TWO BOATS
It was late when the party at last arrived at Mackinac Island.
"It's twenty-five minutes past two," said Grant sleepily as he looked at
his watch after the party had landed at the dock.
"We've had so much excitement and so many things to do in the last two or
three days that I think I shall sleep right through the bed," said John.
The weary boys almost threatened to fulfill the prophecy of John. In
spite of the excitement through which they had passed they were speedily
asleep and it was late the following morning before any one arose.
"What's up to-day?" called Fred as he opened the door between the rooms
which the four boys occupied.
"Not very much," responded George, who was already dressed and had been
down in the office of the hotel. "I have learned one thing though."
"Good for you," laughed Grant. "You couldn't learn many less, that's one
thing sure."
"I have learned that Mr. Button has gone," declared George, ignoring the
bantering of his companion.
"Gone?" demanded Grant. "What do you mean?"
"Just what I say."
"Do you mean he has left Mackinac Island for good and all?"
"I didn't say that. I simply said he had gone. He is expected back here
at night."
"That's all right," called John, who now entered the room and joined in
the conversation. "I'm glad he isn't here. It will give us a chance to
rest up. It's ten o'clock in the morning now, but I feel as if I was
almost ready to crawl back into bed again."
"We'll feel all right by night," said Fred lightly. "I suggest that we
sit around the hotel and not try to do anything very strenuous to-day."
The suggestion was followed by all four boys and save for a walk about
the Island they passed the hours reading or writing letters.
Darkness had fallen before Mr. Button was seen by any of the four boys.
Approaching him, Fred said, "We have got another letter for you, Mr.
Button. It will match the one that came to me that was intended for you."
Mr. Button glanced keenly at the boy as he spoke and said, "Is the letter
intended for me?"
"I think so," said Fred.
"Where did you get it? Did it come to you through the mail as the other
one did?"
"No, sir, we picked it up on the shore of Western Duck Island."
"You did!" exclaimed Mr. Button more strongly moved by the statement than
the boys ever had seen him before. "Where is it?"
"It's in my pocket," replied Fred. "We wish you would come up to our
room, Mr. Button. We'll give you the letter and tell you some other
things we have found out besides."
Accepting the invitation Mr. Button accompanied the boys to the room
which Fred and John occupied and after he had seated himself in the chair
which was offered him by John, Fred at once began his story.
"We found this letter, Mr. Button, as I told you. It must have dropped
out of the pocket of that man on the island or else Mr. Halsey lost it.
At any rate we thought it belonged either to me or to you and I guess
there's no question now that it is yours."
Fred handed the letter to their visitor, who at once read it through and
laughing lightly thrust it into his pocket. "It matches the other one,"
he said, "and sounds very much as if they both were written by the same
man."
"We have found the man that wrote them."
"Have you?" inquired Mr. Button quietly.
"Yes, sir. When John and I were taken by that boat which rescued us we
couldn't land until we came to Sault St. Marie. It was almost morning and
we had a great time, as our clothes were wet and we left them on the boat
after we had put on some duds the sailors gave us. We found we didn't
have any money when we went up town and tried to get some breakfast, and
when we went back to the dock we were horrified to find that the boat had
gone on without us. Her next stop probably is Duluth."
"And she took your clothes with her?" inquired Mr. Button, smiling as he
spoke.
"She did that," declared Fred ruefully, "and that wasn't all of it
either, for in our pockets were all the valuable things we possessed,
though I guess money wasn't among them. By and by we found a strange man
there who agreed to bring us back to Mackinac in his motor-boat if we
would go with him around by Cockburn Island."
"Was he a red-haired man with big splotches of red on his face? Was he
tall and ungainly and did he have a voice that no one could ever forget
if he once heard it?"
"That's the very man. He talked almost all the way to Cockburn Island. He
can do one thing well though, let me tell you."
"What is that?"
"He knows how to cook salt pork and potatoes."
"I fancy," said Mr. Button, "that the air and the appetites of you boys
helped you to appreciate the quality of Rufus's cooking."
"Maybe it did, but the strange part of it all was after we stopped at
Cockburn Island."
"What happened then?"
"Why, he wanted us to stay on board the boat while he went up to that old
house. He didn't find what he wanted and when he came back he said we
would have to wait there for a while. It was almost dark then. It seems
he thinks he hasn't been treated just right by this man Halsey, who is
probably the smuggler you want to get."
Mr. Button smiled, but did not interrupt the story which Fred was
telling.
"While we were waiting, Rufus got to talking about his experiences and he
made us think that he was the one that wrote both those letters. He
wanted to get even with the man who didn't give him his share, as he
believed."
"Is that all he told you?" inquired Mr. Button.
"No, there's another thing he spoke about and that is the barn."
"Ah," said Mr. Button quickly. "What did he say about the barn?"
"It wasn't so much what he said as what he made us believe. He told about
two Great Danes they have to guard the barn and another one which they
have to protect the house. He said if anybody tried to get into the barn
they would have their troubles."
"What did you say then?"
"Why, we asked him what any one would want to go into that old tumbled
down barn for and he looked at us in a way that made us sure there was
something there worth while. Do you suppose that Mr. Halsey hides in the
barn the stuff which he smuggles into the United States?"
"I'm not sure--yet."
"Are you going to find out?"
"That's one of the things that brought me to Mackinac Island."
"But the boys say," suggested Fred, "that you haven't any right to search
his property over there. He's in Canada and you belong to the United
States."
"I surely do," responded Mr. Button smilingly, "but it is possible that I
may try to make a few investigations, not as an officer, but simply to
satisfy my personal curiosity."
"What are you going to do?" inquired Fred impulsively.
Mr. Button laughed again and after a brief silence said, "Why not?
Perhaps I can make use of your help. I don't mind telling you, now that
you know so much, that I expect to go over to Cockburn Island to-morrow.
Furthermore I expect to make some investigations there. It may be that I
might take two of you boys with me, though they used to tell me when I
was a youngster that one boy is a boy and two boys is a half a boy."
"Which two will you take?" demanded Fred excitedly.
"I have no preference. In fact I may be wrong in allowing any of you to
go. If either of those huge dogs should attack you there would surely be
trouble. Besides, the little Japanese cannot be ignored. And then too,
the smuggler himself, if he is caught on the ground, or finds we are
making our own investigations, may make more trouble than all the rest
put together."
"What's the reason," spoke up George excitedly, "that Grant and I can't
take another motor-boat and go over there near the channel and spend the
day fishing? You see we would be within easy calling if you need us and
the fact that we were there might help to explain why Fred and John were
on the island."
"There wouldn't be very much for you to do," suggested Mr. Button.
"It will be enough for us if we can just go ahead," said Grant.
So eager were the boys and so intense was their desire to join in the
expedition of the morrow that at last Mr. Button somewhat reluctantly
gave his consent, explaining that if there should be any real danger he
would insist upon the boys at once withdrawing in their motor-boats
across the American border.
"We must start to-morrow morning," explained Mr. Button, "by four o'clock
at the latest."
"We'll be ready," declared Fred confidently.
"Then, all of you boys better turn in now," said Mr. Button as he arose
and departed from the room.
True to their promise all four boys were on the dock before four o'clock
the following morning.
"I think we are going to have a good day," said Mr. Button to Fred and
John as soon as their motor-boat was free.
"It looks so," said John as he glanced toward the eastern sky.
"I don't mean the weather alone," explained Mr. Button, "but I feel quite
sure that Halsey will not be on Cockburn Island to-day."
"How do you know? What makes you think so?" demanded Fred quickly.
Mr. Button smiled, but did not explain his reasons for the opinion which
he held. Indeed, conversation lagged and every one in the motor-boat
apparently was busy with his own thoughts.
The boat which George and Grant had secured manifestly was much slower,
for it soon was left behind and had not been seen again when about ten
o'clock in the morning the party drew near the shores of Cockburn Island.
"The first thing," explained Mr. Button, "I want you to do is to stay on
board this motor-boat while I go up to the house."
"But you may need us," suggested John.
"If I do I shall let you know," laughed Mr. Button.
As soon as the boat came to anchor, taking the little skiff which the
motor-boat had in tow, Mr. Button alone rowed quickly to the shore and
soon was on his way toward the little house in the distance.