The Rover Boys in New York Part 38

"Go ahead, the sooner the better," responded d.i.c.k, coolly. "Those men are rascals and you know it. Now, I am going to give you one chance--just one," went on d.i.c.k, looking the master of the Ellen Rodney squarely in the eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"As I said before, those men are rascals. They abducted my father, and you aided them. I can prove it. As soon as we rescue my father we are going to prosecute those rascals. If you want to save your own skin you had better help us all you can."

At these plain words the face of Captain Rodney became a study.

"They told me he was a crazy man--a brother to one of the others--and they wanted to get him to some sanitarium."

"If that was so, why did they run away?"

"I didn't know they ran away--until just now."

"You started to go down the river," said Tom.

"Why did you change your mind and come here?"

"They chartered the schooner for a week--I was under their orders."

"Where were they going at first?"

"Down the Jersey coast and back. They said they thought a little ocean air would do the crazy man good before they put him in the sanitarium.

I own up that I was suspicious, but they claimed everything was straight."

"They were going to take my father down the coast for several days so that he could not sign important papers," returned d.i.c.k. "It is a well-laid plot to do our family out of a great deal of money and dishonor my father."

"Well, I ain't in it, I give you my word. I chartered my vessel to 'em, that's all."

"We will take you at your word, then. But you must tell all you know about them and their plans," said d.i.c.k, after a pause.

"And if I do that, will you--er--drop the charge against me?"

questioned the master of the Ellen Rodney, eagerly.

"If you don't, we are going to have you placed under arrest as soon as we can get an officer."

"Don't do that! I never had any trouble before and I don't want it now. I'll help you all I can--if what you say its true, and that man is your father."

After that the captain was quite willing to talk, and he told how Crabtree and j.a.pson had come to him and questioned him about the schooner, and finally chartered the craft for a week. They had at first wanted to pay him at the end of the time, but he had insisted upon receiving his money in advance and it was then paid over. He had been told that the strange man was Crabtree's brother, who had gone crazy because of the loss of his money in a Western irrigation scheme.

"They said they would take him down the coast for three or four days, to brace him up a bit. Then we were to run in at Absecon, near Atlantic City, and land all hands. They said they would go from Atlantic City to Lakewood, where the sanitarium was located."

"Probably they intended to let him go at Absecon and then deny that they had ever touched him," said d.i.c.k.

"Maybe--I don't know anything about that," replied the captain.

"But how did you come to change your plans?" asked Tom.

"When you came out in that rowboat and the crazy man--excuse me, I mean your father--cut up so, they hustled him back to one of the state-rooms," went on Captain Rodney. "Then they had a long talk. I think they were afraid you would go down the river by train and try to head them off."

"Which we did," murmured Sam.

"After a while Pelter and j.a.pson came to me and said they must come up the river--that a sister of the crazy man lived up here, and they must visit her before they went down the coast. I was suspicious, but what could I do? I had chartered my vessel and I had my money, so I obeyed orders. Then we came up here as fast as we could. The steam tug was dismissed, and we came ash.o.r.e to this place. Then they hired an auto and went off--and that's all I know about it."

"You don't know where they went?" cried d.i.c.k.

"No more than what they said--that they were going to the crazy man's sister."

"Which was false," muttered Tom.

"What were you to do?" asked d.i.c.k.

"They told me I might sail up the river to Newburgh and wait there for a telegram."

After that the captain talked freely. But what he had to say shed but little more light on the subject. The boys came to the conclusion that he had been dragged into the plot without knowing what it was, but that he had been willing to lend his help, provided he was well paid for it.

"When the proper time comes I shall want your testimony," said d.i.c.k, at the conclusion of the interview. "In the meantime I advise you to have no more to do with those fellows."

"They shan't come near the schooner, even if they did charter her,"

growled Captain Rodney.

CHAPTER XXII

HOT ON THE TRAIL

The boys had no appet.i.te, but as they were in the dining room they ordered a light lunch and paid for it. Then they saw an automobile come splas.h.i.+ng through the mud of the road.

"There is that car!" cried Sam, as he recognized the driver.

The boys ran out and made their way through the rain to the garage.

The enclosed touring car had just entered and the driver had shut off the power. The wind s.h.i.+eld had been up, but the man had gotten quite wet and stood shaking the water from his coat.

"Here's the car!" cried the colored man, coming forward.

"So I see," returned d.i.c.k. He turned to the driver. "Pretty bad traveling, I imagine."

"You bet! The road is a ma.s.s of slippery mud. I came near skidding half a dozen times."

"Where did you go?" and d.i.c.k stepped closer to the chauffeur.

The man started and looked at the oldest Rover boy sharply.

"What's that to you?" he asked, shortly.

"Everything. We want to go to the same place."