The Rover Boys in Business; Or, The Search for the Missing Bonds, Page 2

  CHAPTER II

  TO THE RESCUE

  The accident at the bridge had occurred so suddenly that, for theinstant, neither Rover boy knew what to do. They saw that the fartherend of the bridge had given way completely. Just where the end restedin the water they beheld several small objects floating about, one ofthem evidently a cap, and another a small wooden box. But theautomobile with its driver was nowhere to be seen.

  "My gracious! That fellow will surely be drowned!" gasped Sam, onrecovering from the shock. "Tom, do you see him anywhere?"

  "No, I don't." Tom took a few steps forward and gazed down into theswiftly-flowing stream. "Perhaps he is pinned under the auto, Sam!"

  "Wait, I'll get the searchlight," cried the younger Rover, and ranback to their automobile. The boys made a point of carrying anelectric pocket searchlight to be used in case they had to makerepairs in the dark. Securing this, and turning on the light, Sam ranforward to the river bank, with Tom beside him.

  To those who have read the previous volumes in this "Rover BoysSeries" the lads just mentioned will need no special introduction. Forthe benefit of others, however, let me state that the Rover boys werethree in number; Dick being the oldest, fun-loving Tom coming next,and sturdy Sam being the youngest. When at home, which was only for ashort time each year, the boys lived with their father, AndersonRover, and their Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha on a farm calledValley Brook, in New York State.

  While their father was in Africa, the boys had been sent to PutnamHall Military Academy, as related in the first volume of this series,entitled "The Rover Boys at School." There they had made quite a fewfriends, and, also, some enemies.*

  *For particulars regarding how Putnam Hall Military Academy wasorganized, and what fine times the cadets there enjoyed even beforethe Rovers appeared on the scene, read "The Putnam Hall Series," sixvolumes, starting with "The Putnam Hall Cadets."--Publishers

  The first term at school was followed by an exciting trip on theocean, and then another trip into the jungles of Africa, where theboys went looking for their parent. Then came a journey to the West,and some grand times on the Great Lakes and in the Mountains. Afterthat, the Rover boys came back to the Hall to go into camp with theirfellow-cadets. Then they took a long journey over land and sea, beingcast away on a lonely island in the Pacific.

  On returning home, the boys had imagined they were to settle down to aquiet life, but such was not to be. On a houseboat the lads, with somefriends, sailed down the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers, and thenfound themselves on the Plains, where they solved the mystery of RedRock ranch. Then they set sail on Southern Waters, and in the Gulf ofMexico discovered a deserted yacht.

  "Now for a good rest," Sam had said, and the three lads had returnedto the home farm, where, quite unexpectedly, more adventures befellthem. Then they returned to Putnam Hall; and all graduated withconsiderable honor.

  It had been decided by Mr. Rover that the boys should next go tocollege, and he selected an institution of learning located in theMiddle West, not far from the town of Ashton. Brill College was a fineplace, and the Rovers knew they would like it as soon as they saw it.With them went their old-time school chum, Songbird Powell, alreadymentioned. At the same time, William Philander Tubbs came to thecollege from Putnam Hall. He was a dudish fellow, who thought far moreof dress than of gaining an education, and he was often made the buttof some practical joke.

  It did not take the Rover boys long to make a number of friends atBrill. These included Stanley Browne, a tall, gentlemanly youth; BobGrimes, who was greatly interested in baseball and other sports; MaxSpangler, a German-American youth, who was everybody's friend; andWill Jackson, always called "Spud" because of his unusual fondness forpotatoes. Spud was a great story-teller, and some of his yarns weremarvelous in the extreme.

  During their first term at Putnam Hall, the Rover boys had become wellacquainted with Dora Stanhope, who lived near the school with herwidowed mother, and, also, Nellie and Grace Laning, Dora's twocousins, who resided but a short distance further away. It had notbeen long before Dick and Dora showed a great liking for each other,and, at the same time, Tom often "paired off" with Nellie, and Sam asoften sought the company of Grace. Then came the time when the boysdid a great service for Mrs. Stanhope, saving her from the wickedplotting of Josiah Crabtree, a teacher at Putnam Hall. Crabtree wasexposed, and lost no time in leaving the school, threatening at thesame time that, sooner or later, he would "square accounts with theRovers."

  But a few miles away from Brill College was located Hope Seminary, aninstitution for girls. When the Rover boys went to Brill, Dora, Nellieand Grace entered Hope, so the young folks met almost as often asbefore. A term at Brill was followed by an unexpected trip Down East,where the Rover boys again brought the rascally Crabtree to terms.Then the lads became the possessors of a biplane, and took severalthrilling trips through the air. About this time, Mr. Anderson Rover,who was not in the best of health, was having much trouble with somebrokers, who were trying to swindle him out of valuable property. Hewent to New York City, and disappeared, and his three sons went atonce on the hunt for him. The brokers were Pelter, Japson & Company,and it was not long before Dick and his brothers discovered thatPelter and Japson were in league with Josiah Crabtree. In the end theboys found out what had become of their parent, and they managed tobring the brokers to terms. But, during a struggle, poor Tom was hiton the head by a wooden footstool thrown by Pelter, and knockedunconscious. Josiah Crabtree tried to escape from a garret window bymeans of a rope made of a blanket. This broke, and he sustained aheavy fall, breaking a leg in two places. He was taken to a hospital,and the doctors there said he would be a cripple for life.

  "There is no use in talking, Dad," Dick had said to his father, "youare not in a fit physical condition to take hold of these businessmatters. You had better leave them entirely to me." And to this Mr.Rover had agreed. Then, as Dick was to leave college and spend most ofhis time in New York, it had been decided that he and Dora should getmarried. There had followed one of the grandest weddings the villageof Cedarville had ever seen.

  The blow on Tom's head proved more serious than was at firstanticipated. Through it the poor lad suddenly lost his mind, and whilein that state he wandered away from Brill College, and went on a longjourney, as related in detail in the volume preceding this, entitled"The Rover Boys in Alaska."

  As their father was too ill to take part in any search for the missingone, Dick and Sam took up the hunt, and after many thrillingadventures on the ice and in the snow, managed to locate their brotherand bring him back home.

  "And now, Tom, you must take a good long rest," his kindly Aunt Marthahad said, and she had insisted upon it that he be put under the careof a specialist. Tom had rested for several months, and then,declaring that he felt as good as ever, had returned to Brill. Sam wasalready in the grind, and soon Tom was doing his best to make up forthe time he had lost on his strange trip.

  Of course, Nellie Laning had been very much worried over Tom'scondition, and his disappearance had caused her intense dismay. Sincehe had returned to Brill, she had asked that he either call on her orwrite to her at least once a week. Tom preferred a visit toletter-writing, and as Sam was usually ready to go to Hope to seeGrace whenever the opportunity afforded, the brothers usually took thetrip together, as in the present instance.

  Searchlight in hand, the Rover boys peered out over the surface of theswiftly-flowing river, which at this point was about seventy-five feetwide. The bridge was built in three sections, and it was the middlespan which had collapsed at the farther end, so that the automobilehad plunged into water which was at least eight feet deep.

  "Do you see anything of him?" asked Sam, eagerly, as the rays from thelight flashed in one direction and then in another.

  "If he managed to get out of the auto, perhaps he floated down withthe current," responded his brother. "Anyhow, he doesn't seem to bearound here."

  "Maybe he was caught under the wheel. If so, we had better
get him outwithout delay."

  "Look! Look!" And now Tom pointed down the river. There in themoonlight, both boys saw a form coming to the surface. The fellow wasbeating the water wildly with his hands, and now he set up a franticcry for aid. Turning the searchlight in that direction, the Rover boysleft the vicinity of the broken bridge, and made their way down tosomething of a footpath that ran along the water's edge. Tom was inthe lead. Here and there the bushes hung over the stream, and bothlads had to scramble along as best they could.

  "Help! Help!" The cry came faintly, and then the two boys saw thefellow in the water throw up both arms and sink from view.

  "He has gone under!" gasped Sam. "Hurry up, Tom, or we'll be toolate!"

  Scrambling wildly through the last of the bushes and onto some flatrocks that, in this vicinity, ran out into the river, the Rover boyssoon gained a point which was less than four yards from where theunfortunate youth had disappeared. Leading the way, Tom leaped fromone flat stone in the stream to another. Sam followed closely, holdingthe searchlight on the spot where both hoped the fellow in the watermight reappear.

  "Here he is!" cried Tom. And, as he spoke, Sam saw a dark object turnover in the stream close to the rock on which his brother had leaped.The next instant Tom was down on his knees and feeling through thewater.

  "Hold my hand, Sam," said the older Rover. And as Sam took his lefthand, Tom clutched with his right the coat of the party in the river.Then came a hard pull; and a moment later Tom had the dripping form onthe rock.

  "Is he--he--dead?" questioned Sam, hoarsely.

  "I don't think so, but he certainly has had a close call. We must gethim ashore and work over him as soon as possible. You light the way; Ithink I can carry him alone."

  The fellow who had been hauled out of the river was a slightly-builtyouth, not over twenty years of age. As Tom was both big and muscular,it was an easy matter for him to throw the stranger over his shoulder.Sam led the way to the shore, keeping the light down on the rocks sothat his brother might be sure of his footing.

  Once safe, the boys placed the stranger on the grass and started towork over him. He was unconscious, and had evidently swallowedconsiderable water. Fortunately, the lads had taken lessons in how toresuscitate a person who had been close to drowning, so they knewexactly what to do.

  "It's a mighty lucky thing that we were here to aid him," remarkedSam, as he and Tom proceeded with their efforts. "Another minute, andit would have been all up with this poor fellow."

  "Well, he isn't out of the woods yet, Sam, but I think he is comingaround." And even as Tom spoke the stranger gave a gasp and a groan,and tried to sit up.

  "It's all right, my friend," cried Sam, reassuringly. "We've got you,you are safe."

  "Oh, oh!" moaned the young man who had been so close to drowning. Andthen as he sat up and stared at the brothers, he added: "Did--did yousa--save me?"

  "Well, we hauled you out of the river," replied Tom, simply.

  "You did!" The young man shivered as he glanced at the swiftly-flowingstream. "The bridge--it was broken, but I didn't notice it in time."

  "We tried to warn you," said Sam, "but you were coming too fast."

  "I know it, but I--I----" And then the young man, having tried to getto his feet, suddenly collapsed and became unconscious again.

  "Phew!" came from Sam in surprise. "He must be worse off than wethought."

  "Perhaps he got struck when he went down," suggested Tom. "See here,there is blood on his hand; it is running down his sleeve!"

  "Maybe his arm is broken, Tom. I guess the best thing we can do is toget him to some doctor."

  "Why not take him right down to Ashton to Doctor Havens?"

  "Good idea; we'll do it."

  Tom again took up the unconscious young man, and, with Sam leading theway, both hurried to their automobile. The stranger was deposited onthe seat of the tonneau, and then Tom lost no time in turning themachine around and heading for town.

  "I wonder who he can be?" remarked Sam, as they sped along.

  "I'm sure I don't know," was Tom's reply. Neither of the boys dreamedof the surprise in store for them.