Chapter XXIV: A New Alarm

"Do you give up, Waddy?" demanded Frank, menacingly holding his gun leveled.

"Oh, we'll hands up, all right. Both of us are on the blink with the smoke, and nigh blind. Call it off, fellers," whined the owner of the dirty face in the opening, while he coughed several times to emphasize his words.

"All right, then. Now, tell Biffins that we want him out first, and if he tries to run, it's a charge of bird shot for him in the rear. Get that?"

"Sure. No danger of us doin' anythin'. We're so near blind we couldn't run if we wanted to."

The head vanished. Ten seconds later the door was thrown open and a big man staggered into sight, reeling as if he were intoxicated. The two fugitives had stubbornly stuck to the cabin through all, until nearly dead for fresh air.

As he came, the man held both arms aloft. Apparently he knew what was wanted, and did not mean to encourage these young hunters to try a shot at his person.

"Lie down on the ground, on your face!" shouted Frank. "Now keep your hands stretched out that way. Don't dare move, or it will be bad for you, Biffins. Now, Waddy, your turn!" called Frank again.

A second figure came into view, groping, as if utterly blind. He, too, was compelled to drop on the cool earth, where he could gulp in great breaths of the fresh air, of which they were in such dire need.

From three directions the boys approached.

"Hurrah! We bagged 'em!" shouted Bluff.

Frank said nothing. It was not in his nature to exult over a fallen foe, though he did not blame the more impulsive Bluff for his evident delight.

From one of his pockets he produced some stout cord. He certainly had never dreamed what a singular use he would find for this when placing it there.

"Watch them both, Jerry. Now, Biffins, put your hands behind you, crossed. I'm going to tie them so. It's no use thinking of doing anything. You couldn't escape, even if you got away from us, for the sheriff has this island surrounded, and he is on the way here, right now, with his posse. Perhaps you might be shot down in the woods. There, you won't break that, I reckon, in a hurry."

He turned his attention to the second rascal. Waddy Walsh had reached a point in his reckless career where he did not care much what happened to him. Having in a measure recovered from the suffocating fumes of the smoking weeds, he even twisted his head half way around to jeer at Jerry.

"Helpin' to arrest your old pard, hey, Jerry? That's kind of you, now. I'll be likely to remember it, old feller, when I get out again," he said.

"I reckon you won't have a chance to get out in a hurry, Waddy. I'm ashamed to admit that I did once go out with you, till you took to stealing, and I had to cut you off my visiting list. Hear that shooting, boys? The sheriff's posse must be in the woods nearby, right now, and coming this way. I reckon Tom found 'em, all right."

"Well, let 'em come. We're ready to hand the prisoners over to the lawful officers. Say, but this has been a fierce time all around. We never thought, when we started out to camp on Wildcat Island, that we'd pass through such a string of adventures. Where are you going, Frank?" said Bluff, as the other started to enter the cabin, the smoke having settled somewhat, after the smoldering weeds were dragged away from under the wall.

"Just to look around a little, that's all. Please stay with Jerry," came the answer, as Frank vanished within.

Presently he came out again. He had a bundle under his arm, wrapped in a newspaper, and of which he seemed especially careful. Jerry looked at him, and received a nod in return, which he seemed to understand full well, for he asked no questions.

"Here's the packet Mr. Pemberton lost, and I suppose the valuables are all safe inside, eh, Waddy?" he said, holding up something small he carried.

"Never touched a thing in it. Them other pieces of silver we swiped out of the farmhouse, and anything else you find come from that storage house over in Newtonport. We was after something big there, but missed it," admitted the boy from the reform school, with unblushing effrontery.

Loud calls were now heard close by. Bluff lifted his tuneful voice and shouted:

"This way, Mr. Dodd. Everything lovely, and the goose hangs high. We've got 'em safe and sound. Here's your men, sir. Step right up and put the irons on 'em!"

Biffins had not said a word up to now. The smoke had taken all desire to talk away from him; but he proved that he could swear like a pirate. No doubt what galled him most of all was the fact that his capture had been brought about through the instrumentality of a parcel of boys.

The crashing of the undergrowth became plainer. Then a party of men could be seen hurrying forward as fast as the tangled thickets would allow.

Mr. Dodd, the sheriff, was at their head. As he saw the two tramp thieves lying on the ground, helpless, he gave a roar. Rushing up to the boys, he shook the hand of each one in turn.

"Bully work, boys! I'm proud to know you, proud to say you live in the same town as I do! Hello, Biffins! So it's you, eh? Well, this time we've got you dead to rights, and you don't get off. And here's Waddy Walsh, broke loose from the school he was sent to to learn to become a decent man. Back you go, my fine lad, this time to stay."

So he rattled on, as he proceeded to clap a pair of neat steel bracelets on the wrists of each of the prisoners.

After that he went into the cabin and thoroughly searched it.

"I reckon we've got all the plunder they had, and now it might be a good thing if we burned this old rat trap of a nest to the ground. It's got a bad name, and if tramp thieves have taken to lodging here, the sooner it goes, the better."

Under the orders of the sheriff, some of the posse started things moving. In a short time the old cabin was a mass of flames. They made sure that the fire could not extend to the surrounding forest, which was just beginning to be covered with an early crop of new leaves. Then the whole company started through the thickets, headed for the shore.

"Hang the luck! We forget one thing, after all!" said Bluff suddenly.

He had been so busy getting several pictures of the burning cabin that for the time being all other things had escaped him.

"What was that?" asked Frank, winking at Jerry knowingly.

"The wild man! We forgot to get him out of that hollow tree!" exclaimed Bluff.

"Well, it's too late now. For one, I object to walking back there. Besides, we must hustle in order to make camp again against the coming of the girls," observed Frank seriously.

"But ain't we ever going to know what the mystery of that queer creature must be? Perhaps we'd better write to that keeper we met before, Mr. Smithson, and let him know. Then if he's shy a member of his happy family of lunatics, he'll know where to hunt for him," Bluff went on innocently.

"A bully good idea, and you can do the writing when we get home, if you feel that way," said Frank, with a face that was as sober as that of a judge, while Jerry had to turn his head away to keep from laughing outright.

"But about the girls, fellows! Do you know they may not come, after all. Perhaps the folks have heard about the lively times down here on Wildcat Island, and put a veto on the outing. Then, again, you can hear the wind in the tops of these tall trees, so there must be whitecaps on the lake. It would be risky for a lot of girls to embark on so long a trip," observed Jerry.

"Well, boys, we're going to turn aside here, and make for a point where the tug is to meet us. I want to thank you again. Don't forget there's a nice little hundred waiting for you when you want to claim it," said Mr. Dodd, after a bit.

"We've decided that you are to turn that reward over to Tom Somers here. He was a great help to us, and we'd like his family to get the hundred, Mr. Dodd," said Frank.

Tom started to say something, then broke down, and could only look at each of the three boys with his heart in his eyes.

"Now for the place again. It's tenting once more on the old campground for us, fellows. I hope Will has had the sense to cross over after he saw the tug come, and the posse come ashore," remarked Frank.

They pushed through the dense growth stubbornly, and in the course of time realized that they were drawing near the open.

"One more rush, and we can pass around that big bluff and see our place. There's the lake, and whitecaps, too. Too bad the girls can't be with us. What a yarn we'd have to tell 'em, eh, fellows?" said Frank, laughing.

"Thunder!" exclaimed Bluff just then.

"What's happened to you, old sport?" asked Jerry.

"Look here, through this opening! Ain't that the boat with the girls, out there in that jumping sea? And side on, part of the time. Something's happened to 'em, that's what, as sure as you're born!" ejaculated Bluff.

The others looked, and also uttered exclamations of dismay, while Frank called out:

"They seem to have only one oar, and Nellie's trying to steer with that. Much she knows about sculling! Oh! They were nearly over that time! My heart's in my mouth. Run for the shore, boys! If only Will has come in with our canoes!"

And plunging like mad through the remaining brush, the three lads broke out upon the little beach, just where they had first landed when coming to Wildcat Island to camp.