SETTLING A POINT.
"Now, fellows," said Frank Merriwell, as he faced his four "shipmates"
in the cabin of his yacht, _White Wings_, which was riding at anchor in
the harbor at Green's Landing, "I have called you together for a council
of war."
"I'm tired," grunted Bruce Browning. "Can't I rest in my bunk while the
powwow is going on?"
"No," came firmly from Frank, "this is a matter of business, and it
won't hurt you to sit up a while."
"Oh, get a brace on!" exclaimed Diamond, flinging the words at the big
Yale man. "Act as if you had some life in you, old fellow."
The manner in which the words were spoken made the usually polite
Virginian seem quite unlike himself, but Bruce simply grinned,
observing:
"You shouldn't hold a grudge because I flirted a little with Miss
Benjamin, Diamond; you got a lead on me while Merriwell and I were
investigating on Devil Island, and won her back, all right. Don't be
sour over it."
The Southerner sprang up, his eyes flashing:
"Mr. Browning," he said, hotly, "I warn you not to speak lightly of Miss
Benjamin! You seem to take delight in mentioning her in connection with
every little occurrence, and it is getting tiresome. There is a limit!"
"Huah!" grunted the giant. "Touchy, mighty touchy. First thing I know
he'll be challenging me to a duel."
"It would be useless to challenge you!" flashed Jack. "You Northerners
are too cold blooded to fight."
"Well, now, this will do!" cut in Merry, promptly rising to his feet. "I
won't have it on board my yacht."
"Then I suppose we can go on shore and fight it out," said Jack, sourly.
"If you want to make fools of yourselves--yes."
"You are very plain spoken, Mr. Merriwell."
"It is necessary at times, Diamond. Hold your temper in check, old man,
and don't talk about Northerners and Southerners. There is no North, no
South. The time is past. When you came to Yale you were full of freakish
notions about the North and the South, but I fancied you had been pretty
well cured of that. I see it will crop out occasionally, though."
To this Diamond made no retort, but he looked thoroughly angry. With
another fellow Frank would have laughed him out of the mood, but he knew
it would not do to try that on the Virginian, for Jack could not endure
a bit of ridicule.
However, Merry talked quietly, and soon he could see he was pouring oil
on the troubled waters, for the look of anger was leaving Diamond's
face, and Browning had assumed a lounging attitude.
"This is no time for hard feelings between any of us," said Frank. "As I
said a few minutes ago, I have called you together for a council of
war."
"Vot did I mean ven you said dot?" asked Hans Dunnerwust. "Berhaps you
don'd understood me as vell as I might. Vot for haf dot gouncil uf var
peen caldt?"
"Yes," said Bart Hodge, "just what are you driving at, Merriwell?"
"Fellows, we have struck a mystery."
"I thought you had solved the mystery of the monster of Devil Island."
"I solved the mystery of the monster's identity and discovered the
creature was the hunchback, Put Wiley, in disguise."
"But he came near ending your career."
"With the aid of the cock-eyed man, whose name, I have learned, since
returning to Green's Landing, is Dan Hicks. I could have handled Wiley
alone, but Hicks came to his aid and caught me by the throat, grasping
me from behind. Together they knocked me out and tied me to the old
railroad on the island. But for Browning's wonderful efforts in ripping
up the rails, they would have succeeded in their attempt to send a flat
car loaded with granite down the track, and I must have been cut in two.
I tell you, fellows, it was a wonderful sight to see Bruce pry up those
rails and send that car, granite and all, into the water. Ah, Browning!"
exclaimed Merriwell, his voice betraying his feeling despite his effort
to keep it under control, "it prolonged my life when you were born
strong."
"Oh, it wasn't much work to rip up those rails," said the big fellow,
with an air of modesty. "You see, the spikes that held them were planted
in rotten wood, for the ties are very old."
"You never moved half as fast before in your life, Browning," said
Hodge. "You did get a hustle on then."
"I had to," grunted Bruce. "Saw there wasn't any time to loaf."
"You saved my life," declared Frank. "The identity of the monster is
solved, but the mystery of the island is as deep as ever."
"Shust vot do I mean ven you said dot?" asked Hans.
"Why should the hunchback rig himself up in that horrible manner and try
to frighten persons away from the island?"
"There is a mystery," confessed Diamond.
"Certainly it is," nodded Merriwell. "Discovering the identity of the
monster has not seemed to clear things up much. It has added to my
curiosity."
"Berhaps id peen a healthy thing to stayed avay dot islands from,"
observed Hans, sagely.
"Whatever the secret of the island may be," said Frank, "those men are
ready to commit murder in order to guard it."
"They came near succeeding," said Hodge.
"It looks as if they have succeeded."
"Eh? How?"
"You remember the story of the Boston man who was landed on the island
and never seen afterward."
"The cock-eyed man told that story."
"Yes."
"Perhaps that was a part of his plan to scare us away from the
island--to keep us from going there."
"Perhaps so; but you remember he told us there was a grave on the island
and the headstone was marked, 'Sacred to the memory of Rawson Denning.'"
"Yes. More of his plan to scare us away."
"The grave is there."
"What?"
"Sure."
"You--you----"
"Found it. Bruce was with me. We came out into a dismal glade in the
heart of the black woods, and there was the grave and the headstone with
the words upon it."
"Jingoes!"
Hodge stared at Frank a few moments, and then asked:
"Do you really believe the Boston man was murdered and buried in that
grave?"
"Rawson was the name he gave, and the grave was found on the island
after his strange disappearance. It seems probable enough that he is
planted there."
"By Chorch!" exclaimed the Dutch boy, turning pale; "I don'd vant to
monkey aroundt dot island all alone by yourself."
"Do you have any idea what the mystery of the island can be, Merriwell?"
asked Hodge, eagerly.
"Of course I do not know any better than yourself, but I have a
suspicion."
"What do you think?"
"Yaw!" cried Hans; "vat do I think?"
"I believe some kind of unlawful business is carried on there, and for
that reason the criminals are using every means to frighten away anybody
who might prove troublesome or inquisitive."
"Then will it pay us to be troublesome and inquisitive?" said Diamond.
"That is the very matter we are here to discuss. The girls and Miss Gale
are comfortably located here at Green's Landing, and they will be able
to amuse themselves for a day or two. If we wish, we can run down to
Devil Island every morning and return here every night. I am willing to
confess that my curiosity is aroused, and I would give something to
solve the mystery of the place; but I do not wish to drag any of my
friends into danger where they do not wish to go."
"I hardly think there is one in this party who will not stand by you
wherever you go, Merriwell," said Bart, quickly. "You can count on me."
"I knew it."
"And me," grunted Browning.
"I thought so."
"Und I vos anodder!" exclaimed Hans.
"That is good."
"Don't think for a moment that I will go back on you," said Diamond. "I
started on this cruise with the intention of staying with you, and I
shall."
"Good. That part of it is settled. I have said that the mystery of that
island belongs to me, and I will solve it. I mean to keep my word."
"Vale," said Hans, "I never knowed yourseluf ven you didn'd keep your
vord, Vrankie. But maype you don'd vant to took some more chances uf
peing runned ofer a railroat on?"
"Hardly. We have a fair breeze. Shall we run down to the island this
forenoon?"
"Come on," said Diamond, suddenly. "If we have a mystery to solve, the
sooner we get after it the better."
There was a thump against the side of the yacht, and a voice called:
"Ahoy on board there! I want to see the captain of this craft."