The Sinister Signpost Part 14

"Not this part," Ivan replied. "I've been told about those charged ones. It's safe here. I'll shin over-----"

Just then they heard a gruff voice call out, "Ivan!" and heavy footsteps sounded nearby.

Someone was running toward them.

Frank dodged into hiding again. The jockey began climbing the enclosure, but in his haste part of his clothing caught on the barbs. Then a bright, powerful flashlight was turned on him and he stood plainly revealed in its merciless glare.

140 "Hey, there!" shouted a gruff voice. "Come down off that wire. I see you. Tryin' to make a getaway, huh?"

There was no hope. Ivan was caught in the very act of trying to escape. A burly figure rushed up and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him off the fence.

"None o' that 1" growled his captor. "You want the boss to kill me? He told me not to let you out of his cabin. I thought I could trust you. The minute I let you out for a little walk and a breath o' fresh air you try to make a getaway. Huh!"

The man hustled the young fellow away. Frank heard him say: "Just for that you'll be locked up now. I can't take any chances on your running away.

Come along!"

Frank was disappointed. Had the jockey only managed to escape, the Hardy boy was sure he would have had plenty of information to give. Maybe Vilnoff was his kidnapper I However, something had been gained. He knew now that Ivan was imprisoned behind the netting, perhaps in the clearing shack, and Frank felt that the rescue of the boy could be accomplished easily enough, once help was obtained.

Frank decided to go back to the inlet and see if Joe had shown up. Perhaps he and his brother together might be able to raid tne forbidden fenced-in area and rescue Ivan.

The Hardy boy lost no time in retracing his footsteps down the dark road, hastening toward the river in the hope that Joe might be there waiting for him. He had just reached the end of the trail and was hurrying down the bank, when he heard a faint, m.u.f.fled throbbing out 14!.

on the water. Swiftly a dark shape shot around the end of the point, and came racing toward the sh.o.r.e.

It was a speed-boat, its motors so m.u.f.fled that it was travelling almost in silence. Frank flung himself back of some bushes just as the oncoming craft slowed down and nosed its way quietly insh.o.r.e. He could hear voices and see the vague shadows of two men.

One of them climbed out of the boat. The other remained in the launch. There was the subdued sound of b.u.mping and banging, and a heavy case was handed over the side. The man on sh.o.r.e received it, hoisted it onto his shoulders, and began trudging up toward the road.

Frank was glad he had hidden himself, for the stranger pa.s.sed him not three feet away.

A few minutes later the other man came up from the boat, in like manner burdened by a heavy case, which he carried on up the trail, following his companion.

"If those kegs hold munitions," said Frank to himself, "I'll just get some evidence!"

He got up and hurried down to the speed-boat. Climbing on board, he found about a dozen cases covered with a big piece of canvas. He flung the cloth aside and tried to lift one of the boxes. It was very heavy. He had difficulty in moving it, but eventually worked it up onto the side of the craft. He gave it a push, and me weighty object toppled over into the water with a loud splash.

Then Frank became greatly dismayed, for up on the river bank he could hear voices.

"Thought I heard a splash!" a man said. "Let's have a look!"

CHAPTER XIX.

ROAD NUMBER ONE.

the men were coming back!

Obviously they had not carried their two cases all the way up the road, as Frank had figured on, but had most likely left them in hiding, to be picked up by a truck later on.

The boy was trapped!

He tried to get out of the boat in the hope of stepping on sh.o.r.e before the men should find him, but in his haste he tripped over the end of one of the cases and fell sprawling. By the time he had picked himself up he could hear footsteps at the top or the slope.

Fortunately the night was very dark. Frank had only one chance now. He leaped to the back of the craft, balanced himself for a moment, then dropped into the water. Although he made every effort to escape noiselessly, there was a slight splash as he slid over the side.

"There!" one of the men said. "I heard it again. There's something wrong in the boat."

"I heard it, too," answered the other.

As they hurried to the speed-boat, Frank could hear them stumbling over the rocks. He waited no longer, but submerged himself and began to swim under water.

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143.

It was bitterly cold, and the boy was hampered by his clothing. He could hear the men clumping into the boat. If he should come to the surface now they would surely see him.

Frank swam steadily under water. He held his breath until he thought his lungs would burst. At last he could stand it no longer and popped to the surface, inhaling deeply of fresh air.

He was now a good distance from the launch. Through the gloom he could dimly see the two men standing in the craft and looking over the side. Fortunately they were not gazing in Frank's direction.

"That's queer," one of them was saying. "I was sure I heard two splashes."

"And what's more," said the other, "I felt certain that we had twelve cases left in the boat, and now there are only eleven."

"You must have counted 'em wrong. Let's get busy and unload 'em."

Apparently the men were satisfied that there was nothing amiss, for they resumed their task of moving the boxes and carrying them up to the road.

Frank swam on toward the Sleuth. Sleuth. He was chilled to the bone and exhausted from the He was chilled to the bone and exhausted from the weight of his sodden clothing when at last he reached the craft and pulled himself over the side.

He lay in the bottom of the boat until he had regained his strength. Then he remembered that in one of the lockers were a pair of old trousers, a ragged sweater, and some rubber sneakers. He had tossed all these into the compartment after a fishing trip during 144 TH SINISTER SIGN POST.

the summer, not thinking that they would be of use in such an emergency.

Frank opened the locker and found the garments. Although disreputable in appearance, they were dry, so he quickly peeled off his wet clothes and changed into the others. Then, his teeth chattering, he sat in the Sleuth Sleuth to await the arrival of Joe. to await the arrival of Joe.

At the far end of the inlet he could hear the two men unloading the speed-boat. The operation took some time, but finally it was finished. Then the strangers got back into their boat and pushed off from sh.o.r.e. The m.u.f.fled drumming of their motor again sounded in the night, and Frank saw the dark shape of the sinister craft glide out toward the open river.

At the same time he caught the gleam of a flashlight among the bushes. His own was soaked through, so he could not have answered the signal had he wanted to. It occurred to him, however, mat the flare might have been made by someone from the clearing at the end of the road, so he remained quiet. Presently he heard footsteps approaching along the sh.o.r.e, and Joe's voice called out softly: "Are you there, Frank?"

"Right! I've been waiting for you," exclaimed his brother in relief. "What in the world happened? I was just about to give up and go looking for you."

"And where did you get those clothes?"

Joe told Frank about his experiences at the service station.

His brother, in turn, related the momentous news of how he had found Ivan, seen the men in the speedboat, and made the discovery of the map.

145.

"Let's have a look at it! Maybe we'll have something to work on now," said Joe.

By the gleam of the flashlight they examined the paper. Then Joe recalled the strange message he had heard over the telephone.

"Road one is open. Death beyond the red hand. Be careful."

He noted the spot marked i on the map.

"I don't know what the fellow meant by the red hand, but we're safe enough following Road Number One, I imagine. Why, according to this map that leads right out of this inlet.

Let's go!"

They scrambled from the boat and made their way up the sh.o.r.e, then on the trail toward the fence where Frank had encountered Ivan, the jockey. When they reached it Joe was all for climbing over at once but his. brother was cautious.

"It wasn't electrically charged when Ivan tried to scale it, but they may have turned on the current since," he said. "I think we had better test it."

Frank took a metal key from his pocket and dropped it on top of one of the wire strands.

There was a snapping blue flash the moment it came in contact with the wire.

"Just as I thought," he remarked, picking up the key from the ground. "It's lucky you didn't try it, Joe."

The road ran along the side of the netting, so they followed it, hoping to find a gate through which they might gain entrance to the enclosure. They came across none, although they searched for five minutes. However, they discovered a place where the wires appeared 146 to be over-run with weeds, creepers, and small bushes. Joe examined the ground at this point by the gleam of the flashlight.

"I see something that looks mighty like the track of a truck," he said. "But it seems to lead directly toward the fence."

"I have a hunch," remarked Frank. "Those creepers don't look natural here, when the rest of the enclosure is bare."

He stripped away some of the vegetation. As he had thought, ne found a camouflaged gate. Before trying to open it, however, he tested it with his key. This time there was no flash of electricity, so the boys knew that the gate, at least, was not charged. They did not bother to open it, but simply climbed over and dropped into a field beyond.

Some distance away they spied a dark hulk against the background of the clearing, and went over toward it "A cabin," said Joe.

The place was in darkness. The Hardy boys crept stealthily forward. Perhaps this was the shack in which Ivan was imprisoned. Yet they could hear no sound from the building. On further investigation they discovered a door hanging wide open so they walked boldly in and found the building to be empty.

"There may be half a dozen cabins around here, for all we know," remarked Joe. "We still haven't found the one where you saw the Negro driver and VilnofFs shadow through the window."

Suddenly Frank caught sight of a twinkling gleam among the trees.

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"Perhaps we're on the right track now," he said quietly. "Let's follow that light."

The clearing gave way to woods now and the boys plunged into it, heading toward that tantalizing gleam. Joe sniffed the air.

"I smell hay!" he exclaimed.

"What of it?"

"Hay means horses. Maybe-----"

They emerged from the woods into another small clearing, and found a tiny cabin. The light they had seen came from a lantern hanging just inside the open doorway. The boys stole cautiously over and peered inside.

The place was an improvised stable. Lying on the floor was a horse-a sleek, splendid animal that suddenly opened his eyes, saw the boys, and scrambled to his feet. Frank gave a cry of delight.

"Topnotchl" he whispered excitedly. he whispered excitedly.

It was indeed the missing race-horse. Frank easily recognized the animal from the pictures he had seen of it in the newspapers and from the description given by Mr. Prescott.

Topnotch seemed to feel that he was with friends. He gave a whinny, and nuzzled seemed to feel that he was with friends. He gave a whinny, and nuzzled against the boys as they hurried into the stable.

"Well, this clears up one of our mysteries at any rate," declared Frank, stroking the animal's silky mane. "We've found Topnotchl" Topnotchl"

"But how to get him out of here-that's the problem," declared Joe.

Suddenly there was a terrific crash!

The Hardy boys turned around, alarmed. Then they 148 saw that the door of the stable had swung shut. Joe sprang toward it, lunging his body against its weight. It did not budge.

A heavy bar on the outside was in place, effectually locking them in!

CHAPTER XX.

A NOTE TO IVAN.

"I wonder if that happened by accident or on purpose," said Frank in a low voice.

"Accident, I think," returned Joe. "There was a bar on the outside. Probably it fell into place when the door blew shut."

Regardless of the cause, the Hardy boys were thoroughly locked in. They had found the missing racehorse, only to be made prisoners themselves. Pleased as they were to have found Topnotch, Topnotch, their predicament seemed serious, for if any of the kidnappers were to their predicament seemed serious, for if any of the kidnappers were to come along the lads would be in a bad way.

"We've got to get out of here," said Joe. "There's not one window. Let's look around."

They searched the cabin thoroughly, but as it was built of stout logs there seemed to be no way of escape. The roof was firm, and there was no chimney. Finally the boys tested the floor.

Here they had luck. One of the boards was loose, and when they pried it up they were able to get hold of the next one and work it free as well. When a s.p.a.ce had been cleared, Joe crawled into the opening and switched on his flashlight.