CHAPTER XXIV
THE SECRET OF THE COVE
The boys made inquiries the next morning and found it would beimpossible to hire another motor boat. The season was at its height andall the craft were engaged. Several of their newly-made friends offeredthem the use of their boats for a part of each day, but the boys didnot want to take them on this condition. Besides, they wanted to beaway by themselves, as they had much to talk about.
"Hadn't we better warn Mr. Hardack?" asked Ned, when they had exhaustedthe possibilities of hiring a boat.
"I've been thinking of it," Jerry said, "and I don't see whatparticular good it would do. We only know half the story. Besides,those fellows might only have been talking to hear themselves talk.It's a mighty risky thing to wreck a vessel and tamper with alighthouse. They wouldn't dare do it."
"But it wouldn't do any harm to tell the keeper what we know," Nedinsisted.
"Only to get laughed at for our pains, in case nothing happened.Besides, how are we going to get to the lighthouse without a boat?"
"We can walk around by the shore, it's not more than ten miles," wenton Ned.
"Love will find a way," sang Bob, and he had to jump back to escape aplayful blow Ned aimed at him.
"I suppose we could," remarked Jerry. "Maybe it wouldn't do any harm togo around there and see how the land lays. We can sort of give him ahint, and warn him to be on the lookout for Bill Berry."
"That will be a good plan," agreed Ned. "When can we start? The soonerthe better."
"Not until after dinner, I vote," from Bob. "I can't walk on an emptystomach."
"I don't believe you ever tried," Jerry said.
The boys inquired the best way to get to the lighthouse by going alongthe shore, and learned it was about eight miles. They started afterlunch, and hard enough walking they found it, as most of the way laythrough deep sand.
"This is awful," groaned Bob as he toiled along.
"Dry up, Chunky," from Ned. "It will do you good. Besides, think ofwhat a service you may be doing."
"I'm thinking about my chances for supper."
The boys had gone about half the distance and were going along a seriesof high sand dunes, covered with a growth of tall, rank grass, whenthey were suddenly halted by a voice calling to them:
"Where you fellows going?"
They looked up, to see a roughly dressed man barring the path.
"I don't know's it's any of your business," Jerry replied hotly, for heresented the man's tone. "This is a free country."
"That's all right, my young friend," the man said with a sneer, "butthis is private property, and we don't allow any trespassing on it. Soyou'd better be off if you know what's good for you."
"Can't we go along the beach?" asked Ned.
"No, sir, you can't go anywhere along here. We own for two miles back,and if you try to pass here you'll get into trouble. So be off!"
The boys hesitated. There was no way of proving that what the man saidwas not so, and they did not want to get into trouble. To get pastmeant walking two miles back in shore. As they stood there, wonderingwhat to do, another man came from somewhere in the tall grass and saidto the first:
"The boat's in the cove. Floated in at high tide."
"That'll do!" was the quick retort, as though the first man feared hiscompanion would say too much. "I'm warning these chaps off our land."
"Yes, and they'd better go if they know what's good for them," said theother.
"Oh, we'll go," came from Jerry. "We don't care about walking on yourproperty. I guess we can manage without doing so."
The three lads turned and began to walk inland, across the waste ofsand, which was hot with the afternoon sun. The coast at this point wasrather high, there being a series of bluffs, which sloped abruptly downto the beach.
"What shall we do?" asked Jerry when they were out of earshot of themen.
"Nothing to do but to go around their place," said Ned. "It will meanabout four miles more."
Bob groaned.
"It'll get some of that fat off you, Chunky," Jerry remarked with alaugh.
"It's all right enough for you to joke," growled the fleshy youth. "ButI can't help it."
"I wonder what he meant by saying the boat was in the cove?" came fromNed.
"I was thinking about that myself," Jerry put in. "I didn't know therewas a cove along here."
"Let's take a look," suggested Ned.
"How can we, without going back and meeting the men?"
"Easy enough," came from Jerry. "We'll walk along for a mile or so,then cut down along parallel to the coast and walk back toward thebeach. We ought to come out right back of the cove, if there is one, orvery near to it."
This was voted a good plan to follow, and, with no further objectionsfrom Bob, the boys trudged along. It was hot and hard work, but theywere very anxious to find out the secret of the cove, as they believedthe men had some object in not allowing them to pass.
The locality was a deserted one. It was half way between two summerresorts, and there was not a house in sight. It was about as lonesome aplace as one could find in the midst of civilization. Nothing was to beseen but sand and rank grass.
"Do you s'pose these men had anything to do with stealing our boat andwith the lighthouse plot?" asked Bob, as he and his chums walked along.
"I'm not good at riddles," returned Jerry. "First we'll see what thecove holds."
They kept on for an hour and began to work their way in toward theshore again. They kept a careful watch for the men but saw no one.They came to a place where the weeds and grass were quite high. It wastangled together by the wind and they had to struggle to get throughit. Jerry, who was in the lead, emerged on a clear, sandy place. Hegave one look down and uttered a low cry.
"What is it?" called Ned.
"The secret of the cove!" exclaimed Jerry.
He pointed to a small body of water below them as they stood on a highsand bank. As the boys looked they saw a sailing vessel and anothercraft floating near a small dock.
"There's the sloop!" cried Bob.
"And there's our boat!" exclaimed Ned. "We have found her again!"
"Easy!" whispered Jerry as he sank down, pulling his companions to theearth. "There are the men!"
As he spoke three roughly dressed men came from a small shack near thedock, and walked to where the sloop was moored. They were carryingboxes and bales aboard.
"Looks like the stuff we picked up from the broken-backed steamer,"whispered Ned.
"I guess they're wreckers, who gather stuff that floats ashore," camefrom Jerry.
"And I'll bet they're the men I heard plotting about the lighthouse,"said Ned. "We are on their track!"
"But how did they get their boat in here, and how did they float the_Dartaway_ in?" asked Jerry. "This looks like a little lake."
"Isn't that a sort of creek over there?" asked Bob, pointing to anopening in the midst of the rushes that surrounded the cove.
"So it is. That's what he meant about high tide. They can only getin the cove when the tide is up, and makes an entrance by way of thecreek."
"And, for the same reason, we can't get our boat out until high tide,and that will not be until late to-night," said Bob. "We'll have towait until then."
"Lucky we have the chance," came from Ned. "I hope the coast will beclear."
"We'll get our boat, anyhow!" exclaimed Jerry. "I'd like to see thosemen keep her."
"We'll wait until there's water enough in the creek to float her out,and then we'll sneak down there, get in and start off before they knowwhat's happened," spoke Ned. "I hope she's in running order."
The Motor Boys on the Atlantic; or, The Mystery of the Lighthouse Page 24