[Illustration: THE BLAZE REVEALED A LARGE MASS OF LUMBER RISING AND
FALLING ON THE TURBULENT WATERS.--_Frontispiece_]

THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES

OR

_THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND CAVE_

BY

ARTHUR M. WINFIELD (Edward Stratemeyer)

AUTHOR OF THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL, THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN, THE
PUTNAM HALL SERIES, ETC.

_ILLUSTRATED_




INTRODUCTION.


MY DEAR BOYS: This volume, "The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes," is a
complete story in itself, but forms the fifth volume of the Rover Boys
Series for Young Americans.

When first I started this series with "The Rover Boys at School," I had
no idea of extending the line beyond three or four volumes. But the
second book, "The Rover Boys on the Ocean," immediately called for a
third, "The Rover Boys in the Jungle," and this finished, many boys
wanted to know what would happen next, and so I must needs give them
"The Rover Boys Out West." Still they were not satisfied; hence the
volume now in your hands.

So far we have followed the doings of Dick, Tom, and Sam at dear old
Putnam Hall, with many larks and sports; then out upon the broad
Atlantic in a daring chase which came pretty close to ending in sad
disaster; next into the interior of Africa on a quest of grave
importance; and lastly out into the mountainous regions of the wild
West, to locate a mining claim belonging to Mr. Anderson Rover.

In the present tale the scene is shifted to the Great Lakes. The three
boys go on a pleasure tour and, while on Lake Erie, fall in with an old
enemy, who concocts a scheme for kidnapping Dick, who had fallen
overboard from his yacht in a storm. This scheme leads to many
adventures, the outcome of which will be found in the pages that
follow.

In placing this volume in my young readers hands I can but repeat what
I have said before: that I am extremely grateful to all for the kind
reception given the other Rover Boys stories. I sincerely trust the
present tale meets with equal commendation.

Affectionately and sincerely yours,

EDWARD STRATEMEYER.

_April_ 12, 1901




CONTENTS.

        INTRODUCTION
     I. A STORM ON LAKE ERIE
    II. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DICK
   III. ON A LUMBER RAFT
    IV. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY
     V. THE SAILING OF THE "PEACOCK"
    VI. HUNTING FOR DICK
   VII. THE ESCAPE OF ARNOLD BAXTER
  VIII. ON THE LAKE AGAIN
    IX. CAUGHT IN A TRAP
     X. THE ESCAPE FROM THE HOLD
    XI. GAINING A POINT
   XII. A DINNER OF IMPORTANCE
  XIII. PRISONERS THREE
   XIV. DICK MAKES HIS ESCAPE
    XV. WHAT THE LAME MAN KNEW
   XVI. OFF FOR NEEDLE POINT ISLAND
  XVII. A CAVE AND A SNAKE
 XVIII. COFFEE FOR THREE
   XIX. AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY
    XX. JOSIAH CRABTREE'S GAME
   XXI. TOM BRINGS ONE ENEMY TO TERMS
  XXII. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND CAVE
 XXIII. THE BAXTERS ARE FOLLOWED
  XXIV. AN ENCOUNTER IN THE DARK
   XXV. BEACHING THE "WELLINGTON"
  XXVI. CRABTREE JOINS THE BAXTERS
 XXVII. HOW TOM WAS CAPTURED
XXVIII. THE BAXTERS TALK IT OVER
  XXIX. DORA STANHOPE APPEARS
   XXX. HOME AGAIN--CONCLUSION




THE ROVER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES.




CHAPTER I.

A STORM ON LAKE ERIE.


"Dick, do you notice how the wind is freshening?"

"Yes, Sam, I've been watching it for ten minutes. I think we are in for
a storm."

"Exactly my idea, and I shouldn't be surprised if it proved a heavy
one, too. How far are we from shore?"

"Not over three miles, to my reckoning."

"Perhaps we had better turn back," and Sam Rover, the youngest of the
three Rover brothers, shook his head doubtfully.

"Oh, I reckon we'll be safe enough," responded Dick Rover, who was
several years older. "I know more about sailing a yacht than I did when
we followed up the Baxters on the Atlantic Ocean."

"The poor Baxters!" put in Tom Rover, who stood close by, also watching
the wind, and the heavy clouds rolling up from the westward. "Who ever
supposed that they would be buried alive in that landslide on the
mountain in Colorado?"

"It was a terrible fate," came, with a shudder, from Dick Rover. "But,
nevertheless, I am glad we are rid of those rascals. They caused father
and us trouble enough, goodness knows."

"And they brought trouble enough to Dora Stanhope and her mother, too,"
observed Sam. "By the way, Dick, weren't Dora and her mother going to
take a trip on these lakes this summer?"

"Of course Dora was," put in Tom, with a sly wink. "If she wasn't, what
do you suppose would bring Dick here? He got a letter only last week--"

"Oh, stow it, Tom!" cried the elder Rover, his face growing red. "You
wanted to take a trip on the Great Lakes as much as anybody--said you
wouldn't like anything better, and told all the fellows at Putnam Hall
so, too."

"Well, I don't know as I would like anything better," rattled on Tom.
"The _Swallow_ seems to be a first-class craft, and I've no doubt
but what we'll see lots to interest us in this trip from Buffalo to
Lake Superior."

"When are the Stanhopes coming out?" asked Sam.

"I can't say, exactly," replied Dick. "I expect another letter from
them when we reach Cleveland. In the last letter Dora said her mother
was not feeling as well as before."

"A trip on the lakes ought to do her good."

"Wonder if old Josiah Crabtree has been bothering her with his
attentions?" came from Tom. "Gosh! how anxious he was to marry her and
get hold of the money she is holding in trust for Dora."

"Crabtree's term of imprisonment ran out only last week, Tom. He
couldn't annoy her while he was in jail."

"He ought to have been given five years for the way he used them, and
us. It's strange what an influence he had over Mrs. Stanhope."

"He's something of a hypnotist, and she seems to be just the right kind
of a subject for him. His coming from prison is one reason why Dora
wanted to get her mother away. She isn't going to let outsiders know of
the trip, so old Crabtree won't know where they are."

"He'll find out, if he can," remarked Sam. "He always was a nosy old
chap."

"If he tries any game on, I'll settle him in short order," came from
Dick, with determination. "We've put up with enough from him in the
past, and I don't intend to give him any leeway in the future."

"Leeway?" burst out Tom. "Not a foot! Not an inch! I haven't forgotten
how he treated me when he was a teacher at Putnam Hall. I wonder that
Captain Putnam didn't kick him out long before he was made to go."

A sudden rush of wind cut the conversation short at this point, sending
the _Swallow_ bowling along merrily. The clouds were increasing
rapidly, and Dick ordered that all the sails be closely reefed.

"We don't want to lose our mast," he observed.

"We don't want to lose anything," answered Sam. "For my part, I wish we
were back in Buffalo harbor."

"Oh! we'll run along all right," came from Tom. "Don't get scared
before you are hurt." He looked at his watch. "Half-past five! I didn't
think it was so late."

"It will be dark before long," said Dick. "Perhaps the blow will go
down with the setting of the sun."

"We'll never know when the sun sets--excepting by the almanac,"
murmured Sam. "It's as black as ink already, over to the westward."

To keep up his courage Tom Rover began to whistle, but soon the sound
was drowned out by the high piping of the wind, as it tore over the
deck and through the rigging of the _Swallow_. They were certainly
in for a storm, and a heavy one at that.

It was the middle of July, and the Rover boys had journeyed from Valley
Brook, their country home, to Buffalo, a week before, for a six-weeks'
outing upon the Great Lakes previous to their returning to Putnam Hall
for the fall and winter term. Their thrilling adventures in Colorado,
as told in "The Rover Boys Out West," had taxed them severely, and
their father, Mr. Anderson Rover, felt that they needed the recreation.
At first he had wished them to remain at the farm, and so had their
Uncle Randolph Rover and their motherly Aunt Martha, but this had been
voted "too slow" by the three brothers, and it was decided that they
should go to Buffalo, charter a small yacht, and do as they pleased
until the opening of school.

"Only please keep out of danger," had been Mr. Rover's pleading words.
"You have been in peril enough." And the boys had promised to do their
best, little dreaming of the many adventures and dangers ahead.

The boys knew very little about the lakes, and at the last moment had
invited Larry Colby, an old schoolmate, to accompany them on the
outing. Larry had spent two summers on Lake Huron and Lake Superior,
and knew both bodies of water fairly well. But the lad could not come
on at once, and so had sent word that he would join the party at
Sandusky, some time later. Larry's father was rich, so the expense of
traveling counted for nothing.

With the boys, however, went one individual with whom all our old
readers are well acquainted. This was Alexander Pop, the colored man
who had once been a waiter at Putnam Hall, and who was now a servant to
the Rovers in general and the three boys in particular. The boys had
done much in the past for Aleck, as they called him, and Pop was so
greatly attached to the youths that he was ready at all times to do
anything they desired.

"I dun lub dem Rober boys, aint no ust ter talk," Pop would say. "Dem
is de most up-to-date boys in de world, dat's wot, and da did dis yeah
niggah a good turn wot he aint forgittin' in a hurry, too." What that
good turn was has already been related in full in "The Rover Boys in
the Jungle." Pop was now installed on board the _Swallow_ as cook
and general helper, a position he was well fitted to fill.

The boys had laid out a grand trip, and one which certainly promised a
good deal of pleasure. The first stop was to be at Cleveland, and from
that city they were to go to Sandusky, and then up the lake and through
the Detroit River to Detroit. Here a short stay was to be made, and
then the journey was to be resumed through Lake St. Clair and the St.
Clair River to Lake Huron. Once on Lake Huron they expected to skirt
the eastern coast of Michigan, stopping whenever they pleased, and thus
gradually make their way to Whitefish Bay and Lake Superior. What they
would do when Lake Superior was reached would depend upon how much time
was left for the outing.

The _Swallow_ was a well-built, sturdy craft, fifty feet long and
correspondingly broad of beam. She had been constructed for a pleasure
boat and had all of the latest improvements. She belonged to a rich man
of Buffalo, who had known the Rovers for years. The rich man was now
traveling in Europe, and had been only too glad to charter the yacht
for a period of six weeks. When the Rover boys were through with her
she was to be placed in charge of the rich man's boatman, who was to
take her back to Buffalo.

The start on Lake Erie had been full of pleasure. The yacht had a good
supply of provisions on board, and everybody was in the best of
spirits. Aleck Pop had brought along his banjo, and on the first
evening out had given them half a dozen plantation songs, for he was a
good singer as well as player. On the day following the breeze had died
away and they had all gone fishing, with fair success. This was the
third day out, and since noon the wind had been blowing at a lively
rate, helping them to make good time on their course toward Cleveland.
Now the wind was blowing little short of a gale, and the sky was
growing blacker each instant.

"We are in for it, beyond a doubt," said Dick, with a serious shake of
his head.

Every inch of canvas had been taken in, yet the _Swallow_ spun
along before the wind rapidly, ever and anon dipping her bow deeply
into the white-caps, which now showed themselves upon all sides.

"Here she comes!" burst out Tom suddenly. "Hold hard, everybody!"

And then the storm burst upon them in all of its fury--a storm which
lasted all night, and one which the Rover boys never forgot.




CHAPTER II.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DICK.


"Oh, my, but this is a corker!"

It was Tom who uttered the words, half an hour after he had cautioned
everybody to hold fast. He was standing at the wheel, helping Dick to
make the _Swallow_ keep her bow up to the waves, which rolled
fiercely on every side of the craft. He cried out at the top of his
lungs, yet his elder brother understood him with difficulty.

"I wish we were out of it," returned Dick. "Did Sam go below, as I
ordered?"

"Yes."

"What of Aleck?"

"He is in the galley, trying to keep his dishes from being smashed to
bits. He is scared, I can tell you, and said he was sure we were going
to the bottom."

"If I was sure of the course I would steer for shore, Tom. I'm afraid
myself that this is going to be more than we bargained for."

"Pooh, Dick! We've been in as bad a storm before, and you know it."

"But not on Lake Erie. This lake has a reputation for turning out some
nasty ones, that do tremendous damage. Light up, will you?--or we may
be smashing into some other boat before we know it."

"I will, if you can hold the wheel alone."

"I can get along for a few minutes. But it's enough to pull a fellow's
arms out by the sockets," concluded Dick.

With extreme caution, for the deck was as wet and slippery as it was
unsteady, Tom made his way to the tiny cabin of the yacht. Here he
found Sam lighting the ship's lanterns, four in number.

"I thought you'd be wanting them," said the youngest Rover. "Is it
letting up, do you think?"

"No; if anything, it is growing worse."

"Don't you want me to help on deck? I hate to stay down here alone."

"You can do nothing, Sam. Dick and I are tending the wheel, and there
is nothing else to be done."

"I might go on the lookout. You can't watch very well from the stern,"
added the youngest Rover, who did not relish being kept back by his
older brothers.

"We can watch good enough. Stay here--it's safer. If the yacht should
swing around--Great Scott!"

Tom Rover broke off short, and with good reason. A strange creaking and
cracking sound had reached his ears, followed by a bump and a jar which
nearly pitched him headlong. Sam was thrown down on his back.

"Something is wrong!" burst out Sam, as soon as he could speak. "We
must have struck something."

Tom did not answer, for the reason that he was already on his way to
the deck, with a lantern slung in the crook of his right elbow. Sam
followed with another lantern, leaving the remaining ones wildly
swinging on the hooks in the cabin's ceiling.

"Help! help!"

The cry came from out of the darkness, somewhere in the wake of the
_Swallow_; a cry cut partly short by the piping gale. With his
heart thumping violently, Tom leaped over the deck toward the wheel.

"Dick! What is the matter?"

"Help!" repeated the voice, but now further off than ever. Then Tom
made a discovery which thrilled him with horror.

The position at the wheel was vacant! Dick was gone!

"Dick! Dick! Where are you!" he shouted hoarsely. "Dick!"

"Help!" came more faintly. The cry was repeated several times, but
nothing more reached Tom's ears nor the hearing of his younger brother,
who was now beside him, his round face as pale as death itself.

"Dick's overboard!" The words came from both, and each looked at the
other in consternation.

Both held up their lanterns, the glasses of which were speedily covered
with flying spray. The lanterns made a small semicircle of light at the
stern, but Dick was beyond that circle and could not be seen.

"Take the wheel--I'll get a life-preserver!" said Tom, and ran for the
article he had mentioned.

"Shall I try to turn the yacht around?" questioned his brother, as he,
after several unsuccessful attempts, caught the spokes of the wheel,
which was flying back and forth with every pitch of the craft.

"No! no! We will be swamped if you do that. Keep her up to the wind."

Regardless of the danger, Tom flew across the deck to where there was a
life-preserver, attached to a hundred feet of small, but strong, rope.
Once at the stern again, he threw the life-preserver as far out as
possible.

"Catch the lifeline!" he shrieked. But if Dick heard he gave no answer.

"Can't we fire a rocket?" said Sam. "We ought to do something," he
added, half desperately.

Lashing the end of the lifeline to the stern, Tom ran down into the
cabin and brought forth several rockets. With trembling hands he set
off first one and then another. The blaze was a short one, yet it
revealed to them a large mass of lumber rising and falling on the bosom
of the turbulent waters.

"A lumber raft. It is going to pieces in the storm."

"Did you see Dick?"

"I saw two persons on the lumber, but I don't know who they were. They
looked more dead than alive."

"Oh, I hope Dick isn't dead!" burst out Sam, and the tears stood in his
eyes as he spoke.

"Wot's dat you dun said?" came from out of the darkness.

"Dick's overboard," answered Tom.

"No!" A groan of genuine regret came from Aleck Pop. "How it dun
happen?"

"We must have struck a lumber raft and the shock knocked him over,"
answered Sam. "Oh, Tom, what shall we do?"

"I'll try another rocket, Sam--I don't know of anything else."

It took fully a minute to obtain another rocket, and some red fire as
well. The red fire made quite an illumination, in spite of the storm.

"I don't see nuffin," said Pop.

"Nor I," added Tom. "The raft has disappeared."

As the light died out all set up a loud shout. But only the howling
wind answered them. And now Sam noticed that the lifeline was drifting
idly at the stern, and there was nothing to do but to haul it in again.

The hours which followed were full of agony to Tom and Sam, and the
warm-hearted colored man was scarcely less affected.

"What if Dick is drowned?" whispered the youngest Rover. "Father will
never forgive us for coming on this trip."

"Let us hope for the best," was his brother's answer. "Dick has been in
a tight fix before. He'll come out all right, if he has any show at
all."

"Nobuddy kin lib in sech a storm as dis!" put in Pop. "Why, it's 'most
as bad as dat dar hurricane we 'perienced in Africa. Jest see how it's
beginnin' to rain."

Pop was right; so far the rain had held off for the most part, but now
it came down steadily and soon turned into little short of a deluge.
All were speedily soaked to the skin, but this was a discomfort to
which, under the circumstances, no one paid attention.

The _Swallow_ heaved and pitched, and fearful that Sam would be
lost overboard, Tom told him he had better go below again.

"You can do nothing up here," he said. "If anything turns up, I'll call
you."

"But you must be careful," pleaded Sam. "If I were you, I'd tie myself
to the wheel," and this is what Tom did.

Slowly the night wore away, and with the coming of morning the storm
abated somewhat, although the waves still lashed angrily around the
_Swallow_. With the first streak of dawn all were on deck,
watching anxiously for some sign of the lumber raft or of Dick.

"Nothing in sight!" groaned Sam, and he was right. The raft had
disappeared completely, and all around them was a dreary waste of
water, with a cloudy sky overhead.

Feeling that he must do something, Aleck Pop prepared a breakfast of
broiled fish and hot coffee, but, when summoned to the repast, both of
the Rovers shook their heads.

"I couldn't eat a mouthful," sighed Sam. "It would choke me."

"We must find Dick first, Aleck," said Tom. "Go ahead yourself and have
breakfast. Don't mind us."

"'Deed, I aint no hungrier dan youse is," replied the colored man
soberly. "But youse had bettah drink sum ob dat coffee, or youse might
cotch a chill." And he made each sip some of the beverage, bringing it
on deck for that purpose.

At half-past seven Tom espied a cloud of smoke on the horizon. "I think
it's a lake steamer," he said to his brother, and he proved to be
right. It was a freighter known as the _Captain Rallow_, running
between Detroit and Buffalo. Soon the steamer came closer and they
hailed her.

"Seen anything of a lumber wreck, with some men on it?" questioned Tom
eagerly.

"Haven't seen any wreck," was the answer, from the captain of the
freighter. "Whose raft was it?"

"I don't know. The raft hit us in the darkness and a young man on our
yacht was knocked overboard. We lit some red fire and saw two people on
the raft, which seemed to be going to pieces."

This news interested the owner of the freight steamer greatly, since he
had a brother who was in the business of rafting lumber, and he asked
Tom to give him the particulars of the affair.

"We can't give you any particulars. We were taken completely by
surprise, and it was too dark to see much," said Tom. Nevertheless he
and Sam told what they could, to which the freight captain listened
with close attention.

"I'll keep my eye open for the raft," said the latter. "And if I see
anything of your brother I'll certainly take him on board."

"Where are you bound?"

"I am going to stop at Cleveland first. Then I go straight through to
Buffalo."

A few words more passed, and then the captain of the freight steamer
gave the signal to go ahead.

The stopping of her engines had caused the steamer to drift quite close
to the _Swallow_, and as she swung around those on the yacht
caught a good view of the freighter's stern deck.

There were a small number of passengers on board, and as Sam looked
them over he gave a sudden start.

"My gracious, can it be possible!" he gasped.

"Can what be possible, Sam?" queried Tom.

"Look! look!"

"At what?"

"At the passengers on the steamer. Am I dreaming, or is that--he is
gone!" And Sam's face fell.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Arnold Baxter! He was on the steamer, just as sure as I stand here.
And we both thought him dead!"




CHAPTER III.

ON A LUMBER RAFT.


"You think you saw Arnold Baxter?" demanded Tom.

"Yes, I saw Arnold Baxter, just as plain as day."

"Sam, you must be--"

"No, I am not dreaming. It was Arnold Baxter, true enough. As soon as
he saw I had spotted him he drew out of sight."

"But we thought he was dead--buried under that landslide out in
Colorado."

"We didn't find his body, and he isn't dead. Why, I would never make a
mistake in that rascal's face, never," and Sam shook his head to
emphasize his words.

"Was Dan with him?"

"I didn't see the son."

"If it was really Arnold Baxter we ought to let the authorities know at
once, so that they can arrest him for getting out of prison on that
bogus pardon."

"Yes, and we ought to let father know, too, for you may be sure Baxter
will do all he can to get square with us for keeping the Eclipse mining
claim out of his grasp."

"He can't do anything about that claim now. Our claim is established by
law, and he is nothing but an escaped jailbird. But I agree he may give
us lots of trouble in other directions. I presume he would like to see
us all hung for the way we got ahead of him and his tools."

"If the steamer wasn't so far off we might hail her," continued Sam,
but this was now out of the question.

Both lads were very much disturbed, and with good reason. Arnold Baxter
had been an enemy to Mr. Rover for years, and this meant a good deal
when the desperate character of the man was taken into consideration.
He was a well-educated fellow, but cruel and unprincipled to the last
degree, and one who would hesitate at nothing in order to accomplish
his purpose.

"Dat's de wust yet," was Aleck Pop's comment. "I was finkin' dat
rascal was plumb dead, suah. And Dan, too! Suah yo' didn't see dat
good-fo'-nuffin boy?"

"No, I didn't see Dan."

"He must have been with his father when the landslide occurred," went
on Tom. "And if one escaped more than likely the other did, too. My,
how I despise that chap! and have, ever since we had our first row with
him at Putnam Hall."

"I wonder what brought Arnold Baxter back to this section of the
country? I shouldn't think he would dare to come back."

"He always was daring to the last degree in some matters, just as he is
cowardly in others. I would give something to know if Dan is with him."

"We might follow up the steamer, if it wasn't for poor Dick."

The boys talked the matter over for some time, and while doing this the
sails of the _Swallow_ were again hoisted, and they turned the
yacht back to the vicinity where Dick had gone overboard.

And while Tom and Sam are looking for their elder brother, let us turn
back and learn what really did become of Dick.

He was waiting for Tom to come on deck with the lanterns when, of a
sudden, something black and threatening loomed up out of the darkness
to the starboard of the _Swallow_.

The mass was the better half of a monstrous lumber raft, which was
rapidly going to pieces in the storm.

The raft, or rather what was left of it, hit the _Swallow_ a
glancing blow, otherwise the sailing craft must have been stove in and
sunk.

The shock caught Dick with one hand off the wheel, and, before he could
catch hold again, the youth found himself flung heels into the air and
over the _Swallow's_ stern.

Down and down he went into the lake waters, until he thought he would
never come up.

The turn of affairs bewildered him, and he did not come fully to his
senses until his head struck one of the timbers of the raft.

He clutched the timber as a drowning man clutches the proverbial straw,
and tried to draw himself to the surface of the lake, only to discover,
to his horror, that there were timbers to both sides of him, cutting
off his further progress upward.

"Must I be drowned like a rat in a trap!" was the agonizing thought
which rushed through his brain, and then he pushed along from one
timber to another until the last was reached and he came up, almost
overcome and panting heavily for breath.

"Help! help!" he cried feebly, and presently heard his brothers answer
him. Then the lifeline was thrown, but it fell short and did him no
good. By the red fire and the rockets he saw the position of the
_Swallow_, and saw his brothers, but was too weak to even signal
to Sam and Tom.

It was with an effort that he at last drew himself to the top of some
of the lumber. This movement came none too soon, for a moment later one
of the outside chains of the raft broke, and fully a third of what was
left of the lumber was scattered in all directions.

"Hullo, Bragin! is that you?"

The cry came from out of the darkness and from the other end of the top
lumber.

"Are you calling to me?" replied Dick, in as loud a voice as he could
muster.

"Is that you, Bragin?" repeated the voice.

"I am not Bragin," answered Dick. "Where are you?"

"Here." And the unknown repeated the cry until Dick located and joined
him. He was a burly lumberman of forty, with a heavy black beard and an
equally heavy voice. He gazed at the youth in astonishment.

"Hullo! Where did you come from?" he demanded.

"From the yacht this lumber raft just struck."

"Did the shock knock ye overboard?"

"It did."

"Humph! I thought ye was Bragin."

"I came pretty close to being drowned, for I came up under the lumber."

"Well, we aint out o' the woods yet, young man. Didn't see nuthin o'
Bragin, did ye?"

"I've seen nobody but you."

"Then he must be down to the lake bottom by this time."

"He was on the raft with you?"

"Yes. He and I left the tug to see to the chains when the storm came
up."

"Where is the tug?"

"The raft broke away from her at the fust blow. A fool of a greenhorn
was a-managin' of the thing, an' this is the result. Come here--it's
safer."

Dick was perfectly willing to crawl closer to the burly lumberman, who
was a good fellow, as could be seen by a glance.

"We'll be all right, if this section o' the lumber keeps together,"
went on the lumberman. "There are four chains here, so it ought to
hold."

Once safe, for the time being, Dick began to wonder about the fate of
the _Swallow_.

"Did the yacht go down?" he asked anxiously.

"I reckon not, young man. They burned red fire, you know. They wouldn't
do that if there was much trouble aboard."

"That is true." Dick was silent for a moment. "I wish I could get back
to her."

"Be thankful that ye aint at the bottom o' the lake. If we kin outride
this storm we'll be safe enough, for the tug will be lookin' for the
raft when it gits light."

Slowly the hours wore away, and in the meanwhile Dick learned that the
lumberman's name was Luke Peterson and that he was from the timberlands
of Michigan.

"I used to be in the United States service on the lakes, hunting down
smugglers between here and Canada," said Peterson. "But that was years
ago."

"Do they do much smuggling?" asked Dick.

"More than most folks think," was the decided answer.

The lumberman listened to Dick's tale with interest. Of course the
story had to be short, and was frequently interrupted, as high waves
would come along and almost sweep them into the lake. Both lay flat,
clutching at the lumber and at the huge chains which held it, and which
had thus far refused to part, although the strain upon them were
tremendous.

It was about two o'clock in the morning when the storm, according to
Dick's calculation, reached its height. The waves literally drove over
the raft from end to end, and it was all both he and Luke Peterson
could do to keep on the timbers.

"Hold on tight, young man, if ye value your life!" roared the
lumberman. "An' if the raft parts, stick to the fust timber ye lay
hands on."

Peterson had scarcely spoken when the raft went up to the top of a
mighty wave and then came down with a dull boom in the hollow below.
The shock was terrific, and it was followed by loud reports as the
chains they had been depending upon snapped, one after another.
Immediately the lumber loosened up and began to drift apart.

"Take care a' yerself!" shouted the lumberman, and hung fast to an
extra long and heavy log. Dick heard him, but could not answer for fear
of getting his mouth full of water. The youth turned over and over,
clutched at one log and missed it, missed a second and a third, and
then touched a fourth, and clung with a deathlike grip that nothing
could loosen.

It was a soul-trying time, and one which poor Dick never forgot. The
storm roared all around him, mingled with the thumping and bumping,
grinding and crashing, of the sticks of timber. Once his left leg was
caught between two sticks, and for the instant he was afraid the limb
would be crushed. But then the pressure lessened and he drew the foot
up in a hurry. The water washed into his face and over him, and he
caught his breath with difficulty. Each instant looked as if it might
be his last.




CHAPTER IV.

IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY.


Daylight found poor Dick all but exhausted. He still held to the stick
of lumber, but his hands were numb and without feeling, and his lower
limbs were in the same condition.

"I can't stand this much longer," was his dismal thought. "I've got to
let go soon."

He looked around him anxiously. All that met his eyes was the broad
expanse of water, with here and there a solitary stick of lumber. He
gazed about for Luke Peterson, but the lumberman was not in sight.

"He must have been drowned," he thought. "Heaven help me, or I'll go,
too!"

Gradually the sky cleared of the clouds, and the hot July sun began to
pour down with a glare on the water that was well-nigh blinding. As the
waves went down he changed his position on the log, and this gave him
temporary relief. Soon the sun made his head ache, and he began to see
strange visions. Presently he put out his hand, thinking that Tom was
before him, and then went with a splash into the lake.

Almost unconscious of what he was doing, he caught the log again. But
he was now too weak to pull himself up. "It's the end," he thought
bitterly. Then a cry came to him, a cry that seemed half real, half
imaginary.

"Hullo, Rover! Is that you?"

It was Peterson who was calling. The lumberman had drifted up on
another log, and as the two sticks bumped together he caught hold of
the youth and assisted him to his former resting place.

"I--I can't hold on any--any longer!" gasped Dick.

"Try, lad, try! Some kind of a boat is bound to appear, sooner or
later."

"I--I am nu--numb all over."

"I suppose that's true--I'm numb myself. But don't ye give up."

Encouraged somewhat by Peterson's words Dick continued to hold on, and
a few minutes later the lumberman gave a cheering cry:

"A steamer! Saved at last!"

The lumberman was right; the freighter Tom and Sam had hailed was
approaching, the castaways having been discovered by the aid of a
marine glass.

"A man and a boy," observed Captain Jasper to his mate.

"The boy looks pretty well done for," returned the mate. "He must be
the one that was thrown off the yacht."

"More than likely."

As speedily as possible the freight steamer drew closer, and a line was
thrown to Peterson.

He turned to give one end to Dick, and then made the discovery that the
latter had fainted from exhaustion.

"Poor fellow!" he muttered, and caught the youth just as he was sliding
into the lake.

It was no easy task to get Dick on board of the freight steamer. But it
was accomplished at last, and, still unconscious, he was carried to a
stateroom and made as comfortable as possible.

Peterson was but little the worse for the adventure, and his chief
anxiety was for his friend Bragin, of whom, so far, nothing had been
heard.

The coming of Dick on board of the _Captain Rollow_ was viewed
with much astonishment by two of the passengers on the freighter.

These two persons were Arnold Baxter and his son Dan.

The two had quite recovered from the injuries received in the landslide
in Colorado, and it may be as well to state right here that they were
bound East in order to carry out a new plot which the elder Baxter had
hatched up against the Rovers.

What that plot was will be disclosed as our story proceeds.

"Father, it is Dick Rover," cried Dan Baxter, after having seen the
unconscious one brought on board.

"Hush, Dan! I know it," whispered Arnold Baxter.

"It's a pity he wasn't drowned in the lake."

"I agree with you. But he isn't dead, and we'll have to keep out of
sight for the rest of the trip."

"Humph! I am not afraid of him!" said the bully, for, as old readers
know, Dan had never been anything else.

"That may be, but if he sees us he may--ahem--make much trouble for
me."

"On account of our doings in Colorado? What can he prove? Nothing."

"Perhaps he can. Besides, Dan, you must remember that the officers of
New York State are still after me."

"Yes, I haven't forgotten that."

"I wish now that I had put on that false wig and beard before we left
Detroit," went on Arnold Baxter. "But I hated to put them on before it
was absolutely necessary--the weather is so warm."

"Can you put them on now?"

"Hardly, since all on board know my real looks. I will have to keep out
of Rover's sight."

"I would like to know what he is doing out here."

"On a pleasure trip, most likely."

The talk went on for some time, and then Dan approached one of the
mates of the freighter, who had just come from the stateroom to which
Dick had been taken.

"How is that young fellow getting on?" he asked carelessly.

"He's in bad shape," was the answer.

"Do you think he'll die?"

"Hardly, but he is very weak and completely out of his mind. The hot
sun, coming after the storm, must have affected his brain."

"Out of his mind? Doesn't he recognize anybody?"

"No, he talks nothing but lumber, and cries out to be pulled from the
water. Poor boy! it's too bad, isn't it?"

"It is too bad," said Dan Baxter hypocritically. "Do you know his
name?"

"No, but he's a brother to those boys who hailed us from the yacht a
couple of hours ago. A lumber raft struck the yacht and the boy was
knocked overboard and managed to cling to some timber."

"Is the man who was saved his friend?"

"No, he was on the raft and the two are strangers;" and with this
remark the mate of the freight steamer passed on.

Without delay Dan told his father of what he had heard. Arnold Baxter
was much pleased.

"If he remains out of his mind we'll be safe enough," he said. "I
presume they'll put him off at Cleveland and send him to the hospital."

"I wonder where that yacht is?"

"Oh, we have left her miles behind."

"And how soon will we reach Cleveland?"

"Inside of half an hour, so I heard one of the deck hands say."

No more was said for the time being, but both father and son set to
thinking deeply, and their thoughts ran very much in the same channel.

Just as the freight steamer was about to make the landing at Cleveland,
Arnold Baxter touched his son on the arm.

"If they take Dick Rover ashore, let us go ashore too," he whispered.

"I was thinking of that, dad," was Dan's answer. "Was you thinking,
too, of getting him in our power?"

"Yes."

"I don't see why we can't do it--if he is still unconscious."

"It won't hurt to try. But we will have to work quick, for more than
likely his brothers will follow us to this city," went on Arnold
Baxter.

The steamer had but little freight for Cleveland, so the stop was only
a short one.

When poor Dick was brought up on a cot, still unconscious, Arnold
Baxter stepped forward.

"I have determined to stop off at Cleveland," he said to Captain
Jasper. "If there is anything I can do for this poor fellow, I will do
it willingly."

"Why, I thought you were going through to Buffalo," returned the
captain in surprise.

"I was going through, but I've just remembered some business that must
be attended to. I'll take the train for Buffalo to-morrow. If you want
me to see to it that this poor fellow is placed in the hospital, I'll
do it."

The offer appeared a good one, and relieved Captain Jasper's mind
greatly.

"You are kind, sir," he said. "It isn't everyone who would put himself
to so much trouble."

"I was wrecked myself once," smiled Arnold Baxter. "And I know how
miserable I felt when nobody gave me a hand."

"I suppose the authorities will take him until his brothers come in on
that yacht."

"There is no need to send him to a public institution. I will see to it
that he gets to a first-class hotel," went on Arnold Baxter smoothly.

There was a little more talk, and then Dick was carried ashore and a
coach was called.

By this time the freight steamer was ready to leave, and a minute later
she proceeded on her way.

Arnold Baxter and Dan looked around and saw only a few people at hand.
In the crowd was Luke Peterson, who now came forward.

"Want any help?" asked the lumberman respectfully.

"You might keep an eye open for that yacht," replied Arnold Baxter.

"All right, sir. Where are you going to take young Rover?"

"To the Commercial Hotel. I am well known there, and can easily get him
a good room and the necessary medical attention."

"Then, if I see anything of the yacht, I'll send his brothers up to the
hotel after him."

"That's it," returned Arnold Baxter. He turned to the driver of the
coach. "To the Commercial Hotel," he went on, in a loud voice. "And
drive as easy as you can."

Dan was already in the coach, supporting poor Dick in his arms. Arnold
Baxter leaped in and banged the door shut. Soon the coach was moving
away from the water front and in the direction of the hotel which had
been mentioned.

"Of course you are not going to the Commercial Hotel," observed Dan, as
soon as he felt safe to speak.

"Leave it all to me, my son," was Arnold Baxter's reply. "We got him
away nicely, didn't we?"

"Yes, but--"

"Never mind the future, Dan. How is he?"

"Dead as a stone, so far as knowing anything is concerned."

"I trust he remains so, for a while at least."

The coach rattled on, and presently came to a halt in front of the
hotel which had been mentioned.

"Wait here until I get back," said Arnold Baxter to his son and to the
coach driver, and then hurried inside of the building.

Instead of asking for a room he spent a few minutes in looking over a
business directory.

"It's too bad, but they haven't a single room vacant," he said, on
coming back to the coach. "I've a good mind to take him to some private
hospital, after all. Do you know where Dr. Karley's place is?" he went
on, turning to the coach driver.

"Yes."

"Then drive us to that place."

Again the coach went on. Dr. Karley's Private Sanitarium was on the
outskirts of Cleveland, and it took half an hour to reach it. It was an
old-fashioned building surrounded by a high board fence. Entering the
grounds, Arnold Baxter ascended the piazza and rang the bell.

A negro answered the summons, and ushered him into a dingy parlor. Soon
Dr. Karley, a dried-up, bald-headed, old man appeared.

"And what can I do for you, sir?" he asked, in a squeaky voice.

"Just the man I wanted to meet," thought Arnold Baxter.

He was a good reader of character, and saw that Dr. Karley would do
almost anything for money.

The doctor's sanitarium was of a "shady" character. Among the inmates
were two old men, put there by their relatives merely to get them out
of the way, and an old lady who was said to be crazy by those who
wished to get possession of her money.

"I have a peculiar case on hand, doctor," said Arnold Baxter, after
introducing himself as Mr. Arnold. "A young friend of mine has been
almost drowned in the lake. I would like you to take charge of him for
a day or two."

"Well, I--er--"

"I will pay you well for your services," went on Arnold Baxter.

"You have him with you?"

"Yes, in a coach outside. He was found drifting on a log and almost out
of his head on account of exposure to the water and the hot sun. I
think a few days of rest and medical attention will bring him around
all right."

The little old doctor bobbed his head. "I will go out and see him," he
said.

Quarter of an hour later found Dick in an upper room of the sanitarium,
lying on a comfortable bed, and with Dr. Karley caring for him.

In the meantime Arnold Baxter had gone out and paid the coach driver.

"Do you generally stand down by the docks?" he asked.

"No, sir; my stand is uptown," was the reply. "I had just brought down
a passenger when you hailed me. But I can go down for you, if you
wish."

"It will not be necessary. The doctor has a carriage, and I will hire
that later on, when I see how the patient is making out"

"All right, sir; then I'm off."

As the coach passed out of sight Arnold Baxter chuckled to himself.

"I reckon that was well done," he muttered. "I don't believe the Rovers
will find their brother very soon, if they ever find him!"




CHAPTER V.

THE SAILING OF THE "PEACOCK."


"Oh, my, what a bad dream I have had!"

Such were the words which Dick uttered to himself when he came once
again to the full possession of his senses.

He gazed around him curiously. He was in a plainly furnished room,
lying on the top of a bed covered with a rubber blanket, so that his
wet clothing might not soil the linen beneath. His coat and shoes had
been removed, likewise his collar and tie, but that was all.

The shades of the two windows of the apartment were tightly drawn and a
lamp on the table lit up the room but dimly, for it was now night. No
one was present but the sufferer.

"Well, one thing is certain, I didn't drown, after all," he went on.
Then he tried to sit up, but fell back exhausted.

He wondered where he was, and if Tom and Sam were near, and while he
was wondering he fell into a light sleep which did a great deal toward
restoring him to himself.

When Dick awoke he found Dr. Karley at hand, ready to give him some
nourishing food. The doctor had just come from a long talk with Arnold
Baxter, and it may as well be stated that the two men understood each
other pretty thoroughly.

"Where am I?" he asked, in a fairly strong voice.

"Safe," said the old doctor soothingly. "Here, take this. It will do
you a whole lot of good."

"Are my brothers around?"

"We'll talk later, after you are stronger."

The old doctor would say no more. Dick took the medicine offered, and
did really feel stronger. Then a light breakfast was brought in, of
which he partook readily. The food gone, the doctor disappeared,
locking the door after him, but so softly that Dick was not aware of
the fact until some time later.

While Dick was trying to get back his strength the Baxters were not
idle.

Arnold Baxter had on his person all the money he possessed, a little
over three thousand dollars. This had been saved from the wreck of his
expedition to the West, and he was now resolved to spend every dollar
of it, if necessary, in bringing the Rovers to terms, as he put it.

"I was going to New York State to get the youngest Rover boy in my
power," he said to Dan, "but fate has thrown Dick in our path, and so
we will take him instead. Once he is absolutely in our power, I am sure
I can bring Anderson Rover to terms and make him turn the entire right
to that Eclipse mine over to my representatives."

"It's a ticklish job," replied the son. "What of this doctor here?
Won't he suspect anything?"

"I reckon the doctor is no better than he ought to be, Dan. I think I
see my way clear to doing as I please with him. A couple of hundred
dollars will go a long way with fellows of his stripe."

A conversation lasting half an hour followed, and Dan promised to keep
close watch while his father went away to the docks.

Arnold Baxter was absent the best part of the morning, but came home
with a face which showed he was well satisfied with what he had
accomplished.

"I fell in luck," he explained. "Ran across a man I used to know years
ago--Gus Langless--a sly old dog, up for anything with money in it.
Langless owns a small schooner, the _Peacock_, and be says I can
have her for a month, with the services of himself and his crew, for
one thousand dollars--and nothing said about the job."

"Did you accept, dad?"

"Certainly--it was just what I wanted. Langless is all right, and I
told him I would double his money if he would stick by me to the
finish, and he swore that he would."

"And what is the next move?"

"We'll take Rover on board to-night, and then set sail direct for
Detroit and Lake Huron. Langless knows an island in Lake Huron which
will give us just the hiding place we want."

"And after that?"

"I'll send a letter to Anderson Rover which will sicken him to the
heart and make him do just as I demand. He thinks the world of his
oldest son."

"Good for you, dad! You've got a long head on your shoulders. And when
are you going to let Dick Rover know he is in our power?"

"Not until we have him on the _Peacock_, if I can prevent it. If
he knew here, he might kick up a big row."

"Pooh! we could easily shut him up!" sniffed Dan.

Now Dick was in their custody he was impatient to browbeat the youth
and taunt him with his helplessness. But Arnold Baxter would not listen
to it, so the graceless son had to bide his time.

The afternoon was an anxious one for both of the Baxters, who were
afraid that the Rovers would find their way to Dr. Karley's place and
thwart their carefully arranged plan. But no one put in an appearance,
and by nightfall everything was in readiness for the departure. The
doctor had loaned his private turnout, and for a "consideration,"
otherwise a bribe, had dosed poor Dick into semi-unconsciousness, and
had promised to say to all comers that the young man had got well and
gone off in the company of two of his friends, a Mr. Arnold and a Mr.
Daniels.

When it came to transferring Dick to the carriage, Arnold Baxter put on
the false wig and beard which he had been carrying in his valise, thus
transforming his appearance greatly. Dan kept out of sight on the seat
of the carriage, so that Dick saw only his back in the gloom of the
night. The son drove while Arnold Baxter held Dick.

It was no easy matter to find the location of the _Peacock_, and
equally difficult to get Dick on board without observation. But Captain
Langless had wisely sent his men to a neighboring saloon, so the coast
was tolerably clear. Once Dick was in the cabin, Arnold Baxter left him
in Dan's charge and hurried back to the sanitarium with the turnout. In
the meantime Captain Langless summoned his sailors and told them they
would sail at early dawn--half-past four.

Locking the door of the cabin and putting the key in his pocket, Dan
Baxter turned up the light and then looked at Dick, who lay half
propped up in a chair.

"I guess I'll wake him up," he muttered, and going over to the helpless
youth he pulled his nose vigorously.

"Oh!" groaned Dick, and opened his eyes dreamily. Then he caught sight
of Dan and stared as if he had seen a ghost.

"Dan Baxter!" he said slowly. "Can it be possible?"

"Yes, it's me," replied the bully, with small regard for grammar. "Do
you know that you are in my power, Dick Rover?"

"I--I--thought you were dead," and Dick closed his eyes again, for it
was next to impossible for him to arouse himself.

"I'm a long way from being dead," laughed Dan harshly. "I reckon you'll
die before I do."

Dick pulled himself together with a great effort.

"Then the landslide didn't catch you?" he questioned.

"Yes, it did, but it didn't kill me, nor my father neither. We are both
here, and you are absolutely in our power."

"Is this the steamer that took me on board?"

"No, this is a boat that is under my father's command."

"I don't understand it at all."

"Reckon you will understand before we are done with you. You thought
you could crow over us, but the crowing will be on the other side of
the fence now."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Where are my brothers?"

"I don't know--and I don't care."

"Well, I am glad they are not in your power," returned Dick, with
something of a sigh of relief.

"One of you is enough," growled Dan.

"And you won't tell me what boat this is?"

"It is one under the command of my father."

"Are we sailing?"

"Not yet, but we will be in a few minutes."

With an effort Dick arose to his feet. But he was dizzy from the
effects of the dose administered by the doctor, and immediately sank
back again. Baxter gave a brutal laugh.

"Now you see how it is," he observed. "You are absolutely in our power.
How do you like the situation?"

"How should I like it? A lamb among wolves would be as safe, to my way
of thinking."