Part 30 (1/2)

This time an answer came, but hardly in the , rackety noise came from within the cabin, the door of which see and kicking the walls like an insane patient in an unpadded rooiving utterance to the apprehension that thrilled every other member of the party

”I don't know,” his father replied; ”but I' to find out pretty quick You boys stay here with the prisoner I'ate”

With this announcean to descend the steps they had fashi+oned in the stony hill before establishi+ng their camp on Friday Island

CHAPTER XXVII

Chased Out

The investigation did not take long The boys watched Mr Perry as he crossed the moonlit deck of the Catwhisker and entered the cabin A few minutes later he returned on the deck and with hinized as Mr Baker and the Canadian officer Then Mr Perry called out:

”Come on down here, boys”

A minute later they were on board the yacht with their prisoner Cub, the most impatient of their number, was first to speak

”What's the rowled the officer ”Those scoundrels outwitted us, locked us in the staterooone”

The boys were so astonished that not one of them uttered a sound

”I haven't heard their story yet,” Mr Perry interposed ”We'll all get it together”

”It won't take long to tell how they did it,” Mr Buckley began Then he see in some embarrassment at Mr Baker

”I'll take all the blame,” the latter confessed at this juncture ”In fact, there's nobody to blame but me I wasn't asleep at , for one of those fellows stole up behind ave h When I woke up I was in a pitch dark staterooht had not been taken out of hted to deter else; I found Mr Buckley in the same condition that I had been in--unconscious Mr Buckley can tell you the rest”

”There's absolutely nothing for me to tell,” Mr Buckley replied, ”I went to sleep on the cot in the cabin and woke up with a headache in the stateroo over me as if I'd been shell-shocked on the battlefield I think we both were sandbagged, for there were no bruises on our heads We were locked in and probably would have been driven to the necessity of breaking the door open if Mr Perry hadn't come when he did and let us out”

”I found both the stateroom door and the cabin door locked with the keys on the outside,” Mr Perry explained ”Well, we have this consolation at least: While ere losing one prisoner, ere capturing another”

”What do you mean by that?” Mr Buckley; deht here,” was the other's reply, indicating the catapult victiht on his uninjured leg and aided by two of the Catwhisker boys

”Who is he--one of that gang?” asked the officer

”He's a son of one of them, probably the one as rescued from you”