CHAPTER XXIII
SUSPICIONS
The shock of the sudden stop, the tilting of the craft, which wassharply careened to one side, the howl of the wind, the rumble of thethunder, the flash of the lightning, and the dash of the rain--all thesecombined to make the position of those aboard the _Bluebird_ anythingbut enviable.
"Are we lost! Oh, are we lost?" cried Mrs. MacCall, rushing out of thecabin. "Ha the seas engulfed us?"
"No, nothing of the sort!" answered Mr. Howbridge. "Please don't getexcited, and go back to the children. We are all right!"
"Yes, I believe we are," added Neale, as another flash showed what hadhappened. "At least we are in no danger of sinking now."
For they had been sent before the fury of the storm straight upon therocky shore of one of the large islands of Lake Macopic. And there thehouseboat came to rest.
As Neale had said, all danger of foundering was passed, and in case ofneed they could easily escape to substantial land, though it was but anisland. But tilted as the _Bluebird_ was, forming a less comfortableabode than formerly, she offered a better place to stay than did thewoods of the island, bending as they were now to the fierce wind, anddrenched as they were in the pelting rain.
"We're here for the night, at least," said Neale, as the continuedlightning revealed more fully what had happened. "We shall not drift anymore, and though there's a lot of excitement going on, I guess we cankeep dry."
He and Mr. Howbridge, with Ruth and Agnes, stood out on the open, lowerdeck, but there was a shelter over their heads and the sides of thehouse part of the boat kept the rain from them. The storm was comingfrom the west, and they had been blown on the weather side of theisland. The lee shore was on the other side. There they would have beensheltered, but they could not choose their situation.
"We'd better take a turn with a rope around a tree or two," suggestedHank, as he came up to join the little party. "No use drifting offagain."
"You're right," agreed Neale. "And then we can turn in and wait formorning. I only hope--"
"What?" asked Agnes, as he hesitated.
"I hope it clears," Neale finished. But what he had been going to saywas that he hoped no holes would be stove in the hull of the boat.
It was no easy task for him and Hank to get two lines ashore--from bowand stern--and fasten them to trees. But eventually it was accomplished.Then, as if it had worked its worst, the storm appeared to decrease inviolence and it was possible to get a little rest.
However, before turning in again, Mrs. MacCall insisted on making a potof tea for the older folk, while the small children were given somebread and milk. As the berths where Dot and Tess had been sleeping wereuncomfortably tilted by the listing of the boat, the little girls weregiven the places occupied by Ruth and Agnes, who managed to make shiftto get some rest in the slanting beds.
"Whew!" exclaimed Neale as he went to his room when all that waspossible had been done, "this has been some night!"
As might have been expected, the morning broke clear, warm and sunny,and the only trace of the storm was in the rather high waves of thelake. Before Mrs. MacCall served breakfast Neale, Mr. Howbridge, Agnesand Ruth went ashore, an easy matter, since the _Bluebird_ was stranded,and made an examination. They found their craft so firmly fixed on therocky shore that help would be needed before she could be floated.
"But how are we going to get help?" asked Ruth.
"Oh, there may be fishermen living on this island," said Mr. Howbridge."We'll make a tour and see."
"And if there is none," added Neale, "Hank or I can row over to the nextnearest island or to the mainland and bring back some men."
The _Bluebird_ carried on her afterdeck a small skiff to be used inmaking trips to and from the craft when she was at anchor out in somestream or lake. This boat would be available for the journey to themainland or to another island.
An examination showed that the houseboat was not damaged more thansuperficially, and after a hearty breakfast, Neale and Mr. Howbridgeheld a consultation with Ruth and Agnes.
"What we had better do is this," said the lawyer. "We had better turnour energies in two ways. One toward getting the disabled motor inshape, and the other toward seeking help to put us afloat once more."
"Hank can work on the motor," decided Neale. "All it needs is to havethe monkey wrench taken out of the pit. In fact the space is so crampedthat only one can work to advantage at a time. That will leave me freeto go ashore in the boat."
"Why not try this island first?" asked Ruth. "If there are any fishermenhere they could help us get afloat, and it would save time. It is quitea distance to the main shore or even to the next island."
"Yes, it is," agreed Neale. "But I don't mind the row."
"It is still rough," put in Agnes, looking over the heaving lake.
"Then I think the best thing to do," said Mr. Howbridge, "is for some ofus to go ashore and see if we can find any men to help us. Three or fourof them, with long poles, could pry the _Bluebird_ off the rocks andinto the water again."
"Oh, do let's go ashore!" cried Agnes, and Tess and Dot, coming up justthen, echoed this.
Mrs. MacCall did not care to go, saying she would prepare dinner forthem. Hank took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and started to workon the motor, while the others began their island explorations.
The houseboat had been blown on one of the largest bits of wooded landthat studded Lake Macopic. In fact it was so large and wild that afterhalf an hour's walk no sign of habitation or inhabitants had been seen.
"Looks to be deserted," said Neale. "I guess I'll have to make the tripto the mainland after all."
"Perhaps," agreed the lawyer, while Ruth called to Tess and Dot not tostray too far off in their eagerness to see all there was to be seen inthe strange woods. "Well, we are in no special rush, and while ourposition is not altogether comfortable on board the _Bluebird_, therelief from the storm is grateful. I wonder--"
"Hark!" suddenly whispered Ruth, holding up a hand to enjoin silence. "Ihear voices!"
They all heard them a moment later.
"I guess some one lives here after all," remarked Mr. Howbridge. "Thetalk seems to come from just beyond us."
"Let's follow this path," suggested Neale, pointing to a fairly welldefined one amid the trees. It skirted the shore, swung down into alittle hollow, and then emerged on the bank of a small cove which formeda natural harbor for a small motor boat.
And a motor boat was at that moment in the sheltered cove. All in theparty saw it, and they also saw something else. This was a view of tworoughly dressed men, who, at the sound of crackling branches andrustling leaves beneath the feet of the explorers, looked up quickly.
"It's them again! Come on!" quickly cried one of the men, and in aninstant they had jumped into the motor boat which was tied to a treenear shore.
It was the work of but a moment for one of them to turn over theflywheel and start the motor. The other cast off, and in less than aminute from the time the Corner House girls and their friends hadglimpsed them the two ragged men were on their way in their boat out ofthe cove.
"Look! Look!" cried Ruth, pointing at them. "They're the same ones!"
"The men we saw at the lock?" asked Neale.
"Yes, and the men who robbed us--I am almost positive of that!" criedthe oldest Corner House girl.
"The rascals!" exclaimed the lawyer. "They're going to escape us again!Fate seems to be with them! Every time we come upon them they manage todistance us!"
This was what was happening now. The tramps--such they seemed to be,though the possession of a motor boat took them out of the ordinaryclass--with never a look behind, speeded away.
"How provoking!" cried Agnes. "To think they have our jewelry and wecan't make them give it up."
"You are not sure they have it," said Mr. Howbridge, as the motor craftpassed out of sight beyond a tree-fringed point.
"I think I am," said Ruth. "If they are not guilty why do they alwayshurry away when
they see us?"
"Well, Minerva, that is a question I can not answer," said her guardian,with a smile. "You are a better lawyer than I when it comes to that.Certainly it does look suspicious."
"Oh, for a motor boat!" sighed Neale. "I'd like to chase those rascals!"
"Yes, it would be interesting to find out why they seem to fear us,"agreed Mr. Howbridge. "But it's too late, now."
"I wonder why they came to this island," mused Ruth. "Do you think theywere fishermen?"
"They didn't have any implements of the trade," said Mr. Howbridge. "Buttheir presence proves that the island is not altogether uninhabited.Let's go along, and we may find some one to help get the boat back intothe water."
They resumed their journey, new beauties of nature being revealed atevery step. The trees and grass were particularly green after theeffective washing of the night before, and there were many wild flowerswhich the two little girls gathered, with many exclamations of delight.
Turning with the path, the trampers suddenly came to a small clearingamid the trees. It was a little grassy glade, through which flowed astream of water, doubtless from some hidden spring higher up among therocks. But what most interested Neale, Agnes, Ruth and the lawyer was asmall cabin that stood in the middle of the beautiful green grass.
"There's a house!" cried Dot. "Look!"
"It's the start of one, anyhow," agreed Mr. Howbridge.
"And somebody lives in it," went on Ruth, as the door of the cabinopened and a heavily bearded man came out, followed by a dog. The dogran, barking, toward the explorers, but a command from the man broughthim back.
"I hope we aren't trespassing," said Mr. Howbridge. "We were blown onthe island last night, and we're looking for help to get our houseboatback into the lake."
"Oh, no, you aren't trespassing," the man replied with a smile, showingtwo rows of white teeth that contrasted strangely with his black beard."I own part of the island, but not all of it. What sort of boat did yousay?"
"Houseboat," and the lawyer explained the trouble. "Are there men herewe can get to help us pole her off the shore?" he asked.
"Well, I guess I and my two boys could give you a hand," was the slowanswer. "They've gone over to the mainland with some fish to sell, butthey'll be back around noon."
"We'll be glad of their help," went on the lawyer. "Do you live here allthe while?"
"Mostly. I and my boys fish and guide. Lots of men come here in thesummer that don't know where to fish, and we take 'em out."
"Were those your two sons we saw in a motor boat back there in thecove?" asked Neale, indicating the place where the tramps had beenobserved. Rather anxiously the bearded man's answer was awaited.
"What sort of boat was it?" he countered.
Neale described it sufficiently well.
"No, those weren't my boys," returned the man, while the dog madefriends with the visitors, much to the delight of Dot and Tess. "Wehaven't any such boat as that. I don't know who those fellows could be,though of course many people come to this island."
"I wish we could find out who those men are," said Mr. Howbridge. "Ihave peculiar reasons for wanting to know," he went on.
"I think they call themselves Klondikers, because they have been, orclaim to have been, to the Alaskan Klondike," said Neale. "Do you happento know any Klondikers around here?"
Somewhat to the surprise of the boy the answer came promptly:
"Yes, I do. A man named O'Neil."
"What!" exclaimed Neale, starting forward. "Do you know my father? Whereis he? Tell me about him!"
"Well, I don't know that he's your father," went on the black-beardedman. "Though, now I recollect, he did say he had a son and he hoped tosee him soon. But this O'Neil lives on one of the islands here in thelake. Or at least he's been staying there the last week. He bought somefish of me, and he said then he'd been to the Klondike after gold."
"Did he say he got any?" asked Neale.
The man of the cabin shook his head.
"I wouldn't say so," he remarked. "Mr. O'Neil had to borrow money of oneof my boys to hire a boat. I guess he's poorer than the general run. Hecouldn't have got any gold in the Klondike."
At this answer Neale's heart sank, and a worried suspicion crept intohis mind. If his father were poor it might explain something that hadbeen troubling the boy of late. Somehow, all the brightness seemed to goout of the day. Neale's happy prospects appeared very dim now.
"Poor father!" he murmured to himself.
Suddenly, from the lake behind them came some loud shouts, at which thedog began to bark. Then followed a shot, and the animal raced down theslope toward the water.
The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat Page 23
