THE ROBBERY OF THE ROCKPOINT HOTEL.
“We are lost!”
“Heaben sabe us!”
“Cling fast for your lives!”
A dozen other cries rang out, for the force of the collision was terrible.
But all clung fast and no one was thrown into the water, to be struck and perhaps instantly killed.
“What do you mean, Si Peters?” yelled Jerry. “You ran into us on purpose!”
There was no time to reply nor to say more. After the crash the two yachts drifted apart, and with a somewhat damaged bowsprit the Arrow went on her way.
As she slid by, Harry caught a glimpse of Wash Crosby holding fast to a big red valise, which had come near bounding overboard. He thought no more of it at the time, but had good reason to remember it later.
“What shall we do?” asked Jack Broxton.
“We’ve got a neat little hole in the side.”
“Can we beach her on the island?” asked Harry. “I don’t want the Whistler to go to the bottom of the lake.”
“I reckon I can manage it. Just hold that bit of canvas over the hole.”
Harry and our hero jumped to do as bidden, while Jack Broxton and Blumpo undertook to steer the yacht toward shore. The craft was becoming so water-logged that she acted clumsily, and they had their hands full.
“We is gwine down, suah!” groaned Blumpo, but as he spoke the keel grated on the sand, and a moment later she swung around hard and fast, and the danger of sinking was past.
While Jack and Blumpo lowered the sails, Harry and Jerry carried several lines ashore and tied them to the trees in such a fashion that the yacht could not pound herself, even if the wind came up.
After the sails were lowered old Jack inspected the damage done.
“I can patch the main-sail in an hour,” he said. “But that hole at the bow will take three, and I ought to have more tools than I’ve got aboard.”
“Can’t we patch things up sufficiently to take her back into Lakeview?” asked Harry.
“Maybe we can. But it would be better on account of the wind to steer for Rockpoint. She couldn’t stand the chop sea on the other course.”
“All right; we’ll steer for Rockpoint, and take her over to Dan Mason’s boatyard.”
Blumpo ran down the shore of the island to tell his father of what had happened. While he was gone the others patched up the break at the bow with some thin wood and a square of canvas, tacked on, and gave all a coating of pitch.
Half an hour later found the Whistler bound for Rockpoint. They had to sail along with great care, for fear of breaking open the patched place. Had this occurred they would all have gone to the bottom.
It was growing dusk when the harbor at Rockpoint was reached. At the dock they saw that something unusual had happened. A crowd of men were gathered about talking earnestly, and pointing up the lake.
“Whoever they were, they took a boat, I’m sure of that,” said one man.
“That’s so,” said another.
“But who were they, and where did they go?” asked a third.
“Ah, that’s for the police to find out.”
Wondering what was up, Jack Broxton and the three boys brought the Whistler around to the boatyard and turned her over to Dan Mason. The old fellow, who was a first-class man at repairing boats of all kinds, promised to have the craft in good trim by noon of the next day.
“Did you hear the news?” he asked, after their business talk was at an end.
“What news?” asked Jerry.
“About the hotel being robbed.”
“Robbed!”
“Exactly. A couple of thieves got into the safe and took a box of jewelry and four hundred dollars in cash.”
“By George! dat am a loss!” ejaculated Blumpo.
“The jewelry is said to be worth nearly one thousand dollars.”
“Have they any idea who the thieves were?”
“No, they wore handkerchiefs over their faces, with holes cut in ’em for to see. Some thinks as how they got away in one o’ the boats lying up shore.”
“How did they do the job?” questioned Jerry, with much interest.
“I didn’t hear any of the particklers, boys.”
“Come on up to the hotel and find out,” said Harry. “We haven’t got to hurry home this evening.”
Side by side Harry and the young oarsman walked to the Rockpoint Hotel, a large place, now filled to overflowing with Summer boarders.
They found every one around the resort talking over the case. Presently Harry heard somebody say that the stolen money and box of jewels had been placed by the robbers into a large red valise belonging to the proprietor of the hotel. At once he called Jerry aside.
“I know who committed this robbery,” he said.
“Who?”
“Si Peters and Wash Crosby.”
