Latest / Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery / 20 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon

Transcript

20 - Hardy Boys The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W Dixon · Hardy Boys: The Shore Road Mystery

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Tables turned. The dazzling glare of the big lamp was
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: turned full in the faces of the Hardy boys. They
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: heard a gasp of astonishment. Why it's a couple of kids,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: exclaimed one of the men. Couple of kids, rasped Gus
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: munt Rose in astonishment. Do you know who we've got here?
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Who them Hardy boys? The pair that followed me yesterday?
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: What it's them? The very same spying pair of brats.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: A rough hand seized Frank's shoulder and swung him around.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: I'd know them anywhere. Fenton Hardy's kids. The name of
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Fenton Hardy made a distinct impression on the gang. There
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: were mutterings of anger and fear the detectives. Boys, Eh,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: growled one. What are you doing here? Boys? That's for
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: you to find out, replied Frank shortly. Is that so well?
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: You've got no business here? You know that, don't you?
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Your own business here doesn't seem any too lawful. Never
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: mind about us. You come spying around here, and you've
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: got to expect to take the consequences. What'll we do
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: with em? Gus? They're not going out o here, that's certain.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: We're not going to let them go back home and
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: tell what they've seen or what they've heard along with you,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: two boys hiding in that tunnel. You can try to
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: find that out, too, retorted Frank. Smart, ain't you, snarled prose,
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: You won't be so smart when we get through with you.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Anybody got a rope? Here's some, said a man in
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: the background. Give it here. Then we'll tie these brats
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: up and keep em until we figure out what to
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: do with them. You let us alone, said Frank. You
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: have no right to make us prisoners. Added Joe, we'll
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: take their right. You are mighty high handed rats. You'll
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: be lucky if you don't get worse, growled one of
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: the auto thieves. We ought to throw em into the bay,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: added another. Yes, with a few big stones in each
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: pocket to hold them down, came the response from a third.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Shut up, you all talk too much, commanded Montrose. Where
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: is that ropey spoke of? He snatched a length of
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: heavy cord from the man who handed it to him.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Frank was turned roughly around and his arms thrust behind
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: his back. In a moment, his wrists were firmly tied.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Joe received the same treatment. The boys were bound and
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: helpless put him over in the corner bordered Montrose. The
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: boys were pushed and jostled across the rocky floor, and
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: were made to sit down against the wall at the
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: back of the cave. The big lamp was turned on
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: them all this time, and they could see the faces
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: of none of their captors. This is a fine mess,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: grumbled one of the men. It runs the whole game.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Montrose turned on him. We were going to clear out
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: tomorrow anyway, won't we, he said. We'll just have to
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: work a little quicker, that's all. Instead of sending one
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: car out to night and the rest tomorrow night, we'll
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: get busy and drive em all out right now, What
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: about these kids? Leave em here, starve, said one man dubiously.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: What of that, demanded gusmunt Rose. That have had us
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: all landed in jail? If they could, well, I don't
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: hold they brought it on themselves. Who'll ever find him
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: here anyway? I'd rather take him out to the railway
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: and dump him into an empty box car. They might
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: be five hundred miles away before anybody found him. That
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: would give us plenty of time to scatter. Murmurs of
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: approval from the other men greeted. This plan. Do as
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: you like, growled munt Rose. I figure we ought to
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: clear out and leave him here. Suddenly the big lamp
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: which one of the gang was holding, dimmed and went out.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: What's the matter now, turn on that light, Joe, it's
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: gone out. Do you think we're blind? Of course it's out.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Turn it on. The lamp's gone dead. I think there's
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: something wrong with it. It won't light again. They could
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: hear the man tinkering at the lamp. No use, he said.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: At last, the cave was in pitch blackness. One of
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: the men struck a match and it cast a faint illumination.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: There's candles around here somewhere, either, asked Gus mount Rose.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Bull box of em if I can find em. The
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: man with the match moved off into another part of
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: the cave. He fumbled around for a while, then announced,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: with a grunt of satisfaction, here they are. He lit
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: one of the candles, brought it over and stood it
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: on a box light some more, ordered Guss. The man
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: did as he was told. In a few moments, half
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: a dozen candles provided a fair amount of light in
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: the gloom of the cave. That's better, just Then there
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: was a shout from the passage leading into the main cave.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Gus mont Rose wheeled about who's that. The men crouched tensely.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: I don't know, whispered one. We're all here but Dan.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: In a moment, footsteps could be heard in the passage.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Then a voice, Hey, come out an help me. My
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: car got stuck. It's Dan, said munt Rose in a
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: tone of relief. A man entered the cave. He stopped
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: short in surprise. For the love O Pete, he exclaimed,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: what's this prayer meeting? The lamb went out, explained Gus,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: we caught a couple of kids spying on us. The
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: newcomer whistled, spies. Eh, where are they? We got em
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: tied up in the corner there. Dan, who was evidently
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: the man who had driven the roadstir down from the
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: shore road, came over and regarded the hardy boys. This
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: don't look so good, he said, What are we going
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: to do? We'll attend to him, growled munt Rose. Your
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: job is to drive that car into Clancy's place. The
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: rest of us are bringing the other cars in to
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: night clearin out a day earlier. Eh, that's the idea well,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: you'll have to come out and help me get my
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: car out of the mud, or none of us will
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: get away. You're bogged up to the hubs. There's been
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: so much rain that the gully road is now knee
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: deep in mud. All right, we'll come and get you out.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: How many men do you want? It'll take the whole
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: crowd of us. No, it won't. You're not going to
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: leave these kids here alone. Joe here can stay and watch'em.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: They're tired, ain't they? What of it? I'm not trustin
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: to know ropes. Somebody's going to stay and keep an
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: eye on em. I'll stay, grumbled the man, addressed as Joe.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: I don't care who stays, snapped Dan. If you don't
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: come out and help drag that car out of the mud,
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: it'll be so deep we'll never get it out. Come on.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: The men trooped out of the cave. Joe, who was
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: left behind, sat down on a box and regarded the
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: lads balefully. However, he said nothing gus came back through
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: the passage. You might as well be loading some of
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: those boxes into the other cars while we're away, he said.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: Take a look in every little while and see that
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: those his kids are still tied up. The man grumbled
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: assent and followed Gus back down the passage. The hardy
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: boys were left alone in the light of the flickering
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: candles ranged about the gloomy cave. Well we've lost out,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: I guess, remarked Frank bitterly. If we ever do get
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: back to Bayport, it won't be until the auto thieves
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: have all cleared out of here with the cars. It
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: doesn't look very bright, sighed Joe. Suddenly Frank sat up, say,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: he exclaimed, Did they take your revolver? No, I guess
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: they didn't know I had one. They took mine and
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: missed yours. You still have it right in my pocket. Good?
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: What good is it when I can't get at it?
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: If you can, we have only this chap Joe to
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: deal with. The flame of the candle caught Frank's eye.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: He had an inspiration. If only I could just get
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: these ropes off my wrists, he said. Frank edged over
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: toward the candle. Then, with his back to the flame,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: he lowered his arms until the cord that bound his
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: wrists was within an inch of the wick. A candle
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: does not throw out much heat, but that little flame
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: seared Frank's wrists, and he had to clench his teeth
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: to keep from crying out with pain. He could hold
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: the rope in the flame for a few moments only,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: and then he withdrew it. When the scorching pain had
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: somewhat subsided, he tried again. The flame licked at the
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: heavy cord, weakening it strand by strand. Look out, Frank
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: warned Joe. Frank scrambled back to the corner. He was
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: just in time. Heavy footsteps in the passage announced the
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: approach of their guard, who came to the entrance, looked
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: at them sullenly for a moment, then turned away again.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: He went back to the outer cave, hardly had he disappeared.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: When Frank was back at the candle, he thrust the
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: rope into the flame again. When he could stand the
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: burning heat no longer, he withdrew and tried to break
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: his bonds by sheer force, but although the ropes had
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: been weakened, they refused to break. He returned to the
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: flame again, and on the next attempt he was successful.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: So many strands had been burned through that the cords
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: snapped and his hands were free. Quickly Frank went over
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: to his brother. First of all, he took the revolver
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: from Joe's pocket and put it on the rock beside
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: him in readiness. Then he knelt down and tugged at
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: the strong ropes that bound Joe's wrists so tightly. The
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: knots were stubborn, but he finally undid them. The ropes
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: fell apart, and Joe was free. Now gritted, Frank picking
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: up the revolver. We'll go and attend to our friend
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: in the cave. Hadn't we better wait here for him?
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: There may be some one with him. I guess you're right.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: We'll take him by surprise the next time he comes back.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Frank went over to the side of the tunnel that
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: led out into the main cave. Bring those ropes with you, Joe,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: take the other side. Joe picked up the cords that
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: had bound his own wrists and took up his position
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: at the other side of the entrance. There the boys waited.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: In a short time, they heard heavy footsteps in the tunnel.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Their guard was returning. Frank gripped the revolver. The lads
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: pressed themselves against the wall. The footsteps drew closer, Then
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: a dark figure emerged from the opening. Frank stepped swiftly
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: out behind the rascal and pressed the revolver against his back,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: hands up, he ordered, sharply. Their victim gave a cry
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: of fright. He had been startled almost out of his wits.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: His hands shot up. Stand up where you are. Frank
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: still pressed the muzzle of the revolver against the erstwhile captor,
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: while Joe searched the man for weapons and found a
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: small automatic in the fellow's hip pocket. This he took.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Put your hands behind your back, ordered Frank. Their prisoner
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: obeyed quickly. Joe tied the man's wrists. Go over and
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: sit on that box. Muttering and grumbling with rage. The
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: fellow did so. Joe hunted around until he found another
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: length of rope, and with this he bound the man's feet.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: I guess you'll be all right here until the others
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: come back, Frank told the captive. If I ever get
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: three of these ropes, keep quiet, ordered Frank, brandishing the
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: revolver menacingly. Their prisoner was silenced. Abruptly, blow out the candles. Joe,
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: he might think of the same idea. The candles were
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: blown out. The boys were in complete darkness. Hey, roared
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: their prisoner. You're not going to leave me here alone
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: in the dark. Are you exactly where's our flashlight? Joe?
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: I have it here, It was in my pocket. Joe
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: turned on the light. In its glow, they saw their
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: prisoner bound, hand and foot, sitting disconsolately on the box. Fine,
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: we'll go now. They left the cave, unmindful of the
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: appeals of the auto thief, and made their way down
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: a passage that led into the outer cavern where the
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: stolen cars were stored. The light showed them a large
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: opening that they had not seen when they were in
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: the place on the first occasion. I guess this is
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: the way they drive the cars out, remarked Frank. We'll
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: go out the way we came in. We won't be
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: so likely to meet the others. The boys hastened down
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: the far passage. They hurried past their roadstir on through
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: the tunnel. At last they saw a gleam of light ahead,
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: shining faintly in the distance. End of Chapter twenty