The Voyage of the Hoppergrass Part 16

The other man stirred slightly, and rolled over.

"Hullo! That you? Rescued from a county jail?"

"Rescued nothing!" replied Sprague, "I might have died in jail of old age before you would have done anything. Got out by our own valor and ingenuity. Tunneled through fifteen feet of living rock.

Now, get up, and be quiet about it,--the hounds of the law are on our trail, and we must leave these sh.o.r.es quick."

The second man arose swiftly, and began folding his blankets. The other one, however,--the one who had wakened uttering gibberish-- crossed his hands over his knees, and said: "I don't know about this!"

"No," said Sprague, "of course you don't. We'll discuss it on the boat,--you shall argue it out to your heart's content. Come out of the tent, now'. We're going to get under way, and quit this place just as soon as we can,--and that's in about two shakes."

The second man had come out of the tent, bringing his blankets with him. Mr. Daddles and all the rest of us set to work pulling up the tent stakes. But the other man sat there, shaking his head.

"I think you're making a mistake," said he; "of course that constable was very arbitrary in his manner, but he IS the constable, just the same. I inquired and found that he is. The arrest was perfectly legal. You had much better stay in jail until morning, and submit to a fine which would probably be merely nominal. As it is, you are becoming a fugitive from justice--"

"That's right, and I'm going to fuge just as quick as I can. Come out from under the tent, Lord Chief Justice, or you'll get a blow on the cocoanut that will damage that legal mind of yours. These are my friends and fellow-criminals, the alleged burglars. ... All right there? Everything clear? ... I fear they are innocent, however, just as I am guilty,--of banjo-playing."

"No, but listen a minute--"

At this moment the other man s.n.a.t.c.hed down the tent pole and the whole thing fell on the "Lord Chief Justice," leaving him floundering under waves of canvas, and tangles of rope. "Never mind him," said Sprague, "two of you hustle down and push off the boat,--it will take us three trips to get the tent and everything on board."

Jimmy Toppan and one of the other men (the second one to wake up, --they called him "Pete") hurried down to the water's edge. The "Lord Chief Justice" (whom they called "Chief," for short) crawled out from under the canvas, and we began to fold up the tent. It was a small one, and they had nothing in it except their blankets and some cus.h.i.+ons and pillows from the yacht.

The Chief, still muttering and complaining, was sent out on the first trip, with Jimmy Toppan and Ed Mason. He and Jimmy were commanded to get up the sails, while Ed brought back the boat.

This time he carried the tent, and then came back for the pillows, blankets and cus.h.i.+ons. All this took more or less time,--fifteen or twenty minutes, perhaps. Mr. Daddles and Sprague kept their eyes on the little street nearby, to make sure that we were not observed.

Just as Mr. Daddles and I were getting into the boat, someone spoke from the shadow of a building.

"Aha!" said a voice.

Then a man stepped out into the moonlight, and advanced a little toward us.

"Leavin' kinder sudden, aint yer?"

It was Gregory the Gauger. He walked still nearer. Then he recognized Mr. Daddles and me.

"What's this? What's this?" he snapped, "got out, didger? Thought yer was escapin', didger? Consider yerselves under arrest. I apprehend yer in the name of the Commonwealth. Stay right where yer be. I'll go an' get Eb."

"No, you won't, either," said Mr. Daddles.

He and Sprague darted forward at the same moment. They grabbed the little man, each by an arm, and commenced walking him rapidly toward the boat.

"Here, here! Whatcher doin'? Lemme be! Lemme be! This is a.s.sault!

Lemme be, I tell yer!"

They led him, still chattering and protesting, right to the boat.

"We don't want you with us,--not a little bit. But you'll have to come, if you don't keep quiet. Then you'll have a beautiful case against us."

"Help! Help!" he squealed.

Mr. Daddles clapped a hand over his mouth, and they lifted him off his feet into the boat. Pete jumped in beside him, and smothered his cries with a pillow. Ed and I pushed off, and climbed in over the bows. In a minute we were alongside the yacht. Mr. Daddles and Sprague jumped on board, and Pete handed Gregory the Gauger up to them. He had to drop the pillow to do this, and as soon as the little man's mouth was uncovered he began his protests right where he had left off.

"Help!" he squeaked, "help! Lemme be! Put me back on sh.o.r.e, I tell yer! I'll have every last one of yer in State's Prison for this.

It's abducshun,--that's what it is,--d' yer hear? It's abducshun!"

"Yes, and you've already got a.s.sault and battery against us, and smothering-with-a-pillow, to say nothing of burglary, breaking and entering, and banjo-playing after 10 P. M. We won't any of us live long enough to serve out our sentences, not even if we get old enough to make Methuselah look like a spring-chicken."

"And if you go on with that yelping, my friend," added Sprague, "we'll add piracy on the high seas, keel-hauling, drowning in a sack, and hanging at the yard-arm to our list of accomplishments.

I would have you know that we are desperate men. This person"-- pointing to the Chief, "is the only law-abiding one amongst us.

If you'll be good and quiet, and sit down and behave until we are well away, you will come to no harm."

"And we'll let you exchange legal chit-chat with the Chief Justice, here," added Pete.

But nothing could quiet the captive. He broke away from them, ran up to the bow, and began once more to call for help. At this, Pete and Sprague seized him and gently led him down into the cabin.

They closed the cabin doors and left him there. Instantly he began to pound and thump on the deck.

"Let him thump," said Sprague, "it's time we departed."

"Yes," said Ed Mason, "any moment I expect to see Eb coming down to the sh.o.r.e."

"With his pitchfork," added Mr. Daddles.

We got the anchor up, and the boat began to move out of the inlet.

The breeze was light, but two short tacks took us into the bay.

"Where do you want to go?" inquired the Chief, gravely. He was sailing the boat.

"'Somewheres east of Suez,'" said Sprague. "I don't care. I should like to go to sleep. And I should think you burglars would be about ready for a nap."

"We are!" we all groaned.

"The Chief and I will stand watch," said Pete, "I'm not sleepy. By George! It's a great night."

He yawned, stretched both arms in the air, and gazed up toward the moon. Suddenly he brought both arms down at his sides.

"Great Scott!" he cried, "we've forgotten Simon!"

The Chief gave a snort of disgust.

"If you're going--" he began.

"That's so! that's so!" shouted Sprague, "put about, Chief!"

The Chief groaned. "Positively," he said, "you make me sick!"

"Then you're in no state to sail the boat," replied Pete, "here, get away from the wheel!"

He pushed the indignant Chief away, and taking the wheel himself, began to put the boat about.