"They"re fine, all right, or I"m no judge of Brazilian diamonds,"
nodded Powell Seaton. "But I guess the United States Government owns them, now, as a confiscated prize."
A carriage was brought around to the door, and Anson Dalton was driven to the county jail, eight miles away, to be locked up there pending the arrival of United States officers.
Dawley easily proved his innocence, and the truth of his own story.
Despite his effeminate manners and soft voice, it afterwards developed that the youth was a skilled buyer of precious stones, and a young man of no little importance in the business community of his home town.
Following the swift succession of events at the little Florida town, there came a lull in the long strain of excitement and danger.
Every now and then d.i.c.k Davis and Ab Perkins, aboard the Rio-bound "Glide," found a chance to have a wireless message relayed back to the United States.
These messages came in veiled language, according to instructions, but they conveyed to Powell Seaton the joyous news that these two far-away members of the Motor Boat Club were proceeding safely on their long journey, and that no harm was happening to them, nor to the precious papers in their care.
One fine day a cablegram came all the way from Rio Janeiro which told that d.i.c.k and Ab had reached that Brazilian city, and had turned over the papers in their care to the waiting American for whom they were intended.
A week after that came another cablegram, announcing that the American syndicate had succeeding in locating the lost diamond field, and that papers for a proper patent were being filed with the Brazilian Government.
Right on top of that came the news, in the daily press, that Governor Terrero, of Vahia, had been shot and killed by an escaped prisoner--a former enemy whom the governor had greatly and wickedly hara.s.sed.
Captain Dave Lemly was captured about this time. He and Dalton, it developed, had been the princ.i.p.al American agents in a big scheme for smuggling Brazilian diamonds into the United States. The gems, it was shown, were secretly shipped in quant.i.ties from Rio, aboard a sailing ship. This ship, carrying a general cargo, was always met near Beaufort by Lemly, in the "Black Betty," and the diamonds were taken on the little black schooner. As the "Black Betty" sailed as a fishing boat, Dave Lemly had always been able to evade the American customs authorities, and a hugely profitable business in diamond smuggling had been built up.
Governor Terrero, of the state of Vahia, Brazil, it is supposed, was behind the southern end of the smuggling scheme, though this has not been proved. Dalton, acting as the governor"s go-between and spy, had played his part well and desperately. Yet now, in the end, Dalton was convicted on the evidence furnished by some of the members of the late crew of the "Black Betty." So was Lemly, and both are now serving long sentences in prison, along with the members of the crew of the smuggling schooner.
Clodis recovered, after a few weeks. He was handsomely rewarded by the new diamond syndicate for the dangers through which he had run. He last remembered descending the stairs to the "Constant"s" stairs, and had no recollection of having been struck down.
All the members of the guard over at Lonely Island were more than handsomely paid. Even Jasper was forgiven, and well rewarded.
After he had been in prison some length of time Anson Dalton one day confessed to Mr. Seaton"s attorney that, while at sea on the drab boat (which was afterwards found and confiscated by the revenue people), he, Dalton, had copied the stolen papers, intending to send one set southward and retain the originals.
After losing both the "Restless" and the "Glide" in the fog, Dalton had had Lemly put in to sh.o.r.e. There they had been met by a trusted Brazilian spy for Governor Terrero. The Brazilian, with the copies of the papers, had hurried to New York by train. This Brazilian did not succeed in starting for Rio until some days after the "Glide" had sailed, and, moreover, he went on a slower boat. So, by the time the Brazilian spy arrived at Rio, the American syndicate had located the lost diamond field, had filed patents with the Government, and Terrero had died. So all of Anson Dalton"s plotting had come to naught.
One of Powell Seaton"s first acts was to adjust fully the claim of the Havana line for the towing of the "Restless" through that fearful northeast gale.
While waiting for the final news of the success of his plans, the charter-man cruised much up and down the coast with the boys of the "Restless." Then afterwards, through the month of November, Seaton enjoyed another cruise with them.
The charter money was not all that Captain Tom, Engineer Joe and Steward Hank received for their splendid work.
As soon as the final plans of the great new American diamond syndicate at Rio Janeiro had been established on a safe and firm basis, the charter-man of the "Restless" was prepared to talk of a splendid reward. His plans were so big, in fact, that all three of the boys felt bound to call a halt. Yet the reward that they _did_ finally accept made very important additions to the bank accounts of all three of these daring young motor boat navigators.
d.i.c.k Davis and Ab Perkins, on their return from Rio, were "remembered"
by Mr. Seaton with bank drafts the size of which almost took away their breath.
Then came a new cruise, a new set of adventures in new surroundings.
It was a cruise which the many friends of our Motor Boat Club boys will agree was the most wonderful, the most exciting, and certainly the most mysterious lot of adventures through which any member of the Club ever pa.s.sed. The details of what happened, however, must be reserved for the next volume in this series, which will be published under the t.i.tle: "THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB IN FLORIDA; Or, Laying the Ghost of Alligator Swamp."
[THE END]
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THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB SERIES
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The keynote of these books is manliness. The stories are wonderfully entertaining, and they are at the same time sound and wholesome. The plots are ingenious, the action swift, and the moral tone wholly healthful. No boy will willingly lay down an unfinished book in this series, at the same time he will form a taste for good literature and the glory of right living.
1 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF THE KENNEBEC; Or, The Secret of Smugglers"
Island.
2 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT NANTUCKET; Or, The Mystery of the Dunstan Heir.
3 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OFF LONG ISLAND; Or, A Daring Marine Game at Racing Speed.
4 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AND THE WIRELESS; Or, The Dot, Dash and Dare Cruise.
5 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB IN FLORIDA; Or, Laying the Ghost of Alligator Swamp.
6 THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB AT THE GOLDEN GATE; Or, A Thrilling Capture in the Great Fog.