"What is it, Grice?" asked Robert to the old man at the door, a moment later.

"Sompin' powerful bad, Mistah Drake; I'se feared to talk heah. Can yo'

come outside, suh? I'se somef'n mighty bad to tell yo', suh!"

The old darkey shook his head and rolled his eyes, making a grotesque effort to express the worried feelings evidently in his mind.

"Come outside, but hurry. I'm here with some young ladies, and I haven't much time to talk with you."

"No, suh, co'se not. And dem young ladies am pow'ful nice, suh."

"Well, Grice, what is it that you want with me?"

"Well, suh, I doan' know how to tell it. Yo' knows I'se messenger for department of mathmax, doan' yo', Mistah Drake?"

"Of course; what of it?"

"Mistah Drake, suh, will yo' gibe me yor promise as a naval officer an'

gemman that yo' won' tell anybody what I'se gwine to say?"

"No, of course I won't."

"Well, suh, a big crime is goin' to be cormitted. An' a pore ole n.i.g.g.ah man knows about it an' goes to a young gemman frend of hizn and asks fo'

help and can't get none. And the pore ole n.i.g.g.ah will be accused an' go to jail. Won' yo' help me, Mistah Drake? Won' yo' help a pore ole n.i.g.g.ah what's in trouble?"

"Of course I will, Grice, but I'm not going to promise you to keep secret what you tell me."

"Ef yo' goes roun' talking 'bout what I tells yo' no one will believe me. I'll be bounced, suh, after thirty years heah, an' ef yo' doan' help me a crime will be cormitted and folks will say ole Grice done it. Ain't yo' gwine to help me, Mistah Drake?"

Robert thought for a moment, looking intently at the old negro. The latter talked with great effort. Beads of perspiration burst out on his face. It was evident that Grice was in terror of losing his all and knew not what to do. "Grice, I'll help you if I can," said Robert. "If what you tell me is important I will talk about it to the commandant and to no one else. Now what is it? Be quick."

"Thank yo', suh. Two midshipmen is a-gwine to steal the mathmax zamnation. I wuz sleepin' in the mathmax room last night. My ole woman an' I done hav' a disregard 'bout religion yesterday; she's Zion Baptis'

an' I'se Asbury Methodis'. We disregarded so hard that I didn't go home las' night,--co'se 'tain't allowed to sleep in mathmax room, but I done it las' night; well, suh, Mistah Drake, suh, suah as yo' is bawn, suh, it woke me up. Two men came in the mathmax room. The doors wuz all locked; I done that myself; they mus' have had a key made. They come to the desk were the zamnation questions is kep'. They had a light--turned it on, and put somfin' in the key bob of the desk, I seen 'em do it, suh. This morning I fin' wax in keyhole. Zamnations ain't made out yet, but these gemmen will come back with the keys and steal the zamnation--den ole Grice will be 'cused and dismissed--zamnations have been stolen befoah, Mistah Drake, yo' knows it, suh, an' money stolen, an' gen'ally some pore n.i.g.g.ah gets dismissed an' half de time it's some pore white trash in midshipman close what does it. Yes, suh, an' ----"

"Did you see the faces of these midshipmen, Grice?" interrupted Robert.

"Yes, suh. I done had a good luk at 'em."

"Who were they?"

"Foah de Lawd sake, Mistah Drake, doan' yo' ask me no such questionings," cried out Grice in affrighted tones.

"Do you know the names of those two midshipmen?"

"Yes, suh, Mistah Drake, suh, but I ain't a-gwine to say who they is; ef I tole yo' who they is they would tole yo' Grice prevaricated and Grice would be dismissed. No, suh, I ain't a-gwine to tole yo' who they is, Mistah Drake, suh; yo' done got to catch 'em, suh."

"Grice, I shall tell the commandant what you have told me and he will make you tell him who they are."

"I disremember their names, suh," suddenly replied Grice. "I forgets their names, but I knows 'em; they is midshipmen. Now, Mistah Drake, suh, they will come back, suah they will, suh, an' yo' an' me will be in the mathmax room and catch 'em."

"All right, Grice, I'll help you; but I've got to go now. Call on me if anything new turns up," and Robert returned to the ballroom and soon was with Helen Blunt.

"Robert," she said after a few minutes, "we're awfully worried about Harry; he's been dropping in mathematics and is officially warned that he is in danger of failing at the annual examination. Do you think he will fail?"

"There's but little danger of that, Helen; don't worry; lots of his cla.s.smates have been warned and your brother is really bright. He would have high cla.s.s rank if he studied, and he always does fairly well in examinations. I saw his name posted at the beginning of this month, but you needn't worry; he probably has been boning and no doubt will pa.s.s."

"Won't you help him, Robert?" asked Helen in wistful tones; "you know what a terribly sad thing it is to a naval family to have a son fail at Annapolis."

"Wherever and whenever I can. Just bet on that; but your brother and I are not friendly and I'm quite sure he would disdain any help from me."

"Oh, Robert, what did that old colored man want?" cried Nellie Strong, running up.

"Oh," laughed Robert, "he wanted to know who that powerfully pretty girl was that I was with. He said she was the nicest girl on the floor. And then he wanted to know who made that crepe de chine gown you are wearing and----"

"Robert Drake, stop your nonsense, and tell me what that old man wanted," cried Nellie, consumed with curiosity; "are you in some more trouble; are you going to disappear again?"

"What is it, Robert; has anything happened?" inquired Helen, much concerned.

"Nothing much; an old colored man, Grice, who is the sweeper and cleaner of the mathematical department, is in trouble and wanted my advice and help. You see his wife is a Zion Baptist and he's an Asbury Methodist, something like that, and they have 'disregards,' so Grice tells me----"

"Oh, I know old Harriet Grice," interrupted Helen. "She used to cook for us when father was commandant, and every night when she went home she carried with her everything left in the pantry and ice-box. Once when I caught her in the act she said she was taking the stuff to the Zion Church; that it wasn't stealing because she was giving it to the Lord. She and old Grice have terrible rows, in spite of their both being so religious."

Everybody laughed and Nellie Strong was satisfied. Then the music started. "This is ours, Nellie," remarked Robert, and in a moment the two were lost in the crowd.

The next morning after chapel service, Robert spent half an hour with the commandant and related what Grice had told him.

"I'll send for Grice to-morrow," said that officer, "but I doubt if he will disclose the names of the midshipmen, even if he really does know them. These darkeys are remarkably stubborn when they once get a notion in their woolly heads. If Grice is telling a true story we must certainly catch the offenders in the act." The commandant thought for a moment and then continued: "I could post some watchmen about the place, but then the guilty persons might take alarm. If Grice's story is true there is surely a bad pair of midshipmen here, and we must get them and dismiss them."

CHAPTER XIX

THE KIDNAPPERS

Annapolis was full of excitement. It always is at this time of year, and though the town is old, and though graduation scenes have been rehea.r.s.ed for more than sixty years, still the play is always fresh; young lives are about to go out and do their battle in the world, and friends come to applaud them and to spend a few days with them, and to wish them G.o.dspeed. And so visitors by thousands poured into the ancient city; and the young men of Robert Drake's cla.s.s had a sense of great importance because it was all to do honor to their graduation, now but a few weeks off.

But it wasn't only at the Naval Academy that important matters were happening at this time; for near Annapolis, events were occurring of tremendous import to a few people, and particularly so to a small, white-faced whimpering boy, seven years old.

Up the Severn River, some little distance before it reaches Round Bay, was an offshoot from the river. This offshoot, a small creek, by devious windings led through a desolate, untenanted, uncultivated, roadless region. Once, in the heyday of slavery, prosperous tobacco fields existed where now there was a dense second growth of trees crowded by a tangled underbrush impenetrable to man unless armed with a hatchet.

Here, through an absolute wilderness, inhabited only by c.o.o.ns, squirrels and hares, the little offshoot to the Severn took its unmolested way. No Man's Creek it was called, and well named it was. Not even isolated negroes' cabins were to be seen on its banks, and wild duck in their season, unmolested by the gun, here found a secure place.

But, completely hidden in this creek, disturbing visitors had recently appeared. In one of the sharp turns of No Man's Creek, and completely hidden from view, was a covered gasoline launch. In it were three men and a small, weeping boy.

"We'll start to-night at eleven; it will be dark then, the moon sets at nine; and I'll be glad to have the thing over with. Jingo! I wish we had never done this thing," said one of them, a red-bearded man of uncertain age. "I'm sure no one followed us to Indian Landing; we landed there at a time when n.o.body was awake. But it was a hard trip from there across lots to this place. I never would have found this spot if I weren't so well acquainted about here. But I wish we could have got out last night--confound that leaky gasoline tank--it dished us at the last moment. But we'll be out to-night sure--it will take us an hour to run by the Naval Academy, and two hours later we'll be across the bay and in Kent Island--once there I'll be easy in my mind; we'll be absolutely safe. And then we'll get ten thousand for our trouble. Stop your crying, Georgie, we're taking you to your father. h.e.l.lo, Jim, what's that noise?

I hear a man shouting!"

The red-bearded man jumped up and out of the boat; he ran up a bank and returned in a moment. "We're caught," he cried hoa.r.s.ely; "somebody has seen us and has given us away. We'll have to leave instantly--cut the painter! Hurry, start the engine--shove off the boat; we haven't a moment to lose!"