The "Dock Rats" of New York Part 42

"We may never get a sight of him."

"If it is Ballard we can recognize him."

The men were sent away once more, and many of their pa.s.sive confederates on the island were aroused and started out on the search; indeed the island became alive with secretly armed men.

Ike Denman was satisfied that the detective had not got away, and he was determined to find him. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were at stake; the fact that the detective had trailed down to their rendezvous meant ruin.

The master of the "Nancy" did not for one moment believe in his own mind that the mystery was, Ballard; his common sense suggested that it was impossible that the fellow could have escaped, unless by some strange fatality he had been picked up, and as there were no vessels near enough to see him at the time he went over from the yacht, the latter chance did not seem probable.

It was well toward morning when several of the crew, according to orders, returned and joined the captain, and the latter went aboard the "Nancy" and sailed her back to where she had previously anch.o.r.ed.

One man was left in charge of the yacht, and the balance, with the captain, rowed ash.o.r.e and proceeded afoot to the rendezvous, and at length daylight came.

The search had proved a failure, and when it was well on in the morning all hands were a.s.sembled at the rendezvous.

A majority of the men were sent aboard the "Nancy," while the master and some of his most reliable confederates remained ash.o.r.e.

The men had made a thorough search, and all hands were still of the opinion that the detective, or whoever it was that had been tracking them, still remained secreted somewhere on the island.

One of the men, a shrewd fellow, offered several singular suggestions. He had accurately measured the tracks of the man who had laid out two members of the crew, and he had found duplicate foot imprints down around the rendezvous.

A more dazed and bewildered set of men were never engaged in an illegal traffic.

Meantime the daring detective was lying low right in their very midst.

CHAPTER XXVII.

Spencer Vance had not been idle while in the subterranean warehouse; but, with his masked lantern, he had gone about, and, in a regular business-like manner, had made an inventory of the merchandise scattered about; and he had also copied all the shipping-marks and also all the hieroglyphic brush signs.

He furthermore opened some of the cases, and put identification marks on some of the goods indeed, he did his work in a thorough and masterly manner. He had accomplished wonders; but he was not yet safely off the island.

Later on the detective made some startling and ghastly discoveries. He came upon a box containing human bones, and he was sufficiently experienced to recognize that, in the case of the remains, ordinary, decay had been supplemented by artificial processes, and the latter discovery was a prima facie testimony in favor of the theory that the bones were those of murdered victims.

Our hero was still rummaging around when his attention was attracted by human voices, and, closing the slide of his lantern, he laid low and watched, and, a moment later, became aware that some of the crew of the "Nancy" were in the warehouse.

"I wonder," he muttered, "if they have came to look for me here? If they have, I reckon I'm in a tight place!"

The detective crawled toward the place where the smugglers were gathered, and he overheard their conversation.

One of them remarked.

"It's all nonsense to look for him in here."

"If it is Ballard, or Spencer Vance, I'd look for him in my vest pocket; either one of those men would dare to go anywhere."

"Well, search," commanded Ike Denman.

"Now I am a goner," was the mental declaration of the intrepid revenue officer, while at the same time he was, resolved to take all necessary precautions. He found a hiding place and pa.s.sed a full hour of anxiety, indeed, a mental strain that would have turned a less nervy man gray.

The agony, however, pa.s.sed, and he escaped discovery, and heard one of the fellows say:

He is not in here, that is certain."

"You're mistaken, Charley," muttered the detective to himself, in a spirit of reckless facetiousness,

Ike Denman appeared to be completely disheartened, and he said:

"I tell you, my good fellows, we're in trouble; that man has got away."

"What will you do?"

"There is only one thing for me to do; I must go to New York and report the situation at headquarters."

"We can get the goods away."

"It's easy to say we can get the goods away, but where will we take them?"

"We can load the 'Nancy' down with the most valuable of them."

"That is a good idea, but you cannot get to work until to-night."

"We can start in to-night."

"Where will you run her when she's loaded?"

"We can run outside and communicate."

"Do that, and meantime I will go on to New York. There is a one o'clock train from the station on the other side. I will go on that train."

"And we are to load the 'Nancy' to-night"

"Yes."

The detective overheard the whole of the above conversation, and great drops of perspiration came out upon his forehead.

He was in a bad fix after all. Should Denman get to New York ahead of him, he would lose his best grip after all.

Something must be done. He must get over to the mainland before one o'clock, in time to take the train with Denman, at all hazards.

Denman and a part of his crew pa.s.sed from the warehouse while one of the men remarked:

"I've some private property in here to look after and I'll see to it at once."

A smile flitted over the face of the detective. He thought a chance was about to present itself for him to get away.

A moment he lay quiet, and then emerged from his hiding-place.

The warehouse was artificially illuminated by a few swinging lamps, and only one was lighted at the time.