The Rover Boys Series. Stratemeyer Edward

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СКАЧАТЬ you'll have to give her up later on," put in Tom. "And the longer you keep her the more you will have to suffer for it, when it comes to a settlement."

      "Let's give her up," whispered Mumps to Dan Baxter. To the credit of the toady let it be said that he was heartily sick of the affair and wished he had never entered into it.

      "You keep your mouth shut!" answered the former bully of Putnam Hall. "My dad knows how to work this racket."

      "Somebody said something about being hungry," continued Arnold Baxter significantly. "I imagine Miss Stanhope is as hungry as any of us, if not more so."

      "Do you mean to say you are starving her!" cried Dick indignantly.

      "I mean to say that she will have to starve just as much as we do," was the unsatisfactory answer.

      "And you have run out of provisions?"

      "We have run out of provisions for her, yes."

      "That means that you won't give her any more, even though you may have some for yourselves? You are even bigger brutes than I took you to be," concluded the elder Rover boy bitterly.

      "We've got to look out for ourselves," said Dan Baxter. "If we let you have the girl you ought to be satisfied."

      "Let us talk to Dora," suggested Tom.

      "No, you can't see her unless you agree to our terms," said Arnold Baxter decidedly. "If we bring her up now she may try to get away from us."

      "You have got to submit to arrest and stand trial," said Sergeant Brown. "There are no two ways about it. If you won't submit quietly we'll have to fight. But let me tell you, if you fight it will go hard with you."

      "That's right; make them give up everything," put in Tom. "I'll fight them if it comes to the worst."

      "If only they don't harm Dora!" whispered Dick. "Think, they may be starving her already!"

      "I don't believe they would dare, Dick."

      "Dare? I think the Baxters are cruel enough to do 'most anything."

      "Officer, do you know that you are on the high seas and can't touch us?" went on Arnold Baxter, after an awkward pause.

      "I know nothing of the kind, and I'll risk what I am doing," retorted Sergeant Brown.

      "Can't we compromise this matter?"

      "What else have you to propose?"

      "I'll tell you what I'll do. If you'll agree not to molest us further I'll turn the girl over to you and make each of you a present of one hundred dollars," went on Arnold Baxter nervously.

      "Want to bribe us, eh?" cried Tom. "Thanks, but we are not in that business."

      "I never took a bribe yet, and I've been on the force six years," put in Carter.

      "You can't bribe me," said the sergeant, in a tone that admitted of no argument. "You must surrender absolutely or take the consequences."

      "All right, then; we'll take the consequences," was the reckless response. "And remember, we hold that girl, and any harm you do us will only counteract on her head."

      "Don't you dare to harm her, you villain!" cried Dick, turning pale. "Whatever you do you shall answer for in court."

      "Humph, Dick Rover, don't be so smart," put in Dan Baxter. "This game is still ours, and you know it."

      "I know nothing of the kind. We will starve you out and fight you, and you will see what the end will be, Dan Baxter," retorted Dick; and then the two yachts began to drift apart once more.

      As the Flyaway moved off, Mumps, who had disappeared for a minute, came into sight once more. In his hand he held something white, which he threw with all force at the Searchlight's mainsail.

      "Take that!" he cried. "Take that, and remember me!"

      By this time the two yachts were so far apart that no more could be said.

      "What was that you threw on their boat?" demanded Baxter, turning to his toady.

      "A seashell," replied Mumps. "I thought I could hit Dick Rover with it."

      "Humph, you had better take some lessons in throwing," muttered the bully. "You didn't come within a dozen feet of him."

      "Never mind; I showed them I wasn't afraid of them," said Mumps, and turned away. Then he looked back anxiously. "I hope they pick it up and see what's inside," he murmured. "Oh, but aint I tired of this crowd! If ever I get out of this, you can wager I'll turn over a new leaf and cut Dan Baxter dead."

      CHAPTER XXVII

       THE COLLISION IN THE FOG

       Table of Contents

      "Hullo! Mumps isn't keeping this flag of truce very good," remarked Sam, as the seashell dropped at his feet.

      "There is something inside of the shell," said Tom. "A bit of paper. Perhaps it's a message."

      "I'll soon see," returned his younger brother, and ran to where he could not be seen from the other yacht.

      He pulled from the seashell a small square of paper, upon which had been hastily scrawled the following in lead pencil:

      "I will help you all I can and hope you won't prosecute me. I will see that Dora S. gets something to eat, even if I give her my share. They intend to go to Sand Haven if they can give you the slip.

      "John Fenwick."

      "Good for Mumps! he's coming to his senses," cried Sam, and showed the others the message. Dick read the words with much satisfaction.

      "I hope he does stand by Dora," he said. "If so, I'll shield him all I can when the crowd is brought up for trial."

      "If he tells the truth we may as well put into harbor and make for Sand Haven," said Martin Harris, who had now resumed the chase once more.

      "Yes; but he may not be telling the truth," was Sergeant Brown's comment. "The whole thing may be a trick to get us to go to Sand Haven while that crowd goes somewhere else."

      "I think they are tired of carrying the girl around," said Carter. "To give her up to us would have been no hardship."

      "That's it," put in Martin Harris. "Well, I'm willing to do whatever the crowd says."

      The matter was talked over at some length, and it was finally decided to cruise around after the Flyaway for the best part of the day. If, when night came on, the other craft should steer in the direction of Sand Haven, they would do likewise, and land as soon as darkness came to cover up their movements.

      Slowly the day wore along and the two yachts kept at about the same distance. They were both running due south, and land was out of sight as before.

      "This is developing into СКАЧАТЬ