THE IMPULSIVE ASSAULT OF THE ENGINEER.
The engineer was evidently suffering under the humiliation of his
former defeat; and now he was seeking to satisfy his revengeful
feelings rather than gain any point, for Lingerwell had offered to
“fix up the matter.” His onslaught was so sudden and unexpected that
Lingerwell was borne down beneath him.
Dory was wise enough to see, on the instant, that the impulsive attack
of the engineer was a great mistake; but it was too late to correct
it. In this case his sympathies were not “with the bottom dog;” for
the engineer had the right on his side, in spite of his blunder.
The skipper of the Goldwing felt called upon to take a hand in the
conflict; and, when Lingerwell was about to shake off his opponent, he
went to the assistance of the latter. The engineer had thrown his man
upon his face, and he was in the act of turning over when Dory put his
knees on the back of the fallen one.
“Put your foot on his back, and grab one of his hands!” exclaimed
Dory, as he grasped an arm.
“I can hold him! He tried to kill me, and I will get even with him!”
gasped Greeze.
“Don’t hurt him,” added Dory.
“I will pay him off for what he did to me!” cried the engineer.
“If you strike him, or kick him, I will leave at once!” added Dory
decidedly. “We can hold him, and keep him from harming you again.”
“He abused me, and I will get even with him,” replied Greeze, a little
mollified by the threat of Dory; for he saw that he could not manage
the steamer alone.
“Don’t harm him: the law will punish him,” continued Dory. “Bolly.”
The passenger in the Goldwing had been looking on with no little
surprise and terror, and had not ventured upon the deck of the
Juniper. Possibly he was too much alarmed to realize that the tables
had been turned.
“What is it, Dory?” he responded to the call.
“Bring me the rope that lies under the tiller.”
Bolingbroke found the line, and carried it to the skipper; but he was
careful not to go too near the fallen tiger, for such he had proved to
be to him. Dory took the line, and succeeded in making it fast to the
arm of Lingerwell.
“What are you about, you young villain? Do you mean to tie my hands?”
demanded the fallen man.
“That’s the idea exactly,” replied Dory, as he attempted to pass the
line around the arm held by the engineer.
Lingerwell had been quiet for a minute after Dory took hold of him,
but the idea of being captured and tied up like a felon was too much
for him. With a series of heavy oaths, he made a desperate effort to
shake off his assailants. The engineer meant business, though the
direction of the assault had been taken out of his hands by the
new-comer. He lay down upon his victim, and jammed his knees into the
small of his back, so that escape was impossible. Dory passed the line
around the other wrist of the conspirator, and the two were securely
bound together behind him.
“He is all right now, and cannot harm anybody,” said Dory. “Get
another line, and we will secure his feet.” Bolingbroke brought the
rope, for by this time he could see that his great enemy was
powerless.
Dory fastened the feet of Lingerwell together, and then turned him on
his side, so that he could be more comfortable. Again the victim
struggled to loose himself; but Dory had done his work well, and he
could produce no impression upon the rope.
“This is an outrage!” yelled he, furious with passion.
“I suppose it isn’t an outrage to try to kill a man,” replied Dory, as
he took the lantern and examined the fastenings he had put on the
prisoner.
“I didn’t try to kill him! That is all nonsense!” replied Lingerwell,
suspending his struggles.
“We won’t argue the matter now,” replied Dory, walking to the forward
part of the boat.
He was followed by the engineer, who seemed to be desirous to explain
the affair. Doubtless he was grateful for the service the boy had
rendered to him, and looked upon the skipper of the Goldwing as his
friend.
“You are a plucky boy, Dory,” said Greeze, when they reached the
wheel, near the bow of the boat. “But I think I could have handled
that fellow alone.”
“It is very strange that you should get into a quarrel out here in the
middle of the night,” added Dory.
“It wasn’t a quarrel of my making; and, if he hadn’t taken me when I
was not thinking of such a thing, the boot would have been on the
other leg. He’s bigger than I am, but I can handle him if I have fair
play.”
“How did you happen to get into such a row?”
“I stopped the boat when we reached this place, and then let go the
anchor, at Lingerwell’s order. When I went forward, I found him on the
floor, feeling about under the ceiling. I didn’t know what he was
doing; and he didn’t care to have me know, for he told me to go aft
and bank the fire in the furnace. I did so, and when I got through I
went forward again. Lingerwell was at the lantern, looking over what
was in a big pocket-book he had in his hands.”
“Had he said any thing about a pocket-book before?” asked Dory.
“Not a word. When I got to him, he looked as though he was very
nervous and excited. He poked the pocket-book over, and then fished
his pockets all through. I asked him what the matter was. He said he
had dropped his pocket-book on the floor, some time during the day; he
didn’t know when. He had just found it; but the money had all been
taken out, and a piece of newspaper put in its place to swell it out.”
“Did he say how much money was in it?” inquired Dory.
“He said there was a good deal in it, but he didn’t tell me how much.”
“Did he say there was a hundred dollars or more?”
“He didn’t say a word about it. He kept getting more excited, and at
last he said I must have taken the money from the pocket-book. I
answered, that I didn’t do it: I hadn’t seen his pocket-book, and
didn’t know he had any money with him. On that he got mad, and I was
as mad as he was.
“We had a long jaw about it, and then he pitched into me. He got me by
the throat before I knew what he was about. He put me down, and then
tried to fish my pockets. I yelled for help, for I thought he would
kill me. I hardly knew what I did; but I shook him off, and we had
another savage jaw about it. Then he pitched into me again. He had a
club in his hand; and I think he would have used it on me, if he
hadn’t heard you yell just at this time.”
“I hoped my hail would let him know there was some one at hand, though
it was only a boy,” added Dory.
“That was what made him let up on me. Then he tried to smooth it over;
but I never was treated like that before, and I meant to have it out
with him.”
“Well, here we are; and what is to be done next?” asked Dory.
“We were waiting down here to catch that Millweed fellow that stole
the money from the safe,” replied Greeze.
“He says he didn’t take the money from the safe, and he is going back
to Burlington to face the music.”
“We might as well go along then: we haven’t any more business up here.
You can steer the Juniper, and we will tow the Goldwing,” suggested
the engineer. “I don’t know how this thing is coming out, but I am
ready to go to Burlington. I suppose Lingerwell will have me
discharged after this, but I don’t care for that. You have tied him
hand and foot, and I don’t know what you mean by that. I meant to take
what I owed him out of his hide.”
“I tied him to keep him from pitching into you again. I want to see
Mr. Longbrook as soon as we get to Burlington; and he can do what he
likes with him,” replied Dory. “We will start for Burlington as soon
as you are ready.”
When the excitement was over, Bolingbroke Millweed had returned to the
Goldwing, and to his berth in the cabin, where he was now fast asleep.
The engineer replenished his fire, and in half an hour the Juniper was
under way. At four o’clock in the morning she was at her wharf in
Burlington. The Goldwing was made fast alongside of her. It was nearly
daylight, and it would be quite by the time Dory could reach the
residence of Mr. Longbrook.
Bolingbroke was roused from his slumbers in the cabin, but he objected
to calling upon the storekeeper at so early an hour in the morning.
Dory did not care for his opinion, and insisted upon going without any
delay. Greeze was to keep watch over Lingerwell until he heard from
Dory, and Mr. Longbrook was to decide what was to be done with the
prisoner.
The house of the storekeeper was easily found. It was about five by
this time, and the early visitors saw that the people were up. To
Dory’s inquiry for the head of the family, the servant said he had
gone to the store. He had staid there till midnight the night before,
and had left the house as soon as it was light.
Dory was not a little astonished at this severe devotion to business;
but he hastened to the store, and found Mr. Longbrook was busy over
his books. He had locked himself in, but he opened the door in answer
to the skipper’s vigorous knocks.
“I am too busy to see any one now,” said the storekeeper impatiently.
“Come at nine o’clock, and I will see you.”
“This young man wants to see you at once,” added Dory, pulling
Bolingbroke into the doorway.
“What, Millweed! So you have come back, young man,” added Mr. Longbrook,
as he recognized his late assistant.
“I have come back to tell you, sir, that I did not take the money from
your safe,” stammered Bolingbroke.
“What did you run away for, then?” demanded the merchant severely.
“Because I was a fool and was frightened. I found that Mr. Lingerwell
was determined to convict me, guilty or innocent; and I had not the
courage to stay and see it out,” replied Bolingbroke honestly.
“You lost four hundred and fifty dollars from your safe, Mr.
Longbrook,” interposed Dory.
“That was just the amount taken, and this young fellow took it. It
looks as though he came to work here at this time for the purpose of
getting it, and he left as soon as he had the money,” said the
merchant angrily. “What have you done with the money, you young
rascal?”
“I have not had it, I have not seen it,” protested Bolingbroke.
“Don’t tell me that! No one else could have taken it. You and
Lingerwell were the only two persons who went to the safe.”
“Possibly Mr. Lingerwell took it himself,” suggested Dory.
Mr. Longbrook knit his brows into a frown, and turned away as though
he was thinking of something. Doubtless he was considering whether or
not it was possible that his trusted head man could have done such a
deed.
“At any rate here is the money,” added Dory, pulling the roll of bills
from his pocket.
The merchant opened his eyes very wide, and so did Mr. Bolingbroke
Millweed.