CHAPTER XXIX

A WRECK AND A CAPTURE

"Get off of my fingers!"

"Please let me get out of this hole!"

"Say, how can I get up if you're going to sit on my legs?"

These and a few more utterances came from the boys as they endeavored to

clear themselves of the wreckage of the fallen stairs. The small cellar

was filled with smoke from the shotgun, and Larry was dancing around

flipping his hurt hand in the air. All was pitch dark, for the small

windows were covered with dirt and cobwebs to such a depth that no light

penetrated through them.

"Beware of that gun!" called Dick, when he could speak. "Only one barrel

went off, remember."

"Larry, are you really killed?" questioned Sara, who, somehow, felt

responsible, since the weapon had been in his hands.

"N--no, but I'm hit in the fingers," came from the wounded boy. "The

shot went right past my head, too!"

"Make a light, somebody," called out Fred. "Songbird, you've got some

matches."

The poet of the Hall lit a match, and by this faint light the boys first

of all looked at Larry's damaged hand. Fortunately the charge of shot

had merely grazed the thumb and middle finger, and it was found that

Larry was more frightened than hurt. The hand was bound up in a couple

of handkerchiefs.

"When we get back to the boat you'll want to wash the wounds well," said

Dick.

Tom had picked up the electric pocket light, but found he could not make

it work. Again they were in darkness until another match was lit.

"We can't reach that door, with the stairs down," was Dick's comment.

"Let us break out a window."

This was easily accomplished, and one after another the cadets crawled

forth from the cellar. It was a tight squeeze, especially for Fred, who

was rather large at the waist line.

"I guess those fellows who ran away thought we couldn't get through that

window," said Songbird.

"If it had been an inch smaller I should have been stuck," answered

Fred.

They looked all around the old building, but nobody was in sight. The

front door stood wide open, and they rightly surmised that the others

had taken their departure that way.

"The question is, Which way did they go?" came from Dick.

"Do you think they went on foot?" asked Sam. "They might have a

carriage."

"Or a boat," added Larry. "Oh, I hope we can catch them, just to make

'em pay for these hurt fingers of mine!" And he shut his teeth hard, for

the wounds pained him not a little.

"Larry, I trust you don't think it was my fault," observed Sam.

"Not a bit of it, Sam. It was simply an accident, that's all. I am glad

those on the stairs didn't hurt themselves."

"Well, my knee doesn't feel any too good," came from Tom. "I guess I

scratched it quite some."

"Shall we try to find those fellows first or go upstairs and look

around?" asked Songbird.

"Let us try to find them first," said Dick. "We can come back here any

time."

"I have a plan," said Tom. "Let us scatter in all directions. If anybody

sees anything of them, give the school whistle."

"Good! that's the talk!" exclaimed Sam. "The sooner the better."

In a minute more the six cadets were hunting in as many different

directions for those they were after. Larry, Songbird and Fred took to

the lake shore, while the three Rover boys went up and down the roadway

and into the woods beyond.

Nearly half an hour was spent in the search when the other lads heard a

whistle from the lake shore. The signal came from Larry, and was

repeated several times.

"He wants us in a hurry," said Sam to Dick, when they met, and started

on a run. They met Larry coming towards them, beckoning wildly.

"Hurry up!" he called.

"What's up?" asked Dick.

"They just went past in a sailboat and they are bound across the lake."

"The two men?" asked Sam.

"Yes, and Tad Sobber, too."

"Tad!"

"Yes. Their boat couldn't have been very far from mine. I saw the two

men get on board and then Tad came from a cabin, and all three hoisted

the sails as quickly as they could and stood over in the direction of

the point with the three rocks--you remember the spot?"

"I do--the place we once went nutting," said Dick.

By this time the other cadets were coming up, and they listened with

keen interest to what Larry had to tell. In the meantime all ran to the

_Polly_, and the sloop was poled out of the cove and the mainsail and

jib were hoisted. As Larry was in no condition to steer, Dick took the

tiller.

"They will get away if they possibly can," observed Songbird. "Do you

think, if we get too close to them, they'll fire at us, or anything like

that?"

"There is no telling," answered Dick. "But I am going to load up that

empty barrel of the shotgun, and if they dare to shoot I'll shoot back,"

he added, with determination.

The other boat was in sight, but a good half mile away, and it was a

serious question whether the _Polly_ could get anywhere near the craft

before the point with the three rocks was gained.

"Well, if they go ashore we can capture the boat anyway," observed Sam.

"That will be something."

"Probably the boat was only hired. The owner may not know what rascals

those chaps are."

"The craft looked old and clumsy to me," said Larry. "If you sail the

_Polly_ with care perhaps you can catch her--if they don't play us some

trick."

The chase was now on in earnest, and the cadets on board the sloop did

all in their power to make speed. There was a fair breeze, the gale

having gone down while they were at the house.

"I don't think they know much about running a boat," said Tom,

presently. "What are they up to now?"

"They are turning back!" cried Sam. "See, they are headed for yonder

cove. They are not going up to the three rocks."

"What cove is that?" asked Songbird. "Is it the place we went fishing

the day we caught the turtle?"

"Yes."

"Then they had better look out! Don't you remember those sharp rocks,

right near the mouth of the cove?"

Those who had been fishing the day mentioned did remember the rocks, and

they watched the boat ahead with keen interest. The wind had freshened a

little and the craft had swung around swiftly and was rushing for the

cove. They could see one of the men trying to lower the mainsail.

"They are in dangerous water!" cried Dick.

He had just uttered the words when they saw the boat strike something,

shiver from stem to stern, and back away. Then she went ahead and struck

a second time. A second later she went over to larboard, throwing the

two men and Tad Sobber into the lake!

"They've struck the rocks!"

"The boat is sinking!"

"They are all in the water!"

"Lower the mainsail!" yelled Larry. "We don't want to get caught on the

rocks! Sheer off, Dick!"

Dick swung the tiller around, and in a few seconds the mainsail came

down with a bang and was secured by the others. The jib was still up,

and this drew just sufficiently to send them forward slowly, to the spot

where the catastrophe had occurred.

They found Pike floundering around in the water, yelling lustily for

aid. Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber had struck out for the nearest part of

the shore, about two hundred feet away.

"Here, catch hold of this and I'll pull you up," said Tom, reaching down

to Pike with a pole. The floundering man did as told willingly, and was

quickly hauled to the deck. Then the _Polly_ was turned toward the shore

and the jib was lowered.

It was no easy task to bring the sloop in, for they had to beware of the

rocks, and by the time this was accomplished Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber

had landed and were running for the woods with all possible speed. Dick

raised his shotgun and fired to scare them, but they kept on, and in a

few minutes disappeared from sight.