CHAPTER XI.--AN UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT.
The young partners on the following day talked over the adventure theyhad had with the burglars, and decided to say nothing about the affairto any one else for the present.
"Those fellows are up to some crime," Budd had declared, "and possibly,if we say nothing about their visit here, but keep a careful watch upand down the bay, we may discover what it is and bring them to justice.
"Once get Bagsley into jail charged with some crime, and he may bewilling to acknowledge his guilt respecting the one of which my fatherhas been convicted. Especially may this be so if he should be able tolighten his sentence on the later charge by a confession of the first;and if we are the means of his and his companions' arrest, we may havethe power to bring about such an arrangement. Then my father's releaseis certain."
To all of which Judd agreed, and from that day the lads became aself-appointed vigilance committee patrolling the bay.
On both the following Monday and Tuesday mornings, when the lads came tohaul their nets at the three pounds, they were delighted to find in eachthe largest catches of fish they had yet made; and it was nearly dark onTuesday evening as they got into their sloop at the village wharf, aftershipping off the large excess of fish they had had over the demand ofthe home trade.
As Budd cast off the last rope and stepped forward to hoist the sails ofthe Sea Witch, preparatory to a departure for the island, a gentlemancame hurriedly to the dock and called out:
"Hello, there, boys; hold on a moment. I want to see you!"
Judd threw the man a rope, and the sloop was refastened to the wharf.
"Are you Boyd & Floyd of Fox Island?" the stranger asked.
"Yes, sir," replied the lads.
"And you sometimes take out sailing-parties, do you not?" was the nextinquiry; and again the young partners responded in the affirmative.
"I am Mr. Dane," continued the gentleman, "and am over here with a partyof friends, and we wish you to take us across the bay to Bristolto-morrow. Can you do it?"
"Do you wish to be simply taken over, or over and back?" asked Budd, asspokesman for the firm.
"Just landed there. We are from that side, and thought, instead ofgoing around by either Newport or Providence, we would get you to set usover," explained Mr. Dane.
"What time do you wish to go, and how many are there in the party?"asked Budd, with a prompt business air.
"Six, with myself; and we would prefer not to go until afternoon,leaving here, say, about two o'clock."
Budd consulted with his partner; then he said:
"Yes, we can take you over."
"What are the charges?" inquired Mr. Dane, as though the proposed tripdepended greatly upon them.
"Three dollars for the party," answered Budd.
"That is fifty cents each, and is much less than it will cost us to goaround," Mr. Dane commented to himself.
Then he said to the boys:
"All right; we'll give it."
"One of us will be here at the appointed hour, if a suitable day for thetrip," said Budd, casting off the fastenings of the sloop for the secondtime; and a moment later she was gliding down the harbor.
By half-past one o'clock the next day the lads had got their regularwork so well in hand that Judd could easily finish the balance by night,and Budd entered the Sea Witch and sailed over to the village.
The weather was delightful, and the breeze a strong one, so he tied upat the village wharf five minutes before the appointed hour. But theparty he was to take over the bay was as prompt as himself, and beforethe town clock had struck two all were on board, and the sloop had begunthe passage.
The wind was a southerly one, and running out by the lighthouse, Buddtook his first tack directly for the lower end of Prudence Island. Whenhe reached that, and threw around his tiller for his second tack, itbrought the wind almost directly astern, and he ran straight for Bristolharbor, where he safely landed his passengers in less than two hours.
The party were delighted with the trip, and promptly paid the amountthat had been agreed upon. As they turned away from the landing, Mr.Dane handed Budd one of his business cards, saying:
"You see, I'm in the grocery business just up the street here. Wheneverover this way, give us a call."
Budd thanked the gentleman and put the card in his pocket, scarcelyrealizing how soon it was to prove serviceable. Then he said,laughingly:
"We are in want of some groceries at the island. I guess I'll go up toyour store, and see if I can trade better there than at our village. Itwill enable me, also, to go directly home from here."
"Come on; I go by there on my way to the house, and will see that youare fairly treated," said Mr. Dane, in reply.
A few rods up the street they came to the store, and Mr. Dane himselfwaited upon Budd, and made a generous reduction, as the lad paid for thethings.
Returning to the boat as soon as his purchases were made, Budd cast offthe lines and began his return passage. The wind, blowing as it didstrongly from a southern quarter, compelled him to take quite adifferent course from the one taken when he had come over.
Once out of Mount Hope Bay, he ran for the north of Prudence Island.Passing that on his left, he tacked down by Patience Island toward themouth of the Potowomot River, on the main shore. His third tack, to thesoutheast, brought him under the lee of Hope Island, and from there heexpected to make his last tack directly for home.
As he came up under Hope Island, however, he recalled the words of TomBagsley on the previous Saturday evening about this island being Mr.Johnson's summer residence; and remembering, also, that Tom and hiscompanions had left Fox Island intending to make Hope Island theirrendezvous for a few days, a strong desire took possession of him toland on the island and see if the burglars were still there, or hadransacked the house and left.
Like an inspiration the thought came to him that here might be hischance to bring a charge against his enemy. If the house had indeedbeen robbed, his own and Judd's testimony as to the declaration they hadheard from the robbers' lips surely ought to be sufficient to warranttheir arrest for the deed. He resolved, then, to land and make aninvestigation; and if he found traces of the crime, as he felt sure hewould, then he would report to Mr. Johnson at once.
He knew he was running some danger of discovery by a man who would nothesitate to take his life, but he believed the risk was very slight. Ifthe house had been robbed, he argued, then the men had already departed.He believed this all the more strongly because it was quite time for Mr.Johnson to come to the island for the summer; and the men, also knowingthis, would not be apt to make a long sojourn there. So he ran in asclose to the island as possible and anchored the sloop. Then, jumpinginto the yawl, he went on shore, and climbing up the steep bank, startedboldly across the fields toward the house.
He would have hesitated long before doing this, however, had he beenaware that Mr. Johnson had only that morning come to the island,bringing some men with him, to arrange for his summer sojourn; andfinding that the house had indeed been robbed, and believing, fromunmistakable evidences, that a gang of men were making the house a placeof rendezvous, he had left everything just as it had been found, and waslying in wait with his men for the burglars' return.
Unconscious of all this, Budd went directly on to the house, and foundthe shutters torn off from one window and the window open. Listening amoment, and hearing no sound of anyone within the house, he leaped intothe window and began his search of the rooms.
On every side were the signs of the robbers' presence. The table wascovered with unwashed dishes, beds had been slept in, and drawers andclosets torn open. Budd of course could not tell what had been carriedoff, but he felt sure that many things had been taken.
From down-stairs he went upstairs, and wandered through room after roomuntil convinced that the burglars had left no part of the houseunvisited; then he retraced his steps to the window by which he hadentered.
Exulting in his hear
t at the discovery he had made, for he believed itwas one link in the chain toward his father's freedom, and utterlyunconscious of any danger to himself, he put his feet out of the windowand lowered himself to the ground.
Then he heard hurried steps behind him, and a loud shout close at hand;but before he could turn about and face the unseen danger strong handsseized him and a stern voice said:
"So it is you, you young rascal, that has been robbing me, and this isthe place you have got, but cannot send me any money until fall! Notuntil you sell the articles you have stolen, I suppose!"
Full of consternation, and wondering how he could explain the awkwardpredicament in which he found himself, Budd turned and stood face toface with Mr. Johnson.
Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, The Boy-Firm of Fox Island Page 11