THE SHOTGUN
So quietly had the man approached the cave-mouth that the Hardy boys
were taken completely by surprise. They wheeled about.
There, in the entrance, stood Captain Royal.
Evidently, it took him some time to become accustomed to the dim light
of the cave, for he was peering intently at the boys, but with no sign
of recognition on his face.
"Who's that?" he shouted impatiently. "Answer me!"
Frank gulped. Then, trying to achieve a confident tone of voice, he
said:
"Why, hello, Captain. We just dropped in for a visit."
But Captain Royal was not appeased.
With a roar of wrath, he advanced into the cave.
"I know you now!" he bellowed. "I know you. It's those boys who were
here yesterday. Don't deny it!"
"Sure!" said Joe. "It's only us."
The captain came closer.
"What are you doing in my place?" he demanded. "Stealing, eh?"
"We're not stealing," returned Frank indignantly.
"Yes, you are!" Captain Royal was plainly angry. "You came here to
steal all my money and my jewels. I know it! You waited until I went
out and then you sneaked in here to rob me."
"Now, Captain, be reasonable," pleaded Frank. "We just came here to
have a little talk with you. If we wanted to steal we would have
cleared out long ago."
"You came to steal!" insisted the old man. "Don't tell me anything
different. Why can't you leave an old man alone? I've never done you
any harm."
"Certainly not. We had no intention of disturbing you--"
Just then Captain Royal caught sight of the mass of clippings and
papers. His face was suddenly distorted with fury.
"My papers!" he shrieked. "You've been at my papers!"
He made a sudden lunge toward the boys. So quickly did he rush at
them that neither Frank nor Joe had a chance to escape. Captain Royal
grasped each lad by the collar.
"You've been at my papers! My precious papers! I knew you came here to
steal something!"
He shook them roughly.
"I'll teach you to come prowling around my cave!" he roared. "I will
teach you to look at my papers."
The Hardy boys struggled to free themselves, but Captain Royal was
stronger than he looked, and he kept a tight grip on their collars.
Frank almost wriggled free, but the captain tightened his grasp. As for
Joe, he told his chums later that "the old lad shook me until my back
teeth rattled."
The captain was raging and roaring almost incoherently in a terrible
outburst of wrath. There was now little doubt in the minds of the Hardy
boys that the man was a lunatic. What would happen to them at the hands
of this madman?
At first they had not taken Captain Royal's outburst seriously, but now
Frank realized that they might be in genuine danger.
He lashed out with his fists and dealt the captain a blow in the ribs
that brought a startled grunt. At the same time, Joe wriggled to one
side and tried to trip the old gentleman. But Captain Royal was alert
and wary. He would not let go, and although he lost his balance and
tumbled to the floor of the cave, he dragged the boys with him.
"Break loose, Joe!" shouted Frank. "He means business."
But this was more easily said than done.
The trio sprawled on the floor of the cave, Frank and Joe fighting
desperately to get out of the clutches of their captor, but the old man
clung to their collars like grim death.
"I'll teach you!" he panted. "I'll shoot both of you."
His words sent a thrill of fear through the boys. They knew now that
they were dealing with a maniac and they realized that in his present
frame of mind, he was quite capable of carrying out the threat.
Joe had fallen in such a way that his collar had become twisted, and
with Captain Royal still grasping it, he was almost choked. He could
not turn without increasing the throttling pressure, so he was quite
helpless. As for Frank, in spite of his struggles, he was unable to
break the captain's hold.
"I have the better of you!" chuckled the old man fiendishly. "You can't
get away from me. Try to kill me, would you! I'm going to shoot you
both."
He began to struggle to his feet.
Captain Royal was eying something on the wall at the back of the cave.
Following the direction of his gaze, Frank saw something that terrified
him.
It was a double-barreled shotgun!
"I've got it loaded to the muzzle!" roared Captain Royal, as he
floundered about in his efforts to get to his feet without losing his
grip on the boys. "I've always kept it loaded just for prying thieves
that come to steal my papers."
He stood up and lurched across the cave, dragging the boys with him.
His intention was clear. He meant to get the shotgun.
The lads redoubled their efforts to escape. By a concerted effort, they
turned on him, striking at him with their fists. Frank heard a ripping,
tearing sound and then he was suddenly free. He staggered back, and the
captain was left holding a small fragment of his shirt in his hand.
Frank thought quickly. He must reach the gun first. He leaped across
the cave.
But Captain Royal was too quick for him. Flinging Joe to one side so
that he went stumbling and then sprawled in the sand, the captain
reached the shotgun at a bound.
He was just reaching for it when Frank came at him from behind. Captain
Royal tried to fend the boy off, but Frank grappled with him and
dragged him away from the wall.
"Get the gun, Joe!" he panted.
Joe was just getting to his feet. Captain Royal whirled about. His
fist struck Frank against the side of the head, and it caught Frank
off balance. He was knocked off his feet. Captain Royal gave a yell of
triumph, and seized the shotgun.
It had been resting on a rocky ledge. Frank was sprawled on the sand,
entirely at the man's mercy. Joe was equally helpless. In another
moment they expected to hear the explosive roar of the weapon.
"Now, I'll teach you!" roared the captain, dancing about in fury. "I'm
going to shoot the pair of you."
Frank had a sudden idea.
"I'll keep him occupied, Joe," he said in a low voice. "Keep edging
back until you get to the cave-mouth."
A daring plan had formed in his mind. It meant, as he thought, risking
his own life, but he was prepared to do this for the sake of his
younger brother.
If he could but distract Captain Royal's attention by taunts and jeers,
even if it meant arousing the man to a pitch of murderous madness, Joe
might make good his escape.
"You wouldn't have the nerve to shoot," he shouted.
Captain Royal brandished the shotgun and glared at Frank.
"I wouldn't have the nerve, hey? You think I haven't?"
Joe was moving back, step by step, toward the opening.
"No, you wouldn't shoot me," scoffed Frank. "I don't believe your old
gun is loaded anyway."
Captain Royal had forgotten all about Joe by now.
"Not loaded?" he screeched. "It's loaded to the muzzle, I tell you.
It's always loaded. You'll find out if it's loaded or not."
Frank was preparing to spring to his feet.
"Listen, Captain Royal," he said placatingly. "Let me go this time and
I promise I won't bother you again."
But the captain shook his head.
"You're a spy!" he screeched. "You're a spy! You were sent here to look
through all my papers. I'm an old sailor, I am, and in the navy we have
only one cure for spies."
"And what's that?"
"We shoot 'em." Captain Royal brandished the shotgun viciously. "We
shoot 'em when we can't make 'em walk the plank."
"You haven't the nerve to shoot me. You wouldn't dare. You know you'd
be hanged."
Frank glanced toward the mouth of the cave. Joe was almost safe by now.
"I'm not afraid!" bragged Captain Royal. "They'd never catch me to hang
me. Death for the spies. I'll shoot both of you--"
Only then did he become aware that Joe had disappeared. With a growl
of alarm, he swung about, just in time to see Joe vanishing beyond the
cave-mouth.
"He's gone!" roared the captain. "Come back here, you young scoundrel!
Come back!"
He ran across the cave. Frank seized the opportunity to leap to his
feet again. Captain Royal heard him and turned, raising the shotgun to
his shoulder.
"You won't escape me!" he yelled.
The shotgun was leveled directly at the boy. Frank thought that the
next moment would be his last. He could see Captain Royal's finger
tightening about the trigger.
But there came an interruption from the mouth of the cave. Joe had
heard the uproar and had realized his brother's danger. He had not
fled. He had returned to the entrance, and there he gave vent to a
shrill, blood-curdling shriek.
Captain Royal gave a shout of surprise.
"Who's that?" he exclaimed.
He whirled hastily about, but Joe had disappeared.
"Who's there?" he roared.
Joe, hidden beyond the rocks, shrieked again.
"Just wait!" yelled the captain. "I'll come out there and fix you. I'll
fix you!"
Frank, in the meantime, had been circling about the side of the cave,
trying to gain the entrance unobserved. His heart sank as Captain Royal
turned around just when he was about to make a dash for liberty.
"So!" yelled Captain Royal. "You thought you could get away from me,
eh?"
The shotgun was aimed directly at Frank.
Captain Royal fired. There was a loud explosion.