CAPTURED.
Mr. Norton’s words made my heart leap into my throat. I dodged out of
sight, but I felt it in my bones that I was about to be discovered.
“Reuben Stone’s cap,” repeated Yates. “Are you sure?”
“I certainly am.”
“Then the boy must be up the tree,” put in Avery. “Hi, there! Come down
out of that!” he called.
Of course I paid no attention to this command.
“Yes, Reuben, come down,” added Mr. Norton. “It will do no good to try
to hide.”
I remained silent, and for a moment the trio did the same.
“We’ll have to go up after him,” I heard one of them say in a whisper.
“Perhaps he’s got a gun,” put in another.
“He wouldn’t dare to fire it.”
“I don’t know about that. He’s a boy with lots of backbone.”
Meanwhile I was calculating the chances of escape. It was dark on all
sides, and that, I felt certain, would aid me greatly.
Near the tree up which I was hiding was another tree much larger.
Without making any noise I swung from one to the other, and got out on
a limb that extended fully twenty feet away from the spot where the
three men stood.
“I’ll go up the tree,” I heard Mr. Norton say.
“Reuben, you might as well come down,” he shouted.
I kept silent; and getting Avery to aid him with the lantern, Mr.
Norton began the ascent.
I allowed him to get well into the branches before making any movement
of my own.
“Got him?” called Yates.
“Not yet. Reuben!”
At that instant I allowed myself to drop to the ground. I landed in a
soft spot without making any noise. In an instant I made off at the top
of my speed.
I would have escaped but for one thing. Just as I started to run, Avery
flashed the lantern full upon me. It was a purely accidental movement,
but it revealed me to both him and Yates.
“There is the boy now!” he exclaimed.
“Where?” cried Mr. Norton.
“Down here! Stop! stop!” he yelled, and dashed after me.
Yates followed, and so did my guardian as soon as he could descend. I
had a fair start, and was just congratulating myself upon getting away,
when I ran up against one of the rocky mounds scattered all over the
island.
I looked around to the right and to the left for a way to escape, but
discovered none. Then I attempted to scale the rocks, but had hardly
got halfway to the top when Avery caught me by the foot.
“Let go!” I cried.
“Not much I won’t!” he responded. “Come down here.”
I tried to kick him, and did so, though not very hard. Then he gave a
strong pull, and I came down in a heap.
“You can’t come it over me,” he cried.
He had landed directly on top of me; but I began to squirm at a lively
rate, and he soon saw that he would not be able to hold me.
“Lie still, or I’ll give you a crack on the head!”
“I won’t be still,” I returned. “Let me up!”
“Quiet, I tell you. Hurry up!” he called to the others.
“We’re coming,” they cried.
“Have you got him?” added Mr. Norton anxiously.
“Yes; but he’s three handsful to handle.”
“We’ll be there in a second.”
By this time I had squirmed to one side, and managed by hard work to
partly raise myself.
Seeing this, Avery gave me a stinging blow on the side of the head.
The crack made me see stars, and I fell back. But I did not lose my
presence of mind, and I returned the blow with interest.
It seemed to surprise the fellow, for he burst into a loud laugh.
“Well, you are a plucky chap, and no mistake!” he exclaimed. “However,
all this struggling of yours won’t do you any good. I’ve handled too
many men to be outdone by a boy.”
I wrenched myself loose, and sprang to my feet. He was after me, and in
a trice I was again on my back.
In falling my head struck a rock. The bump stunned me for the instant,
and it raised a big lump besides. I essayed to get away again; but my
head was in a whirl, and finally I was forced to abandon the struggle.
“Now we’ve got you,” he panted.
I made no reply, and presently Yates and Mr. Norton came up.
“Ha, Reuben, you rascal, you thought you would be smart, did you?” said
Mr. Norton, as he grasped me by the shoulder.
“What do you intend to do with me?” I asked, as coolly as I could,
though I was both excited and out of breath.
“You’ve been spying on us, haven’t you?” said Yates.
To this I made no reply.
“How long have you been on the island?” questioned my guardian.
“I shall not tell you,” I replied firmly.
“I say you will!” he ejaculated, getting angry at once.
I remained silent.
“Are you going to tell me?”
I wiped the perspiration from my brow and adjusted my clothes.
“Do you hear me, Reuben?” he stormed.
“Please give me my cap,” I said to Yates; and he handed it over.
“If the boy is going to act like a mule, what is the use of wasting
time over him,” put in Avery. “The question is, now we’ve got him, what
are we going to do with him?”
“I’d like to put him out of existence!” growled Mr. Norton.
“We can’t do that,” said Yates. “Shall we take him along?”
There was considerable talk, and then this was agreed to.
“Now, then, forward march!” cried Mr. Norton. “And mind you don’t dare
to escape or I won’t be responsible for whatever happens to you.”
“I won’t go along,” I said stubbornly.
“You won’t?”
“Not a step. You have no right to act in this manner. I have as much
right to come on this island as you have without being molested.”
“Getting on your high horse!” sneered Mr. Norton.
“If so, I intend to stay there,” was my quick reply.
Mr. Norton tried to force me forward; but I refused to budge, and
finally sat down on a rock.
“Now what are you going to do?” asked Avery, who I really believe was
inclined to laugh at the whole scene. “Rather rough when an uncle can’t
manage his own nephew.”
And both he and Yates let off a loud laugh.
“It’s no laughing matter,” growled Mr. Norton. “This boy knows
altogether too much. If we got caught, he could place us in a fine box.”
“Well, as he won’t go along, suppose we leave him here,” said Yates.
“What do you mean?”
“Let us tie him up to one of the trees. Before he can manage to get
away, we’ll be out of the district.”
“But he may not be able to get away at all if we bind him too fast,”
suggested Avery. “Then he would starve to death.”
“That wouldn’t harm much,” said Mr. Norton. “It’s a good idea,” he went
on. “Any rope in the crowd?”
There was; and it was quickly brought forward.
Things were getting to look serious. To be left behind bound to a tree
was far from pleasant to contemplate. I half wished I had agreed to
accompany the three men.
“I won’t be bound!” I cried. And jumping up, I tried to dash away. But
my guardian was too quick for me. He caught me by the arm and held me
with all his strength.
“Here is a tree, boys,” he said. “I will hold him while you put the
rope around him. Mind you get it tight or he’ll be out of it in a
jiffy.”
“Not when I tie the knots,” said Yates. “You forget I spent six years
at sea and understand how to handle a rope perfectly.”
The rope was a long one, and it was passed around my body and the tree
several times. Then my feet were fastened, and finally my hands.
“Now he’s as stiff as a poker,” went on Yates. “I’ll warrant he won’t
get loose short of four or five hours at the least.”
“It ought to be four or five days,” grumbled Mr. Norton.
“Seems to me you’re pretty hard on the boy,” remarked Avery. “For an
uncle, it doesn’t look well at all.”
“Mind your own business!” cried my guardian.
“This is my business. We’ve done enough in stealing the diamonds
without leaving the boy to die here.”
“He’s all right,” was the reply. “Come on. We have lost too much time
already.”
And the three men hurried off, leaving me to my fate.