It proved that Mr. Carson knew his St. Lawrence in the neighborhood of
the Thousand Islands by heart, so that even in the misty moonlight he
was able to guide the two speed boats back to the haunted island.
Their arrival was the signal for an outburst of cheers from those of the
motor boat boys who had been left behind.
Great was the excitement that took possession of the four when they
discovered that it was Clarence and Bully Joe who were now in charge of
the mysterious dark speed boat; and after finding out that three
smugglers lay in the bottom, with their ankles tied, and steel bracelets
on their wrists, Nick and Josh were so overwhelmed with amazement that
they could hardly speak for a brief time. And as the others realized,
when the tall lad lost his voice it must be something wonderful indeed
that had happened.
Mr. Carson meant to lose no time. He sent his Indian assistant across
the island to take the little canvas collapsible canoe, and cross over
to a neighboring piece of land, where their noisy motor boat had been
concealed earlier in the evening.
Of course the boys now understood that it had been this river craft
whose loud, rattling pulsations they had caught at the time George first
mentioned hearing the sounds.
When, a little later, the pilot returned, bringing the snub-nosed boat
with him, the three prisoners were transferred without much trouble.
After that the revenue man and his helper went ashore to complete the
job. One by one they brought off the trio of prisoners who had been left
there helpless.
Finally they carried aboard the large packs that Jack had seen hidden in
the cavity under the old straw in the cabin's earthen floor.
"I think that finishes the job," remarked the energetic agent, as he
wiped his wet forehead. "And I must admit that, taken as a whole, it's
about the most satisfactory piece of business I've handled for a long
time."
"Did you get them all, sir?" Josh asked, filled with admiration for the
man who could engineer a big scheme like this and bring it to a
successful close.
"The entire working force is now in custody, I believe," replied Mr.
Carson. "To be sure there are probably some persons connected with the
band whom we will never lay hands on; such as those who supplied the
funds, and shipped the goods across the border. But it may be possible
to catch some of the guilty receivers over on our side of the river.
When rogues find themselves fast in the toils, they frequently offer to
confess all they know in order to curry favor with the authorities. And
secretly, between us, I imagine Glenwood may yet be induced to turn
state's evidence."
"Are you going to leave us now, sir?" asked Jack, seeing that the other
was evidently preparing to cross over to his own well laden motor boat.
"Yes," came the reply. "The sooner I get this cargo behind the bars, the
better. But I want to shake hands with each one of you, and thank you
again most heartily for the assistance you have given me in this matter.
I don't mean to let it drop there; and you may expect to hear from me
again, since Jack Stormways has given me his address. Good night boys,
and may the balance of your vacation be as peaceful as the beginning has
been stormy."
"Oh! well, we've sure enjoyed it, Mr. Carson," said George, "and it was
worth a heap to me to have that chance to try conclusions with the
_Flash_."
"I've no doubt of it, George," laughed the agent, as he clambered over
the side of his stubby little launch. "And since I miss that same evil
looking boat, I surmise that our friend Clarence did not care to stay
here in your company any longer than he could help."
"He scooted off as soon as you had gone ashore for the prisoners, sir,"
observed Nick, who wanted to have a last word with the man he admired so
much.
And in another minute the Indian pilot had set his chatterbox of an
engine to beating a lively tattoo, upon which the stub-nosed launch
began to draw away. As long as it remained in sight in the moonlight the
boys cheered, and called goodbyes, so that if there chanced to be any
more ghosts lingering about that haunted island they must have taken
this for a clear defiance of their power, and concluded to remain in
hiding during the balance of the stay of the motor boat boys.
"Think we can pick up a few winks of sleep, fellows?" asked George, when
the clatter of the loud-voiced engine had been mellowed by distance.
"We ought to try, anyhow," said Jack, "Seems to me we've had our rest
pretty badly broken up lately. For one I'm going to forget it all for a
while."
But the chances were that none of them got any satisfactory sleep during
the balance of that eventful night.
On the following morning they prepared to vacate the cove that had been
their anchorage for so long. All of them first went ashore; for Nick and
Herb were very anxious to see the cabin, and the hole in the floor were
the smugglers kept their goods concealed after secretly bringing the
stuff over from the Canada mainland, waiting until a good chance opened
to scatter it through the state, free of duty.
"Well," declared Nick, as they prepared to get underway later in the
morning; "this has been a great experience all around, sure enough. And
it ended fine--that is for us boys, though I guess poor old Glenwood and
his fellow conspirators don't feel so very gay over it."
"And don't forget our friends, Clarence and Bully Joe, while about it,"
spoke up George. "Just stop and think what Macklin went through--held a
prisoner by those reckless men, and threatened with all sorts of trouble
if he so much as squeaked on 'em. Then forced to do whatever they
wanted. And last, but far from least, beaten in a fair race by this
dandy little meteor boat that he once sneered at. That's glory enough
for me, I'm telling you, shipmates."
"I guess we all enjoyed it," remarked Josh.
"Yes, so far as I'm concerned I'd be quite contented and happy right
now, if I only knew one thing," remarked Nick, looking doleful again.
"Here, don't you go to starting up your tune about that break," said
George, "we all agreed long ago that if you _did_ leak to Clarence, you
never would have done it on purpose. So forget it."
"But I tell you I can't," flashed back the fat boy. "I feel sore about
it; and I want to find out the truth so that every one of you'll get
down on your marrow-bones and ask my pardon. And something tells me the
time ain't so far away when that very thing is going to happen."
"Then speed the hour," grinned Herb; "after you've seen us in a row
asking forgiveness, perhaps we'll have peace, and you'll forget the
incident."
"Don't count too heavily on that," George said. "You don't know Buster
as well as I do. Just as like as not he'll turn out to be made up the
same way as that thirsty young woman in the sleeping car, you know."
"But perhaps we don't know, so suppose you tell us," Nick himself burst
out with curiosity consuming him.
"Oh! I thought it was a chestnut; but if you will have it, listen. A
traveling man, trying to go to sleep, heard some woman keep on saying
out loud in the berth next to him 'Oh! I am so thirsty! Oh! I am so
thirsty!' When he couldn't stand for it any longer he got up, went and
fetched a glass of water, and begged her to accept it. Then he went back
to his berth, thinking he would have peace. But soon he heard the same
woman saying over and over again: 'Oh! I was so thirsty! I was so
thirsty!' So look out Buster don't play that game on you, Herb."
There was a shout at this, in which Nick joined; for being a
good-natured chap in the main, he could take a joke that was leveled at
himself.
About nine o'clock the signal was given, and the three motor boats
forming the cruising fleet pulled out of the friendly cove. Those on
board looked back with more or less rejoicing and regret at the scene of
their recent adventures. They would not soon forget all that had
happened since first they dropped in there for a night's stay. And
Jack's entries in the official log would doubtless prove very
entertaining reading for the folks at home.
Upon examining the bow of his speed boat George had found where that
bullet had struck, that was fired last of all by the desperate smuggler,
in hopes of frightening the boy at the wheel of the pursuing craft.
It had made quite a hole, though fortunately doing no real damage. Later
on he could of course, have the aperture plugged; but for the present it
would stand as a mute witness to the truth of the adventurous story the
boys had to tell. If any one of their mates at home ventured to scoff at
the idea of their having been actually under a hot fire, he stood ready
to pry that bit of lead out of its lodgings, and thus confound the
skeptic.
They were now on the second week of their vacation, and of course had
lots of territory to cover still, before they could say they had
exhausted the pleasures of this wonderful cruising ground. But already
the motor boat boys were looking forward to another daring venture, and
all of them had written home to gain the consent of those who must be
consulted ere determining positively on their plans.
This included a long trip through lakes Ontario and Erie, up past
Detroit into Lake Huron, along the shore of this great body of water
until the wonderful Soo was reached at the head of the St. Mary's river;
and then possibly into Superior; winding up with a run down Lake
Michigan to Milwaukee, where the boats could be sent home the same way
they had left, via railroad.
Of course, being real boys, once a great undertaking like this had
formed itself in their minds they could talk of little else. And Jack
knew very well that if any determined opposition developed at home, that
would put a damper on the grand scheme, there would be a feeling of
gloom settle down over the whole expedition.
After leaving the haunted island the first object of the boys was to get
back to Clayton, and not only replenish their depleted supplies, but
gather up any mail that would, according to orders, be held for them at
the post office there.
Josh went ashore to get the mail, while Jack looked after the supplies.
Nick seemed unusually uneasy all the time they were gone; and upon their
showing up he demanded shrilly that the letters be distributed without
delay.
"Only one for you, Pudding," jeered the letter carrier, as he held it
up; "and seems to me I smell violet perfume on that. Must be a dainty
billet doux from Rosie Sinclair; but here, take it and go off by
yourself. It would make us all die of envy to see you reading such sweet
stuff, when we are forgotten by our best girls."
Nick eagerly snatched the missive from his hand, and with trembling
fingers tore it open. A minute later the others were astonished to hear
him give a loud whoop.
"What did I tell you, fellows?" he exclaimed, trying to dance around
like a wild Indian, and waving the open letter. "Mebbe I ain't something
of a detective myself? Come around here, every one of you now, and get
ready to do that marrow-bone act you promised."
"What's all this mean? Has he gone out of his mind?" asked George.
"Tell us, Buster," said Jack, who could suspect something of the nature
of the communication Nick had received.
"His dad has said he can take the northern cruise, that's what!"
remarked Josh, a bit enviously.
"Oh! you're away off there," cried the fat boy, derisively. "Why, you
couldn't guess the truth in a month of Sundays, Josh. It takes real
brains to figure out a solution to a mystery like that. And I did it,
all by my little self."
"Great governor!" ejaculated George, "listen to him, would you, fellows?
Honest now, if it don't sound as if he'd found out where that leak lay.
Here, Buster, it isn't fair to keep us on the ragged edge so long. Open
up now, and explain. Did anybody talk in their sleep? Who told Clarence
our plans?"
"You did, George; yes, and so did Jack and Herb and Josh--I guess Jimmie
and myself had a hand in it too!" laughed the fat boy, to their great
mystification!