Part 36 (1/2)

”My men will search the vessel,” Captain Bricker told them, ”but no one appears to be aboard. Everything seems in order.”

Spreading out over the s.h.i.+p, the policemen returned one by one to report they could find nothing amiss. Not even a watchman was aboard.

”This seems to be a wild-goose chase, Captain,” Mr. Parker apologized.

”Sorry to have bothered you. We considered our information reliable.”

The policemen began to leave. Penny, lingering on deck until the last, was being helped onto the ladder by Captain Bricker, when they both heard a sound below decks.

”What was that?” the officer muttered, listening alertly.

”It sounded like someone thumping on a wall,” Penny cried. ”There it is again!”

The noise was not repeated a third time, but Captain Bricker had heard enough to make him believe that someone remained below. Drawing his revolver, and warning Penny to keep back, he started down the dark companionway.

At a safe distance, Penny trailed him. His bright flashlight beam cut paths of light over the walls as he tried the doors.

”Anyone here?” he shouted.

A thumping noise came from a room on the right. Guided by the sound, Captain Bricker tried the door. It was locked.

A powerfully built man, the officer hurled his weight against the door, and the lock gave way. Keeping back, lest he become a target for a bullet, he kicked the door open. The room was empty! But, the flashlight beam caught the outline of a trapdoor in the floor. The officer flung it open. Below, in the hold, lay a man gagged and bound hand and foot.

Following the police officer into the room, Penny uttered a little cry as she recognized Ben Bartell. Blinking owlishly in the light which had been focused upon him, he was a deplorable sight. His face was bruised, his hair matted with blood, and one eye was swollen almost shut.

”Oh, Ben! What have they done to you?” Penny gasped in horror.

Captain Bricker cut the young man free, and pulled the gag from his mouth. He helped Ben into a chair and then went to another cabin for water.

”Who did this to you?” Penny asked, rubbing the reporter's hands to restore circulation.

He seemed too exhausted to reply so she did not urge him to speak. The captain brought water which Ben drank thirstily.

”He's evidently been tied up several hours,” the officer commented.

”Since last night,” Ben whispered, moistening his cracked lips.

”How did you get aboard?”

”I sneaked on when no one was looking--wanted to see what I could learn.”

”Who were the men that tied you up?”

”Don't know. But before they caught me, I heard plenty. The men on this boat are mixed up in the dynamiting of the Conway Steel Plant.”

Penny nodded, for this information correlated with what she already had learned.

”Was Webb Nelson involved in the plot?” she asked eagerly.

”He set off the dynamite according to what I overheard last night,” Ben revealed. ”But he got into a fight with the gang over his pay for the job. He tried to shake them down for a big sum, threatening to spill everything to the police if they didn't cough up. It ended up in a fight, and Webb was pushed overboard.”

”Then we pulled him out of the river,” Penny supplied. ”But he refused to tell us a thing.”