CHAPTER XVI.

ON BOARD OF THE LA MOTTE.

Perhaps the principal reason why Dory Dornwood and the instructor in mechanics had obtained so easy a victory over the two members of the Nautifelers Club who remained on board of the La Motte, was that both of them were soaked with beer. They were not intoxicated in the worst sense of the word: they were "boozy" and stupid.

They had been left on board while the other three had gone on shore to "do the job" at the school, and, no doubt, the time in the furious storm hung heavy on their hands. They had imbibed from the keg until they were deprived of whatever natural energy belonged to them, and they did not seem to have either the pluck or the ability to do any thing for themselves. A stronger intoxicant might have made them wild and desperate: the beer simply stupefied them.

"We have got the vessel," said the machinist, with a cheerful smile, as he held on to the robber whom he had just secured.

"No doubt of that," added Dory, as he rose from the deck where he had been attending to his prisoner. "These fellows don't seem to be very desperate characters."

"I expected a far worse time than we have had," added Mr. Jepson. "What is the next move? Shall we take them to the school in the vessel?"

"Not yet a while," replied Dory, glancing towards the shore where the two had landed on the rafts. "We have another job on our hands; but I think we had better put these fellows where they will not be in our way."

As he spoke, he assisted the one who was lying on the deck to rise. Leaving both of them in charge of his companion, he went down into the cabin. It was a very small apartment, not intended for more than four persons. On the table in the centre of it was the keg of beer, carefully secured with blocks, and lashed down.

An open door by the side of the companion-way led into the hold. One end of it had been roughly prepared with berths, which were provided with bedding. There were six of these bunks, making sleeping accommodations for ten persons. An old carpet had been laid on the bottom of the hold, and Dory was willing to admit that the place was comfortable enough for a summer-cruise on the lake.

As the club consisted of only five persons, Dory could not imagine why the vessel had been fitted up, at some extra expense, for double that number. But he did not wait to indulge in any conjectures on the subject. The stanchions which had been put up to support the bunks, afforded what he was looking for; and the two prisoners could be fastened to them.

The robbers were conducted to this place. They were both under the influence of the beer, and had some difficulty in maintaining the centre of gravity over the base. They were sleepy and stupid, and Dory compelled his man to sit down with his back to the stanchion. In this position he made him fast, and the machinist did the same with the other.

Both of them said they were comfortable when the question was put to them. But they were so tipsy that they had no very definite ideas on any subject. They submitted with the best grace in the world, and even seemed to be pleased to find that all their responsibilities had come to a sudden end; for they were not in condition to attend to any thing.

"What has become of Angy?" asked one of them.

"He could not come on board again," replied Dory. "Who were the two fellows that went ashore on the hatches of the schooner?"

"Chuckworth and Mackwith," replied the one addressed.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Sangfraw."

"What is your name?" asked Mr. Jepson of the other.

"My name is Wickwood," he answered, with a dazed look around him.

"Did you two go on shore with Angy?" inquired Dory of Sangfraw; and he was not confident that this was a real name.

"No, we did not: we staid on board, and we have not been on shore at all. Chuck and Mack went with Angy," replied Sangfraw; and he looked up into Dory's face, as though he was seeking for some information in regard to him.

"What was this place, this steerage, fitted up for?" asked Dory.

"For the club."

"What did you want of ten berths?"

"Because there are ten of the members."

"Where are the other five?"

"They were to join us up here somewhere."

"That's it, is it?" added Dory, glancing at the instructor.

"That's it, exactly; and I'm a member of the club, and the cook of the ship," said Sangfraw, dropping his head as though the effort required to keep it up was too great for him.

"Where does the La Motte go when she sails?" asked Dory.

"She is going to Ticonderoga after the rest of the club," answered Sangfraw, rousing himself. "Now, s'pose you tell me where Angy is."

"He is safe enough," said Dory, leading the way out of the steerage, as he called it, into the cabin. "I fancy that these fellows don't live without eating, and I think a few mouthfuls would make me feel better."

They examined the pantry, and they found an abundance of ham, cold chicken, and other food, from which both of the captors of the schooner made a very satisfactory breakfast. Dory found his condition very much improved, and his energy revived, by the meal.

"This is decidedly a happy family," said Dory, as they went on deck, after ascertaining that both of the prisoners had dropped asleep.

"And it seems that there was to be an addition of five persons to the family. Very likely those on board were to fill up the exchequer of the club by their operations before the others joined them," added the machinist. "I wonder if this is the first robbery they have committed. I have not had time to read the papers much this week."

"By the great iron jingo!" exclaimed Dory, as the suggestion of his companion stimulated his memory. "I read that two robberies had been committed in the vicinity of Plattsburg; and the last sentence of the paragraph was, that no clew to the burglars had been obtained. These are the fellows!"

"Then, we had better search the vessel," suggested Mr. Jepson.

"Let the officers do that after we have taken her to Beechwater. We shall have enough to do to take care of these fellows; for I hope we shall be able to take the other two, Chuck and Mack, with us as passengers."

"Then, you intend to follow up this matter, Dory?"

"If we don't bag them before they ascertain that Angy has come to grief, they will leave for parts unknown. The two on shore were actually engaged in the robbery," continued Dory. "There were two of them in the office, and the third had charge of the boat. At any rate, they were all mixed up in the affair."

"The two on shore must have seen the boat when we came off," suggested the machinist.

"I think not. They went away from the shore, deceived by the hail I gave them from a point above the inlet. In my opinion, they are still looking for Angy in the woods, and have not seen any thing on the lake."

"They won't find Angy on shore."

"And when they are tired of looking for him, they will come on board again, if they can get on board. If they see the boat alongside of the schooner when they come to the shore, they will at once conclude that he has gone on board. Whether I am right, or not, I shall act on that theory, if you approve of it," said Dory.

"I should say that your reasoning was correct as far as it goes. But when they see the green boat made fast to the schooner, they will want to know why Sang and Wick have not gone ashore after them."

"Precisely so, and we will provide for that doubt on their part. Now we will set that reefed foresail, and run down a little nearer to the point. The water will float this vessel a hundred feet from the shore," continued Dory with energy.

The foresail was hoisted, and the anchor weighed. Dory steered to a certain part of the point, near the outer extremity of it. Both of them kept a sharp lookout for the two robbers on the shore, but nothing was seen or heard of them. The La Motte was run as near the shore as it was prudent to take her; and when she was thrown up into the wind, the machinist let go the anchor, while Dory hastened to lower the sail.

The wind was fresh, and the sea was heavy; but the schooner did not bump on the bottom, though she was inside of a hundred feet from the shore. Dory found the lead and line, and directed the machinist to sound over the stern when the vessel had brought up to her cable. As he did so, Dory let off the cable, allowing the schooner to approach still nearer to the shore. When he secured the cable, the stern was hardly more than fifty feet from the land.

There was a rather heavy surf rolling up on the abrupt beach, but it was nothing compared with that in which the party had been involved at an earlier hour in the morning. The machinist went below to look at the prisoners, and found them fast asleep still. Probably they had been up all night, besides being charged with beer; and they were not likely to give their captors any trouble.

Dory had carried the painter of the tender to the stern of the schooner; and, as it was a long rope, the boat was held half way between the vessel and the shore. There was nothing more for the captors to do at present; and they seated themselves under the bulwarks, where they could not be seen from the shore, though they kept a sharp lookout in the direction of the place where Mack and Chuck had landed.

They had been in this position for half an hour, when they discovered the two robbers on the beach. They shouted several times to the La Motte, but no notice was taken of them. Dory cast off the painter of the tender, and let it drop into the water.