Frank Merriwell's Alarm Part 28

"We can't stop her by shouting to her, Rattles," declared Frank, quickly. "It would frighten her, that's all."

"But--but what can we do?"

"Unless we can find a boat, absolutely nothing."

Rattleton was desperate.

"It's terrible, Frank!" he cried. "We may lose the only chance of finding her! At least, she should be warned!"

"Look!" directed Merriwell, who was watching the girl closely. "She is looking back! See her use the paddle now! She is alarmed! She makes the canoe fly! She makes it spin along at great leaps! Surely something has frightened her! What is it?"

Harry's excitement grew.

"It's something, that's sure. She is using all her strength! How beautifully she handles the paddle! See the sunshine strike her hair!

It is like gold! And now--look! look!"

Around a point just beyond the cove came a boat in which two men were seated. Both men were paddling, but the boat was heavy, and they were not gaining on the fleeing girl.

"Great Scott!" exclaimed Frank. "It is Apollo, the dwarf!"

"Yes; and the other--the other is----"

"Bernard Belmont!"

"Then he is here--he did not go East at all. That was a blind."

"Sure enough. They are here to find the girl."

"To put her out of the way, perhaps!"

"It would be like that man. If he gets hold of her, some terrible accident is likely to happen to Mildred Morris. But they are not gaining; she is keeping the lead with ease."

"Yes," nodded Frank, satisfaction on his face; "she will not be taken."

The boys watched the race with great interest, seeing the girl draw farther and farther from her pursuers, till, at last, they gave over the attempt in disgust, although they still paddled along after her.

She headed for a distant sh.o.r.e, and Frank and Harry did not cease to watch till both boats had disappeared in the shadow of the mountains and timber.

"There," said Merriwell--"over there somewhere must be the present home of that girl. It is a wild region, for I was there once myself, and I know. We will go there and see what we can find."

"But we must recover our wheels first."

"That is right; and now we can remove our clothes to do so, without fear of being seen. Come on."

It was no simple task to get the bicycles out of the lake, but the thought of the girl's possible danger seemed to have restored Harry's strength, and, between them, they succeeded, after many efforts, in accomplishing their object.

In the meantime their clothes, which had been hung where sun and wind would reach them, had partly dried.

"We can't wait for them to get entirely dry," said Frank. "We'll put them on just as they are. n.o.body ever gets cold around Lake Tahoe at this time of year."

Harry did not object, but the garments were just wet enough so it was not an easy thing to get into them. This, however, was done, after a severe struggle and a small amount of startling and highly picturesque language from Rattleton.

"Woo!" said Harry. "If we had a fine road, we could get on our bikes and send them spinning at such speed that the breeze would soon dry us; but now--how do you propose to get over across this part of the lake, anyhow?"

"Well," said Frank, "you heard me speak of Big Gabe?"

"Of course."

"His cabin was not far from here."

"What of that?"

"He owned a sailboat."

"Wheejiz--no, jeewhiz! that's the stuff! That's what we want!"

"I rather thought so. With the aid of a sailboat we can get across the lake easily."

"Let's look for Mr. Big Gabe without delay."

Frank took the lead, and they went in search of the big hermit, trundling their wheels or carrying them, as was necessary.

The modern bicycle is so light, although it is strong and stanch, that it may be carried almost anywhere, and so the task of taking the wheels along was not as difficult as it might have been.

Within half an hour they came in sight of Big Gabe's hut, which lay on the sh.o.r.e of the little cove out of which the girl had sped in the light canoe.

"It was from this very spot that I first saw that building," said Frank. "I'll never forget it. Bart Hodge was with me. When we drew nearer, Big Gabe himself came out and threatened to shoot us, thinking we were trying to steal his boat, or something of that sort."

"Where is the boat now?"

"There it is, down where the tree overhangs the lake. See?"

They could see the single mast and stern of the boat.

"Good luck!" cried Rattleton. "With the aid of that, we won't do a thing but make a lively cruise across the lake, for the wind is rising, and we'll have a fair breeze."

Frank was looking steadily toward the hut, and there was something like a frown on his face, which his companion observed.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"The hut looks deserted. The first time I saw it smoke was coming out of the chimney. Now the chimney is giving forth no smoke, and the door stands open. It doesn't look as if any one had been around the place for a year."

"That's right," admitted Harry, anxiously. "But the boat is there."

"It may be in bad condition, else why didn't Belmont and the dwarf take it?"

"There was no breeze a short time ago, and they could not have sailed it across the lake. Besides, they were in pursuit of the girl in the canoe, and they hoped to overtake her with the aid of a boat they could row or paddle."