No Moss Part 11

"They're going to blow the safe open," thought Johnny, as he lay and watched the slow match, flas.h.i.+ng and sparkling as the fire approached the powder. "I hope it will make an awful noise. Where's Mr. Newcombe's night watchman, I wonder, that he didn't see these fellows come in here!"

A single flash of light illuminated the store for an instant, and then came the report. It was not near as loud as Johnny expected it would be, for it was deadened by the blankets and coil of rope; but it jarred the gla.s.sware behind the counter, and he hoped it might attract somebody's attention. For five minutes he lay listening and waiting, but the robbers did not return. Could they have been frightened from their work?

If that was the case, Johnny wished that the person who had alarmed them would come in and release him, for his position was getting to be very uncomfortable. Five minutes more elapsed, and then he heard the side door open, and stealthy footsteps enter the store. The lantern blazed up again, and Johnny was astonished to see that the robbers had been reenforced. There were seven of them now.

"A thousand dollars apiece for the rascals," said he, to himself.

"That's a good deal for one night's work. Mr. Henry little imagined, when he told me that I should have visitors before morning, that his words would come true!"

Johnny brought his soliloquy to a close very suddenly, raised his head as high as he could from the bed, and gazed earnestly at the robbers'

companions. He was certain that he had seen them before. He winked his eyes hard, and looked again. There could be no mistake about it. The new-comers were Sam Barton and his band of outlaws. He had believed that the governor was at the bottom of the harbor, but there he was, as lively and full of mischief as ever. Johnny had never been more bewildered in his life.

CHAPTER X.

A STRANGE ENCOUNTER.

The last time we saw the Crusoe men they were rowing up the harbor toward the place where the Sweepstakes lay at her anchorage. They expected to secure possession of her without any difficulty, and to take her down the harbor, through the s.h.i.+pping that lay at the wharves, without attracting attention. 'Squire Thompson never left a watch on board the schooner, and it was not likely that any body's suspicions would be aroused by so common an occurrence as a vessel pa.s.sing out of the harbor at midnight. This part of the undertaking did not trouble the governor, but his heart beat a trifle faster than usual whenever he thought of the provisions.

The Crusoe men pulled up the harbor as though they had a perfect right to be there. They did not attempt to move quietly, for that alone would have been sufficient to excite the curiosity of the watch on some of the vessels at the wharves, who might feel themselves called upon to follow their movements, and that, to say the least, would be very inconvenient.

The governor did not want to answer any questions, and he knew that the only way to avoid suspicion was to go about his work boldly. He kept the skiff headed up the harbor until he pa.s.sed the Sweepstakes, which lay at her usual moorings. As he went by he examined the vessel closely, and was delighted to see that she was deserted.

"Fellers," said he, suddenly, "wouldn't we have been in a fix if 'Squire Thompson had taken it into his head this afternoon to go off on one of his fis.h.i.+ng excursions? What would we have done? Luck is on our side, howsomever, an' we are all right. The schooner is our'n, an' 'Squire Thompson has put his eyes on her for the last time. Cap'n, you will take command, an' get the vessel down to the end of the pier as soon as possible. Don't try to be too still while you are gettin' under way, fur, if you do, the fellers who see us will know that we are doin'

something we haint got no business to do."

As the governor said this he turned the skiff down the harbor again, and when they reached the schooner, Friday made the painter fast, and the Crusoe men clambered over the rail. Tom was once more captain of a vessel.

"Mr. Mate," said he, as soon as his feet touched the deck, "get under way immediately."

"Will Atkins," said Xury, "drop that skiff astern, an' the rest of us stand by to hist the canvas."

Tom was about to attempt something he had never had the courage to try before, and that was, to take a vessel down the harbor under sail. For a wonder, he had no misgivings. The wind, although strong, was fair, and as the captain thought it very probable that he might be called upon to navigate the schooner through some difficult places before their cruise was ended, he concluded that it was best to begin practicing at once. He lent a hand in hoisting the sails, and, when every thing was ready for the start, he sent Xury to the wheel, and slipped the chain himself. He did not like the idea of starting on a long voyage without an anchor, but it would have been a quarter of an hour's work to raise it, and Tom was anxious to leave the village with the least possible delay. As long as he remained there he was in danger.

The mate did not labor under as many disadvantages now as he did when he piloted the yacht down the harbor on that stormy night. He did not have the gale to contend with, and he could see where he was going. He took the schooner through the s.h.i.+pping without the least difficulty, and rounded to at the end of the pier. Tom superintended the execution of this maneuver himself, and, somewhat to his surprise, made an excellent landing. He brought the Sweepstakes alongside the pier so gently, that the concussion would not have broken an egg-sh.e.l.l. That was something worth boasting of, and Tom, encouraged at his success, began to believe that he was "cut out" expressly for a sea captain.

"Now comes the worst part of the business," said the governor, when Tom had got out a head-line and made the schooner fast to the pier. "What are you goin' to do while we are gone, cap'n?"

"I'll stay here and watch the vessel," replied Tom. "I told you I wouldn't have a hand in stealing the provisions."

"Somebody must do it," said the chief. "We can't go to sea without grub."

"But how are you going to get into the store?"

"Do you see this yere?" answered the governor, showing an auger he carried in his hand. "The door that opens into the alley that runs between the store an' your father's elevator is fastened with a hook.

We'll bore two or three holes through the door, an' then I'll put in my hand an' lift up that hook. It's just as easy as fallin' off a log."

"Look out for my father's night watchman," said Tom. "He's always got his eyes open, and if he catches you prowling about that pa.s.sage-way he'll bring our cruise to an end in a hurry."

The governor had thought of that watchman more than once, and he was afraid of him. He would have breathed a good deal easier had he known that there was no danger to be apprehended from him, and that two other obstacles had also been removed from his path. The watchman was at that moment lying behind the elevator, bound hand and foot; the door which led into the store from the pa.s.sage-way had already been opened in precisely the same way that the governor intended to open it, and Johnny Harding was powerless to resist them, or to give the alarm. But the Crusoe men did not know this, and more than one of them would have been glad of some excuse for declining to a.s.sist in so hazardous an enterprise.

"Now, fellers," said the chief, "if there are any cowards in this yere band, I want to know it before we go any farther. If there are any among you who aint willin' to promise to stand by me to the last, let them step out on one side, so that I can have a look at 'em."

The governor paused, but none of the band moved.

"I am glad to see that you are all brave men," continued Sam. "If any one of you tries to s.h.i.+rk his duty when it comes to the pinch, we'll throw him over; he sha'n't go on this expedition. Now let's make a break, fur the quicker we get to work the sooner we'll get done. Friday, shoulder one of them handspikes an' stand by to use it on Johnny Harding if he makes a fuss."

"And, Friday," chimed in Tom, "if you do hit him, hit him hard. That boy has nearly bothered the life out of me."

The governor and his companions clambered over the rail and disappeared from the view of Tom Newcombe, who paced impatiently up and down the wharf, now and then stopping to survey his vessel, and wis.h.i.+ng that he could look far enough into the future to see what part she was destined to play in the Crusoe drama. If they were pursued, was she fleet enough to carry them out of harm's way? Would she take them safely to their island, or would she be capsized and sunk before she got out of Buzzard's Bay? Tom did not bother his head much about these questions, for he knew that the little schooner was staunch and swift, and, as he began to have great confidence in his abilities as a navigator and seaman, he was sure that he could bring her safely out of any danger that might befall her. On the subject of destroying the Storm King, however, he debated long and earnestly. He began to see that there was danger in it. The students were alert and watchful, and if they caught him on board the vessel with matches and a bottle of coal-oil in his pocket, what would they do to him? Tom trembled a little as he asked himself this question, but he never once thought of giving up his "splendid idea." He only wished that the work was done, and that he was well out to sea with the Sweepstakes. Meanwhile, the governor and his men moved cautiously along the wharf toward Mr. Henry's store. They walked around the elevator without seeing any signs of the watchman, and were about to enter the pa.s.sage when Sam, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.

"What was that noise?" he asked, turning to his companions. "Didn't you hear something drop in the store?"

"I heard it thunder," replied Jack Spaniard.

"So did I," said Xury.

"That wasn't thunder," returned the chief. "It was some other kind of noise; an' I am sure it was in the store. Mebbe Harding is movin' around in there. You stay here, an' I'll go to the door an' listen."

The Crusoe men concealed themselves behind the elevator, and the governor moved up the pa.s.sage-way, holding in his hand a bag which he had brought to carry away his share of the provisions, and which he also intended to use in conquering Johnny Harding, if the opportunity presented itself. If the clerk was awake, and should happen to come to the door, he would throw the bag over his head, and hold him fast until his men could come to his a.s.sistance. He approached the door very cautiously, and when he reached it, he stopped and looked at it in astonishment. A hole had been cut in it over the lock, and the door was ajar. Sam thought he must be dreaming. He looked around him to make sure that no one was observing his movements, and then placed his hand against the door, which yielded to his touch.

"Well, now, if this yere don't beat all the world," said the governor to himself. "Is there another Crusoe band in the village, I wonder?"

"Look here, partner," whispered a voice close at his elbow, "this is our job. You're about a quarter of an hour too late."

Sam turned and saw a man, who was m.u.f.fed up to the eyes, standing beside him. His heart fairly came up into his mouth. He was as frightened as a boy could be, and he would have yelled and taken to his heels, but he seemed to have lost all control over himself. He stood like one petrified. To save his life he could not utter a sound, neither could he move hand or foot. He was caught, he could see that plainly; and now would come the punishment.

"How do you happen to know any thing about it?" whispered the man.

"About what?" Sam almost gasped, recovering the use of his tongue after a desperate effort.

"About the money," was the reply. "We followed him all the way from Boston."

"Follered who?"

"Why, Mr. Henry; the brother of the man who owns this store. He had five thousand dollars with him. We have done all the work, but, since you are here, I suppose we must divide with you."

"Divide what?" asked the governor, utterly unable to understand what the man was trying to get at, and astonished that he did not put a pair of hand-cuffs upon him at once.

"O, divide what!" repeated the burglar, impatiently. "Why, the money, of course--the five thousand dollars. What else did you come here for?"

"Me! I come here for grub, me an' my men. We don't know nothin' about no five thousand dollars."

At this moment the other robber came up, and the first words he spoke indicated that he was not at all pleased to see Sam. "We always have hard luck," said he. "This is the third time we've had to divide with fellows who didn't help us do the work. How many are there in your crowd?"

"Six," replied the governor. He had by this time partially recovered his wits, and began to understand the matter. There was money in the safe, these men had come after it, and, believing him to be a robber like themselves, they were grumbling because they were afraid they would be obliged to share the spoils with him. Sam did not want the money, but he did want provisions; and he was convinced, now, that the burglars would not stand in his way. "There are five of us here, an' one more down to the boat," added the chief.

"But he says he don't know any thing about the money," observed the robber, who had first spoken to Sam. "He is here after something to eat.

What are you going to do when you get your provisions?"