Captives in the Old Fort
Although Terry was confident that it would be an easy matter to escape
from the old stone house, she soon saw her mistake. For the building
was originally a trading post of the early French explorers and had
been built like a fort to withstand the raids of hostile Indians.
Terry examined the windows but the openings in the solid stone wall
were nothing but narrow loopholes through which the shooting had been
done in the early days. They were far too small for anyone to crawl
through.
And the only door to the structure was the one which they had
foolishly entered. Outside that door Jim Heron kept his eagle eyes
alert.
“We’re in a nice trap!” whispered Prim. “How did we ever happen to get
into a jam like this?” Prim’s face was deathly pale.
“Now Prim, don’t get panicky! There must be a way out!” comforted
Terry. “It isn’t reasonable to think that we can be kept here as
prisoners. And look at that old man,” exclaimed the girl, pointing
through the narrow opening. “He’s grinning as if he’d done something
smart. That’s what makes me wild. I hate to have anything put over on
me!”
The girls stood with their arms around each other as they watched Jim
Heron whose broad grin displayed his brown snaggle teeth.
“I wish he’d scowl,” said Prim. “He doesn’t look half as mean and sly
as when he laughs. I wonder what he’s thinking about?”
“I can tell you that!” exploded Terry. “He’s thinking that we’re just
a couple of dumb-bells, walking right into the trap that he and Bud
Hyslop set for us. There is only one thing to do, Prim. We must get
out of here!”
“But how, Terry?” asked her sister anxiously. “Don’t take chances. You
know Dad wouldn’t like that.”
“Well, what’s to prevent us from just walking out past the old man? He
wouldn’t _dare_ to shoot us. It’s worth trying. Come on!”
“Don’t, Terry! Please don’t do that. It isn’t safe!”
“I’m going to try it, anyway. Now listen, Prim, I’ll go ahead and you
follow. Don’t lag, keep right on my heels.”
With head held high, Terry walked boldly to the door and threw it
open.
But Jim Heron had leaped to his feet and stood facing her. With an
angry snarl he commanded, “Get back there. In you go!”
Terry stood her ground. “I just wanted to stay outside where the air
was cool. Anyway I want to talk to you!”
But Jim Heron thrust out a horny hand and shoved the girl inside.
Raising his gun to his shoulder he pointed it menacingly at Terry as
the girl started once more toward the open door. Sally dragged the
girl back and shut the door.
“Don’t go, Terry! Come here! You don’t know Jim Heron,” Sally
whispered. “He’d just as soon shoot you as not. Bud Hyslop probably
gave him money to keep you locked up and after that he’d kill you
rather than let you go. He’d do anything for money.”
Terry obeyed. She sat down but her eyes were blazing and her jaw was
set in determination. “All right, Sally, I’ll not make any more fuss.
But I’ll watch my chance. What’s more I’ll get away!”
Prim looked around anxiously: “I don’t see how it can be done, Terry,”
she said. “We’re prisoners, all right. Just as much as if we were
locked in a cell.”
“Don’t do anything to get him angry,” pleaded Sally Wyn. “He’s
terrible when he gets started.”
Suddenly Terry faced the girl. “Sally, is that old man any relation to
you? Why are you in this terrible place?” Terry blurted out.
Tears came to the girl’s eyes. “He’s no relation to me. But I’ve been
with them ever since I was ten years old. I can’t find my people. The
one that is left is an uncle and he has disappeared.”
“Where are your father and mother?” asked Terry.
“They’re dead!” said Sally bitterly. “They’re both dead. I have no one
now.”
“Who were they, Sally and why do you live here with Nancy Heron and
Jim?”
Sally gave a gulp then turned to Terry and Prim.
“We were shipwrecked off the coast near here. My father was Captain
David Wyn of the _Riverside_, a small coast steamer running between
St. Johns and American ports. Whenever we could, mother and I always
went with father. That’s what we liked best. It was lots of fun to go
on the ship.” Sally paused, her voice choked with a sob.
“There, there dear, don’t talk about it if it hurts you, Sally!” said
the sympathetic Terry, and Prim clasped the girl’s hand. “I’m so sorry
for you. But I knew from the first that you didn’t belong to these
dreadful people. You couldn’t.”
“Don’t cry,” Prim soothed her.
“I want to tell you. I want to talk about it. That terrible, terrible
storm! Sometimes I dream about it, even yet. And I see my father
carried away by a big wave when the ship smashed on the rocks. It was
horrible. I’ll never forget!”
Prim and Terry had tears in their eyes as the girl continued.
“Mother and I were picked up by a lifeboat, and brought to land. Then
mother took pneumonia from the exposure, and she died the next week.
She had a brother much older than herself, he was wealthy but lived
like a hermit, she told me. She wrote to him asking him to look after
me.”
“But how did you get in with Nancy Heron?” asked Terry impatiently.
“She was looking after my mother and after her death Nancy thought she
saw a way to make some money. She sent my mother’s letter with one of
her own to my uncle John Wentworth in Westhaven, hoping that the rich
old man would pay her for her trouble.”
“What a terrible woman!” exclaimed Terry. “How she must have loved
money!”
“Yes, but it didn’t do her any good,” answered Sally. “For the letter
was returned unclaimed. No one knew anything about John Wentworth. He
had left Westhaven years before and there was no address or means of
finding him.”
“Then what happened, Sally? What did you do then?”
“Nancy was disappointed and took out her spite on me. She put me to
work and I’ve been at it ever since, slaving and giving her all my
pay,” Sally confided in a low voice.
“Have they been kind to you in any way, Sally?”
“Not what I call kind. But they seem to _think_ they’ve done a lot for
me. That’s what they tell people.”
“You poor girl!” exclaimed Prim. “Haven’t you got any friends at all?”
“Yes, I’ve got one friend. His name is Dan. Dan Brent! He lives down
in Fish Cove with his uncle. He’s a dear boy, and the truest friend a
girl could have. He’d do anything for me.”
“But the people for whom you work, Sally? Are they kind?” asked Prim.
“Yes, they’re kind enough, but of course I can’t expect them to take
an interest in me. I work hard for all I get.”
“You poor darling!” Terry impulsively threw her arms about the girl.
“Prim and I will find a home for you where you won’t have to work
hard, won’t we Prim?”
“I should say so,” agreed the twin. “The idea of a girl of your age
having to work so hard. It’s downright cruel!”
“Sally!” came a voice from the adjoining room. “Are you working?”
“Yes, Mrs. Heron, I’m mending.”
“That’s right. Keep working.”
Terry’s lips set in a determined line. “That’s a job for us. Prim,”
she whispered as Sally left the room. “We’ll come up and get her soon,
and maybe we can find her uncle.”
“Yes, we’ll do that. But first we must find Allan and Syd. And we
don’t seem to be making any headway. Do you think that Sally knows
where the boys are?”
But Sally knew nothing about Allan and Syd. She had suspected when she
saw Bud Hyslop and Jim Heron with their heads together that they were
hatching a plot, but she could not find out what it was.
“I wish I could help you,” said Sally anxiously. “Then I’d know that
you would help me with _my_ problem.”
“We’ll help you anyway, Sally, and since you’re an American you’d have
no trouble in getting back to your own country. Only how are we going
to prove that?”
“I can prove it,” said Sally. “I have a little box of my mother’s
things and my birth certificate is among them. I was born in Boston.”
“Then everything is fine. And as soon as we get the boys safely home,
we’ll come up here and get you. Let me see your birth certificate,”
said Terry.
“I can’t now, Terry. It’s hidden so Mrs. Heron can’t find it. Now that
I bring her my wages she wants to keep me. And she thinks if she could
destroy my birth certificate, I could never go back to the States.
That isn’t true, is it?”
“Of course it isn’t,” said Terry. “But I’d like to see that paper just
the same. It might help us find your uncle.”
“All right, Terry, I’ll go and get it now.” The girls watched from the
tiny window as Sally slipped out of the door, stood for a moment and
talked to Jim Heron, then started down the trail toward the Cove. But
once out of sight she took the opposite course, climbing up the hill
behind the town and over to the next low ridge. Burrowed into the
hillside was an old abandoned mine tunnel. Sally entered the passage
timidly. Far in the black depths she pried with her fingers in a deep
crevice and brought forth a small copper box. Clasping it tightly in
her hand she ran from the tunnel as if pursued. The tunnel was the
safest place she knew about. It ran into the hill for fifty feet or
more and was said to be haunted. Sally didn’t believe in ghosts but
still she never felt quite comfortable in that long dark burrow in the
hill.
As Sally emerged into the daylight she heard a familiar whistle.
The girl started violently then gave a cry of joy.
“Why Dan Brent, where did you come from?”
“Come here, Sally. I want to show you something!” said Dan as he led
the girl along the trail to the clearing. At one side of this space
grew trees with overhanging branches and under them stood an airplane.
It was placed so that it could not be seen by an aviator flying
overhead.
Sally let out a little cry of surprise. “Why Dan Brent, where did you
get that airplane?”
“I’m being paid to guard it,” answered Dan. “Gee, isn’t it a beauty?
It’s called _The Comet_, and I bet it goes as fast as a comet. The
fellow said I wasn’t to let anyone near, not even to look at it, but
you’re all right. You won’t tell.”
“Tell what?” asked Sally, looking up at the tall boy beside her. His
freckled face was frank and he beamed down at Sally in a protecting
way.
He stammered, “Why, you won’t tell you saw the plane.”
“But Dan, what are you doing with it and what is all the mystery
about? You aren’t doing anything wrong, are you, Dan?” asked Sally,
searching her friend’s face earnestly.
Dan laughed aloud and slapped his pants pocket, making the silver
coins jingle. “Nothing like that, Sally. I’m earning an honest living.
A fellow by the name of Bud Hyslop gave me a dollar. What’s more he’s
going to give me a lot of money. Just think, Sally, I’m getting paid
good money for doing nothing. Pretty soft, eh?”
“But _what_ are you doing, Dan? I don’t understand,” asked Sally with
a puzzled frown.
“Didn’t I just tell you? I’m guarding this plane. It belongs to two
bank robbers, who escaped from the States and are hiding away in
Newfoundland. Bud Hyslop has them cornered and wants to give them up
and get the reward. That’s why we’re not supposed to talk or know
anything about it. But Gee, Sally I just had to tell you. We’re
friends.”
“But where is Bud Hyslop keeping these crooks?” asked Sally.
“It’s not likely that he’d give his secret away to me. He wants that
reward. He’s not telling _anybody_.”
Sally drew near to the boy and after making sure that no one was
around she said in a whisper, “Dan, there’s something crooked going on
around here. I don’t believe those fellows that are hidden away are
thieves, at all. I think they’ve been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped! What makes you think that, Sally?” asked the boy.
“I heard my girls talking and that’s what they said,” replied Sally.
“_Your_ girls? What do you mean by your girls?”
Sally laughed at the boy’s puzzled look. “You needn’t think, Dan, that
you’re the only one to have aviator friends. I just wish you could see
Terry and Prim. They are exactly like the pictures I’ve seen in the
paper, all dressed up in smart flying suits. Terry’s is brown leather
and Prim is all in white. They’re beautiful, Dan. And someday they are
going to come and take me back to the States with them. Then I’ll try
to find Uncle John.”
Dan’s face fell. “What are they doing up here? Why don’t they stay
where they belong? Trying to coax you away? Don’t go, Sally. I don’t
want you to go. Where are these girls?”
“Jim Heron is keeping them prisoners in the old house. They’re being
guarded by Jim Heron and me.”
“What did they do? Did _they_ rob a bank?” asked Dan.
“Of course not. And it’s my opinion that the two flyers who came in
this _Comet_ plane, aren’t thieves either. Terry says they are two
splendid boys. I’m almost afraid for you to guard this plane. You
might get into serious trouble.”
“I’m not afraid of trouble, but I don’t want to help out a man if he’s
crooked. If I thought that this Bud Hyslop wasn’t straight, I wouldn’t
guard this plane even for the fifty dollars.”
“Fifty dollars!” cried Sally. “Why Dan Brent, do you mean to tell me
that you’re getting fifty dollars for doing nothing? It almost seems
wicked. Gee, some people have all the luck!”
“Maybe those girls will pay you to look after their plane,” suggested
Dan.
“No, it’s gone. Bud Hyslop took it without asking. I think he stole
it!” Sally said with venom in her voice. “I don’t like Bud Hyslop.”
“I’d have guessed as much, Sally. But never mind about the money. When
I get the fifty dollars, I’m going to ask you to go on the excursion
to St. Johns with me. We’ll spend every cent of it on a good time.”
“But what I want more than anything else is to find out where those
two flyers are, and why they are held by Bud Hyslop,” said Sally.
“Can’t you make Bud talk when he comes back? I wish you’d help me,
Dan. It will mean a lot to me if I can help these girls.”
“I’ll do what I can, I’d do anything for you.”
“All right Dan, that’s a promise,” and Sally smiled up at the tall boy
beside her, then hurried away down the trail.
Once out of sight of Dan’s camp, Sally sat down and opened the little
copper box with its strange markings. Her birth certificate was safe,
and the little bag of trinkets. She poured them into her lap. A baby
necklace of her own, her mother’s tiny gold watch, and wedding ring,
and a garnet necklace and bracelet. Sally often looked at them and
cried over the trinkets, but today she smiled. She was proud that she
had something pretty to show the girls.
Hastily putting them back into the box, Sally ran toward home. The
first thing she heard as she came near was Nancy Heron’s voice. “Sally
Wyn, where are you? Get to work!”
“She’s been calling you all the time you’ve been away,” whispered
Terry. “Did you get the birth certificate?”
“Yes, here it is, Terry,” returned Sally.
Terry examined the paper. “It doesn’t tell much, does it? Well, put it
carefully away, Sally, and soon we’ll get you out of here. Have
patience.”
But Sally did not appear to be listening, her eyes were bright as if
she were burning up with fever. Terry looked at the girl in surprise.
“What’s the matter, Sally?” she asked.
“I’ve got something to tell you. I know where the plane is. I’ve found
_The Comet_!”
“Sally!” Terry’s voice rose in excitement but Prim laid a hand on her
arm.
“Hush, Terry! Everything depends on keeping quiet.” She turned to
Sally. “Where is the plane?”
“Over the hill a little ways. It isn’t far. It’s being guarded by Dan
Brent, that boy I was telling you about,” whispered Sally, trembling
with excitement.
“But where are Allan and Syd? Did you see them?” demanded Prim
anxiously.
“They’re not there. Bud Hyslop has them hidden away somewhere.”
“Did you tell Dan that Bud is a crook? That he is keeping the boys
hidden, hoping to get a reward?” asked Prim.
“No, that would spoil everything. Dan thinks they are bank robbers.
Bud told them that he was holding them for the law and expects to get
a reward.”
“There, I just knew that Bud had fixed up a plot against Allan and
Syd, and that settles it! Doesn’t Dan know where they are?”
“No, he didn’t know but he’s going to try and find out. He promised to
help us.”
Terry turned to the girl impulsively. “Help us, Sally, if you can. You
and Dan will never be sorry. We’ll do anything for you! Bud Hyslop has
kidnapped Allan and Syd and we must find them at once!”
Late that afternoon Sally slipped away once more. She wanted to see
Dan and find out if he had heard anything further from Bud. As she
neared the _Comet’s_ hiding place something made her tiptoe softly
along the trail. When she came in sight of the clearing she stopped
short, with a gasp of surprise. Two other planes were standing near
_The Comet_. Sally crept close, keeping under cover of the low growing
bushes. Bud Hyslop and a stranger were talking together a little apart
from Dan. The stranger was a slightly built man, very trim in his
flying suit and helmet.
“There’s a mystery here,” said Sally to herself. “Somebody else beside
Bud Hyslop is interested in that reward.”
She looked at the planes. She knew _Skybird_, the little blue-and-gold
amphibian. Terry had described it to her. But this other one. Where
did it come from and what was the matter?
Dan Brent was standing between the trail and the flyers. Sally picked
up a pebble and threw it at the boy’s foot. It struck. Dan looked in
Sally’s direction, frowned, then turned carelessly away.
“Stupid!” said Sally to herself. “He’s awfully slow to take a hint.”
But Dan had understood. Thrusting his hands deep in his pockets, he
sauntered away in the opposite direction, then doubled back. Sally saw
his intention at last and went to meet him.
“What are those men talking about, Dan? What is their scheme?”
“They’re hatching plots. I don’t dare go near enough to catch what
they are saying. I heard plenty to prove to me that they are crooks.
Bud Hyslop plans to do me out of my fifty dollars. I heard him telling
the other guy, that he never planned to pay more than the dollar he
gave me. Said that was plenty and I could whistle for the rest.”
“And what did the other man say?” asked Sally.
“He laughed, and his squint eye looked worse than ever. I don’t like
that fellow!”
“But it proves what I told you, Dan. Bud is a crook.”
“And another thing I found out, Sally. Those bank robbers are just
boys, not more than eighteen or twenty years old.”
“There now, Dan Brent, didn’t I tell you that! Now I guess you believe
my girls. And from now on, you’ll help us in every way you can.”
“I’ll say I will. I’ll go right back there now and listen and get all
the information I can,” Dan moved toward the trail leading to the
clearing.
Sally looked after him. “Gee, I’m proud of Dan,” she said softly. “I
want the girls to see him.”
Running at full speed down the hill, Sally determined to help the
girls escape.
“It’s tonight or never,” she said. “But how is it to be done?”