The Rover Boys on Treasure Isle Part 6

It was quite a distance to Swift River, which at this point ran among a number of stately willows. As the boys gained the water's edge they saw a boat putting out not a hundred feet away.

"There they are!" cried d.i.c.k.

"Stop!" yelled Tom. "Stop, unless you want to be shot!"

"We'll do a little shooting ourselves if you are not careful!" came back in a harsh voice.

"Take care! Take care!" cried Jack Ness, in terror, and ran to hide behind a handy tree.

The two men in the boat were putting down the stream with all speed.

The current, always strong, soon carried them around a bend and out of sight.

It must be confessed that the boys were in a quandary. They did not wish to give up the chase, yet they realized that the escaping men might be desperate characters and ready to put up a hard fight if cornered.

"Jack, I think you had better run over to the Ditwold house and tell them what is up," said d.i.c.k, after a moment's thought. "Tell Ike and Joe we are going to follow in Dan Bailey's boat." The Ditwolds were neighboring farmers and Ike and Joe were strong young men ever ready to lend a hand in time of trouble.

"All right," answered the hired man, and set off, first, however, turning his firearm over to Tom.

The three Rover boys were well acquainted with the river, and had had more than one adventure on its swiftly-flowing waters, as my old readers know. They skirted a number of the willows and came to a small creek, where they found Dan Bailey's craft tied to a stake. But there were no oars, and they gazed at one another in dismay.

"We might have known it," said d.i.c.k, in disgust. "He always takes the oars up to the barn with him."

The barn was a good distance off and none of the boys relished running that far for oars. More than this, they felt that by the time the oars were brought the other craft would be out of sight and hearing, and thus the trail of the midnight prowlers would be lost.

"Here is a bit of board," said Sam, searching around. "Let us use that for a paddle. The current will carry us almost as swiftly as if we were rowing. The main thing will be to keep out of the way of the rocks."

"I wish those chaps would run on the rocks and smash their boat to bits," grumbled Tom, who had gotten a stone in his loose shoe and was consequently limping.

The boys shoved the rowboat from the creek to the river and leaped in.

d.i.c.k, being the largest and strongest, took the board and using it as a sweep, sent the craft well out where the current could catch it. Down the stream went the boat, with Sam in the middle and Tom in the stern.

There was no rudder, so they had to depend entirely upon d.i.c.k, who stood up near the bow, peering ahead for rocks, of which the river boasted a great number.

"Those fellows must know this river," remarked Sam, as he started to lace his shoes, there being nothing else just then to do.

"They ought to--if they are the fellows who visited our henhouse before," answered Tom. "d.i.c.k, can you see them?"

"No, but I know they must be ahead."

"Perhaps they went ash.o.r.e--just to fool us."

"They couldn't get ash.o.r.e here very well--it is too rocky, you know that as well as I do. Listen!"

They listened, but the only sound that broke the stillness was the distant roar of Humpback Falls, where Sam had once had such a thrilling adventure, as related in "The Rover Boys at School." Even now, so long afterward, it made the youngest Rover s.h.i.+ver to think of that happening.

A minute later the boat came clear of the tree shadows and the boys saw a long stretch ahead of them, s.h.i.+mmering like silver in the moonbeams.

Sam, looking in the direction of the opposite sh.o.r.e, made out a rowboat moving thither.

"There they are!" he cried.

At once d.i.c.k essayed to turn their own craft in that direction. But with only a bit of a board for a paddle, and with the current tearing along wildly, this was not easy. The rowboat was turned partly, but then sc.r.a.ped some rocks, and they were in dire peril of upsetting.

"I see where they are going!" cried Tom. "To the old Henderson mill."

"We'll have to land below that point," said his oldest brother. "If I try to get in there with only this board I'll hit the rocks sure."

"They are taking chances, even with oars," was Sam's comment. "See, they have struck some rocks!"

He was right, and the Rovers saw the boat ahead spin around and the two men leap to their feet in alarm. But then the craft steadied itself, and a moment later shot into the shadows of the trees beside the old flour mill.

It was not until five minutes later that d.i.c.k was able to guide their own rowboat to the sh.o.r.e upon which the mill was located. They hit several rocks, but at last came in where there was a sandy stretch. All leaped out, and the craft was hauled up to a point out of the current's reach.

"Now to get back to the mill as soon as possible, and corner those fellows if we can," said Tom, and without delay the three Rover boys started through the woods in the direction of the spot where the two men had landed.

CHAPTER V

AT THE OLD MILL

The Henderson mill was now largely so only in name. So far back as the Rover boys could remember, it had been a tenantless structure going slowly to decay. The water wheel was gone, and so were the grinding stones, and the roof and sides were full of holes. Henderson, the owner, had years ago fallen heir to a fortune, and had moved away, leaving the building at the mercy of the tramps who frequently stopped there.

It was no easy matter to climb around or over the rocks which lay between the boys and the old mill, and the darkness under the thick trees was intense. They felt their way along slowly, and Tom was careful to carry the shotgun with the barrel pointed downward, that there might be no accident.

"More than likely those fellows have been putting up at the old mill,"

said d.i.c.k.

"They'll leave now--if they think we are coming," answered Sam.

"Let us keep quiet," put in Tom. "If they hear us talking they will surely skip out."

After that but little was said. Foot by foot they drew closer to the dilapidated structure, until it loomed up dimly before them. Then d.i.c.k motioned for the others to halt.

With bated breath the boys listened. At first they heard little but the rus.h.i.+ng of the water over the rocks. Then came a sudden cracking of a rotten floor board, followed by an exclamation.

"Confound the luck! I've put my foot through the floor again," growled a man's voice. "Sh.e.l.ley, why don't you light the lantern? Do you want me to break my neck?"

"If I light the lantern the Rovers may come here," was the answer from the man called Sh.e.l.ley.

"Oh, they went down the river--I saw them."

"They may have turned in nearby."

Some more words followed, but spoken so low that the boys could not understand them. They heard a faint creaking of the flooring of the old mill, but that was all.

"They are there, that's certain," whispered d.i.c.k. "But I don't see how we are going to capture them in this darkness."

"I wish we had a lantern," said the youngest Rover.