Part 17 (1/2)

”Nope.”

”Any craft been fitting out to sail to-night or first thing in the morning?”

”Nope.”

”Gracious, but this is a dead place,” laughed Jack. ”Must be a lot of shacks for rent around here?”

”There was one place,” stated the storekeeper, ”but a dude feller hired it last week. Said some sort o' fis.h.i.+ng club'd be down this way to fish, once in a while. That kinder minds me,” went on the storekeeper.

”I guess maybe some o' that crowd are down, 'cause I saw a light up there at the house, jest come dark.”

”If there's a fis.h.i.+ng club down here, that ought to make business good for you,” suggested Captain Jack.

”Dunno. They can start tradin' as soon as they like. I'm ready.”

”Which house has the fis.h.i.+ng club hired?” was Jack's next question.

”Why, I guess you can make it out from the door,” replied the storekeeper, coming out from behind the counter and going to the front of his establishment. ”There, if yer eyes are good, you can jest make out a building over there on the point. See it? Well, there's a little boat wharf in front that ye can't see until you get closer.”

Jack had found out just what he wanted to know. He had the very information for which he had been fis.h.i.+ng, nor did he believe the storekeeper suspected him of undue curiosity.

”Well, I've got to be moving along, now I'm fed,” announced young Benson.

”The yacht I belong to is some distance from here. Good night!”

Nor did Captain Jack linger in the village. Had anyone stood still in that street and stared after Benson, he would have seen the boy vanish in the darkness.

Captain Jack, however, had not disappeared from the scene. He was merely s.h.i.+fting to the part of it that interested him most. Cautiously he stole out along the further side of a ridge of land, toward the rickety old house on the point.

”Not a sign of a light, now,” breathed the submarine boy. ”If Millard was really there, I hope he hasn't had time to get away for good.”

All was silent and dark about the old house, as Captain Jack stole closer. At nearer range he made the circuit of the house, only to find every window shuttered, and the place as dismal as the grave.

”I'm afraid the game has escaped,” muttered Benson, with a sinking feeling at his heart. ”Yet he didn't escape, by sea or land, while we were watching outside the village. And it was just at dark that the storekeeper saw a light here. I wonder if it would be easy to--”

Right there Jack Benson's train of thought broke off. From the opposite side of the house came a sound exactly like that of the opening and closing of a door.

”Can that be our man coming out?” wondered Skipper Jack.

He started cautiously around the house, but soon drew back around the corner of the building. Dropping to the ground, and lying flat, the submarine boy allowed only the top of his head to show as he peeped.

Glory! Jack knew, well enough, that tall figure striding off into the gloom. It was Millard, and under his left arm the fellow carried a large package that might be a bulky portfolio well wrapped.

”He has his drawings--his maps of American fortifications and fortified harbors--the very stuff that we want to get!” throbbed the boy. ”And now--we're going to get them!”

Keeping Millard's receding figure zealously in sight, Jack, crouching low, started after the long-legged one as soon as the distance between seemed sufficient to keep Millard from guessing at pursuit.

”Oh, how I wish Hal and Eph were here!” muttered Captain Jack, in keen disappointment.

”I need help on this!”

Within two minutes Millard had struck into a well-beaten path that led northward over succeeding ridges of laud. In a way, it was easier following here, for there were occasional trees and clumps of bushes behind which the young shadow could drop at need.