CHAPTER VIII. A MISLEADING LIGHT.
"Can you make out anything of that craft yet, Harry?"
The chase had been on for half an hour, and still the elusive lightbobbed along ahead of them.
Percy Simmons, down in the engine room, had been fully informed by youngWare of what was going on, and he was coaxing his fine machines to theirtop notch of effort.
"I can't see anything of her outlines yet, Ralph," was Harry's responseto Ralph's interrogation. "She must be a flyer."
"She'll have to be to get away from us."
"Anyhow, it looks like a stern chase."
"But not necessarily a long one. I haven't heard of a craft yet thatcould get away from the _River Swallow_, at least, in these parts."
"You mean an earthly craft," rejoined young Ware, in rather quaverytones.
"Good gracious! What's got into you? You surely don't think that theboat we are after is anything but a motor boat like this one, run by menwho have a good reason for not wanting us to catch up with them?"
"Um-er, I just had a shiver. A 'goose walked over my grave.' Mygrandmother says that that means that some sort of spirits are about."
"Rubbish! I thought you were a different sort of a fellow from that,Harry. We'll have to quit calling you 'Hardware' if you are going to beso soft as to think there is anything supernatural about that elusiveboat."
"Just the same, there's something queer about her."
"Nothing but what will admit of an explanation," was the reply. "As forthe way they are dodging us, it's just what I expected. Honest men wouldnot run away from us any more than they would go sneaking about in sucha mysterious way at night."
"Maybe they are only fish dynamiters," suggested Harry Ware. "You knowhow strictly the law is dealt out to those rascals, and there have beenseveral Canadian fish destroyers caught on the American side lately, andstiff terms dealt out to them."
"Pshaw! Fish dynamiters are poor, poverty-stricken fellows who are toolazy to get fish in a proper, lawful manner, and crawl out at night toply their trade in wretched, patched-up boats! No mere fish dynamiterscould afford a swift, powerful craft such as the one ahead surely is."
"That's so," agreed Harry, "but that craft ahead is surely a riddle justthe same. I think----"
He broke off with what might be fairly termed a yell.
"Ow!--oo! Look there! _Now_ do you say that there isn't something morethan natural about that boat?"
In spite of himself, Ralph felt his scalp stiffen as he beheld theextraordinary sight to which Harry's alarmed exclamation had attractedhis attention.
Outlined against the night in a vivid green glare was what appeared tobe a boat of living flame!
The water around her burned lambently as the apparently flaming boatplunged along through it.
"Gracious!" gasped Ralph, as he looked at the strange spectacle. Therewas a touch on his arm. He started in spite of himself and turnedquickly.
Malvin was at his elbow. He was pointing at the green, blazing craftahead of them.
"It's--it's the _Lost Voyageur_!" he exclaimed, in trembling tones."Don't chase it any more, sir! The legend is, that it means death tothose who see that boat and pursue it."
By this time Ralph had recovered his equanimity. His sturdy common senseasserted itself. He listened impatiently while Harry exclaimedtriumphantly:
"There; what did I tell you! That's the boat I heard about! The boat inwhich a party of the old voyageurs committed all sorts of outrages onthe St. Lawrence Indians. In revenge for their cruelties the Indiansattacked the boat one night and massacred the whole party. Ever since,at times, the ghost craft has been seen on the river, and death hasfollowed every one who has tried to chase it or inquire into itsmystery."
"Oh, dry up!" snapped Ralph. "Malvin, get forward where you belonginstantly."
"But, sir----"
The man appeared genuinely frightened, but somehow Ralph had an ideathat he was not so scared as he seemed.
"See here, Malvin, obey my orders. I am in command of the _RiverSwallow_. Get forward at once and keep a bright lookout. As for you,Harry, I'm more than astonished at your being foolish enough to believesuch a pack of children's stories."
As Malvin left the bridge, seemingly with reluctance, Harry spoke up:
"But, Ralph, look at that green fire! Ugh! it makes me shudder."
"Heard of phosphorus, haven't you?"
"Y-y-y-yes, but----"
"No 'buts' about it. Those fellows think that we are just a pack of kidsthat they can scare by a foolish ghost trick. See, the light is dyingout. Well, they'll find out in a few minutes that their trick didn'tscare us. I'm more convinced than ever now that we have tumbled headlonginto a big game of some kind. What it is I can't imagine, but thatfellow Malvin knows more about that boat than we do."
"What makes you think so?"
"Why did he come butting in up here on the bridge and try to get us tostop chasing that craft?"
"Scared, I guess. I know _I_ was."
"Scared! Nonsense. If I read Malvin rightly, he's not the sort of fellowto shy at a child's trick like the one those fellows played. No, Harry,there's something back of all this, and I for one mean to find out whatit is before I'm many hours older."
"Go ahead," was all young Ware had to say, but to himself he muttered:
"We'll never overtake that craft, and--I hope we don't!"
The night shut down blacker than ever as the green glare that hadoutlined the fleeing craft in such startling fashion died out.
But right ahead the light still shone, the light that Ralph knew was thestern lamp of the craft they were pursuing. It had apparently beenhoisted in defiance, and this made the young captain all the moredetermined to find out more about the gray stranger.
"What are you going to do if you do overtake her?" asked Harry.
This question was a poser. Ralph, in the excitement of the chase, hadnot considered this. He had no right to board the stranger or even toquestion those on board, for legally he had nothing upon which toproceed.
"It may prove to be a foolish chase, after all," he admitted. "It mayall come to nothing, but I couldn't sleep unless I did what I couldtoward unraveling the mystery that I am sure envelops that craft. No menwould go to the pains to rig up a ghost scare and all that unless theyhad a mighty good reason for doing so. I'm going to keep after her tillI get close enough to hail her."
"What then?" demanded Harry.
"Why, I don't just know," admitted Captain Ralph, "but if I don't getsatisfactory answers to my questions I mean to follow her till she makesport and report the matter to the authorities, and then it will be up tothem. I feel justified in doing this from the fact that she has beenseen off our island, presumably on mischief bent."
There came a sudden sharp outcry from the bow.
Ralph gazed ahead and his heart fairly jumped into his throat.
Dead ahead, right under the bows of the onrushing _River Swallow_, wasthe light they had been pursuing, the stern light of the other motorboat.
"Great Scott! We'll be crushed like an eggshell when the collisioncomes!" was the thought that flashed through his brain as he rang, halfautomatically, for "full speed astern!"
"Back her!" roared the voice from the bows, the voice of Malvin.
Harry Ware stood speechless, gripping the rail. He was helpless for themoment in the face of the impending disaster. The _River Swallow_ wasmaking almost thirty miles an hour. To collide with a solid body such asthe craft ahead at that speed meant disaster, swift and certain.
Then a yell of terror burst from his lips. A sharp cry was torn fromRalph's throat simultaneously.
The next instant, at almost top speed, the _River Swallow_ struck.Fairly head on, she had collided with the obstacle before her.
The Border Boys Along the St. Lawrence Page 9