The Deserted Yacht
Page 7
CHAPTER VII A Motor Boat Chase
Madge quietly opened the door and moved stealthily toward Mr. Burnett'scabin. Enid, terrified at the thought of remaining behind, followed.
They stole softly along the deck, every muscle tensed for the unexpected.Madge stepped over a coil of rope in her path and too late turned to warnher chum. Enid failed to see it. She stumbled and fell flat on the deck,letting out a sharp exclamation.
Before she could regain her feet, a figure darted from Mr. Burnett'scabin. He went over the railing like a flash and was lost to view.
"Oh, we mustn't let him get away!" Madge cried.
She jerked Enid to her feet and they reached the railing just in time tosee a motor boat speed away from the yacht.
"Enid, can you run your father's motor boat?" she demanded.
"Yes, but----"
"Then come on! Our only chance of tracing your father is to follow thisman!"
Rex had filled the tank of the motor boat that afternoon, but it requiredseveral minutes before Enid had the engine going. Madge cast off and theymoved away from the yacht.
"To the right!" she directed. "I saw him head that way."
Enid swung the wheel and they made for the open water. The boat rapidlygathered speed until the sea split from under her prow in huge waves.
"Can you see him, Madge?"
"Dead ahead. He has the engine muffled."
"Then we'll lose him if we're not careful."
"Can't you go faster?"
Enid shook her head.
For a few minutes longer they kept the boat in sight but it wasincreasingly apparent that they were running a losing race. The man theywere following knew the channels and his boat was fast. Soon he wasswallowed by the night.
After it was evident that they had lost him, Enid stopped the engine.They listened for a few minutes but there was no sound of a motor boat.
"I guess we may as well turn back!" Madge said in disgust.
"It was all my fault," Enid grieved. "Of course, I had to stumble overthat old rope!"
"It wasn't your fault, honey," Madge comforted. "It was just a bad breakof luck."
Enid was silent as they slowly steered back toward The Flora. Madge too,was occupied with her own thoughts. She wondered what could be themeaning of the midnight visit. Had the prowler come for the purpose ofransacking the cabin or was it possible that he had brought some message?
The girls were thoroughly chilled by the night air before they reachedthe yacht. Yet, the adventure had made them far too nervous to evenconsider going back to bed. After lighting nearly all of the lamps, theyscrewed up their courage and entered Mr. Burnett's cabin. A hasty glanceabout assured them that nothing had been touched.
"I guess he didn't have time to do any damage," Enid declared. "What doyou suppose brought him here tonight?"
"I wish I knew."
"Well, I think Rex was right about staying here alone. It was a terriblyfoolish thing to do. I'll not spend another night here without a guard."
After a time they settled themselves in deck chairs, and there, snuggleddown under steamer rugs, they spent the remainder of the night. For somereason they felt safer out in the open where they could see any boat thatmight approach. Occasionally, they dozed off, but for the most part theymaintained a vigilant watch.
At dawn they stretched their cramped limbs and went to Enid's cabin tofreshen up. Hot coffee revived their spirits and strengthened theirmorale. As the sun beat down upon the deck it was difficult for them tobelieve that they had spent such a harrowing night.
"We must report to the police immediately," Madge advised. "They mayattach special significance to what happened during the night."
Soon after breakfast, Mr. Burnett's cook and three sailors appeared uponthe scene, and after she had given them orders for the day, Enid wasready to leave.
"It's a relief to know someone will be at the yacht while we're gone,"she said to Madge as they drove away in the motor boat. "Jose the cookwas quite broken up to hear about Father. And the sailors too have alwaysliked him."
At the police station, the girls related the happenings of the night.While the authorities offered no comment other than to ask a fewquestions, it was plain that the incident puzzled them. Enid had hopedthe police would have good news to report, but seemingly, the case was ata standstill.
"There's very little we can do until some communication is received fromthe kidnappers," Mr. Randall told her. "Rest assured a demand for ransomwill be made soon."
"But more than twenty-four hours has elapsed already," Enid protested."If those men were after money I should have thought they would have lefta note behind at the time of the kidnapping."
The girls spent over an hour at the station and left more discouragedthan ever. Although Enid was trying desperately to maintain her courage,she was beginning to fear that she might never see her father again.
Before returning to their motor boat they stopped at a street corner topurchase newspapers. The story of the kidnapping had been spread out onthe front page in bold print and their own photographs stared them in theface.
"Oh, dear," Enid lamented, "it's dreadful to get you mixed up in this. Iinvited you here for a pleasant vacation and instead, plunged you intoall this publicity."
"I'm here to help," Madge assured her. "If only we had something to workon!"
They walked on to the water front and were just boarding the motor boatwhen Madge clutched her friend by the arm.
"See that man over there! He's the one I told you about--the boatman whoran away and left me aboard the yacht."
Enid turned to look.
"Oh, I think I've seen him before. I don't know his name but I'm surehe's all right. He probably didn't understand that you wanted him towait."
"Just the same, I'd like to talk with him again," Madge said quietly.
They started toward the man but without seeming to observe theirapproach, he moved swiftly away to lose himself in an alley.
"See that, Enid! He knew we intended to question him!"
"Why, he didn't even see us coming."
"I think he did," Madge insisted. "He pretended not to be looking ourway, but all the while he was watching out the corner of his eye. One ofthese times I'll catch him unaware!"
Since there was slight chance he would return, the girls went back totheir boat and soon reached The Flora. They were informed by a sailorthat during their absence Rex had been there. A number of reporters hadcalled too, but had not been permitted to board the vessel.
"After lunch I must straighten up Father's cabin," Enid remarked to herchum. "I'd do it now only I have a headache. I believe I'll lie down foran hour or so."
After her friend had gone to her room, Madge sat out on deck and tried toread. Soon the magazine fell to her lap and she stared thoughtfully outacross the bay. At length she arose.
"I may as well put Mr. Burnett's cabin to rights," she decided. "I knowit's a task Enid dreads."
She found the cabin door unlocked and entered. Everything was just as shehad discovered it the morning of her arrival at Cheltham Bay. After apreliminary survey, she began at one corner of the room, straighteningrugs and rearranging furniture. She picked up newspapers, books andarticles which had been hurled to the floor in the desperate struggle.
In righting the objects on the desk, her attention was attracted to ascrap of paper which had fallen to the floor. Madge did not recall havingnoticed it there before. Thinking that it must have blown from the deskwhen the door was opened, she bent down and picked it up.
She gave it a casual glance and then stared in blank astonishment.
"Great jumping snakes!" she exclaimed. "Where did this come from?"
With the paper clutched tightly in her hand, she darted out the door andran toward Enid's cabin.