Dan Carter and the River Camp Part 31

By this time all the Cubs had reached the hotel. However, except for Dan, Mr. Hatfield would not allow them inside the building.

The lobby of the old hotel had been converted into a makes.h.i.+ft living room. Scantily furnished with a few cast-off pieces of rickety furniture, the floor was unswept and the windows dirty.

Climbing a flight of squeaky stairs, the policemen began a systematic search of the bedrooms. Nearly all were empty and unfurnished.

"Jacques was in the room to the right of the corridor," Dan said, pointing it out.

The officer thrust open the door. A boy who had been lying on an unmade bed, quickly got to his feet. Fully dressed, he stared first at Dan and then at the policemen.

"This the boy?" the officer demanded.

"Yes, it's Jacques," Dan answered as the youth stood mute.

Mr. Manheim and Jabowski had followed the policemen into the bedroom.

"Your name, boy?" the police officer questioned.

"Jacques-Jacques Jabowski."

"Jabowski? You're related to the caretaker?"

"He's my nephew," Jabowski answered before the boy could speak. "Anything wrong with that?"

The police officer fixed Dan with an annoyed glance. "You didn't mention a relations.h.i.+p, kid."

"Well, I didn't know," Dan said in embarra.s.sment. "That is, I'd heard Jabowski had a nephew, but I never once thought of his being Jacques. The boy was taken away from the Cave, and when I saw him here-"

"You jumped to wild conclusions," Mr. Manheim cut in furiously.

"Jacques will tell you I take good care of him and provide him with everything he needs," Jabowski added.

"But you've kept him a prisoner," Dan accused.

"That's not so," Jabowski denied. He gazed hard at his nephew. "You tell 'em, Jacques. Are you held a prisoner here?"

Jacques remained silent.

"Answer up," Jabowski ordered harshly.

"No!" the boy replied, his face sullen.

"Jacques don't like it much here in this country," his uncle explained.

"He came over from France six months ago and is learning to speak English."

"You see," Mr. Manheim broke in again. "This entire situation has been misunderstood. Everything is in order here. I foolishly gave the Cub Scouts permission to camp on my island and they've allowed their imaginations to run riot."

"If any mistake has been made, it was entirely mine," Dan said. "But I can't understand-"

He gazed at Jacques who was looking at him with a strange expression in his eyes. It seemed to Dan that the boy wanted to speak, that he was trying to make something known, and yet was afraid. Dan decided to question him.

"Jacques," he said earnestly. "Why did you leave the Cave? Who took you away?"

"You came here of your own free will, Jacques," his uncle replied, putting words in the boy's mind. "Wasn't that it? Tell the officers."

"Yes," Jacques replied, his eyes downcast. "_Oui_."

Obviously disgusted by the turn of events, the policemen made a quick and casual inspection of other rooms in the old hotel.

"Everything seems to be in order here," they informed Mr. Manheim. "Sorry to have caused you annoyance."

Mr. Hatfield and Dan also apologized to the island owner. However, he was in no mood to accept an explanation or to forgive.

"I made a mistake allowing the Cubs to come here," Mr. Manheim declared.

"You've spread damaging rumors about the island."

"If that's the way you feel, we'll leave at once," the Cub leader replied. "An error of judgment was made, but under the circ.u.mstance, I don't feel Dan should be too severely criticized."

The island owner and Mr. Hatfield now stood on the sagging veranda, surrounded by Cubs. A few splatters of rain drove into their faces.

"I'll not ask you to break camp with a storm coming on," Mr. Manheim said. "If you'll leave by tomorrow morning, that will be satisfactory."

"We'll endeavor to depart before that. I'll contact the mainland as quickly as I can and have a launch come to pick up our equipment."

"Suit yourselves," Mr. Manheim shrugged. "I'm not driving you away.

You're free to stay until tomorrow morning. After that, I'll consider it a favor if you'll not bring the Cubs here again."

"Rest a.s.sured we will remain away, Mr. Manheim."

"Another thing. I've changed my mind about selling the camp site. You readily can see that it would never work out to have Cubs or Scouts here.

There would be constant friction."

"On that point I could give you an argument, Mr. Manheim. However, I realize you've made up your mind, so I'll say no more."

Leaving Mr. Manheim with Jabowski, the discouraged Cubs trudged back to camp with their leaders. Rain now was falling steadily, adding to the gloom of the boys.

"Brace up, Dan," Brad said as the two sought the shelter of a tent. "It wasn't exactly your fault."

"Sure it was," Dan insisted. "I've messed things up for fair. Mr.

Hatfield's being mighty decent about it, but I can see he's bothered. And the Scouts will blame us for cutting them out of their camp site."

"Who wants this old island anyhow? We've had plenty of trouble since we came here."

"All caused by our own wild imagination, as Manheim puts it! Brad, Jacques was hiding the truth from the police! I'm sure of it. He's completely under the thumb of that uncle of his."

"Maybe so, but if we can't prove it, what's the good in knowing? We'll be leaving here as soon as this rain lets up."

Dan nodded gloomily. Already Mr. Hatfield and Midge's father were making arrangements to have a launch sent from the yacht club. The moment that the storm cleared, he knew an order would be given to strike the tents.

"Brad, if we could talk to Jacques alone, maybe we could get something out of him," he proposed suddenly.