“Never mind,” returned her captor. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
At that moment there came a shout from the shore, and turning, the girls saw their friends rushing down toward the water. Jones muttered to himself.
“Why couldn’t we have had a little better start?”
Shirley rose in her seat and waved to her friends.
“Sit down there,” said Jones harshly, half rising.
Shirley obeyed, for she knew that she had been seen, and felt certain of speedy relief.
Ashore, the five were hurriedly piling into the other boat, the one occupied by Jones when the chase had started, and soon it was coming after them. But the Sybil was much faster, as already had been proven, and it seemed that there was little likelihood of the pursuers catching up with them.
The Sybil gained rapidly and it was plain she would soon run away from the pursuer.
Jones, sitting a few feet from Shirley, drew a pipe from his pocket, and filled it calmly.
“I hope you young ladies do not object,” he said, and struck a match.