Captain Royal was eying something on the wall at the back of the cave. Following the direction of his gaze, Frank saw something that terrified him.
It was a double-barreled shotgun!
“I’ve got it loaded to the muzzle!” roared Captain Royal, as he floundered about in his efforts to get to his feet without losing his grip on the boys. “I’ve always kept it loaded just for prying thieves that come to steal my papers.”
He stood up and lurched across the cave, dragging the boys with him. His intention was clear. He meant to get the shotgun.
The lads redoubled their efforts to escape. By a concerted effort, they turned on him, striking at him with their fists. Frank heard a ripping, tearing sound and then he was suddenly free. He staggered back, and the captain was left holding a small fragment of his shirt in his hand.
Frank thought quickly. He must reach the gun first. He leaped across the cave.
But Captain Royal was too quick for him. Flinging Joe to one side so that he went stumbling and then sprawled in the sand, the captain reached the shotgun at a bound.
He was just reaching for it when Frank came at him from behind. Captain Royal tried to fend the boy off, but Frank grappled with him and dragged him away from the wall.
“Get the gun, Joe!” he panted.
Joe was just getting to his feet. Captain Royal whirled about. His fist struck Frank against the side of the head, and it caught Frank off balance. He was knocked off his feet. Captain Royal gave a yell of triumph, and seized the shotgun.
It had been resting on a rocky ledge. Frank was sprawled on the sand, entirely at the man’s mercy. Joe was equally helpless. In another moment they expected to hear the explosive roar of the weapon.
“Now, I’ll teach you!” roared the captain, dancing about in fury. “I’m going to shoot the pair of you.”
Frank had a sudden idea.
“I’ll keep him occupied, Joe,” he said in a low voice. “Keep edging back until you get to the cave mouth.”
A daring plan had formed in his mind. It meant, as he thought, risking his own life, but he was prepared to do this for the sake of his younger brother.
If he could but distract Captain Royal’s attention by taunts and jeers, even if it meant arousing the man to a pitch of murderous madness, Joe might make good his escape.
“You wouldn’t have the nerve to shoot,” he shouted.
Captain Royal brandished the shotgun and glared at Frank.
“I wouldn’t have the nerve, hey? You think I haven’t?”
Joe was moving back, step by step, toward the opening.
“No, you wouldn’t shoot me,” scoffed Frank. “I don’t believe your old gun is loaded anyway.”
Captain Royal had forgotten all about Joe by now.
“Not loaded?” he screeched. “It’s loaded to the muzzle, I tell you. It’s always loaded. You’ll find out if it’s loaded or not.”
Frank was preparing to spring to his feet.
“Listen, Captain Royal,” he said placatingly. “Let me go this time and I promise I won’t bother you again.”
But the captain shook his head.
“You’re a spy!” he screeched. “You’re a spy! You were sent here to look through all my papers. I’m an old sailor, I am, and in the navy we have only one cure for spies.”
“And what’s that?”
“We shoot ’em.” Captain Royal brandished the shotgun viciously. “We shoot ’em when we can’t make ’em walk the plank.”
“You haven’t the nerve to shoot me. You wouldn’t dare. You know you’d be hanged.”
Frank glanced toward the mouth of the cave. Joe was almost safe by now.
“I’m not afraid!” bragged Captain Royal. “They’d never catch me to hang me. Death for the spies. I’ll shoot both of you—”
Only then did he become aware that Joe had disappeared. With a growl of alarm, he swung about, just in time to see Joe vanishing beyond the cave mouth.
“He’s gone!” roared the captain. “Come back here, you young scoundrel! Come back!”
He ran across the cave. Frank seized the opportunity to leap to his feet again. Captain Royal heard him and turned, raising the shotgun to his shoulder.
“You won’t escape me!” he yelled.
The shotgun was leveled directly at the boy. Frank thought that the next moment would be his last. He could see Captain Royal’s finger tightening about the trigger.
But there came an interruption from the mouth of the cave. Joe had heard the uproar and had realized his brother’s danger. He had not fled. He had returned to the entrance, and there he gave vent to a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek.
Captain Royal gave a shout of surprise.
“Who’s that?” he exclaimed.
He whirled hastily about, but Joe had disappeared.
“Who’s there?” he roared.
Joe, hidden beyond the rocks, shrieked again.
“Just wait!” yelled the captain. “I’ll come out there and fix you. I’ll fix you!”
Frank, in the meantime, had been circling about the side of the cave, trying to gain the entrance unobserved. His heart sank as Captain Royal turned around just when he was about to make a dash for liberty.
“So!” yelled Captain Royal. “You thought you could get away from me, eh?”
The shotgun was aimed directly at Frank.
Captain Royal fired. There was a loud explosion.
XXI
Over the Cliff
To Frank Hardy’s unbounded astonishment, the explosion was followed by a white cloud that rose from the barrel of the shotgun. It was not smoke, and although Captain Royal had aimed the gun directly at him, he found that he was uninjured.
The white cloud was flour!
“A hit!” roared Captain Royal. “A hit! I’ve wounded him!”
Frank wasted no further time.
He raced toward the mouth of the cave and scrambled out onto the beach. Behind him he could hear Captain Royal screeching wildly.
Frank almost collided with Joe.
His brother’s face was white. He had heard the shot and was sure Frank had been a victim of the maniac’s wrath.
“Are you all right, Frank?”
“Sure. Come on—let’s beat it out of here.”
They stumbled across the rocks toward a great heap of boulders that offered shelter. Frank glanced back in
