The Escape
Frank was so close to the man that he recognized him readily. He knew
now that Hanleigh was the man who had stolen their supplies and hidden
them, evidently to get the boys to leave the island. He knew that
Hanleigh was the man who had lost the mysterious Sparewell notebook. He
wanted to know more. If he raised the alarm now, the man would simply
refuse to talk.
Frank waited until the fellow had vanished among the trees. Then he
turned and made his way toward the cabin by a short-cut. He wanted to
reach the place first and warn Joe, so that they could better observe
the man’s actions without raising an immediate alarm.
“If he thinks we don’t see him, he may give himself away,” Frank
reasoned.
He reached the cabin unobserved. Hanleigh had not yet emerged from the
trees.
Frank found Joe standing at the window, looking down toward the rocks.
“I saw him! He’s coming this way.”
“Who is he?” demanded Joe eagerly.
“Hanleigh.”
“I thought so all along. Is he coming here?”
“I think so. Look, Joe—here’s my plan. I think he intends to come here.
He imagines we’re all out hunting for him. Let’s hide and find out what
he wants.”
“How about Chet and Biff?”
“They’re away down at the far ends of the island. We can capture
Hanleigh any time we want.”
“Where shall we hide?”
They looked around hastily. If Hanleigh came to the cabin, they knew the
man would probably search the place high and low for the notebook which
was his probable objective in returning to the island.
“We’ll have to stay outside. No use running any risks. We’d better hide
in the bushes until we see him come in here. Then we can creep up and
watch him through the back window,” Frank decided.
They left the cabin and ran across to a heavy clump of bushes only a few
yards away. There they crouched, waiting.
For a while, nothing happened. Then they heard a snapping and crackling
of branches far over to one side. In a few moments, Hanleigh came into
view. He looked cautiously from side to side, then advanced swiftly
toward the door of the cabin. There was a smile of satisfaction upon his
swarthy face. It was quite evident that he believed the lads had
departed to search for him. Swiftly, he stepped into the cabin.
Frank and Joe came out of their hiding place. They sped quickly over to
the window and peeped inside.
Hanleigh had paused uncertainly in the middle of the room. He was
looking at the fireplace. He stepped toward it, then apparently changed
his mind, for he paused, shook his head, and turned toward the kitchen.
They heard him rummaging about there for a few minutes, and in a little
while he returned.
That he was searching for something, soon became evident. He went over
to the beds and flung blankets, pillows and even mattresses on the
floor. With an expression of disgust, he began going through the boys’
packsacks.
“If he’s looking for the notebook he might as well quit now,” whispered
Frank.
“Where is it?”
“In my pocket.”
Hanleigh made a thorough search of the cabin. He rummaged through the
bureau and the desk, and as his search went on, with no success, he
apparently lost his temper for he flung things on the floor and stamped
angrily about.
“Let’s rush him before he wrecks the cabin,” whispered Joe.
But Frank restrained his brother.
“Wait!”
Hanleigh came over toward the window.
The boys ducked out of sight. They could hear the man talking to
himself. They listened, and they heard him mutter:
“Well, they won’t be able to read that cipher, anyway, so I guess it’s
all right.”
Frank and Joe nudged one another. Hanleigh was certainly searching for
the Sparewell notebook. The man went away from the window. They heard a
crash as, in a fit of vicious temper, the man swept off a few of the
little ornaments some one had placed above the fireplace.
“If he’s going to start smashing things, I guess we’d better take a
hand,” remarked Frank.
The boys stole around the side of the cabin. Then they stepped suddenly
across the threshold.
With an exclamation of surprise, Hanleigh swung around, facing them.
“Good-day, Mr. Hanleigh,” said Frank. “I see that you have decided to
pay us a little call.”
The man said nothing. He merely glared at the boys. They could see that
he was estimating his chances of escape, but they barred the doorway.
“Why don’t you wait until we’re all at home?” asked Joe.
“You boys have no right here, anyway,” growled the intruder.
“Did you ask Mr. Jefferson about it?” inquired Frank sweetly.
“I came back here to look for something I lost the other day.”
“What other day? The day you came and stole all our supplies?”
“I don’t know anything about your supplies. I mean the day I was here
when you fellows first arrived.”
“Haven’t you been here since?”
“No.”
“I’m pretty sure you have, Mr. Hanleigh. What was the idea of hiding our
food supplies?”
“I don’t know anything about your food supplies, I tell you!” shouted
the man, in exasperation. “I haven’t been here since the last time you
saw me.”
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to take your word for it,” said Frank, with
a shrug. “Although I don’t believe you for a minute. What was it you
lost? Perhaps we can help you.”
“My pocketbook,” growled Hanleigh, after a moment’s silence.
“Your pocketbook? Was there much money in it?”
“About fifty dollars. You don’t blame me for coming back to look for it,
do you?” sneered Hanleigh.
“Not at all. Where did you lose it?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere on the island.”
“Not down among the rocks, by chance?”
“I wasn’t down there.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a notebook?” asked Frank quietly.
The shot told. Hanleigh’s fists clenched.
“No, it wasn’t a notebook,” he said thickly.
“Well, if it wasn’t a notebook, I guess we can’t help you. Quite sure,
you didn’t lose a notebook?”
“I don’t know anything about a notebook.”
“That’s too bad. If it had been a notebook you lost, instead of a
pocketbook, we’d be able to help you. We did find a notebook and we have
been wondering whom it belonged to.”
“What kind of notebook?”
“Why should you ask?” said Frank. “If you didn’t lose one, you shouldn’t
be concerned. I think you’d better sit down, Mr. Hanleigh. We have a few
things to talk over with you before we turn you over to the police.”
Hanleigh went pale.
“The police?” he gasped.
“Why, of course. You don’t suppose we’re going to let you get away with
this, do you? You have no right here, you are trespassing on the island,
you break into our cabin and go through all our belongings, just like a
common burglar. What did you expect?”
“You won’t turn me over to the police,” declared Hanleigh.
“No?”
Hanleigh advanced toward them.
“Get out of my way!” he ordered.
The boys stood their ground.
“Just a minute,” said Frank. “We have rifles here. If you try to make a
getaway, we won’t be afraid to shoot.”
Hanleigh hesitated.
“That’s just a bluff,” he said weakly.
“Try it, and see.”
“I’ll try it!” roared Hanleigh.
He made a sudden lunge. Frank reached out to seize him and grabbed the
man’s arm. But Hanleigh shook himself free, plunged forward and collided
with Joe. The boys were taken by surprise. Joe struggled desperately,
but Hanleigh was a grown man and much stronger. He sent Joe reeling back
against the wall.
Frank flung himself upon the man and tried to trip him up.
Hanleigh struck out viciously with his fist. It caught Frank full in the
face. He was obliged to relinquish his hold. Before he knew it, Hanleigh
had dashed toward the door. The man leaped across the threshold and out
into the snow.
Frank recovered himself quickly. He ran toward the wall and took down
the little rifle. Joe, in the meantime, raced out of the cabin in
pursuit of the fugitive.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” Frank shouted.
But the man evidently realized that Frank would not make use of the
rifle. He turned and shook his fist in their direction. With a yell of
defiance, he disappeared among the trees.
Frank raised the rifle and fired two shots into the air. His aim was
partly to frighten Hanleigh and partly to warn Chet and Biff.
Joe turned.
Pursuit was futile. The heavy snow hampered his footsteps.
“No use chasing him!” shouted Frank. “Perhaps Chet and Biff will catch
him. It doesn’t matter. We know that he is the fellow who had the
notebook, and that’s the main thing.”