Frank Merriwell's Athletes Part 16

Then he caught the Englishman by the collar, broke his hold on Inza, and sent him sprawling his full length on the deck.

"Oh, Frank!"

"Inza!"

He held her close in his arms.

"I knew you would come! Something told me you would find a way to follow!" she declared.

"I would follow you to the end of the world!" he whispered.

With the aid of boat hooks the boys had made the _Greyhound_ fast to the _Fox_, and they lost no time in boarding the yacht they had run down.

There were but three sailors on board the _Fox_. Stanford urged them to attack the boys, but one of them, the fellow who had been at the helm when the collision occurred, coolly drawled, his voice having the nasal tw.a.n.g of a genuine down East Yankee:

"Wal, not by a gol darn sight! I know some of them fellers, by gum! an'

ef there's goin' to be enny fightin', I'll hev ter fight with them an'

ag'in yeou, Mister Lord Stanford."

"Great goodness!" cried Bart Hodge, staggering with surprise. "Is it possible-can it be Ephraim Gallup?"

"Kainder guess it be, b'gosh!" grinned the tall Yankee youth. "I ain't seen some of yeou fellers since I left Fardale skewl, an' I'm slappin'

glad ter clap peepers onter ye, by chaowder!"

"Be me saoul! it's th' Yankee bane-'ater!" shouted Barney.

"Sh.o.r.e's yer born, Mister Mulloy. I'm 'tarnal tickled by this air chance ter meet ye all."

"Ephraim Gallup!" squealed Hans. "Dot vos der poy _I_ von times fought a deadly tuel mit at Vardales! Shimminy Gristmas! Uf dees don'd peen a recular surbrise barty!"

CHAPTER VIII-A CHANGE OF SCENE

Ephraim Gallup possessed a roving disposition, although when away he often longed to be "back hum on ther farm," and, after returning from his travels abroad with Frank, he did not remain long at his Vermont home.

Drifting to California in search of fortune, a peculiar combination of circ.u.mstances had caused him to become a sailor, and he had finally shipped on Lord Stanford's yacht. He was on board when Frank and the Englishman had the encounter on the pier in San Francisco, but was unable to render Merriwell any a.s.sistance.

Inza had seen and recognized Ephraim, but he had signaled for her to keep still, and so she had pretended that she did not know him.

However, they found opportunities to speak together, and the Yankee youth a.s.sured her that she could depend on him. When the opportunity came he would do his level best to help her escape from Lord Stanford.

The tossing about of the _Fox_ in the storm had made Bernard Burrage very ill and repentant. He began to think he was sure to die before they reached land again, and he begged Inza's forgiveness for trying to force her into a marriage against her will.

"I thought I was doing it for your good," he said. "I see now that I was selfish and cruel, but I have pledged you to him, and it is too late for any backing down."

To this the girl had said nothing, but she felt that she would prove it was not too late when they went ash.o.r.e.

Lord Stanford had seen things were going against him, and he had threatened to take the girl to one of the islands off Santa Barbara and keep her till a minister could be brought there to marry them.

But the appearance of Frank upset the desperate n.o.bleman's plans.

Lord Stanford was thoroughly disgusted.

"Deuce take the blooming girl!" he said. "She has caused me more trouble than she is worth, and I wouldn't marry her now if she'd have me!"

He thought of having Merriwell arrested for running him down, but thought better of it, as he realized the accident had happened because his own helmsman had swung directly into the course of the _Greyhound_, which Merriwell would not have trouble in proving.

He suspected that Ephraim Gallup had done the trick intentionally, but that was something he could not prove.

In less than an hour Inza and her parent were ready to leave the yacht, and with them went Frank and his friends, including Ephraim.

"Won't stay another minit, b'gosh!" said the Yankee lad.

It was not long after this that the two boats separated, and Frank's yacht was headed for Santa Barbara.

As they parted Lord Stanford shook his fist at Frank, at which the boy from Yale simply laughed.

The run to Santa Barbara was made without special incident, and here Frank and Inza separated for the time being.

The weather proved delightful, and the boys concluded to take it easy at this ideal spot in the land of sunshine and flowers.

"We need a rest after such a chase," said Frank, to the crowd, as they rested under some trees, two days after landing.

Just then came a cry of pain from Hans.

"A rest!" howled the Dutch boy. "Dis don't peen no rest. I bet me your life dot vos annudder flea der small uf mein pack on! Und I vos pitten all ofer in more as zwei tozen places alretty yet! Murter!"

Hans' companions laughed heartily as the fat Dutch lad made a frantic effort to reach over his shoulder and scratch the itching spot on his back.

They were reclining beneath the shade of a large tree that stood near the flat, sandy beach, watching the surf roll in and shoot up in snowy spouts around a distant rocky point.

"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed Ephraim Gallup. "Gol darned ef yeou don't make me lawf! What's a little squint of a flea amaount to?"

"Oh, vot vos der madder mit you?" snorted Hans. "Suppose you mind mine business, aindt it."

Then the fat fellow got his back against the tree and scratched it in that manner, making up a face that was expressive of mingled feelings of intense agony and acute satisfaction.

"You chaps make me tired!" grumbled Diamond, in a rather surly manner.

"You are all the time quarreling. I'd wish you'd drop it and give us a rest."

"Is that so!" came sarcastically from the Yankee lad, as he stiffened up. "Wal, I want tew know! Who be yeou, anyhow?"

"I'll mighty soon show you, if you want to know!" grated Jack, giving the boy from Vermont a savage glare.

Ephraim spat on his hands.