"Certainly, if what you say is true.  Where is the crowd?"

"They ran off in that direction," came from Sam, as he loomed up
out of the darkness.  "They have a yacht out there somewhere."

"Then we can't catch them--unless we get a boat," answered
Sergeant Brown.

"We have a boat, out this way," and Sam pointed with his hand.
"But I guess we had better make certain that they go out first."

"True for you, young man.  Lead the way and we'll be with you."

All ran on again, Tom bringing up in the rear with Dick.  Soon
the cove previously mentioned was gained.  They were just in time
to see the _Flyaway_ disappearing in the darkness.

"Come back here!" cried Tom. "If you don't it will be the worse for
you!"

"Don't you attempt to follow us!" came savagely from Arnold
Baxter.   "If you do, somebody will get shot!"

"By crickety, he's a bad one!" cried the second police officer.

"Stop!  I order you to stop, in the name of the law!" shouted
Sergeant Brown.

"It's the police!" howled Mumps in sudden terror.  "Oh, dear!
I knew we should catch it."

"Shut up," muttered Dan Baxter.  "Run up the jib, Goss, and be
quick about it!"

"You do it--I'll have to steer here," answered the sailor, and
Dan Baxter leaped for the sheet mentioned.

"Are you going to stop?" cried Sergeant Brown, after a few
seconds' pause.

To this there was no answer.  The sergeant drew his pistol, but
before he could use it, even if he so intended, the yacht was
nothing but an uncertain shadow in the gloom of the night.

"We had better get to your boat," said the police officer.

"All right; come on," said Sam, and showed the way, which was
decidedly uncertain.  At one point there was a wide ditch to
cross, and Tom had his hands full getting Dick over.

Martin Harris was watching for them, and had all ready to cast
off should this be required.

"I'm mighty glad you found the police," he said to Dick, who now
felt able to do for himself once more.  "Will they go with us?"

"You are certain those folks on the other boat are thieves?"
demanded Sergeant Brown.  "Carter and I don't want to go off on
any wild goose chase."

"They are not only thieves, but abductors," said Dick.  "We can
easily prove it.  They must be caught if it is possible to do
so."

"All right then, we'll go with you.  Come, Carter," and the two
officers hopped on board.  Soon the mainsail was set, followed by
all the other available canvas, and the _Searchlight_ was
continuing the chase which had been so curiously broken off.

Martin Harris was in the dark so far as knowing what course the
_Flyaway_ had taken, and had to trust to luck to fall in with the
fleeing craft.

"If she's going outside of Staten Island, I reckon I can spot her
before long," he said.

"It looks to me as if the clouds were blowing away," said Tom.
"If they do, the starlight will help us a good deal."

As the yacht tore along through the water, the two police
officers listened with close attention to what the boys had to
tell them.

"If they are the men who robbed Rush & Wilder it will make a fine
haul to capture them," said Sergeant Brown.

"We want to save Dora Stanhope as much as we want to catch those
thieves," returned Dick.  "I wonder if her disappearance has been
reported to the police?"

"I can't say.  You see, Carter and I have been out all day
looking for a pair of harbor thieves who stole some clothing from
a pleasure yacht lying off the Staten Island shore."

"Did you see anything of your men?"

"We saw them; but they got away in a rowboat.  Where they have
gone to is hard telling.  But I don't imagine the theft amounted
to much--at least, it was nothing in comparison to the crimes
you are trying to run down."

On and on went the _Searchlight_ through the night, and slowly but
surely the clouds in the heavens cleared away, letting the stars
shine down once more on the silent waters.

Suddenly Martin Harris gave a murmur of satisfaction. "There she is."

"The _Flyaway_!" came from several of the others.

"Yes.  Just as I thought; she is heading down the Staten Island
shore straight for Sandy Hook."

"They are bound for Searock!" cried Dick suddenly.  "Mr. Baxter
mentioned the place just before they discovered that I was spying
on them."

"That's a good way down the New Jersey coast," said Sergeant
Brown.  "Can this boat stand such a sail?"

"Can she?" snorted Harris.  "She's strong enough to go to Europe
if you want to make the trip."

"Thank you; when I go to Europe I'll go in a steamer," laughed
the police officer.  "I don't think you'd do much in a heavy
blow."

"The _Searchlight_ would hold her own," answered the old sailor
confidently.

The breeze was increasing, and they rounded the Narrows at a
lively rate.  The swell from the ocean now struck them, and the
yacht occasionally dipped her nose a little deeper into it than
was expected.

"Here, I don't want, to get wet!" cried Carter.  "I'm no sailor,
you know."

"You won't get much," laughed Harris.  "This roll is just enough
to be pleasant."

"Perhaps--to some people," came from the policeman, who had
never cared for the rolling deep and who was beginning to feel a
trifle seasick.  Fortunately for him, however, the sickness
proved mild and of short duration.

The _Flyaway_ was now in plain sight but too far off to be spoken.
She had every sail set to its fullest, and for the time being it
seemed impossible for the _Searchlight_ to gain upon her.  Thus
mile after mile was covered, until Sandy Hook lighthouse could be
plainly seen but a short distance away.

"We are out in the ocean now," remarked Dick an hour later.
"Gracious, when I left Cedarville I didn't think that this was
going to develop into such a long chase!"

"Never mind how far we go, if only the chase proves a success,"
answered Tom.  "If we succeed in not only rescuing Dora, but also
in bringing those thieves to justice, it will be a big feather in
our caps."

"I'm glad the police are along," came from Sam.  "They must be
well armed, and I don't see how Arnold Baxter and the others will
dare resist them."

"They will dare a good deal to keep out of prison, Sam," remarked
Dick.  "They know well enough that if they are caught it may mean
a long term for each of them."

On and on went the two yachts until Sandy Hook lighthouse was
left in the distance.  Once it began to cloud over as if there
was a storm in sight, but soon the rising sun came out brightly
over the rim of the ocean.

When it came mealtime Sam prepared the repast, and all, even the
officers of the law enjoyed what was served to them.  "It gives
one an appetite, this salt air," was Sergeant Brown's comment.

Soon they were standing down the New Jersey coast, but so far out
on the ocean that the shore line was little more than a dark
streak on the horizon.

"Are we gaining?" That was the question each asked, not once but
a score of times.  Martin Harris felt sure that they were; but if
this was so, the advantage on the side of the _Searchlight_ was but
a slight one.




CHAPTER XXIV

SEARCHLIGHT AND LANTERN


"One thing is in our favor," remarked Dick, as the day wore away
and the distance between the two yachts seemed undiminished.
"Even if we don't succeed in catching them before tonight we know
where they are bound."

"Perhaps it might be as well to hang back!" burst in Tom.  "If we
remain in sight they won't land as intended."

"The thing of it is, they may change their plans, especially if
they think your brother overheard their talk," put in the police
sergeant.  "My idea is, they'll keep right on down the coast
until the darkness hides them from us.  Then they'll try to sneak
in some cove or river and abandon the boat."

"They'll have a job taking Dora Stanhope along," was Sam's
remark.  "I don't believe she'll go another step willingly."

"As if she has gone willingly!" said Dick.

"Well, I mean she'll be more on her guard than she was, and
they'll have more of a job to make her go along."

Night settled down gradually and found every heart full of
serious speculation.  Dick was especially affected, for he had
hoped to see Dora rescued hours before.

"Goodness only knows where they will take her by morning!" he
groaned.  "I'd give almost anything to be at her side!"

With the going down of the sun the wind died away and the sails
of the _Searchlight_ flapped idly to and fro.

"Now it's a waiting game," announced Martin Harris.  "If we can't
move neither can they."

"Just the same, the _Flyaway_ is turning out to sea!" cried Tom.
"Now what can that mean?"

"That may be only a blind," said Carter.

"No, they are afraid of drifting on the sands," answered the
skipper of the _Searchlight_.  "I reckon we'll have to turn out,
too," and he changed the course of the yacht.

Darkness found both boats far out on the Atlantic and almost out
of sight of each other.

"This is maddening!" cried Dick.  "Can't we row, or do
something?"

"Rowing wouldn't count much, I'm afraid," laughed Martin Harris.
"But don't fret.  Unless I am mistaken, we'll have a breeze
before midnight."

"And they may be out of sight long before that time!"

"That's to be seen, lad.  I'll watch the thing closely, for I'm
as anxious to catch 'em as you are."

"I'd give a good deal for a small boat."

"So would I."

"I thought all yachts carried them."

"They do generally, but mine was stove in at a Catskill dock
about a week ago and is being repaired."

"Here comes the wind!" shouted Sam, half an hour later, and when
the _Flyaway_ was almost out of sight.  "Now, Harris, let us make
the most of it."

"We will, and I hope there isn't too much of it," was the quick
reply.

Soon the breeze struck them, and, as it came from shore, it hit
the _Searchlight_ first and drove her fairly close to the other
yacht.  But before anything could be said or done, the other
craft also moved; and then the chase began as before.

"We're getting all we want now," announced Tom, as the wind grew
heavier.  "Just look how the yacht dips her nose into the brine!"

"We'll have to shorten sail before long," said Martin Harris.
"If we don't, a sudden gust might make us lose our stick."

"I'd like to see the _Flyaway_ lose her mast!" cried Tom.  "It
would just serve the Baxters right if they went to the bottom."'

"No, we don't want to see that yacht harmed," put in Dick
quickly.  "Remember, Dora is on board--and that stolen fortune,
too."

Swiftly both yachts flew on their outward course, the ocean
growing more tempestuous each minute.  The police officers viewed
the turn of affairs with alarm.

"If it's not safe, let us turn back," whispered Carter.

"Don't get scared so soon," replied Harris, who overheard the
remark.  "I've been' in a worse blow than this, twice over."

The sails were reefed, and they continued on their course.  The
_Flyaway_ was now but a shadow in the gloom, and presently even
this died out.

"The chase is over," announced Harris with disgust.  "Hang the
luck anyhow!"

"What do you, mean?" demanded Dick.

"She's out of sight, and there is no telling now how she will
turn."

"But she can't tack back in this wind."

"She can make a putty good try at it, lad."

"Not much of a one, lad.  There is a little electric battery and
light in the cabin, one that was used by a professor that I took
out two years ago, when the yacht was built.  He was interested
in electricity and he made the light himself.  I never used it,
for I didn't understand how it worked."

"Let us look at the light; perhaps we can do something with it,"
said Dick.

"That's the talk," came from Tom.  "Anything is better than
holding your hands and doing nothing."

Martin Harris was willing, and led the way into the cabin.
Battery and light were stored away in a couple of soap boxes, and
the boys brought them out and set them on the cabin table.

"I think I can fix these up," said Dick, after a long
examination.  "The batteries are not in very good shape, but I
think they will do.  They are meant to work on the same plan as
these new electric lights for bicycles, only they are, I reckon,
more powerful."

"Well, do what you please with the machine," said Martin Harris.
"In the meantime, I'll see what I can do with a lantern and a tin
reflector.  Sometimes you can see a white sail putty good with a
tin reflector."

He hurried to the deck again, and Sam, who was not much
interested in electricity, followed him.  One of the best of the
yacht's lanterns was polished up to the last degree, and they
also polished the metal reflector until it shone like a newly
coined silver piece.

"That's a good light!" cried Sam, when it was lit up.  "Where
will you place it?"

"Up at the top of the mast," answered the old sailor.  "I'll show
you."

It took some time to adjust the lantern just right, but this
accomplished they found that they could see for a distance of a
hundred yards or more.

"I see the sail!" announced Harris.  "Don't you--just over our
port bow?"

"I see it," answered Sergeant Brown.  "Not very far off either."

Without delay the course of the _Searchlight_ was changed so that
she was headed directly for the _Flyaway_.

"Keep off!" was the cry out of the darkness.  "Keep off, or it
will be the worse for you!"

"You may as well give up," shouted back the police sergeant.
"You are bound to be caught sooner or later."

"We don't think go.  If it comes to the worst, remember, we can
do a heap of fighting."

"We can fight too," was the grim response.

"Dora!  Dora!  Are you safe?" shouted Sam, with all the strength
of his youthful lungs.

"Save me!" came back the cry.  "Don't let them carry me further
away."

"We'll do our best, don't fear."

Dora wanted to say more, but was prevented from doing so by
Mumps, who again hurried her below.

"You must lock her up," he said to Mrs. Goss, and once more the
unhappy girl found herself a prisoner in the cabin.

She had hoped for much during the chase along shore, but now her
heart sank like a lump of lead and she burst into tears.

"No use of crying," said Mrs. Goss.  "It won't help you a bit."

"I want to be free!" sobbed Dora.  "Where will they take me?"

"Never mind; you just be quiet and wait."

"But you are running directly out into the ocean!"

"What of that?"

"I don't wish to go."

"You'll have to take what comes, as I told you before."

"Mrs. Goss, have you no pity for me?"

"If I did have it wouldn't do you any good, Miss Dora.  I've got
to do as the men folks want me to do.  If I don't they'll make--"

The woman did not finish what she was saying.  A loud report rang
out on deck, followed by the distant crash of glass.  Then came a
yell, followed by another report and more crashing of glassware.

"What can that mean?" burst out Dora, but instead of answering
her,  Mrs. Goss bounced out of the cabin, locking the door after
her, and hurried to the deck.




CHAPTER XXV

A SHOT FROM THE DARKNESS


The shots which had reached Dora's ears had come from a gun in
the hands of Arnold Baxter.

The man had been enraged at the sight of the lantern on the mast
of the _Searchlight_, and, taking careful aim, had sent a charge of
shot into the affair, smashing globe, reflector, and tin cup, and
scattering the oil in all directions.

"Hurrah, I struck it!" shouted Arnold Baxter gleefully.  "Now
they won't see us quite so plainly."

"Knock out the other lantern, pop," put in Dan Baxter, and the
parent turned in the second barrel of the shotgun with equal
success.

For an instant the deck of the _Searchlight_ seemed to be in
darkness.  Sam felt a bit of hot glass strike him on the cheek
and raised his hand to brush it off.  Then he felt something warm
on the back of his leg.  Looking down he saw to his horror that
some of the oil from the lantern had fallen on him and that it
was ablaze!

"Help! Help!" he shrieked.  "I'm burning up!"

His cry alarmed everybody, and all, even Dick and Tom, came
rushing to his aid.  But Sergeant Brown was first, and he
promptly threw the boy down flat and, whipping off his coat,
began to beat out the flames.

Another shot now rang out, aimed at a third lantern, but the
light was not struck.  By this time Martin Harris made the
discovery that the mainsail was on fire in two places, while the
jib was also suffering.

"This is getting hot!" he cried, when Carter opened up fire at
random, determined to do what he could.  A yell and a groan
followed, and then all became quiet, and firing on both sides was
over.

Fortunately for Sam, the flames upon his person were quickly
extinguished, and all the lad really suffered was the ruin of his
trousers and an ugly blister on the calf of his leg.  But he was
badly scared, and when it was over he had almost to be carried to
the cabin.

In the meantime Martin Harris procured several pails of water and
a long-handled swab and with these did what he could to
extinguish the fire on the sails.  Several of the others joined
in, and inside of ten minutes all danger of a conflagration was
past.

"That's the worst yet!" growled the old sailor, as he surveyed
the mainsail, which had two holes in it each is large as a
barrel.  "I'd like to wring the neck of the fellow as did it, yes
I would," and he shook his head determinedly.

"That's the end of that light," said Sergeant Brown.  "What are
you going to do next?"

"I think I can get that searchlight to work," put in Dick.  "But
will it be of any use?  They may start to shooting again."

"We've got to have some kind of a light, even if it's only a
tallow candle," grumbled Harris.

"If we haven't got a light some coastwise steamer may run us
down."

He set to work to rig up a temporary light, and in the meantime
Dick returned to the cabin to experiment with the electric light.
He found Sam on the couch, bathing his leg with oil to take away
the sting of the bum.

"How is it, Sam--hurt much?"

"I suppose it might be worse," was the younger brother's reply.
"I wonder who fired that shot?"

"One of the Baxters, more than likely. They are a cold-blooded
pair."

"One or more of us might have been killed if we had been directly
behind the lights."

"That is true.  I don't suppose Arnold Baxter would care much if
we were.   He was father's enemy, you must remember, and he said
he hated all of us."

Sam resumed his bathing and Dick turned to the cabin table, upon
which the battery and other portions of the searchlight rested.

Dick had always been greatly interested in electricity and
therefore the parts of the battery before him were not hard for
him to understand.

But there was one trouble with the battery which did not reach
his eye as he turned it around and started it up.  That was that
a portion of the insulation of a main wire was worn off.

As he turned on the current there was a flash and the light
blazed up almost as bright as day.

"That's fine!" cried Sam.  "We'll be able to see the _Flyaway_ a
long distance off now."

"Well, I only hope when we put this up it won't be knocked out
like the other lights were."

"Of course we'll have to run that risk."

In a minute more Dick started to carry the searchlight to the
deck.

He had turned off the light proper, consequently the way to the
companionway was rather dark.

He had almost reached the top of the steps when Sam heard a
scream, saw a flash of fire, and then Dick came tumbling to the
cabin floor in a heap, with the battery and light beside him.

"My gracious, he's been shocked!" burst out the youngest Rover;
and, forgetting all about his burn, ran to his brother's
assistance.

"What's that noise?" came from the deck.

"Dick's been shocked by the searchlight!"  cried Sam.  "Come down
here, somebody, and let us see what we can do for him."

"Shocked, is it!" cried Sergeant Brown.  "If that's the case,
look out that somebody else don't catch it."

Tom came tumbling down, followed by both police officers, and
Dick was picked up and deposited on the couch.  Then Sam kicked
the searchlight and batteries into a corner.

"They can stay there for all I care," said he.

"They are too dangerous, unless, a chap knows just how to handle
them."

Dick lay with his eyes wide open, but unable to move.  Tom bent
down and announced that his heart was still beating.

But little in the way of restoratives were at hand, and the most
they could do was to rub the youth's body in an attempt to
restore the circulation.

"Oh, I hope he isn't permanently injured!" cried Tom.  "If he
should turn out a cripple it would be awful!"

"That's so," answered Sam.  "Poor Dick!  He's as bad off as if
those rascals had shot him."

Slowly Dick came to his senses.  But he was very weak, and soon
he discovered that he was powerless to move his left arm.

"It's all numb," he announced.  "It feels as if it was dead."

"Let me shake it for you," said Tom, and both brothers went to
work, but with small success.  The arm hung down as limp as a
rag, and the left leg was nearly as badly off, although Dick said
he could feel a slight sensation in it, like so many needles
sticking him.

"You see, I've been afraid of that battery right along," said
Martin Harris.  "The professor got shocked once, and he limped
around for a long while after."

"But he got over it at last, didn't he?" questioned Tom eagerly.

"I can't say about that.  He went off, and I haven't seen him
since," was the unsatisfactory reply.

The injuries to Dick and to Sam had somewhat dampened Tom's
ardor, and he wondered what they had best do next, and spoke to
the police officers about it.

"I don't know of anything but to turn back to shore," said
Sergeant Brown.  "We've lost them in the dark, and that is all
there is to it.  If we go ashore we can send out an alarm, and as
soon as the _Flyaway_ is spotted, somebody will go out and arrest
everybody on board--I mean everybody but the young lady, of
course."

"But they may come ashore in the dark."

"And they may do that even if we stay out here--and then
they'll have more of an advantage than ever.  No, I think the
best thing we can do is to turn back to the coast and make the
safest landing we can find."

When Dick heard of this, however, he shook his head.  "Don't go
back yet," he pleaded.  "See if you can't make out the _Flyaway_
somewhere.  She won't dare to sail very far without a light."

"I don't go for giving up just yet," put in Martin Harris.  "As
the lad says, she'll show a light very soon now--for there is a
coastwise steamer a-coming," and he pointed in the direction of
Sandy Hook.

He was right, and soon the many lights from the big steam vessel
could be plainly seen.  She was heading almost directly for them,
but presently steered to the eastward.

"She must be almost in the track of the _Flyaway_," went on Martin
Harris.  "Just wait and see if I ain't right."

They waited and watched eagerly, and thus five minutes passed.
Then from a distance they saw a light flash up.

"There she is!" cried Tom.  "Let us head for her at once.  They
won't keep that light out long--just long enough to let that
steamer go by."

Martin Harris was already at the tiller, and soon the _Searchlight_
was thrown over and was again dipping her nose in the long ocean
swells.  The wind had died away only to freshen more than ever,
and the chase now became a lively one.

The enemy seemed to know that the exposure of their light had
given those on the _Searchlight_ the cue, and they were sailing as
rapidly as all of their canvas permitted.  But Harris was now
handling his craft better than ever before, and slowly but surely
the distance between the two craft was diminished, until the
_Flyaway_ could be made out faintly even without a light.

"Don't lose her again," said Dick.  "We must keep at it until we
run them down completely."  And Harris promised to do his best.

It was now past midnight, and the police officers said they were
tired out and dropped into the cabin to take a nap.  Dick
likewise remained below, trying to get up some circulation in the
lamed arm.

"Can't you feel anything?" queried Tom.

"I think I can," answered his big brother.  "Yes, yes, it's
coming now!" he went on.  "Thank God!" and he suddenly raised the
arm and bent the fingers of his hand.  By daylight that member
of his body was nearly as well as ever.  But this experience was
one which Dick has not forgotten to the present day.

Sam had bound up his burn with a rag saturated with oil and
flour, and announced that he felt quite comfortable.  "But just
let me get hold of those Baxters," he added.  "I shan't stand on
any ceremony with them."

"I don't believe any of us will," said Tom.

"But as anxious as I am to have this over, I would just as lief
have the chase last until morning.  Then we'll be better able to
see what we are doing."

"Or trying to do," said Sam with a faint smile.




CHAPTER XXVI

A FLAG OF TRUCE


Sunrise found the two yachts far out on the ocean with land
nowhere in sight.  The breeze was still stiff, but it was not as
heavy as it had been, and Martin Harris was unable to decrease
the space which separated his own craft from that of the enemy.

"You see, the _Searchlight_ is the better boat in a strong blow,"
he explained.  "When the wind is light the _Flyaway_ has as good a
chance of making headway as we have."

"Well, one thing is certain," said Tom.  "This chase can't last
forever."

"It may last longer than you imagine, lad."

"Hardly.  We haven't more than enough provisions aboard to last
over today."

"Perhaps the other boat is even worse off," said Sergeant Brown
hopefully.  "If that's the case we'll starve them out."

"I don't care what we do, so long as we rescue Dora and get that
stolen fortune," said Dick, as he dragged himself to the crowd,
followed by Sam.

"And how's Sam?" questioned Tom, turning to his younger brother.

"Oh, I'm all right--if it comes to fighting."

"And you, Dick?"

"I think I can do something--at least, I am willing to try."

Breakfast--a rather scant meal--had just been disposed of,
when Martin Harris uttered a shout.

"They want to do some talking," he announced.

"Why, what do you mean?" asked Dick.

"They are hoisting a white rag."

"Sure enough!" ejaculated Tom, as he pointed to a flag of truce
which Dan Baxter was holding aloft, fastened to an oar.  "What do
you make of that?"

"They want to make terms," laughed Sergeant Brown.  "I reckon
things are coming our way at last."

"Do we want to talk to them?" asked Tom.

"Let us make them surrender, and do the talking afterward," came
from Sam.

"It won't hurt to let them talk," said the police sergeant.  "We
can do as we please, anyway, after they are done."

The matter was discussed for a moment, and then Tom tied his
handkerchief to a stick and held it up.

"Ahoy there!" came from Arnold Baxter.  "Will you honor the flag
of truce?"

"Yes," yelled Sergeant Brown.

"And let us have our distance after our talk is over, if we can't
come to terms?"

"Yes."

"All right, then; we'll come close enough to talk to you."

Slowly and cautiously the _Flyaway_ drew nearer, until all on board
of Harris' yacht could see their enemies quite plainly.

Arnold Baxter was armed with a shotgun, while Buddy Girk and Dan
Baxter carried pistols.  Mumps kept out of sight as much as
possible, while Bill Goss attended to the steering of the boat.
Dora and Mrs. Goss were below.

"Well, what have you got to say?" demanded Dick, as soon as the
others were within easy talking distance.

"How many on board of that yacht?" demanded Arnold Baxter, as he
looked at the police officers glumly.

"Enough," replied Dick.  "Is that all you've got to say?"

"Don't grow impudent, boy.  It won't set well."

"A person couldn't be impudent to such a rascal as you, Arnold
Baxter."

"Have a care, Dick Rover.  What do you propose to do?"

"Land all of you in jail, rescue Dora Stanhope, and recover that
money you stole."

"Indeed!"

"Yes--indeed!  Don't you think we are pretty close to doing
it?"

"No, you are a long way off.  You won't dare to break this truce
while the flags fly.  If you do, I'll shoot you just as sure as
you are born."

"I don't intend to dishonor any truce, Arnold Baxter.  But,
nevertheless, you and your crowd are almost at the end of your
rope, and you know it."

"Feeling hungry, ain't you?" put in Martin Harris.

"You shut up!" roared Dan Baxter, for Harris had hit the nail
exactly on the head.  "We'll settle this with the Rovers and the
police, not with you."

"You'll settle with me for burning my sails and breaking my
lanterns," retorted the skipper of the _Searchlight_ wrathfully.

"Let us come to terms," went on Arnold Baxter in a milder tone.
"I reckon what you want principally is to rescue Dora Stanhope?"

"Yes, I want that," said Dick quickly.

"If we hand her over to you, will you promise not to follow us
any longer?"

"Well--er--what of that money--" began Dick, glancing at those
around him.

"We can't let you go," interposed Sergeant Brown.  "You are
wanted for that robbery in Albany."

"We deny the robbery," said Arnold Baxter.

"All right--you'll have a chance to clear yourself in court."

"We are not going to court, not by a jugful," put in Buddy Girk.
"If we give up the gal that's got to end it.  Otherwise, we don't
give her up, see?"

"But 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 hold 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 ain't 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


"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."

"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 a regular ocean trip and no mistake,"
remarked Tom, as he dropped into a seat near the cabin.  "Who
would have thought it when we left Cedarville in such a hurry?"

"I'd like to know how things are going up there," mused Dick.
"It will be too bad if Josiah Crabtree succeeds in marrying Mrs.
Stanhope while we are away."

"Let us hope for the best," put in Sam.

"Hullo, the _Flyaway_ is moving eastward!"

"What does that mean, Harris?" cried Dick.

"It means that they want to make the most of this wind,"
responded the skipper of the yacht grimly.  "I'm learning a trick
or two on 'em, and I'll overreach 'em if they ain't careful."

"You can't do it any too quick," answered Dick.  "When next we
meet there won't be quite so  much talking.  Instead, we'll have
some acting, and pretty lively at that."

Sergeant Brown was questioned concerning his weapons, and said he
had two pistols and Carter had the same.  One of the extra
weapons was loaned to Dick and the second went to Tom.  It was
decided that in case of a close brush Sam and Harris were to arm
themselves with anything that was handy, but otherwise they were
to attend to the sailing of the _Searchlight_.

Provisions, to use Tom's way of expressing it, were now  "more
than low," and as they ate the scant food dealt around, Dick
could not help but think of how Dora might be faring.

"I'd willingly starve myself if only it would give her what she
needs," he thought.  It made him sick at heart to think of how
she might be suffering.

Mile after mile was passed, until the sun began to descend over
to the westward.  The yachts were now close on to quarter of a
mile apart.

"Here comes another steamer!" cried Tom presently.  "Look here,
why can't we get some help from her?"

"Perhaps we can!" burst out Dick.  "I never thought of that."

"Let us signal her anyway," suggested Sergeant Brown.

A flag was run up as high as the topmast permitted, and they
headed directly for the steamer's course.

As the ship came closer they made her out to be a big "tramp"
from the South American trade.  For the benefit of those who do
not know, let me state that a tramp steamer is one going from one
port to another regardless of any regular route, the movements of
the craft depending entirely upon the freight to be picked up.

"She sees the signal!" exclaimed Dick, after an anxious wait of
several minutes.

Slowly the steamer came up to them, and then her ponderous
engines ceased to work.

"What is wanted?" came in Spanish from a dark-looking man on the
forward deck.

"Can't you talk English?" cried Dick.

"A leetle."

"We are after that other sail-boat.  The men in her are thieves
and have abducted a girl, too.  Will you help us catch them?"

At this the man on the steamer drew down his face and held a
consultation with several behind him.

"You are sure they are thieves?" he asked presently.

"Yes."

"Have they with them the money that was stolen?"

"We are pretty certain they have."

"And the girl?"

"Yes"

"And what is the reward for the girl, senor?"

"Well, I declare!" burst out Tom.  "They are after a reward the
first thing."

"No reward yet," answered Dick.  "But there may be."

At this the South American scowled.  "We cannot lose time on a
hunt that is worth nothing," he said.  "We must get to Brooklyn
by tomorrow morning."

"You won't help us bring them to justice?"

"We cannot afford to lose the time."

Without further words the big steamer's engines were started up
again and away she sped, leaving the _Searchlight_ to sink and rise
on the rollers left in her wake.

"My, but that fellow is accommodating!" groaned Dick.  "He isn't
doing a single thing without pay."

"We might have bought some provisions from him," put in Martin
Harris.  "I reckon he'd sell some for a round price--being so
near to the end of his voyage."

"I don't want his stuff," remarked Sam.

"I'm afraid it would choke me if I tried to eat it."

The stop had given the _Flyaway_ an advantage, and she was making
the most of it.  But before the gun went down those on the other
yacht saw her head for the coast once more.

"I guess the note told the truth," said Harris.

"Is Sand Haven near here?" questioned Tom.

"It is not over half a mile further down the coast."

"And how far are we out?" was the police sergeant's question.

"Between five and six miles, as near as I can calculate."

"Will they be able to run in by dark?"

"I think so.  You see, the wind is shifting, and it depends a
good bit on how much it veers around," concluded the old sailor.

Slowly the sun sank in the west.  It was growing cloudy and a
mist was rising.  The mist made Martin Harris shake his head;
but, not wishing to alarm the others, he said nothing.

But soon Dick noticed the mist and so did the rest.  "Gracious,
supposing we get caught in a fog!" muttered Tom.

"I was just thinking of it," returned his elder brother.  "There
will be no fun in it--if we are out of sight of land."

A quarter of an hour went by, and still no land appeared.  It was
now so raw that the boys were glad enough to button their coats
tightly about them.  Then, of a sudden, the fog came rolling over
them like a huge cloud, and they were unable to see a dozen yards
in any direction.

"This is the worst yet!" groaned Sam.  "What's to do now?"

"Yes,  what's to do now?" repeated Sergeant Brown.  "Can you make
the coast, skipper?"

"To be sure I can," replied Harris, as he looked at the compass.
"But I don't know about landing.  You see we might stick our nose
into a sandbank before we knowed it."

"Perhaps the fog will lift?" suggested Carter.

"A fog like this isn't lifting in a hurry," said Dick.  "Like as
not it won't move until the sun comes up tomorrow morning," and
in this guess he was right.

A half-hour went by, and from a distance came the deep note of a
fog-horn, sounding apparently from up the shore.

"We ought to have a horn," said Sam.  "Some big boat may come
along and run us down."

"There is a horn in the cabin pantry," replied Martin Harris.
"We might as well bring it out.  If we are sunk one or more of us
will most likely be drowned."

"Oh, don't say that!" ejaculated Carter.  "I'll get the horn,"
and, running below, he brought it up, and he and Sam took turns
at blowing it with all the strength of their lungs.

"One thing is comforting; those rascals are no better off than
we are," was Tom's comment.

"Yes; but if they founder, what will become of Dora?"

"I don't believe any one of them would put himself out to save
her."

"I guess you're right there, Dick.  I never thought of her, poor
girl," replied the brother.

Dick and Sergeant Brown were well up in the bow, one watching to
starboard and the other to port, for anything which might appear
through the gloom.  The horn was blowing constantly, and now from
a distance came the sounds of both horns and bells.

"We are getting close to some other ships," said Martin Harris.
"I reckon we had best take a few reefs in the mainsail and stow
away the jib," and these suggestions were carried out.

The minutes that followed were anxious ones, for all felt that a
collision might occur at any moment.  The fog was growing thicker
each instant, and this, coupled with the coming of night, seemed
to shut them in as with a pall.

"A boat is dead ahead!" came suddenly from Dick, and Sergeant
Brown also gave a cry of warning.  Then came a shock and a crash
and a splintering of wood, followed by the cries of men and boys
and the screams of a woman and a girl.

"We've struck the _Flyaway_!" called out Tom, and then he found
himself in the water, with Sam alongside of him.




CHAPTER XXVIII

HOME AGAIN--CONCLUSION


When the collision came, Dick, to save himself from injury, gave
a leap up into the air, and Sergeant Brown did the same.  The
shock sent the _Searchlight_ backward, and when the youth came down
he found himself sprawling on the _Flyaway's_ deck, close beside
Dan Baxter.

"Dick Rover!" gasped the former bully of Putnam Hall.  "So it is
your boat that has run into us?"

"Baxter, where is Dora Stanhope?" panted Dick, as soon as he
could speak.  He was afraid that one or both yachts were going
down and that Dora might be drowned.  Even in this extreme moment
of peril his one thought was for his girl friend.

"Find out for yourself," burst out Baxter, and aimed a blow at
Dick's head with his fist.  But the blow never reached its mark,
for Mumps hauled the bully backward.

"We've had enough of this--at least, I've had enough," said
Fenwick, astonishing himself at his own boldness.  "Dick, Dora is
in the cabin--no, she's coming up."

"Save me!" came in a scream from the girl.

"Oh, Dick, is it really you!" and she ran right into Dick's arms.

By this time it was discovered that the two yachts were locked
together, the bowsprit of the _Flyaway_ having become entangled in
the rigging of the _Searchlight_.  Both yachts were badly damaged,
but neither sufficiently so as to be in danger of sinking.

"Back with you!" came from Arnold Baxter, and fired his shotgun
at the police officer.  But the rocking of the boats spoiled his
aim.  Then Sergeant Brown fired, and the elder Baxter went down,
shot through the left leg.

By this time all of the evildoers realized that the final
struggle for freedom was at hand, and began to fight desperately,
Buddy Girk engaging Dick, Bill Goss facing Carter, and Mrs. Goss
beating Martin Harris back with a stew pan from the gallery.  In
the meantime Tom and Sam swam back to the _Searchlight_, and
clambered on board as rapidly as possible.

They were in time to see Carter go down, hit over the head by
Bill Goss.  But that was the last of the fight, so far as the
skipper of the _Flyaway_ was concerned, for two blows, delivered by
Tom and Sam simultaneously, stretched him senseless on the deck.

"You had better give up!" cried Tom to Dan Baxter, who was doing
what he could to get the two yachts apart.  "This is our battle."

"Not much!" muttered the bully.  "Stand back, or it will be the
worse for you!"

He sprang at Tom and shoved a pistol under the boy's very nose.
But before the weapon could be discharged, Dick, leaving Dora,
kicked the pistol from the bully's hand!

"You villain, take that!" cried Dick, and grappled with Baxter.
Both rolled over on the deck, and, shoved by somebody from
behind, Sam rolled on top of the pair.  A second later all three
rolled down the cabin stairs in a heap.

"Oh, my back!" It was Baxter who uttered the cry, and not without
cause, for his backbone had received a hard crack on the bottom
step of the stairs.

"You lie still!" commanded Dick, as he leaped to his feet.  "If
you dare to move I'll put you out of the fight altogether."

"Don't--don't shoot me!" panted Dan Baxter in sudden fear.

"Do you give in?"

"Yes."

"Then keep still.  Sam, guard him, will you?  I want to see how
matters are on deck."

"Yes, I'll guard him," answered the youngest Rover.

The fight on deck had been short and fierce, but our friends had
had the best of it from the very start, and when Dick came up he
found but little for him to do.  Arnold Baxter lay where he had
fallen, moaning piteously, while Buddy Girk and Bill Goss were in
irons.  Mrs. Goss still stood at bay, flourishing her stew pan
over her head, while Mumps remained at a distance, his arms
folded over his breast and an anxious look in his eyes.

"I won't go to prison!" shrieked Mrs. Goss.  "You let me and my
husband go."

"Mrs. Goss, you had best give in--" began Sergeant Brown, when
Tom, sneaking up behind her, snatched the stew pan from her
grasp.  As she turned on the boy, Carter ran in, and in a twinkle
she was held and her hands were bound behind her.  Then the crowd
turned to Mumps.

"I submit," said the misguided boy.  "Didn't I tell you in the
note that I would help you?"

"Yes, he has tried to do better," put in Dora.

"If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have had a mouthful to eat
today."

"I guess we can trust him, then," said Dick.  "But, Mumps, take
care that you don't go back on us."

"I won't go back on you," said the toady.  "I'm going to cut that
crowd after this."

"You can't make a better move," was Dick's comment.

Now that affairs were in their own hands, our friends hardly knew
how to turn next.  After a discussion it was agreed to place the
_Flyaway_ in charge of Dick and Tom, who were also to carry Dora
and Mumps.  All of the others went aboard of the _Searchlight_,
Arnold Baxter being carried by the police officers, who attended
to his wound as well as the accommodations on board of the yacht
permitted.

So far nothing had been said about the money and securities
stolen by Baxter and Girk, but they were in a locker in the
_Flyaway's_ cabin, and easily brought to light.

"This is a big day for us," said Dick.  "Won't folks at home be
astonished when they hear of what we have done?"

"I cannot get home fast enough," said Dora.  "Poor mama, if only
I knew she was safe!"

"Josiah Crabtree shall suffer for this," said Dick.  "Remember,
it was he who had you carried off by Mumps and Dan Baxter."

The _Searchlight_ was already on the way and the _Flyaway_ came behind
her. The course was due west, and they kept on until the breakers
could be heard in the distance. Then Martin Harris bore away to the
northward.

With the coming of daylight the fog disappeared as if by magic,
and they found themselves close to the seashore town of
Lightville.  Here there was a small river, and they ran into this
and came to a safe anchor close to one of the docks.

On going ashore Dick's first movement was to send two telegraph
messages, one to Rush & Wilder, telling them that the stolen
securities and money had been recovered, and the second to
Captain Putnam, breaking the news of Dora's safety and requesting
the master of the Hall to acquaint Mrs. Stanhope with the fact
and take steps toward Josiah Crabtree's arrest.  Later on another
message was sent to Randolph Rover so that the boys' uncle might
no longer be alarmed over their safety.  Sergeant Brown also
telegraphed to his superiors.

Inside of an hour after landing, Arnold Baxter, Buddy Girk, Dan
Baxter, and the two Gosses were safely housed in the Lightville
jail.  At first it was thought to arrest Mumps also, but he
begged for his liberty, and promised, if let go, to tell
everything.  As some witness would be wanted when the others came
to trial he was taken at his word.

It was a happy party that started for Cedarville that evening.
No one could have been more attentive than Dick was to Dora, and
no one could have been more appreciative than the girl of what
the three Rover boys had done for her.

At Ithaca a surprise awaited the crowd.  Frank, Fred, and Larry
were there to welcome them, and soon after Captain Putnam
appeared.

"I am very glad to see you all safe and sound," said the captain,
as he shook hands.  "You have had a regular ocean chase, and no
mistake."