For one thing, we might be hampered by the fact that Alvarez and his a.s.sociates didn"t actually steal young Dunstan, but lured him away. The same thing, perhaps, but it might make a difference with a jury. What do you say, Mr. Dunstan? Shall we forego prosecution in favor of giving the national Government the best chance at the offenders?"
"Why, after thinking it over a bit," rejoined Horace Dunstan, "I am inclined to feel that I have won out over the rascals, and I can afford to let it go by by laughing at them."
"Good," nodded Inspector Lawrence. "Then, Mr. Dunstan, there are still hundreds of people outside the hotel, talking over the whole wonderful story. Why don"t you go out, the local officers and your lawyer with you? The crowd will be sure to yell for a speech. Make them a little one, and in it state that you consider the joke is on your enemies. Add that you have therefore forgiven that other crowd, and that you will show it by attempting no prosecution."
"I"ll do that if it will help you," replied Mr. Dunstan, after looking at his lawyer, who nodded.
"Dad, after this, if you send me notes," said Ted, "you"ll have to have a private way of signing your name, so I"ll know the note really comes from you."
Warren had been explaining the story of the mystery, aside, to Inspector Joyce, who now broke in:
"Alvarez, as you may not know, was formerly a Mexican. A series of forgeries, committed by him and detected, forced him to flee to Honduras. So it is easy to understand how the note to young Dunstan was forged."
Ted again thanked Tom and Joe, and for that matter, the others who had aided him. Then the Dunstan party prepared to go.
"Halstead, you and your friend will remain, I hope," proposed Mr.
Lawrence.
"Certainly he may remain," said Mr. Dunstan. "I fancy he can be of much a.s.sistance to you, gentlemen. So will Dawson."
"And Mr. Dunstan," suggested Lawrence, going after Ted"s father, "may we, if it seems necessary, use your boat to-night?"
"I would be a poor citizen to refuse that to the Government"s officers,"
smiled Mr. Dunstan. "Certainly you may have the "Meteor.""
Warren and his friends remained, but went to another side of the room.
Tom and Joe were invited to seat themselves and go over the whole story with the Government officers.
When Lawrence saw the note that had been pressed into Halstead"s hand, out in the crowded square, the inspector looked rather grave.
"Yes, that defiance comes from Alvarez," he declared. "Now, Captain Halstead, until the rascals have been taken, or driven from the country, you will do well to be wholly on your guard. Alvarez, when driven into a corner, is as desperate and remorseless as is the proverbial fighting rat."
"You"re going over to Sanderson"s place to-night, are you?" asked Joe, after some more of the tale had been told.
"a.s.suredly," replied Mr. Lawrence. "We shall have to watch every night until an attempt is made to get the unlawful cargo out onto the high seas. But I am afraid Alvarez and his crowd will be in hiding to-night, fearing the local officers on account of the Dunstan business."
"Did you hear the cheers outside?" asked one of Warren"s companions, entering at this moment. "Mr. Dunstan just made the requested speech.
There was a dead hush when he declared to the crowd that he had no idea of attempting to prosecute the men who had lured his boy away. The crowd was plainly disappointed."
"It will be a good thing for us, if that news reaches the Sanderson-Alvarez crowd," mused Mr. Lawrence.
"I haven"t a doubt that the pleasing news will reach "em," smiled Tom Halstead. "If they had a man in the crowd to force that note into my hand, the same man must still be there and will take back any news that he can."
"Then we"ll stop talking of this matter until we"ve fortified ourselves with something to eat," proposed Mr. Lawrence. "Are you young men of the "Meteor" hungry?"
"Hungry?" echoed Halstead, feelingly.
"No, I"m not really hungry," stated Joe. "At the same time if a nice little lamb, roasted whole, tried to walk by me just now, it would show great want of judgment on the lamb"s part."
"Then we"ll go to supper," declared the inspector rising. "But you young men would do well to keep away from us in the dining room, in case there should be any watchers about for the Alvarez party. We can meet up here again after the meal is over."
When the boys, Warren"s party and the three United States officers came together again Mr. Lawrence proposed that Warren take Joe in the auto over to the Dunstan place. Joe and Jed could bring the "Meteor" around to a wharf in Nantucket harbor, and all could embark.
"The trip could be made by land, in autos, of course," Inspector Lawrence explained to Halstead. "But there"s a possibility that we may need to pursue a filibustering steam craft."
Later on the hotel party sauntered down, in three or four groups, to the wharf in question. By the time they arrived at the water front they made out the "Meteor" just gliding into the harbor, Jed Prentiss at the wheel and Joe in the engine room. The entire party quickly embarked, Tom now taking the wheel. Darkness was just coming down as the "Meteor" with no lights showing by Mr. Lawrence"s order, stole around Great Point. Now, Halstead let out a few more notches of speed, the boat going swiftly down the east coast of the island.
"Joe," murmured Tom, his eyes shining as his chum came up from the engine room, "do you remember the "great night" we had off the mouth of the Kennebec?"
"Yes," nodded Dawson, "but this is going to be easier for us. Instead of one, there are seven officers aboard to-night, and the sea is almost gla.s.sy. This won"t be anything but a business trip, so to speak."
Whether Joe was right in his prediction yet remained to be seen. At Halstead"s suggestion, made to Inspector Lawrence, the "Meteor" was run quietly into a small cove, just north of a bend that, in daylight, would have shut them out of a view of Sanderson"s pier. As the motor boat was carrying no lights Mr. Lawrence felt confident that they had made the cove without having been discovered from lower down the coast.
"We"ll want two guides who know every foot of the way," decided Mr.
Lawrence. "Dawson will know the way to the outbuildings behind the farmhouse, and the lay of the ground about there. Halstead, you can pilot some of us over the ground near the pier. Now that the anchor is overboard the "Meteor" will be safe here. Prentiss can remain aboard.
Even if he discovered trouble threatening, he could raise the anchor and slip swiftly out into open water. The "Meteor" can show a vanishing stern to any other boat in these waters."
"And if you _should_ want to signal us for help, Jed," said Tom, a moment later, bringing up on deck a box from one of the lockers, "here are the signal rockets and Roman candles. Wait a moment."
Tom disappeared below once more, to return with a tin-lined trough affair. By means of two hooks he made this device fast at the port rail.
This "trough" was intended to rest a rocket in before touching it off and sending it skyward.
"I"ll be snug and safe as anything," declared Jed, smiling. He felt brave enough, in fact, until the dingey, going ash.o.r.e for the second time, carried the last of his companions. Then all was still, absolutely quiet, lonely and black. Jed, being highly imaginative, began to fancy he saw figures darting from tree to tree on sh.o.r.e. The bushes had a mysterious look, for it was so nearly dark that he could just make out their outlines.
Prentiss had said of himself that he was a hero, in theory, but that when danger faced him he was likely to forget much of his courage. There are many such boys. They are not cowards, but are imaginative, have highly strung nervous systems, and are without real experience of danger. When that experience does come they often find themselves possessed of far more grit than they had believed.
Time slipped by. Nothing happened to justify the state of Jed"s nerves.
He was lonely, and wondering what the others were doing. At last, however, he heard something real. Prentiss sprang up, stepping to the port rail to listen. The sound was unmistakable, that of a marine engine, though as yet the sound was far away.
"Can that be the filibustering steamer?" Jed wondered, thrilling.
Nearer and nearer came the sound. Prentiss was enough of a salt-water boy to know that the craft must be a more than usually fast one. The strange craft was evidently keeping in close to sh.o.r.e. At last, the keen-eyed boy grimly made out a sea-going tug. Then she came nearer, and Jed knew that she was going to pa.s.s within an eighth of a mile.
"It must be the filibustering steamer," throbbed the boy. "She"s not a Government boat, yet she"s showing no lights. That boat _must_ be making for Sanderson"s pier!"
Then, all of a sudden, a single light _did_ show. An electric searchlight blazed out, sweeping its ray along the coast. It was hardly a moment before that ray of light fell across the "Meteor" and remained there.
"Wow!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Jed, in his excitement. "Now, those fellows can get in here before I can signal any of our crowd back to the "Meteor.""
Prentiss immediately found himself trembling. He sprang down into the engine room, intent on starting the motor. In his excitable state of mind it seemed to him that the motor had at least a dozen drive wheels and no end of other things that had to be handled.
"And, oh, dear! I haven"t got the anchor up!" he groaned. He rushed up onto deck, only to find that the tug had started ahead again, and was bearing down directly upon him. Three men could be dimly made out forward of the pilot house.
"They"re going to bear down upon this craft and sink her!" guessed Jed.
"And, confound "em, they can do it before I can get up anchor, get the engine going, and get out of here!"
That it was the intention of those aboard the tug to ram the "Meteor,"
and thus put her out of commission, seemed decidedly plain. The tug was steaming slow but straight for the motor boat. Jed paused in a frenzy of uncertainty.