CHAPTER X

SAVED FROM THE FALLS

“Why, I was racing you boys,” replied the officer.

“I see you were. But I never knew you went in for motor boats,” said Ned. “Is that your craft?”

“Not exactly, though I have an interest in her,” the chief went on. “You see the Police Commissioners a few meetings ago decided to purchase a motor boat. We have quite a river frontage in Cresville, and lately there have been a number of robberies of boats and places along the stream. So it was voted to get a swift craft in which some of our officers could patrol the river. This is the boat, and Commissioner Jones, here, and I, were out giving her a trial spin. We only got her yesterday.”

“She certainly is well named,” put in Jerry.

“Well, we hope she’ll prove a ‘terror’ by nature as well as by name,” the chief went on. “She certainly is speedy enough.”

By this time Commissioner Jones had thrown a rope to the motor boys. It was made fast to a cleat on the _Dartaway_, and then, the _Terror_ being speeded up, the disabled craft was quickly towed down the river. Casting off the line at the _Dartaway’s_ dock the _Terror_ shot on down the river, the chief and commissioner calling back farewells.

“I want you to do us a favor, Andy,” said Jerry as the lads were about to separate.

“Sure--what is it? Anything--half my kingdom--always willing to oblige--name it!” exclaimed Andy.

“That’s the trouble, you’re too willing,” said Jerry with a smile. “What I want is something very simple--that is it would be from any one else. I don’t know how it will hit you.”

“What is it?” asked Andy.

“Just don’t say anything about what you heard this afternoon,” said Jerry. “That is, I mean, about Noddy and Bill Berry. I believe they are up to some game. If we lay low we may discover what it is. If he finds we are talking about everything connected with him, we may not get at anything.”

“I’ll promise,” said Andy eagerly. He was only too ready to do whatever the other boys wanted him to, as he had hopes of more rides in the _Dartaway_.

“That’s a bargain,” went on Jerry. “None of us will say nothing about the occurrence.”

The next few days the boys studied hard in readiness for examinations.

“Don’t you think it rather strange that the Cresville authorities should buy a motor boat?” asked Jerry of Ned, one evening as they were returning from a short run down the river.

“Queer; how do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve always got along without a craft like that before. There’s never been any river stealing to speak of. I wonder what’s in the wind.”

“Now that you speak of it, there is something out of the ordinary in it,” agreed Ned. “I never thought of it before. What do you think it means? Has Noddy anything to do with it?”

“I don’t believe he has; yet,” replied Jerry. “I’ll tell you something I heard the other day. There are some extra detectives in town.”

“Are you sure?”

“Andy Rush says so,” went on Jerry. “You know he’s always hanging around police headquarters. He wants to be a newspaper reporter some day.”

“I would think he’d make a good one,” said Ned. “He’s always finding out things.”

“Well, when he was down to headquarters the other afternoon,” went on Jerry, “he says he overheard the chief tell the sergeant in charge to tell the special detectives about some happening. This made Andy suspicious, as he had read about the big private detective agency which supplies officers. He says he saw a couple of strange men go into the chief’s office a short time afterward, and stay for some time.”

“Oh, Andy’s always imagining things,” said Ned, sending the motor boat closer in toward the shore.

“But I think he’s right this time,” spoke Jerry. “He showed me the men he had reference to, and I think they are detectives of some kind.”

“What do you suppose it’s all about?” asked Bob, getting his mind off something to eat for a few minutes.

“Oh, you’ve woke up, have you, Chunky?” asked Jerry. “Well,” he went on, “there’s some connection between the police boat, the strange detectives and robberies along the river, that’s certain. What it is I haven’t found out. But I’m going to. It may be that Noddy and Bill are mixed up in it, and if they are, it may concern us. Noddy seems to have a habit of getting us into trouble along with himself and his cronies.”

“But I haven’t heard of any robberies,” spoke Ned.

“Of course not,” said Jerry. “They’re keeping them quiet, that’s why. But I happen to know that the grist mill, down near Tiverton falls was entered the other night, and quite a sum of money stolen.”

“You don’t mean it!” Ned exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

“Because I only heard it from Andy Rush a little while ago,” Jerry replied. “It seems he was in police headquarters and overheard the chief talking to one of the men about it. So you see there’s something going on in this old town after all.”

The Saturday afternoon following this trip the boys made an early start on a journey down the river. They were in need of some lubricating oil, and though they could have bought it in Cresville they decided to combine business with pleasure and make a little longer jaunt than usual.

They went to a town called Newton, about twenty miles below Cresville. On the way they passed the mill at Tiverton falls.

“There’s the place that was robbed,” said Jerry.

“Don’t seem as if it put them out of business,” remarked Ned as the sound of the machinery came to the ears of the boys.

“They’ve been making some improvements,” observed Jerry, who was at the wheel. “They’ve built a new dam and flume. Rather dangerous too. If a boat got caught in that current it would be all up with it.”

He pointed to where the mill owners had constructed a new wall to hold back the water. It was higher than the old one, and the manner in which the stream poured over the edge showed there was much power back of it.

The river was somewhat divided at this point. While the main stream continued in the regular course there was an arm that shot off above a small island, and it was this which was dammed. Just above the dam the flume took what water was needed to run the mill. Falling over the dam the water dashed down on some sharp rocks.

Arriving at Newton the boys spent a little time viewing the town. Then, having purchased the oil they started back up the river.

“Hark! What’s that?” suddenly asked Bob, who was at the wheel.

“Sounds like another boat coming up the river,” said Jerry. “Maybe it’s the _Terror_.”

“No, it’s the noise of the falls you hear,” put in Ned. “We are almost at the grist mill.”

“Oh sure enough, so we are,” said Jerry.

Swinging around a bend in the river the boys came in sight of the dam, over which the water was pouring in a large volume as the mill had shut down and none was being diverted into the big flume. At the same time the occupants of the _Dartaway_ caught sight of something that caused them to exclaim in terror.

In the grasp of the powerful current was a small rowboat, in which were two girls. They were struggling frantically at the oars, but, in spite of their efforts to stem the stream, and get beyond the pull of the waterfall they were slowly drifting nearer and nearer the edge.

“Put her over there! We’ve got to save ’em!” cried Ned to Bob. “Put her over!”

“Wait a minute!” came from Jerry. “If you steer over there we’ll be caught in the current too! Let me take the wheel, Bob. Ned you look after the engine! Bob you go to the stern and stand ready to toss ’em a line. I only hope they’ll know enough to keep hold of it or tie it to their boat.”

Having issued his orders, Jerry hurried to the wheel, while the others took the positions designated. Jerry at once threw the engine to full speed ahead, and the _Dartaway_ shot forward.

“You’re not going to leave ’em, are you?” called Ned.

“I guess not!” said Jerry. “I’ve got to back down to ’em, and stand ready to start ahead suddenly!”

“Save us!” the girls in the boat cried.

One of them had lost an oar, and the other was too frightened to do anything, even had she the strength to stem the flow of water. Nearer and nearer to the dam drifted the boat.

“Sit still! We’ll save you!” cried Jerry.

By this time the motor boat was some distance above the small craft. Jerry sent it toward the left shore in a long curve. This placed the _Dartaway_ just above the rowboat. Then he reversed the engine, and the motor boat began to back down the stream.

“Stand ready to heave the line!” called Jerry to Bob. “Now girls!” he went on, “you catch the rope when he throws it! Wind it around an oar lock, and hold on to it!”

Bob sent the coils spinning through the air. They straightened out and several twists fell over the bow of the small drifting boat.

“Catch hold!” cried Jerry.

The girl forward obeyed. Quickly she wound the coils about one of the oar locks, and held the loose end tightly.

“Hold on!” sung out Jerry.

With a quick motion he set the clutch for the first speed forward. The water at the stern of the _Dartaway_ was churned into foam.

“We’re drifting back!” cried Bob from the stern. “We’ll go over the dam!”

“Here’s for full speed ahead!” cried Jerry as he threw the lever over to the last notch, and swung the gasolene and spark handles well forward.

The foam at the stern became thicker and whiter. The _Dartaway_ trembled from bow to rudder. The rope creaked with the strain.

“Hurrah! We’re gaining!” cried Ned. “We’re moving!”

The powerful motor boat had triumphed over the current and was pulling the occupants in the small craft out of danger.