Shadowy Attackers.
frank sneaked a swift glance over his shoulder. The men were coming up behind the boys, hats pulled low over their faces.
"Let"s go faster!" Frank hissed. "Then we can find out if they"re really following us."
The boys quickened their pace and turned at the next corner.
"They"re still with us!" Joe reported.
Unfortunately, there was no policeman in sight; only pedestrians, who were, in the main, Orientals.
"We"d better shake those men off!" Frank decided.
The four youths broke into a sprint, ducking in and out among the sidewalk strollers. The pace got hotter as the pursuit continued. The boys cut through an alley, crossed a street, and turned at the next corner. For several minutes they dodged and doubled back through the narrow streets. Finally they were sure they had shaken their pursuers.
"Man, I"m bushed!" Chet panted as they paused for breath in front of a Chinese grocery.
Then his expression changed. "Hey, look at all this chowl"
He pointed to the store window. Shark fins, pressed ducks, and dried squid were displayed along with Chinese herbs and vegetables.
"Interesting," said Frank, "but we"d better find the Canton Palace before those men spot us again!"
By this time, colored electric signs were blinking on all over the neighborhood, many in Chinese. Store windows were crammed with Oriental merchandise, including carved Buddhas, jade trinkets, and Chinese silk pajamas.
"Here"s the restaurant!" Joe exclaimed presently.
When they entered the dimly lighted restaurant, the headwaiter came forward and with a polite smile showed them to a booth. Frank asked for Jim Foy"s uncle and cousin.
"Ah, yes, I bring them right away," the head-waiter promised.
A few moments later Mr. Dan Foy approached. He was a pleasant, round-faced man with gold-rimmed spectacles. He said that Ben had had to go on an errand.
"You are friends of my esteemed nephew, I understand."
26 "That"s right, sir." Frank introduced himself, Joe, and their two chums. "Jim is a good friend and he"s one of our partners in buying the junk."
"So happy to hear that."
Mr. Foy chatted with the boys awhile and took personal charge of ordering their dinner.
Soon the four youths were enjoying bird"s-nest soup, roast duck, egg rolls, and almond cakes.
Suddenly a deep singsong voice said, "I understand you are owners of a junk called the Hai Plan."
The boys looked up, startled. The speaker was a giant Chinese, with a long melon-shaped head and jutting ears. He had glided out of the shadows to their booth.
"How do you know that?" Frank asked sharply.
"Did you not say so to honorable restaurant owner?" The man smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chin Gok. I would like to buy the Hai Hau." Hai Hau."
"I"m sorry, but the boat is not for sale."
The huge Chinese smiled. "Do not decide too hastily. I will pay much more than it cost.
Let us say, a profit of one hundred dollars?"
Frank glanced at the others, then shook his head. "No, thanks. We"re keeping the junk."
Chin Gok"s face went pale with rage, but he did not speak. Bowing, he walked away.
"Wow! A hundred bucks" profit!" Biff muttered. "Maybe we should have taken ill"
27 "Nothing doing," Joe declared in a whisper. "If that junk is so valuable, we"re hanging on to it."
Worried by the strange events of the afternoon and evening, the boys were anxious to get back to the Hai Hau. Hai Hau. They finished their meal, thanked Mr. Foy for his hospitality, and They finished their meal, thanked Mr. Foy for his hospitality, and left the restaurant.
"Let"s take a taxi," Chet suggested nervously.
"Good idea, if we can find one," Frank said.
The boys hurried toward Chatham Square. As they pa.s.sed a darkened doorway, Joe heard a shuffling noise. Before he could turn, someone grabbed him.
"Look out!" Joe yelled to the others.
The boys whirled to find themselves facing four masked a.s.sailants! The a.s.sault had come so suddenly there was no time to plan a defense. Fists swung wildly in the darkness as the youths fought off their attackers.
Bam! Frank landed a terrific right that sent one thug reeling back against the wall. Biff Frank landed a terrific right that sent one thug reeling back against the wall. Biff was swinging like a windmill, while Chet"s beefy strength was slowly wearing down another opponent.
Joe, whose arms had been pinioned from the back, was having the roughest time of all.
But he fought tigerishly, kicking his opponent"s legs.
Suddenly one of the masked men barked out something in Chinese. The boys a.s.sumed it was a warning that a policeman was coming, for they 28 saw one in the distance. The next moment all four attackers went racing down a nearby alley in the darkness.
"Let "em go," Frank advised as the others started after the thugs. "This might even be a trap."
"Those sneaking rats!" Biff panted. "I wonder if they were the same guys who were following us? And what"s the big idea, anyhow?"
"Maybe this"ll prove something," Joe said. He picked up a torn-off piece of newspaper.
"When I was sc.r.a.pping with that guy who jumped me, this fell out of his pocket."
"Let"s see."
Frank held the paper up to the light from a nearby store. It was printed in Chinese.
"What good"ll that do us?" Chet asked. "None of us can read Chinese."
"Mr. Foy can. Let"s go back and ask him," Frank suggested.
The boys retraced their steps to the restaurant. Mr. Foy was shocked to hear about the attack. He took the boys into a back room and read the article to them in English.
It was a story about a smuggling plot, which had just been uncovered by the United States customs authorities. It stated that while Chin Gok was a suspect, nothing had been definitely proved against him and he had been released.
29 "What"s his game now?" Biff puzzled. "I mean, where does the junk come in?"
Frank frowned thoughtfully. "Remember, Ben Foy told us that the Hai Hau Hai Hau had been had been shipped to his company by mistake. Actually, it might have been a put-up job. Chin Gok may have used it to smuggle contraband into this country."
Chet"s eyes bugged. "You mean there was treasure hidden aboard and not by some old pirate either?"
Frank nodded. "That would explain why all these guys are so eager to get hold of our boat. It"s full of nooks and crannies where it would be easy for a smuggler to sneak stuff through customs."
Joe shot his brother a worried glance. If the Hai Hau Hai Hau did contain contraband, the boys did contain contraband, the boys might find themselves in real trouble. But neither of the Hardys wished to alarm their chums by pointing this out.
"Perhaps it would be safer if I called a taxi to take you back to the ferry," Mr. Foy suggested. The boys agreed to this, and the restaurant owner added, "Please be careful!"
The chums arrived at the pier on Staten Island without further incident. Tony reported that nothing had happened while they were gone, and listened to their night"s adventures with keen interest.
"Let"s get away from here early," he urged.
30 The next morning, as the boys prepared to embark for Bayport, a little after six o"clock, a short, slender Chinese approached them on the dock.
"Good grief, another one?" Chet muttered.
Their visitor was dapperly dressed in a summer suit and straw hat. "Good morning, boys. May I introduce myself? George Ti-Ming. The Hai Hau Hai Hau is most pleasing to me. It is is most pleasing to me. It is exactly like one owned by my family in China. I was disappointed to learn that you young gentlemen had purchased it, because I should like to have it. Perhaps you would be willing to sell for a suitable price?"
The boys exchanged suspicious glances. Was he another member of a large gang determined to get the boat, or were there three separate groups interested in it? And why?
"We do not wish to sell," Frank told Mr. Ti-Ming.
The man shrugged. "There is an old Chinese saying that bad luck follows those who will not be reasonable. You may regret your decision."
The youthful owners of the Hai Hau Hai Hau began to suspect the same thing. But they rejected began to suspect the same thing. But they rejected any thought of giving up the junk, and cast off as George Ti-Ming stood watching them, his eyes slitted with annoyance.
The sky was overcast, with a brisk breeze chopping up the gray-green sea. The Bayport crew hoisted sail to take advantage of the wind.
31 "Boy, at last we get a chance to enjoy ourselves!" Chet lolled back in the stern, lacing his hands behind his head.
"You said it," Frank agreed. "But we"d better keep an eye on the weather."
The outer harbor was alive with shipping, but gradually they left this scene of activity behind. As the Hal Hau Hal Hau proceeded along during the late afternoon, the wind gradually died proceeded along during the late afternoon, the wind gradually died down and mist gathered over the water. Sails flapping, the junk had to depend on its motor.
"That fog"s building up," Tony remarked. "We"d better hug the sh.o.r.eline."
Joe, who was handling the tiller, nodded. "Looks as though it"s going to be a real pea-souper." He cut speed as the fog became thicker.
The hooting of foghorns reached their ears. Frank began sounding their own power whistle, a blast every minute. Bit by bit, the fog closed in. Soon they were blanketed by a thick curtain.
"Think we should drop anchor?" Joe asked.
His question was answered as they felt a sudden b.u.mp from the bottom. The motor churned uselessly.
"We"re aground!" Biff exclaimed.
Joe cut the outboard hastily, hoping that no damage had occurred.
"N-now what?" said Chet nervously.
Frank shrugged. "Wait it out till the fog lifts. It"s about all we can do."
32 It was an eerie sensation, lying still on the water, cut off from the outside world. The boys took turns ringing the junk"s bell. From time to time, m.u.f.fled sounds drifted through the swirling mist.
Chet had taken charge of the galley. As he prepared to heat up cans of beans for supper on the charcoal stove, he accidentally spilled several red-hot embers onto the wooden deck.
"Watch it!" Tony yelled.
Joe doused the embers with a splash of water. "Take it easy, Chet!"
"This junk must be jinxed!" Biff grumbled.
The fog did not lift until morning. Biff and Tony pried the junk loose with the euloh oar and a boat hook, while Frank reversed the engine. Fortunately, no damage had occurred.
The boys resumed their voyage, making good time. They slept on board again that night and at noon the next day, Sat.u.r.day, triumphantly sailed into Bayport Harbor. A crowd gathered as the junk approached the public dock.
"Boy, look at the reception!" Chet exulted.
"All we need is a bra.s.s band," Tony agreed with a pleased grin. "This"ll get our boat business off to a flying start!"
The boys" satisfaction dimmed considerably when they found themselves greeted by laughs and joking comments. Clams Dagget was in the forefront of the crowd, spurring on the spectators with jeering remarks.
33 "Here comes the "Hee Haw"! I told you they was buyin" a real junk!" junk!" he hooted. "I"d he hooted. "I"d sooner put to sea in a bathtub!"
Joe scrambled up on the dock, ready to blast Clams angrily. But Frank laid a restraining hand on his brother"s arm.
"Let him have his little joke." Calling out to Clams, he said, "It"s p.r.o.nounced "Hay How." "
After arranging for s.p.a.ce at a dock that had day and night guards, the chums left the Hai Hau tied up, planning to get in touch with one another by phone. Frank and Joe hurried tied up, planning to get in touch with one another by phone. Frank and Joe hurried home. They found Aunt Gertrude pale and upset.
"I"m glad you"re back!" she said, as they each gave her a hug. "There was a prowler here again last night!"
CHAPTER IV.