Part 47 (1/2)
Hope danced brightly before his eyes as he touched the boat Weakened by hunger, he rubbed his shriveled li his knife Then he chuckled aloud There was no one in the boat
Throwing the knife upon one of the seats, he leaped again to the sand and began to shove Mother of God, he had no strength The bottorated noisily on the pebbles Then the dory slid into the water Laughing to himself, he threw his body over the rail and felt about for the oars
Men were running down the beach He had not a second to lose His hand closed upon the oars He was saved Tugging feebly at the heavy sweeps, he drew theht and the dory ain his weakened muscles responded to the fevered call of his brain Suddenly he felt the dory strike a heavy object ahead Thrown half froained it on the instant and pushed the skiff away frorasp it Then he heard the low murmur of voices from the motor-boat As he headed close in to the rocks he felt the stern of the dory dip sharply
Gregory whirled at the sharp rattle of oars and raced down the beach in the direction of the dory So with their boat When he reached the place where they had left the skiff, he found it gone
From the waters of the little cove caory swam rapidly in the direction of the launch
Whoever had taken the boat was heading straight for the _Richard_
A sharp buory redoubled his efforts to reach the side of the launch Then he narrowly escaped being run down by the s in for the rocks
Grasping the stern of the dory as it ained his wind, striving vainly to ascertain how ers the skiff carried
Suddenly he noticed that the oars no longer disturbed the water and the skiff had lost its way Then he heard the sound of shuffling footsteps co the side and caught the bow, dragged his body from the water and tuainst the seat close to his head and a dark figure flung itself upon hiory to overpower the thief of the small boat and bind hiht desperately only for awith fear had allowed hi the skiff about, Gregory started for the launch Had the man landed others on the _Richard_? Surely he had reached the speed-boat and had put about Was he bent only upon stealing the boat or was he only one ofalongside the _Richard_ dickie hailed him softly
”Soirl ”If you'll get Billings to help o back and pick up the boys”
dickie's co the prisoner to the _Richard's_ darkened cockpit where he lay huddled in a heap
As Gregory roay in the direction of the shore, Billings veiled an electric torch and allowed its tiny ray to fall full upon the face of the quivering prisoner
”A greaser,” he whispered to the girl ”Look He's scared to death”
dickie looked quickly at the cruure Then she fell on her knees close beside the man and peered intently into his shriveled face For an instant she re captive
”My God!” she whispered ”It's Mexican Joe”
CHAPTER XXIX
UNDER ORDERS
”You have seen nothing of the speed-boat froonia?”
Mascola shook his head in answer to the question and reached for the bottle which stood on the table in Bandrist's ranch-house
Bandrist jerked it away ”Cut that out,” he said sternly ”You've had enough To-night you have work to do You rily at the islander as he went on:
”Mr Gregory left Legonia at ten-thirty with his speed-boat There were five in the launch Four ”