CHAPTER VIII
THE STOLEN UNIFORMS
Rob and his old friend lost no time the next morning in getting down tothe water-front to make inquiries about the captain's missing boat. Totheir astonishment, however, almost the first craft that caught theireyes as they arrived at the L wharf to begin their search was the oldsailor's motor dory, to all appearances in exactly the same positionshe had occupied the preceding night when the captain moored her.
"Have I clapped deadlights on my optics, or am I gone plumb locoed?"bellowed the amazed captain, as he saw the little craft dancing lightlyon the sunny waters.
"You are certainly not mistaken in supposing that is your boat. I'dknow her among a thousand," Rob assured him. "Are you quite certainthat she was not here last night, captain?"
"Just as sure as I am that yer and me is standin' here," rejoined thebewildered captain. "I've sailed the seven seas in my day, and man andboy seen many queer things; but if this don't beat cock fightin', I'man inky Senegambian!"
The captain's voice had risen to a perfect roar as he uttered the lastwords, and a sort of jack-of-all-trades about the wharf, whose name wasHi Higgins, came shuffling up, asking what was the trouble.
"Trouble," roared the hermit of Topsail Island. "Trouble enough ferall hands and some left over fer the cat! Say, shipmate, yer hangsabout this here L wharf a lot. Did yer see any piratical humansmonkeyin' around my boat last night?"
"Why, what d'yer mean, cap'n," sniffled Hi Higgins. "I seen yer tie uphere, and there yer boat is now. What d'yer mean by pira-pirawell,them parties yer mentioned? Yer mean some one took it?"
"Took it--yes, yer hornswoggled longshore lubber!" bellowed thecaptain. "I thought yer was hired as a sort uv watchman on this wharf.A find watchman yer are!"
"Well, yer see, cap'n," returned Hi Higgins, really alarmed at thecaptain's truculent tone, "I ain't here much after nine at night orbefore five in the morning."
"Well, was my boat here at five this mornin'?" demanded the captain.
"Sure it was," rejoined Hi Higgins, with a sniffle; "the fust boat Iseen."
"Rob, my boy, I'm goin' crazy in my old age!" gasped the captain. "I'mas certain as I can be that the boat wasn't here when I came down tothe wharf last midnight, but the pre-pon-der-ance of evidence isagainst me."
The captain shook his head gravely as he spoke. It was evident that hewas sorely puzzled and half inclined to doubt the evidence of his ownsenses.
"Douse my toplights," he kept muttering, "if this don't beat a flyingDutchman on wheels and with whiskers!"
"I certainly don't believe that your eyes deceived you, captain," putin Rob, in the midst of the captain's rumbling outbursts. "It looks tome as if somebody really did borrow your boat last night, and that thedecoy note supposed to be from me had something to do with it."
"By the great horn spoon, yer've got it, my boy!" roared the captain."And now yer come ter speak uv it, my mind misgives me that all ain 'tright at the island. I didn't tell yer, but I left a tidy sum uv moneyin that old iron safe off the Sarah Jane, the last ship I commanded,and all this what's puzzled us so may be part uv some thievish scheme.
"I'm going ter hurry over ter the island and make certain sure," hewent on the next minute. "The more I think uv it, the more signs uvfoul weather I see. Good-by, my lad, and good luck. Will yer be outter see me soon? The bluefish are running fine."
"We may be out this afternoon, captain," responded Rob. "I am curiousmyself to see if any mischief has been done on your island. If therehas been," he added earnestly, "you can count on the Eagle Patrol tohelp you out."
"Thanks, my boy!" exclaimed the old man, who was bending over hisgasoline tank. "Hullo!" he shouted suddenly. "I wasn't crazy! Thisboat was took out last night. See here!"
He held up the gasoline measuring stick which he had grabbed up andplunged into the tank. The instrument was almost dry. The receptaclefor fuel was nearly empty.
"And I filled her before I started out!" thundered the captain."Whoever took my boat must have run her a long ways."
Fresh fuel was soon obtained, and the captain, after more shoutedfarewells, started for the island to try to obtain some clue to themysterious happenings of the night.
Rob, after watching him for a few moments, as he sped down the bluewaters of the sunlit inlet, turned away to return to his home, justrecollecting that, in their eagerness to search for the boat, both heand the captain had entirely forgotten about breakfast. He was in themiddle of the meal, and eagerly explaining to his interested parentsthe strange incidents of the missing boat and the decoy note, whenMerritt Crawford burst into the room unannounced.
"Oh, I beg your pardon!" he apologized, abashed. "I didn't know youwere at breakfast. But, Mr. Blake--Rob--something has happened that Ijust had to come and tell you about at once."
"Good gracious! More mysteries," Mr. Blake was beginning in a jocularway, when the serious look on the boy's face checked him. "What is it?What has happened, Merritt?" he asked soberly, while Rob regarded thespectacle of his usually placid corporal's excitement with round eyes.
"The uniforms are all gone!" burst out Merritt.
"What uniforms?"
"Ours--the Eagle Patrols'."
"What! Stolen?"
"That's right," hurried on Merritt. "I met old Mrs. Jones in aterrible state of mind. You know, Mr. Blake, she's the old woman whoscrubs out the place in the morning. I asked what was the matter, andshe told me that when she went to the armory early to-day, she foundthe lock forced and all the lockers broken open and the uniforms gone!"
"Have you seen the place?" asked Mr. Blake.
"Yes, I followed her up. The room was turned upside down. The lockshad been ripped right off and the lockers rifled of everything. Whocan have done it?"
"I'll bet anything Jack Curtiss and his gang had something to do withit, just as I believe they put up some crooked job on the captain!"burst out Rob, greatly excited and his breakfast entirely forgotten.
"Be careful how you make such a grave accusation," warned his father.
"I know it's a tough thing to say," admitted Rob; "but you don't knowthat bunch like we do. They'd--"
He was about to explain more of the characteristics of the bully andhis cronies when a fresh interruption occurred. This time it was HiramNelson. He was almost as abashed as Merritt had been when he foundthat his excitement had carried him into what seemed a familyconference.
"It's all right, Hiram. Come right in," said Mr. Blake cheerfully."Come on out with your news, for I can see you can hardly keep it toyourself."
"It's going round the town like wildfire!" responded the panting boy.The others nodded. "I see you know it already," he went on. "Well, Ithink I've got a clue."
"You have! Come on, let's hear it quick," cried Rob.
"Well, I was up late with Paul Perkins last night, talking over theaeroplane model competition, and didn't start home till about midnight.As I was approaching the armory I thought I saw a light in one of thewindows. I couldn't be certain, however, and I put it down to a trickthat my eyes had played me."
"Well, that's all right as far as it goes," burst out Rob. "Itprobably was a light. I wish you'd investigated."
"Wait a minute, Rob," said his father, noting Hiram's anxious face."There's more to come, isn't there, Hiram?"
"You bet! The most exciting part of it--the most important, I mean,"went on young Hiram, with an important air.
"Oh, well, get down to it," urged the impatient Rob. "What was it?"
"Why, right after I'd seen the light," went on Hiram, "I thought I sawa dark figure slip around the corner into that dark street."
"A dark figure! Hum! Sounds like one of those old yellow--backnovels," remarked Mr. Blake, with a smile.
"But this was a figure I recognized, sir," exclaimed Hiram. "It wasBill Bender!"
"Jack Curtiss' chum! They're as thick as two thieves," burst outMerritt.
"And I believe they ar
e two thieves," solemnly put in Rob.
"Well," went on Hiram, "the next minute Bill Bender came walking roundthe corner as fast as if he were coming from somewhere in a greathurry, and was hastening home. He told me he had been to a birthdayparty at his aunt's."
"At his aunt's," echoed Mr. Blake. "Well, that's an important point,for I happen to know that his aunt, Mrs. Graves, is out of town. Shevisited the bank yesterday morning and drew some money for hertraveling expenses. She informed me that she expected to be gone aweek or more."
"I knew it, I knew it!" shouted Rob. "That fellow ought to be in jail.He'll land there yet."
"Softly, softly, my boy," said Mr. Blake. "This is a grave affair, andwe cannot jump at conclusions."
"I'd jump him," declared Rob, "if I only knew for certain that he wasthe thief!"
"I will inform the police myself and have an investigation made," Mr.Blake promised. "We will leave no stone unturned to find out who hasbeen guilty of such an outrage."
"And in the meantime the Eagle Patrol will carry on an investigation ofits own," declared Rob sturdily. "What do you say, boys?"
"I'll bet every boy in the corps is with you on that," rejoined Merrittheartily.
"Same here," chimed in Hiram.
"The first step is to take a run to Topsail Island and see if all thequeer things that happened last night have not some connecting linkbetween them," suggested Mr. Blake. "I am inclined, after what youboys have told me, to think that they have."
"I am sure of it," echoed Rob.
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