by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXIV.
THROUGH VARIED STRIFE AND STRUGGLES.
Captain Royal Gildrock was not over forty-five years of age. He wasdressed in the uniform of his yacht. He was a good-looking man, ofmiddling height, and rather stout. A single glance at his face wouldhave assured any one skilled in reading expressions that he was a personof great force of character.
"What's going on here, Mr. Jepson?" said he, as he glanced curiouslyabout the Goldwing.
"That is what I was trying to find out when you came on board, sir,"replied Mr. Jepson. "Theodore and the man in charge of the boat appearto be at sword's points, and there are two men in the cuddy who seem tobe fastened in there."
"What does all this mean?" asked Captain Gildrock. And it was apparentnow that he was the owner of the gruff voice.
"I will tell you all about it, sir," replied Peppers, taking this dutyupon himself.
"I shall be glad to know, for the skipper of the boat has behaved in themost unaccountable manner."
Dory had retreated to the forward deck again when his uncle came onboard, though the captain did not seem to be such a terrible man as onemight have supposed from the conduct of his nephew. He desired to keepas far as possible from his uncle.
"I wish you would let me out of this place before I tell the story,"suggested the detective.
"Why don't you come out if you wish to do so?" asked Captain Gildrock.
"We are locked in. Hawlinshed took the key away from Dory Dornwood byforce, and has kept us prisoners ever since. It isn't a bad place; butit is rather confined for a long stay," added Peppers.
"But I didn't lock them in there," added Pearl. "That was done by Dory."
"Have you the key?" asked the captain, turning to Pearl.
"If you want your nephew, there he is, Captain Gildrock," repliedPearl, pointing to the forward deck. "I don't think you have any rightto interfere with my affairs. I will put Dory Dornwood into one of yourboats, and you can take him away with you."
"All I want is my nephew; and I don't intend to meddle with what don'tconcern me," said Captain Gildrock.
"That's the sort of man you are; and I always knew you were asstraightforward as a gun," added Pearl, delighted with this statement ofthe owner of the steamer. "Which boat shall I put the boy into?"
Pearl sprang upon the forward deck, and rushed towards Dory. The boy didnot take kindly to this proceeding. He dodged around the foremast, andleaped down into the standing-room.
"Captain Gildrock, this boat belongs to Dory, and Hawlinshed has takenher from him by force," interposed the detective.
"My nephew stole the money with which he bought her," added CaptainGildrock. "I don't think he owns her any more than I do."
"You are mistaken, sir. I don't know where your nephew got the moneywith which he bought this boat, but the charge made against him inPlattsburgh is not a true bill. I came over here to arrest Hawlinshed,and that is the reason why I am a prisoner in this coop at this moment."
"You have no right to arrest me in the State of Vermont," protestedPearl, standing on the forward deck. "Captain Gildrock, this is aconspiracy. I had a little difficulty with my father, and this is atrumped-up charge to get me back to Plattsburgh."
This was an entirely new presentation of the case, and Captain Gildrockwas confused by the differing statements.
"I am not disposed to interfere in this business. I came for my nephew,and I was astonished and surprised to hear that he was accused ofrobbery. All I want is my nephew."
"If you are willing to assist a robber to escape into Canada, CaptainGildrock, I have nothing further to say," said Peppers. "If you takeyour nephew away and leave things as you find them, that will be justwhat you will do."
"Of course, I don't mean to render assistance to any fugitive fromjustice," replied the captain, more perplexed than ever.
"If you will let us out of this place, I will prove to your satisfactionthat Hawlinshed is a robber," added the detective.
"And I can prove that I am the victim of a conspiracy," protested Pearl."I can prove it by Dory Dornwood, if he will only speak the truth, whichhe never does, except by accident."
"I am sorry to hear such bad stories about my nephew," added thecaptain. "I have been told that he was wild, and was going to ruin."
"He can't deny that he had a talk with my father," said Pearl; "and myfather and I don't agree very well."
Dory thought they didn't agree at all, but he determined not to say aword on the forbidden topic. He had made up his mind in the beginningnot to go on board of the Sylph, and the present aspect of things madehim more decided than before. If his uncle and Pearl decided that heshould go into one of the boats, he meant to jump into the water, andwade to the shore.
Captain Gildrock was silent, looking from the officer in the cuddy toPearl. He was considering what he should do. Peppers thought it was aplain case. He desired the visitor to act for himself, after he hadlooked the case over, and listened to the facts.
"I think I will hear what you have to say, officer," said he, after afew moments' reflection. "It is none of my business; but I want mynephew, though I don't like to do any wrong in taking him away. The onlyway I can do to leave things as I find them is to let my nephew remain;and I can't do that under the present circumstances. Mr. Hawlinshed,will you unlock those doors?"
"No, sir: I will not!" replied Pearl haughtily. "You are interferingwith my affairs, and giving me away to my enemies. If you want yournephew, I will help you get him on board of the Sylph; but you have nobusiness to let those men out when they want to cut my throat."
"I only purpose to look into this matter; and, when I have done so, Ishall act as I think my duty requires of me."
"That man is not an officer in the State of Vermont; and he has no rightto arrest me here," added Pearl.
"I don't deal in quibbles, Mr. Hawlinshed. All I want to know now is,who has the right in the present situation? If I can ascertain the truthon this point, I don't care a straw whether we are in the State ofVermont or the State of New York. Will you open the doors of thatcuddy?"
"No, sir: I will not! And I will not allow anybody else to interferewith my affairs," answered Pearl angrily.
"I am going to open those doors," added Captain Gildrock decidedly.
"I don't believe you will," said Pearl, as he took the key of thepadlock from his pocket.
He held it up so that the captain could see it, and then jerked it intothe lake. It struck the water about fifty feet from the boat. The nextinstant Dory dropped into the water, and waded in the direction thevillain had thrown it. He had kept his eye on the spot where it hadfallen; and the water was so clear that he could see the grains of sandon the bottom.
Pearl saw that his purpose was likely to be defeated by the promptaction of the boy; and, before any one could stop him, he had leapedinto the water after Dory.
"That man will drown your nephew if you let him do it, CaptainGildrock!" exclaimed Peppers, as he saw Pearl leap into the water.
But the captain had no intention of being a passive observer of what wasabout to transpire in the water; for he leaped into his boat, andordered his crew to back her. In an instant they were pulling with alltheir might; and the boat had nearly run over Pearl before the captaingave the order, "Way enough!"
"Lay hold of that man," said the captain to the two men who pulled thebow oars.
The young fellows unshipped their oars, and grabbed Pearl with no tendergrasp. They threw him down, and then dragged him into the boat.
"Hold on to him, my lads!" added the captain. "Don't let him go."
Pearl struggled for his liberty; but the two young fellows jammed himdown in the bottom of the boat, and held him there in spite of hisefforts to shake them off.
"This is an outrage, Captain Gildrock!" gasped Pearl, out of breath fromthe violence of his exertions. "I did not think this of you! I havealways heard you spoken of as a fair man; but you interfere with mybusiness, and hand me over to my enemies!"
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"THE YOUNG FELLOWS GRABBED PEARL WITH NO TENDER GRASP."PAGE 264.]
"Your enemies, as you call them, are willing to have the truth, whateverit is, shown out; but you are not," replied Captain Gildrock. "If theofficer in the cuddy don't make out a case against you, I shall notmeddle with you; and you can go to Canada, or wherever else you please.Give way," he added to the two after oarsmen.
The two men pulled the boat, and the captain steered it to the spotwhere Dory was looking for the key. He had taken no notice of what hadbeen transpiring behind him, but had kept his eyes fixed on the spotwhere he had seen the key drop into the water. After a few minutes'search he saw it lying on the sand, and picked it up. By this time theboat had come up to him; but he paid no attention to it, and began towade back to the schooner.
"Come into the boat, Theodore," said Captain Gildrock.
"No, I thank you, sir: I will wade back to the Goldwing. It won't takeme but a moment."
The captain thought the boy behaved very strangely, as he had ever sincethe boats from the Sylph had come alongside the schooner. But hepermitted his nephew to have his own way, and Dory soon climbed over theside of the boat into the standing-room. Taking the key from his pocket,he unlocked the padlock, and threw the doors open. Peppers and Moodycrawled out of their prison, and stretched their limbs; for they wererather stiff after being kept so long in one position.
By the time Captain Gildrock's boat came along side, the two prisonerswere at liberty. The two bow oarsmen were told to let their captive up.Pearl could not have been more wrathy if he had tried. The pleasant gameover which he had rubbed his hands so felicitously had gone against him.He knew that Peppers would get the best of him in the argument, and hehad lost all hope. He regarded Dory as the cause of all his misfortunes;and, as soon as he was released, he sprang into the standing-room of theschooner, and rushed upon him.
Very likely it would have gone hard with poor Dory, if Moody and Peppershad not seen what the villain intended. Both of them dropped upon him,and bore him to the floor. He struggled desperately, but foolishly; forhe had no chance whatever against Moody, who was a powerful man.
While the maker of tomato-wine held him, Peppers put the irons on hiswrists.