Part 38 (1/2)

”Go ahead, the sooner the better,” responded d.i.c.k, coolly. ”Those men are rascals and you know it. Now, I am going to give you one chance--just one,” went on d.i.c.k, looking the master of the Ellen Rodney squarely in the eyes.

”What do you mean?”

”As I said before, those men are rascals. They abducted my father, and you aided them. I can prove it. As soon as we rescue my father we are going to prosecute those rascals. If you want to save your own skin you had better help us all you can.”

At these plain words the face of Captain Rodney became a study.

”They told me he was a crazy man--a brother to one of the others--and they wanted to get him to some sanitarium.”

”If that was so, why did they run away?”

”I didn't know they ran away--until just now.”

”You started to go down the river,” said Tom.

”Why did you change your mind and come here?”

”They chartered the schooner for a week--I was under their orders.”

”Where were they going at first?”

”Down the Jersey coast and back. They said they thought a little ocean air would do the crazy man good before they put him in the sanitarium.

I own up that I was suspicious, but they claimed everything was straight.”

”They were going to take my father down the coast for several days so that he could not sign important papers,” returned d.i.c.k. ”It is a well-laid plot to do our family out of a great deal of money and dishonor my father.”

”Well, I ain't in it, I give you my word. I chartered my vessel to 'em, that's all.”

”We will take you at your word, then. But you must tell all you know about them and their plans,” said d.i.c.k, after a pause.

”And if I do that, will you--er--drop the charge against me?”

questioned the master of the Ellen Rodney, eagerly.

”If you don't, we are going to have you placed under arrest as soon as we can get an officer.”

”Don't do that! I never had any trouble before and I don't want it now. I'll help you all I can--if what you say its true, and that man is your father.”

After that the captain was quite willing to talk, and he told how Crabtree and j.a.pson had come to him and questioned him about the schooner, and finally chartered the craft for a week. They had at first wanted to pay him at the end of the time, but he had insisted upon receiving his money in advance and it was then paid over. He had been told that the strange man was Crabtree's brother, who had gone crazy because of the loss of his money in a Western irrigation scheme.

”They said they would take him down the coast for three or four days, to brace him up a bit. Then we were to run in at Absecon, near Atlantic City, and land all hands. They said they would go from Atlantic City to Lakewood, where the sanitarium was located.”

”Probably they intended to let him go at Absecon and then deny that they had ever touched him,” said d.i.c.k.

”Maybe--I don't know anything about that,” replied the captain.

”But how did you come to change your plans?” asked Tom.

”When you came out in that rowboat and the crazy man--excuse me, I mean your father--cut up so, they hustled him back to one of the state-rooms,” went on Captain Rodney. ”Then they had a long talk. I think they were afraid you would go down the river by train and try to head them off.”