Among the Brigands Part 11

"I don't know what to make of it, at all," he repeated. "Did you say you didn't see him, none of you? Didn't you see him, Clive?"

"No, sir," said Clive. "When I waked, all the boys were up."

"Didn't he say anythin last night about intendin to do anythin this mornin?"

"I didn't hear him say anything."

"O, I'm sure he's misunderstood about the hour," said Frank. "That's it He's off on a walk. I dare say he's found some old ruin; and if that's the case, he won't know anything about time at all. Put him in an old ruin, and he'd let all the breakfasts that ever were cooked wait before he'd hurry."

"Wal," said Uncle Moses, "there's somethin in that too. David's dreadful fond of old stones, and old bones, and tumble-down edifices, and old sticks an weeds. Why, he's all the time collectin; an if he keeps on, his baggage'll become nothin else but that."

Pleased with this thought, which brought up before his mind what to him was an inexplicable peculiarity of David, Uncle Moses drew a breath of relief.

"Wal," said he, "we'll have to wait patiently, till David's done with that there old ruin; an meantime I think I'll take a turn an see if I can see anythin of him."

Upon this Uncle Moses went out of the room, and down to the street.

Reaching the street, he walked up and down the entire length of the town, looking eagerly in every direction, peering into the doors of houses, staring into s.p.a.ce, scanning groves and vineyards, and every half minute taking out his watch and looking at it. At the end of about half an hour, he returned more troubled than ever, and met Frank, Clive, and Bob in front of the hotel.

"I can't find him anywhere," said he.

Thus far the boys had thought nothing of David's disappearance; but the deep anxiety of Uncle Moses now excited their alarm; and though, if left to themselves, they would have seen nothing to fear in the fact of David's being an hour or so behind time, yet, after all, they began to see that, in one like David, such conduct was most extraordinary; and in this foreign country, of whose ways they were so ignorant, there might possibly be danger in such absence.

They at once began to comfort Uncle Moses; and then all of them volunteered to go in different directions and see if they could find him. Uncle Moses again set out, walking up the road in the direction of Sorrento; Frank went down the road; Clive took a by-road that led towards the hills; while Bob, who was rather weak yet, and not capable of much exertion, said that he would watch from the window of the hotel, and be at home, in case of David's return, to explain matters.

In this way they began their search, and Bob waited patiently in the hotel. After about an hour Uncle Moses came back. On finding that David had not returned, he looked unspeakably distressed; and when, after a short time farther, both Frank and Clive returned without any tidings of the fugitive, he began to look quite heartbroken.

Then they talked to the driver about it; but the' driver could give them no information whatever. They sent him over the hotel to question all the people, but this search was as vain as the others had been. There was no one in the hotel, from the big landlord down to the scullion, who could tell anything at all about David.

By the time all these examinations and searches had been made it was after ten o'clock. Breakfast had been served at seven, and seven was the h.o.a.r at which David should have been among them. He had been gone, therefore, more than three hours.

Even the boys now began to feel uneasy. Uncle Moses and all the boys began to rack their brains to find some way of accounting for David's absence.

"Did any of you ever hear of his walking in his sleep?" asked, Uncle Moses, in an agitated voice.

"No," said Bob, "never. I know he never did such a thing."

"He couldn't have taken a walk anywheres," said Uncle Moses, "or he'd been back long ago."

"O, yes; he wouldn't have started on a three hours' walk," said Clive.

"Perhaps he's tried a donkey ride, and been ran away with, like me," said Bob.

"O, no," said Frank, "he isn't fond of riding; he'd never get on the back of any animal, unless he had to."

"Did he say anything about--about--?"

Uncle Moses hesitated at the question which he was about to ask.

"About what, Uncle Moses?" asked Clive.

"About--bathing?" asked Uncle Moses, in a faltering voice.

"No," said Clive.

Uncle Moses drew a long breath.

"It would be dreadful dangerous," said he.

"But, Uncle Moses," said Clive, "David would never think of such a thing. He might go in if all of us fellows went in too, just for company; but he doesn't care enough about it to go in alone. The fact is, he doesn't care much for any kind of sports. He's too fond of books."

Uncle Moses sighed heavily.

"I wonder," said Bob, "if any of those Sorrento fellows have been about here, and seen him."

At this suggestion every one of them started, and stared at one another.

"Sorrento fellers?" repeated Uncle Moses.

"Do you think there's any chance?"

"O, I don't know," said Bob. "I only thought it might be possible. You see Dave made no end of a row there about that ta.s.sel that he took, and you know how we had to run for it.

Well, you know Sorrento isn't very far from here, and I just thought that some of the Sorrento people might have seen us come here yesterday. If they did, they might have tried to pay up poor old Dave for what he did out there."

"It may be so," said Uncle Moses, with a groan. "The whole population were ravin mad, an we had hard enough work to get away."

"Well," said Frank, "it's the only thing that can account for Dave's absence. He may have taken a little stroll this morning, and fallen into the hands of some of those fellows. Perhaps they've been watching all night for the chance. They would watch, not only all night, but a fortnight, for the sake of revenge. There's no people so revengeful as the Italians. Poor Dave! What can we do? I'll go and ask the driver."

Saying this, Frank hurried out of the room and down stairs to talk to the driver about it. All the others followed. On suggesting this Sorrento theory to the driver, that worthy shook his head, and thought that there might be something in it. He evidently began to look upon David's absence as something very serious, and his seriousness over it only added to the anxiety of Uncle Moses and the boys.

"If this is so, we ought to drive off to Sorrento at once," said Frank, "before it is too late. If Dave is in their hands, he needs us now, and I only wish we had thought of this before."

"But he mayn't be there at all," said Bob, who generally had a mind of his own.

"Where else is he?"

"I don't know."

"There's no need for all of us to go," said Uncle Moses. "I'll go alone, and you boys stay here till I come back. But I don't know, either. I'm afraid to leave you. If David's got into trouble, how can any of you hope to escape? No, you must all come, for I declare I'm afraid to trust one of you out of my sight."

"But some of us ought to stay," said Bob, "for Dave may turn up all right, and how'll he know what's become of us?"

"Wal," said Uncle Moses, "I'll leave word for him here at the hotel."

"Yes." said Frank, "that's the best way. None of us want to dawdle our lives out in this place all day, and you don't want to leave any of us behind, Uncle Moses; so if we all go together, we'll all be satisfied."

A few minutes afterwards the carriage rolled out of Castellamare, carrying the party back to Sorrento.