then and there. Knowing that the men in the shanty were the robbers, whose apprehension would bring great joy to the bereaved depositors in that robbed Lawrence bank, it would be just like them to want to keep going until they had either accomplished that end, or else found that they were not equal to the task.
Yes, and deep down in his own heart Jack was thinking along pretty much the same lines. He knew what it was to be greeted with cheers; and the desire to accomplish things worth while had a lodgment in Jack"s heart.
They had the two rascals bottled up, as it were; and surely some way could be found whereby they might force their surrender.
But it was not going to be an easy task. Those men knew what they must accept once they were taken into custody; and doubtless they would fight to the last gasp before showing the white flag.
CHAPTER XX
HOLDING THE FORT
All was silent over yonder where the makeshift little cabin shelter stood about the middle of the raft. The men had vanished inside, and were no doubt waiting to see what their enemies attempted next. Perhaps they indulged in the hope that the troublesome boys, a.s.sisted by Jenks, would draw off, and leave them to play their game to a finish in their own way.
At the same time they must be ready to defend their new place of refuge bitterly. Jack knew the folly of trying to carry a fort by a.s.sault, and he was not silly enough to think that with only George, Josh, Andy and Jenks back of him such a desperate undertaking could be carried out.
Even if they received reinforcements in the shape of the two husky loggers, that would not mean the thing would be a walk-over.
Jack was himself on the logs by this time, and Jenks followed him. He hoped the men at bay would not start shooting toward them, for they were more or less exposed to any fire unless they managed to drop down behind a stray log that had at some time gotten loose, and was hauled on top of the raft by the men in charge, rather than have it lost.
"Keep by your boat, George!" was the first thing Jack called out, "or better still, if you can work it around to where the Tramp lies. Perhaps we"d be wise to keep in a bunch, you know."
"A good idea, Jack," came the reply. "Andy, do you dare walk across, while I get a move on, and swim around?"
"Me, is it ye arre afther askin" that? Well, till me what"s to hinder me from doin" the same?" and with the words the dripping Andy started to clamber along the slippery logs with utter abandon; he had been in the river once, and was just as wet as he could be, so why should he care if he went overboard again?
George started up and was seen to leave the float.
"Good-bye, and good riddance to you!" the big man shouted, as he thrust his head out of the opening in front of the cabin on the raft; from which remark it might be set down that he had not heard what Jack said, and really believed the motor boat was about to pull out for good.
"All right," replied the other, for it was not difficult to please Josh under most circ.u.mstances.
George had gone around the raft, pa.s.sing below, so that he was now coming up the river, and it was easy for him to bring his boat alongside the raft without any b.u.mping worth mentioning.
He quickly leaped on to the logs, rope in hand, and found a place to fasten his hawser without much trouble.
"Where are they, fellows?" he asked, breathlessly, as he joined the group.
"Still in the shack, but we"re going to try and get them out," Jack answered.
"That"s right," Josh broke in just then; "you see, Jack"s going to try a scheme of mine, and offer the men a chance to get off, on condition that they hand over that bag they got. We don"t want to bother with persons, if only we c"n trap that little bag, and take it back with us."
"Rats!" said George, immediately, for he never had the least bit of faith in any idea which Josh might originate; it would have put a different face on it if Jack had advanced the scheme; but with the other as its sponsor, the thing was impossible in the start and condemned before he heard the particulars.
"Well, you never know," Josh went on to say, as if he felt hurt at George being so positive before the proposition had even been tried, "they might be that bad scared they"d agree to anything that left "em their liberty. Anyhow, guess there ain"t any harm in doin" it, is there?"
"Wait and see!"
And with that Jack turned toward the center of the raft, where the little refuge lay, which the two loggers made use of as sleeping quarters, and to keep themselves dry during a downpour of rain.
"h.e.l.lo! you in the cabin?" he called out.
"Well, what d"ye want?" came the answer, and as before, it was evidently the big man who did all the talking, for as yet they had not once heard the voice of Slim Jim raised above a low murmur, when he was arguing with his companion.
"We"ve got an offer to make you," continued Jack.
"Oh! have yuh? Then spit her out, and be quick about it," came from inside.
"We"ll agree to let you both go, if you hand over that bag, and all that"s in it," Jack continued. "We"ve got you caged, anyway, and it"s only a question of going for the officers in one of our boats, when we come to a large town; and you"ll be taken, bag and all. Better think it over. And we don"t mean to let you work the sweep of this raft, so you can"t ferry it to the sh.o.r.e. What do you say?"
He was answered with a mocking laugh, and some hard words.
"What d"ye take us for, younker, a pair of fools? Think we went to all that trouble and risk to turn the proceeds over to a pa.s.sel o" kids so easy? Don"t you worry "bout us, now. We got the guns to hold the fort; and when we get good and ready p"raps we"ll skip out. There"s more ways to skin a cat than one. Get that, now?"
"I thought so," said George, with one of his irritating little laughs.
"Now just get busy, Josh, and think up some more fool plays, won"t you?
Or else leave the job to your betters, Jack"n me, we"ll play the game for keeps, eh, Jack?"