SEARCHING FOR FRANK.
As time passed and Frank did not return, the boys began to grow restless
and anxious.
"I don't like it," declared Diamond, pacing the beach, upon which the
tide was washing higher and higher as it came in. "I did not think much
of letting him go away alone. We all know what happened to him once when
he was alone on this island."
"He knows it himself," said Hodge; "and it is mighty hard work to catch
him twice in the same trap."
"Oh, he's shrewd enough, but he can be overpowered by numbers. What do
you think about it, Browning?"
Bruce was stretched on the sand, his head pillowed on his coat, which
lay on a rock.
"I'm not going to think for an hour," he grunted. "Too much trouble."
"Oh, your laziness makes me disgusted!" snapped Diamond.
"Huah!" came in a puff from the big fellow. "Something seems to be
gnawing you still."
"Poys," broke in Hans, who still looked sad and weary of living, "I made
der biggest mistook uf your life ven I let Vrankie go avay alone all py
himseluf to chase dot liddle defil mit der saucy mouth--you heard me
vawble!"
"If he had fallen into trouble, he would have done some shooting to let
us know."
"But should we have heard it, Hodge?" asked Diamond.
"The island is not very large."
"I think it is pretty large, and I do not believe we could hear a gun
fired on the other side even under favorable circumstances, and the
circumstances are not favorable now."
"Why not?"
"Wind is blowing the wrong way."
"Didn't think of that."
The boys soon concluded that the shooting on the farther side of the
island would not be heard by them, and straightway their anxiety
increased.
Diamond was for starting out at once to look for Frank. He did not
believe in waiting till the hour was up; but Hodge, who in his heart was
the most anxious man of the party, objected to disobeying Merry's plain
command.
"He told us to stay here an hour, and I shall stay here," said Bart.
"I suppose you would stay if you heard him shouting for help?" said the
Virginian, hotly.
Bart flushed, for he did not fancy being spoken to in that tone of
voice.
"I have always found it best to do just as Merriwell directs," said
Hodge, stiffly. "If you wish to go search for him, you may go. I remain
here twenty minutes longer."
Browning grunted his approval of the stand taken by Bart, and Jack gave
them both a savage look.
Hans, who had refused to partake of the clams while the man in gray was
present, was feeling very hungry, and that made him still more
miserable.
"Oxcuse me, poys," he said. "I must made a raid der ship's brovisions
ubon. I vill peen pack britty soon, if nod before."
Then he took the boat and rowed off to the yacht, where he lost no time
in satisfying the cravings of his "inner man."
As the Dutch lad appeared on deck to row ashore again, Browning
suddenly straightened up from his recumbent position. He had his watch
in his hand, and the Dutch lad heard him say:
"The hour is up, Hodge."
Immediately Bart turned toward the yacht and shouted to Hans:
"Bring two of those guns ashore, and plenty of cartridges for them. Be
lively about it! We are in a howling hurry."
"All righd!" shouted Hans, in return, as he plunged down the companion
way.
He was not long in getting the guns and placing them in the boat, but
when he reached the shore it was discovered that he had brought the
wrong cartridges.
Then Hodge leaped into the boat and rowed out to the yacht for what was
needed, returning in a few minutes.
Browning, however, usually careless and lazy, was fretting at the delay,
for the big fellow remembered how, but a short time before, he had saved
Frank's life by a hair's breadth. A delay of one minute in that case
would have been fatal.
Bruce had some imagination, and he was beginning to picture Frank in all
sorts of peril.
"Look here!" came fiercely from Diamond; "what are you chaps up to? Do
not think for a moment that you are going to leave me behind! I'm going
with you! I am going to help find Merriwell!"
"Of course, you can come if you insist," began Bruce.
"I do!" cut in Jack.
"But I scarcely think it advisable," the big fellow continued. "At least
two of our party should remain and watch the yacht."
"Hans is enough for that."
"Don't you pelief I vos goin' to stayed here alone!" squawked the Dutch
boy. "You don'd plaid dot tricks on me!"
Jack tried to argue with him--tried to convince him that there could be
no danger in remaining on board the yacht; but Hans was obstinate, and
the effort failed.
"You don'd fool me dot vay," he fiercely exclaimed. "I don'd stayed
alone here, dot vos all."
It became plain that one of the boys would have to remain with him.
Hodge had returned with the proper ammunition, and Jack was not supplied
with a gun.
"Well," he said, fiercely, "I was the first one who wanted to go after
Merriwell, but I seem to be left out of it. All right! I may come later.
Perhaps you will need me."
"Perhaps so," confessed Bart, grimly. "Give us plenty of time to make a
circuit of the island and return here. Then, if we have not appeared,
you will have a reason for coming."
"Und I vill come mit him," put in Hans.
"Don't leave the _White Wings_ unless you feel it is for the best. We
are going prepared for trouble, and it will be a warm crowd that gets
the best of us. Come on."
Away went Bart and the big Yale man, scrambling up the bank with their
guns and quickly disappearing into the bushes.
Bart took the lead, but Browning was at his heels, swinging along with a
stride that covered ground swiftly. There was a look of intense anxiety
on the face of the giant.
Round the island to the quarry they went, down the railroad they
hurried, and soon they were in sight of the spot where not many hours
before Frank had nearly lost his life.
Browning drew a breath of relief when they did not find the mangled body
of Merriwell stretched on the track. Somehow he had felt it was
possible the wretches had captured Frank and completed their work at
last, and he was dreading to walk down that railroad, fearing he should
find the friend he loved and admired dead upon the rails.
"He is not here."
The words came from Hodge, and they were exactly what Bruce was
thinking.
"No."
"Where shall we go now?"
"To the old boarding house." Away they went toward the building. It
looked before them, the sunshine glinting on its windows, apparently
utterly deserted. There was something forbidding in its appearance.
"We shall not find him there!"
Hodge spoke the words in full conviction that time would be wasted in
looking through the building.
"Perhaps not," admitted Bruce; "but I know of no other place to look."
This was a confession that the big fellow would be "stumped" if no trace
of Frank was found in the building.
They reached it, passed round to the back door by which admission had
been obtained when Frank and Bruce visited it the first time, and there
they hesitated.
The door was standing open.
"Just exactly as we left it!" exclaimed Browning. "No one has closed the
door."
This seemed to surprise him. Hodge pushed forward and went in. Bruce
followed.
The empty rooms echoed to their steps. Everywhere were cobwebs, dust,
decay. Some of the windows were broken, some were boarded up.
From room to room they went, they ascended the stairs, they spoke in
whispers.
The sun shone in upon the floor, but it brought nothing of cheer to the
deserted building. It seemed like a mocking attempt to make the place
look pleasant, an attempt that served to show its dreary desolation all
the more plainly.
"He is not here," whispered Bart.
"The basement," came from Bruce. "It was there that I found him when he
disappeared the other time."
Down the creaking stairs they went, Browning taking the lead now. The
door at the head of the stairs leading into the dark basement was open.
"Just as we left it," declared the big fellow. "It was fastened in the
first place, so Merry said. He had to force it open."
They lighted matches as they went down the stairs into the basement. The
place was dismal enough, filled with old boxes and barrels.
"Frank!"
Browning called, causing Hodge to start and drop his match. Then they
stood still and listened.
Squeak! squeak!
A rat scampered across the ground beneath their feet.
That was all. There was no answer to Browning's call.
"He is not here."
"No."
They lost little time in hastening up the stairs and getting out of the
old building. As soon as they were in the open air they drew deep
breaths, for they had been stifled and oppressed.
"Where next?" asked Bart.
"The house," said Bruce. "We must not go away without looking through
that."
"Can we get in?"
"We will find a way--or make it!"