A NIGHT ALARM.
Jack sat bolt upright in bed and listened with all his might. Outside the window of the little room he occupied that night in the captain's cottage he was almost certain he had heard the sound of a furtive footfall and whisperings. His blood beat in his ear-drums as he sat tense and rigid, waiting a repetition of the noise.
Suddenly, there came a low whisper from outside.
"If only we knew if the captain was alone. For all we know those bothersome boys may be with him, and, if they are, we are likely to get the worst of it."
"Donald Judson!" exclaimed Jack to himself. "What ought I to do?"
He pondered a moment and then recollected that there was a door to his room which let directly out on a back porch without the occupant of the room having to traverse any other chamber. Jack at once formed a bold resolve. He did not wish to arouse the others unnecessarily, but he did want, with all his power, to find out what was going on.
He rose from the bed as cautiously as he could, and made his way to the door. It was a ticklish task, in the dark, to accomplish without noise, but he succeeded in doing it. Outside it was very dark, with a velvety sort of blackness. The boy was glad of this, for it afforded him protection from the men he felt sure were reconnoitering the house for no good purpose.
Suddenly he saw, not far off, the gleam of a light of some sort. If it belonged to the Judsons, they must have presumed that nobody was about, or not have realized that the place where they had left it was visible from the cottage.
"Now I wonder what they've got up there?" mused Jack. "Maybe it would be a good scheme to go up and see."
Anything that looked like an adventure aroused Jack's animation, and a few seconds after the idea had first taken hold of him he was making his way up a rather steep hillside, covered with rocks and bushes, toward the light. At last he reached a place where he could get a good look at the shining beacon. He hardly knew what he had expected to see, but somehow he felt a sort of sense of disappointment.
The lantern stood by itself on a rock and the idea suggested itself to Jack that it might have been placed there as a beacon to guide the midnight visitors back when they had accomplished whatever they purposed doing.
"I've a good mind to carry off their lantern," said Jack to himself; "if they put it there to guide them that would leave them in a fine fix and we could easily capture them."
Once more, half involuntarily, his feet appeared to draw him toward the lantern. The next instant he had it in his grasp.
"Now to turn it out," he muttered, when he felt himself seized from behind in a powerful grip and a harsh voice growled in his ear:
"Yer would, would yer, you precious young scallywag."
The lantern was wrested from his grasp, and Jack felt a noose slipped over his head.
"Who are you?" he demanded indignantly of his unknown captor.
"Bill Smiggers, of the motor boat Black Beauty," was the gruff reply. "They left me up here to watch by the light, and I guess they'll be glad they did when they see who I've caught. I reckon you're one of those snoopy kids I've heard them talking about."
"I don't know what you mean," replied Jack, "but you'd better let me go at once."
"Huh, I'd be a fine softy to do that, wouldn't I? No, young man, here you are, and here you stay. I'm getting well paid for this job, and I'm going to do a good one."
Just then footsteps were heard coming up the hillside. Then a low, cautious voice whispered out of the darkness:
"What's the matter, Bill? We saw the light waved, and came right back. Is there any danger?"
"Not right now, I reckon," rejoined Bill, with grim humor. "Any of you gents know this young bantam I've got triced up here?"
"Jack Ready, by all that's wonderful!" cried Judson, stepping forward. He was followed by young Judson and Jarrow.
"Dear me, what an—er—what a pleasant encounter," grinned Jarrow.
"So you thought you'd spy on us, did you?" snarled Donald, vindictively; "well, this is the time that we've got you and got you right."
Jack's heart, stout as it was, sank like lead within him. He was in the hands of his enemies and that, largely, by his own foolishness.
"So this is that Ready kid I hearn you talkin' about?" asked Bill.
"That's the boy, confound him! He's always meddling in my schemes," growled Jarrow.
"Bright looking lad, ain't he?"
"Too bright for his own good. He's so sharp he'll cut himself."
"No, his brightness won't help him now," chuckled Donald maliciously. "I'll bet you're scared to death," he went on, coming close to Jack.
"Not particularly. It takes more than a parcel of cowards and crooks to frighten me."
"Don't you put on airs with me. You're in our power now," jeered Donald. "I'll make you suffer for the way you've treated me."
"It would be like you to take advantage of the fact that my arms are tied," retorted Jack.
Donald came a step closer and stuck his fist under Jack's nose.
"You be careful, or I'll crack you one," he snarled.
"You're a nice sort of an individual, I must say. Why don't you try fair dealing for a change?"
"I do deal fair. It's you that don't. I——"
"That will do," interrupted his father; "I've been talking with Bill and he says he knows a place where we can take this young bantam and leave him till he cools off."
"You mean that you are going to imprison me?" demanded Jack indignantly.
"You may call it that, if you like," said Judson imperturbably; "you are quite too clever a lad to have at large."
"Where are you taking me to?"
"You'll find that out soon enough. Now then, forward march and, if you attempt to make an outcry, you'll feel this on your head."
Judson, with a wicked smile, flourished a stout club under the captive boy's nose.