The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes | Page 6

you any particulars. We were taken completely by
surprise, and it was too dark to see much," said Tom. Nevertheless he
and Sam told what they could, to which the freight captain listened
with close attention.
"I'll keep my eye open for the raft," said the latter. "And if I see
anything of your brother I'll certainly take him on board."
"Where are you bound?"
"I am going to stop at Cleveland first. Then I go straight through to
Buffalo."
A few words more passed, and then the captain of the freight steamer
gave the signal to go ahead.
The stopping of her engines had caused the steamer to drift quite close
to the Swallow, and as she swung around those on the yacht caught a
good view of the freighter's stern deck.
There were a small number of passengers on board, and as Sam looked
them over he gave a sudden start.
"My gracious, can it be possible!" he gasped.
"Can what be possible, Sam?" queried Tom.

"Look! look!"
"At what?"
"At the passengers on the steamer. Am I dreaming, or is that--he is
gone!" And Sam's face fell.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Arnold Baxter! He was on the steamer, just as sure as I stand here.
And we both thought him dead!"
CHAPTER III.
ON A LUMBER RAFT.
"You think you saw Arnold Baxter?" demanded Tom.
"Yes, I saw Arnold Baxter, just as plain as day."
"Sam, you must be--"
"No, I am not dreaming. It was Arnold Baxter, true enough. As soon as
he saw I had spotted him he drew out of sight."
"But we thought he was dead--buried under that landslide out in
Colorado."
"We didn't find his body, and he isn't dead. Why, I would never make a
mistake in that rascal's face, never," and Sam shook his head to
emphasize his words.
"Was Dan with him?"
"I didn't see the son."
"If it was really Arnold Baxter we ought to let the authorities know at
once, so that they can arrest him for getting out of prison on that bogus
pardon."

"Yes, and we ought to let father know, too, for you may be sure Baxter
will do all he can to get square with us for keeping the Eclipse mining
claim out of his grasp."
"He can't do anything about that claim now. Our claim is established by
law, and he is nothing but an escaped jailbird. But I agree he may give
us lots of trouble in other directions. I presume he would like to see us
all hung for the way we got ahead of him and his tools."
"If the steamer wasn't so far off we might hail her," continued Sam, but
this was now out of the question.
Both lads were very much disturbed, and with good reason. Arnold
Baxter had been an enemy to Mr. Rover for years, and this meant a
good deal when the desperate character of the man was taken into
consideration. He was a well-educated fellow, but cruel and
unprincipled to the last degree, and one who would hesitate at nothing
in order to accomplish his purpose.
"Dat's de wust yet," was Aleck Pop's comment. "I was finkin' dat rascal
was plumb dead, suah. And Dan, too! Suah yo' didn't see dat
good-fo'-nuffin boy?"
"No, I didn't see Dan."
"He must have been with his father when the landslide occurred," went
on Tom. "And if one escaped more than likely the other did, too. My,
how I despise that chap! and have, ever since we had our first row with
him at Putnam Hall."
"I wonder what brought Arnold Baxter back to this section of the
country? I shouldn't think he would dare to come back."
"He always was daring to the last degree in some matters, just as he is
cowardly in others. I would give something to know if Dan is with
him."
"We might follow up the steamer, if it wasn't for poor Dick."

The boys talked the matter over for some time, and while doing this the
sails of the Swallow were again hoisted, and they turned the yacht back
to the vicinity where Dick had gone overboard.
And while Tom and Sam are looking for their elder brother, let us turn
back and learn what really did become of Dick.
He was waiting for Tom to come on deck with the lanterns when, of a
sudden, something black and threatening loomed up out of the darkness
to the starboard of the Swallow.
The mass was the better half of a monstrous lumber raft, which was
rapidly going to pieces in the storm.
The raft, or rather what was left of it, hit the Swallow a glancing blow,
otherwise the sailing craft must have been stove in and sunk.
The shock