Frank and Andy Afloat Part 25

"Just the same, I wish we were after that man," said Frank in a low voice.

For three days the storm continued, and with such violence that the Racer boys could not even go after their boat which they had left at Mardene.

Then, on the fourth day, the clouds broke and the sun shone. There was a brisk wind, and Frank proposed that they take a train and get the _Gull_, sailing her back to Harbor View.

"Before you go I wish you'd call at Captain Trent's fish store, and get me some lobsters," requested Mrs. Racer. "I want some for dinner to-night."

"And Andy wants one for a leg bracelet," added Frank with a laugh.

"Aw, cut it out!" begged his brother.

They stopped in the fish store on their way to the depot. There they found Bob, busily engaged in putting up clams, and other products of the sea, for customers. Andy remarked to the captain that he thought he had a new clue to the mysterious man.

"And that reminds me, that I meant to ask you where he would likely be heading for when he drove us back," put in frank.

"Where was he?" inquired the old seaman, and the brothers described the location.

"By Neptune!" suddenly exclaimed the captain. "I shouldn't wonder but what he was going to Cliff Island!"

"Cliff Island!" cried Frank.

"Yes, you know that group of rocks--it's not much more than ten miles from the Shark Teeth."

"Sure we know where it is," agreed Andy "But no one lives on it. It's as desolate as a volcano."

"All the better for what that man wanted," declared die captain. "Take my word for it he's gone there with the damaged motor boat, though why I can't say. But he wants to be let alone, and that's the best place he could pick out for the purpose. Why don't you go there?"

"I believe we will!" cried Frank. "We didn't know just how to begin the search, but that's the best clue yet."

"On to Cliff Island!" cried Andy.

"Hus.h.!.+ Not so loud," cautioned his brother. "You can't tell who might hear you."

Then, having ordered the lobsters, they hurried away to take the train for Mardene to get the sailboat. Once more they were on the search for the mysterious man.

CHAPTER XVII

ON CLIFF ISLAND

"Why didn't we think before of going to the island?" asked Andy, as he and his brother sat in the train on the way to Mardene.

"Give it up," answered Frank. "But, as the captain says, it would be just the place for a criminal to hide. Hardly any boats stop there if they can help it, unless they want shelter from a storm, and it's out of the line of regular travel. Still, we may not find our man there."

"Yes, but it's a good chance. There's a fine wind to-day, and we oughtn't to be a great while running to the island."

The brothers discussed the curious case into which they had been drawn since rescuing Paul Gale, and they talked about the island.

Its name came from the fact that, situated in the center of it, there was a high rocky cliff. There were several caves running under this cliff, hollowed out by natural means, and rumor had it that, in the early days, sea rovers and pirates used them as places of refuge, or to hide their ill-gotten plunder.

No one had been able to confirm this, however, though it was not for want of trying, as our heroes, as well as several other boys, had paid a number of visits to the island.

But they found no traces of pieces of eight or Spanish doubloons, and, truth to tell, the caves were not very inviting places, being damp and dark, so the lads never penetrated very deeply. Thus Cliff Island was not very well known. It was a desolate, barren sort of place, wind and storm swept, and the abiding place of innumerable gulls.

"I tell you what we ought to do," remarked Andy, as the train neared their destination.

"What's that? Not play any more jokes I hope." And Frank smiled as he looked at his brother.

"No, I mean about this chase. We ought to arrange to stay on the island for several days--sort of camp there. It's so big and so irregular in shape, and with so many caves, that we can't go all over it in one day. And there's no telling where that man may be hiding."

"That's so. Then you think we'd better stock up with grub, and make it a sort of picnic?"

"I do. We can telephone word home of what we're going to do, so they won't worry. It will be fun, even if we don't find any clues of the mysterious man."

"I'm with you. We can buy our grub in Mardene and stock our boat.

Then for 'a life on the ocean wave, a home on the bounding deep,'"

quoted Frank, in a sing-song voice.

The _Gull_ was tied up in a small slip where they had left her, and the provisions were soon put aboard. Then the two brothers went over every rope and sail, to make sure they would serve in the strain of a storm.

"Well, guess we might as well pull out," remarked Frank, as he looked up at the "tattle-tale," or piece of triangular bunting flying from the mast to tell the direction of the wind. "We've got a good breeze now.

I hope it holds."

"Wait just a minute," begged Andy. "I want to take a look at that motor boat," and he motioned to a large one that was tied near the sailboat. "I wish we had one like that. It's a beaut!"

No one was near the craft and soon Andy was in it, inspecting her critically. Frank saw him handling some of the wires that ran to spark plugs in the four cylinder heads.

"Better let things alone," cautioned the older Racer lad. "You might get something out of order."

"I just thought of a little joke I can play on the fellow who owns this," chuckled Andy, as he disconnected one of the high-tension cables.

"Oh you and your jokes!" objected Frank, somewhat sternly. "You'll get more than you count on, some day."

"Oh, I'm only going to fix things so that when he turns on the batteries and starts to turn over the fly wheel he'll get a shock,"

explained Andy. "I'll just cross these wires and----"

Andy Racer didn't finish what he was going to say. Instead he jumped back as though he had been stung by a hornet, and let out a yell:

"Wow! Sufferin' cats!" he cried, holding one hand in the other and prancing about.

"What's the matter?" asked Frank in some alarm.

"I got a fearful shock! The wires were short-circuited and I didn't know it! Smoked mackerel! I got a big charge of electricity!" howled Andy.

"Serves you right for meddling with other people's boats, and trying to play jokes on them," declared Frank, as sternly as he could, though he had to laugh at the wry face Andy was making as he danced about.